As a result, the Chief of Staff showed a mysterious smile and said, "No problem. The equipment is not only out of date, but also very advanced. The current 43rd Army can be said to be our fist unit." A hint of excitement and expectation were revealed in his eyes. , it seemed as if I saw the scene of the 43rd Army showing off its skills on the battlefield. "What does it mean?" Model said with a puzzled look on his face. He was confused by the Chief of Staff's words and did not understand why the 43rd Army suddenly became a fist force. "You can see it yourself. This is the equipment list sent." The Chief of Staff did not explain much and handed over a list. Model took the list, his eyes widened wider and wider. He swallowed unconsciously, and said in disbelief: "God, is this true? There are actually armored vehicles, all of which are the latest models? In addition, Is there a self-propelled anti-tank destroyer? "His voice was filled with surprise and joy, and he didn't expect the 43rd Army to get such advanced equipment. "Isn't this the Armored Grenadier Division? Why did it change its name to the Mechanized Infantry Division?" Model asked in confusion. He was a little confused about the organization and naming of the troops, and did not understand why the Armored Grenadier Division was renamed the Mechanized Infantry Division. "Oh my God, if I had known that there were such good weapons and equipment, I would have changed my direct 255th, 267th, 293rd Infantry Division and 286th Guard Division." Model was completely messy, and he regretted that he did not ask at that time. I knew the situation and thought it was just an ordinary reorganization, but I didn't expect to send him a main force directly. Originally, the 43rd Army had average combat effectiveness, which was slightly stronger than the second line and weaker than the first line, and was always used by him as a reserve team. "Now it seems that the 43rd Army has become the main force, and they will be put on the battlefield in the next battle." Model said with a wry smile, and a bold thought flashed through his mind: "Maybe we should have a counterattack." He began to plan specific plans for counterattack in his mind, thinking about how to use the powerful equipment advantages of the 43rd Army to catch the Soviet army off guard. He imagined the scene of the 43rd Army rushing towards the Soviet position like a torrent of steel on the battlefield, beating the enemy to pieces. He envisioned various possible situations, including the Soviet army's reaction, the battlefield terrain and the influence of the weather, and strived to develop a perfect counterattack plan.
The troops led by Marshal Model were already exhausted during the long battle and consumption, and their supplies were almost exhausted and their morale was sluggish. However, the supplies Sperer sent with great difficulty were like a timely rain, injecting new vitality and vitality into Model's troops. Model knew very well that this was a key opportunity to turn the situation around, and if it was missed, the consequences would be unimaginable. He immediately summoned his generals and, in the dim command center, he carried out a tense and meticulous pre-war deployment on the large-scale combat map with the swaying candlelight. His eyes revealed firmness and determination, and his fingers slowly moved on the map, explaining the details of each combat plan in detail. After repeated discussions and demonstrations, the counterattack plan was finally finalized, and a thrilling battle was about to break out. At the beginning of the counterattack, the German army was in a state of unstoppable power. Under the cover of powerful firepower of advanced weapons, German soldiers rushed towards the Soviet positions like hungry wolf. Model's carefully planned tactics played a huge role. The German army cleverly used the terrain and adopted the interlaced and roundabout tactics, successfully breaking through the Soviet army's first line of defense. The battlefield was filled with smoke and the sound of gunfire was deafening, and the German morale was greatly boosted, and he was advancing all the way. During the fierce firefight, many Soviet troops were divided and surrounded by the German army. The German army took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack and eliminated a large number of Soviet troops' live forces. For a moment, the Soviet army corpses were everywhere on the battlefield, and blood stained the earth red. However, the Soviet army was an army with strong combat power and tenacious will. After a brief panic, the Soviet army quickly calmed down and began to organize a counterattack. With rich combat experience, the Soviet commander quickly gained insight into the German army's tactical intentions and decisively adjusted his deployment. They urgently transferred elite troops from the rear to counter-encircle the German army. Under the cover of artillery fire, the Soviet tank troops rushed towards the German positions like a torrent of steel. The powerful impact force made the German soldiers feel unprecedented pressure. As the Soviet army's counterattack gradually unfolded, the situation on the battlefield changed drastically. The German army, which originally had the advantage, was now surrounded by the Soviet army.
The German offensive momentum was completely curbed and the soldiers began to panic. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the German commander also began to lead the way, cheering the German soldiers up and fighting the Soviet army to death. The two sides launched a fierce battle for positions, and every inch of land had to be repeatedly fought for. The situation on the battlefield changed rapidly, sometimes the German army had the upper hand, and sometimes the Soviet army regained the lost territory. Both sides paid a heavy price, but neither of them wanted to retreat at all. The battle entered a white-hot stage, and the soldiers on both sides were red in their eyes, and a suffocating smell of blood filled the battlefield. The sky gradually darkened and the battle continued. Model knew that if this continued, the German army would be in a desperate situation. He had to reexamine the situation on the battlefield and think about the next combat plan. The Soviet army was also stepping up its attack, trying to eliminate the surrounded German army in one fell swoop. The sky in Moscow is shrouded in heavy lead clouds, and the bitter cold wind is like a beast, rushing around the streets and alleys of the city. In the Kremlin conference room, the atmosphere was so solemn as the weather outside, so depressing that it was breathless. The bearded Stalin was sitting at the huge desk, holding a cigarette in his hand, and the faint smoke lingered in front of his face, but could not hide the deep worries and tight locks on his face. brow. Not long ago, he had just heard a shocking report - the German army suddenly emerged on the battlefield, with a large number of advanced weapons and equipment exceeding everyone's imagination. At first, Stalin didn't take this matter to heart. After all, in the war years, the research and development and use of new weapons happened almost every year. Moreover, the situation of the Soviet Red Army on the front line was pretty good at that time, and the balance of victory seemed to be gradually tilting towards them. Therefore, he felt that this was just a conventional military upgrade of the German army and would not have much impact on the overall situation. However, when he received an expedited telegram from Marshal Zhukov, he realized that the seriousness of the matter was far beyond his imagination. Zhukov described in detail the tragic situation of the latest battle in the telegram: the Soviet Red Army encountered unprecedented tenacious resistance from the German army during this large-scale counterattack. The power of those new weapons cost the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army a heavy price. After a few days of fierce battle, the Soviet Red Army not only did not achieve any substantial results, but instead suffered heavy losses - the number of casualties exceeded 100,000, and the tanks lost more than 2,000 vehicles. Although the Soviet T-34 tank production had increased significantly at this time, such huge consumption also put the Soviet military resources in a severe test. "A lot of new weapons are dispatched again? And it's more advanced than the last one." Stalin said irritably as he looked at the content of the telegram, his voice revealing anger and uneasiness that could not be concealed. "Yes, comrade leader. Our large-scale counterattack this time was once again defeated by the advanced German weapons." The secretary stood aside and replied expressionlessly. His voice was very calm, but behind this calmness, deep worries were hidden. After hearing the secretary's answer, Stalin's face became even more ugly. He suddenly pressed the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray and shouted in a bad tone: "Damn, what exactly does the intelligence department do for? Why did the German army suddenly have such advanced weapons, and there was no news at all? A bunch of waste!" In Stalin's furious state, the air in the conference room seemed to have solidified.
