"The Germans in Stalingrad, Comrade Trufanov!" Shulka pointed to the map and said: "The main purpose of the Germans is to rescue the 6th Army or assist them in breaking out. If the morale of the 6th Army increases,
Being weak or even giving up on breaking out means that no matter what plan the enemy implements, it will be half the result with half the effort!"
"You mean...attack Stalingrad from the rear?" Zolotarev looked at Shulka in surprise and objected: "We can't do that, Comrade Shulka! Although we are located behind the enemy's main defense line,
But we are separated from the enemy by the Don River, and the enemy's defenses along the Don River are very tight!"
Zolotarev's worries were not unnecessary. The reason was that the Germans originally wanted to break out from the Don River. At the same time, their little remaining living space relied on the Don River to the west and the Volga River to the east.
Therefore, the German 6th Army attached great importance to the defense of the Don River. They built complete fortifications on this line and even stretched barbed wire fences on the river banks, shoals and even river channels.
This was the order given by Paulus.
At the same time, it was also based on experience gained from previous battlefield failures... Time and time again, the Soviet army used amphibious landing ships to quickly cross the river and launch attacks on the other side of the river, making the German army unable to defend itself.
However, in fact, amphibious landing ships are easy to defend against. All you need to do is pull up a barbed wire fence in shoals, especially shallow water.
It is conceivable that if the amphibious landing ship is blocked by a barbed wire in the water, because it is still relying on the propeller for propulsion and is not stressed in the water, a few barbed wires can easily block the amphibious landing ship and prevent it from moving forward.
There are even some more dangerous "suspended ropes" among them.
The so-called "suspended rope" refers to the German army's use of wooden stakes planted in the river and tied straight wire between the long-distance wooden stakes.
Because this kind of wire is relatively thin, it is impossible to detect it at night, and even on cloudy days when visibility is poor, it is difficult to see it.
Its height is just higher than the bow of the amphibious landing ship. If the amphibious landing ship rushes to the shore at high speed... this wire will be like a sharp blade and instantly cut off the heads of the soldiers on board one by one.
There were Soviet scouts who wanted to cross the Don River in the dark for reconnaissance and suffered this fate.
Therefore, war is always about "soldiers coming to block the water and the soil to flood it." Whatever new equipment our side has, it won't take long for the enemy to naturally have something to defend against the new equipment, and both sides will use every possible means.
But Shulka was not thinking about offense.
"I know this, Comrade Zolotarev!" Shulka replied: "I mean propaganda work!"
Zolotarev said "Oh" and then replied doubtfully: "We have been doing German propaganda work!"
Zolotarev was the political commissar. Although he was in charge of the 51st Army, he certainly had some knowledge of the propaganda work in the direction of Stalingrad.
Shulka did not answer, he just looked at Trufanov and then remained silent.
"What's wrong?" Zolotarev asked in confusion when he saw that the two of them had strange expressions.
"Can I ask, how do we do this propaganda work?" Shulka said.
"Of course!" Zolotarev replied: "Actually, you should all know that through radio stations, newspapers, leaflets... and other ways!"
"Yes, I know!" Shulka said: "What I want to say is the content of these newspapers and leaflets!"
"Is there something wrong with them?" Zolotarev asked.
Trufanov seemed to have remembered something and said: "Wait, I have a copy..."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of crumpled up waste paper from the corner of the table, then spread it out and placed it on the table.
Miloway was once occupied by the Germans, and the Soviet army just recaptured it not long ago, so there are leaflets everywhere that the Soviet army used artillery fire to hit the enemy.
Zolotarev glanced at it and said: "Yes, this is our leaflet! To be precise, it is another version of Pravda published by us."
It is indeed another version of Pravda, a pocket-sized version that can be easily distributed in the palm of your hand.
Not long after the Soviet-German war broke out, the Soviet propaganda department launched this special "Pravda" specifically for the German army. So far, more than 200 issues have been published and 15 million copies have been distributed.
Shulka picked up the "Pravda" and read the title: "Hitler made the entire world Germany's enemy after coming to power!"
"I have read several copies!" Trufanov interrupted: "There is also the "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact", and there are also letters written by German prisoners to their families to persuade them to resist the Communist Party!"
"Yes!" Zolotarev still didn't know what the problem was. He nodded and said very seriously: "Our purpose is to make the Germans understand what kind of person the head of state they support is. They carry out
What kind of war is this? If they realize this, they will stand up bravely to stop or give up this unjust war!"
I don’t know if Zolotarev is too naive or something wrong, but his expression shows that he really believes that this method is useful.
"I only know one thing, Comrade Zolotarev!" Shulka said: "If we want to convince the enemy, then we should think from the Germans' perspective and understand what they really care about and what they want.
Only then do we know what words can impress them, affect their morale and even make them surrender!"
"Aren't we the same?" Zolotarev asked.
Judging from his expression, it was not a joke. On the contrary, Zolotarev asked seriously.
Shulka didn't know how to answer, because if he denied these leaflets, he would accidentally be labeled as "denying the content" and "supporting the enemy."
After thinking about it, Shulka said: "Why don't we do an investigation?"
"What investigation?"
"We can ask the captured Germans!" Shulka said: "Ask them if they have seen these leaflets and what they think after reading these leaflets!"
Trufanov couldn't help laughing. He knew that the Germans usually used these leaflets to make fires for cooking.
This is somewhat unreasonable, because the Germans also attach great importance to propaganda work. For example, the secret police will conduct secret searches or lurk in the army.
If the leaflets posed a threat to the German army, someone in the German army would collect them and burn them, even on the battlefield.
Because this is some kind of "heart attack tactic".
But the German army ignored this kind of leaflet, so that the soldiers could use it to cook fires... This illustrates a problem: the Soviet leaflets were so harmless to the German army that the secret police did not bother to search for them. (To be completed.)