Looking at the somewhat depressed General Kilponos, Marshal Timoshenko seemed to want to persuade the young general, but General Kilponos spoke first, "Marshal, the current situation is that the entire Ukraine has been surrounded by German troops with dual advantages in quality and quantity. From the news fed back to me by the armies, I have understood that the breakout has failed! This war will definitely end with the disappearance of the Southwest Front!" Timoshin Marshal Timoshenko rarely interrupted General Kilponos's words. At least Marshal Timoshenko now knew that everything General Kilponos said was the truth.
"Marshal! I am ready to defend Kiev. I think this is the last contribution I can make!" General Kilponos saluted solemnly. Seeing that Marshal Timoshenko did not seem to understand what he said, he continued, "The failure of the entire battle is inevitable. If you continue to resist, the soldiers will only pay a heavy price. As we all know, the most powerful units in the German Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS are armored divisions. According to the current breakout plan, each The army group is very likely to be annihilated by the Germans in the wilderness, and the only way to dismantle the German armored forces is through the intricate buildings in the city. Therefore, my marshal, I am prepared to stay and fight the Germans in Kiev!"
"Oh no, General Kilponos!" After listening carefully, Marshal Timoshenko finally understood General Kilponos's crazy idea. In order to make General Kilponos give up this idea, Marshal Timoshenko Marshal Xinge persuaded with sincerity, "Although the war situation is temporarily unfavorable to us, Kilponos, you must remain optimistic. We will definitely fight the Germans bloody to the end, and now the Soviet Union is lacking someone like you." Experienced general, come with me! When we return to Moscow, we will definitely have the opportunity to avenge the Germans in the future!"
"I have decided!" General Kilponos has never been so insistent, but this time he is really preparing for a decisive battle with the German Wehrmacht in Kiev. There are not many troops in Kiev because most of the troops are there. During the breakout process, during this period of time, according to the information received by General Kilponos, there were large numbers of German troops in almost every direction. At this time, General Kilponos knew that the Southwest Front Army had already It's over. Now there are only a handful of troops contacted by General Kilponos. The entire Kiev garrison strength is only two divisions. It is simply a replica of the Western Front in the later stage of the Minsk Battle. This is all because the troops invested in the early stage were too heavy, which led to the later stage. There was no force to defend, but even so, General Kirponos was still prepared to use the developed urban transportation in Kiev to continue fighting against Germany.
Marshal Timoshenko wanted to continue to persuade this successful subordinate, but General Kilponos had decided that no matter how much Marshal Timoshenko persuaded, it would be of no avail. So in the end, Marshal Timoshenko had no choice but to give up and let General Kilponos begin to reorganize his troops in Kiev. In fact, now in Kiev and nearby areas, General Kilponos can only use two or three troops. Ten thousand people, many of the soldiers were dispersed by the original troops and found again by the guard troops directly under the front army of General Kilponos.
General Kirponos is ready to fight for the Soviet Union, but this does not mean that other senior Soviet officials in Kiev also think so. A few days ago, planes sent by Moscow had begun to transport senior Soviet officials in the encirclement. Get out before they fall into German hands. Khrushchev, whom Stalin sent to Kiev as the military commissar, had also left Kiev early. Now most Soviet officials have abandoned the Southwest Front surrounded by Germany and embarked on a journey of survival alone. When General Kilponos found Marshal Timoshenko, the last planes flying into the encirclement had already landed in Kiev. In other words, General Kilponos himself gave up the opportunity to escape and prepared to stay with his Southwest Front.
Now, the troops under the command of General Kilponos have changed from the Southwest Front Army of nearly one million to a makeshift motley crew of 20,000 to 30,000 people. The scale has shrunk by a full thirty times. Not only has the strength of the troops shrunk, but the quality is also far inferior to before. These improvised troops include armored troops, cavalry, infantry and even cooking troops. Many of them have no hope of breaking through and are internal security troops affiliated with the KGB. The symbol of the Soviet Red Army, the Soviet artillery that has always impressed German soldiers has also been greatly weakened. At least now in the hands of General Kilponos, many artillery units on the surface, and those majestic cannons have been No more shells.
Time is more important than now at any time. General Kirponos understands this especially now. When all the important officials of government agencies and military commands in Kiev have almost left, everything has to be done. It all fell on the shoulders of Admiral Kilponos alone. When all the dignitaries evacuated Kiev, General Kilponos ordered all the troops outside the city to withdraw into Kiev. This was because these troops could no longer stay outside Kiev and wait for the Germans to attack. , must shrink the defense line to be able to persist for a longer period of time.
For ordinary people who did not evacuate from Kiev, General Kirponos allowed them to retreat outside the city. This violated Stalin's orders. In fact, in many decisive battles of the Soviet-German war, Stalin ordered The residents of the city live and die with the city, which is why the Soviet Union sacrificed so many ordinary people in the war. Now that the entire Kiev has been surrounded, this kind of order will definitely worry General Kirponos, who is determined to defend the city. General Kirponos is different from Stalin after all. War is something like this in Kirponos. In Admiral Si's eyes, it was best to stay away from civilians. Therefore, while all military and political dignitaries were evacuated, General Kirponos ordered all Kiev residents to surrender to the Germans.
The 29th Army of the Sixth Group Army was ordered to attack Kiev. Now the 29th Army is in an unprecedented period of strength, with four infantry divisions and one light armored division under it. In fact, Army Group South has planned several attacks on Kiev from July to now, but all of them have failed. Now that the Soviet Southwest Front has collapsed, Marshal Manstein believes that the conditions for conquering Kiev are ripe.