No mistakes, one song, one content, one in 6, one book, one bar, one reading! The officer in charge of intelligence stood in the corner, trembling all over and sweating from his forehead. His heart was filled with fear and grievance. He wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start. Do you want to say that you have not received any news about new weapons? But the front-line defeat was in front of him again, which made him feel extremely desperate and helpless. "It seems that the intelligence department has to send people to rectify it, otherwise the next counterattack will be caught off guard by the German new weapons and suffer heavy losses." Stalin murmured to himself. Although this sentence is not loud, it is like a bombshell, causing a stir in the conference room. When the officer in charge of intelligence heard this, his face turned pale as paper. His legs became soft and he almost sat on the ground. "Great leader, I, I..." The officer in charge of intelligence stammered and tried to explain, but his mind was blank and he didn't know what to say. "Okay, go and deal with it." Stalin glanced at him and said lightly. His eyes revealed a kind of disappointment and helplessness, as if he had lost confidence in this intelligence officer. "Yes!" The officer in charge of intelligence breathed a sigh of relief as if he was amnesty. At the same time, he secretly swore in his heart that he must rectify the intelligence department this time and must not let such a thing happen again. "Why did you think it failed?" Stalin said to himself, his eyes looking at the city covered with ice and snow outside the window, as if asking the secretary, or asking himself. "Comrade leader, will you know if you invite Marshal Zhukov to ask?" the secretary suggested carefully. His voice was light, but it seemed particularly clear in this quiet conference room. After hearing the secretary's words, Stalin nodded and said, "You are right." Soon, an urgent telegram was sent to the front line. After receiving the telegram, Marshal Zhukov immediately put down his work and rushed back to Moscow without stopping. When he walked into the Kremlin conference room, he saw Stalin's serious and angry expression. "We don't have powerful armored troops and huge Katyusha rocket launcher troops, and even millions of guerrillas in the enemy-occupied areas help us fight. Why can't we eliminate the German army? We even fought two counterattacks by the German army. ?” Stalin asked angrily, looking at Zhukov. His voice was full of doubts and confusion, as if he was asking Zhukov why he let this happen. "Why do we have such a powerful force, and even the Allies are still replenishing military supplies for us, and still unable to defeat the weak German army?" Stalin then raised another question, his eyes staring at Zhukov tightly , seems to want to find the answer in his face. Faced with Stalin's series of rhetoric questions, Zhukov fell into silence. His heart was filled with pain and self-blame, and he didn't know what he should say or what he shouldn't say. He knew very well that this failure had brought huge losses to the Soviet Red Army, and also made Stalin question him. Looking at the silent Zhukov, Stalin sighed, his tone eased a little, and asked, "Tell me how many casualties are." Stalin was unwilling to scold Zhukov, his confidant. After all, in the past years of war, Zhukov had commanded many key battles for him. It was thanks to Zhukov's outstanding command that the Soviet Red Army won victory after victory and the situation today was achieved. "About 110,000 soldiers were killed or killed, 2,300 tanks were destroyed, more than 1,500 artillery pieces were blown up, and countless other equipment were also lit up." Zhukov lowered his head and replied frankly. His voice was filled with guilt and helplessness, as if he was admitting his failure to Stalin. "Why are there so many troops and weapons and equipment lost?" Stalin yelled angrily when he heard this number.
He really couldn't understand why he suffered such heavy losses even with such a strong military force. "I'm sorry, comrade leader, please punish me. Everything is my command error. I didn't expect that there would be so many advanced weapons and equipment this time." Zhukov said helplessly. His face was full of pain and self-blame. He felt that he had let down Stalin's trust and the expectations of all the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army. "There will be punishment, otherwise how can we give the sacrificed soldiers an explanation." Stalin took two puffs of cigarettes and said slowly, "But what we need to do now is to figure out what the new German weapons were. , where to produce and how much output is. Only by understanding these can we find a way to deal with it.” Zhukov nodded, and he understood what Stalin meant. In war, intelligence is the key to victory. Only by mastering the enemy's weapons and equipment can an effective combat plan be formulated. "Comrade Leader, what's the next strategy?" Zhukov asked. He knew that under the current situation, the next strategic plan must be formulated as soon as possible, otherwise the Soviet Red Army would fall into a more passive situation. (End of this chapter)