I became Stalin chapter 126

126

Howser’s 1st Panzer Army was barely able to arrive on time. They traveled hundreds of kilometers by train, and as soon as they arrived one by one, they were immediately sent to the battlefield.

Reinforcements managed to repel the Soviets before the 9th Army was trapped within the Soviet encirclement. 9th Army soldiers welcomed the reinforcements.

But it did not fundamentally change the situation. The Führer ordered the 9th Army to defend Smolensk.

“Don’t take a step back!”

After cleaning up Leningrad, or ‘Adolphusburg’, the next target is Moscow. To advance into Moscow, Army Group Center had to not retreat a single step. Even more so when I think of the comrades who died while attacking Smolensk.

“Have you forgotten how much blood we shed to take the city? What will happen if you give it away now! Cowards don’t need this army!”

At this point, it was Marshal Manstein of Army Group North who was terrified. At least tens of thousands of Soviet troops were standing in Leningrad. In order to sweep them away from the ruins of the city, it would take several times that amount of troops.

Nevertheless, fearful of the Führer’s rebuke, he and the officers lied to the Führer.

[Leningrad will soon fall into our hands! Please wait a little longer!]

Those who dared to tell a lie for fear that the maddened Führer might even kill them, trembled as the results of the lie rolled back like a snowball.

Fortunately, Paul Hauser cooperated to hide Manstein’s lies. Despite being a member of the SS, which had a bad relationship with the National Defense Force, he knew how important it is to have a competent senior commander now.

Originally a general in the Wehrmacht, he did not harbor as much hatred for the army of the Prussian Junker nobility as the rest of the bodyguard.

It was not good for the Führer’s anger to explode again and blow even Marshal Manstein away. Already in the last purge of the National Defense Forces, the government succeeded in taking complete control of the military.

The result was the current disaster.

It was necessary to stop the incompetent flatterers next to the Führer from kneading the army. At least, that’s how Howser perceived it.

“Our 1st Panzer Army will try to stop it somehow.”

“Is that possible?”

Marshal Guderian grabbed Hauser’s hand. It’s like being a helping hand.

Guderian was undoubtedly one of Germany’s best masters. He led Germany to victory through Copernican ideas on how to use cavalry in warfare.

But problems he couldn’t control led the Germans to the pit of ruin.

Insufficient supply, poor road conditions, and even the mighty industrial capabilities of the Soviet Army!

The 2nd and 3rd Panzer Army gradually weakened after accumulating losses.

“Half of the vehicles are out of combat!”

Marshal Guderian screamed. Although it succeeded in inflicting several times the tactical losses to the Soviets, the damage was quickly restored.

Army Group Central received only 220 new armored vehicles last month. But the Soviet army was receiving five times the reinforcements.

The results of interrogation of captured Soviet officers put the headquarters of Army Group Central in a state of panic.

“Under the Western Front, there are four armored and mechanized armies, and four cooperative armies. The organization of each group is… .”

The interrogating officer at first thought the Soviet guy was lying and was trying to scare the Germans.

However, cross-validation showed that most of his statements were true.

The Soviet Army Group Center is facing the Western Front and the Bryansk Front. Each front had over two thousand tanks.

‘We produce about a few units a month… ?’

Guderian counted them with his fingers and gave up comparing them.

“Isn’t that new sub-heavy tank over there more than our 4th tank?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha… .”

But I couldn’t help but despair. At the end of despair, there was only greater despair waiting.

The German offensive began towards the 5th Guards Tank Army, which had broken through the north of Smolensk defended by the French.

Except for the 3rd Panzer Army, which was called out to prevent the sporadic offensive across the Dnieper River, the 1st and 2nd Panzer Army were deployed. The 5th Guards Tank Army may be the most powerful armored force in the Soviet Union. But the German army against him is not a scarecrow at all.

“Six T-34s, 1 o’clock! Fire from a prepared tank!”

The surviving German forces were strong. The quality of their weapons was not far superior to that of the Soviet Army, but the number was far fewer.

When those who survived the situation and became aces were mounted on powerful heavy tanks, they roamed the battlefield like their own, breaking down Soviet tanks. The Soviet heavy tanks were also powerful, but the super aces had an overwhelming exchange rate.

