I became Stalin chapter 128
128
As soon as the 1SS Panzer Army went down to the center, the Soviet Army again launched an offensive from the Novgorod area.
The Army Group North, which had either pushed all its strategic reserves into Leningrad, or sent to rescue the crisis in the central part, was helplessly caught up.
“Did the operation succeed?”
[Success! We are now looking at Lake Paypus! I give this honor to Comrade General Secretary!]
“Wow! Long live the victory!”
Success! The Army Group North, which hung on Leningrad and neglected to defend the flanks, broke through the defense line. in just 3 days.
Most of the German divisions on the defensive line were on the verge of exhaustion. Most of the artillery units had been called up to the senior headquarters, and it was more difficult for the infantry regiments to find a full-fledged unit.
As a result, the retreat of the German army was becoming increasingly suffocating. There was now only one railroad that could supply the 600,000 German troops north of the breakout line.
Manstein, who was about to bring out Leningrad’s army, would have realized he had now been bitten. Even if you try to run away, you can’t escape. Trying to get the guy out of the mud, he just rolled over.
There was now only one final exit for Army Group North.
The Lake Peipus we had just reached became the Narva River and flowed into the Gulf of Finland in the north. If it even blocks the banks of the Narva River, Army Group Northern is now completely isolated.
“You must get to the Narva River as quickly as possible! If we besieged and destroyed 600,000 people, it’s our victory! Victory!”
“Yes! Comrade Secretary General!”
I imagined the majestic sight of the red flags of workers and peasants waving over the Berlin Reichstag. The Red Army will march majestically through the Brandenburg Square!
The current war situation in Leningrad was in a way similar to that of Stalingrad. Although the duration was much shorter, the situation in which the city was besieged due to neglect of the flank defenses in a terrible street battle could be said to be similar to the Battle of Stalingrad.
And in real history, it was Manstein who ran to rescue the German 6th Army trapped in Stalingrad. This time, it’s the same general who was imprisoned in Leningrad for dumping his troops.
Will Manstein resist to the end in the face of the now predestined doom? Or, like Stalingrad’s commander Paulus, will he surrender after seeing the horrors of his men? If not, will he succeed in defeating the Soviet army with a clever scheme, like a magician?
I even received a report that they were gathering a reserve force, but I was already looking forward to how they would deal with it.
“… I’m trapped.”
Manstein let out a few short words. Compared to Pskov, where double-track railroads were drilled and soldiers could be pulled out, there were not enough railway lines in the Narva direction.
Now, even if the soldiers were taken out of Leningrad’s living hell, their escape was blocked. The panic was already spreading within the unit. Rumors of being surrounded by ordinary soldiers did not spread, but the officers were sensing the uneasy energy of the unit.
Since the supply was insufficient, the amount of food ration had to be reduced. Soldiers complained about poor diet and harsh combat, and blamed their superiors for being unable to fight due to lack of ammunition and firearms.
“How do you fight if you throw them to fight and don’t give them weapons or food?”
“An order is an order, sir.”
The senior noncommissioned officers despised the junior officers who became platoon and company commanders in an instant thanks to the expansion of the army. The capable and brave officers were killed one by one in the fight against the overwhelming numbers of Soviet troops. Their vacancies were filled by those who were less valiant, more cowardly, or unqualified.
Of course, there were also complaints from the officers. The officers never liked the subordinates who kept rebelling over problems they couldn’t solve and tried to assert their superiority. supply? can i make it for you?
It doesn’t sound nice to be criticized for starving together. In this way, the emotional rift between the officer and the soldiers continued to deepen.
[Surrender! We guarantee the best humane treatment to those who surrender!]
[Comrades! Do not fight for the fascist regime! After surrendering to the Soviet Union, I am not on a battlefield where only death awaits, but in a peaceful place for the future…]
[The street lamp is standing in front of the front gate of the barracks~ She is still standing in front of it~]
Now, the Soviet Army installed dozens of speakers and started a full-fledged psychological warfare. Marshal Manstein limited the offensive, except for sporadic shelling, in order to secure a reserve for the next operation.
