Chapter 1180 Zhukov's Suggestion

While the 172nd Infantry Division at the front was under fire from planes, the following infantry divisions were also the infantrymen of the 3rd Army under the leadership of Kuznetsov, near Novogrudok. , was overtaken by the German armored forces.

One after another, Black Panther 3 tanks, smoking black smoke, rushed up to the retreating infantry.

On the field, the Soviet soldiers, who had been exhausted and exhausted for a long time, did not want to run anymore. They could not run away from the German tanks, and they could not suddenly take a position in this march to fight the Germans. In short, they did not have any With no hope, they could only raise their hands and surrender to the Germans.

There were Soviet soldiers with raised hands everywhere, guns thrown on the ground everywhere, and the guards beside Kuznetsov anxiously asked him to leave quickly.

While the German tankers were capturing the infantry, they could hurry up and leave. This was the only chance.

But Kuznetsov didn't. He looked around at the soldiers with their hands raised all around, and at the sunset that was about to fall in the west. He silently raised his pistol and aimed it at his temple.

"Commander, don't!"

Kuznetsov has tried his best, but he still has not been able to save the army. As a senior commander of the army, he bears the fate of tens of thousands of people, and once he fails, his life has no meaning.

"Bang!" The pistol bullet easily penetrated Kuznetsov's head, and his body fell off the horse. When he fell to the ground, his closed eyes were still looking east. . The sun will set, and tomorrow, it will rise again, but he can no longer see it, his mission is over.

(After the Barbarossa plan began, the army in the western part of the Soviet Union was disastrous. Those senior commanders committed suicide, died in action, and countless others. When collecting information, the hero of East China was also sighing. Pavlov was shot dead. Not wronged.)

Kuznetsov's mission is over, others are not.

In Moscow, Zhukov came back in trouble. He had just been appointed as the representative of the base camp of the Southwest Front Army. He was summoned back by Stalin within two days of leaving.

When news of the loss of Minsk reached Moscow, Stalin was thoroughly anxious.

In less than ten days, ten days after the war, the German armored group hit Minsk, and they galloped across the entire Belarusian land, as if they were no one. Once Minsk loses Belarus, the game is over. Not to mention the impact of losing Minsk on the entire front.

Stalin was out of ideas, he wanted to hear Zhukov's opinion.

After entering the Kremlin, Zhukov's face was tired. He knew that the current situation in Ukraine was also quite bad, and Belarus was completely out of action.

Now, most of the retreating troops are out of contact. As far as is known, the 3rd and 10th armies of the Western Front have been blocked by the superior army in the Bialystok salient west of Minsk. The region of the east is neither advancing nor retreating.

One part of the 4th Army retreated into the Pripyat Forest, while the other part retreated urgently to the Berezina River. Almost every retreating force was pursued by German troops.

Looking at the green arrows and the encircled army, Zhukov offered his opinion.

"Comrade Stalin, I suggest that we now focus on the defense between Minsk and Moscow."

Zhukov held a baton in his hand and pointed on the map: "mobilize the 13th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd a total of 5 armies, in West Dvina-Porotsk-Vitebsk-Orsha - The Mogilev-Mozily line builds defensive positions. The 24th and 28th armies build defensive positions along the Shelizarova-Smolensk-Roslavli-Gomel line."

The areas Zhukov refers to are all in the rear of Minsk. In these vast plains before reaching Moscow, a large and deep echelon defense system has been established.

"Through these lines of defense, we have to continuously delay and slow down the offensive momentum of the German troops, and block the German troops in a certain area to mobilize troops to launch a counterattack to destroy the enemy. However, it seems that the location of the counterattack is still unknown, but I firmly believe that the counterattack will be certain. It will come," Zhukov said.

No one said a word. Zhukov's arrangement almost mobilized all the reserve teams. However, none of the reserve teams went to save Minsk and the troops in the encirclement.

Zhukov had given up on them, the Soviets had given up on them, and it was entirely up to their luck whether they could escape.

The expression on Stalin's face was uncertain, and he could not deny Zhukov's plan.

"There is not much time left for us. I don't think the Germans will wait to eat all the troops in the encirclement. After occupying Minsk, they may not have time to repair, and they will go straight to Smolensk. We must not underestimate the combat effectiveness of the Germans, one of their armored divisions dares to go deep alone, even below our Moscow."

Zhukov did not exaggerate. This is the current situation. The impact of the German army is too terrible. It is precisely because of the underestimation of the impact of the Germans that the Soviet army has been repeatedly surrounded.

Thinking that the German tanks could still rush to the city of Moscow, Stalin could no longer hesitate. He said: "Okay, just follow the plan you said."

Must protect Moscow! Although Stalin was not in favor of voluntarily abandoning the defense and counter-offensive of the Minsk region. But the facts did not give him the capital to counterattack the city of Minsk.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help gnashing his teeth with hatred: "Call Pavlov to me immediately. Brother Timoshen, you replace Pavlov and take over the command of the Western Special Military Region."

Look at the Germans, there are so many famous generals, Guderian, Bock, Manstein, why are they all a group of idiots, the only one who can use Zhukov, has to run around.

Stalin hated his teeth so much that he gave Pavlov so many troops, and in a few days, they were gone. If he didn't shoot him, it would be hard to understand the hatred in his heart!

Shooting him alone was of course not enough. Stalin hardly stopped and continued: "Also, withdrew Major General Klimovsky, Chief of Staff of the Western Front, Major General Grigoriev, Chief of Communications of the Front, and Kerry, Chief of Artillery. Major General Qi and Western Front Air Force Commander Kopez, all asked them to come to Moscow to see me!"