Shulka is taking advantage of Rokossovsky... Who asked him to ask Shulka for a solution?
At the same time, this is not a lie, because Shulka did reach a certain tacit understanding with Rokossovsky, which is the strategic direction of the 51st Group Army.
If anything is not true, it is that Trufanov did not know anything about Rokossovsky.
The political commissar looked at Shulka and then at Trufanov.
Trufanov was a little nervous, but he still followed Shulka's words and said: "Yes, Comrade Rokossovsky also knows about our plan, and he also expressed support!"
Because Rokossovsky was the commander of the Don Front, this was related to the coordination of the two fronts, so the political commissar did not dare to jump to conclusions.
However, the political commissar would not let Trufanov off so easily, and he immediately asked someone to contact Rokossovsky.
At this moment, Trufanov sighed, took off his hat and wiped his sweat, and whispered to Shulka: "Thank you very much, Comrade Shulka! Over there, Comrade Rokossovsky..."
"Don't worry!" Shulka said: "There will be no problem!"
Hearing this, Trufanov's heart was only half relieved.
Shulka believed how Rokossovsky would answer these questions.
Sure enough, after a while the political commissar returned to the headquarters with a gloomy face. Shulka and Trufanov hurriedly straightened their bodies and held their heads high, waiting for the political commissar's fate like lambs to be slaughtered.
The political commissar was silent for a while, and then said: "If you have any plans, you should apply to the Supreme Command as soon as possible!"
After hearing this, Trufanov was so excited that he almost cheered, because he knew that he had successfully been exonerated.
"Sorry, Comrade Political Commissar!" Shulka said: "Because this plan is still an idea and we are not sure whether it is feasible yet, so we only discussed it with Comrade Rokossovsky and did not have time to apply to the Supreme Command!
"
This makes sense. A plan does not mean that you have to apply to the Supreme Command immediately. After all, the Supreme Command is in Moscow and this is Stalingrad.
The political commissar nodded angrily and said, "Then, let's talk about your plan!"
The plan is very simple. It actually involves sticking to the original plan and then shifting the strategic focus to the large encirclement.
"The only difference is that our speed is faster!" Shulka pointed to the map and said: "The reason is that we only have one army group, which is easily attacked from both sides by the Don River Army from the Caucasus and Manstein!
Once this situation occurs, the 51st Group Army will also be trapped. Therefore, we must cut off the enemy's logistical supplies and join forces with the Southwest Front before the enemy has time to react!"
"Once we successfully join forces!" Trufanov said: "We will be able to get reinforcements and supplies from the Southwest Front, and our army's encirclement will be consolidated! If the German 6th Army is surrounded by Stalingrad, it can pass through the air
If transportation is to survive, Manstein’s Don Army cannot even transport it by air!”
"Once the Don Army collapses!" Shulka took over: "Then the German 6th Army will never be rescued! Those are two enemy armies, Comrade Political Commissar!"
"If this plan succeeds!" Trufanov said: "It won't matter whether the battle of Stalingrad is won or not, because the Germans are already surrounded by us, and their demise is only a matter of time!"
The reason why Trufanov behaved so actively was in the hope of further clearing himself of the charges of "fear of fighting" and "disobeying orders"... In fact, in Shulka's view, this was unnecessary, but Trufanov
Fanoff was frightened just now and needed more security now.
At this time, the political commissar no longer had any doubts. Not only did he not have any doubts, he was also fascinated by the picture painted by Shulka and Trufanov.
"So, what are we waiting for?" said the political commissar: "We should launch an attack immediately!"
This sentence revealed that the political commissar actually did not fully understand, or that he had not yet heard the key points and difficulties of this plan!
"The German defense line in front of us, Comrade Political Commissar!" Trufanov said: "We cannot break through quickly, even..."
Trufanov said nothing more.
It’s self-evident what it means, “It’s even difficult to break through,” but if you say this, you might be suspected of disturbing the morale of the military.
The political commissar lay down in front of the map, looked at it, and signaled the guard to put the kerosene lamp close to the map.
This surprised Shulka. The political commissar whom Shulka had sent away before was Shevchenko, who didn't even bother to look at a map.
But this seems normal, because the political commissar is originally responsible for political and ideological work rather than fighting. The problem is that the top brass of the Soviet army simply believe that fighting a war should be led by political ideology. Will and spirit are more important than strategy and tactics, so the political commissar has the final say.
.
Now this political commissar can at least look at the map and understand a little bit of the situation.
Soon, Shulka discovered that the political commissar knew more than that.
"What is the approximate density of the enemy's anti-tank guns?" the political commissar asked.
"About three guns per kilometer!" Trufanov replied: "Some of them are 88** anti-aircraft guns, which can not only kill tanks but also kill a large number of infantry!"
The 88** anti-aircraft gun was definitely a killer weapon for the German army. The Soviet army was very troubled by this thing.
"The enemy has three divisions?"
"Yes! One panzergrenadier division, two infantry divisions, Germans!"
"To the south are the Romanian troops!" The political commissar asked again: "Why don't we go south to attack the Romanian defense lines?"
Trufanov turned his attention to Shulka.
Shulka replied: "First of all, if we go south, the distance from the Southwest Front will be farther. Even if we break through the enemy's defense line, we will not be able to quickly join forces with the Southwest Front. Secondly, the Don River extends to the southwest in this area. If we
If we go south to attack the Romanian defense line, it means that we have to cross the Don River twice! Thirdly, the German troops in the Caucasus are ready to go north for reinforcements. By doing so, we will expose our flanks to them!"
The political commissar nodded slightly in agreement.
However, he still did not draw a conclusion and continued to look at the map under the light.
After a while, he stood up and said: "If there is no other way, then we have no choice but to launch a strong attack on the enemy's defense line!"
The political commissar turned to Shulka and asked: "Do you have any thoughts on this?"
"No, I have no idea!" Shulka replied.
Of course he didn't dare to have any ideas, he just went around in a circle and had to storm the German defense line again. (To be continued)