Empire in Progress

Chapter 390: Battle of Kiev (4)

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What Heydrich said made Admiral Kuznetsov twist his eyes, and then he looked directly at this handsome German guy with blond hair and blue eyes, Marshal Tukhachevsky. If Heydrich hadn't said it himself, he had been framed. Marshal Tukhachevsky and Admiral Kuznetsov didn’t believe anything they said. The handsome young man in front of them turned out to be the head of the famous SS Security Bureau and the number two figure in the SS. .

Although General Kuznetsov was speechless by Heydrich's blunder, he immediately counterattacked, "The remarks made by His Excellency the Deputy Leader are just speculations and have no real evidence. The strength of the Soviet Red Army in the west is only It is used for defense, is it also wrong to defend against attack?"

Heydrich smiled and ignored Admiral Kuznetsov's quibbles. The Soviet Union's attack on Germany did not happen. Of course Admiral Kuznetsov would not admit anything that did not happen due to his temper. In fact, it did not happen. People will admit it. However, this did not trouble Heydrich. Heydrich spat out a few words, "Thunderstorm Plan!!"

General Kuznetsov was shocked when he heard what Heydrich said. He looked at Heydrich in disbelief. As the commander of a major military region, General Kuznetsov certainly knew that such a plan had been taken before. Even after the war, General Kuznetsov complained to Stalin for not implementing the thunderstorm plan for a few days, but now he no longer has such thoughts, because the Germans have long known This plan shows that the Germans are already prepared.

Lin Wei sat like an old monk in trance, as if he had not seen the confrontation between Heydrich and Admiral Kuznetsov. When Admiral Kuznetsov was speechless, Lin Wei spoke. Said, "Admiral Kuznetsov, consider our suggestions. The Northwest Front has no chance to break through now. Your strength is only 40% of what it was before the war. With the lack of mechanized troops and heavy weapons, It is no longer possible to guarantee your combat effectiveness. Even if it is 40%, I still praise you! Now you are surrounded by Marshal Loeb’s Northern Army Group to the west and south, and the Norwegian Army Group is to the east. Only the north can allow you to escape, provided that Your soldiers are all good swimmers and can kill the navy of our German Empire with their bare hands! Haha... "

This sarcasm made General Kuznetsov's face change wonderfully, but he could not get angry yet, because what Lin Wei said was true. With the current strength of the Northwest Front, it is really impossible to break out. However, thinking of his family still in Moscow, General Kuznetsov strengthened his belief and said, "I will not surrender. I am loyal to my motherland!"

Lin Wei gave a hint to Heydrich who was about to speak, and then said with a smile, "Admiral Kuznetsov, don't draw conclusions so early. Since we can't reach an agreement now, I suggest you take a break. Let’s talk about it in the afternoon, okay?” After Lin Wei’s proposal was approved by Admiral Kuznetsov, he immediately stood up and pulled Heydrich out.

Quietly, the Gulf of Riga seems not to have been threatened by war. On the clean beach, Lin Wei and Heydrich came out of the small manor and admired the beautiful scenery against the sea breeze. The place was very empty, even Kuznet If Admiral Zoff wants to send someone to monitor him, he has to stay far away so that he doesn't have to worry about the secret being leaked.

"The war is over. I must build a manor here and then buy the islands outside the Gulf of Riga!" Lin Wei seemed not to be affected by what just happened at all, commenting on the scenery here with a very interested expression. , a dozen people, including Lin Wei, left shallow footprints on the beach. On the sea more than 10,000 meters away, the main gun of the battleship Scharnhorst was still pointing here motionlessly.

"Lampard! Kuznetsov is really stubborn. What is he afraid of? If it doesn't work, I think forget it. The Northwest Front will be annihilated sooner or later. Why are we doing this!" Heydrich told Kuznetsov The husband-admiral was very dissatisfied and said angrily.

"Of course I'm afraid of Stalin!" Lin Wei looked back at the furious Heydrich and said with a smile, "Have you got what we want?" It's really rare for Heydrich to get angry. So Lin Wei couldn't help but smile a little when he asked questions.

Heydrich glanced back, and a follower nodded slightly, then turned to Lin Wei and said, "It's done!"

"That's no problem!" Lin Wei replied, "Why should we be anxious? Even if we fail, Stalin will let General Kuznetsov make the decision for us. We just need to enjoy the scenery here happily." That's enough! As for everything else, it's all trivial! In fact, swimming here is a good choice!" After speaking, Lin Wei continued to walk on the beach.

Heydrich was stunned by Lin Wei's words, then smiled bitterly, and had to continue to follow Lin Wei on the outing. After lunch, Lin Wei and Heydrich were preparing to have another confrontation with Admiral Kuznetsov in the afternoon. .

