"Yes, Colonel!" Katukov's cry pulled Shulka out of his thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?" Katukov said with a smile: "Maybe I shouldn't interrupt your thoughts. To be honest, I like your dazed look, because often when you show this expression, the Germans will really
'In a daze' (meaning death)!"
The surrounding officers burst into laughter.
"I'm thinking about Zhankoy!" Shulka said.
"I guess so!" Katukov nodded: "This is a great temptation, but I don't think it is realistic!"
"Can we bypass these highlands?" Lieutenant Colonel Gavrilov said: "It is winter now, there is ice and snow everywhere, and we do not necessarily need to move along the road!"
"Yes!" Lieutenant Colonel Zahakavich agreed: "We have ski camps and half-tracks... Now it's time to play the role of the half-track! It has armor and can also carry a small amount of heavy firepower.
And ammunition!”
There is indeed some truth to this, especially as half-track vehicles have very good off-road capabilities.
But Shulka is not optimistic.
"We have too few half-tracks!" Shulka replied: "There are only more than a hundred, which means that they can only carry more than a thousand people at most. We need more than a thousand people to bypass the highlands and attack Zhankoy..."
Katukov nodded in agreement: "Although the Germans probably did not expect that we would raid Zhankoy in this way under such circumstances, don't forget that their reinforcements are arriving one after another.
Odosia. And all these reinforcements need to pass through Zhankoi. In other words, there is no shortage of troops in Zhankoi at any time. It is almost impossible for a thousand people to occupy it!"
This is true even if you have a half-track armored vehicle. After all, a half-track armored vehicle is an armored vehicle after all. It cannot even fight against enemy light tanks.
The T34 tank has wide tracks, and its maneuverability and off-road capabilities are quite good, so this is indeed an option.
But Katukov still shook his head.
"I have thought about this too!" Katukov said: "But this means that our marching speed is not fast. Even if it goes well, it will take us a few days to reach Zhankoy. By then the enemy will have discovered us
Intentions, and even traps are waiting for us in Zhankoy!"
As Katukov said before, the enemy has no shortage of troops in Chankoy, so they may lay a pocket for the 1st Guards Tank Brigade and wait for it to get into it.
Therefore, if you want to raid Zhankoi, you must be fast and powerful.
Because only by speed can the enemy reach Zhankoy with few reinforcements.
If it is powerful, it can ensure the capture of Chankoy and build a good defense to withstand possible enemy counterattacks. Otherwise, even if it can occupy Chankoy, it will be surrounded and annihilated by the German army in a few seconds, which is meaningless at all.
To meet these two conditions at the same time, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade must be interspersed along the road.
After thinking about it, Shulka said: "Maybe we still have a chance!"
"What chance?" Katukov asked.
"Enemy reinforcements!" Shulka replied.
"Enemy reinforcements?"
The officers, including Katukov, all looked at each other. How could enemy reinforcements be an opportunity?
"Colonel, which troop is the reinforcement that will arrive at Feodosia the fastest?" Shulka asked.
"According to the intelligence, it should be the Romanian 4th Mountain Brigade!" Katukov replied.
"The 4th Mountain Brigade!" Shulka said: "What if when they arrive, instead of garrisoning on the high ground like the 46th Infantry Division, they launch an attack on Feodosia?"
"This is impossible!" Lieutenant Colonel Gavrilov laughed: "They should know that we have occupied Feodosia and landed some troops to establish a foothold..."
"Why not?" Katukov looked up from the map and looked at Shulka and said, "Shulka is right, the enemy is very likely to attack Feodosia!"
After a pause, Katukov pointed to the map and continued: "Although the enemy was forced to withdraw from the Kerch Peninsula, they are probably unwilling to fail. That is, they must stabilize the position of the 46th Division to ensure the safety of Zhankoy.
After that, they will hope to defeat us and retake the Kerch Peninsula!"
"Yes!" Lieutenant Colonel Gavrilov couldn't help but suddenly realized: "For example, if they blow up the port facilities, then there is reason to believe that our landing equipment and supplies are very slow!"
The fact is that the speed of landing is indeed very slow. The reason why the 1st Guards Tank Brigade was able to arrive in place within more than ten hours was entirely because it occupied the highest priority. Even the naval infantry brigade that fought against the Germans in Feodosia could only
Use rubber boats and lifeboats to carry ammunition back and forth.
As the battle heats up, more and more ammunition and supplies will be transported, so the number of new troops and heavy equipment that can be landed will further decrease.
"On the other hand!" Katukov said: "Their follow-up reinforcements will arrive in Feodosia in a steady stream. This will give them the confidence to launch a counterattack... They will hope to drive us out of the sea and wait for us to stand firm.
Before the heel has enough strength to counterattack!"
"Once Feodosia is captured!" Lieutenant Colonel Zahakavich continued: "They can attack the Kerch Peninsula again. Because the Kerch Peninsula did not receive effective reinforcements in time, it will still be defeated as before.
!”
"Yes!" Katukov nodded, then turned his gaze to Shulka: "You have grasped the enemy's psychology, Shulka. This is the reason why you can see further and deeper than others. So,
How do you think we can take advantage of this?"
Shulka was silent for a while.
Although the facts are not as analyzed by Katukov and others... Shulka knew that the fact was that at this time, the commander of the 46th Division, Lieutenant General Sponeneck, and the commander of the 11th Army, Manstein, had a relationship.
Disagreement.
Lieutenant General Sponneck believed that the Kerch Peninsula must be abandoned to ensure overall security, while Manstein believed that overall security could be maintained without giving up the Kerch Peninsula.
Therefore, it can be said to be an accident that the 46th Division blocked the way forward, but of course it was not an accident.
Lieutenant General Sponneck had no intention of counterattacking Feodosia, but Manstein was not like that. He still wanted to end the battle quickly... This cannot be said to be wrong, because "the only martial arts in the world is fast."
, the essence of the German "Blitzkrieg" is to be fast. Once it slows down, it is likely to fall into a protracted and bitter battle. (The real Battle of Crimea lasted for more than half a year because it was forced to slow down.)
After thinking about it, Shurka said: "Why don't we defeat the Romanian army and let them lead us to break through the defense of the German 46th Division?"