Kapitel 144: 144
"Is that really true?"
At the completely unexpected good news, Zhukov jumped up from his seat, pushing his chair away without realizing it. Tymoshenko, who had been staring at the status board, finally turned his head.
"yes. According to Marshal Kulik, it looks like we will be able to occupy Memel within today."
"That's a good thing. "It's better than having no performance at all."
Tymoshenko wiped away the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, as if relieved of his day.
In the context of Operation Uranus as a whole, the fall of Memel was hardly a news story, but with news of failure pouring in from all fronts, even the slightest loss was better than no loss.
In any case, the important thing is that the Red Army won victory over the German army.
Of course, Zhukov knew that this was nothing more than urinating on frozen feet.
The primary goal of Operation Uranus was to inflict a heavy blow on the German troops concentrated on the border on the first day of the war and to cut off the German army's fuel supply by burning the Ploiesti oil field in Romania, but the Soviet army has so far been unable to achieve anything.
Although the occupation of Memel may have suppressed Stalin's anger for now, no one expected it to last long.
At most, it will be restored to its original state in 2 or 3 days. Until then, Zhukov had to add a new criminal record.
Only then will he and his relatives be able to survive.
"Where is the German army's weakest defense?"
"Well, that is…" ."
"We need a little more confirmation."
Zhukov's staff responded while sweating profusely. Zhukov forced the scream that was about to burst out down his throat.
"I can't believe I need more confirmation. "What does that mean?"
"That's literally it. The German army's defense posture was so thorough that no particularly weak spots had yet been found. "The only place that exists is the northernmost region of East Prussia, where Marshal Kulik's 3rd Mechanized Corps and the 10th Corps are located."
"Do you think that makes sense? "On such a wide front, we couldn't even find the weakest point of enemy defense!"
"Cha, Comrade Chief of Staff. Only seven hours have passed since Operation Uranus began. "If you wait a little longer, you will surely find a weak spot in the enemy's defense line."
With a thud, the head of the chief of staff who had been giving a mantra to Zhukov flew back.
"Only seven hours have passed. barely? barely?"
The chief of staff, who was hit squarely by Zhukov's hard punch, suffered a broken nose.
Zhukov continued speaking, staring with cold eyes at his subordinate who was writhing in pain.
"It's been 7 hours and you still haven't had any criminal records, so why are you sounding so carefree? Do you think the Kremlin will say the same thing? "All of our lives depend on the outcome of this operation!"
"Hmm, hmm!"
When Tymoshenko cleared his throat, Zhukov remembered that he was not the best person here.
When Zhukov fell silent, Tymoshenko put his hand on the 25,000:1 tactical map.
"It is right to avoid becoming complacent with reality, but you should also avoid being too impatient. Let's watch a little longer. If we continue to attack like we are now, we will definitely find vulnerabilities. "Isn't everything solved by blindly scolding?"
"I will be careful, comrade."
It sounded plausible, but Tymoshenko himself was nervous.
No matter how long the Baltic Sea is and the Black Sea, no matter how great the German army is, there is no way it could defend that wide area so thoroughly.
There must be a gap somewhere.
The Soviets would have a chance of victory if they dug through that gap, but the problem was when they would discover that gap.
And, due to the German army's strong resistance and counterattack, the damage to the Soviet army far exceeded original expectations.
If losses continue in the future, even if the German defense line is breached, there will be no troops and materials left to support it.
The deployment of troops and supplies had not yet been completed due to the need to advance the scheduled start of the war at the urging of the Secretary-General, but Tymoshenko was on the verge of giving up due to the rapid consumption.
The amount consumed at the front is greater than the number of supplies and reinforcements supplied from the rear... ..
Can this war really be won?
***
Kulik was lucky.
While others were struggling against strong defensive lines, Kulik's unit engaged in combat with only a very small number of German units.
Even in this case, when the front-line troops tried to request reinforcements from the rear troops, the German troops stopped fighting and withdrew.
Although there was some delay due to land mines laid along the advance route and the Germans cutting off all bridges as they retreated, the Soviet troops under Kulik were able to advance relatively smoothly.
"Haha, even the German army in the world is no match for the Red Army?"
Kulik confidently shouted as he walked on the pontoon bridge installed by the Corps of Engineers.
The mission given to Kulik was to occupy Memel, attack the northern part of the German army, and put pressure on Königsberg.
Kulik, who was usually overconfident in his abilities and full of arrogance, loudly declared that he would occupy Königsberg within a week.
No one believed what he said, except Kulik himself.
However, as all the other units died, Kulik's unit ironically became the only unit that was advancing as planned.
I wonder what damned Zhukov's face looks like right now. Kulik laughed, thinking of Zhukov, who was staring at the map with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
Kulik never had a point-blank fight with Zhukov, but he was not unaware that he thought little of him.
Zhukov, who was confident in his skills despite his personality, despised Kulik, who had a high rank but did not know the basics of military science, and Kulik was also disgusted with the arrogant Zhukov.
If he were the only one among so many generals to make major achievements, wouldn't Comrade General Secretary trust him more than Zhukov?
