Chapter 408 Reinforcement Plan
The 1st Guards Tank Brigade took an hour to load.
The difficulty in loading mainly comes from the tanks. They need to drive the tanks onto the flatbed, nail the roller belt around it with iron triangles, and then fix the tanks with steel ropes. Otherwise, if the train stops suddenly or is bombed by enemy planes When an emergency occurs, the tank will fly out of the flatbed due to the huge inertia.
Of course, there are cars and half-tracks and artillery guns and so on.
These tasks can be completed within an hour. After all, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade often runs between Stalingrad and Moscow, and is quite skilled in such loading.
Mehlis did not have any reinforcement plan, not a plan at all, because he simply gave an order to the staff: "Tell the driver, drive to the Crimea!"
Then he proudly boasted to his subordinates in the command car: "Look, everything is as I expected, you can see it! Now, we are going to take these tanks, and these brave men. Soldiers, hurry to the Crimea and teach those Germans a lesson!"
The command car is a car in the middle of the train. The front half is Mehlis's command post, and the second half is Katukov's command post.
Katukov's subordinates couldn't help showing worried expressions when they heard what Mechelis said. They all knew that Mechelis was acting recklessly. , let alone defeating the German army.
Katukov didn't say anything, he just gave Shulka a wink.
Shulka understood, nodded, took a pack of cigarettes from the table, and walked towards Mehlis.
"Hey, Comrade Shulka!" Just as the train started to move, Mechlis grabbed something beside him to stabilize himself, and then waved to Shulka.
Shulka stepped forward and handed Mechelis a cigarette, and whispered: "Comrade Mechelis, can we talk alone?"
"Oh, of course!" Mechlis understood, took the cigarette and replied with a smile: "As I said, Comrade Shulka, you can do it anytime!"
Mechelis and Shulka walked into a room at the front of the train. It was originally the conductor's lounge, but now it is Mechelis' exclusive room.
"We can't just drive to the Crimea, Comrade Mekhlis!" Shulka said.
"Why not?" Mehlis asked suspiciously.
Shulka spread out the map and put it on the small table by the window, pointing to a location and said: "The Crimea is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides and connected to the mainland on the other. If the Germans have already broken through the Dnieper River defense line, it is very likely It only takes one day to occupy the Yamyansk region!"
The Yamyansk region is located at the throat connecting the Crimea and the Soviet Union. As long as it is occupied here, the land connection between the Soviet Union and the Crimea can be severed.
"And we need at least two days to reach the Crimea!" Shulka said: "This is not counting the time if the railway is blown up by the enemy!"
"Is there any problem with that?" Mehlis said: "If the Germans take these areas, then we beat them into the Crimea!"
Hearing that there was a black line on Shulka's face, Mehlis thought that the armored troops on the train, tanks, cars, etc. are all **** with steel wires, and they can move forward and fight at any time...
Not to mention the issue of air supremacy and railways, the ammunition and fuel carried by the troops are not enough for the troops to fight a battle, let alone the German army has at least one group army and the Soviet army has only one tank brigade.
"Comrade Mekhlis!" Shulka replied: "Of course we are not afraid of the enemy, but we may be able to go into battle to rescue the Crimea in a better and faster way!"
"Tell me what you think!" Mechelis raised his head.
"We can avoid the railway lines that have been intensively bombed and blocked by the enemy!" Shulka said: "You know, the Germans are bombing the transportation hubs around Tokmak, and there will inevitably be many problems on the railways. If it blows up, we might even have to wait a few days!"
Mechelis nodded in agreement.
"So!" Shulka said, "why don't we bypass Tokmak? I mean, we can drive to Stalingrad first, and then go south from Stalingrad! It's a longer journey, But we may reach the Crimea sooner."
"But, Comrade Shulka!" Mechelis said: "Is this useful? We will still pass through Yamiansk in the end, and we will have to fight the Germans before we can enter the Crimea!"
"No!" Shulka reminded: "We can reach the Caucasus first, I mean Temryuksky, and cross the Kerch Strait from there into the Crimea!"
Mechelis' eyes lit up involuntarily: "Great, Comrade Shulka, why didn't I think that I could cross the Kerch Strait? Just do it, and I will notify them immediately!"
"Comrade Mehlis!" Shulka stopped Mehlis who was about to go out: "In addition, we still have supply problems, such as the shells of our tanks...the Caucasus may not have these, we can let Stalingrad Get ready for another train, I mean the loaded train with ammunition and supplies, to follow us!"
"Good idea, Shulka!"
"At the same time, we have to arrange logistics transportation!" Shulka continued: "Because once we enter the battlefield, we may fight the enemy non-stop, which means that supplies will continue to be consumed, so ammunition, fuel, food, etc. We need a steady stream of deliveries...such as fuel and food from Baku, and ammunition from Stalingrad!"
"Yes!" Mechlis couldn't help but nodded when he heard the words: "Of course, if there is no ammunition and fuel, our tanks cannot fight the enemy! Is there anything else, Comrade Shulka?"
"Maybe we have to get in touch with the Air Force and Navy!" Shulka said: "Because we need the assistance of the Black Sea Fleet to cross the Kerch Strait, and of course the cover of the Air Force, otherwise we are likely to be attacked by the Germans." Indiscriminate bombing!"
"That's right!" Mechlis laughed, patted Shulka on the shoulder and left with the map.
Soon Mehlis’s voice came from outside: “I said, you guys, haven’t you noticed the problem of reinforcing the Crimea at all…”
Of course Shulka didn't want to join in the fun. He smoked a cigarette and looked at the receding snow scene outside the window, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If Mechlis is allowed to command so blindly, I am afraid that the 1st Guards Tank Brigade will be gone on the road.
Fortunately, none of this happened.
(end of this chapter)
