"We failed!" Then Kruger called von Bock, commander of Army Group Center: "It's the Fourth Tank Brigade again! They adopted a tactic. To put it simply, they temporarily retreated during the day, and at night...
When our air force was unable to fight, they took advantage of the T34 to fight back, and we were back to square one again!"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and then he replied: "Do you realize that we are moving too fast?"
"Too fast?" Kruger didn't understand what von Bock meant.
"Yes!" Von Bock said: "You can't follow the footsteps of the enemy. It will only make you like a puppet in their hands. You need to disrupt their deployment and contain them in Volokolamsk.
,Understand?"
Kruger couldn't help but suddenly realized after hearing this: "Yes, Your Excellency Marshal!"
Kruger indeed knew what to do, and von Bock was right. If he followed the enemy's lead, it would only create a tug-of-war between Volokolamsk and Istria: the Germans would fight during the day.
, in the evening the Soviet army fought back, which was of little or no great significance to the German army. It was just consuming the forces of both the enemy and ourselves.
Although the German army has more troops than the Soviet army in the direction of Volokolamsk, the total strength is not much more. What's more serious is that the German army cannot afford to waste time, because the weather has become colder and colder, and the German army's logistical pressure has increased.
It's getting more serious.
If there was any way to drag the Russian army in Volokolamsk so that they had to fight during the day, then the situation would be different.
Thinking of this, Kruger set his sights on Tver.
Commanding the attack in Tver was Major General Anufrievich, who commanded the 4th, 27th, and 28th Tank Brigades, the 78th Infantry Division, and the 20th and 50th Cavalry Divisions.
Although there are a lot of numbers, the total number of troops is actually less than 20,000... Among them, the main force of the 4th Tank Brigade is actually in Volokolamsk, and there are only 20 T34 in Tver (the others are fake).
But even so, the 20 T34s in Katukov's hands still became the main force of the tank force.
Needless to say, the 27th Tank Brigade suffered heavy casualties when it attacked Volokolamsk. The total number of surviving tanks was only 21, of which 2 were T34.
The 28th Tank Brigade has a total of 51 tanks, but only 9 are T34.
A tank unit like this, with a few in this brigade and a few in that brigade, should have all been integrated into one unit, such as under the unified command of Katukov.
But the red-eye troops on the front line are not reorganized just by saying they are reorganized.
First of all, commanders will have a defensive mentality. Being demobilized without any reason and handing over their troops to the command of others will make them feel insulted and despised, so they can make some extraordinary or radical actions that may bring danger.
Secondly, soldiers may be led by their original commanders or dissatisfied with the command of others.
This kind of problem was very common among Soviet troops, so Major General Anufrievich could only let it go.
The German army stationed in Tver was an infantry regiment of the 40th Army.
The reason why Tver is important is that it is full of swamps, forests, rivers, and complex terrain that is difficult for armored forces to pass, but it is a junction of railways:
By occupying this area, the German army could cut off the connection between Leningrad and Moscow and transport the supplies from the rear to Tver by train and then disperse them to various places.
By occupying this place, the Soviet army could not only open up the railway line, but also push back the German army's northern logistics supply line by more than ten kilometers or even further.
Everyone knows that its strategic significance is very important... Pushing the German logistics supply line back almost means victory in the north, which can at least reduce the pressure on Moscow's north.
but……
Anufrievich frowned and stared at the map.
Swamps, forests and rivers have provided excellent defensive conditions for the German army. The German army relied on the terrain to build criss-crossing fortifications. Every Soviet attack was repulsed by the German army.
In fact, instead of being repelled, they were surrounded again and again... The German army used the terrain to design traps one after another to surround and then annihilate the Soviet troops that broke into their defense lines.
Anufrievich believed that at least half of the reason why the Soviet troops were able to successfully break into the German defense lines was because the Germans deliberately let them in.
More importantly... Tver's rear, Volokolamsk, may fall into the hands of the Germans at any time, so Anufrievich does not think this is a thorough and wise plan, even though it is special.
Vail's strategic position is very important.
"Is Volokolamsk safe?" Anufrievich asked.
Katukov, who was by his side, replied: "Safety, Comrade Major General, after we recaptured Volokolamsk last night, the Germans stopped attacking, and the enemy and we are in a state of confrontation!"
Major General Anufrievich nodded. This may be the only gratifying thing. While other fronts were already on the strength or suffering heavy casualties, the 4th Tank Brigade achieved victory again and again, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.
heavy.
This is one of the reasons why Major General Anufrievich asked Katukov to assist in command.
"But..." Katukov added: "I think this is a bit strange!"
"What's strange?" Major General Anufrievich turned his attention to Katukov.
Katukov's words irritated the major general's sensitive nerves.
"The Germans do not attack!" Katukov explained: "Maybe they know the new tactics of the 4th Tank Brigade and the 316th Division and have no solution, but they should attack anyway...especially during the day.
It will do them no good to wait any longer!"
Anufrievich nodded in agreement. The Germans were competing with the weather, and the Soviet army at this time... was at best holding them back and making them lose to the weather.
It is not an exaggeration to think so, because with dozens of frontline troops and millions of soldiers being surrounded and a large number of equipment lost, the Soviet army has fallen into a situation where the average quality is extremely low and the equipment is scarce. Even the most elite Fourth Tank Brigade...
The number of T34 is also gradually decreasing and cannot be replenished.
But if you think about it from another angle, the German army is not much better: supplies, mud, severe cold, and equipment that is not frost-resistant, etc.
At this time, both the Soviet and German armies were actually on the verge of collapse. It just depended on which of the two would get there first. However, judging from the current situation, the German army still held the initiative.
"What problems do you think there will be?" Anufrievich asked.
Katukov sighed and said: "I think we should retreat, Comrade Major General!"