Recognizing the gap, the Soviet Union blatantly played broadcasts to demoralize the German army. Broadcasts that guarantee humane treatment if surrendered, broadcasts accusing the fascist ‘fascist’ Hitler, and even songs that make you miss the lover or mother you left behind in your hometown.
The German soldiers who listened to the love song sung in a voice that melted their hearts in a subtle way gradually reached the limit of their minds.
There are no more reinforcements, the food is poor, and it looks like you will die at any time, but the Soviet army continued to urge you to surrender.
“Ha… are you really going to surrender?”
“Hans, are you crazy?”
Two new recruits with shaved heads chatted while standing on the guard. A soldier named Hans was holding a leaflet that the Soviets frequently sprayed.
Another of his favorite songs, Lily Marlene, was playing on the low-pitched Soviet speaker. The sound of Soviet soldiers singing along to the song could be heard with an awkward Russian pronunciation. Because they were that close, the boundaries were likely to be strict, but such orders could not be kept by the soldiers who were tired of fighting.
“If you stay here, you die, if you go, you have to squeak… Isn’t it Siberia? maybe you don’t know Are you really going to do as good as you say here?”
“… .”
The other soldier swallowed his saliva. Of course, there is something missing from Hans’ words. What if you die on your way to a Soviet military camp? Wouldn’t it be wary of the Soviet army? When suspicious people creep in at night, there is something to be said about whether they are soldiers trying to surrender or an enemy infiltrating.
Also, if Germany wins… ? They will probably hunt down and kill the surrendered Germans like a mouse. Your Excellency President, when he executed the traitors in the National Defense Forces, he clearly showed what the traitors were saying.
“I didn’t see what the traitors do… ?”
“Fritz, are you really stupid? Do you really think they betrayed you? So many officers? Even General Rommel?”
Fritz was puzzled. So, did he mean that he shot dozens of innocent generals and threw their families into the camps? Even Rommel, the conqueror of Africa?
The daily newspaper, which published daily articles about Marshal Rommel, now said nothing about him. The acquaintances said that Marshal Rommel was somehow involved in the treason.
Officers were very sensitive to spreading such ‘rumours’. But words were faster than the wind. The failure to provide any evidence to refute the Rommel treason also contributed to the spread of rumors.
This rumor had quite an impact on the morale of the soldiers. If even a person like Marshal Rommel betrays him, isn’t there a big problem?
“Do you really think we will win? They have thousands of tanks! We are only . . .”
“Shh! Are you driven to defeatism?”
inhale. Hans covered his mouth with an exaggerated hand gesture, wittily imitating the SS officers. Pay tribute to the Führer! This is the order of the Führer! A defeatist is an execution!
Fritz giggled as if it was just funny. Damn SS bastards. He even gave armbands to neighborhood gangsters who had neither a modest job nor learned to eat, so he committed all kinds of chess games. Especially those who are officers and help out.
“Fuck… the more I think about it, the more I feel like it.”
“Yeah, why don’t we just jump?”
“… .”
I’m scared to go, and I’m anxious to be a man. Hans looked like he would run away alone if Fritz didn’t go with him.
And perhaps to give the strongest evidence that you weren’t a spy when you surrendered… you shot and ran away with a comrade who was on guard, is that “proof”? Somehow, Hans fiddling with his Kar98 rifle looked terrifying.
Of course, their thoughts did not last long. The Soviet bombardment had begun.
Pyuuuuuuuuu! Wheeik, Wheerick Gasoline
“It’s a rocket! It’s a headband!”
“Damn it… !”
Both armies did not use many howitzers in the city, realizing that transportation was inadequate to enter the city with artillery pieces weighing at least a few tons.
Instead, the Soviets favored rocket guns that could be transported separately and could be used in a variety of ways. As if the Germans had already beaten a city they had already beaten down, and as if they had nothing to beat, they fired rockets wherever the Germans were likely to be.
And the bombardment didn’t end with the bombardment.
“Hans, the enemy!”
“… !”
Slowly, the Soviet troops scrambled into a covered alleyway to avoid rocket artillery. Holding the assault rifle and grenade launcher, the symbols of elite soldiers. After they attacked and occupied the exhausted German positions, they devoured each of the positions that their comrades thought were still well protected from the other side.
