Desertion was inevitable.
This was expected by Dmitri, or perhaps Major Gavrilov and others.
The fear of death is human nature. The reason why the Soviet soldiers held their ground in the fortress was because they believed that reinforcements would come and that the main Soviet army would return soon. Some even thought that they should make a good impression before the main army returned to gain leverage for the future. This was what the Instructor was thinking about more.
Knowing that there would be no reinforcements, some people would inevitably estimate that the chances of victory were slim, and thus choose to surrender.
The situation is now even more dire: not only are there no reinforcements, but the enemy has also learned of the battle plan in advance. Worse still, the Soviet Army is unable to change its plans due to the circumstances.
Therefore, breaking through the encirclement was almost tantamount to suicide.
Under this premise, more hesitant people will decide to surrender to the German Army, even though the process is equally dangerous.
After receiving the news, Major Gavlov and the Instructor came to the front line and gave another righteous speech. The Instructor even raised his voice and talked a lot of profound principles.
However, none of that matters. What matters is that the deserters actually brought another important message to the German Army, the Soviet Army would continue with their plan to breakthrough into the forest to the north, and they had no other choice.
On the other side, Colonel Lucas, Commnder of the German 135th Infantry Regiment responsible for attacking Kobrin Fortress, looked towards the fortress across the way through his binoculars in the setting sun.
Lucas was somewhat surprised by the Soviet Army's defenses. Before the war, the German Army had sent Brandenburg troops to infiltrate the Soviet Army's defenses and reconnoiter the Brest fortress.
They knew that the Soviet Army did not have many troops left at the fortress, and that the officers had returned to Brest for leave. More importantly, the German Army had even scouted out the various warehouses inside the fortress and marked them one by one, ordering the Air Force to destroy them immediately.
Even so, Brest Fortress stood before him like a stubborn rock.
This was a disgrace for the 45th Division, which was the first to break into the war-torn Warsaw and Paris. Yet, in just two days, it lost 153 men to a fortress where the enemy's strength and preparations were completely disproportionate. This number exceeded the division's total casualties in the Battle of Poland.
Putting away his binoculars Colonel Lucas gazed at the distant fortress and asked his adjutant, "How much longer does 'Karl' need?"
"It will take another half hour, Colonel!" the adjutant replied.
Colonel Lucas nodded slightly. The so-called "Karl" is Germany's super-large caliber Mortar, with a combat weight of 124 tons, equivalent to two heavy Tanks, and even the shells weigh 2.17 tons.
Colonel Lucas believed that under Mortar's bombardment, everything on the Brest Line would be reduced to ashes.
"Colonel!" the adjutant asked, "Should we order them to speed up their deployment so we can get there before they break out..."
"Do you think they'll still break out at seven, Andrei?" Colonel Lucas interrupted his adjutant. " The Soviet Union isn't stupid. They know deserters will confess everything, so this intelligence is worthless!"
The adjutant nodded in agreement.
But at that moment, a messenger handed a telegram to the adjutant.
The adjutant glanced at it, then widened his eyes and handed the intelligence to the colonel, saying, "Colonel, I think you should take a look at this."
Lucas glanced at the contents and immediately ordered, "You're right, Andrei, have them speed things up. Also, immediately transfer Second Battalion north to reinforce the 3rd Company!"
"Yes, Colonel!"
Clearly, Dmitri's strategy worked.
To be precise, it was the intelligence brought to the German Army by the second group of deserters that came into play. The German Army transferred a large number of troops to the north instead of other directions, which gave the Soviet Army an opportunity.
On the other side, Dmitri was nervously watching the sky. He desperately needed a watch. Accustomed to knowing the time at any moment, he couldn't adapt to the situation where he had to guess the time... For the Soviet Union, where light industry was underdeveloped, watches were very expensive, and of course, they were a luxury for Dmitri as well.
Although this doesn't change anything knowing the time or not knowing the time makes no difference it leaves Dmitri feeling somewhat lost.
At that moment, Battalion Commander Captain Venyakov appeared before the Soldiers and whispered, " Soldiers, come with me!"
The soldiers picked up their guns and stood up, but when they saw the battalion commander leading them south, they were all puzzled.
"What happened?"
"We didn't go north!"
"Where are we going, Commander?" a soldier asked.
"You don't need to know." Captain Venyakov replied coldly.
This was agreed upon beforehand by the officers, because they were worried that someone might surrender during the battle and reveal the plan to the Germans, so they still dared not tell them the truth.
Okunev whispered to Dmitri, "It seems we're heading to Brest Bridge. I understand, we're here to meet Comrade from Central Fortress."
"Perhaps." Dmitri replied.
Okunev was only half right.
They were indeed going to Brest Bridge, but not to meet up with Central Fortress; they were going to attack Central Fortress.
A dozen minutes later, the troops arrived near Brest Bridge... The bridge had been occupied by the German Army, who had built reverse trenches and reverse fortifications at both ends of the bridge.
The so-called reverse fortifications refer to fortifications that provide fire support to the opposite bank of the river.
These fortifications are especially useful for guarding bridges because guarding the bridgehead with conventional fortifications is not only disadvantageous but also puts them at a disadvantage, because they have the bridge and the river behind them, which is equivalent to a desperate battle with no way out.
However, if reverse fortifications are constructed on the opposite bank, the situation is different. The firepower on the opposite bank can be effectively deployed to provide mutual cover. In other words, the fortifications on this side of the bridge are mainly aimed at the other side, and vice versa.
The advantage of this is that, once attacked by the enemy, one can flexibly retreat along the bridge and use the narrow space of the bridge for effective defense, making it difficult for the enemy to break through their defenses.
Of course, if attacked from both sides simultaneously, this tactic will become ineffective.
The bridgehead was deathly silent. There was not a single spark or sound of conversation in the darkness, not even a German Army sentry could be seen. Only the river was gurgling.
Clearly, the German Army here had received intelligence that the Soviet Army would attack the bridge, and they even knew the exact time, so they had prepared for battle well in advance.
However, what they didn't expect was that... the attack here would not only come from one direction of the Soviet Army, but would also be from the main force of the Soviet Army.