Chapter 1863 The new main direction of the meeting (3)
Zhukov, Konev and Purkayev all agreed that the German combat strength in this area was between 500,000 and 600,000. Of course, the German army could also mobilize some puppet troops or mobilize some kidnapped from central Europe or even Western Europe.
The logistics troops are used as cannon fodder, but this kind of troops are just a bunch of rabble.
It is an extremely difficult task to hope to kill half a million German troops in one battle.
However, the strategic situation marked by red and black wooden blocks on the map does have a possibility for the Soviet army.
The group of people who entered the bunker quickly stood in the conference room, and a huge situation map came into view.
Yang Mingzhi was surprised. He recognized at a glance that this was Vyazma's military situation map. The red and black flags were one dot. When combined with many dots, the situation of the Soviet and German armies was clear at a glance.
In the new time and space, the narrowly defined Battle of Rzhevsychovka actually ended in September 1942.
The Soviet army only recaptured a few cities and newly controlled a large area, but the Soviet army did not annihilate the effective strength of the German army. According to Clausewitz's war theory, the Soviet offensive was a defeat, and they did not really
Victory. The German army in this area is probably still 500,000 strong. Because the space for movement has been compressed, the "density" of the German army has become greater. Compared with breaking a thin steel plate, it will take dozens of thin wooden boards to break.
times the power.
Stalin knew very well that according to Zhukov's proposal in September, the future battle in the north would still be aimed at liberating Vyazma.
Carrying his briefcase, Zhukov walked into the huge map laid out in front of him. He skillfully picked up the baton on the table, looked at Stalin and said seriously: "Comrade Stalin, now we have to formulate a new main direction of attack!
"
What? New main direction of attack?!
Stalin didn't hear clearly for a while, and before he had time to ask, he saw the wooden stick Zhukov was holding pointing at Smolensk on the map.
"Here! This is our next main attack direction."
"It's... it's actually Smolensk?!"
Stalin couldn't help but pinch his chin. He never expected that Zhukov would make this decision.
"My dear Georgi Konstantinovich, aren't we planning to capture Vyazma? Why are you planning this now? Do you think that the army is capable enough to liberate Smolensk?"
"Yes!" Zhukov answered neatly, "The army has this capability! Our strategic purpose is to annihilate all the main German forces in this area. During the operations from August to September, we did not complete this operation plan. We hereby decide
The new campaign plan must accomplish this goal."
Stalin understood that war was won by annihilating the enemy's vital forces.
After all, Stalin was the one who led the troops, leading the new Bolsheviks to attack the remnants of the Tsar. Of course, he would kill all the White troops! Mercy? No!
Therefore, Stalin believed that the Soviet army successfully liberated Rzhev and Sychevka and achieved a great victory. This victory was based on the defeat of the German army.
How much has the enemy's strength been weakened? Now, how much has the enemy's strength been restored? Looking at the densely packed German formations on the map that resembled the Great Wall, Stalin felt restless.
"Comrade Stalin, are you...are you worried?" Zhukov asked cautiously.
Stalin made no reply.
Stalin continued to hold his chin. His big, aging eyes continued to stare at Smolensk on the map. He looked like this. Participants like Yang Mingzhi had to hold back even if they had a lot to say.
With.
Stalin continued to be silent, seeming to be thinking hard.
Yes, he was really thinking.
If the army can capture Smolensk and hold it firmly, what impact will this have on the war situation?
Stalin especially remembered that the Soviet army desperately blocked the German army in Smolensk exactly a year ago. Unfortunately, due to the collapse of the Belarusian defense system, the hastily established Smolensk defense line did not show sufficient effectiveness, and the German army broke through.
The main force of the German army once reached the satellite city of Podolsk in Moscow. Fortunately, this time the Soviet army blocked all the gaps in the defense line.
The entire September of Stalingrad was spent in bloody street fighting. Facts have proved that the Soviet army was better at street fighting than the German army.
This fact made Stalin think that the decisive battle outside Smolensk a year ago was the defeat of the Soviet army. If Smolensk could become a "Stalingrad-style" battle in the new battle, would the German army still be able to survive?
Can we win? At least it's evenly matched.
Of course, if this happens, another strategic plan can be strengthened to contain the effective strength of the German army.
