"This is a report I made on the battle of Stalingrad, Your Excellency the Führer!" Goering handed Hitler a document.
Hitler took the document and opened it and read it.
Seeing that the head of state was interested in this, Goering explained from the side: "From my observation, the Russians have stabilized their position in Stalingrad, and the current battle in Stalingrad has become what it was last time.
Trench warfare during a war!”
The reason Goering mentioned World War I was because Hitler himself had participated in this war and he knew very well what trench warfare was.
This statement was indeed effective. Hitler looked up at Göring and turned his attention to the document in his hand again.
"Here's the map!" Göring immediately took the map out of his coat pocket.
Without any order, the two guards immediately came up and took the map, spread it out and showed it in front of them at a suitable angle.
"I have to admit that the Russians' tactics are very clever!" Goering pointed to the map and said: "They use the Volga River to ensure their supply line. The entire defense line is about fifty kilometers long, which gives them a thirty-kilometer range in the middle of the Volga River.
It is an area outside the range of our artillery. They use these thirty kilometers to build pontoons, transport ships, and amphibious landing ships for transportation. We are helpless against them! Even the Air Force is like this!"
Hitler nodded slightly.
Among them, the amphibious landing ship is especially small. It has a small target for fighter aircraft and is fast. In addition, it is amphibious and can change its position at any time and land anywhere, so it is difficult for air power to block it.
"We also need this kind of ship!" Hitler interjected: "Our scientists, they should have had such an idea a long time ago! But they did not, which made us passive on the battlefield!"
This logic sounds reasonable, but if you analyze it carefully... German scientists cannot be ahead of others in everything, so this is essentially a way of passing the blame.
"Of course, my head of state!" Goering said: "I will ask scientists to study this project later! But what I want to say is that when the Russians had basic logistics support, they adopted a war of attrition on the front line.
...This will inevitably plunge our army into a quagmire and make it stronger! I have calculated that at the current speed, it may take us several months to capture Stalingrad!"
How many months?!
Of course, this was not allowed by Hitler, not to mention that the German offensive in the Caucasus was not going well at this time.
The problem in the Caucasus direction is mainly mountain warfare.
Although the German army has mountain divisions that are well-equipped and well-trained, the Russians have many soldiers who grew up in the Caucasus and are familiar with the terrain and climate there.
More importantly, tanks cannot drive to the Caucasus, and the German Air Force cannot gain an advantage in the Caucasus Mountains. The air superiority even belongs to the Russian army... The reason is that German fighters are faster, and high-speed fighters must be driven carefully in the Caucasus, otherwise they will fail.
If you were careful, you would hit a mountain and the plane would be destroyed and everyone would be killed.
On the contrary, the Russian propeller fighters were at home because of their slow speed, constantly shuttling between the Caucasus peaks to provide fire support to their infantry.
The strength of the German army is that all arms work together, or it can be said that they are accustomed to launching blitzes when they have air superiority. Once they lose their air superiority, they don’t know how to fight (this can also be seen from the British and American troops after the Normandy landings)
It can be seen from the battle that the British and American troops had air superiority over the German army, so the German army was left and right and it was difficult to exert its combat effectiveness)
When the war in the Caucasus was unsatisfactory, what the German army had to do was to capture Stalingrad as soon as possible.
As long as Stalingrad can be captured, the German army will remain invincible even if the Caucasus Battle fails... Stalingrad controls the transportation lines of the Baku oil fields, and the Soviet Union is also unable to obtain fuel from the Caucasus, so the Baku oil fields fall to the Germans
It's just a matter of time.
Thinking of this, Hitler asked: "Can you break this deadlock, my marshal?"
"Air Force, Your Excellency the Führer!" Göring answered while taking another document from his assistant and handing it to Hitler: "The Air Force is always the best choice. This is my battle plan for Stalingrad!"
When Hitler received the document, Goering couldn't wait to explain: "The general plan is to start by limiting the enemy's supply and increasing our supply capacity..."
"But your supply to Stalingrad has failed!" Hitler said: "You said that we cannot block the Volga River!"
"It is indeed difficult to block the Volga River!" Goering replied: "But Your Excellency, the supplies shipped by the Russians to Stalingrad are all shipped from the east bank of the Volga River!"
"You mean..."
"Our bombing and blockade should not be limited to Stalingrad!" Goering said: "We should extend it to the east bank of the Volga River, roads, railways, as well as warehouses, railway stations, ports and other facilities. If the east bank of the Volga River
If all the supplies are in short supply, of course the supplies they can transport to Stalingrad will also be limited!"
Hitler nodded silently, and then said: "But this requires more planes, and we don't have that many planes!"
“There is it in the Caucasus!”
"But we still have a fight there!"
"Your Majesty the Head of State!" Goering said: "They cannot play a big role in the Caucasus. They not only have to worry about hitting the mountain and dropping a bomb, but also worry about whether it will cause an avalanche and bury friendly troops. At the same time, if
If they lower their altitude and enter the mountains to fight the enemy, they still have to keep their speed...why don't we use them in more useful places!"
Hitler said nothing.
Because if this is the case, the war in the Caucasus will inevitably worsen, which means abandoning the Caucasus.
It should be said that the Caucasus should have been abandoned at this time.
To be precise, it is not at this time, but it should have been a long time ago to choose between the Caucasus and Stalingrad.
But Hitler was too ambitious and hoped to eat two places at once, hence his current predicament.
But of course Hitler would not admit his mistakes.
Goering's plan was actually to indirectly make Hitler admit his mistakes.
"So, what's going on with increasing our army's supplies?" Hitler asked again.
"Increase frontline airports!" Goering pointed to the map and said: "For example, in Karachi, we can expand several airports and mobilize more transport aircraft to airlift supplies from China or Romania to the hands of our infantry! As long as the infantry is adequately supplied and can attack the enemy
By forming an advantage, we can win this victory!" (To be continued)