The Battle of Kiev, which took place in Ukraine in mid-August 1941, has reached its most critical moment. In this battle, the number of German troops participating in the battle was 500,000, and the Soviet Union’s 850,000. On the surface,
The Soviet Union had the advantage in terms of military strength. However, due to the Soviet Union's lack of armored forces and maneuverability, the number of aircraft and artillery was nearly half less than that of the German army. At the beginning of the battle, General Zhukov, who had just been promoted to Chief of Staff of the Soviet Army, suggested
Stalin abandoned Kiev and withdrew the Southwest Front to the other side of the Dnieper River to avoid being encircled by the Germans, and then tried his best to defend Moscow. However, Stalin flatly refused, and Zhukov was relieved of his post as Chief of General Staff and served as commander of the Reserve Front.
Stalin then ordered Marshal Budyonny, who was the commander of the Southwest Front at the time, to defend Kiev. However, Budyonny also sent several telegrams to the Soviet Supreme Command to abandon Kiev, so he was dismissed by Stalin. It was not until late August that Kiev was finally surrounded by German troops.
Get up, the situation is very critical.
Under the dim light, a figure was sitting quietly next to a table lamp. In front of him stood an old man with white hair and beard. This old man was wearing a light blue marshal uniform. He was standing respectfully.
With.
"Comrade Stalin, there are still more than 700,000 of us in Kiev. The Germans have surrounded the place. General Kirponos and Lieutenant General Yeremenko have sent multiple telegrams requesting retreat. Now Kiev is surrounded by
The besieging troops are severely short of food, ammunition and fuel, and they will not be able to hold on for long."
Stalin, who was sitting behind the table, said with anger in his voice: "Marshal Budyonny, don't forget that they are great Soviet Red Army soldiers. They have iron will. Food, weapons and ammunition are not the key. The key is that they lost
The courage to continue fighting and the confidence to defeat the invaders. You immediately telegraph Comrade Kirponos and order him not to abandon every inch of Kiev's land without authorization. Those lands were bought with the blood of our great Red Army soldiers.
If I hear the word "retreat" coming from their mouths again, I will send them to a military court without any hesitation."
Budyonny said helplessly: "Yes, Comrade Stalin, I will convey your instructions to Comrade Kirponos immediately."
Stalin said coldly: "You are wrong, not only Comrade Kilponos, but also all soldiers of the Southwest Front."
"Yes, I will convey your instructions immediately." Budyonni puffed up his chest and saluted, then turned and walked out. After the heavy door closed, the room fell into dark silence again.
Not long after Marshal Budyonny left, the door was pushed open again, and a Soviet general walked in hurriedly, with a slightly panicked look on his face. He walked up to Stalin and reported: "Comrade Stalin, Comrade Vasilevsky sent
I received an urgent telegram for help. Krasnoyarsk has been lost, and the Chinese [] troops have surrounded the Southeast Front Army Group. Comrade Vasilevsky requested the high command to approve his immediate leadership of the troops to break through."
"The Southeastern Front Army has also been surrounded." When he heard the news, even Stalin, who was very deep in the city, couldn't help but stand up, "Comrade Ivan Danilovich, when did this happen?"
"At noon today, the Chinese Second Army Group captured Krasnoyarsk. The Eighteenth Army Group that was stationed there was completely wiped out by the Chinese. Two hundred thousand brave Red Army soldiers died heroically, and 70,000
Captured. Now the enemy's Second Army Group has moved towards Omsk along the railway. Their speed is very fast. It is reported that their leading troops have reached less than 200 kilometers east of Omsk." Ivan.
Admiral Danilovich replied in a serious tone.
"Inform the headquarters that everyone should come to the meeting." After a long time, Stalin gave the order numbly.
Soon, more than a dozen senior generals and marshals from the Soviet Supreme Command gathered in a small conference room, including General Zhukov, commander of the Reserve Front who had just been dismissed from the post of Chief of the Soviet General Staff.
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When these people came to the conference room, they saw Stalin sitting there motionless, as if he had aged for several years. People couldn't help but feel that Stalin seemed to be asleep. Everyone in the conference room sat quietly.
In his position, no one dared to disturb the supreme commander's contemplation.
But Stalin did not fall asleep. Ever since he received the telegram, his nerves had been in a state of tension and fear. He originally thought that with the Southeastern Front commanded by Vasilevsky guarding Siberia, even if there were five hundred Chinese
Thousands of troops, but it is not that easy to occupy the entire Siberia at once. Siberia is too huge. It will take at least a year and a half for the Chinese to occupy millions of kilometers of land one by one. As long as Vasilevs
If Ji can hold Siberia for a year, then Soviet Russia can have a chance to breathe, and he can mobilize more reserves to provide continuous reinforcements, and then block the Chinese army in that desolate wilderness.
