Bab 222: 222
Episode 222: How to die to live (2)
February 19, 1943
Ukraine Poltava
It's been three days since the Soviet army's major offensive began.
I headed to Poltava, Ukraine, to hear a more detailed explanation.
At the rear headquarters in Poltava, Manstein had already arrived and was waiting for me.
"I guess we were so intoxicated with victory that we looked down on our enemies."
"I won't deny it."
Manstein also nodded.
"Marshal Manstein. "What is the current situation?"
"It's not the worst, but it's definitely not a good situation. Yesterday, our troops withdrew from Pavlovsk, and withdrawal is also underway in Rostov."
Azov and Pavlovsk were taken over by Soviet troops. Rostov's allies were still holding out, but the enemy's attack was so strong that it was impossible to defend the city to the end.
As a result, Kleist decided to abandon Rostov, and Manstein approved it.
"The Soviet army is also conducting an offensive toward Voroshilovgrad and Voronezh. Due to strong friendly defenses in Voronezh, the Soviets are attacking the northern and southern defenses of the city instead of breaking through entirely. Based on this, it is assumed that the enemy intends to surround Voronezh."
"Right. "So what do you think the enemy's goal is?"
Immediately after it became clear that the direction of the Soviet army's offensive was to the south, not Moscow, a discussion was held about the reasons for the enemy's offensive.
In general, the consensus was that the intention was to recapture Kharkov, a representative industrial complex in eastern Ukraine, to help in the war effort and further use it as a stepping stone to recapture Moscow.
I thought so too because it actually had validity.
"It is very possible that Kharkov was the goal, but I think it is for a different reason."
But Manstein had different ideas.
"Some other reason?"
"Recapturing Kharkov, an industrial zone, will be a great help to our military power, but as long as Moscow is in our forces' hands, the Soviet Union's transportation network problems will remain the same. The same goes for fuel issues. This can be confirmed in the testimonies of prisoners secured by our forces and in wiretapped enemy radio transmissions.
Therefore, even if the enemy recaptures Kharkov, the possibility of attacking Moscow is less than 10% at best. "More than anything, I wonder if the enemy has enough fuel to get to Kharkov."
"If not to recapture Kharkov, then what is the enemy's goal? "Is this to slow down our army's offensive in the summer?"
"The Soviet military must also be admitting that it will be difficult to stop our forces' offensive. Because they know their situation better. "This is just my personal guess, but I think the Soviet Union was planning this offensive with strengthening in mind."
"······Then, did you plan to go on the offensive now in order to gain an advantage in future negotiations? "Do you mean this?"
Manstein nodded.
"Yes, Mr. President."
"If you really wanted to negotiate with the Soviets, shouldn't you have attacked Moscow instead?"
"I think we chose the south because Moscow's defenses are so strong and if the enemy were to launch an offensive, we would judge that the target would be Moscow. "It would be more damaging to launch an offensive in the south than in the north, where important cities are rare."
When Manstein came up with a plausible guess, Keitel was quickly convinced.
Certainly, as Manstein said, Moscow's defense line was quite thick and strong, making it difficult for the Soviet army to overcome, and in the north, except for Leningrad and Murmansk, now renamed Adolfsburg, there were no targets.
Also, there are many lakes, rivers, and forests, so it is not a suitable environment for an offensive.
I don't know if Manstein's guess is true, but it sounds quite convincing because the same thing happened in actual history.
A representative example is the Great Ardennes Offensive, also known as the 'Battle of the Bulge'.
Although it is difficult to put it on the same line as the Great Ardennes Offensive, the premise itself of negotiating with the enemy based on the success of the offensive was the same.
Perhaps Stalin indeed planned his offensive with the same idea in mind.
They say that opposites are in sync... but this isn't just a saying.
"Well, won't we learn over time what the enemy's true intentions are? What's more important than that is how we can stop them."
Manstein licked his lips and rubbed his palms.
"I will now explain the details of the counterattack operation. "Everyone, please pay attention here."
***
The moment he heard from Kleist that the Soviet army's all-out offensive was certain, Manstein's brain began to spin rapidly, exploring all possibilities.
A sudden offensive in the current situation where there is no fuel and the transportation network has collapsed?
Anyone can see that they are in a situation where they should focus on defense, but the fact that they suddenly went on the offensive means that there is a good reason.
What is the reason?
Takeover of Kharkov's industrial zone? Or a paving stone for recapturing Moscow?
Considering all the information obtained so far, the Soviet Union's ability to wage war had already reached its limit.
The Baku oil fields stopped operating, Moscow was taken over, and the transportation network was virtually paralyzed.
Even if the offensive itself had been carried out somehow by scraping together troops, equipment, and fuel, I wondered if there would be enough room to go all the way to Kharkov.
And, the Soviet army, which has suffered repeated defeats so far, suddenly launches an offensive with the unreasonable goal of recapturing Kharkov?
