The Third Reich in Desperation

The political commissar pointed at Zhukov, trembling with anger: "Zhukov, what did you say? Do you dare to say it again?"

Zhukov took a cold look and said calmly: "Okay, let me say it again, everyone, I, Zhukov, participated in the revolution in 1919. Since then, I have never thought about becoming an official in the future. I have been going all the way to this day, and I have never I didn't deliberately please anyone, and I didn't do anything bad to get a promotion."

He was a little excited when he said this, and he almost gritted his teeth and continued: "If the war I have devoted my whole life to does not meet my original intention in the end, then what is the meaning of this military status and position? Comrades, Today may be the last time I will speak at such a high-level meeting, and I am afraid that I will not have such an opportunity in the future, comrades, please give me some time to say a few words from my heart, is it okay?"

The entire office was silent, and Khrushchev, who had the highest status besides Zhukov, took the lead and nodded, agreeing to Zhukov's request.

After Khrushchev's acquiescence, Zhukov said solemnly: "Comrades, I have often suffered from insomnia recently. I am not ignorant of the things Pavlov did behind the scenes. However, I did not pursue it. Because I know, I I am a soldier, and my duty is to do my best to defend the country. Especially recently, I often think of the relationship between comrades in our army during the October Revolution. Comrades, we are all experienced, think about it You didn’t have to worry about getting injured in wars at that time, because your comrades would never abandon you. I, Zhukov, can survive to this day because more than one of my comrades blocked bullets for me. They died, but I survived.”

"In the Battle of Tsaritsyn, I was wounded in my left leg and left rib. In the battle at Jaipurnaya Railway Station, I was seriously injured and was unconscious for a while."

"However, I survived. I think this may be because the motherland needs me and needs my strength. Even for those comrades who died, I have never slacked off for a moment! Ask yourself, these days, every day I He put his heart and soul into the front line.”

"Comrades, this is what our Soviet soldiers should be like. This is the fine tradition we should have. I dare say that if we put it 20 years ago, our combat effectiveness and our soldiers would definitely be no better than German soldiers. bad!"

"But now, what's going on with our army? It's too dangerous to fight against frame-ups, and it will destroy our army, and even the entire Soviet Union. Comrades, everyone, think about what I, Zhukov, have done. Why, is there any point in it that can be regarded as the act of a traitor?"

"What is Pavlov? What is he, Stalin! They don't even know how rotten the front line is!" Zhukov said here, his emotions became more agitated, and he said kindly at the highest volume: "Want me to attack? What should I take?" Attack! Take human lives to fill it! Do I have to mobilize tens of thousands of people to hit the German defense line to smash their heads and blood, and then pretend to have tried my best to carry out the order, and then report back that I have been ordered to attack."

After Zhukov said so much in one breath, he finally calmed down a bit: "How many commanders are doing these things, do they think I don't know? Do you think I really don't know about such dirty and despicable methods?" ?"

"No! I won't do it!" Zhukov showed a smile uglier than crying, and looked at Khrushchev: "After a hundred years, a line will be engraved on my tombstone. During the years of Zhukov's tenure, can you find Find any criminal order document signed by him. Go and find it! You will never find such a document signed by Zhukov!"

Standing aside, Khrushchev exchanged glances with the political commissar and several staff officers quickly, and then sighed, "Zhukov, after you give such a speech, I'm afraid no one will be able to save you."

Zhukov moved his lips, but said nothing, turned around and walked away without looking back... Everyone present, including Khrushchev, were stunned by Zhukov's tough behavior.

Everyone knows that Zhukov is screwed.

However, no one is gloating.

Looking at the figure of Zhukov going away, Khrushchev suddenly felt very disgusted with that general named Pavlov. Compared with Zhukov, that man was not worthy of being called a soldier at all.

"Don't say anything about today's affairs!" After a long time, Khrushchev said in a low voice to several of his cronies behind him: "I will personally report to Comrade Stalin."

"Yes..." Several Khrushchev's trusted staff officers and the political commissar were stunned, and then agreed.

What happened today has completely exceeded their expectations.Zhukov's rigidity has made everyone feel touched until now.For the first time, these people seemed to have seen what a real military strategist should look like.

It is also appropriate for Khrushchev to report such a matter. After all, Khrushchev is also a celebrity around Stalin and knows how to report it best.

Text 744 Missed the fight

"General Manstein, our troops have already eaten up two rear troops of the Soviet Army today, at least 2 people!" In front of Manstein, a chief of staff of the Romanian Army was proudly claiming credit.

This kind of thing is not common.

You know, a few days ago, the commander of the Soviet army gave Manstein the feeling that a very powerful general was suddenly in command, the rules were tight, and the retreat was clean and neat.Several rearguard troops were well coordinated and resisted very skillfully, which caused a lot of trouble for his 11th Army.

Manstein's 11th Army was a dual army formation consisting of a German Army and a Romanian Army.This also gave him the opportunity to command a larger force and show off his military talents.

A few days ago, Manstein, who had been going smoothly and never felt pressured in strategy, felt for the first time that he had met an opponent!

When the coordinator came to report that the Romanian division that Manstein sent out as a "mine detection team" did not encounter the Soviet army at several locations near the Ukrainian border, Manstein knew that what he met was a An opponent worthy of his all-out efforts.

