On the German side, Manstein and Lieutenant General Sponeneck had a fierce dispute.
"My order was for you not to retreat even one step, but you withdrew from the Kerch Peninsula!"
"If I don't do this, our entire army will be doomed, including you, General!"
"Oh, really? So I also want to thank you for your flagrant disobedience? Maybe I should also apply for an Iron Cross for you?"
…
But soon, Manstein and Sponneck calmed down, because as professional soldiers, they knew that it was useless to argue at this time. The war situation in front of them was an established fact, which no one could change.
"General!" Spanek said: "Maybe you think I am using this as an excuse, but I can use my past honors to guarantee that the Russians who landed in Feodosia are not as simple as you think."
"Give me a reason!"
"The troops stationed there are my old subordinates, General!" Spanek explained: "He has been with me for five years. He fought bravely and was a very wise commander. But in just one hour, he
I’ve lost my beachhead!”
Manstein asked: "Did he provide you with any useful information?"
"No, General!"
"Why?"
"Because he has been killed in the battle of Feodosia!" Spanek replied: "Before we arrived, they stayed in the buildings of Feodosia and dealt with the enemy until the enemy surrounded them...
…None of them made it out alive. They bought us time, so we seized the high ground outside the city and built a line of defense!”
The implicit meaning of this statement is that if this line of defense is not established, then the Russian army at this time should attack Zhankoy directly.
But of course, at this time Sponeneck was not willing to argue with Manstein on this point, so he did not say it explicitly.
"I understand!" Manstein said: "I will consider this issue, but I must remind you: you are not allowed to disobey my orders again, otherwise I will send you to a military court immediately!"
With that said, Manstein firmly pressed the phone.
After putting down the phone, Manstein stared blankly at the map in front of him.
He knew in his heart that Sponeneck might be right, but of course it was just "maybe."
In war, it is often difficult to distinguish right from wrong when making certain decisions, because it involves many uncertain factors. For example, the 11th Army's long-distance attack on Crimea is not realistic in theory... but
Who would have thought that the Russian army was defeated like a mountain.
The same goes for the Battle of Kerch.
Is Sponneck right? Who knows that if Manstein's style of play was followed, the Russian army would not be defeated again and driven into the sea?
In fact, this is what Manstein hoped for. He believed that Feodosia would fall, but the Romanian 4th Mountain Brigade that arrived later would prevent the Russians from expanding their gains, and then subsequent reinforcements would drive the Russians away.
The sea...then everything is a foregone conclusion.
But after Sponecker's warning, Manstein hesitated.
Because he knows Spanneck and knows that he is not a commander who is greedy for life and death. This can be seen from his performance along the way, especially in the battle on the Kerch Peninsula when he fought against an enemy force several times his own.
A brilliant victory can be achieved.
If Feodosia's fall was not due to the cowardice and dereliction of duty of the soldiers, then it was due to the extraordinary combat effectiveness of the enemy's landing force.
In this way, Manstein faced two choices:
If the enemy is poorly prepared in Feodosia and does not have many troops to land, then the troops should be ordered to attack immediately while the enemy's foothold is not stable.
Otherwise, you should wait for a while and accumulate enough strength before launching an attack.
Whether it is the former or the latter, more information should be relied on.
But Manstein did not have any more intelligence, and aerial reconnaissance could not detect this. At the same time, a decision had to be made quickly, because if he continued to hesitate, more enemies would land, which was equivalent to choosing the latter.
At this moment, the adjutant handed Manstein a telegram, reporting: "General, our pilots have discovered a large number of fishing boats heading towards Feodosia!"
"Fishing boat?"
"Yes!" the adjutant replied: "They should set off from the Caucasus port!"
After thinking about it, Manstein nodded and said: "Very good, so... the Russians are not very prepared for landing in Feodosia!"
So there was no need to think too much. Of course, we chose the former, which was to launch an attack on Feodosia immediately.
The only thing Manstein could use was the Romanian 4th Mountain Brigade, which had just arrived in Feodosia.
While Manstein was preparing for the attack, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade was also preparing.
Of course, the naval infantry brigade is also indispensable.
These sailors directly served as infantry during the battle, so Romanian military uniforms were issued to them.
"This is a very strange tactic!" Major General Vladimir expressed dissatisfaction at the meeting: "Putting on Romanian uniforms makes my soldiers look like clowns! We can capture those highlands and wear our own uniforms.
military uniform!"
"I absolutely believe this, General!" Katukov said: "However, this may reduce the casualties of the Marine Infantry Brigade. Do you think the uniform is more important, or the lives of the soldiers?"
This can be said to be an allusion to the rigid ideological education of the Soviet army. They had a natural resistance to putting on military uniforms and pretending to be enemies.
"Okay!" After thinking about it, Major General Vladimir nodded: "I agree, but if they die wearing Romanian uniforms..."
"They will be treated fairly!" Mykhlis interrupted Major General Vladimir: "They will be heroes of the Soviet Union, and I will record each of their names in the book!"
"Yes, Comrade Maihelis!" Major General Vladimir raised his eyebrows at Shulka with a smile in his eyes.
Then Shulka understood that Major General Vladimir's true purpose was actually this.
"If the enemy attacks Feodosia!" Katukov continued: "They will first carry out bombing, from ground artillery and air bombers! Our artillery observers should try to grasp the location of the enemy's artillery positions, and at the same time the air force
We must also provide cover for our counterattack!"
"No problem!" Major General Vladimir nodded: "They are ready, including warships!"
"Then!" Katukov continued: "The moment the enemy launches an attack, we will launch a counterattack!"