On the outskirts of Stalingrad, even the German-controlled areas were full of ruins.
This was not because of the Soviet bombing. In fact, since Manstein's Don Army was repulsed in Karachi, the Soviet bombing of Stalingrad had become much less intense.
Because the Soviet army knew that as long as the 6th Army held Karachid, it was destined to fail, and victory in the Battle of Stalingrad would be a matter of time.
The reason why the Soviet army is still fighting for every house in Stalingrad with the German army is that on the one hand it does not want the German 6th Army to form a complete line of defense, and on the other hand it is to increase pressure on the German army's logistics... The German 6th Army
The 6th Army ensures its own logistics through air transportation. If the German 6th Army does not continue to attack and gives them a chance to breathe, then when the 6th Army recovers, it will explode with powerful combat effectiveness.
But if the Soviet army continues to fight the German army in Stalingrad, then the German army will never be able to rest. The supplies transported from the air will be consumed as soon as they are replenished, and then consumed again when they are replenished. It is not even enough to support the battle with the Soviet army.
, so anyone with a discerning eye knows that there will be no hope if we continue fighting like this.
Colonel Bergmann, the staff officer of the German 14th Panzer Corps, saw no hope, so he believed that what he did was right.
Colonel Bergmann and his guards hid in the bomb crater and finished their cigarettes while taking a break. Then they got up and walked towards the ruins where the army headquarters was... There was no place around here that was not in ruins. Houses and buildings were all there.
They were destroyed in the tug-of-war between the enemy and ourselves. Many corpses were buried in the rubble and could not be cleaned. They rotted in the rubble and were washed out by the rain, giving off a disgusting stench.
In this case, if the army headquarters is not built in the ruins, it will be easily discovered by the enemy and used as an attack target.
Bergman ducked on his back and stepped on the sewage through the entrance guarded by two guards and entered the basement.
"Is the Marshal here?" Colonel Bergmann asked, taking off his hat.
"Yes!" the guard replied.
Colonel Bergmann was about to enter when he was stopped by a major.
"Colonel!" the major asked, "can you tell me what business you have with the marshal?"
Colonel Bergmann couldn't help but be stunned. If he had wanted to see Paulus before, there would have been no such procedure.
But when Bergman saw the major's party membership logo, he understood it.
"I was ordered to submit the battle plan, Major!" Bergman raised the document in his hand and asked, "Are there any questions?"
The major wanted to inspect the documents but Bergmann refused.
"Maybe you don't know that this is a secret, Major!" Bergman said: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have sent it. If you must check it, please ask General Shi Haibo for instructions!"
The major was stunned for a moment, then turned sideways and made a "please" gesture, with a disdainful smile on his lips.
Colonel Bergmann ignored him and walked in with the documents. Behind him, the guards he brought were blocked from the door.
Entering the dark and damp basement, Bergman found the marshal under the guidance of the guard. At this time, he was sitting at his desk in a daze, his eyes not even falling on the map in front of him.
"Your Excellency Marshal!" Bergman stood up straight and handed the document over.
Paulus said "hmm". He didn't even have the interest to open the document. He asked casually: "What did you bring me this time? Colonel? Is it how many people we have captured or how many people there are?"
starve?"
"No, Your Excellency Marshal!" Colonel Bergmann replied: "It is an attack plan!"
"Attack plan?" Paulus couldn't help laughing: "Tell me, are you going to attack east, west, or north or south?"
"You will know after you take a look, Marshal!" Bergman said, "I think you will be interested!"
Paulus was a little confused, because Bergmann's tone did not sound like he was submitting an attack plan.
With confusion, Paulus opened the folder. The first few pictures were indeed attack plans, but when he turned to the back, a special document appeared: it was a topographic map on the surface, but it had nothing to do with the battle. If it were not
You really can't find it if you look carefully.
It read: "Your Excellency Marshal, one of my subordinates happens to be from Breitenau. He returned home due to injury. Yesterday he took the risk to let me know one thing through the radio: your family, they thought you were killed!"
Paulus raised his head suddenly and looked at Bergman with disbelief.
Bergman nodded slightly in affirmation.
Paulus soon understood the reason... Although he had already known that Hitler wanted to keep him on the front line to bear the crime, he still held on to a bit of luck.
But now, knowing that his family had been "notified," Paulus knew that he had no choice.
After thinking about it, Paulus took a piece of paper, picked up a pen and wrote "swish", and said: "This is a brave attack plan, Colonel Bergmann, but what do you think we can achieve?"
Where is victory?”
"Our target is the Russian stadium!" Bergman replied: "According to intelligence, the Russians have stored a batch of supplies there!"
With that said, Bergman took the paper from Paulus, which read: "I am under surveillance. You should know who the person sent from above is!"
Bergman wrote: "I know, Marshal! I will solve these problems! All I need is your affirmative answer!"
Paulus was silent for a while, then nodded heavily.
"So, what do you want?"
"We hope that that batch of supplies can be distributed to the 14th Armored Corps!" Bergman said: "I mean, if we capture that batch of supplies!"
"You have my promise, Colonel!" Paulus said with a pun: "Go ahead and do it!"
Thus, a mutiny was finalized.
There was no quarrel or tense situation as expected, not even the word "surrender" appeared.
Bergman said afterwards that even he was surprised. He didn't expect things to go so smoothly.
Before that, he was even prepared to talk to Paulus for at least an hour. At the same time, Bergman had prepared a lot of reasons, such as: The "amnesty order" was about to expire. For the sake of the lives of all soldiers, Paulus
Sri Lanka should also choose to surrender and so on.
But all these reasons were not used.
However, this does not seem surprising, because Paulus had long wanted to "surrender". If he was worried about anything, it was that he was worried that it would affect his relatives far away in his hometown.
But now, he realizes that it will affect his relatives in his hometown no matter what... As a person who bears the crime, Paulus's relatives will certainly not have an easy time.
So, what else do you need to worry about?! (To be continued)