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Chapter 126 Strategy

Reichenau looked at Manstein with wide eyes.

"You mean we cross the Dnieper and continue the attack under these circumstances?" Reichenau asked.

"Yes!" Manstein nodded.

"Even if we can rely on the captured materials to resupply, we must know that there is a Southwest Front Army behind us!" Reichenau pointed to the map and said: "They can flank our army from behind at any time or launch a counterattack into western Ukraine!"

"They won't!" said Manstein.

"Why?"

"Because they don't have enough supplies!" Manstein pointed to the map and explained: "The Russians have three supply lines, one is through the Dnieper River, one is by road and one is by railway! But all three supply lines are

Coming from the Black Sea, as long as we strengthen the blockade of the Black Sea, it will be very difficult for the Russians to supply supplies. In addition, it is time for us to make use of the guerrillas!"

"Ukrainian partisans?"

"Yes!" Manstein nodded: "The Ukrainian guerrillas, they are Ukrainians, this has an inherent advantage... As long as they are given explosives and landmines, they can install mines and explosives on roads and railways.

, give them mines, and they can place them in the Dnieper River. As long as we reduce the supply of the Russian army to the maximum extent, then the Southwest Front will not have enough strength to launch an attack, no matter which direction it is!"

After a pause, Manstein continued: "And our troops... the 1st Armored Group and the 2nd Armored Group have successfully joined forces, which means that our troops can safely follow the channel opened by the armored group.

Moving north..."

As he spoke, Manstein pointed his finger at Moscow.

Reichenau soon understood that the main force of Army Group South would cooperate with Army Group Center to encircle Moscow.

Manstein's idea made sense, and Guderian had always disapproved of Army Group Center dividing its forces to encircle Kiev.

Because Guderian saw clearly that although it was possible to achieve great results by encircling Kiev, it would deviate from the strategic goal of Army Group Center...Moscow.

Among other things, temporarily changing the strategic goals set before the war on the battlefield is a taboo in military use. This is one of the reasons why Guderian flew to Berlin urgently to try to persuade Hitler.

Many modern military scientists believe that the reason why the German army was unable to successfully occupy Moscow was because it outflanked Kiev... Outflanking Kiev was a tactical victory for the German army, but it was a strategic failure because it wasted Army Group Center.

Precious time to attack Moscow.

Another way of saying it is that if Army Group South fails to capture Kiev, the right wing of Army Group Center will be exposed to the Southwestern Soviet Front.

This statement is not true.

First of all, the Southwest Front Army was already struggling to hold on under the attack of Army Group South, and was simply unable to divide its forces to launch an attack in another direction.

Secondly, what the German army is most worried about at this time is not the Soviet mobile operations... The German army has more advanced tanks, has air superiority, more advanced tactics and quality, and an armored group can easily defeat a Soviet front army in mobile combat in the wild.

, there were even cases where more than a hundred tanks defeated a thousand tanks.

What the Germans feared was that they could not get around the fortified cities that they had to conquer: Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the middle, and Kiev in the south.

These fortified cities are large enough to station large armies, which can be attacked or defended. Once their logistics supply lines are bypassed, they are easily cut off, so they can only attack in a systematic manner.

This kind of traditional offensive and defensive warfare is precisely not what the German army is good at, so the German army in history has been repeatedly frustrated when attacking cities: this is the case in Leningrad, this is the case in Moscow, and the same is true in Stalingrad.

Kiev was captured with a massive siege.

Therefore, if the Soviet army attacks Army Group Center from Kiev, it is exactly what the German army wants... I am afraid that if you don't leave the city, you will be killed if you do.

Guderian saw this clearly, so he did not take Kiev's millions of Soviet troops seriously.

This view is obviously correct, because even the 9th Army, which has improved tactics and communications, still has to rely on rainy weather to attack, and most of the attacks are Romanian troops and logistics troops. If it encounters a German infantry division, it will

It was very difficult to fight.

If the German army still had an armored division on the west bank of the Dnieper River, the Soviet 9th Mechanized Army would be unable to survive, let alone counter-encirclement.

From this perspective, Project Barbarossa was destroyed precisely in the hands of Hitler, who thought he was a military genius. If he had not commanded it remotely, the results would probably have been different.

But now it seems that the Germans have been given a chance.

"So..." Reichenau asked the same question as the Führer: "What to do with the right wing of Army Group Center?"

"Do we need to worry about this?" Manstein pointed to the map and replied: "The Pripyat Swamp extends from Brest to the north of Kiev. If we build defenses along the Dnieper River in the northern part of Kiev,

, it can be connected with the swamp to form a line of defense! Then the Soviets will launch an attack on our line of defense while waiting for labor reform!"

Reichenau couldn't help but nodded in agreement after hearing this.

The Pripyat Swamp stretches for 600 kilometers, and the Dnieper River north of Kiev runs from west to east, so it can indeed be connected to form a line of defense.

As for the issue of troop strength...if the main force of Army Group South is transferred to the center, it will certainly be enough for defense.

The most important point is that Reichenau, as the commander of the 6th Army, commanded the troops all the way here. Experience told him that the Russians' defense may be okay, but their offensive battles are a mess... They often only charge, charge and charge again.

, driving the soldiers forward regardless of the cost or casualties, and there was basically no coordination.

Of course, except for the 9th Mechanized Army.

"I agree with your idea, General!" Reichenau said: "But I must report it to the Führer and obtain his approval!"

"Of course!" Manstein replied: "I believe he will agree, because we have no choice!"

Manstein was right.

When Reichenau sent the plan to Berlin, although Hitler was not very satisfied with it...at this time, his mind was still focused on encircling and annihilating the millions of Soviet troops in Kiev.

But after thinking about it, I realized that it was not realistic to encircle and annihilate the Soviet army in Kiev. Even if it could be done, it would take more time, and time was precisely what the German army did not have.

So, in the end, Hitler could only reply with a telegram: "Everything is going according to plan. I believe we will win back Kiev's defeat on another battlefield!"


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