Perhaps he might oust Zhukov from the position of Chief of Staff and install himself in that position.
Zhukov, who was dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff, will meet his end on the execution ground like Tukhachevsky and Rokossovsky.
Kulik, who was walking happily thinking that his rival had disappeared and that he had become the Chief of Staff of the Red Army, was startled by the sound of an explosion coming from behind him and fell to the ground.
"what!?"
Where Kulik and his staff looked, there was gray smoke rising into the sky.
The thought that came to Kulik's head was German artillery fire. But soon I changed my mind when I saw a strangely shaped object flying in the blue sky.
"no way… . "Is it an air raid?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a new explosion rang out. Thinking that this was a German air raid, Kulik hurriedly jumped into a trench near the pontoon bridge.
As soon as he jumped into the trench, a loud bang rang out. This time there was a series of loud noises.
***
"launch!"
The V1 rocket mounted on the rocket launcher installed on the train flew into the sky with a yellow tail.
The V1 rocket, developed to attack British cities, was put into action for the first time against the Soviet Army under Hitler's orders, and was demonstrating 100% of its power.
When the remaining observers behind the advancing Soviet troops relayed the coordinates, the soldiers of the V1 rocket unit fired the V1 at the corresponding coordinates.
The V1 left the launch pad and hit the Soviet military's supply route, ammunition depot, and pontoon bridge, and the Soviet military, unaware of the identity of the V1, thought that the strange-looking bomb flying toward them was the German Air Force's new fighter jet.
But you hit the target without dropping the bomb or firing a gun, right? uh? what?
"You Germanskis, what on earth have you made?"
"Do you understand? uh? "Here we come again!!"
"Get down!"
The Soviet soldiers were astonished by the rocket attack they experienced for the first time in their lives.
Not to mention the soldiers who had only been taught how to shoot guns at the training camp, the senior non-commissioned officers who boasted that they had had some fun, the officers who had received advanced training, and even the political officers who monitored them were all shocked by the German army's strange weapons.
A bomb that has wings like a fighter plane and flies on its own. I've never even heard of this...
-Quaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
When the blind V1 hit a GAZ-AA truck loaded with 122mm artillery shells, a huge fireworks display erupted.
The flash of the explosion engulfed all the trucks stopped on the road and the surrounding soldiers, and the ammunition loaded on the trucks exploded in succession, further increasing the damage.
The soldiers who saw the flash were torn to pieces and scattered in all directions without even having a chance to feel the pain caused by damage to their optic nerves and eardrums.
Even trees that were hundreds of years old could not withstand the oppression and fell down. Even the German military observers who watched the rocket land felt oppressed.
"This is the most spectacular firework of my life."
"That's right."
At the spot where the rocket hit, a huge crater appeared, as if a meteorite had collided.
Lost limbs and pieces of intestines scattered around the crater gave off a strong smell of burning meat.
"The tank is coming!"
"Be calm. Don't panic. "Just do what you trained."
While the rear was receiving V1 baptism, the Soviet troops on the front line rushed towards Memel.
At the vanguard of the 3rd Mechanized Corps and the 10th Corps, commanded by Kulik, was the T-43, which Kulik so highly praised.
The T-43 superficially resembled the T-34 in many ways, but the armor of the T-43 was thicker. Unlike the T-34's 45mm sloped armor, which provided slightly better protection than the Panzer IV, the T-43's 60mm sloped armor could theoretically provide up to 120mm of protection.
Due to the poor quality of Soviet-made armor, the actual defense power was lower than that, but it was not unusual for a medium tank weighing 30 tons to have better protection than the Tiger's 100 mm direct fire armor.
however,
"Now! Shoot!"
As the T-43 approached, the private who was in ambush in the trench raised his upper body.
The private, who had set his sights on the exact center of the T-43, pressed the trigger and fired the Panzerfaust warhead.
The distance between the T-43 and the private was over 200m, but the new Panzerfaust 'Gross' had a range five times that of the previously introduced 'Klein' and was able to hit the target even when fired from 250m away.
A big difference was that the penetration power of the warhead was increased to more than 200 mm and the problem of a sharp increase in the misfire rate when used more than 6 times disappeared.
"Gotcha!"
"Well done, Franz!"
When the warhead hit the center of the frontal armor - between the machine gun seat and the driver's hatch - the T-43 came to a halt.
A moment later, the hatch opened and a bloodied tank soldier crawled out.
The tanker, whose right leg was amputated, fell from the tank, groaned, and was crushed by the track of a friendly tank coming from behind.
As the T-43's machine gun opened fire, the private who fired the Panzerfaust lowered his head again.
This time, the squad leader, a sergeant, stretched out his upper body and fired a Panzerfaust.
The T-43 that was hit by the Panzerfaust spewed out flames and came to a halt.
"Kwaaaa!!!"
The tank soldier, whose entire body was engulfed in flames, could not bear the pain of his body burning and screamed.
The MG40, known as Hitler's chainsaw, spewed fire and killed the tanker who was writhing in pain.
