On the bitterly cold Soviet-German battlefield, the snow-capped land was burned by the flames of war and turned into scorched earth. The roar of the Katyusha rocket launcher that shook the world was just an appetizer for this brutal war feast. Behind it is an endless army of tanks sharpening their knives like steel behemoths. Their tracks leave deep tracks in the snow, as if they are declaring power and destruction to the world. Around the tank, densely packed infantrymen surged like a tide. They were dressed in heavy cotton coats, their eyes revealed determination and fearlessness, and they held weapons tightly in their hands, always ready to fight for their motherland and beliefs. These Soviet troops who are waiting are like furry bears about to wake up. Once the order is given, they will not hesitate to tear the enemy in front of them into pieces and completely break down the enemy's defense line. In the combat headquarters, Marshal Zhukov of the Soviet Union, a legendary figure on the battlefield, was staring at the huge sand table and map in front of him with a frown. On the map, markers of various colors clearly mark the enemy's defense areas and troop deployment. Zhukov knew very well that the outcome of this war was not only related to the gain or loss of the immediate position, but also related to the fate of the entire country. In addition to the already prepared army in front of him, Zhukov also mobilized batches of infantry divisions from all corners of the Soviet Union to serve as reserve forces. His goal was extremely clear, which was to inflict heavy damage on the frontal German Army Group Center and achieve a hearty victory. It would be best to push the battlefield situation back to the state when the war just broke out.
Originally, Zhukov had carefully formulated a plan to accumulate strength for a while, and then launch a large-scale counterattack after all conditions were more mature. However, an urgent telegram from the Supreme Leader of the Soviet Union broke his original plan and forced him to launch this life-and-death battle in advance. Because as the war continues, with every second that passes, their ally, the Empire on which the sun never sets, is getting closer to the brink of collapse. If the Soviet Union did not launch an attack as soon as possible and deal a heavy blow to the German army, the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets would probably not be able to sustain itself. The Soviet Union's counterattack this time can also effectively assist the Western Front campaign to a certain extent, relieve the pressure on its allies, and change the situation on the entire European battlefield. Although he felt helpless, Zhukov knew that he had to shoulder this responsibility. However, before launching a formal counterattack, the cautious Zhukov did not act rashly. He was well aware of the power and cunning of the German army, so he conducted meticulous reconnaissance operations again and again. The scouts were like ghosts in the night, shuttled around the German defense lines, collecting all kinds of key intelligence. At the same time, Zhukov organized many small-scale exploratory attacks in an attempt to find flaws in the German response. In repeated confrontations, Zhukov was keenly aware that some of the enemy's elite troops did not appear on the battlefield. With his rich combat experience and excellent military insight, he decisively judged that the enemy should transfer these elite troops to the Western Front battlefield to deal with wars in other directions. Although he had some confidence in his heart, Zhukov still maintained a high degree of vigilance after the counterattack really began. He constantly recruited reinforcements from the rear, allowing these fresh troops to join the battle. Through their contact with the German army, he further tested the enemy's strength and the true status of their weapons and equipment. After rounds of intense probing, Zhukov finally figured out some of the enemy's details. He found that Army Group Center was missing several elite units, including the 7th Armored Division, the 12th Armored Division, and the 6th and 7th Mountain Infantry Divisions. These troops are called trump cards in the German army and are the core pillar of the German army's combat effectiveness. Without these elite forces, the combat effectiveness of the German Army Group Center will at least suffer a serious decline. In view of this, a strong fighting spirit ignited in Zhukov's heart, and he decided to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and fight.