In the eyes of ordinary generals, including most Romanian generals, it is incredible that the Soviets gave up the defense of the border areas.Although fighting around the vast border, the Soviet Southwestern Front was easily dragged into a decisive battle with the main force of the German Southern Group.However, near the Ukrainian border, the Soviet army at least has the geographical advantage of building a line of defense in advance!

In general, since the gap in equipment and personnel quality cannot be made up in a short period of time, the Soviet army should make better use of its geographical advantages to fortify.However, the new Soviet commander chose to retreat.

He did not covet the small profits brought by fortifications, deployed troops on the long border that was easy to be divided and breached, and even abandoned large cities like Chernivtsi.

It seems that the opponent has chosen another defensive method. This is also Manstein's favorite defensive mode in history. First break away from contact with the enemy, withdraw the active force, and then shorten the line of defense. It is more effective to use rivers and the like. The natural danger arming.

If Manstein guessed correctly, the commander of the Soviet Union should fortify the Transnistria between Lvov and Ossad. The Stern River is dangerous.

have a hand!

If we say, these days, where Manstein and the Soviet commander fought, it should be that Manstein commanded and dispatched Romanian troops to spy on and intercept the Soviet rear guard.

Manstein was unwilling to take the risk of going deep with the elite German troops, and the Soviet commander had no intention of eating the provocative Romanian troops.Therefore, around the distance in front of the Transnistria, the two sides dispatched troops and conducted dozens of small-scale confrontations back and forth.

In Manstein's eyes, these petty battles are the prelude to the next Ukrainian encirclement.

According to his calculations and deduction, although the Southern Army Group is very powerful today, it contains a large number of infantry, including Greece, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. The troops provided are basically infantry divisions.And Romania, which gritted its teeth and took out nearly 80 troops, only provided one armored division, and there were also three Romanian cavalry divisions equipped with motorized troops.

Such a mobile force is obviously not enough, and the mobile force of the Southern Army Group is not enough.However, not much difference.Provided that Bock's Army Group Center was willing to temporarily transfer their Spanish and Italian mobile units to Army Group South and push southward, to join the Army Group South offensive east of Kiev.

According to the large number of military flag deduction conducted by Manstein before, the encirclement of Ukraine should basically be a success.

He had suggested to Rundstede an extremely successful encirclement and annihilation campaign as the chief of staff in the Polish campaign before.But this time, as the commander of the largest army group in Germany, Manstein proposed to Rundstede a more appetizing concept of encirclement warfare.

If nothing else, the Ukrainian encirclement war should be the largest encirclement and annihilation war in history.In this regard, Manstein is very confident.

However, the new commander of the Soviet Southwest Front made Manstein feel a little pressure.

Perhaps, that commander will become a major obstacle in this Ukrainian battle, and Manstein is a little worried.

However, this worry has disappeared today.

I don't know the reason, but Manstein can be sure that the commander of the Soviet Southwest Front has changed again!

The opponent's command is no longer as impenetrable as before.

Since yesterday, the mutual dispatch and coordination of the Soviet army's rearguard forces has obviously begun to decline seriously.

If it is a coincidence that the Romanian army ate about [-] Soviet troops yesterday.Today, the level of technical coordination is not high, and the Romanian army with weak tactical execution ability has won nearly [-] Soviet troops in two times. This is definitely not a coincidence.

A total of [-] Soviet troops were annihilated and captured. The Romanian army was able to achieve such a feat in two days. It has to be said that the Soviet army's command level has seriously declined.

Throughout Ukraine, the Allied forces faced a large Southwest Front Army with 4 armies under its jurisdiction, and a Soviet Southern Army with 2 armies under its jurisdiction.

In other words, the Soviet army deployed here a total of 6 armies.

According to the judgment of Marshal Rondstadt of the German Southern Army Group, once the encirclement battle proposed by Manstein is completed, at least most of the troops of the Soviet Southwest Front Army will be handed over here.The two armies of the Soviet Army's Southern Army will also have some troops unable to escape the encirclement.

The rest is part of the troops of the Soviet Army Group South who broke through the siege, and may flee south into the Crimean Peninsula.But that's okay, it's just escaping from one pocket to another.

It turned out that Zhukov's arrival at the Southwest Front put pressure on Manstein, who proposed the idea of ​​encirclement warfare.But as Zhukov was convicted and transferred, with Manstein's sense of the battlefield, he clearly felt the departure of the famous general Zhukov.

And the newly appointed Timoshenko, before mastering the specific situation of the Southwest Front Army and adapting to commanding this army, Manstein was able to mobilize the not-so-elite Romania to wipe out a large number of Soviet troops, preparing for the next encirclement with the German army as the main force. To further lay a solid foundation and weaken the strength of the defending Soviet army.

Body 745 Raid

In the dull afternoon, the air was filled with restlessness and uneasiness, and several trucks slowly drove towards the army not far away.After these trucks arrived at their destination, a stout man wearing an officer's military cap got off the leading truck. The company commander Loya knew him. This man was called Modley, and he was a captain of the logistics force. Loja understood What does his arrival mean? Everyone has been looking forward to his appearance these days.

Captain Modly walked past Loya, smiled slightly, and said to several truck drivers behind him: "Distribute the extra rations to every vehicle here immediately."

Modly lowered the tailgate of his van and opened a large trunk containing spirits, cigarettes, and chocolates.