Chapter 397 Psychology
Not surprisingly, the order from the superior came down quickly... Rokossovsky also couldn't withstand the pressure from Mechelis, after all, Mechelis represented the Supreme Command.
"Continue to attack!" Rokossovsky ordered helplessly: "Obey the command of Comrade Mechlis and hand over Rzhev to the 117th Division!"
The 117th Division was one of the 9 divisions that escaped from the German encirclement. At this time, they were resting on the Rzhev flank.
Shulka and Katukov couldn't help but be speechless when they heard this order. This is not to say that the 1st Guards Tank Brigade needs to rest or something, although the 1st Guards Tank Brigade does need to rest, they fought all the way here from Tver More than half of the tanks have been lost... part of it is battlefield attrition, and more is due to malfunctions.
The failure rate of the "Matilda" tank is not low at all, let alone in extremely cold conditions.
But more serious than this.
From Katukov's point of view, the German reinforcements have arrived at the front line, and there are still a few armored divisions that have just arrived from Germany with sufficient clothing and supplies to recharge their batteries.
At the same time, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade has exposed the shortcomings of the "Matilda" due to its slow maneuvering speed due to previous battles. In addition, they are also the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade that has attracted the attention of the German army. The brigade...in this case, it is easy to be surrounded by German armored forces when fighting forward.
From Shulka's point of view, he knows that from Rzhev to the west, there are a series of important places of the German army such as Holm.
If the Soviet army attaches great importance to these important places, it may also be able to win.
The problem is that the Soviet army is too optimistic about the current situation from top to bottom. They believe that this battle will undoubtedly drive the German army out of the country, and the strategic goal of the Supreme Command is to at least hit the front line of Kyiv.
Therefore, everyone did not pay attention to a small place like Holm, and of course they would not regard it as a threat. Most of the main force crossed the strongholds of Holm to pursue the German army.
As a result, these troops will not be able to return after the ice and snow melt in spring.
If the 1st Guards Tank Brigade continues to attack... they even drive the "Matilda" with a speed of less than 10 kilometers per hour, and they will not be able to escape even if they want to escape.
But Mehlis didn't care about this. He looked at his watch and said, "I'll give you two hours to prepare, and we'll leave on time in two hours!"
"Yes, Comrade Mekhlis!" Katukov replied, and then he shook his head helplessly at the staff officer to let him give the order.
"Comrade Shulka!" Mechelis said: "Come to my headquarters!"
Mechlis already has a headquarters in the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, representing the headquarters of the Supreme Command.
It is located next to Katukov's headquarters, which was originally Katukov's lounge...Katukov is in poor health and only carries one kidney to the frontline command, so he often needs to rest.
"How is it, Comrade Shulka!" Mechlis asked Shulka: "Are you confident in this battle?"
"Yes, Comrade Mechlis!" Shulka replied insincerely: "Of course I have confidence!"
Shulka knew that it was useless to say anything else at this time. Katukov had already said what needed to be said.
"Very good!" Mechlis nodded with satisfaction: "Comrade Shulka, I think you are a man of courage and wisdom. You will not join forces with those cowards! They are simply a disgrace to our army , is the enemy of the people, and at this moment they don't know how to take advantage of the victory to give the enemy a chance to breathe..."
Then there were a lot of "blah blah", which made Shulka unbelievable that what he said was quite reasonable, at least it sounded like this, and he said it in a righteous and majestic manner.
Shuerka even suspected that Mehlis in front of him was not the same lieutenant general who almost peed his pants under the pursuit of the German army.
After talking for a while, Mehlis changed the subject and said to Shulka: "I appreciate you, Comrade Shulka! I can see that you are a soldier who can really fight on the battlefield, like you Just a captain...I don't think that fits your talent at all."
"No, Comrade Mehlis, I lack command experience!" Shulka was a little worried that Mehlis would be promoted indiscriminately, which would be counterproductive, and it would also arouse people's resentment and think that he was filming Mehlis. Fart gets promoted only by being with such a person.
But Shulka soon knew that his worries were unnecessary, and Mehlis didn't mean anything in this regard.
Mehlis nodded and said, "Yeah, I looked at your file and saw that you went from private to captain in those few months...you deserve it, and I think you deserve more .But commanding troops to fight is not the same as personal meritorious service, you need more training and command experience!"
"Yes, Comrade Mehlis!" Shulka couldn't help but secretly heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time was a little strange, what exactly this Mehlis wanted to say.
After a while, Mechlis said: "But Comrade Shulka, you don't need to worry about your ideas not being realized. You can report to me, understand? Your job limits your ideas, you can report to me... If it is feasible, I will apply it to the battlefield!"
Then Shulka understood.
Mechlis hopes to use Shulka to gild himself.
This is also one of the reasons why Mehlis promoted Shulka explicitly. He didn't want others to think that he was relying on Shulka for advice.
There is a saying that "the more you lack, the more you will show off".
Mechlis also has the same mentality. He got into the position by making small reports. He is well-informed and of course he knows how others describe him behind his back.
He wants to take off the title of "King of Small Reports", to make others look at him in a different light or to give him more bragging rights.
But because he doesn’t know how to fight, he can only command indiscriminately on the front line and often quarrels with the front-line commanders... Mechlis’s command is actually only attack, attack, and brave attack, and nothing else.
The reason why he was chased and beaten by the German army before was because Hao Daxi chased the German army too closely and was counterattacked.
Frightened half to death, Mechlis originally planned to stay far away from the battlefield and give up the idea of gilding. The appearance of Shurka made his eyes shine: this is the legendary "breakout hero", why not use his What about battlefield skills? "
At this time, Shulka felt a little more relaxed, because he knew that if he grasped the mentality of Mechlis, then things would be much easier to handle.
(end of this chapter)
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