He wanted to avenge the last tragic defeat of the Southwest Group Army when it was completely wiped out by the Germans. After all, the last battle was personally commanded by him. Although the supreme leader of the Soviet Union did not blame him in the end, this was always a scar of shame for Zhukov. He is eager to prove himself in this battle, wash away this shame, and seek justice for those comrades who died on the battlefield. At this time, the atmosphere in the combat headquarters was solemn and depressing. Zhukov stared at the sand table and map, as if he wanted to engrave every detail in his mind. "No, it's still wrong." He murmured to himself, frowning and falling into deep thought. Although the enemy army is missing those few elite troops, according to the detailed intelligence collected, Army Group Center still has a huge strength of millions. Perhaps the overall combat effectiveness of these troops is not as good as those of a few elite troops, but they are by no means an idle force. It is definitely not an easy task to easily severely damage the German commander Model. "How about launching a general offensive now?" The chief of staff standing aside looked at Zhukov who was in deep thought and asked cautiously. In the opinion of the Chief of Staff, the enemy has already exposed some weaknesses and it is a good time to launch a general attack. However, Zhukov shook his head without hesitation and said: "I think we have to wait a little longer, because I feel like now is not the best time." After hearing this, the chief of staff was full of doubts and couldn't help but asked curiously: "Why? Your Excellency, Marshal, the enemy has now shown its defeat. If we don't attack now, when will we wait?" Zhukov raised his head slightly, looked at the map firmly, and began to explain in detail: "According to our intelligence, the enemy's defense line is similar to ours, and it also has three lines of defense." "However, their defense line is far more than forty kilometers deep, and the entire defense system consists of a large number of trenches, dense barbed wire, strong anti-tank positions and dangerous minefields." "Under such a strict defense system, if we want to break through these lines of defense, we will definitely have to pay a heavy price." "Our soldiers are valuable assets to the country, and I cannot let them die in vain in front of the enemy's defense lines." After a pause, Zhukov continued: "At the same time, with many years of experience in fighting the German army, I suspect that Model should still have an elite force in his hands. He must be waiting for the opportunity, ready to give us a fatal blow by surprise at any time. We must not take it lightly and fall into the enemy's trap." At this point, Zhukov's eyes flashed with worry. However, he quickly adjusted his mood and continued: "The only thing that reassures me is that their logistics line is close to collapse." "Due to our previous series of harassment operations, their material supplies have already had serious problems." "Otherwise, with the combat effectiveness of the German army, the current offensive will not be so smooth." "But even so, we cannot be blindly optimistic." Hearing this, the chief of staff nodded thoughtfully. After Zhukov's detailed analysis, he also realized that it was indeed not suitable to launch a general offensive now. But he was a little worried, so he said: "But now the enemy has exposed its flaws and is defeated. If we don't seize the opportunity, it will be very difficult to inflict heavy damage on the enemy. The fighter opportunity is fleeting, and we can't just What a waste of time." Zhukov looked at the Chief of Staff and said earnestly: "No, I'm afraid they are deliberately luring us to attack. The German army has always been good at setting up ambushes. If we attack rashly and enter their ambush circle, they will turn around and eat us. Then we will be in a situation of no return. This is why I am desperately mobilizing reserves. We must be fully prepared to deal with various possible situations.” After hearing this, the chief of staff also fell into deep thought. Indeed, according to the past German style of play, when faced with the intensity of the Soviet attack, they should not retreat so quickly, or at least have to hold on for a while. complete After all, the strength of Army Group Center is no worse than that of the Soviet army, and the German army's combat effectiveness has always been very strong. This level of attack should have been bearable for the German army.
