Chapter 427 Disobedience
Feodosia.
Major Webb called Lieutenant General Sponek while directing his subordinates to resist the Soviet attack in the city.
"General!" Major Weber reported amidst the sound of gunfire and explosions: "The enemy has already broken through our line of defense. We can only persist in resisting in the city. Feodosia is about to fall!"
"What did you say? Feodosia fell?" Lieutenant General Sponek was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped: "How did this happen? It has only been more than an hour since they launched the attack!"
"General!" Major Webb reported, "They put wheels on the bottom of the boat, and I think there are some motors similar to cars, which enable them not only to drive in the sea but also to wash up on the shore, so there is no beach landing, they directly Drive the boat to our position!"
Hearing the words, Lieutenant General Sponeck understood what happened.
"Hold on!" Lieutenant General Sponek ordered: "In any case, hold Feodosia before reinforcements arrive!"
"Yes, General!" After hanging up the phone, Major Webb looked out the window and shouted at his subordinates: "They're coming from here, machine gunner..."
Lieutenant General Sponek immediately contacted Manstein.
Manstein was as stunned as Sponek after hearing the news.
In fact, it is no longer possible to describe Manstein's current state in terms of "staggering", but anger.
"I ordered you to hold for 15 hours!" said Manstein. "It's not a difficult task for a reinforced battalion to hold on to the beach for 15 hours, but you only held for an hour! God, this is almost Russian The time it took to put down the landing craft and row ashore shows that they fled immediately, and I have every reason to believe that they did not fulfill the responsibility of an imperial soldier!"
"No, General!" Sponeck retorted: "I know my subordinates, they are not greedy for life and afraid of death, especially Major Weber..."
"Forget it, Lieutenant General!" Manstein interrupted Sponneck: "They should have held for 15 hours waiting for reinforcements to arrive, but they only stayed for one hour, and you call it bravery?"
Sponek didn't know what to say. After all, his subordinates had indeed lost an important position. Any explanation seemed to be an excuse at this time.
After being silent for a while, Lieutenant General Sponek suggested: "General, I think we have to withdraw to Feodosia now, I mean the 46th Division, otherwise we will be surrounded by Russians!"
Lieutenant General Sponek thought that Manstein would agree to this proposal, but Manstein flatly refused.
"No, lieutenant general!" Manstein replied: "You can't retreat, not even a single step, otherwise more Russians will land in Kerch, and we will be caught in the dilemma of being flanked by the enemy on both sides. All our efforts It's all for nothing!"
"But General, the crisis in Feodosia..."
"I will solve this problem!" Manstein said: "Let them use the night and buildings to deal with the enemy in the city. Although the Russians successfully landed, we destroyed the port facilities, which meant they could only land with limited infantry. Heavy equipment cannot land. After the 4th Romanian Mountain Brigade arrives, we can drive them back to the sea!"
Sponek hesitated for a while, and replied: "Yes, General!"
"This time, don't mess up again, understand?" Manstein said: "Contact your subordinates in Feodosia and let them stick to it!"
"Yes, General!"
After putting down the phone, Sponek stared at the map in front of him in a daze.
He knew that it was useless to say anything. Manstein would not give up Kerch in any case and allow the 46th Division to retreat, even if the 46th Division was likely to be surrounded.
What kind of danger there is in this, Sponek knows very well.
First of all, Feodosia couldn't last long.
While Manstein was partly right in this regard, the Russians were unable to land large quantities of heavy equipment after the destruction of the port facilities.
The problem is that it was the Russian Naval Infantry Brigade that attacked Feodosia... This unit was called the "Black Devil" by the Germans because they wore black navy uniforms. They are an army of good quality and strength, although most of them He even wears a sailor cap instead of a helmet.
On the other hand, it is because Feodosia is a place of Russia, and the people there support the Russians and will provide information to Russian soldiers.
Therefore, it is almost impossible to rely on the remnants of Major Weber to deal with the Russian army, which has absolute superiority in strength, geographical and cultural advantages, for a long time in Feodosia.
Secondly, Lieutenant General Sponek did not believe in the combat effectiveness of the Romanian army.
Integrating these factors, Sponek's judgment is the opposite of Manstein's.
He doesn't think the Germans can hold out until reinforcements come and drive the enemy into the sea. He thinks it's more likely that the Russians will quickly occupy Feodosia, while engineers repair the ferry at the port and land heavy equipment ashore to consolidate Feodosia's defenses. .
When the Romanian 4th Brigade arrived, they had nothing to do with the Russian army that relied on buildings to hold on to Feodosia.
Then, once the Russian tank troops landed in Feodosia, that was the beginning of the German tragedy:
First of all, the Russian tank unit will defeat the Romanian Mountain Brigade and completely surround the 46th Division on the Kerch Peninsula, unable to move.
Then, the Russian tank force will continue to rush north, defeating the unsuspecting reinforcements rushing to Feodosia along the way.
Once the Russian tank troops arrive and occupy Zhankoy, an extremely unfavorable and even terrifying situation will form.
The German 11th Army will be divided into three parts that cannot reinforce each other: the Kerch Peninsula, the Crimean Peninsula, and reinforcements outside the Crimea.
And the German troops on the Kerch Peninsula and the Crimean Peninsula will have no way to retreat once they are surrounded, unless they can swim across the Black Sea at such temperatures.
That would be the end of the 11th Army, the whole army would collapse, and all the Russians would have to do is push 100km forward with their tanks to Zhankoy... if they go fast it will only take a day.
But what can Sponek do?
Convince Manstein?
No, Manstein at this time has fallen into the idea of taking the Crimean Peninsula quickly and then attacking the Caucasus. At the same time, because of the previous victories, he firmly believes that every German army can block hundreds .
Therefore, it is impossible for him to agree to let the 46th Division retreat and resolve this crisis.
After thinking for a while, Lieutenant General Sponek ordered to the adjutant: "Pass on the order and retreat!"
(end of this chapter)
