Chapter 674 Dawn (4)

Just when the top German army officials were caught off guard by the unexpected behavior of the Red Army, in the Kremlin, Stalin was listening to the General Staff's overall report on the current war situation.

"After nearly three weeks of fighting, our army has retreated in large strides. It has now retreated to 250 kilometers east of the right bank of the Volga River and has broken away from the main force of the German army. From battlefield reconnaissance, it is known that the German army has invested a total of 700,000-900,000 in this attack. The current strength of the troops across the river is about 250,000 to 300,000, and the strength on the other side is about 300,000 to 350,000. The rest of the troops are distributed in the second-line echelon," Vasilevsky pointed at the map with his pointer and explained, "There is no precise information at the moment. To explain how many enemy troops there are near the starting point of the attack, we estimate it to be around 400,000-500,000. In addition to the above-mentioned troops, the German army also received approximately 300,000 puppet troops. Therefore, the cumulative distribution of enemy troops. The total strength of the central battlefield is between 1.5 and 2 million, and there are about 3,500-4,000 tanks. It is the theater with the largest enemy force and the most sophisticated technical equipment. "

"What were the losses in the retreat battle?"

"In order to cover the transfer of the main force, local troops, third-line troops, guerrillas, etc. tried their best to hold back the enemy. The total losses were about 170,000-200,000, and not much heavy equipment was lost." Vasilevsky answered quite Frankly, "Originally, the losses could have been smaller, but some officers and soldiers were pessimistic and disappointed about the future of the Soviet Union and their minds were wavering, which resulted in more losses. They were not defeated by the Germans, they were intimidated by the Germans - —Deserts and break-ups abound, and there are even officers and soldiers of the Internal Affairs Corps who disguise themselves and abscond in an attempt to surrender and mutiny.”

Stalin nodded, with an extremely serious expression: The Red Army's performance on the battlefield was unsatisfactory, and the morale of the troops had plummeted. Especially after the previous major events such as the return of German prisoners of war and the surrender of Leningrad, people's hearts and minds were in confusion. There was a pessimistic and disappointed attitude throughout the army. It was good to lose only this small number of people - in the past, the German army often destroyed hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousands under large-scale attacks. This time, it was less than 200,000, and it was not even Elite troops show how important careful deployment in advance is.

"What is the enemy's next action direction and goal? Will they continue to attack?"

Vasilevsky shook his head: "It is a pity that the enemy has been very cautious so far. They crossed the river in batches and the front and back were very closely connected. There was no chance to make a move. They even knew that our army was retreating quickly and had no choice. The pursuit was carried out in a dashing way, but they were still considering a steady attack step by step. With the arrival of the turning period, the German army stopped its offensive rhythm and prepared to rest in place. Other intelligence showed that the German army was planning and step-by-step on both sides of the Volga River. The region promotes no-man’s land and transfers all the remaining people in the above-mentioned areas to the western border.”

"What did Hitler want to do?" Stalin asked puzzledly, "We did not agree to his request for a 500-kilometer dividing line. This was purely his own wishful thinking."

"No man's land will bring us huge troubles." Kuznetsov, who had been silent until now, interjected, "If it is really determined to be no man's land, the soil for guerrilla warfare in this area will no longer exist, and the loss will be lost." It is impossible to carry out guerrilla warfare with the people and materials that can be covered.”

"This is not possible. Guerrilla warfare makes sense to us."

"Guerrilla warfare is actually not very effective. I have never heard that guerrilla warfare alone can defeat an enemy's army of millions. What's more, the enemy has nearly a million puppet troops as accomplices. They know the situation of our army and are not weak. It is counter-guerrilla warfare. Vanguard." Kuznetsov waved his hands helplessly.

This is not an exaggeration. Most of the troops currently absorbed by the National Defense Forces of Eastern countries and the Russian National Liberation Front are former Red Army surrendered and captured troops who have been trained and in good physical condition. Coupled with the guidance, equipment and material supply guarantees of the German army, both in terms of equipment and Both morale and combat capability are higher than those of the general Red Army troops, perhaps only a little worse than the Guards troops. But now the Guards have also suffered heavy losses. Besides, there are more important battle deployments and strategic locations waiting for the Guards. They can no longer be exported without restrictions like cabbage.

Stalin gave up his desire to continue discussing the issue of guerrilla warfare with Kuznetsov because he himself did not believe it. The reason why he focused on guerrilla warfare now was simply to encourage morale. Infantry with light weapons can deal with heavily armed soldiers. The mechanized troops are a myth.

"What do you think the enemy will do next? I don't believe that these more than 1.5 million troops are just used to build no man's land."

"After discussion, the General Staff believes that there are three possibilities for the enemy's movements in the next stage. First, continue to attack forward and try to find the main force of our army for combat; second, turn to the northern flank and cooperate with the Northern Army Group to attack the Moscow line; third, Third, turn to the southern flank and cooperate with Army Group South to attack the Stalingrad front line..."