“Uh-huh, bu??祗絹?You only die twice?”

For example, Armored Sergeant Kurt Knispel of the 503th Battalion, who defeated eight sub-tanks with only two Panthers. He posed in front of photographers. He laughed and joked, ruffling his messy hair.

There were dozens of these aces in the German heavy tank battalion.

“The best weapon goes with the best pilot! To give the best to the great German aces!”

The command of the Führer was solemn.

The 5th Guards Tank Army, which was advancing so fiercely, faltered in front of the German onslaught. At least 200 tanks were destroyed in a single day in the 5th Guards Tank Army alone.

Perhaps a similar number of tanks are out of service? The German staff thought so.

Of course, there were still horribly large numbers of Soviet troops on the front, and their morale was high. When they were fully equipped, the Soviet army turned into a monstrous army.

The commander of the enemy army was famous for being a madman who rode a tank and charged with guns on the front line.

“charge! Turn around!”

“Wow!”

For that reason, the Soviet Army, which the 1st Panzer Army and the 2nd Panzer Army faced, was consistent with a standard number.

The 5th Guards Tank Army, commanded by the Mad Man, had a terribly high will to fight. They were all as crazy as their commander, and while smoking black smoke in the engine room, they rushed to death by picking up one more fascist bastard if they died anyway.

“Long live the Soviet Union! Long live the revolution! Wealth is the enemy’s revenge!”

“Ahhh! That crazy bastard!”

Well, should it be said that it would be better for the Germans to have a less mental burden for the German military to explode an indifferent tank than to become a mop by a machine gun?

[The enemy’s offensive is slowly stopping! If you need more reinforcements in other areas, send them there!]

“Okay, good job!”

Guderian and Howser heard the communication from the front-line division commander, looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. The Germans were able to take a breather and restore the rail transport to the 9th Army through a counterattack.

The ignorant soldiers cheered.

“The fireman is here! The Panzer Army has arrived!”

A firefighter who restores the collapsing front lines and saves allies. The soldiers spoke like that and praised the role of the Panzer Army.

However, contrary to the opinion of the soldiers, the staff officers, especially those with a high understanding of armored warfare, sighed deeply.

“The cavalry is essentially a means of offensive. The fact that this has been reduced to a purpose of simply blocking the collapsing electric wire… .”

That’s fucking shit. Someone with a rough mouth spoke softly. But everyone listened.

Fucked. These words summarized the situation of the German army. Even at this time last year, the armored forces were at the forefront of the offensive, breaking down the formation of the Soviet army and contributing to a great victory in the early stages.

But now it has been reduced to a fireman who pushes in to repair the broken wire.

In just one year! In just one year, Confucius and Bang-Zi were reversed. The Soviets gradually began to use their armored units skillfully and sophisticatedly. There was no longer a Soviet army that was once shattered because they didn’t know how to use their weapons.

The officers knew. If the Soviet army grew at this rate… Next year or the year after?

The Führer promised a “super weapon” that would turn the front lines upside down. But before that, some of them joked about whether Berlin would fall.

There was still 400 km to Moscow. 400km, full of Soviet troops and their tanks.

Firefighters were not enough to put out the fire. If you tell them to go forward and smash their enemies… Is it possible? The generals shook their heads.

* * *

“Did you say that the friendly offensive was put on hold?”

“Yeah, yes. comrade secretary. But this is temporary… .”

To some extent, it is predictable. Rokosovsky, who was called from the front line, would normally sit in a wheelchair, but under the current circumstances, he couldn’t. Literally clenching his teeth, he trembled.

Are gulags that scary? Well, the offensive wasn’t completely unsuccessful, and I had no intention of smashing one of the best Soviet commanders into the Gulag with something blocked.

“What do you think was the cause of your defeat?”

“A large number of enemy tank units appeared and counterattacked. The allies were not at the end of the offensive, so they regrouped and fought back, but they failed to complete the encirclement of the Fascio 9th Army.”

“General Rokosovsky is right, Comrade General. The 1st SS Panzer Army, commanded by Paul Hauser, moved south from the Army Group North area to the Army Group Center area. Perhaps these are not the great enemy cavalry that General Rokosovsky encountered?”

