Chapter 659 Air Command
It can also be seen from this that Khrushchev, a political commissar, is not ignorant of any military knowledge and will only make people rush and beat him.
Khrushchev hit the nail on the head... Shulka's plan was not just about breaking through the Romanian army's defenses.
In fact, breaking through the defense line of the Romanian Third Army seems to be relatively simple, because as I said before, the Romanian army and the Italian army are stationed on a 138-kilometer defense line, which can be said to be full of flaws. The Soviet army has amphibious landings. The ship can attack from multiple positions at the same time so that it does not care about the tail.
The problem lies in the offensive of the Soviet army after crossing the Don River.
In the absence of air supremacy, the Soviet troops will be bombed by the enemy's air force along the way. Cars, tanks, and troops are all excellent targets for German fighters and bombers.
It is not even difficult to imagine that the German army would suspend the offensive and bombing of Stalingrad and concentrate all air power on bombing the Soviet penetration troops.
In this way, when the Soviet army interspersed with troops and rushed all the way to Karachi, which is the rear of the German army, it had become a remnant army that had worked hard and expeditioned. They might not even have a few tanks, and their supplies were seriously insufficient.
The result may not be interspersed but sent into the mouth of the German army and surrounded by them.
"Maybe we can choose to march at night!" Major Akimovich suggested: "Just like Comrade Shulka attacked Odessa!"
"It won't work, Major!" Khrushchev dismissed the idea without even thinking about it.
This really won't work, because this time the penetration operation is different from the previous penetration to Odessa.
This time the penetration was a large corps and deep penetration. The Soviet army needed to penetrate in place and surround the German army before the enemy reacted to make them lose their combat effectiveness.
If you only choose to march at night, it means giving the German army double the reaction time.
In this way, let alone interspersed in place in time, I am afraid that the German army can calmly deploy troops and set up traps in front of the Soviet army, waiting for the Soviet army to drill inside.
"You should really learn from Comrade Shulka!" Khrushchev complained: "I really don't know how you graduated from the military academy and became an army staff officer!"
"Yes, Comrade Political Commissar!" Major Akimovich stood up to attention, glanced at Shulka, and replied, "In fact, Comrade Shulka has always been my teacher. He taught me a lot!"
"It seems that there are not enough!" Khrushchev said and turned his eyes to Shulka.
"There is only one way!" Shulka replied: "We must concentrate all the aircraft to provide air reinforcements for interspersed troops, including competing with the enemy for air supremacy!"
Everyone couldn't help being taken aback when they heard the words, including Khrushchev, they all looked at Shulka with strange eyes.
Although the Soviet army won the Battle of Moscow, there is still a general "German fear" in the Soviet army at this time, including high-level commanders. They will try to avoid fighting the German army head-on, especially the air force... because In air battles, the Soviet army always suffered heavy casualties due to aircraft performance and pilot quality.
Unless it is unavoidable, such as defending the Kremlin in the Moscow Defense War, or ensuring a smooth military parade on Red Square, it will not easily face the Luftwaffe head-on.
But now, in Shulka's plan, the Soviet Air Force is required to fight face-to-face with the German Air Force...
After being stunned for a while, Khrushchev laughed: "Interesting, Comrade Shulka, your plan was beyond my expectation again! So I think it may also be beyond the enemy's expectation !"
Hearing Khrushchev's intentions, Golikov was a little impatient when he actually had a tendency to agree with Shulka's plan.
"But, Comrade Political Commissar!" Golikov said: "Is our air force ready? If they can't stop the enemy's attack..."
It’s no wonder Golikov objected. Shulka’s plan can only be said to allow victory but not defeat. Once it fails, the entire Soviet Air Force may be wiped out, and then the interspersed troops who lost their air cover will be surrounded. It may cause the Soviet army to lose its last resistance force... This is not as simple as losing Stalingrad, it may even cause the entire Soviet Union to completely fall.
Khrushchev didn't answer, he just shook his head at Shulka, meaning to ask Shulka to respond.
"I'm not sure, Comrade Political Commissar, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka said: "Of course, we may lose, but we may also win! The fruit of victory is to encircle the German Sixth Army with dozens of people , and completely smashed their attempt to capture Stalingrad. There is a saying called "wealth and wealth are found in danger", we can only achieve greater results if we take more risks! Otherwise, what else can we do? Just watch Watching the Germans attacking Stalingrad, watching them approaching the Volga River step by step, and finally occupying Stalingrad and relying on the Volga River to build defenses. Similarly, the Romanian army will still be defending along the river, and the German elite will even go north and go straight to Moscow Surrounding it from the rear... the victory we won in Moscow with countless lives will be wiped away!"
"But it is almost impossible for us to defeat the Germans in the air!" Golikov objected in a low voice: "You don't understand the Air Force, Comrade Shulka, they are far from the enemy, I think the Air Force will object This plan!"
"If it has to be done!" Khrushchev said: "They have to accept it!"
So Golikov dared not say anything more.
"I know this, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka explained: "I know that our air force has a gap with the enemy, but at least we have the initiative in this battle, I mean air combat!"
"What initiative?" Khrushchev asked.
Shulka pointed to the map and said: "We can coordinate air and ground to lay traps for the Luftwaffe... I mean, we know at any time where our ground forces are going to attack next, so the air force can prepare in advance and even Ambush. In order to prevent our ground troops from advancing, the German army must always take our army's ground troops as the main attack target... This will put the German army in an embarrassing situation. They will be led by our noses. On the other hand, fighter jets have to protect bombers , so we can’t let go and fight our air force!”
"What if the enemy's air force doesn't take our ground forces as the main target?" Khrushchev asked: "I mean, they are determined to annihilate our air force first!"
"Then our ground troops will be able to arrive on time and surround Stalingrad!" Shulka replied: "Even if the enemy has air supremacy, it will not change anything!"
(end of this chapter)
