At this meeting, Stalin praised Konev for raising the issue of soldier defection.
Konev felt relieved and was in a good mood.
It is rare for a general to be able to serve as the main offensive force in a huge battle and receive such an honor.
For Konev, he always believed that he was ashamed of his motherland and people, of Stalin, and of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who died in the war and were tragically captured.
Pavlov's disobedient retreat turned into a huge rout regardless of the life and death of his comrades in the encirclement. The German army reaped the lives of the defeated soldiers like mowing grass. In the end, the stormy German army pounced on the Kalinin Front.
In 1941, Konev's Kalinin Front failed to hold the defensive line. Despite a hard fight, the German army occupied Smolensk.
During the Battle of Smolensk, there was almost no street fighting between the Soviet Union and Germany in the city. The battle outside the city determined the victory of the German army, and the Soviet army, which had lost its fighting spirit, continued to retreat.
Even if a general can win a hundred battles, one critical defeat will often ruin his reputation and even lead him to surrender.
Stalin once shouted angrily: "Konev has made a mess of the war situation! Now, Moscow is wide open."
It can be said that if Zhukov, the "firefighter", had not been admonishing Stalin in his ears, Konev would have been arrested by the military court for the crime of unfavorable start, and there would be nothing else to do in the subsequent war.
Therefore, in the Northern War that will take place at the end of 1942, it depends on this battle that Konev can serve as the main force to attack Smolensk and avenge his crimes.
The Soviet army will definitely win! This is what Konev thinks now.
Yes, Zhukov was indeed invincible after the war started. As long as he fought the battles he planned and fought according to the plan, the Soviet army never lost. Besides, Zhukov struck hard this time, and the strength of the two armies needed to be strengthened.
Reaching more than two million people! One-third of the front-line combat forces are concentrated in the north, and the other third are concentrated on the lower Volga River.
There are huge troops, bold and exciting strategies and tactics, and even the latest weapons to assist in the battle.
How can we lose this battle? How can we lose?!
Konev and Stalin, as well as everyone present, were all listening to Zhukov's time for the battle.
It is time for the Soviet army to launch its northern winter offensive. The offensive was originally intended to be a feint to support the counterattack in the Stalingrad area, but now it has expanded into a grand strategy that is as significant as the southern one.
According to the plan, the major counteroffensive in the direction of Stalingrad will be in mid or late November. Then, the counteroffensive in the north must be perfectly coordinated with this time.
"We should use November 15th as the scheduled combat time. At the latest, we should launch the campaign on November 25th. We should try our best to have the battle with the south on the same day, so that the two battlefields can be fought at the same time.
Launching a massive offensive campaign, I believe that the enemy does not have more manpower and material resources to deal with it, and we are very likely to successfully win two battles.
Therefore, when the first round of counterattack forces from the south enters the battle, the north will also begin to attack Smolensk.
In order for the campaign to be carried out smoothly, the army needs a secret deployment period of forty-five to fifty days.
We must quickly replenish a large number of troops to the front line and organize strategic reserves to prevent unexpected events. To this end, we need to train more troops. The new troops currently being trained in various training bases also need to adjust their destinations."
Then, Zhukov immediately mentioned the troop strength issue mentioned by Konev.
"The Kalinin Front also needs to increase the reserve strength of twenty integrated divisions, and the Western Front also needs twenty."
The two combined are forty reorganized divisions, which also means a combat strength of four hundred thousand people!
Stalin was of course shocked by Zhukov's generosity, so he asked: "Do we have so many reserve troops?"
"Well... We don't have it at the moment. However, we may be able to in one month. We seize the time to recruit troops. According to our current training standards of one month, it is completely feasible to add 600,000 people to the two front armies.
.We need to recruit extensively from the Ural region, Siberia, and Central Asia. We can also recruit a large number of female soldiers, and we can also recruit soldiers in schools. We should relax the recruitment standards and include men over fifty.
If the war situation lasts longer, we must be prepared to incorporate sixty-year-old men into the army."