For some reason, Beria made the sound of supporting her husband. Having entered Leningrad, street fighting would not have required an enormous amount of tanks. So, a field force must have sent a relief force for the besieged Central.

“They use their armored units as firefighters on the battlefield. With a strong reserve that can be deployed quickly, as long as you have acquired the equivalent of one field army… .”

A complete siege seems difficult. Rokosovsky would have wanted to say that. Gulag is just scary.

Hmmm, Kim… .

“You guys, what do you think is the biggest weakness of the tank unit?”

“… Yes?”

The generals were bewildered when they answered the question out of the blue.

Weaknesses of the vehicle? There are many, but no one knows what the secretary wants. How much more must Rokosovsky ask in a situation like this, how great of an answer should he give?

“… Isn’t it supposed to cover the terrain? Tanks cannot be operated from swamps such as Rasputicha or Pripyat.”

Whoa, from the very beginning, an answer similar to the one I was thinking of came out. Tolbuhin answered, raising his hand quickly, unfit for his size. Maybe that’s because you’ve been through last year’s Southern Front?

“Right. Not the answer I thought it would be. Of course, it would be a very helpful answer to Captain Rokosovsky.”

Rokosovsky glanced at Tolbuhin in thanks. The generals seemed to think about the answer again.

“Dissemination can also be a weakness.”

“Isn’t it powerful against the ground forces, but powerless against the air force?”

Contents that could be the weakness of the tank came out. Still no answer… That would be a useful answer.

“exactly. Everyone is right. So, to sum up… .”

In order to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the tank, the tank is drawn into rough terrain where it is difficult to maneuver. Then they harass the supply and use the air force to consume tanks. This can be said to be the pinnacle of operational scale.

“How about applying it to the situation of Army Group Central? You can use a mobile unit to disturb the enemy’s background along the Pripyat Marsh. As our wealthy enemies once did.”

The atmosphere became somber. As a cavalry commander, he instinctively understood mobile warfare very well. Hit the spot where the opponent’s main force is missing. When an enemy arrives, it flees to a place that is difficult to pursue. Was it the way he realized during the Red and White Civil War?

“And you can use the partisans. If their supply needs are great, can’t we just destroy the railroad in charge of supplying them with an airstrike?”

“After all, Comrade General Secretary is like a military god!”

“Looks like an ancient hero is back!”

All kinds of flattery poured out.

oops, sorry Why are you making a purge? Those who just said something strange should be remembered.

The flatters who caught my gaze blushed. I guess you thought I liked it.

“But the real point is this. Armored units are less mobile.”

“???”

I couldn’t directly object to it because the Soviet army had to shout that it’s the same even when the general secretary said so, but the generals’ expressions were strangely changed.

Especially the two guys who flattered me. This is a face that is contemplating whether to praise it now or not.

It would be funny if the guy who just said it was a good reserve force because the armored units could be put into the battlefield quickly… .

“What you think of mobility is tactical mobility. From a strategic point of view, wouldn’t it be far behind? How are you going to move those heavy and bulky chariots around this vast land?”

Rokosovsky, who immediately understood the words, patted his knee. Yes, the name is also different, isn’t it? I decided to explain, as the ignorant Voroshilov and the courtiers didn’t seem to understand yet.

“The fascist army lacks rail transport capacity for supplies, so how can they move so many tanks from north to central and south? Isn’t it simple?”

“Ah!”

“Hmm, once those fascists have stopped our offensive in the middle, we can just stab them somewhere else. It makes them run around carrying heavy armored units. Then… Wouldn’t there be a hole in it?”

Hahahaha, a cheerful laugh burst out of me. What if I stop here now?

The German army was blocking the Soviet offensive by pulling out the lower stone and smashing the upper one. It might be possible to block it by using the armored forces locally. But other places just pop out.

“Now, where should we take the next offensive? Leningrad? Dnieper River? Ukraine? Or in the Balkans?”

Of course, my answer was fixed. What if it became difficult to cut the military in the central region? Then cut it off in Leningrad and eat it!

I became Stalin chapter 126

|

ToC

|