USSR 1941

  Chapter 671

   "You are crazy, Comrade Shulka!" Several staff officers exclaimed almost simultaneously:

   "We can't organize such a huge counterattack!"

   "Even if we have enough manpower, we don't have that many supplies and fuel!"

   "This will only cause our soldiers to die meaninglessly!"

  …

   But Zhukov was silent, he seemed to understand what Shulka meant.

"The other direction is just a feint!" Shulka said: "But of course, they should all have a counterattack plan, I mean, if the Germans choose not to respond and not reinforce, they can turn it into a real attack at any time! "

   "This will consume the vital strength of the Germans!" Khrushchev's eyes shone with excitement, and he found that the battle was getting bigger and bigger.

"Yes, including air power!" Shulka said: "We don't need much supplies for such a feint attack, and even only need to conduct small-scale fire reconnaissance. Once we detect the enemy's weak position, we will launch an attack. After a certain victory Turning to the defensive... This will force the Germans to respond, otherwise the holes in their defenses will become bigger and bigger, and if the Germans in other directions are pushed back by us, then even if they win at Stalingrad It doesn't help either!"

  Shuerka is actually taking advantage of the large number of people.

   Just as Shulka used the air force to open up another battlefield to disperse the strength of the Luftwaffe, the Soviet infantry also had an absolute numerical advantage.

  If you have this advantage, you need to make the most of it. Just like now, randomly selecting a few troops from other directions to pretend to launch a few charges is enough to make the German army with insufficient troops nervous for a while.

   "Good idea!" Khrushchev immediately agreed.

  Soviet army commanders are usually very generous in sending troops to fight, and Khrushchev, a political commissar, will not

   Miserly.

   There was a silence in the headquarters, and everyone turned their attention to Zhukov.

   After thinking for a while, Zhukov said: "Can this deceive the Germans?"

   "I don't know!" Shulka replied: "But I believe that the Germans may know that these are feints, but they will not think that this feint is to drain their reserves and reserves!"

   "Why?" Zhukov asked.

   "Because Stalingrad is in crisis!" Shulka replied: "At the same time, the Stalingrad Front launched several large-scale attacks in order to disperse the enemy's forces!"

  Novikov nodded: "So, because of previous experience, the Germans will take it for granted that our feint attack in other directions is to indirectly reinforce Stalingrad! That is to prevent their reinforcements from reinforcing Stalingrad!"

   "But what's the difference?" Zhukov said: "If the Germans knew this, they would still focus on Stalingrad!"

"The difference is..." Shulka replied: "If they think that the victory of Stalingrad is in sight, or that they don't need so many troops to win the Battle of Stalingrad, then they will feel relieved to use their reserve forces to reinforce other directions. !"

   "The Germans are not so easy to deceive!" Zhukov said: "And the battle of Stalingrad has always been in crisis. As long as we take a step back, we may be fully occupied by the enemy. How can we convince the Germans that their victory is in sight?"

   Shulka thought for a while, pointed to the center of Stalingrad and said: "Mamayev Hill!"

"You plan to give up the Mamayev post to the Germans?" Zhukov's eyes widened in surprise: "That will block the transport channel on the Stalingrad river, and heavy equipment will not be able to be transported to Stalingrad. Le's fight is going to get worse fast!"

"As long as we are prepared, we can minimize the loss!" Shulka said: "And only in this way can the Germans believe that their victory is in sight. It doesn't make much sense either!"

   "But what about Stalingrad?" A staff officer asked.

   "As long as our counterattack can be launched before Stalingrad falls!" Shulka said: "Or we are ready to take back Mamayev Post, then Stalingrad will always be in our hands!"

   In fact, even if Stalingrad is occupied by the German army, it doesn’t matter much. If the Soviet army surrounds Stalingrad from the outside, what the German army occupies will be ruins. It can’t even play a role in controlling and blocking the Baku oil field.

   Khrushchev asked: "How is it, Comrade Zhukov? Do you agree with Comrade Shulka's plan?"

   After a long silence, Zhukov nodded and said: "You won, Comrade Shulka, I think this plan is feasible!"

  People in the command immediately started talking, and some of them thought this plan was too risky, especially with Stalingrad as a bait.

  But Khrushchev glanced at them, and they immediately shut up.

   "But in this way..." Zhukov turned his attention to Novikov: "The Air Force will be much more important than we thought!"

   Shulka understood what Zhukov meant.

If the original plan was to encircle Stalingrad in a small area with the Stalingrad Front Army and the Don River Front Army in the south and north, the interspersed troops only need to break through the Don River defense line stationed by the Romanian army and then advance more than 100 kilometers to outflank Karachi. Can.

  Therefore, the air support needed to intersperse the troops is not long, and the air force can concentrate its forces for a few days.

  But now, the north clamp is served by the Southwest Front Army behind the German side, and the penetration distance has increased several times in an instant, so the time and intensity of air support required will be doubled.

   "Is there no problem?" Zhukov asked Novikov.

   "No problem!" Novikov replied: "The second-line air force is still undergoing reform, and it is expected to complete the reorganization of the three group armies. They can become the reserve force of the air force!"

   "Very good!" Zhukov nodded, and then turned his gaze to Shulka: "So, we should transfer the main force to the Southwest Front Army?"

"Yes!" Shulka replied: "The Don River Front Army is responsible for covering the flanks of the Southwest Front Army and at the same time holding down the German 6th Army. If our army completes the encirclement, the Don River Front Army will also be responsible for cooperating with the Stalingrad defenders to wipe out the enemy forces inside the encirclement area." enemy!"

  Zhukov touched his chin habitually, and then said: "It seems that I need to change a few people to command these troops!"

   Shulka fully agrees, not to say that the current commander is not good, but under such a plan, a commander who is flexible and good at attack should be needed to command.

  (end of this chapter)