章 182: 182
Episode 182: Time between dogs and wolves (8)
August 15, 1942
Wolfsschanze, East Prussia, Germany
Operation Zeppelin was a success.
Not only did it cause extensive damage to the target industrial complex in Magnitogorsk, but this airstrike forced the Soviet Union to disperse air power and air defense units to ensure the safety of rear cities.
It is an added bonus that the morale of the Soviets, who now know that the rear is not safe, has fallen.
The Luftwaffe's damage was the loss of two of the 30 Me264s mobilized in Operation Zeppelin. Both vehicles were the result of an accident that occurred during landing. One vehicle had minor damage and is being repaired, but the other vehicle had severe damage and was decided to be scrapped.
Still, although there were injuries among the crew, there were no deaths.
"Göring, award the Knight's Cross to all soldiers who participated in Operation Zeppelin. "They are heroes who risked their lives to fly to the heart of the enemy and come back alive, so shouldn't they be treated appropriately?"
"That is a valid statement, Mr. President. Even so, there was discussion within the Air Force about the award."
The footage filmed by the aircraft used in the Magnitogorsk air raid was scheduled to be processed into a news film by Goebbels' propaganda department upon arrival in Germany and shown in theaters throughout Germany and Europe.
The title of the movie is .
The success of Operation Zeppelin further boosted the people's morale.
The people's morale had always been high, but it was somewhat faltering after Britain declared war and the British Air Force launched air raids on cities in mainland Germany.
However, when the news of Operation Zeppelin's success was announced, the atmosphere took a 180-degree turn and the public's morale skyrocketed.
We make communists sleep without stretching their legs at night, and we show our people what Gukbbong is, which they have recently forgotten.
Isn't this truly killing two birds with one stone?
"The 1st SS Panzer Corps fell to the rear for reorganization, and the Ludendorff Panzer Corps was put in its place."
"hmm."
Paul Hausser's 1st SS Panzer Corps has been active on the front lines and achieved great results, but as it was deployed only in the most difficult battles, it suffered great losses.
In order to make up for the damage suffered and take a rest, the 1st SS Panzer Corps withdrew to Riga, Latvia to rest, and the newly formed Ludendorff Panzer Corps was deployed in its place.
"And a request was received from Marshal Bork to be assigned to the Central Army Group as soon as the reorganization of the 1st SS Panzer Corps is completed."
"Didn't you attach the 2nd SS Panzer Corps to the Central Army Group two days ago? But what about the 1st SS Panzer Corps?"
"yes. He asked me to listen to him, saying that his current strength is not enough for the attack on Moscow, and that he needs additional troops and more supplies. But the problem is that Marshal Lev has also requested additional support for the attack on Leningrad. So, first of all, we are thinking of attaching the Hindenburg Panzer Corps, which is being formed in East Prussia, to the Northern Army Group, and the 1st SS Panzer Corps to the Central Army Group as soon as replenishment is completed."
Both Bork and Lev were older than Manstein and had long military experience, so it was a very difficult situation for Manstein.
Since they were both seniors, it was difficult to accommodate either party's demands, so he tried to find a compromise as much as possible in his own way, but seemed to hope that I, as the President, would personally step in and organize traffic.
When you look at things like this, you can tell that your head is working really well in this direction as well.
"The Marshal is the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Front, so do as the Marshal wishes. Even though those two are senior to the Marshal, the Marshal is definitely a superior in his current position."
"I understand, Mr. President. "Let's do that."
Manstein, who received the answer he wanted, smiled a smile that seemed very treacherous at first glance.
"Anything from Marshal Kleist?"
"The Hungarian 1st Army and Romanian 3rd Army suffered heavy losses in the process of breaking through the Soviet defense line on the outskirts of Kiev and were forced to turn back. "We are maintaining the offensive by urgently deploying the Croatian, Albanian, and Bulgarian troops, but since their combat power is unstable, a request has been received to expedite the deployment of the 3rd SS Panzer Corps, which is scheduled for the end of August."
"Right."
Kiev is under siege, and the cities of Smolensk and Leningrad are under shelling.
If the current situation continues without any changes, it was estimated that Kiev and Smolensk would be taken under control between early and mid-September.
The problem was Leningrad, and because of the symbolism and importance of the city itself, the Soviet army was fighting more desperately than ever.
There,
"The Finnish army rejected our request?"
The attack on Leningrad was experiencing difficulties due to the addition of troll actions by the ally Finnish army.
Finland was more focused on regaining Karelia, its territory lost in the Winter War, than on attacking Leningrad, and virtually ignored Lev's request to strengthen the offensive against Leningrad, making excuses that it was difficult due to the circumstances.
