Chapter 149 The Will of the God of War

After listening to the report of the combat staff officer beside him, Zhukov, who had just taken over the command of the reserve front shortly after arriving at the front, could not help but fall into deep thought.

Before Zhukov was still the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army and was not dismissed by Stalin, Zhukov, who was deeply worried about the war on the front line, once gathered with Vasilevsky and others, who were also famous generals of the Red Army, to discuss the problems facing the Yelnya theater and what countermeasures should be taken in the near future.

After a brief discussion, a group of senior Red Army commanders and fighters attending the meeting, including Zhukov and Vasilevsky, reached a unanimous opinion.

Since the beginning of the war, the German Central Army Group has already stretched the front line for a long time because of its rapid advance along the way. The attack progress of the other two relatively weaker German army groups in the north and south has lagged far behind the advancement speed of the Central Army Group.

In the north, Leningrad, a major city in the north of the Soviet Union, which is still in the hands of the Red Army, has posed a threat to the flank of the German Central Army Group. The Soviet field groups that are hoarding in Leningrad can attack or defend, which is a problem that cannot be underestimated for the German Central Army Group, which has already stretched the front line too long and dispersed its forces too much.

In the south, the massive Soviet field groups stationed in Ukraine are still fighting fiercely with the German Southern Army Group. Although the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev is in danger, it is still in the hands of the Red Army. The powerful Soviet field groups in Ukraine are fully capable of posing a serious threat to the other flank of the Central Army Group.

So although the German Central Army Group's advancement speed is unstoppable and fierce, the other two German army groups that have "dragged the Central Army Group" to some extent have encountered a certain degree of difficulty in their respective offensive directions.

As a result, the vanguard of the Central Army Group is now like a long spike embedded in the heart of the Soviet Union, facing the threat and possibility of being attacked from the north and south by the Soviet Red Army at any time.

Moreover, the German Central Army Group, which immediately sent out the vanguard troops to continue the fierce attack after crossing the Dnieper River, has now encountered difficulties in manpower dispatch and supply. The most direct manifestation of this is that the German army used two divisions and one regiment in the Yelnya City theater to resist the Soviet army's group attack of more than 20 divisions.

After a comprehensive analysis of all the above factors, all the senior Soviet commanders and fighters attending the meeting agreed that the German army was very likely not to attack Moscow in the near future.

In 1941, the German army was far from the crazy gamble that had already gone to waste in 1944 and 1945. After the Barbarossa invasion began, the three German army groups were all strategically coordinated and steadily advancing step by step.

The possibility of the Central Army Group, which is currently having difficulty in maneuvering its troops, going deep into the heart of the Soviet Union surrounded on three sides by the Soviet army to launch an attack on Moscow is indeed very small.

Recalling the strategic situation discussion and analysis meeting that he personally led not long ago and the conclusions drawn, Zhukov, who firmly believed that the German Central Army Group would not immediately launch an attack in the direction of Moscow before the wars in Leningrad in the north and Ukraine in the south were completely resolved, immediately came up with a bold guess with his meticulous and resolute thinking.

"Is there such a possibility, comrades? Let's assume that the German Central Army Group has now split into two groups, supporting the Leningrad direction in the north and the Ukraine direction in the south. The reinforcements in the Yelnya theater are the last combat forces deployed by the German Central Army Group in this area."

"Its purpose is not to stockpile troops to prepare for an attack on Moscow, but to hold us back before the wars in the north and south are resolved, so as to keep the springboard of Yelnya City for later use. After the wars in Leningrad and Ukraine are completely over, the large forces will return to support, eat up our defense group in the Moscow direction in one breath, and then take the opportunity to launch a general offensive and seize Moscow. What do you think?"

Although from the perspective of future evaluations, Zhukov's assumptions at this time are undoubtedly a brief and slightly modified version of the battle plan personally drawn up by the German head of state Hitler, which can be said to be extremely accurate.

But at a time when the Soviet army is making unfavorable progress in all combat directions, Zhukov's assumptions can be said to be a complete gamble.

Once Zhukov made a mistake in judgment and rashly launched an attack on Yelnya, the German Central Army Group, which was entrenched in the rear of Yelnya, would most likely take this opportunity to launch a counterattack against the Soviet army.

By then, the German Central Army Group, which had a clear advantage in offensive energy, would have a great chance of winning this offensive-offensive battle.

The defeat of the reserve front and even the entire Western Front would completely lead to a vacuum of Soviet defensive forces in the direction of Moscow and an open door. All those who drew up this battle plan, including Zhukov, would become the culprits of the Soviet mother's destruction of the country.

Looking at the uncertain and hesitant expressions on the faces of the staff officers and even the commanders of the subordinate army groups, Zhukov, who had just been transferred from Moscow to the front-line troops to directly command the front-line battles, could not help but sigh with a little disappointment.

The situation of the battle that has been defeated all the way since the German invasion and has not won a single victory has made many Red Army front-line commanders and even the army commanders afraid of fighting.

The war here does not refer to all battles in a general sense, but refers to the offensive battle initiated by one's own side.

Although some words are not convenient to say openly, facing the powerful and seemingly invincible German army, it is so difficult to barely defend against the opponent's offensive, not to mention taking the initiative to launch an offensive battle based on subjective judgment when the enemy situation is unclear. Many front-line commanders and fighters of the Red Army, regardless of their status and position, hold such a natural mentality.

Zhukov, who has always regarded the attack as the true soul of a powerful army, naturally cannot let this situation continue.

In order to achieve a decisive victory in the second phase of the counterattack in the Yelnya theater, Zhukov, who was determined to reverse this negative emotion, immediately determined his will and was about to speak again, but a sudden word interrupted Zhukov's speech that was already on his lips.

"Comrade Commander, there is an urgent telegram from Moscow, which is very important information!"