This is the German strategy of attacking in the east and attacking in the west.
When everyone thought that it was Guderian's troops of Army Group Center that were outflanking Kiev's rear, no one would have thought that it was Army Group South that actually completed the encirclement.
Guderian's 2nd Armored Group was an apparent outflank. It attracted all Moscow's attention and the forces it could mobilize: a group army led by Budyonny, and a front led by Yelymenko.
From this point of view, there is no problem with Moscow's command.
First of all, Kiev’s geographical location is very important and should not be given up lightly.
Secondly, it is to use a front army and a group army to attack from both sides. Even if the German 2nd Armored Group can continue to outflank it, it will not move quickly.
This gives Kyiv more time to react.
In other words, if it cannot be stopped in the end, the Southwest Front Army and the Southern Front Army will still have time to retreat.
It is precisely because of this that Moscow repeatedly vetoed the withdrawal requests of frontline officers.
If the war situation really develops like this, then Moscow may be right, and the war situation may even be reversed. After all, Guderian's 2nd Armored Group is fighting deep inside the Soviet Union, and its logistics supply line is too long.
The problem is...
The 1st Armored Group commanded by Kleist suddenly crossed the Dnieper River without the knowledge of the Soviet army and drove Romney from the other direction to complete the encirclement... Only then did the Southwest Front have no time to retreat and was completely surrounded.
The reason why the 1st Armored Group was able to cross the river without the Soviet army knowing it was because it was covered by heavy rain:
First, as Shulka said, laying mines on the river stopped the Soviet shallow-water heavy artillery boats.
Secondly, let the infantry attack towards the east bank first.
This is very common, because there were German and Romanian troops on the entire Dnieper River trying to cross the river to attack. Some positions were defeated and some positions were successful.
After the success, they occupied a place on the east bank without expanding the results of the battle. The Soviet army did not take it seriously, thinking that it was just a small group of infantry and could drive them down the river and eliminate them at any time.
Then, on a rainy night with extremely poor visibility, the German army built a pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River. The tanks braved the danger to cross the river and crossed the 1st Armored Group overnight.
It’s not that Shulka is a god of predictability, but this is how this battle was fought in history.
But of course, Shulka couldn't talk about these details.
"How can you be sure of this!" Major Gavrilov asked: "I mean, think that the German 1st Armored Group will cross the river?"
"I'm not sure, Major!" Shulka replied: "Because I don't know, I just guess they will do this!"
General Kilponos was silent for a while, then nodded and said: "There is no threat of tank breakthrough in Kiev, and at the same time, the outflanking of Army Group Center is blocked...then it is indeed possible for the Germans to do this!"
"If the German 1st Armored Group really crosses the Dnieper River!" Major Gavrilov said: "That means there is basically no opponent on the west bank that can match the 9th Army!"
This certainly makes sense.
First of all, there are German infantry left on the west bank, and there are even very few authentic German troops... Among the three German armies: the 17th Army is stationed in the Pripyat Swamp area and can basically be ignored; the 1st Armored Group crosses the river to carry out outflanking
, it was easy to come back but difficult in the past; the 6th Army must be the main force in attacking Kiev, and it is not difficult for the Southwest Front to hold them back.
Next up are the German and Romanian 11th Army and the Romanian 3rd and 4th Army.
Secondly, these armies all advance to the line of the Dnieper River. When the 9th Army crosses out, it will face the rear of the German and Romanian armies, which is its logistics troops.
Thinking of this, Admiral Kilponos no longer hesitated.
"Just proceed like this!" General Kilponos said: "The Germans will attack all the way here, I believe they will do this!"
Shulka agrees with this. This is a normal thing for the Chinese. To put it simply, the German army will have a mentality of underestimating the enemy all the way to victory, so the chance of falling into a trap is very high. But Kirbo
As a Soviet, it was not easy for Admiral North to explain this truth clearly.
Due to time constraints, the plan was launched quickly.
This surprised Shulka, because at least further detailed plans should be made. For example, an absolutely confidential tank and car hiding spot should be set up in Kiev, and a similar stopping point should be set up on the east coast, and then arrangements should be made.
Transport ship, return route, etc.
Although these are not difficult tasks, the key point is to keep them secret, absolutely secret. Otherwise, as long as a little bit of news leaks out and the Germans know that the 9th Army may still be in Kiev, then the situation may not be as expected.
This is a matter of life and death for Kiev and even the Southwest Front, so of course it must be handled with caution.
But none of this was planned, and the 9th Army's retreat to the east coast began almost as soon as Major Gavrilov and Shulka returned.
"You know?" When Shulka walked into the barracks, Pukarev shouted to Shulka: "We are going to retreat!"
"Retreat? To where?" Shulka asked pretending not to know.
"Don't worry about where to evacuate!" Pukarev said: "pass the order and let them prepare!"
"Yes, Comrade Da Shi!" Shulka said, then turned his attention to the actors and others.
"You all heard it!" Shulka said: "Be ready to retreat!"
The soldiers were silent for a while, and then suddenly cheered:
"Great, retreat!"
"That means we don't have to fight anymore, right?"
"Not necessarily, but at least not now!"
…
This doesn't seem like how a "hero group" should behave, but it's very real.
Because no one really likes war, not to mention that the 333rd Regiment has been on the front line under the threat of war for so long, and they rarely have time to relax.
However... Shulka did not express an opinion, because only he knew that this so-called retreat was just an appearance.
Half an hour later, the 9th Army actually entered the retreat process: the 131st Motorized Division was the first echelon, followed by the 20th Tank Division and the 35th Tank Division.
At a sharp whistle, groups of soldiers in raincoats climbed onto the cars and followed the tank regiment towards the Kiev Bridge.
Before that, the troops had to pass through Kiev first. Sulka, who was sitting behind the car, looked out and saw the Kiev people on the roadside casting suspicious glances at them one by one... The people did not think that Kiev's defense line would be lost, so they were not worried.
The war will end here.
But, if this is the case, why did the army retreat?
Could it be that the war situation was not favorable to the Soviet army and the army did not tell them?