The bullet felt like mercy to the tank soldier who was being cooked alive in the flames.
As two tanks were destroyed in quick succession, the narrow passage was completely blocked. The following tanks became stranded as the road was blocked.
Even if I tried to move backwards, I was blocked by the tank behind me and couldn't move.
"The rebels were caught in a trap."
"launch!"
Mortar shells flew over the heads of Soviet soldiers who were unable to move. The tanks hit by mortar shells had their upper armor penetrated and burned.
"Hit. You're doing great. Keep shooting."
The captain, observing the battle status through binoculars, smiled in remorse.
Each time a shell fell, a Soviet tank caught fire.
Enemy infantrymen on the tank crawled under the tank to avoid the rain of shells, and then burst into flames along with the tank.
Seeing the enemies running away in a daze, it felt as if the 10-year-old congestion was going away.
The German army judged that it was impossible to defend Memel, which was too close to the Soviet border, and drew up a defense plan with the fall of Memel in mind.
However, it was necessary to block the advance of the Soviet army at least until all residents of Memel had completed their evacuation.
Soldiers of the 255th Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht's 90th Light Infantry Division received instructions from their superiors to remain on the front line and repel enemy attacks until the evacuation of Memel was completed.
While soldiers were blocking the Soviet army on the front lines, civilians were boarding transport ships in Memel.
People moved in an orderly manner under the control of the military police and police.
In order to protect citizens and ships from enemy air attacks, anti-aircraft artillerymen monitored the sky without taking their eyes off even for a moment.
But the red flag they feared did not appear.
"Mom, look at that."
The child held his mother's hand with his left hand and held a doll with his right hand, pointing to the sky. A group of fighter jets were flying in the sky.
Citizens who had been frightened, wondering if it was an enemy plane, were soon relieved when they saw the iron cross painted on the wing of the plane.
The identity of the fighters was a Bf109 that took off from a nearby air force base.
"This is our air force!"
People waved their hands in relief at the appearance of the German Air Force. The fighter jets waved their wings in response and flew east.
***
-Thank you, Fuhrer. If it weren't for the support of the German Air Force, what kind of disaster would have happened by now... .
"Romania is an ally of Germany. "Isn't it natural to protect the safety of our allies?"
Romanian Army Marshal and Prime Minister Ion Antonescu repeatedly expressed his gratitude to me, saying that thanks to the German Air Force's help, he was able to protect the Ploiesti oil field from Soviet air raids.
I didn't specifically protect the Ploiesti oil field for Romania, but there's no need to say that.
-His Majesty the King also agreed to declare war on the Soviet Union, saying that Romania was able to avoid the crisis of destruction thanks to the help of the German army. We plan to hold a meeting of the National Assembly soon and announce a declaration of war on the United States.
From this moment on, Romania and Germany are one. If the two countries join forces, they will not be afraid of any enemy.
After finishing my phone call with Antonescu, I spoke with President Tiso of Slovakia.
As someone who came to power with the help of Germany, before I could say anything, Tiso pledged that Slovakia would also help Germany and join the 'holy war' against the Soviet Union.
Romania, which was inevitably a target of attack by the Soviet Union due to the presence of oil fields, and Slovakia, which had been a German puppet state since birth, were automatically booked to participate in the war.
Hungary, like Romania, was attacked by the Soviet Union, so it is certain that it will participate in the war.
Now that war had broken out, there was no hesitation. I instructed Schacht, Todt, and Speer to transform the German economy into a total war system.
Due to the difficult memories of World War I, the Nazis were concerned about a decline in public support and refused to transform the national economy into an all-out war system even until the end of 1942, when the war situation began to decline.
Germany entered a full-fledged total war system in February 1943, after the crushing defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad heightened the sense of crisis over defeat.
The prevailing prediction is that even if Germany had entered a total war system a year or two earlier, it would not have changed the outcome, but it cannot be denied that the late entry into a total war system hastened Germany's defeat.
Since no one knew how long the war would last, entering an all-out war system was not an option but a necessity.
The Reichsvollkornbrotausschuss, which was established and active just before the invasion of Poland to distribute and control food in Germany, but ceased its activities after the surrender of France, was revived, and the Reichsvollkornbrotausschuss was established to supply vitamins to the people and conduct vitamin research. Full support was also ordered to the Reichsvitaminanstalt and the SS-Institut für Pflanzengenetik, which was established to study seeds obtained from occupied territories and allies, China, the Soviet Union, and Tibet.
"Dr. Goebbels, how are the 'preparations' going?"
"Yes, Mr. President. Recruitment of actors and delivery of instructions have all been completed, and mobilization of party members and citizens has entered the final stage. "There is nothing to worry about."
"Well, since this is Doctor's specialty, you don't have to worry. "When are you thinking about the timing?"
"If His Excellency the President orders it, it can be done tonight!"
"Right. "I understand."
Now that a full-scale war had begun, it was necessary to clearly inform the enemy of what it meant to go to war against Germany and the level of will of the German people.
Look forward to it. We will present the greatest show on earth that you have never seen before and will never be seen again in the future.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein