I wish you all a Merry Christmas! I want an apple too, just a bite of it, just wait...
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The German front continued to advance towards Kiev, and six days later they reached the outskirts of Kiev. Shurka and others in Kiev could already hear the "rumbling" of artillery ten kilometers away.
Occasionally, a few German reconnaissance planes would break into the Kiev defense line in the rain to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance... Poor visibility in rainy days is actually a double-edged sword. It is difficult for German pilots to see anything in the air. Similarly, the Soviet anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft gunners below can also
I could only hear the sound of the plane's motor. When it suddenly appeared in front of me, it was already too late to shoot. In the blink of an eye, the enemy plane had disappeared.
"The last line of defense!" Major Gavrilov looked out the window toward the direction of the gunfire and said: "The one attacking Kiev is the German main force, the 1st Armored Group!"
This is certain, because everyone knows that the Kiev defense line is a tough nut to crack, and the Germans will of course concentrate their tanks and assault guns in the direction of Kiev.
"Do you think we are ready?" Major Gavrilov asked.
Shulka shook his head helplessly. A few days of preparation were far from enough, even though the reforms made by Shulka had greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the Soviet tank force.
"I have confidence in you!" Major Gavrilov said, "So I'm not worried about this at all!"
Shulka could only give a bitter smile, knowing that they were going to deal with the German army... Although strictly speaking, the firepower and protection of the German tanks at this time were not as good as those of the Soviet tanks, but the problem was that the coordination and training between the two were incomparable.
of.
Therefore, Shurka had no idea what the fight would be like on the battlefield.
"Major, Sergeant!" At this time, a communications soldier ran in from the rain outside, stood up and saluted: "Comrade Kilponos asked you to go!"
"We'll be there soon!" Major Gavrilov responded, took two raincoats from the wall, threw one to Shulka, put it on and walked out the door.
Front Army Headquarters.
Major Gavrilov and Shulka were already regular visitors here, so the guards did not stop them and saluted them before letting them go.
When he walked into the headquarters, he saw General Kilponos frowning and smoking while looking at the map.
"Comrade General!" The two men stood up and saluted the general.
General Kilponos nodded, and then said: "I just received information that Comrade Budyonny was relieved of his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest, and Comrade Timoshenko took over!"
Major Gavrilov and Shulka looked at each other and said nothing.
They all knew that this was because Budyonny, like Zhukov, demanded to abandon Kiev and withdraw to the east of the Dnieper River, but obviously he also failed.
Changing generals on the spot is a taboo for military strategists, not to mention that a big battle is imminent.
It can also be seen from this point that Moscow will not give up Kiev until the last moment, even if the Southwest Front is in danger of being surrounded.
"They think they can prevent the Germans from outflanking the rear!" General Kilponos stood up, then pointed at the map and said: "To the west of Romney is Comrade Budyonny commanding the 21st Army, and to the east is Yelymenko
The Bryansk Front commanded by Comrade Comrade, they are responsible for flanking the German armored forces and blocking them in the Romny area!"
A front army plus a group army flanked one of Guderian's armored groups on the left and right. Logically speaking, it should be successful. The problem was that the Soviet army's reaction speed was too slow.
"I have decided not to apply for retreat!" Admiral Kilponos said, straightening his waist and raising his head.
Shulka knew what this meant. If Admiral Kilponos still had hope for retreat before, he had now made up his mind.
"I think you need to understand these situations!" General Kilponos pointed to the map and said: "According to our reconnaissance, the Germans concentrated their main force in the north, while most of the Romanian troops are in the south!"
Shulka knows this, and he may even know more than Admiral Kilponos:
There are six armies in the German Army Group South. Three of them are the 6th, 17th and 1st Armored Groups, which are all German troops. The main force is undoubtedly the 1st Armored Group commanded by General Kleist.
cluster.
These three units were all deployed on the left wing of the German army, that is, to the north. The farthest north was the 17th Army. They were stationed along the Pripyat Swamp to prevent the Soviet infantry from passing through the swamp and threatening the German supply lines.
The 1st Armored Group in the center, together with the 6th Army deployed on the right wing, formed the main offensive force to attack Kiev.
The right wing, that is, the south, is composed of the German and Romanian 11th Army and the Romanian 3rd and 4th Army. They are responsible for protecting the right wing of the main German army and advancing towards the Dnieper River defense line.
"There is no doubt!" General Kilponos said: "The combat effectiveness of the Romanian army is far inferior to that of the German army. In other words... if we can break through the blockade of the German 1st Armored Group and the 6th Army, the battle to the south may be
It’s much easier, that’s their weakness!”
After a pause, General Kilponos continued: "But the question is here, how can we break through the German blockade, or should we take action now? I mean, we don't need to deploy the 9th Army
Post it in Kiev and wait for the Germans to surround you!"
Shulka immediately understood what Admiral Kilponos meant.
His worries are justified. The current situation is that the main force of the German army is rushing towards Kiev from all directions and is surrounding Kiev.
If the original plan is implemented, the Soviet 9th Army will need to open a gap in the encirclement and move south.
However, what the Soviet tanks lacked compared to the Germans was their mobility. The Soviet tanks would even break down all the way, so the German armored forces could easily catch up with the breakout 9th Army and surround it.
This is also the reason why General Kilponos wanted to deploy the 9th Army outside the Kiev defense line in advance.
"But, Comrade General!" Shulka objected: "If it is deployed outside the city, it will be difficult to escape the eyes of the Germans!"
This is certain. You must know that this is an army with more than 500 tanks and countless cars and motorcycles. It is almost impossible to deceive the German army that is advancing across the board.
"So we need to launch an attack in advance!" Admiral Kilponos said.
"But this will not achieve the effect of encirclement!" Shulka said: "What we can encircle is only the enemy infantry that breaks into the front line of the Dnieper River!"
"There must be a choice!" Admiral Kilponos replied.
"No, Comrade General!" Shulka thought for a moment and replied, "We can do it!"