Chapter 710 Reinforcement
But of course, Shulka will not really be a pilot or command pilots to fight as Alexei said. Even if Shulka is willing, Khrushchev will not let him.
The air force assigned to the Stalingrad Front is the 8th Army of the Air Force.
The 8th Army has a total of 18 aviation divisions... Several of them are mixed aviation divisions that have not had time to reform.
Originally, Air Force Major General Khryukin, the commander of the Aviation Group Army, wanted to assign a mixed aviation division to the 51st Army Group for operations.
"Our battle is very tense, Comrade General!" Khryukin said to Trufanov on the phone: "And the losses in the previous battle were very heavy. You know, we are covering the flank!"
What Khryukin was talking about was the attack by the two German divisions on the logistics supply line of the 51st Army Group... The Soviet Air Force frequently dispatched to protect the supply line, and as a result fell into the trap set by the German army many times.
"And!" Khryukin added: "We have also completed the initial reform of the mixed divisions, that is, to streamline their headquarters by regiment. At the same time, these pilots have rich combat experience!"
Trufanov set his sights on Shulka.
Shulka refused without even thinking about it. He took the microphone and said to Major General Khryukin: "Comrade Khryukin, if we said that our air force fell into the enemy's trap time and time again and was passive, then now, it is the enemy who fell into the enemy's trap." Entering our trap, it is time for us to take revenge, don't you want to beat the enemy hard?"
Khryukin obviously didn't have much confidence. He said: "Comrade Shulka, although the reform has indeed improved the air force's response speed, pilots need time to grow. This cannot be changed..."
"I know!" Shulka interrupted Khryukin: "That's why we need more aircraft and more professional command, and then use them to defeat the enemy!"
Khryukin was silent. He understood what Shulka meant, which was to set traps and at the same time form a numerical advantage over the enemy, so that it could make up for the weakness in technology and fighter performance to some extent.
After thinking about it, Khryukin replied: "Well, why don't we try? Anyway, it's all about fighting. If it's possible to win the battle, I won't refuse!"
So Major General Khryukin assigned two aviation divisions to the 51st Army: a fighter aviation division and an assault aviation division.
And these two aviation divisions are also under the command of the 2nd Aviation Army, commanded by Major General Sam Solov.
This command system looks similar to the previous command system in terms of personnel and situation, but it is actually very different.
The previous command system was that each aviation division had a command system for fighters, assault planes, and bombers.
The current command system is that the annihilation and the strong attack are completely separated into independent systems, and then go up to the command of the army.
Thus, fighter planes and attack planes can be separated or combined.
Points: Let the respective aviation divisions command the operations.
Combined: The command power will be returned to the command of the Air Force Command, and the two divisions can be well merged and coordinated.
After making these preparations, it is time to set a trap for the German army.
It was still cloudy and rainy, and the sky didn't turn gray until eight o'clock.
But it was enough for the Soviet ground troops... Ground troops don't need much visible light to move forward, and it is precisely this kind of weather that is most suitable for ground troops to operate, because they don't have to worry too much about the bombing of enemy fighters.
So, the tank "rumbled" out of the city from Prodovitoye, and under the leadership of the scouts and infantry in front, attacked westward in the drizzle.
This kind of attack can be said to be unstoppable.
Although the Soviet army rested for one night in Plodovitoye, it meant giving the Romanian army one night of preparation time, but there was almost no difference between the Romanian army being prepared and not being prepared.
As I said before, the Romanian army is seriously lacking anti-tank equipment, and Prodovitoje has fallen. At this time, the Romanian army has already suffered from "tank phobia". Before firing the cannon, he gave up his position, turned and fled.
And the reply from the Romanian Army to its superiors seems to make sense:
"Sir, we have no anti-tank equipment, but the enemy has many tanks! Then, such a battle is a meaningless sacrifice, and I think retreat is the right thing!"
So, the kind of thinking held by Westerners, that is, if the outcome is decided, from a humanitarian point of view, it is not shameful to flee or even surrender. Sometimes it is not a good thing.
Just like now, this kind of thinking even makes it impossible for the superiors to refute: the enemy has tanks, but our army does not have anti-tank equipment, so the outcome is already decided, and sacrifices are unnecessary.
This made the Romanian 4th Army Commander Dumilerescu furious.
"Stay in your defense line!" Dumilarescu yelled into the phone, "Even if you don't have anti-tank equipment, you can blow it up with grenades and explosives!"
It's a pity that the Romanian army is not the German army.
If it is the German army, they will also try to use anti-tank grenades and even explosives.
Therefore, Dumilarescu's order was not implemented at all, and the westward advance of the Soviet army almost meant that the Roman army collapsed wherever the tanks went.
In desperation, Dumilarescu could only ask the German army for help.
"I hope you can send the air force to cooperate with my troops!" Dumilarescu said to Paulus: "They have no anti-tank equipment, and they have suffered heavy casualties against enemy tanks and have nothing to do!"
It is true that there is no way, but it is impossible to talk about the heavy casualties, because the advance of the Soviet tank troops could not catch up with the fleeing Romanian army.
Paulus hesitated.
He originally planned to let the Air Force fully cooperate with the Armored Grenadier Division to fight, so as to delay the closing of the Soviet encirclement as much as possible. It would be great if it could last until Manstein's reinforcements arrived. If not, you can also transport more supplies into the encirclement.
But Paulus thought about it again, if the air force is allowed to bomb the Russian tank unit all the way, then when the Russian tank unit meets the 29th Panzergrenadier Division, it will be a remnant division, which can reduce the number of the 29th Panzergrenadier Division in series. Energy consumption of the 29th Panzergrenadier Division.
So Paulus didn't think about it any more, and he replied: "No problem, general! However, I hope that while our warplanes bomb the enemy, you can stabilize your troops so that they can at least do something useful." Things, such as laying mines to delay the enemy's offensive!"
Dumillerescu couldn't help but blush. The situation was indeed as Paulus said. The Romanian army fled in embarrassment without even doing the necessary sabotage actions.
(end of this chapter)