"What? Incorporating sixty-year-old men into the army?" Stalin asked in shock.
"Yes. We need to do it if necessary."
This is no small matter at this time. Stalin paced and thought for a moment, then suddenly stopped and said: "We have lowered the standards. I can't believe that you think like this...Have we reached such a desperate situation?"
"Yes, Comrade Stalin." Zhukov said without changing his face: "Thank you, thank you to the Soviet people who persisted in fighting and entrusted me with the important task of commanding the strategic decisive battle. Now is the time for the country to survive or be destroyed.
, we must use all our strength. To this end, the age of soldiers should not be used as an absolute recruitment threshold, and those men who can hold a gun should serve!
We are now facing a major strategic opportunity. It is very likely that our army will restore our front in the summer of 1942 before next spring, and even come into contact with the siege of Leningrad next summer. I once believed that a major campaign in the north would be a defeat for the south.
As for combat support, now my mind has changed.
You are worried about a two-front war and that we will not be able to take care of one thing and lose sight of the other. I don’t think that is the case. As long as we invest enough troops, we will not have the problem of local shortage of troops, and the disadvantages of a two-front war will not exist.
."
Zhukov saw Stalin's big eyes trembling, and he understood that Stalin was moved.
Yes, once the south restores the front in the summer of 1942 and the north lifts the siege of Leningrad, once these are completed, the strategic initiative in the war will return to the Soviet army.
Of course, Stalin knew that in order to achieve this strategic goal, the Soviet army would have to bleed a lot given its current state.
If the cost is acceptable, Stalin thinks it is worthwhile to take back the strategic initiative and pay hundreds of thousands of lives. He also believes that if hundreds of thousands of people are destined to die, it is better to let the elderly die.
It is better for young people to sacrifice. There are a huge number of young people in their twenties and thirties in the army. They are the backbone of the country. They are also the people who have suffered the greatest losses in previous battles.
If all the young people are sacrificed, the country will definitely lose its stamina.
It seems that putting older people into the military is a positive response? No! It has advantages and disadvantages.
Zhukov continued: "Our new troops have never participated in any battles, so their combat quality should naturally be inferior to that of the German army. However, such a large number of new troops can make up for the lack of quality with quantity."
"However, there are a large number of older people in the team, and I am very worried about the quality of the team." Stalin pinched his chin and said, "People have to serve their age. I am very worried about whether a fifty-year-old man can afford a gun and whether he can hold a gun."
Can you withstand the harsh conditions on the front line during a long march?"
"Your worries are reasonable. Maybe my ideas are too ideal. Just do this." Zhukov suddenly thought: "Many fifty-year-old men joined the army to fight against the White Guards when they were young. They were soldiers, and they are also us.
The founders of the great alliance, I think they will be very willing to join the army when the motherland calls again. Perhaps, they can't wait."
"They are old after all! Just like me, I am over sixty years old, and my sleep condition has been bad recently. Maybe your explanation is very correct." Stalin immediately asked about the attitudes of others: "Comrade Konev,
Comrade Purkayev, what is your attitude?"
"This...if they can fight on the front line, I welcome such soldiers." Purkayev answered cautiously for the time being.
"I have the same attitude." Konev said, "Maybe they can have another purpose!"
Stalin suddenly raised his head: "What kind of additional effect is it?"
"As Comrade Zhukov said, they are one of the founders of the alliance. I think they are the most loyal people to the country. They may not be good at fighting because they are old, but they can educate young people by example, especially
Educate those who are not determined. From my observation, the defection of soldiers is often inseparable from the grassroots officers. Many junior officers do not know how to educate soldiers why they fight, and they blindly use orders to pressure them, and even use a lot of corporal punishment. This is wrong.
.Perhaps placing a group of veteran soldiers in grassroots teams and even making them squad leaders and platoon leaders will achieve good results."
"Sounds good." Stalin was already planning to approve Zhukov's initiative, but then he suddenly thought about it and looked at the waiting Yang Mingzhi.