When the two sides sat at the negotiating table again, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. After the two sides sat down, Lin Wei first said, "Admiral Kuznetsov, you should surrender! Don't think this is such a humiliating thing. As you Personally, you have been surrounded. If you escape, I think General Pavlov will be your fate. You will not be surrounded and don’t even know what happened during this time, right? Pavlov, the commander of the Western Front Army General Love has been shot! From the standpoint of the entire front army, you should surrender, because the area you control now is only more than half of Estonia. This small country cannot afford to support so many troops like yours, even if you resist. In the end, as long as Army Group North surrounds you, your entire front will be finished within a year, because I have plenty of ways to make you disappear!"

"Oh?" General Kuznetsov asked confidently, "What reason do you have for me to believe that you can make my front army disappear?" General Kuznetsov had already heard about Bav. General Kuznetsov no longer cared about the news that General Love had been shot, but because he was worried that his family would be exiled, he naturally would not listen to Lin Wei's words.

"It's very simple!" Lin Wei snapped his fingers, "Estonia has a small territory and not much food production, and the consumption of your nearly 300,000 troops is huge. I'm not boasting, as long as we send the air force to sprinkle some chemicals on the farmland. Potion, not a single grain of grain will grow in Estonia this year!”

"So what, the final winner must be the Soviet Union. You know, the Soviet Union is much larger than you in terms of population and territory!" Admiral Kuznetsov said calmly, "We must be the final winner. !”

"Really?" Lin Wei laughed sarcastically, "The whole of Europe is under the control of Germany, and France, Italy, and the United Kingdom are all providing support for Germany's war! You don't think that the status of Kazakhstan and France are the same. Right? We can use Swedish iron ore, Romanian oil, French grain, and British textiles to fight you. What do you have? Industrially speaking, the Soviet Union and Germany are evenly matched, but we have defeated you after occupying the Czech Republic. First of all, in addition to the industrial power of Germany, we also have the industrial power of Britain, France, and Italy that can produce weapons for us. In addition to them, there are the Netherlands and Belgium. The scale of industry we control is at least 2.5 times that of yours. The Soviet Union has What about fighting Germany? Huh????”

Following Lin Wei's words, Admiral Kuznetsov's chest rose and fell. He seemed to be in an unstable mood, which made Lin Wei think that he suddenly had Zhuge Liang's ability and could talk people into death. After Lin Wei finished speaking, General Kuznetsov stood up and said, "General Krupp, General Heydrich, you can leave. I will not surrender. I must be worthy of my heart and be loyal to My own motherland!" This was the third time today that General Kuznetsov said he was loyal to his motherland, and this time Lin Wei heard from it that he really would not surrender.

"Okay, Admiral Kuznetsov, then we will only meet on the battlefield!" Lin Wei and Heydrich stood up, glanced at him, and walked out of the manor without looking back.

"General, should we kill them!" the person next to General Kuznetsov asked.

General Kuznetsov hesitated, closed his eyes and said, "Let them go. As soldiers, we'd better not be like those nasty guys from the KGB!"

After leaving the manor, it was already dark, but it was not far from the station. Otherwise, Germans like Lin Wei and others might have to worry about whether they would encounter Soviet Red Army troops who did not know the situation and be killed unjustly.

After boarding the train, Lin Wei and the others were considered safe. The railway line had been guarded by people assigned by Admiral Kuznetsov. There was no need to worry about safety issues. Lin Wei said to Heydrich, "Go back. After arriving in our area, immediately send the photos to the hands of the lurking personnel, and be sure to call Stalin's hands!"

"Understood!" Heydrich took the film from the person next to him and immediately asked someone to go down and develop the photos. He had already prepared a place in Lin Wei's train. As the train moved slowly, Lin Wei and his party returned to the German-controlled area again, where troops from the Northern Army Group were already waiting.

It took Lin Wei two days to go back and forth. At this time, the battle between the German Southeast Army Group and the Southern Army Group, as well as the Soviet Southwest Front Army and the Southern Front Army on the land of Ukraine had begun to develop in intensity. The German Tenth The advance detachment of an armored division immediately launched an assault eastward from the Dnieper River bridgehead and approached the Desna River in the Ostyer area. The fast battle group commanded by Lieutenant General Stapf, commander of the 111th Infantry Division, was ordered to forcefully cross the Desna River here. The Soviet army found that its troops in northern Kiev were in danger of being surrounded, so they withdrew to the east bank of the Dnie River during the day. The 44th Infantry Division has reached the Dnieper River near Demel, 20 kilometers away from Kiev in the south.

Both sides of the Dnieper River from its mouth to southern Kiev were firmly in German hands. At the same time, there were already signs that a crossing near Garnostepol might be possible. Although this move may encounter new enemy resistance in the Desna River area, it will inevitably have an impact on the Red Army's defense near Kiev. If Army Group Center uses part of its forces in Chernihiv, then it will It may be echoed by the Seventeenth Army in Kremenchug and the Po River in the north, thus contributing to the collapse of the Red Army's Dnieper River defense line and the disintegration of the positions being constructed by the Soviet army along the Sula River...

