Chapter 147 Strategy
Reichenau stared at Manstein with wide eyes.
"You mean we cross the Dnieper River to continue the offensive under these circumstances?" Reichenau asked.
"Yes!" Manstein nodded.
"Even if we can rely on the seized supplies, we must know that there is a Southwest Front Army behind us!" Reichenau pointed to the map and said: "They can attack our army from the rear or launch a counterattack to western Ukraine at any time!"
"They won't!" Manstein said.
"Why?"
"Because they don't have enough supplies!" As he spoke, Manstein pointed to the map and explained: "The Russians have three supply lines, one is transported through the Dnieper River, one is by road, and the other is by railway! But all three supply lines From the Black Sea, as long as we strengthen the blockade of the Black Sea, it will be very difficult for the Russians to supply. In addition, it is time for us to use the guerrillas!"
"Ukrainian partisans?"
"Yes!" Manstein nodded: "Ukrainian guerrillas, they are Ukrainians, which has an inherent advantage... as long as you give them explosives and landmines, they can install mines and explosives on roads and railways, Give them mines, and they can plant them in the Dnieper River. As long as we minimize the supply of the Russian army, then the Southwestern Front will not have enough strength to launch an attack, no matter which direction it is!"
After a pause, Manstein went on to say: "And our troops... the 1st armored group and the 2nd armored group have successfully joined forces, which means that our army can safely follow the channel opened by the armored group to the north." shift…"
Speaking of Manstein, he pointed his finger at Moscow.
Reichenau soon understood that the main force of the Army Group South would cooperate with the Army Group Central to encircle Moscow.
Manstein's idea is reasonable, and Guderian has always disapproved of the Central Army's division of troops to encircle Kyiv.
Because Guderian saw it very clearly, although the encirclement of Kyiv may achieve great results, it deviates from the strategic goal of the Central Army Group...Moscow.
Apart from other things, it is a taboo to use troops to temporarily change the strategic goals set before the war on the battlefield. This is one of the reasons why Guderian rushed to Berlin to try to persuade Hitler.
Many modern military scientists believe that the reason why the German army could not successfully occupy Moscow was because it outflanked Kyiv...The outflanking of Kyiv was a tactical victory for the German army, but it was a strategic failure because it wasted the attack of the Central Army Group Precious time in Moscow.
Another way of saying it is that if the Army Group South fails to capture Kyiv, the right wing of the Army Group Central will be exposed to the Soviet Southwest Front Army.
This argument does not hold.
First of all, the Southwest Front Army was struggling to support the attack of the Southern Army Group, and it was simply unable to divide its troops to launch an attack in another direction.
Secondly, what the German army is most worried about at this time is not the mobile combat of the Soviet army... The German army has more advanced tanks, air supremacy, more advanced tactics and quality, and an armored group in mobile combat in the field can easily defeat a Soviet army. There are even battles in which more than a hundred tanks defeated a thousand tanks.
The German army was afraid that they would not be able to get around the fortified cities that had to be conquered, Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the middle, and Kyiv in the south.
These fortified cities have a large area and can be stationed with a huge army, which can be attacked and defended. Once they bypass their logistics supply lines, they are easily cut off, so they can only attack one by one.
This kind of traditional offensive and defensive warfare is not exactly what the German army is good at, so the German army in history has repeatedly suffered setbacks during siege: Leningrad is like this, Moscow is like this, and Stalingrad is like this.
Kyiv won with a large siege.
So, if the Soviet army attacks the Central Army from Kyiv, it is exactly what the German army hopes... I am afraid that if you go out of the city, you will die if you go out of the city.
Guderian saw this very clearly, so he completely ignored the millions of Soviet troops in Kyiv.
This view is obviously correct, because even the 9th Army, which has improved tactics and communications, must rely on rainy days to attack, and most of them are Romanian troops and logistics troops. It was very difficult.
If the German army still has an armored division on the west bank of the Dnieper River, I am afraid that the 9th Soviet Mechanized Army will be unable to eat, let alone anti-encirclement.
From this point of view, the Barbarossa plan was destroyed precisely in the hands of Hitler, who thought he was a military genius. If he hadn't commanded remotely, the result might have been different.
But now it seems that the German army has been given a chance.
"So..." Reichenau asked the same question as the Fuehrer: "What about the right wing of the Central Army Group?"
"Do we need to worry about this?" Manstein replied, pointing to the map: "The Pripyat Marsh stretches from Brest to the north of Kiev. If we build defenses along the Dnieper River in the northern section of Kyiv , we can connect with the swamp to form a line of defense! At that time, the Soviets will attack our line of defense while waiting for reformation through labor!"
Reichenau couldn't help but nodded in agreement when he heard the words.
The Pripyat Swamp stretches for 600 kilometers, plus the Dnieper River north of Kyiv runs from west to east, it can indeed form a line of defense.
As for the issue of troop strength... If the main force of the Southern Army Group is transferred to the central part, it will certainly be sufficient for defense.
The most important point is that, as the commander of the 6th Army, Reichenau commanded the troops all the way here. His experience told him that the Russians' defense may be good, but their offensive warfare is a mess... They often only charge, charge and charge again, Regardless of the cost and casualties, the soldiers were driven forward, and there was basically no coordination.
Except, of course, the mechanized 9th Army.
"I agree with your idea, General!" Reichenau said: "But I must report it to the Fuehrer for his approval!"
"Of course!" Manstein replied: "I believe he will agree, because we have no choice!"
Manstein guessed right.
When Reichenau sent the plan to Berlin, although Hitler was not very satisfied with it... At this time, his head was still trying to encircle and wipe out the millions of Soviet troops in Kyiv.
But after thinking about it, I found that it was not realistic to encircle and annihilate the Soviet army in Kyiv. Even if it could be done, it would take more time, and time was precisely what the German army did not have.
So, in the end, Hitler could only return a telegram: "Everything is going according to the plan, I believe we will win back Kyiv's defeat on another battlefield!"
(end of this chapter)