"It is said that the Norwegian military staff who participated in the offensive even protested due to their lukewarm attitude toward the Murmansk attack."
Huh, these guys are really… . I barely saved the lives of those who almost died, and then they fuck me like this.
In history, Finland also drew Hitler's wrath by showing hesitation in the Leningrad and Murmansk offensives, despite receiving support from Germany.
Of course, there was strong resistance from the Soviet army defending Leningrad and Murmansk and there were terrain problems, but even taking that into account, the Finnish army went on the offensive at a level that was almost like dereliction of duty.
The reason was Finland's personal greed of regaining its own territory first rather than occupying strategic points, and the request of the United States and Britain to support the Soviet Union.
Although Finland became an enemy country, Finland, which maintained a decent relationship with Britain and the United States, accepted the request to passively go on the offensive for fear of harming its relationship with Britain and the United States. As a result, it was able to avoid major punishment thanks to the active protection of Britain and the United States after the war.
However, this was a situation unique to Finland, and it was infuriating to Germany, which was leading the war.
Here too, it is unclear whether Finland is in cahoots with Britain and the United States, but what is certain is that these bastards are repeating the same trolls they committed in history.
It was a question of whether they would be able to defeat the Soviet Union even if they did everything in their power, but they had the personality to distort the grand strategy by saying that recovering their own territory came first.
They gave guns and sent tanks and fighter planes using the German people's taxes, but the reward was a commander-in-chief. These guys are really great guys too.
"Mr. President, I will go to Helsinki immediately and ask for your wishes-"
"That's it, Ribbentrop. No matter what you say, the Finns will hear it with one ear and let it go with the other. "We should look for another solution."
"You mean another way?"
"What is that?"
"Tell the Finns to take care of their own territory. Redirect all forces invested in eastern Karelia to Leningrad. "We also cooperate with the Norwegian and Swedish troops."
Rather than trying to appease the Finnish army, which had no enthusiasm for the offensive anyway, it would be cheaper to bring in all the troops except the Finnish army and use them to attack Leningrad.
Coincidentally, Norway and Sweden were probably also dissatisfied with Finland's selfish actions, so they would listen to us rather than Finland.
This is the time to properly show that we are not just idiots who give things away.
They should already experience for themselves that if they come out like this, they will be the only ones in trouble, so they won't listen better from now on.
***
After returning to his unit after a dream-like vacation, Sergei's emotions were extremely mixed.
The burden and fear of death that came from the fact that he had to fight again without any promise after his vacation was over was great, but what bothered him even more was the news of the purge of his neighbor Maria's family.
I asked the villagers, pretending not to know anything, just in case, but they all avoided answering or quietly told me the truth.
On the train returning to his unit, Sergei felt something inside his heart collapse.
Although his enlistment was forced by the state rather than his own will, he never doubted his loyalty to his country.
Although he was not willing to risk his life, he believed that he should fight for the country in which he was born and raised, and he never doubted the party's teaching that all people must unite as one for everyone's development and happiness.
But reality was different from what he thought.
Yes, desertion is definitely a serious sin. He did not deny the fact that although it is a serious crime in peacetime, it is a serious crime punishable by death in wartime.
But is it really necessary to punish the families of deserters?
Not because of any other crime, but simply because there is a deserter among the family members?
Whenever they propagate that all people must unite in wartime, they execute innocent people behind the scenes.
Can we call this a society for the people?
'Something is wrong.'
"1 minute before the offensive! "Everyone, get ready!"
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice the passage of time. Before we knew it, there was only one minute left until the operation began.
Some soldiers steeled themselves by making the sign of the cross or kissing the cross, even though it was a prohibited act.
However, Sergei's mind was filled with thoughts of what he had seen of his country rather than the upcoming battle.
I wondered if this was something that could not be helped since it was a war, but even considering that it was a war, the authorities' actions were incomprehensible.
And one more thing, they say Boris deserted, but how did the authorities know?
What if Boris didn't desert? If you became a prisoner of the enemy or died due to unavoidable reasons, but there was an error in the delivery process and it was recorded as desertion... ..?
And is there any guarantee that something like that won't happen to you?
"Start attack!"
"Comrades, forward!"
While the soldiers were swimming, an order to attack came from the mouth of a political officer.
With the field guns of the rear artillery firing off their last fire, the soldiers came out of the trenches.
Sergei followed his comrades out of the trench and charged. At the head of the company, a political officer holding a pistol was running, continuously shouting to charge.
"For Mother Russia!"
"Uraaaaa!!!"
***
August 16, 1942
Underground bunker of the Soviet Army General Headquarters in Smolensk, USSR
How long had it been since the bombardment ended? The ground rang again. Every time the sound of the ground reached the underground bunker, the light bulb on the ceiling flickered.