Therefore, with this abnormal behavior of the enemy, there must be some conspiracy waiting for them. "The marshal is right, what we should do now is to force out all the enemy's cards, and then it's time for us to launch a general attack." The chief of staff said firmly with a glint in his eyes. Read the error-free version in 6Ⅹ9ⅩBookⅩ! 6Ⅹ9 Shuyiba publishes a novel for the first time. Read at Liujiu Book Bar Zhukov nodded with satisfaction and said: "That's right. Tell the artillery group to continue to increase artillery coverage. In addition, order the air force to also increase large-scale air strikes and use all the ammunition sent to the front line. Don't save ammunition. We must blow up the enemy's position so that our tank army can charge quickly without any hindrance. We must let the German army know that the power of our Soviet army is unstoppable!" "Yes, Your Majesty Marshal, I will give you the order right now." After the chief of staff stood at attention and saluted, he quickly left the combat headquarters to convey Zhukov's order. Zhukov once again turned his attention to the map and sand table, continuing to concentrate on thinking about the next battle plan. He knew very well that every step of this war was crucial, and a little carelessness could lead to the reversal of the entire war situation. After receiving Zhukov's order, the Soviet artillery seemed to be injected with infinite power. Like crazy beasts, they operated the artillery even harder, raining down shells onto the German positions. The roar of the artillery fire was deafening, as if it was going to shatter the whole world. During the three hours of crazy bombing, the fire of the artillery shells dyed the sky blood red, and the earth was shaking violently. Until finally, the gun barrel became hot and red due to continuous firing, almost reaching its limit, and the artillerymen had to stop the bombardment. When the shelling finally stopped, the battlefield was filled with thick smoke and dust. The 5th Guards Tank Division, which was already eager to take action in the rear, began to rush towards the German positions like a wild horse. Their tanks raced across the snow, their tracks picking up large swaths of snow and mud. Behind the 5th Guards Tank Division was the 208th Infantry Division, which followed the tank troops closely and was responsible for supporting the two flanks. After years of brutal war, the Soviet army is no longer the new recruits it was when it first joined the war. Their tactics and style of play have become very mature and flexible, and they are no longer as reckless as before and just charge blindly. Now, whenever a tank division launches a charge, infantry units will carefully support the two flanks, fearing that they will be ambushed by the enemy's cunning and will be trapped in a desperate situation without rescue. Under the fierce attack of the Soviet army, although the German army put up tenacious resistance, they gradually became unable to cope with the overwhelming and powerful attacks of the 5th Guards Armored Division and began to abandon their armor. In just the blink of an eye, the first line of defense carefully constructed by the German army fell. This time the strength of the Soviet counterattack far exceeded the imagination of the German commander Marshal Model. The Soviet attack was as fierce as a violent storm. In just a few days, the first line of defense was completely breached. If the second line of defense is broken through by the Soviet army again, the Soviet artillery fire will be able to directly threaten Model's headquarters. "This can't continue like this. We don't have enough troops. It's impossible to completely defend the defense line." Marshal Model stood in his command post, looking at the map in front of him, his brows tightly knitted into the character "Chuan" , said anxiously. He does hold several elite troops in his hands. However, these troops are undergoing intense re-equipment work at the moment. Due to the deployment problems of various equipment and supplies, they are temporarily unable to participate in the battle. At this critical moment, Model could only rack his brains and think of other ways to deal with the powerful Soviet offensive. According to the latest intelligence, the Soviet army at this time has a huge strength of almost 30 million.
On the Eastern Front battlefield alone, the Soviet Union invested more than 10 million troops. The Army Group Center led by Model faced a Soviet troop strength of between three million and four million this time. When he thought of this huge number, Marshal Model's breathing became a little difficult. He knew that what he faced would be an unprecedented severe challenge. "No, we must send electricity to the Supreme Command. I need reinforcements. If we don't have the support of reinforcements, we will have to retreat." After some painful thinking, Marshal Model finally decided to send an emergency telegram. To the German High Command. He knew what this decision meant, but under the current severe situation, he had no other better choice. He could only hand over this problem to the senior leaders of the German army and let them have a headache on how to deal with it. At the same time, in the Soviet combat headquarters, Zhukov did not show any pride or slack after learning that the first line of defense had been successfully breached. He knew that this was only the beginning of a long and cruel war, and that there would be more difficult battles waiting for them later. He continued to command the Soviet army and launched a tentative attack on the German second line of defense in an orderly manner. At the same time, he paid close attention to every change on the battlefield and waited for the best time to attack. (End of chapter)