Yang Mingzhi’s joke is very interesting. Isn’t it true that nature is taking the initiative to attack invaders?
This is of course just a joke. It is undeniable that the Axis powers did not properly assess the troubles they would face before deciding to invade the Soviet Union! The first trouble was the tenacious resistance from the Soviet people, and the second trouble was the climate that the Soviet Union was responsible for.
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Such as the failure of the attack on Moscow, the biggest reason for the German army's failure was of course the tenacious resistance from the Soviet army, and even the insufficient performance of the German army's own logistics capabilities in protracted operations. The cold wave that began in December also objectively accelerated the collapse of the German army. However,
In order to maintain morale, Hitler attributed the failure to the Russian winter in his speech. He claimed that at a low temperature of minus 40 degrees, the heroic Nazis of the Third Reich were still fighting, and they were declaring war on the Russian gods!
By exaggerating this tragic atmosphere, the German army's fighting spirit of not admitting defeat was established, and public opinion in Germany did not boil because of this failure.
But just because Hitler gave a good speech does not mean that the German troops on the front line were really so brave and good at fighting!
For example, Koch's group under the Fourth Air Force did not manage its ammunition depot well. It can be said that the failure of the aerial bombs to explode was due to the dereliction of duty of the defenders of the ammunition depot!
Seven fighter jets landed one after another. As soon as they got off the plane, the depressed pilots began to complain about what they had seen today.
Koch hurriedly trotted all the way to the runway. Paul complained unceremoniously: "I can't believe my eyes. Fourteen aerial bombs didn't explode at all! What's worse, the Russians created a lot of false targets.
, they deceived us.”
"What? Not a single aerial bomb exploded? That's an aerial bomb! Even if it falls on the water, it can explode quickly!"
"Yes! But there was indeed no explosion! Even if they fell into the mud, all fourteen bombs could not become duds. Now I very much doubt that these bombs have quality problems, you should understand what I mean! Yes, these bombs
The bomb must have been damp!"
For a moment, Koch didn't know what to say. He watched with joy as the fighter plane returned intact, but what he received was the sad news that the operation had not been successful.
Koch paused for a moment and said with a sullen face: "It was you who conducted the reconnaissance and did not find that the Russians had set up false targets. You have a great responsibility."
Paul became angry when he heard this. He suppressed his anger and argued: "I admit that I did not conduct more risky reconnaissance! Obviously the Russians almost shot me down during yesterday's reconnaissance. Today, when they carried out air strikes on the same target, the Russians were like groundhogs.
We got into the ground. We didn't encounter any resistance, and we didn't find anyone on the ground! We..." Paul stamped his feet in annoyance, and when Koch saw this, he was really embarrassed to say what was going on.
Those Russians were indeed very cunning, and the German army had indeed fallen into a trap.
However, the bomb failed to explode after all. This was certainly not a spell or curse used by the Russians. There must be something wrong with the ammunition!
Koch said angrily: "Gentlemen, you go back and rest first! I will order the garrison at the arms warehouse to report to me. I must investigate the reason why the bombs are all duds."
The German garrison at the aviation base has a battalion. They are regular troops and belong to the 722nd Division.
This battalion is a logistics battalion. During the war, they were responsible for escorting the 722nd Division's baggage. Now they are stationed throughout the defense zone just like regular troops. It's just that compared to the main regiment, the officers and soldiers of this battalion live a more comfortable life. They don't have to
The front lines dug trenches to defend against Russian attacks. They lived in the rear and lived a relatively "pampered" life.
Are there guerrillas in this area? As of now, they don’t exist!
Since the establishment of the aviation base, there has never been an attack. The long-term comfort has inevitably caused the garrison to gradually relax. They have more time to contact the local peaceful residents, such as robbery and theft. Most of the time, the garrison
With only verbal threats, you can get gifts from nearby villages. Officers rarely restrict these behaviors, but they are very strict about the contact between soldiers and local women.
The garrison soldiers are only allowed to go to Gomel during holidays, and they stay at the garrison most of the time.
The person responsible for managing the ammunition depot is a logistics platoon. These more than 40 people mainly manage the aerial bombs used by fighter planes. Because this aviation brigade was once guarded by a few Russians, the ammunition depot was guarded, which objectively directly led to the airport's destruction.
After being lost, Koch, who made a comeback, naturally strengthened the defense here.
The ammunition depot was reinforced with cement and became a semi-crypt-like permanent defense building. It was so strong that the Germans believed that only a one-ton bomb could penetrate it. Even if the cunning Russians from the swamp came over, they would
Don't even think about succeeding again.
However, when the building was being built, the construction workers were not conscientious. The so-called workers were all forcibly recruited local men, that is, a large group of Belarusian villagers of a certain age.
These Belarusians were indeed afraid of death and were not willing to become slaves to the subjugation of their country. They had special means of resistance. When the Germans forced them to work, they would deliberately desert at work. If they were ordered to build a house, then the building they built must be defective.
Some villagers served as soldiers when they were young, and they know that the biggest fear of ammunition is moisture.
The Germans want to build an ammunition depot. If they are allowed to be soaked in water, the ammunition may become useless!
There was less rainfall during the construction of this strong ammunition depot. When it was built, because there was no rainfall, the German army had no way of judging its waterproofing capabilities! Just from its huge gray size, who else believed that it would leak?
Some time after it was built, June came, and the continuous rainfall at the beginning of the month finally made the depths of the earth muddy. The semi-crypt design of the ammunition depot made it easier for water to seep in, and the only way to form a barrier was to rely on solidified cement.
Waterproof wall.
The problem arises here!
When the villagers were laying the cement floor, they deliberately added sawdust when mixing the ingredients! The presence of sawdust caused the cement floor to have a porous structure. Finally, during the continuous rainfall, cracks appeared on the ground, and the moisture in the soil successfully seeped back into the aerial bombs.
Those boxes!
The defenders of the ammunition depot spent most of their time drinking and playing cards, and they knew almost nothing about the necessity of waterproofing. It was not until some good people decided to take a look at the real situation of the ammunition depot that they were shocked to find that water was accumulated in some areas of the ammunition depot.
It's even up to my ankles!
The defenders blew up the pot on the spot, and they finally thought of the disastrous consequences of the ammunition being soaked in water.
However, the only people who know about this matter are the forty people in the garrison. This matter must not be known to the superiors! Who among the platoon leaders and soldiers wants to go to a military court?!
They first moved the ammunition in the water-soaked boxes to a dry area, and quickly wiped away the water on the projectiles. The wet boxes were destroyed immediately, and the water on the ground was drained out using various methods, leaving behind human hands.
Always cleaning up the standing water.
They quietly eliminated the flooding of the ammunition depot, and Koch knew nothing about it. Therefore, it was not until Paul complained that the bombs in the air raid were all duds that Koch launched a massive investigation.