Another day later, Marshal von Reichenau's Sixth Army's offensive on the northern flank also progressed smoothly. A battle group of the Seventeenth Army attacked Mozyr via Yelisk, communicating for the first time since the beginning of the war. The two Army Groups South and Center have not yet established contact in the Pripyat area, and benefiting from the actions of the 17th Army, the Southeast Army Group that detours north will also benefit from it.

As the 11th Armored Division and the 111th Infantry Division advanced toward the Desna River, they encountered a powerful Soviet counterattack. But this did not prevent the Germans from expanding the Dnieper River bridgehead near Garnostepol. South of Garnostepol, the XXXIV Corps headquarters was approaching the Dnieper River. Major Metzger of the 1st Battalion of the 482nd Infantry Regiment of the 262nd Infantry Division has reached the banks of the Dnieper River near Globovka in the eastern part of Deml. The enemy used gunboats to bombard the approaching German infantry. Second Lieutenant Taimer, commander of the third battalion, discovered this situation, so he immediately ordered the anti-tank gun to be transported to the river bank, and used a 37mm anti-tank gun to destroy an enemy gunboat, and the enemy gunboat immediately withdrew.

Army Group South captured the entire Dnieper River except both sides of Kiev. But the Soviet Fifth Army escaped. The Russian High Command successfully "concealed its retreat attempt and suddenly retreated from all fronts" against the German Army Group South headquarters. The Soviet Fifth Army has put up tenacious resistance against the German Sixth Army since the first day of the war. Although it has been defeated, it has not yet suffered a fatal blow. It is stepping up its efforts to rest and reorganize its troops behind the Desna River in an attempt to hold on to this area. .

Regarding this situation, the two marshals of Army Group South were arguing. Marshal Manstein said to Marshal Rundstedt, "The 1st Waffen SS Panzer Corps successfully deceived the Soviet Union from Smolensk. The troops have now moved south. Although the armed SS troops of the Southeast Army Group starting from Romania have no combat experience, their fighting will cannot be ignored under Lampard's training. This can be seen from the Battle of Dunkirk and the Battle of Gibraltar. It can already be seen! So based on the current situation, I think we can completely turn this advantage into victory! I think the Soviet Fifth Army will not hesitate to fight us in a decisive battle to keep the Kiev bridgehead. Therefore, special measures must be taken against Kiev Note. Kiev is the locked door to the east. If Army Group South can successfully maintain the offensive momentum on its northern flank, it can also launch a fierce assault forward from the bridgeheads in the middle reaches of the Dnieper River to attack the enemy's defense line. If a pincer offensive is formed, Kiev may also become a turning point in a large-scale battle."

Although Marshal Rundstedt agreed with Marshal Manstein, he was more cautious and said, "Our attack from south to north has made great progress, but the Sixteenth Army's Seventeenth Army The assault from north to south encountered many difficulties. The Garnostepol bridgehead could only be used under certain conditions. There was only one usable embankment to Garnostepol via the Pripyat region, and it could not At the same time, a large number of troops were passed. Although the troops could advance from the Dnieper River bridgehead, they would not be able to walk a few kilometers before the equally difficult obstacle of the Desna River would block the way. Therefore, only Army Group Center was deployed east of the Desna River. With strong troops, the northern wing was able to advance. As we all know, neither the Supreme Command nor Marshal Bock, the commander of Army Group Center, will use their own troops to assist us because they are preparing to attack Moscow, or even General Huth The armored group's march north to Leningrad has already aroused the dissatisfaction of Marshal Bock!"

"The only way to start is from the 1st Armored Corps of the Waffen-SS. Rundstedt, I want to suggest to the High Command that the command of the 1st Armored Corps be taken over. For the sake of the war, I think Lampard I won’t mind!” Manstein suggested.

"Okay, let's make a joint proposal! As for communicating with Lampard, it's up to me. You can just concentrate on directing the battle!" Marshal Rundstedt took over the matter, and Rundstedt took over the matter. Marshal clearly knew that although he could command this kind of battle, he could not do better than Marshal Manstein, and Marshal Rundstedt clearly knew his shortcomings, which were the use of armored troops and blitzkrieg. His understanding is far from Marshal Manstein's opponent, so Marshal Rundstedt usually hands over the command of the troops to Marshal Manstein, while he clears the way for Marshal Manstein. Therefore, the relationship between the two people can be said to be the best partnership in the entire German army.

Manstein began to serve as the chief of staff of the German Army Group South commanded by General Rundstedt. The friendship between the two of them also began at that time. The two got along so well that after the Polish campaign, Manstein When Stein was transferred to another position, he emotionally expressed his gratitude to Rundstedt for his help and his gratitude to him at a farewell party held by Rundstedt. This incident has become a favorite story in the German army, and the friendship between Rundstedt and Manstein can also be seen from now on.

If history moves forward, after Germany's defeat, when Rundstedt's former chief of staff, Marshal Manstein, was tried in Hamburg, Marshal Rundstedt even asked for permission to be tried together with his comrades.