But the facts taught him that this unrealistic idea was now shattered. The Southeast Front Army had been surrounded. Just like the Germans surrounded Kiev, the fate of the Southeast Front Army was also at stake.
At this time, in the middle of the conference room, a burst of exciting military music from the old Tsarist Russia came from the speaker of a huge radio. This channel was the Russian Imperial Radio channel founded by the Russian Guards led by Alexey. But
This channel, this voice, and these words are prohibited and illegal in Soviet Russia. Anyone who listens to this interrupted report will be imprisoned for "listening to an enemy channel." But in this room, no one will stop it.
This is a voice, because everyone here is a leader and has the right to understand the actions of the "reactionary" elements.
"Russian soldiers and compatriots, there is a dream that has been lingering in my heart for twenty-three years. When I was a boy, I used to dream about playing with my companions on the banks of the Volga River. As an adult, I still dream of playing with my companions on the banks of the Neva River.
My lover is strolling, but this is just my dream. An extremely powerful politics imposes its intellectual will on the heads of every ordinary Russian compatriot. They ignore the will of God and the dignity of the law.
, imposing their personal will on all Russian compatriots. The Romanov family, whom we have always respected as our little father, and countless officers and scholars from the Russian Empire who loved the motherland were innocently imprisoned and shot by them, and innocent people were killed by the Socialist Party.
There were countless people, and even Yanjing would not condone such evil deeds.
Over the years, I share the same sentiments as all the Russian compatriots, and have a firm and unshakable belief. The great Russia will surely be reunited, freedom will surely come to this great country again, and the Russian tradition will surely
will be restored, and the tricolor flag will surely fly over Moscow again. Today, Russia's moment of freedom has arrived. Brave soldiers, you will follow the footsteps of Peter the Great and march westward with the cooperation of our Allies.
The tricolor flag of the Russian Empire will be brought to Kazan, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, and Kiev by you. Along with the tricolor flag to the land of Russia is the freedom longed for by 150 million compatriots. Long live Russia, long live the people who long for freedom."
As the speech ended, the sound on the radio suddenly stopped.
As if a long time had passed, Stalin slowly opened his eyes, and his somewhat old voice came softly: "Comrades, the Southeast Front Army led by Comrade Vasilevsky has been surrounded by the Chinese. Their situation is very serious.
Oops, Comrade Vasilevsky sent a telegram requesting a breakout, and everyone said what should be done."
Although it was the first time for everyone to hear the news, they did not show much surprise. Perhaps in their eyes, Stalin had already doomed the fate of this front when he asked Vasilevsky to defend Siberia.
Zhukov sat at the end of the long table in the conference room and just listened quietly without showing any strange expression.
"Comrade Zhukov, if you are asked to command the Southeastern Front, can you lead them to retake Krasnoyarsk and defend Nizhny Udinsk?" Although Zhukov remained silent, it did not mean that Stalin did not notice him.
"No." Zhukov shook his head helplessly, "If I were to replace Comrade Vasilevsky, I would not do a better job than him. What we have to do now is how to encircle one million Soviets.
The Russian Red Army soldiers were rescued. They are a precious force for our country."
"Comrade Zhukov, do you mean to agree with the Southeast Front's breakout?" Stalin asked calmly.
Zhukov smiled bitterly and said: "In fact, it is no longer a question of whether to break through, but how to break out. But facing the enemy's encirclement of millions of troops, I can't think of any way to rescue the Huaxi Lieutenant
Comrade Fsky and his Southeastern Front. Unless we can provide them with a steady stream of supplies and aircraft support, but judging from the current situation, this is almost impossible."
Stalin and everyone were silent. Yes, the Germans are still surrounding the 700,000-strong Kiev Front Army. If the Kiev Front Army is annihilated, the Germans can take advantage of the situation and send their troops straight to Moscow. They themselves cannot protect themselves, so how can they take care of the numbers?
What about the Southeastern Front thousands of miles away?
When Stalin thought about the nearly one million troops surrounded by the Germans and Chinese at the same time and the Battle of Minsk that just ended last month, two million Soviet troops had been annihilated or were about to be annihilated, which made his heart feel like a knife.
It hurts like a cut.
"Then let the Southeastern Front break out on its own." After a long time, Stalin finally said these words that he had been reluctant to say in the past.