Isn't this the same as someone who can barely move while relying on crutches and suddenly starts running?
It is clear that the offensive in the south is not a diversionary operation to retake Moscow.
The main direction of the Soviet army's offensive was in the south, and the Soviet Union poured its remaining elite troops and fuel generously toward this goal.
However, no matter how successful the Soviet forces are, they cannot reach Kharkov in their current condition.
Even if I had the means to go in the first place, I have no intention of leaving it like that.
Nevertheless, they carried out an unnecessary and even reckless offensive.
And the current situation the Soviet Union finds itself in.
Putting all of this together, one conclusion emerged.
'The Soviet Union is now trying to conclude peace!'
Ahead of reinforcements, a final offensive was launched to gain even the slightest advantage.
Manstein concluded that it was clearly a gamble to prove to the allies that the Soviet Union still had power and to bring Germany to the negotiating table.
Without going too far, Germany also planned a final offensive at the end of World War I to bring the Allies to a negotiating table.
Since the order was tantamount to a suicide command, the sailors who opposed it rioted and it ended up being a plan.
There was only a difference between sitting down and dying late or standing up and dying early, but from the moment the armistice negotiations broke down and the German army entered Moscow, the Soviet Union's defeat in the war was almost certain.
Now, how do we cook these guys?
***
February 22, 1943
Soviet Kuybyshev
While Voroshilov's Southwestern Front and Bundy's Don Front fiercely drove back the Germans along the Don River, Tymoshenko's Voronezh Front fought fiercely to block the road leading to Voronezh.
The Soviet Army, which devoted virtually all of the Red Army's power to this offensive, was also powerful, but the German army was still the German army.
The German army on the front held on tenaciously, forcing the Soviet army to endure massive blood loss.
After great sacrifice, the Soviet army recaptured Rostov, an important southern strategic point and large city.
The news of victory sent by Budolni brought something that could be called a smile on Stalin's previously stiff face.
"okay. "Even if it's rotten, it's worth it. This is the only way it's worthy of being called the Red Army."
But the blood that had to be shed to reclaim Rostov was too much.
The number of casualties in Rostov alone was 30,000. Even in Taganrog, 70 km away from Rostov, the Soviet army was shedding countless blood to advance.
"How much longer do you think it will take to retake Voroshilovgrad?"
-The fascists are so stubborn... But they say the German army is currently withdrawing from the city, so it will be resolved within a week.
"one week? "You mean it will take a week?"
At Voroshilov's answer, Stalin's voice grew louder without realizing it. I could feel Voroshilov flinching through the receiver.
-We will try to reduce the time further, comrade. Still, please know this one thing. The soldiers of the Red Army are struggling despite all kinds of difficulties.
"It's a sentimental excuse. Anyway, try harder."
Still, since they were close friends, Stalin hung up the phone without reprimanding Voroshilov further.
Stalin also knew that the condition of the Soviet army was not good.
They tried to force an offensive by gathering supplies in a situation where they should have been focusing on defense, so there was no way this was going to go well.
In fact, considering the situation the Soviet Union found itself in, recapturing Rostov was also a significant achievement.
But Stalin wanted more.
If the current offensive was successful, not only would it be possible to save face in future negotiations with Germany, but there was also a possibility that Germany's demands would be reduced by at least one more.
And the people have an excuse to advertise that they fought to the best of their ability and achieved even a small amount of success.
But isn't it worthwhile to take all the risks and launch an offensive only if things don't work out like this?
The idiot Tymoshenko couldn't even lay siege to Voronezh, let alone recapture it.
Tymoshenko protested that it was difficult because Voronezh was a major transportation hub and the German army's defenses were tight, but even taking that into account, Tymoshenko did not look good in Stalin's eyes.
Knowing that Voronezh's defense was strong, didn't they allocate more troops and materials to the Voronezh Front?
We gave them the latest fighters, the Yak-9 and La-5, capable of fighting German aircraft head-on, as well as the IS-2 heavy tank and SU-152 self-propelled howitzer, which can stand up to the fascist army's heavy tanks, as they requested, but all they got in return was whining!
In front of himself, he thought of Timoshenko, who trembled like a dog, but did not stop whining with his mouth.
"At times like these, I envy Hitler. "Under Hitler, there are only capable generals, but under me, there are all incompetent scoundrels who only hold me back."
If the generals Zhukov and Vasilevsky, who died in Moscow, and Rokossovsky, Meretskov, and Novikov, who were purged before the war, had heard, they would have scoffed, but Stalin was serious.
Some guys are sent to fight with fascists, but the fascists eat them up. Some guys just keep making excuses all the time...
Even the few generals that Stalin recognized were inferior in many ways compared to the German generals fighting under Hitler.
He wanted to rip the heads off the necks of these incompetent assholes right away, but Stalin held back.