Vasilevsky said very correct "nonsense", which made Stalin frown. He seemed to have summed it up succinctly, but in fact he listed all the directions, without any guiding value or strategic significance. He was a little annoyed. As if asking: "What choice do you think is the most beneficial to us?"

"Continue to retreat and give the Germans another 500 kilometers of scorched earth, extending their supply lines to more than 1,000 kilometers."

"You!" Stalin said angrily, "Comrade Vasilevsky, although the Soviet territory is large, not an inch is redundant. Any decision you make must be responsible to the party and the country. The 500-kilometer scorched land zone is really real." It's so heartbreaking. Do you know what this means? 500 kilometers further, the enemy will advance to the Ural Industrial Zone. That is our last large industrial zone. If we lose it, I can only take you there. Guerrilla warfare began in the Far East and Siberia.”

"I know, so I'm thinking of ways to arrange a counterattack, but now the enemy is very cautious, the battlefield space is not enough, and the counterattack is not effective."

"Is it possible to launch a counterattack against the enemy's southern flank - that is, the Saratov front line - from the direction of Stalingrad?"

"cannot."

"Can we launch an attack on the German northern flank from the direction of Nizhny Novgorod?"

"Neither can."

Looking at Stalin who was on the verge of rage, Vasilevsky patiently explained: "That will reduce our defensive strength in the direction of Moscow, and the result is likely to be more gain than loss."

Stalin ended the question angrily, turned to Zhukov, who had not spoken a word today, and asked in an impatient tone: "Comrade Konstantin, please tell me with the honesty of a Bolshevik, when will the counterattack you promised me be Will you initiate it?”

"It's coming soon. It's the autumn turning period, and our army can launch an attack immediately."

What? Vasilevsky and Kuznetsov looked at each other in confusion. Zhukov had never told them about this matter. What was he going to do? Do you ask for credit and rewards in front of leaders? Do you still have a responsible attitude toward the party and the country? Do you have any sense of responsibility towards the millions of soldiers of the Red Army?

"Very good, very good." Stalin did not expect the other party's answer to be so straightforward, and he immediately became happy. "Which unit do you plan to attack first, the German 3rd Army entrenched in the upper reaches of the Volga River?"

"no."

"Is that the 4th Army in the middle?"

"No."

"What is that? Are you really going to fight on the front line in Voronezh? Didn't you say that the time is not yet ripe?"

"I plan to attack Rommel's headquarters in Central Asia."

"Central Asia?" Not only Stalin, but also Vasilevsky was shocked. Two days ago, the Party Central Committee had made up its mind to abandon Central Asia. Why did Zhukov still insist on getting rid of Central Asia?

"But as far as I know, Rommel himself is very difficult to deal with, and the last attack hit a hard wall.

"No matter how hard it is, there are only 80,000 to 100,000 people. If 300,000 can't deal with him, I'll use 500,000. If 500,000 can't deal with him, I'll use 1 million! If you hit one out of ten, I'll kill him even if I rely on human lives." Zhukov He said fiercely through his teeth, "In short, I still have reasons why I can't defeat four army groups. I can't defeat even one German army group. Can I live a stable life after the peace negotiation? In addition, the national separatist forces in Central Asia are so rampant. They used the momentum of the Germans to act recklessly and massacre our people, party members and cadres. If they don't retaliate with thunder, they will probably do it even worse after independence!"

Zhukov's words were very appealing to Stalin. In the latter's mind, those peoples in the west yearned for Europe and were more civilized, and it was understandable that they looked down upon Russia's pursuit of independence. However, these Tatars in Central Asia also dared to go to the Soviet Union. It's simply intolerable for someone to be arrogant and domineering. Isn't this a place outside of China? Why do we need so many people?

"Very good, very good. You have thought very well. You really need to give them some color. The Soviets can temporarily be unable to defeat the Germans, but they are not a country that can be bullied by anyone." Stalin waved his hand, "Can you please let me listen?" Do you want to hear your specific plan?”

"Of course, I am going to report to you today." Zhukov walked to the map, "Rommel's unit is the most elite armored group of the German army. It has desert combat experience and adapts quickly to the terrain of Central Asia, but they have a fatal Disadvantages - Heavy reliance on supplies. As the weather turns colder and the weather in Central Asia begins to deteriorate, both air transportation and ground material transportation will encounter difficulties, and the materials needed by this mechanized force are difficult to provide by local separatist forces. Therefore, my strategy is to use 500,000 troops to keep an eye on him, and another 500,000 troops to suffocate his supply lines. When the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, cavalry is more effective than cars. "

"You're not going to destroy him?"

"That depends on whether there is a chance." But what he said next made everyone fall into deep thought.