One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty-One Defensive Forces

Akado is living a good life now, and what he thinks about every day is how to use various methods to deceive the Americans and the British, and his once biggest opponent, Stalin of the Soviet Union, is now in an underground bunker in the center of Moscow, Facing all kinds of desperate subordinates, he sent thunder. [full text reading]

The recent fighting in the southern area of ​​​​Moscow has slowed down due to the rotation of the F Group Army. Marshal Kluge was ordered to return to the wolf to report on his duties, and after his troops consolidated their defensive positions, they did not launch large-scale offensive operations.

Similarly, because Guderian also wanted to go back to get his newly made marshal scepter, and by the way, he went back to Berlin to see his good friend, Marshal Rommel who was recuperating. Therefore, the G Group Army did not continue to attack in the southeast. Although the 502 Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion did not lose a single 105 King Tiger tank in the Battle of Moscow, they did not continue to go north to provoke trouble because the G Army was ordered to defend in situ.

The task of attacking the Moscow defense line fell on the two troops of Army Group A in the northwest direction of Moscow and Army Group E in the northeast direction. This is also the need to tear apart the Moscow defense line, and try to mobilize the enemies in the city so that they lose more vital forces in the process of frequently changing the direction of defense.

The armored force of Army Group A is the 2nd Panzer Army, and there are also 1 SS infantry division and two SS armored divisions to strengthen this force. If you count other independent armored battalions, the number of tanks in this unit exceeds 1,400, which is definitely a terrifying assault force.

Commanding this force is also an old senior general, General Kruse of the German Army - the old boss of the head of the Third Reich, Akado, when he was in Hamburg, and he was also the one who recommended Akado to be promoted to captain . If it is said that Guderian and Rommel became the head of the faction because they were appreciated by the head of state, then Kruse, the general, should be the backbone of the most primitive head of state faction.

To be honest, when it comes to the understanding and command level of tank units, this commander who was born as an infantry regiment commander is actually not as good as those well-known armored warfare masters in the German army sequence. He can control such an armored force and become The most important reason for the outstanding general in Army Group A is that he is a Führer faction.

Like Kluge, there was no other reason for him to flourish, but only because he was the direct descendant of the head of state. Akado has installed many direct descendants in the army, and the reason why these direct descendants hold important positions is their incomparable loyalty to the head of state. They are inextricably linked with the head of state, and they are all damaged and all prosperous. Although they are not as good as the talented army generals in some places, they provide Akado with a stable environment at a critical time.

Having said that, don't think that Kluzer is the kind of bastard who doesn't have much ability. Like Kluger, although he lacks talent, he excels in diligence and stability. When Guderian and Rommel led the armored forces to fight thousands of miles to wipe out countless enemies, Kruse commanded his 2nd Armored Army but remained unknown.

However, during the journey of Group A,

Fighting fiercely against Minsk, the hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding the Soviet Central Theater were wiped out, and then marched eastward, captured Smolensk, and entered Moscow. Then suddenly went north, biting the Leningrad group and chasing it, encircling and annihilating the Leningrad group and reaching the northwest suburbs of Moscow-after so many large and small battles, the loss of the 2nd Armored Army was the entire German armored force. Minimal.

However, if you carefully distinguish, this army that went south and north fought from France to Moscow, but the results are really not much less than the 7th Armored Army and the 1st Armored Army under the command of Rommel and Guderian. This force and the independent armored battalion under its jurisdiction gave birth to the twin stars of the German armored forces, Mitchell Wittmann and Karius. Won the 1st and 2nd place in the army tank ace, destroying more tanks than Rennes who has been promoted.

This impressive record shows Kruse's ability. Although he is not the kind of existence that shines like a comet, he is hidden among the vast generals of Germany, shining his own light on the spectacular star map. In fact, if you think about it carefully, you will actually be relieved: how many veterans of the Wehrmacht who were able to be selected in the Sickert era are fools who have wine bags, rice bags, and vegetarian meals?

When people keep in mind those famous generals that Hitler launched the war, how many people still remember that it was Sickert who reserved talents for the German army? How many people still remember that most of those later brilliant generals were veterans of the National Defense Forces? Rundstedt, Bock, Manstein, Liszt, Model, Catherine... which one is not the leader in the Wehrmacht?

