"Storm Warsaw?" Lundstedt was stunned for a while after receiving the order from the High Command.
At the last moment when victory was guaranteed, the Führer unexpectedly issued an order to intervene with the frontline generals. As the commander of Army Group South, Lundstedt immediately sensed the importance Reinhard attached to this matter.
After passing the instructions from Reinhardt to Manstein, Lundstedt asked politely: "What do you think of the mandatory order issued by the head of state?"
After all, Manstein was labeled as a Fuhrer, so Lundstedt naturally believed that he would understand Reinhardt's intentions better.
"Commander, the head of state must have reason for issuing such a mandatory order."
After thinking for a while, Manstein chose to think about it from another angle: "Let's not talk about the reasons why the head of state did this. I think this problem can be viewed from another angle."
"How to change the angle?" Lundstedt was obviously interested.
The victory has been decided. No matter what they do, the German army is certain to win. The only difference is how many casualties they have to pay and how much time it takes.
Rundstedt was just wondering now why the head of state, who had always been unwilling to accept the generals, would make special demands this time?
If the Führer were to say that it was purely a tactical reason to avoid delay and achieve a quick victory, Lundstadter would not believe it even if he killed him.
Although the head of state does not look very serious, when it comes to specific tactical matters, he has always left it to the generals to judge with confidence.
Since the head of state made an uncharacteristic intervention, it probably means that the head of state has seen some higher-level problems that the frontline generals have not noticed.
But Manstein did not intend to analyze this higher-level issue for Lundstedt now.
Manstein solemnly confided his feelings to Lundstedt:
"Twenty years ago, when the Empire had just been defeated and surrendered, I never imagined that today would be possible. Ten years ago, when we finally managed to raise an army capable of fighting under the constraints of the League of Nations, I also never imagined that this would happen.
today."
Manstein's eyes flashed with fanaticism, and he looked directly into Lundstedt's eyes seriously: "But now! With an army of nearly one million, we have defeated an enemy that was impossible to defeat twenty years ago, and gradually picked up the
Lost the glory of the past!"
Having said this, he punched the wall next to him: "Sixteen years ago, when the head of state first planned Operation Rainbow, I might have laughed at him for not understanding the overall situation and foolishly ushering in double the number of wars between Britain and France.
Hatred and sanctions. Ten years ago, when the head of state openly defied the League of Nations, I might have thought that it was because of his youth and arrogance that he was getting burned."
"But now when I look back and think about it, what is the thing that the head of state did that we wanted to do but didn't dare to do?!"
"I never believed in political propaganda, and I didn't pay much attention to the Führer's previous achievements. I only believed what I saw with my own eyes! Since taking over as Prime Minister, the Führer has single-handedly led Germany to create many miracles. These are all the achievements of
It can’t be fake!”
"In this case, what reason do we have not to implement this simple order? For us, this is just another feasible way of fighting. But for the head of state, this may represent an important long-term plan
!”
Regarding Manstein, Lundstedt already knew something about him during the last world war, but the Manstein now seems to be very different from before.
As a member of the staff with a strict personality and meticulousness, what Manstein disliked most at first were those people with playful smiles and immodest faces. As his subordinates, anyone who looked like this would definitely be severely reprimanded, even if they were
As his superior, I can't get a good look from him either.
But it happened that Reinhardt, the most unorthodox man in German history, received Manstein's heartfelt admiration and respect!
Many people believe that Manstein was a Fuhrer who rose to power by surrendering to the Führer.
But Lundstedt knew that this was Manstein, a man who had never disdained to follow others and was always aloof, and was even privately called a "loner" by his colleagues!
As for whether it is appropriate for him to sit in this position, Lundstedt believes that he has silenced everyone with his series of outstanding performances since the beginning of the war.
Such a person could follow Reinhard wholeheartedly, so why couldn't he obey the simple instruction of the Führer?
You have to carry out orders anyway, so instead of doing it reluctantly, you should do your best to complete the assigned tasks beautifully. This is the demeanor a Prussian general should have!
After understanding this, Rundstadt loudly ordered: "Pass my order to have the Eighth Army, which arrived earlier, surround Warsaw's ring line and launch a tight siege of the city. Then use saturation shelling and high-intensity bombing.
Force them to surrender."
"Order that the Tenth Army must arrive at the outskirts of Warsaw within three days and prepare for an attack. Once the Polish army in the city does not surrender within three days, the Tenth Army will immediately launch a storm on the fourth day and engage in all street fighting under its organization.
Detachment. The Polish troops in the city of Warsaw are all remnant soldiers with low combat effectiveness, and they can be used as practical training for our carefully trained street fighting detachment!"
Looking at the officers gathered in the conference room, Rundstedt concluded with a classic line that will be sung by future generations: "The bell of Poland's destiny has sounded, go ahead! I want to review the bravery in the center of Warsaw.
Good fighting German team!"
"Yes!" The officers all held their heads high, and from their eyes, Lundstedt seemed to recall the group of capable generals he led in the last world war.
Back then, everyone was as full of hope and determination, full of passion and courage as we are now...
Unfortunately, they failed to win in the end. In the end, they were left with scars and the shame of failure, and faced a cruel ending.
Lundstedt looked at the officers' backs as they walked away, sighing secretly. This time, under the leadership of the Führer, what kind of outcome will Germany usher in?
Hopefully, it will be different from last time. After all, he hates losing, even more than he likes winning!
In his eyes, there is an essential difference between the two!
............
At the same time, in eastern Poland.
"Our vanguard is now less than a hundred kilometers away from Warsaw. General Timoshenko, you are really a contemporary famous general of our Soviet Union!" After Timoshenko finally gathered the strength to break through the eastern defense line of the Kaibo Army,
Seeing that the war situation was improving, Khrushchev breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, Comrade Timoshenko's loyalty to the party and ability to lead troops are obvious to all. After returning home, we will definitely report all this to Comrade Stalin truthfully." Yezhov also did not hesitate to praise him.
Without Timoshenko, a professional soldier who commanded the troops to open up the situation, the two of them, who had long lied to Stalin about victory, would have definitely been in trouble.
"Now that the general has defeated the Polish frontier army, I suggest that the army fight steadily and step by step to avoid accidents." Khrushchev, who finally breathed a sigh of relief, cautiously suggested: "Instead of rushing to take Warsaw, it is better to consolidate the existing ones.
The fruits of victory are too small to be taken by Warsaw, but it is really not allowed to be defeated by the Polish army's counterattack."
Don’t seek merit, but seek no faults!
As a Soviet general, Timoshenko also agreed with this concept. Warsaw was nothing, it was a wise move to preserve the existing results and advance steadily.