Chapter 1497 Vatutin's Fire Captain

The commando led by Scott was stopped by the Wehrmacht who had come to their senses. This was not a big surprise for Herbert who had expected this to happen.

Herbert was also prepared for the corresponding backup plan. The reinforcements were actually ready when Scott led the team to set out, waiting for the emergency to come to the front line to rescue people.

"Send the prepared reinforcements to support, tell Hermann that his armored forces must fight quickly and bring Scott's commandos and the fuel back to me intact. Time is running out, and we have the next action to carry out."

"I understand, I will convey it right away."

Looking at the back of the communications staff who took the order and left, Herbert, with an indescribable complex look in his eyes, didn't know what he was thinking at the moment. It was obvious that he was really worried about something else.

"It seems that the Russians didn't fall for it. General, what should we do next?"

The one who asked Herbert the question was his adjutant. Those who could get to the position of adjutant of the SS General were basically good at observing words and expressions and figuring out the intentions of their superiors. Herbert's 32-year-old adjutant was such a smart person.

"We didn't expect the Russians to fall for it. This was just an additional goal. Our main goal remains unchanged, grabbing enough fuel and then launching the troops to fight. Those Wehrmacht troops that didn't want to surrender have joined us. Now we have more than 15,000 people at hand, which is enough to tear open a gap and rush out, provided that we must act quickly."

Although it can be seen that he was a little disappointed, Herbert's mental state was still vigorous and his voice was full of confidence. Now he still hasn't lost the mastery and absolute confidence that he should have as a SS General. This is his biggest asset for commanding the troops to continue fighting.

Just as Vatutin had guessed earlier, the cunning and scheming Herbert was indeed trying to use this confusing sudden exchange of gunfire to see if he could lure the Russians out of their holes and lure the tigers away from the mountains.

If this plan succeeded, Herbert could immediately command the well-prepared SS elites to attack along the gaps and gaps exposed by the Red Army's movement and attack. No matter how powerful the field troops were, they would never be able to move seamlessly and attack without exposing any weaknesses in the dark of the night. Herbert didn't believe that the Russians had such a great ability.

However, the development of the situation obviously did not go as Herbert wanted. The Russians on the opposite side still did not move after nearly half an hour of the exchange of gunfire, and did not even launch the artillery preparation before the attack. This clearly showed that they did not intend to take any offensive action.

In short, Herbert's plan to kill two birds with one stone, that is, to grab oil and lure the Russians into the trap, failed. At most, he could only succeed in one of the two: that is, to grab the oil from the Wehrmacht. The highest completion rate of the task was only 50%, no more.

It sounds bad, but it also makes Herbert admire the commander of the Russians on the opposite side even more.

If the previous intelligence is correct, and the Russians did not change their commanders at the last minute, the commander of the Russians who have been fighting fiercely with their own side for these days should be Vatutin. The troops under his command are the First Ukrainian Front, which was reorganized from the Soviet Army Group in the south of Kursk. They have quite rich combat experience and tenacious combat effectiveness, and are very difficult to deal with.

"Vatutin, I heard that this person's evaluation by Stalin is not even lower than Zhukov. He is the most popular senior general in the whole of Russia. During the Battle of Kursk South Front, I heard that it was he who beat the three elite divisions of the SS and made them flee back in a panic. The Guards Flag, Skull, and Empire Divisions combined did not make a breakthrough. Now it seems that he is indeed worthy of his reputation and has some ability."

The German intelligence system had actually become a sieve by 1944. The intelligence spy network that had infiltrated and deployed in Russia was almost uprooted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and all kinds of disconnections. There were even cases of informants turning against the enemy and betraying their superiors and contact points, which really dealt a fatal blow to the already imperfect and loophole-ridden German intelligence network against Russia.

One of the bad consequences derived from this is that the German generals on the front line have very little information about their opponents and are full of jokes. Many times, the so-called "latest intelligence" is stale from 1943 or even 1942, and has not been updated for half a year or a year.

What's even funnier is that for some Red Army commanders who deserve special attention, the Germans were forced to listen to Russian radio broadcasts and find ways to get Soviet newspapers to understand the situation because they couldn't collect any valuable information and intelligence.

Look at what the newspapers and radio say about a certain Russian commander, and then piece together some old intelligence from the past, and you can barely get a general understanding.

For example, the Germans gathered some of Vatutin's latest information in this ridiculous way. Herbert, who felt embarrassed and numb because of this, is now too lazy to complain. He just has a little more interest and recognition in Vatutin, who didn't fall for it, and thinks he is worthy of his reputation, that's all.

"In fact, General. Compared with this Vatutin, you should pay more attention to that Malashenko, the major general commander of Stalin's First Guards Tank Division, nicknamed "Iron Butcher."

"The negotiation team sent by Stemermann was scolded back by this Malashenko on the spot. It was this guy who resisted the offensive of three elite SS divisions for a day and a night in Prokhorovka on the southern front of Kursk. If it weren't for him, the battle of Prokhorovka would never have ended like that. We could at least seize this theater and try to advance northward."

"Those rubbish in the General Staff of the Wehrmacht have a high opinion of this Malashenko. They think that Vatutin's appreciation by Stalin is at least half due to this Malashenko. They say he is Vatutin's "firefighter". This bastard Russian is now in the encircled troops. If we meet him in the breakout operation, the situation will become very tricky."

The adjutant, who had a close personal relationship with Herbert, spoke his true thoughts without reservation. Herbert, whose two shifty eyes were rolling under the lenses, responded quickly after a little thought.