Golikov couldn't help being shocked when he heard this: "That Mamayev Hill..."
Shulka looked at the sky outside and said: "It's almost dark. I believe the Germans want to try a surprise attack at night. If they still can't capture hospitals and schools, they may start bombing!"
Shulka was right, because the German army launched a sneak attack on the Soviet army that night.
If we only look at infantry, the German army is more suitable for night fighting than the Soviet army. The reason is that the German army has better quality and can coordinate better.
On the other hand, if you want to take down buildings such as hospitals and schools as advance bases, it will be difficult for fighter planes, tanks, and artillery to work even during the day. The result of using them will often cause danger to the entire building, and
This is not what the Germans wanted.
Because blowing up the building will cause two problems. First, the German army itself has no danger to defend it... It is very advantageous for the German army to occupy the building when it has air superiority. Not only does it have a condescending position, but it can also give itself a comfortable environment.
On the other hand, collapsed buildings will block roads, which will cause great trouble for supplies. This has been verified by attacks in other directions.
Taking this into consideration, Major General Andreas, commander of the 29th Motorized Rifle Division, wanted to try a night battle.
But the results can be imagined.
For the Soviet army, this night attack was not a night attack at all, but the German army was hiding the Soviet army... The tactics remained unchanged, the Soviet army only needed to replace some of the rope grenades with incendiary bombs.
Shulka said to Golikov: "But this situation cannot continue indefinitely, because the German army will not let their offensive force supply lines and retreat routes be cut off and the offensive force be surrounded!"
"So in the end they will still choose to blow these buildings into rubble?!" Krylov said.
"Yes, they have no other choice!" Shulka replied: "And this is not only true in hospitals and schools, but also in other places!"
"In other words, we have to be prepared for the entire Stalingrad to be blown into rubble?" Golikov's eyes were a little horrified.
You must know that Stalingrad is an important river port in the Soviet Union, a water and land economic and trade center, and more importantly, it is a city named after Stalin... It is difficult to imagine that such a city will be bombed into ruins soon.
"No!" Shulka said: "What we should do is prepare to fight the enemy in the ruins!"
Krylov was silent for a while, then nodded: "Even so, it is better than letting Stalingrad fall into the hands of the enemy!"
Golikov thought for a while and said: "We need some time to rest and recuperate. We are short of supplies. It is not possible to concentrate our forces and conduct unified command at the same time!"
"We can buy time!"
“What does buying time mean?”
"Stalingrad Front!" Shulka pointed to the north of the map and said: "The Stalingrad Front has many troops, a large number of generals, equipment, and sufficient supplies. It is just because it is blocked by the funnel-shaped zone formed by the Don River and the Volga River.
Expand. At this time, they should not just block the German attack, they should launch a counterattack... Only in this way can the German forces be dispersed as much as possible to reduce the pressure on Stalingrad!"
Golikov nodded, and then glanced at Shulka unexpectedly, secretly thinking that this "breakout hero" was indeed well-deserved. He was not only accomplished in tactics, but also in strategic aspects, he could command the actions of the front army at every turn.
This may seem overreaching.
In fact, this is a complete overstep of authority... In the Soviet army, soldiers and junior officers are not allowed to have their own ideas and only need to obey orders. But as a captain, Shulka even considered
The direction of combat power at the front level.
But Golikov didn't think there was anything wrong with this at all.
Because what Shulka said does make sense. The Stalingrad Front was the main force of the Soviet army. The Soviet Union failed to play a role because it misjudged the direction of the German attack.
That is to say, the Southeastern Front was in crisis in Stalingrad, but the Stalingrad Front, as the main force, was blocked in the north like a bystander, doing nothing.
What Golikov didn't know was that this pattern was relatively small for Shulka. If he could, he could easily command the entire battle, including the battle in the Caucasus, with his own historical knowledge.
This matter was not something Golikov could decide, so he immediately contacted Moscow.
Stalin in Moscow was extremely anxious about the war in Stalingrad.
He knew that Stalingrad was not a trivial matter. If this city was lost, it would almost mean that the connection between the Caucasus and the Soviet Union would be split in two.
This is mainly because the Germans have air superiority. Once the German army captures Stalingrad, they can build a large and fully functional military airport in Stalingrad.
Needless to say, the Germans can use fighter planes and bombers to block the railways and highways coming out of the Caucasus. In particular, there are only a limited number of mountain passes through the Caucasus Mountains, so this is just a "simple task" for the Luftwaffe.
.
The Caucasus was not only the oil warehouse of the Soviet Union but also the breadbasket of the Soviet Union.
Needless to say about the oil warehouse, the output of the Baku oil field accounts for 70% of the Soviet Union.
The Caucasus is a granary because the Caucasus, which stretches for 1,200 kilometers and has an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 meters, blocks the Siberian cold current and makes the Caucasus like spring all year round. This makes the Caucasus a high-yield area for grain and an important food supply area for the Soviet Union.
This also shows how failed Hitler's decision to divide Army Group South into two armies, A and B, to attack the Caucasus and Stalingrad respectively.
The German army only needs to concentrate its forces to take Stalingrad or Baku, which may change the outcome of the Soviet-German war.
But Hitler insisted on eating two big steamed buns in one bite, and ended up choking.
Of course, Stalin, who was in the midst of it at this time, was still worried about the crisis in Stalingrad: the Stalingrad Front was blocked in the north and could not be reinforced, and the Southeast Front was beaten to the point of losing all morale. He even asked several times to abandon Stalingrad and withdraw to the east.
shore……
At this time the phone rang, Stalin picked up the phone, and the assistant's voice came from the phone: "Comrade Stalin, Comrade Golikov wants to speak to you!"
Stalin frowned and said impatiently: "Tell him, I will not agree to withdraw from Stalingrad. They must hold on to the last man and are not allowed to retreat even one step!"
After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for the assistant to answer.
Just as Stalin lit his pipe distractedly, the phone rang again.
Stalin gritted his teeth. He could no longer stand Golikov, and at this moment he decided to send someone to replace him.
However, what surprised Stalin was that his assistant told him on the phone: "Comrade Golikov wants to discuss the defense plan with you!"