According to the thinking of the soldiers, they stormed Smolensk and captured it. The Soviet vanguard was only a hundred kilometers away. It seemed that it would not be difficult to break into the city. Besides, there were many Soviet citizens who had become slaves in the city. The army rushed in.
, assault arming a group of citizens who are eager for revenge is a way to replenish troops on the spot. After all, this is happening in Stalingrad, and tens of thousands of citizens who are determined not to leave have taken up arms, even children.
Capturing Smolensk will cut off the biggest "blood vessel" of the German army in Vyazma. As long as there is further siege, those German troops will only starve to death!
So are there any political gains from doing this?
Of course! And it’s of great significance!
The Soviet Union was a behemoth composed of more than a dozen republics, among which Soviet Russia was the most powerful.
The war has reached this point, with the fall of Red Ukraine under the iron heel of the German army. In the current Soviet Union, the Russians have truly become "one family".
The core of the Soviet Union is Red Russia. For the Russian people, Smolensk is of great significance to them.
In the history of Tsarist Russia, Smolensk was the guardian of Moscow. Her return to the embrace of the alliance was tantamount to announcing to all citizens that the most critical moment of the Soviet Union was over.
Smolensk is a shield. With her, Moscow will become absolutely safe, and then Novgorod, Kazan and other traditional Russian areas will also be absolutely safe. Of course Stalin knew that when people have a sense of security, it will bring
What kind of benefits will it be.
Stalin thought carefully, and Zhukov did not dare to disturb his thoughts.
The scene was quiet for a while. For a while, Yang Mingzhi could only hear the faint hum of the generator, and kept looking at Stalin who was thinking.
Finally, Stalin spoke again.
"Comrade Georgi Konstantinovich, you plan for our army to organize a huge force to encircle and annihilate all German troops in southern Russia. In order for this plan to go smoothly, we need to organize another large-scale operation to complete the attack on the German troops in the north.
Therefore, you planned for our army to organize its forces and cooperate with the southern operations at the right time. At the beginning, your opinion was to attack Vyazma."
"Yes! Comrade Stalin." Zhukov said seriously, "I think we can take advantage of the favorable strategic conditions now to launch a bigger strategy."
"So we have to target Smolensk as our main attack target. I just thought about it and I have to say that your opinion is very bold."
Zhukov did not deny this, saying: "I admit that this is a bold plan, just like what we are doing in the south."
"This is different!" Stalin shook his head deeply, "You clearly want to eat two German armies in one go!"
"Yes, if we have the chance, we should do it."
"Is this what you think? Let me ask you, if this is the case, in the future, will the south's counter-offensive be the main attack, or will the north's counter-offensive be the main attack? Will our actions in the north still be a support?"
"This..." This sentence suddenly stopped Zhukov.
Of course, Zhukov is not easily confused. He emphasized: "If we have the chance, we can launch two huge battles at the same time."
"What? You actually think so? Do you... do you want to fight on two fronts? You should understand that this is taking huge risks."
Zhukov shook his head and denied: "This is not a two-front war, Comrade Stalin."
Zhukov continued to point on the map with a wooden stick in his hand and kept talking to show his unique overall view.
From the beginning to the end, Zhukov never thought that the Soviet-German battlefield was divided into several small battlefields. He had his own understanding, that is, from Lake Ladoga to the shore of the Black Sea, a huge war front with a straight line of more than a thousand kilometers, where there is no towering
Mountains, even mountainous areas in general, do not exist.
After all, in ancient times, the Eastern European plains were all shallow seas, and due to the influence of orogeny, the sea level gradually emerged. Even so, the Smolensk area is a mixture of plains and low hills, and it will take tens of millions of years to form a mountain range here.
Such geography means that there is no natural existence that can divide the battlefield, so there is no problem of two-front warfare. Multiple front armies are lined up on the front of the war, and they have strong communication with each other.
"Once we annihilate or decimate the German forces in Vyazma, as long as we continue to control Smolensk, we will have the ability to continue to advance into Belarus, or go south to attack the German-controlled Bryansk and Orel areas. In this way
, another salient exists. Once we complete this victory this winter, by next summer, the Western Front will be able to cooperate more closely with the Voronezh Front. It is very likely that we will liberate Bryansk and Oryo before next winter.
you."
Zhukov’s bold speculation makes people feel excited!
Yang Mingzhi, he was even more shocked by Zhukov's strategic vision. Although the direction of the war with that plane has changed a little, it seems that these changes are beneficial to the Soviet army and the international allied forces.
