"Army Group Center!" General Kilponos gave the number: "That's the German Army Group Center!"
"Yes, Army Group Center!" Shulka said: "We fought one of them at the Brest Fortress, and their combat effectiveness was very strong. If Army Group Center crosses the Dnieper River in the direction of Minsk,
Our flanks will be exposed in front of them, and then they will circle south..."
General Kirponos and Major Gavrilov were stunned and speechless for a long time after hearing this. They were frightened by this unprecedented large encirclement... If this was the case, the Germans would not need to attack at all.
Kiev does not need to forcefully cross the Dnieper River, but rather surround them entirely.
"This is impossible, Shulka!" After a while, Major Gavrilov objected: "To achieve what you said, the Germans must annihilate the entire Western Front in a short time!"
Shulka did not answer because this was not the time for him to answer the question.
Admiral Kilponos said nothing, he just looked at the map silently.
Major Gavrilov noticed something was wrong and cast a doubtful look at General Kilponos.
"Minsk is in trouble!" General Kilponos replied: "The Western Front has been surrounded by the Germans!"
This news cannot be announced casually, so not even Major Gavrilov knows about it.
Major Gavrilov was stunned for a moment, then looked at Shulka and said, "In other words, the encirclement the sergeant mentioned... is probably true?"
"Yes!" Admiral Kilponos nodded: "But I'm not sure yet!"
It is indeed not certain, because the Battle of Minsk is still in progress at this time.
But for Shulka, it was certain that the Western Army had annihilated 500,000 people in 20 days, and its commander, General Pavlov, was sentenced to death for treason.
This is somewhat unfair. Although General Pavlov's command was poor, it cannot be said to be "treason".
"Then..." Major Gavrilov said: "Comrade General, with all due respect, we must be prepared to retreat!"
Major Gavrilov said this politely, but the fact is that we must retreat, otherwise it is no joke that millions of people will be surrounded here.
"The situation in Minsk is still unclear!" General Kilponos said: "The intentions of the German Army Group Center are also unclear. We will consider this aspect later!"
General Kilponos was right. In fact, Guderian did not want to outflank Kiev because it would delay Army Group Center's attack on Moscow. In the end, he had to change direction at Hitler's insistence.
Thus, the discussion ended in an uneasy atmosphere.
For Shulka, he believed that the purpose of the trip had been achieved. At least he reminded Admiral Kilponos, although Shulka knew that this would actually have no effect.
"You have thought of this a long time ago, haven't you?" Major Gavrilov asked on the way back.
"What?"
"This encirclement!" Gavrilov asked: "What have you been worried about? That's what you said today, right?"
"Yes, Comrade Major!" Shulka could not deny.
"How did you think of this?" Major Gavrilov shook his head: "Army Group Center? Shulka, you are so surprising. You are just a soldier and have just been promoted to sergeant, but you
But he is considering the movements of the enemy’s army group!”
"Sorry, Comrade Major!" Shulka replied: "I can't stop my mind from thinking!"
Suddenly, Shulka remembered that as a Soviet soldier, he was not allowed to have his own ideas, so he asked: "Did I violate anything..."
"No, that's good!" Major Gavrilov laughed: "Before the war broke out, yes, you really couldn't think about anything. But now, believe me, Shulka, we need you to 'think wildly'!
"
Of course, during peacetime, you may be able to do things behind closed doors, and you can do whatever you want behind closed doors, but when the war starts and the country is opened... everything will be overthrown and implemented in a practical and effective way, otherwise you will be seeking your own death.
.
In this respect, war is still a panacea that promotes national reform.
That night, the 333rd Regiment got a few hours of rest.
They were arranged in a warehouse, and the orderlies had prepared bread, dry quilts, beds, and even a brand new military uniform.
I don’t know who took the lead. Regardless of exhaustion, the soldiers stripped themselves naked one after another and rushed into the rain with cheers... This was indeed a good idea. Having dry beds and military uniforms meant that they could at least enjoy it for a while.
Comfortable, even though they knew that the military uniforms would still be wrapped in mud and water the next day.
However, when Shulka walked out of the warehouse with them and let the cold rain hit him, he suddenly felt that what the rain washed away was not the dirt and fatigue on his body, but the smoke and blood of the battlefield.
This made Shulka stand under the rain for a long time, unwilling to return, until Major Gavrilov ordered a rest.
Everyone slept well that night, not only because they had a safe haven, but also because it was still a hundred kilometers away from the front line... This allowed them to temporarily stay away from the fear of death.
Therefore, Shulka felt that as soon as he closed his eyes, the wake-up whistle sounded.
He originally thought there must be a mistake somewhere or an emergency, but when he looked at his watch... the five-hour break had passed. Although it was still gloomy outside due to the heavy rain, it was clearly dawn.
As General Kirponos said, the mission of the 333rd Regiment is to use their experience to check the Kiev defense line.
This gave the 333rd Regiment a lot of freedom and power. They could "inspect" one place after another at will, or they could "inspect" the defense areas of the 13 divisions outside Kiev one by one in order. As long as Gavrilo
If the husband is willing, they can even ask the district to cooperate with them in conducting a small-scale exercise.
This is a bit like a unit specially used for patrols, which makes the garrison troops in each district a little nervous when they see the 333rd Regiment.
In order to conduct "inspections" more effectively and quickly, General Kilponos also equipped the 333rd Regiment with cars... This was somewhat unimaginable during the war preparations. Cars are usually used to transport ammunition supplies or
Transporting the wounded from the front lines and the like.
Of course, having these "benefits" does not come without a price. Major Gavrilov and Shulka have to report an "inspection" to General Kilponos every day.