No matter how incompetent they are, there is still work left to do right now.
Once the war is over, all you have to do is eliminate all the incompetent people, place the blame for defeat on them, and make the people bite them.
Then its power will remain the same as before, and the Soviet Union will also survive.
***
February 23, 1943
German defense line near Voronezh, USSR
Tymoshenko felt impatient at the Secretary General's irritated urging as to when the siege of Voronezh would be completed.
However, no matter how hard he tried, how clever he was, and how many surprise raids he made, the German army's defense line remained unchanged.
Voronezh, a transportation hub, was a city that must be recaptured by the Soviet army, but it was also a city that the German army must protect.
In terms of planning, the siege of Voronezh should have been completed by now and the army should have advanced to Starioskol.
The mission of the Voronezh Front was scheduled to end with the capture of Voronezh and Starioskol, and Tymoshenko judged that although it would not be an easy goal, it was not an impossible goal.
At least compared to the instructions Stalin had previously given him, this was a level worth trying.
"How about we skip Voronezh and advance to Starioskol like this?"
Tymoshenko's young chief of staff, Major General Ivan Chernyakhovsky, made the suggestion.
Although Chernyakhovsky was only 35 years old, he was recognized for his military talent and was promoted ahead of his classmates and seniors at the military school, becoming a general in his early 30s.
However, even to him, the siege of Voronezh seemed remote.
The German army's defense line was so tight that it was difficult to find a flaw, and to make matters worse, as the day warmed up, the air force began to move around more actively.
"In this case, what would happen if the German army threatened our army from the flank?"
"But that doesn't mean we can't remain stranded here. "We are already running out of fuel, and if the power lines remain the same, there could be a bigger problem."
"Umm..."
Chernyakhovsky's plan was as reckless and dangerous as it was bold, but his point also had a point.
As Chernyakhovsky said, should we take risks and gamble?
What if you make a mistake and allow the enemy to counterattack and end up surrounded? At that time, it will be difficult for him to avoid the purge.
"Even so, Comrade Secretary General will not allow such a reckless strategy."
Tymoshenko chose stability over adventure. Chernyakhovsky sighed inwardly, but he also understood why Tymoshenko had no choice but to make such a banal decision.
Even so, his advance was already delayed and he was captured by the chief secretary, so if he caused more damage here, he really had to prepare for death.
However, the soldiers on the front lines were not much different from those who were prepared to die.
-Enemy tank approaching! Estimated to be medium to large scale. Shoot according to your own judgment.
"Received."
Sergeant Herman Bix, responding to the company commander's instructions, stuck his head out of the hatch and watched the Soviet tanks charging from the front.
Tanks with turrets larger than the T-34 took the lead, followed by self-propelled guns with box-shaped fighting compartments.
"I think those guys in the lead are what we call Stalin's tanks."
"It looks really ugly."
"Even so, it's only one shot in front of 88. "Load the armor-piercing bullets."
The Jagdpanther platoon, commanded by Sergeant Hermann Bix, was hiding in a tank and aiming forward with its long main gun.
Like the Hatcher, which was a modified version of the 38(t), the Yakht Panther, which was built based on the Panther chassis, was a tank destroyer with no turret and the main gun fixed to the hull, so it had many inconveniences in operation.
However, the 88mm 71 caliber main gun, which was more powerful than the Panther's 75mm 70 caliber gun, boasted great firepower to cover all of these shortcomings.
"Ready… fire!"
As the Yakht Panther's main gun flashed, lights twinkled on the IS-2's hull.
Eventually, the light turned into a huge flame, sending the IS-2's massive turret flying into the air.
"Destroy enemy tanks!"
"Reload!"
In front of Yakht Panther's 88/71, even the heavily armored IS-2 became a ball of fire with one hit.
The Soviet armored unit that attempted to break through the front line was pinned down by the Yakht Panther company positioned at 50m intervals.
The IS-2's 122mm main gun was not far behind and spewed fire, but the difference between an anti-tank gun with almost zero protection and a tank destroyer with armor to protect the crew from shrapnel and oppression was worlds apart.
Unless properly hit by a 122mm armor-piercing round, the Yacht Panther was virtually invincible. And the Soviet tankers only fired grenades instead of armor-piercing bullets.
The SU-152 self-propelled howitzers were launched, replacing the main gun of the SU-203 with a 152mm howitzer, which is lighter than the 203mm and has a higher rate of fire, but the results did not change.
Rather, it suffered greater damage because its defense power was lower than that of the IS-2 and its large, square fighting compartment made aiming relatively easy.
"Roske's tanks are popping like balloons!"
"good! "Keep shooting!"
On this day, Hermann Bix's Jagdpanther destroyed eight IS-2s and SU-152s. The Soviet army retreated, losing only tanks such as Altoran and many dear soldiers.
The Soviet offensive was halted and the front line leading to Voronezh was held
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