Yang Mingzhi put on his glasses and stood on the side of the desk. He could clearly see the locations of the key cities.
Bryansk and Orel, the Soviet army will inevitably break out fierce battles with the German army in these two cities.
The most critical thing is Kursk, southeast of Bryansk.
The Battle of Kursk? In this dimension, the strategic decisive battle between the Soviet Union and Germany in 1943, will it still be held in Kursk?
Yang Mingzhi couldn't help but fell into deep thought. If the war progressed according to Zhukov's bold deduction, the German Fourth and Ninth Armies would be swallowed up by the end of 1942, and Bryansk and Orel would be liberated in the summer of 1943.
Wait! Liberate Bryansk?!
Yang Mingzhi's eyes couldn't help but tremble. As long as the Soviet army successfully captured Bryansk, they would reach Gomel if they worked harder. In this way, the "isolated island" status of the guerrilla republic might end in the summer of 1943.
According to the original historical trend, the Soviet army that ended the Battle of Kursk used its remaining power to liberate Kiev and Chernigov. Yang Mingzhi had always hoped that this would be the direction of the war, so he made bold statements after leaving the Guerrilla Republic.
It was said that around October 1943, he would personally lead the main army to the banks of the Dnieper River. He also asked Yevlov, who stayed behind for development, to prepare a large amount of pine wood for building pontoons in advance.
Everything seemed to become clear.
Stalin narrowed his eyes: "It seems that we have to expand our strategic planning in the north."
"Yes. I think if we have a chance, we must complete it!" Zhukov replied resolutely.
"Then how many troops do you think our army should prepare for the battle?"
"This..." Zhukov thought for a moment, then blurted out: "Two million people. I think two million people are enough."
Two million people! This number made Stalin subconsciously pat his ears to make sure he heard correctly.
Not only Stalin, but also Konev, Purchakov, and Yang Mingzhi who were present were shocked by this number.
Zhukov, he was worthy of being called a "generous man". With every move of his lips, he planned to assemble two million troops to attack the German army.
"Is two million men enough?" Stalin, who had regained his composure, asked: "Your idea is really bold. In our previous plan, the total strength of the strategic corps invested in preparing for the counterattack in Stalingrad was only one million.
People. Do we need to prepare two million people if we want to capture Smolensk?! Comrade, you should know very well how many troops we have on the front line."
"Yes! I know it very well." Zhukov replied without changing his face. "The frontline strength of our army has always been maintained at around six million people."
"So, you want to mobilize one-third of our army's combat strength to attack the two German armies? How many people are there in the German army? Do they have one million people? Do you really plan to use so many troops to fight?"
Until now, Zhukov still hasn't hesitated at all.
He continued to explain: "Comrade Stalin, I know exactly what you are worried about. If we invest too many troops at one point, will it lead to empty troops in other parts? This is indeed worth considering. But what I mean is not all.
Two million men have been invested in the battle. Each of such a large number of troops has their own tasks. Some are responsible for containment, some are responsible for feint attacks, and some are responsible for main attacks. We also need to form a reserve team to cope with the unpredictable battle situation.
.”
"But even so, the strength of the two fronts that will participate in the battle has not reached 2 million. Also because of the battle in August, our army suffered heavy casualties. Until now, our army has not returned to the strength before the attack."
"This requires increasing the intensity of recruitment." Zhukov said, "There are many reasons why our army suffered heavy casualties in the battles from the end of July to mid-August. One of them is that there are some elite troops in the German army. Among those troops,
Every soldier is an elite, and such people can serve as squad leaders or platoon leaders in any newly formed unit."
Stalin suddenly raised his head: "Are our soldiers not elites? Are they far inferior to them?"
"Based on the current situation, this is the case. Comrade Stalin, you cannot expect that a group of farmers or workers who have only been trained for a month will have high tactical literacy. The enemy we are facing may..." Zhukov paused.
After a moment, he looked at Yang Mingzhi who stood silently at attention. "Perhaps our Comrade Berekov has a say. His troops fought against the German 100th Army, and I conservatively estimate that the combat strength of this unit is as high as 40,000 to 40,000.
Between 50,000 people. They are very powerful."
"The 100th Army?" Stalin immediately looked at Yang Mingzhi, "Comrade Berekov, please tell me everything."