The German army that arrived in Smolensk shelled the city center every day.
Casualties increased further as evacuation of city residents was prohibited under orders from the Kremlin that could affect military operations.
Following the instructions of the authorities, residents dug trenches with soldiers or set up barricades to block German tanks, and at night they took a nap in lightly dug trenches and basements.
Zhukov was now completely numb to the explosions and vibrations coming from the ground.
He stared at a map showing the panoramic view of Smolensk with bloodshot eyes and directed the movement and deployment of troops.
"Insert the 24th Rifle Division, which was left out as a reserve, into the defense line of the 85th Rifle Division. "Hurry before the German offensive begins."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, we have contacted the 13th Mechanized Division."
"okay? Ask if the location remains the same. "I ask how much damage there is."
"Report from the 62nd Fortification Corps. The damage was so severe that retreat was inevitable. "I ask for permission to retreat."
"Tell them to hold out unconditionally because we will send in the 112th Infantry Regiment as reinforcements. "If you don't want to be taken to the firing squad."
"It's urgent! An enemy shell hit the 1st Rifle Corps headquarters directly, and all command personnel, including the corps commander, are missing... ."
"Comrade, there is a report that the northern outer defense line has been breached... ."
Phew.
Even the world's Zhukov bowed to the reports pouring in minute by minute and radio calls for retreat and support.
For two days already, he had only slept for three hours.
To stave off the drowsiness that washed over him like a wave, he poured vodka into a tin cup and drank it.
My stomach felt tingly and my body felt hot. I should be able to last an hour with this.
Zhukov ate the black bread sandwich with salami sandwiched between the black bread that his adjutant brought him to survive.
Now I couldn't taste the food even when I ate it.
I felt more strongly that I was providing nutrients to my body rather than just eating food. It's like putting gas in a car.
For Zhukov, there was no place after Smolensk.
Dmitry Pavlov, commander-in-chief of the Western Front, was repatriated to Moscow and executed by firing squad as responsible for the failure of Belarus' defense.
The day after Pavlov's execution, Stalin called Zhukov and informed him of Pavlov's execution. And then hung up the phone right away.
Zhukov did not know what this act meant.
Like Pavlov, if he failed to defend himself, he was blatantly implying that he would be next.
There is no need to mention the importance of Smolensk, the gateway to the capital Moscow.
Losing this place meant that the road to Moscow would be wide open to the German army.
The Soviet Union had already lost Kaunas, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Lwów, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Minsk, and Narva, and Kiev, Leningrad, and Smolensk were under attack.
If these three places fell into the hands of the German army, Moscow, Kharkov, and Rostov were next.
After this, it will be Stalingrad, Baku, Arkhangelsk, and may even reach the Ural Mountains.
Being pushed to the Ural Mountains meant the complete loss of European Russia, which in turn meant the fall of the Soviet Union.
'I wonder if I'll be able to live until then.'
Since it was a matter directly related to his life, Zhukov did his best to defend Smolensk.
Perhaps because his efforts paid off, the German army suffered significant losses upon entering Smolensk.
However, the German army did not stop advancing even though it was wounded and bleeding due to the Soviet army's resistance.
"Comrade, your complexion is very bad. "It would be nice to get some rest-"
"it's okay. "The war situation is urgent, so there is no time to rest."
Even though he said that, his body, which was slowly reaching its limit, was sending him a warning signal.
My breathing became heavy and my eyes kept closing. She hadn't eaten much and was so nervous that her gastric juices refluxed.
Every time that happened, Zhukov drank vodka, and his stomach, which was already in bad shape, got even worse.
"What on earth are these damn British people still doing?"
The last hope left for Zhukov, who was using his mental strength to hold on to his broken and sick body, was England.
The hope that Britain, which had declared its participation in the war, would soon attack Germany and provide a clue to turning the tide was the driving force that enabled him to persevere even in a hopeless situation.
However, although two weeks had passed since Churchill confidently declared his participation in the war, Britain had only fought a few air battles with Germany so far.
Among the people who had a brief moment of hope after reading Pravda magazine, which reported news of Britain's participation in the war, a self-deprecating joke circulated that the moment the British army set foot on French soil was around the time the German army arrived in London.
But Zhukov did not give up hope.
Having hope does not mean that the situation of the war will change immediately, but if he gives up hope, there is nothing left for him, so he cannot give up hope.
After the British troops landed in France, recaptured Paris and defended Smolensk, he imagined leading his army to push the Germans back west and regain the territory that had been lost to his homeland.
And although not for him, England was in full swing preparing for the one move that would truly turn the tide of the war.
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