"There is no reason for heavy tanks to sink into these ruins. Let the reconnaissance troops find suitable roads, use infantry to cover the tanks to attack along these roads in better condition, and then hand over the houses and ruins behind them to the infantry." From the telescope. I saw the ruins of Moscow in the distance. At this moment, General Kruse told the officers next to him: "When attacking, try to arrange self-propelled artillery to cover the tank. There is no high angle of attack. Our armor Vehicles have the potential to suffer in street fighting."

An officer behind him stood at attention and raised his arms to salute: "Obey! Your Excellency General! I will immediately arrange for the grenadiers to follow your tank to ensure that I reduce my losses."

"If I had enough ammunition, I would actually prefer to use 1000 cannons to level all the buildings here... My troops are not good at this kind of warfare, so I hope to change the environment as much as possible, and become what my troops like Like other armored commanders, he likes to hang a huge high-power telescope, carry a map bag and wear a leather jacket-this outfit looks sloppy. Scruffy, but extremely practical on the battlefield.

Kruse also likes to observe the battlefield close to the front line, arranging his troops to face his enemies more flexibly. He has a famous conclusion that "don't give orders without seeing the battlefield". However, unlike Rommel and Guderian, he often wears an m35 steel helmet, pays great attention to his own safety and abides by many regulations of the head of state.

He never takes risks, even when he is fighting a difficult breakthrough battle, he likes to arrange tasks well. His tank advances seem natural, as if his troops have never faced a brave enemy. But Rundstedt once commented on Kruse: "It seems that his enemy retreated quickly under his attack, without any persistence and courage... But I know that if I command from the opposite side, Kruse Under the advanced preparations and flawless attack, the most correct thing to do is to issue an order to retreat."

At this moment, General Vatutin, who was opposite Kruse, had already felt the mountainous pressure brought on him by the methodical attack of the German 2nd Panzer Army on the opposite side. He mobilized an infantry battalion to try to catch some loopholes for a counterattack. As a result, he waited for a full hour, from the Dmitrovsk Highway to the north bank of the Likhobolka River, but he did not wait for the counterattack. Chance.

The German army took the Friendship Park and launched an offensive relying on the park Glovinskoye Cemetery. There are very few buildings in Moscow near here, which is very suitable for the advance of the German armored forces. However, the Soviet Red Army built a large number of machine gun bunkers and barricades near the cemetery with a very tongue-in-cheek name, relying on a large number of landmines and anti-tank guns. Organized the defense against the Germans.

The 501 Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion under the control of Kluzer quickly felt this place. Under the leadership of Mitchell Wittmann, two companies with a full 20 King Tiger tanks launched an attack on the Soviet army in a dense formation. This time, the Soviet army, which was out of ammunition and food, was forced to abandon its position, retreat to the river, and set up a new defensive position relying on the Likhobolka River and the railway line around the city.

"General Vatutin, Comrade Stalin is asking where the Germans have advanced. He hopes that you can maintain the defense line in its current state until the end of August." An officer walked into Vatutin's command In the Ministry, the words of Stalin were conveyed. Vatutin looked at the officer, not knowing how to form his words.

In the end, he opened his mouth and said to the officer in charge of the message in a hoarse voice: "Son, I also hope that we can hold the line of defense, but just ten minutes ago, the German army launched a fierce offensive in the north of Moscow. We were caught off guard and lost a lot of blocks. In fact we are trying to hold every inch of land, but when the soldiers who hold these lands die, these lands will of course become German-get it?"

"Comrade General, how many troops and reserves do we have?" After finishing the question Stalin wanted to ask, the officer asked a question he was interested in. He wanted to know how much time he had, and how many soldiers could sacrifice their lives to extend his life.

"I only have 5,000 reserves in my hand, and there are about 90,000 regular troops that can be found and can be commanded scattered on the defense line... Zhukov's side may be worse. He and Konev should have 80,000 people. Vasiliev There are at least 100,000 people there.” Now there is nothing to hide, and like Zhukov, he just said what he knows: “Of course, if you count those”Moscow self-defense Army', the number of defensive troops can be tripled, and the combat effectiveness is hard to say."