"Comrade Berekov, what do you think?"
"I...of course I support it." Of course, Yang Mingzhi had been holding back some words for a long time. At this moment, he had an idea and immediately quoted the words of an American soldier: "Veterans never die, they just slowly wither." Yang Mingzhi
Another sentence followed: "They have been soldiers, and they will never forget that they were soldiers. As long as the country gives an order, they will still charge on the front line of the battle."
"Well said!" Stalin suddenly said sonorously and forcefully, and his hands couldn't help but make noise.
These words indeed made Stalin very happy. For Zhukov, General Berekov's meaning was very obvious. It turned out that in the eyes of this general, all retired soldiers were naturally reserve forces.
If active soldiers are like sabers, retired soldiers just put their sabers into scabbards and seal them. As time goes by, some sabers become rusty and no longer sharp. However, if they are polished, they can still knock down the enemy.
"As long as you serve, you will always be a soldier. I appreciate your opinion." Zhukov clapped his hands in appreciation, and then looked at Stalin: "It is best for all soldiers to have this awareness, but now
We must also see the cruel facts. Quite a few soldiers do not have the confidence to win and the awareness to sacrifice for the country. When the battle goes well, their morale is extremely high. Once the battle goes unfavorably, many troops try to retreat.
This is a very real thing, and we cannot perfectly contain it simply by supervising each other between the anti-retreat team and the soldiers, or by other means.
If we cannot avoid this situation for the time being, then we will try our best to make the battle go smoothly. I think we have a way."
"Oh? What is it?" Stalin asked quickly.
"We can also use some new weapons, such as the equipment developed by Comrade Berekov."
Yang Mingzhi suddenly stood at attention and listened attentively to Zhukov's eloquent remarks.
Speaking of how much high-tech weapons can influence wars, at least in today's wars, warring countries have realized that new weapons often have tactical advantages, and their ideas basically stop there.
Even in another dimension, the US military, which had completed the third industrial revolution, used high-tech weapons to fight a completely asymmetric war at the end of the 20th century. One side also believed that the war would be like a large-scale frontal war like World War II.
When fighting, I never thought that the other side would be crushed by pure high-tech.
Because of this, the world immediately started a big discussion about "weapons only".
No matter what the discussion is, in the 21st century, no military will desperately advocate "spiritual invincibility".
The perseverance to fight is of course an essential element of an excellent army. Likewise, they must also have the most advanced high-tech equipment possible.
Therefore, Yang Mingzhi, who has accepted and understood the military of the 21st century, many of his ideas were absolutely ahead of his time in 1942.
Even so, there are still quite a few people in this time and space who have obviously advanced ideas, and these strange ideas come together to form the war theory of the next century.
Zhukov, he is such a person.
Zhukov has always advocated a tactic, which is to hit the key points of the enemy with superior forces. For this reason, he once had a fierce quarrel with Stalin. It was still the strategic counterattack in January, but the battle plan that caused the quarrel was for liberation
Vyazma!
More than half a year ago, Zhukov could have assembled the armored forces at hand into two elite assault forces, but Stalin preferred the traditional method of dispersing the armored units into a "seven-way army." Stalin insisted on doing this, and in the end
Zhukov made concessions, which resulted in the Soviet army not having enough assault force to separate the German Sixth Army's defense line. The German army did retreat, and then the German army's crazy counterattack also caused the Soviet army to lose all its results.
Nowadays, Stalin is very smart not to personally "micromanage" a major battle involving millions of people. Instead, let his subordinates take charge! Let the expert Zhukov take charge! If the fight is good, Zhukov will have the honor, and he will have the honor as well. The best thing to do is fight.
Zhukov's full responsibility.
How could Zhukov not know? He boasts that he is walking on thin ice now! If he does not command well, the result will be...
Zhukov could not imagine that he knew that he could not bear the historical responsibility for the defeat, and he did not want to become a historical sinner of Russia. He wanted to become a hero of the people, a Kutuzov-like figure.