Seven Hundred and Nine Marshals

Unlike General Liszt who was struggling under the onslaught of Soviet generals such as Zhukov on the northern battlefield, German troops in southern Ukraine are attacking Soviet troops fiercely. In addition to Guderian's G Army, which was attacking Kharkov on the frontal battlefield of the German army, there is also a new Army Group M, which has just mobilized some forces from various armies, and is launching its own attack on the fortress on the Crimean Peninsula. attack.

Manstein is one of the rare German strategic masters in another time and space. The French offensive he drew up can be said to be a stroke of genius, because this plan caused heavy losses to the Allied forces. If it weren’t for the later Dunkirk, Hitler It can even wipe out the main forces of Britain and France in Belgium.

And in this time and space, although Manstein still put forward the important plan of the scythe operation in name, he knew in his heart that the whole plan could be said to have been planned by the Führer Akado, so the original famous commander He has been working as Brauchitsch's staff at the Army General Staff for 9 months.

In the past 9 months, Manstein was not playing soy sauce. He personally participated in the construction and repair of the eastern crenel defense line, and drew up an efficient defensive counterattack strategy. He actively organized the logistical support system for the troops to attack. He perfected the material reserves of each group army. In short, he used every possible opportunity to enrich himself, and finally got everyone's affirmation.

His immediate superior Brauchitsch commented on Manstein in his letter of recommendation to Akado: He is definitely one of the most military-savvy commanders I have ever seen. He is stable and capable. I suggest that he Command an army group to exercise and become a rare and unique talent in the empire.

Guderian commented on Manstein in his diary: This person reminds me of Erwin Rommel. If Erwin is a commander who is good at attacking, Manstein is a The commanders who are familiar with every aspect of the army have different styles, but both are the most capable generals I have ever seen.

Now this self-satisfied "staff general" was appointed by the head of state as the commander-in-chief of the new m group army, responsible for commanding the group army's attack on the Crimean peninsula. And after he took office, he immediately raised his family property in a calm and unhurried manner.

If anyone still remembers the logistics general Frick of the 3rd Armored Division of the SS, they will know that a general who can actually provide equipment for his troops is a half-qualified officer no matter how good he is. Manstein has worked as a staff officer for 9 months, and he is naturally familiar with the supply process of an army group, how complicated it can be.

From the messy logistics supply report, he repeatedly confirmed the equipment he needed, and then tried his best to find what he didn't have in the front-line supply list, and then got some big guys into his troops through his relationship with the General Staff Come inside.

For example, his troops are equipped with 20 210mm caliber heavy guns produced by the Krupp factory. This big guy, Akado, only issued an order to lift the ban a few months ago.

The "new large-caliber howitzer" produced by Krupp's experiment, although this kind of artillery is a towed artillery, and it is relatively slow to enter the position, it really makes up for the shortcomings of the German army's lack of heavy artillery support.

Manstein also tried his best to search for all kinds of weird junk, such as some train guns from France, and train guns converted from fortress guns from Belgium. Some German units that value mobility don't look down on these guys who have difficulty in supplying supplies, but Manstein can sign for it.

Because he has studied the entire Crimean defense system of the Soviet Union, he knows that attacking this kind of "fortress area" where fortresses are concentrated requires a lot of large-caliber artillery as support. It is a pity that he also knows that what the German army is in short supply now is all kinds of large-caliber artillery.

Although the construction of fortresses in the Soviet Union has been abolished a lot due to the smooth industrial revitalization, the fortresses in the entire Crimea region are not as strong and large as in another time and space, but the defensive power of the entire fortress area should not be underestimated. For this reason, Manstein sent at least 30 reconnaissance planes to conduct as detailed a reconnaissance and photographing of the area as possible.

The good news is that because of the service of the Soviet-class battleships, Soviet large-caliber artillery has been used, so the Crimean fortress area does not have those huge steel turrets and large-caliber artillery in another time and space, only some small-caliber artillery Filled up. Moreover, the underground bunkers in the entire fortress area have been reduced a lot due to lack of attention. At least those underground fortifications tens of meters deep are still lying on the drawings.

