Although most of the aid provided by Britain and the United States to the Soviet Union at this time was supplies, such as cans, military uniforms, locomotives, cars, railroad tracks, etc., there were not many equipment directly aided for combat, and even the performance of these equipment was
The quality is worrying, "Matilda" and "M3 medium" tanks are one of them.
However, assistance such as cans, military uniforms, and railway tracks can save the Soviet Union a large amount of labor and allow the Soviet Union to concentrate on the production of equipment. As for things like "Matilda", although there is even a learning process for the Soviet army, without these
This means that several Soviet troops will charge towards the German army without tank cover... So this is not a question of which one is better than the T34, but a question of which one is better than a pure infantry unit.
To a certain extent, the Soviet Union relied on these aids to withstand the German offensive when the war broke out.
At this time, the aid line with the largest transportation volume in the Caucasus was cut off, and at the same time the German army gradually recovered from the extreme cold in winter, so the balance of victory would soon tilt towards the German side.
In the current situation, even Mahlis, the "representative of the Supreme Command" who knew nothing about the war, knew that it was no longer suitable to continue the offensive.
"Kiev is in danger!" Shulka said, looking at the map.
"What do you mean?" Mahlis asked doubtfully.
"I think we haven't been able to get in touch with Kiev yet!" Shulka asked.
"Yes!" Mahlis replied: "Our army was blocked in Kaluga and unable to move forward!"
The Soviet army, consisting of four armies and a cavalry corps, coordinated with the Black Sea Fleet and the shallow water fleet to attack Kiev in an attempt to connect the Kiev theater and Moscow that would be separated, but they could not even reach Bryansk...
It is located halfway between Moscow and Kiev.
"We were transferred from Kiev, so we know the defense situation of Kiev, Comrade Maihelis!" Shulka pointed to the map and said: "Although we held Kiev at that time and threatened the German flank with it, the reason why we could
The reason for holding it is entirely because the Germans concentrated their forces to attack Moscow and the bad weather. Now that the enemy has been repulsed by us, they are likely to turn their attention to Kiev. On the other hand, our supplies in the Caucasus have been reduced exponentially...
"
Mahlis nodded and replied: "That's right, Comrade Shulka, a considerable part of Kiev's supplies comes from aid materials!"
"Kiev's supply can be roughly divided into two ways!" Shulka said: "One is the railway line from Odessa to Kiev, and the other is the road from Odessa, Ochakiv and other places to Kiev!"
Originally there was a third way, transporting along the Dnieper River waterway, but the Dnieper River is frozen for several months in winter.
"The railway is easily blocked by enemy fighter planes!" Shulka said: "Unless we can obtain air superiority, the transportation volume of the road is very limited in this winter, which makes the connection between Kiev and the Black Sea very fragile!"
As mentioned before, Kiev relied on the Dnieper River and the Odessa railway line to establish a long and narrow defense line and supply line.
This line of defense was barely able to be defended when the German army attacked Moscow with all its strength and they had no time to worry about it, but now it is in danger.
"You think they're going to attack Kiev?"
"I'm not sure, Comrade Maihelis!" Shulka replied: "But I think they will shift the focus of their attack to the south. After the attack on Moscow in the center is frustrated, they may consider attacking Odessa... The Germans may
They will not attack Kiev directly, because Kiev is well-defended and a direct attack will pay a heavy price, and it does not make much sense. They usually bypass Kiev and attack in depth, crossing the Dnieper River along the Black Sea Coast to attack the Crimean Peninsula. Once they
Taking Crimea will directly threaten the Caucasus Mountains, and further east is Baku!"
Mahlis couldn't help but widen his eyes and said: "That's our oil field!"
"This is just my guess, Comrade Mahlis!" Shulka said: "The British and Americans cut off our assistance from the south, which will directly cause us supply difficulties in the Caucasus...because originally there was a steady stream of supplies.
They transported supplies to Moscow and Kiev, but now they need to transport supplies to the Caucasus from other places. At this time, the entire Soviet Union is in a state of shortage of supplies. If the Germans see this, they may take advantage of this!"
"What you say makes sense, Comrade Shulka!" Myhlis replied: "I think I should go to Moscow immediately to warn others!"
As he spoke, Mahlis immediately took off his armed belt from the wall, buckled it on himself, and called the guards.
When he opened the door, Mahlis turned back as if remembering something and confessed: "Comrade Shulka, this is a military secret, understand? You can't tell anyone, anyone!"
"Yes, Comrade Mahlis!" Shulka replied: "I never said those words!"
Mahlis nodded with satisfaction and went out.
Shulka actually knows the true intention of Mahlis, and of course there are military secrets, but more importantly, Mahlis will tell others that it is his idea... This is also the purpose of Mahlis, to let others
I was impressed by him.
This can be said to be a kind of theft, but Shulka doesn't mind.
Because he just wanted to warn the Soviet top brass through Mekhlis.
These changes on the battlefield made Shulka feel a little helpless. Although he saved Kiev and even played a role in reducing the losses of the Soviet army in the Battle of Moscow, some accidents would always happen and the war situation would return to its original track.
.
For example, when the overall situation was very favorable to the Soviet army, suddenly the British cut off supplies in the Caucasus.
But this seems to be normal.
Because Britain had always hoped that the Soviet-German war would last as long as possible and eventually both sides would suffer losses. This was also the main reason why Britain spared no effort to support the Soviet Union.
Historically, Britain even followed the Soviet Union's demands and refused to make a decision...
In fact, the solution to the Soviet Union's dilemma was very simple. Britain and the Soviet Union were located on the east and west sides of Germany, plus Africa to the south, which actually surrounded Germany in the middle.
If the main force of the German army attacks the Soviet Union, then Britain only needs to launch an attack on Germany to make it difficult for it to be attacked from two sides or even from three sides.
However, Britain kept making excuses to delay, even when the President of the United States was willing to send troops to participate in the war. The African battlefield also advanced at a slow pace. When the Soviet Union was about to achieve full victory, Britain and the United States launched the Normandy landing again to compete for victory.
fruit.
So in the same way, Shulka realized that the Soviet Union's enemy might not be just Germany.