Fritz looked at the damn ‘Wailing Wall’. The building, where the loudspeakers had been blaring, was now quiet, but the Soviet troops were pushing through the darkness.
“Hey, don’t shoot…”
“Fritz, I’m sorry.”
Hans aimed his gun at Fritz, not the Soviets. There wasn’t much of an expression of regret on his face.
“I’m sorry, raise your hand. I will surrender. Let’s surrender together.”
“Hey! You’re crazy… hey!”
Fritz, who had been stubbornly stubborn, became quiet as the gunshot approached. It might be better to just follow along than to assume solidarity responsibility for being with a deserter. While he was contemplating, Hans openly brought the Soviet army in.
“Write! Write it! surrender! I surrender!”
The Soviets came closer and held out their hands like bear paws. The grinning Soviet soldier also blinked at Fritz next to him.
“How to pronounce… surrender!”
Manstein just wanted to give up everything. After trying to escape and retreat by narrowly securing some reserve, the Soviet forces began to engage in active fighting again in Leningrad.
Should I go this way or go that way? In reality, however, there was only one way out that the Soviet Union opened up.
Crossing the Narva River, he escapes to the German-friendly Baltic. From there, there is a port and there is a railroad, so it is worth making a promise for the future. It is unfortunate that the lives of the soldiers who were lost while pushing up here, and the soldiers who died in vain…
“I must apologize with my life.”
I’ve already made up my mind on that. The sin of deceiving the Führer, the sin of defeat, and some other sin. The flattering bastards around the Führer will charge him with all kinds of sins.
You may be imprisoned or executed. However, it was impossible to bring the 600,000, or even 1 million, people who believed in him and gave it to the beastly Soviet army.
Outside, the sound of Soviet rockets flying and gunfire could be heard. They have already started the offensive. Now it’s time to counterattack.
“The southern part of Army Group North, which was divided by the Soviet Army, will be called Army Group Pskov from now on. We are currently stationed in Leningrad… we are Army Group Estonia.”
Manstein began to explain the prepared operational plan to his subordinate commanders. The staff members who participated in the strategy formulation were busy distributing orders and drawing plans on the map.
“The 4th Army, commanded by Senior Admiral Gotthard Heinrich, will take the rearguard. The 4th Army … defends Leningrad and the surrounding area for as long as possible, covering our retreat.”
“… … Okay. dismissal.”
“The reserve we have secured is commanded by Captain Hollit. The Holit detachment is attacking Novgorod, the weak flank of the Soviet army. We don’t want a grand victory. It is not intended to actually occupy Novgorod. It’s just to prevent them from threatening the retreat of our allies anymore.”
“Yes! dismissal!”
All the commanders were terrified. When it comes to the ‘4th Army’ and ‘Holy Detachment Army’, it is something far below the actual field army in terms of documents or anything. So much blood had been spilled in Leningrad that all units were not in regular formation.
Will it be at least one corps level? However, if this was not done, the entire 500,000 troops would be killed in Leningrad. The generals clenched their teeth.
“Krixmarine will support the evacuation of our allies. Even though the situation in the Atlantic Ocean right now is not very good . . . they will not be able to leave us alone.”
Short sighs, long sighs, those who bury their faces in their hands. The SS officers, who had set up their plans to punish defeatists and traitors, did not say anything as much as this time. someone muttered If there was only the 1st Panzer Army…
Hearing this, Manstein smiled bitterly and said:
“If the 1st Panzer Army hadn’t gone to Central, the 9th Army would have been surrounded.”
A word with some bones. Führer Manstein, who repeatedly forced the target of deterrence, became somewhat resentful. At first, the Führer gave such an order, and mysteriously taught him how to achieve his goal.
However, at some point, the Führer has turned from a mysterious prophet into a child-like grumpy person who just swarms and flirts. What the hell changed him?
“Come on, I don’t have time. Let’s go to our respective positions and prepare for the operation!
“Yes! Commander-in-Chief!”
I became Stalin chapter 128
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