Chapter 227 Program
Stalin asked Zhukov to quickly organize a counter-offensive...the emphasis is on "quick".
The reason for "quickness" is because Stalin's purpose of launching a counterattack is to disrupt the German offensive deployment so that it cannot attack the second line of defense step by step.
Obviously, if it is not "quick" enough, the German army will rush to attack before the Soviet army's counterattack, and then the counterattack will lose its meaning.
In fact, the reason why Stalin ignored Zhukov's objection and demanded to launch a counterattack was that apart from being dazzled by Kling's victory, another reason was that he did not believe that the second line of defense could stop the German attack if this continued.
So, the combination of arrogance and lack of self-confidence, coupled with a little sense of insecurity, made Stalin eager to change the status quo.
Zhukov knew that this was unrealistic, so no matter how much he studied the map, he couldn't find a feasible counterattack plan.
Soon, the Supreme Command lost patience, and they directly submitted a counterattack plan to Zhukov:
"The strategic goal is to drive out the German troops entrenched in the Volokolamsk area in order to smash the enemy's prepared offensive. To this end, our army should organize a counter-offensive in two positions:
One is north of the Volokolamsk area, supplementing the 16th Army to attack the enemy from the front.
Another, with a cavalry corps, Guttman's 112th Tank Division and part of the 49th Army, launched a counterattack from the Serpukhov area to the 13th Army on the southern flank of Klug's German 4th Army! "
This plan seems to be feasible. The two counter-offensive forces launched a counter-offensive against the enemy, one from the south and the other from the north. Just like the pincer attack used by the German army, the Supreme Command is also using its own way to fight back against the enemy. The Germans in the Lokoramsk region carried out a pincer attack.
If successful, the German army in the Volokolamsk area will soon be driven out, and several German divisions will be surrounded and annihilated.
But Zhukov doesn't think so.
"I don't think this plan can be realized, Comrade Bulganin!" Zhukov said: "The Germans were able to carry out a pincer attack because they could concentrate superior forces and equipment, and their troops had strong Mobility, and our troops are obviously insufficient, seriously lacking in equipment and insufficient in mobility, so we cannot carry out such a pincer attack!"
Zhukov's analysis is of course reasonable. The German army's breakthrough troops are always an army or an armored group, and they are also equipped with a large number of air forces, artillery, and tanks.
But in contrast to the plan of the Soviet Supreme Command: the reorganization of the 16th Army is not bad, and the other force only has a cavalry army, a tank division, and some forces of a certain army. This is a patchwork The troops have to counterattack a German army group... In fact, let alone a counterattack, it is not bad to be able to block the German attack.
So other things needless to say, just the comparison of troops and combat effectiveness determines that this plan is unrealistic, and the Soviet army with insufficient troops is not suitable for dividing troops to attack.
But this is not up to Zhukov.
"I hope you understand one thing, Comrade Zhukov!" Bulganin simply replied: "This is not a question, but an order!"
So Zhukov has nothing to say...he has effectively lost command.
Of course Shulka didn’t know this, he only knew that the troops received the order to set off again immediately, and they didn’t even know where the destination was after getting on the train.
He always thought that this time it would be the same as last time, that is, the Germans broke through a certain point on the defense line, and the Fourth Tank Brigade rushed to the front line as a mobile force to "fight the fire".
But Shulka soon realized something was wrong.
The direction of the train’s hexagram is still northwest... This is not what Shurka saw. In fact, as soon as Shurka got on the train and made a few bends, he quickly lost track of where it was.
This will not be a problem in modern times, as soon as the mobile phone map is opened, and then follow the map.
But it has become a big problem in this era, especially when troops are marching.
Shuerka couldn't help thinking of the thief again, he had the best sense of direction in the three companies.
The other is Uncle Alek, but he is half asleep most of the time, especially when he is not driving on the train... Find a seat by the window when you get on the train, take off your military cap and go With a set face on his face, he snored within a minute.
It is the actor who recognizes the direction.
"We are on the railway line in the direction of Istria!" said the actor.
"How do you know?" Shulka asked.
The actor looked at Shulka with wide eyes and asked: "You don't remember anything, Comrade Commander?"
"Remember what?" Shulka asked suspiciously.
"Our home!" said the actor: "It is only twenty kilometers away from Istria!"
This surprised Shulka inexplicably. Before that, he only knew one place name, Lobnia, but he didn't expect to get closer to it under such circumstances.
"I..." Shulka said: "I didn't know it was near Moscow!"
The actor shrugged: "So where else could it be?"
"You didn't tell me that!" Shulka said, "You didn't even talk about it when you got to Moscow!"
"So what?" the actor replied: "Can we have a vacation to go back and see?"
Seeing that Shurka remained silent, the actor comforted Shurka and said, "Don't worry, Comrade Company Commander, Istria is within the second line of defense, which means... at least Lobnia is safe.
What the actor didn't know was that Shulka was not worried about this, he just didn't know what his "home" was like.
After thinking for a while, Shulka asked, "What direction is it in?"
"Northwest!" replied the actor.
"Clin is also northwest!"
"Yes!" The actor replied: "To be exact, it's just south of Kling!"
Shulka frowned involuntarily.
That's not right either...it's unlikely that the Germans would break through in more or less the same position twice in a row.
That is to say, this march is very likely not to conduct mobile defense and fight against the German troops who broke into the line of defense like last time.
But what else is mobile defense if not mobile defense?
Deployed on the line of defense?
This is also unlikely, he believes that Zhukov will not be so stupid.
If neither, is it a counterattack?
Shuerka shook his head with a smile... This is also impossible. It is good that the Soviet army can protect itself at this time, and counterattack? !
After thinking about it for a while, Shulka stopped thinking about it. After all, there are some things that a second lieutenant like him needs to know.
So he followed Uncle Alek's example and put the general cap on his face to rest.
(end of this chapter)