Manstein did his best to prepare cannons and ammunition, and armed his infantry to the teeth. Judging from his pre-war preparations, it was absolutely sufficient and extremely targeted. This also shows that Manstein is definitely a German commander with the ability to be a marshal. Although Akado has taken part of his light, he can still be said to be a brilliant general.

As Guderian's G Group Army began to attack in the eastern region, Manstein couldn't help but want to make contributions, grabbed the phone in his hand, and issued an order to attack the Crimean Peninsula across the board. The most elite infantry under his command began to storm forward, and the overwhelming offensive tore apart the defenses on the outskirts of the Crimean Peninsula in just one afternoon, driving the Red Army soldiers of Marshal Voroshilov to the Crimean Peninsula The isthmus is struggling to support.

The momentum of the German attack shocked Zhukov. Although the Crimean Peninsula has not accepted his orders and rule, it is still the territory of the Soviet Union in name. Now the Crimea and Kharkov are in emergency at the same time, pressing on Zhukov’s shoulders It is conceivable how much pressure there is.

Zhukov is also worthy of being one of the most famous commanders in the Soviet Union. He wrote a telegram to Stalin to analyze the current battle situation, and then asked Stalin to give him support and let him continue to attack Kyiv. To weaken the vital strength of the German army.

The reason why Zhukov dared to arrange the battle plan in this way is because his front-line general, who is now attacking, the commander of the 1st Guards Front, and another Soviet hero Konev. The general in charge of the offensive had a background in political work and was Stalin's proudest masterpiece—the most capable political worker he had unearthed.

The general who reassured Stalin advocated continuing to attack Kyiv, because he felt the weakness of the e-group army under Liszt, so he invested his troops as quickly as possible, and persuaded Zhukov to use the battle reserve in advance. Another guard front army was thrown into the battlefield, and the commander of this front army was also a famous figure in history, another powerful Soviet commander Rokossovsky.

These two people were once called the troika of the Soviet Red Army with Zhukov in another time and space, which is enough to see that their command level is beyond doubt. And the troops in their hands are definitely the most elite existence of the Soviet Union. The reorganized 1st Guards Front, the 2nd Guards Front transferred from the direction of Moscow, and the 3rd Guards Front while maintaining an offensive posture in the other direction formed the new Soviet offensive camp.

The commander of the 3rd Front Army is the well-known General Vasilevsky, who is also a powerful commander and an experienced battlefield veteran. This lineup is many times stronger than that of the last Soviet-German battle in Poland. It can be said that it is a luxurious all-star lineup that really went to the front line of the Soviet Union.

For a while, the entire Eastern Front was full of famous commanders. When Akado took the detailed investigation report of the commanders of both sides, he couldn't believe his eyes. He was almost the most capable general in World War II. Now they are almost assembled, and during the snowy time on the Eastern Front, each other showed their shining long knives to their old enemies.

"These Soviet generals are difficult to deal with." Akado kept shaking slightly on the plane, with Vasilevsky's brief resume on his knees, and Anna's next to him. On his lap was a brief resume of Rokossovsky. It can be said that these two men can be regarded as representatives of the young and strong faction in the Soviet Union. They are even younger than the vigorous generals of the Third Reich. Not a lot.

Vasilevsky has just turned 43 years old this year, and this little-known Konev has just turned 40 years old now, and another front-line general Rokossovsky is only 41 years old this year. These young generals stood out because of the great purges of the Soviet Union, and they have become the core command group of the Soviet Red Army. Together with Zhukov, who became famous earlier, they formed a powerful force to attack the northern German defense line.

As the front-line commanding general of the German army, Liszt seemed a bit tired of parrying against the attack of three Soviet heroes at the same time. His group army itself was not mainly armored troops, and now it had to face thousands of advanced tanks and elite troops alone. The Soviet main front army with strengthened troops is really a little too reluctant.

Before they knew it, six marshals of the Soviet Union appeared on the stage: Voroshilov, Timoshenko, Zhukov, Vasilevsky, Rokossovsky, and Konev; Star-studded: Lundstedt, Liszt, Weicks, Manstein, Model, Kluge, plus a quasi-Marshal Guderian.

As soon as the bloody battle on the Eastern Front kicked off, it skipped the opening warm-up in an instant and entered the most tragic and bloody stage.