The 29th Army concentrated all its artillery and launched a fierce bombardment on Kiev. The whole scene was very shocking. This city with a long history was trembling under the modern war. Buildings were destroyed one after another. After the shelling, the German divisions launched an attack on the Soviet positions that had built strong fortifications, laid mines and were equipped with heavy weapons. The fighting was extremely fierce and brutal. But it’s nowhere near as tough as July. It can be said that in the initial offensive, the progress of the 29th Army far exceeded imagination. General Kilponos did not conduct fierce resistance in the suburbs. Those solid fortifications and positions were left intact. The German army.
But after entering the city of Kiev, the test of the 29th Army came. Compared with the Armed SS, the Wehrmacht was not very good at street fighting. The 29th Army fell into this standard of the Wehrmacht. This cold-blooded combat method left the German soldiers at a loss. Although the German troops seemed to have an absolute advantage in the battle, as time went by, they soon discovered that the number of comrades around them was rapidly decreasing. In view of this, the 29th Army Headquarters immediately stopped this move, because Kiev has now become an isolated city. If the losses are huge because of this city that is surrounded from all sides, it seems that the gain is not worth the loss.
On the northern front, the regiments of the 296th Infantry Division immediately launched a pursuit when the 29th Army attacked. After three hours of fighting, the three infantry regiments and other divisional troops broke into a depth of 26 kilometers north of Kiev. fortification area and invaded the urban area of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. However, like the 29th Army, they fell into a quagmire of street fighting and had to stop the attack.
The telegrams from the 29th Army and the 296th Division soon reached the hands of Marshal Manstein. Marshal Manstein thought for a long time and ordered, "Notify the 29th Army and the 296th Division." , suspend the attack on Kiev city, first clear out the remaining enemies around, and then station outside Kiev!" After the order was completed, Manstein said in a preaching tone, "The most important thing now is to annihilate the unorganized Southwest Front Army. Troops, Kiev is just a city, even if it is of great significance, it is still a dead thing. This era is no longer the era of attacking cities and territories. The decisive factor is to annihilate the enemy's vitality!"
Marshal Manstein's words received unanimous approval from the headquarters. In fact, it was indeed the case. Germany's blood-red swastika flag was already flying over Kiev. As for when it would be covered, this was only a small problem.
Indeed, compared to the capture of Kiev, the annihilation battle inside the encirclement is more meaningful. Some enemy troops are still holding on around Borispol, northwest of Lubne, near Lochvita and Sortonoqing north of Cherkasy. around. Every division, regiment, battalion, company, and even squad of the Soviet army tried their best to encircle the enemy in every possible way. No one knows where the officers and soldiers of the "Southwestern Front Army" are still, and what their fate will be. Major General Bagramyan's battle group launched the first assault on the German troops, but was scattered. When Major General Bagramyan encountered other Soviet troops near Gadyach on September 24, his battle group of 3,000 men had only fifty officers and fifty-two soldiers left. The experience of Major General Bagramyan was just the tip of the iceberg of the fate of the entire Southwest Front. Many of the Soviets spent the minutes before being captured screaming and hurriedly drinking vodka from bottles and shooting the remaining bullets from their carbines and machine guns in the air. Being captured by the Germans in their dreams, these Soviet soldiers were lucky. At least they did not accept the fate of becoming prisoners while awake.
The mistakes of the "Southwestern Front" not only cost the lives of tens of millions of Russian soldiers, but also cost the lives of many Germans who were involved in the vortex of the encirclement war. The following example illustrates this situation. At the same time, the situation of people of German origin born and raised in the Soviet Union is also a very representative example. The Soviet High Command realized at the end of August that, having occupied the entire Dnieper salient, the Germans were now threatening the Ukrainian industrial areas. However, the industry here was crucial to maintaining the combat effectiveness of the Soviet army and must not be left behind.
into the hands of the Germans. In order to protect the industrial zone, the Soviet Supreme High Command took drastic measures: some commanders were sent to the rear areas of the front armies, and they had full authority over the soldiers and civilian workers who participated in the construction of the Dnieper River defense line. A second line of defense was built on the Mi-Kharkov-Poltava line.
In order to build the above-mentioned defense line, the Soviet Union not only recruited local residents, but also transferred collective farm members and Communist Youth League members from all over the country. On September 3, Germans in villages along the Volga River and in the North Caucasus were suddenly sent to the railway station to load goods, and four days later they were sent to Razurki, southeast of Pilyagin, to unload goods. That night, they were sent to build positions on the banks of the Orshica River in the Soluch section. These days, the Soviets have sent a total of 50,000 Germans to the rear areas of the "Southwestern Front" to build fortifications. These Germans were divided into two brigades. One brigade of about 30,000 people was responsible for building fortifications near Nezhin in the northeast of Kiev, and the other brigade of 1,000 people was responsible for building fortifications in the Pilyatin-Orshitsa area. The planned defense line was never completed. German bombers continued to bomb the labor brigade under construction. Soon, the German artillery also shelled the newly built permanent fortifications and anti-tank trenches. The national supervisors were frightened and had no intention of supervising the work, so the Germans took the opportunity to escape in groups.
On September 4, the German laborers in Nalchik fled to Pilyatin. Here they encountered Soviet Guards troops and had to flee eastward. Near Cherevki, located west of Lubne, it encountered another blockade by Russian cavalry, and the team gradually dispersed. Some people fled towards Lubne, and then towards the Uday River. The officer patrols interrogated them many times, "Where are they from and where are they going?" But they all passed the interrogation smoothly. When they reached the banks of the Uday River, they could go no further. At this time, a local old man came and was willing to be their guide. At dawn, the old man led the Germans across the river. At this time, a tank with an iron cross mark appeared in front. These Germans are saved! Many people failed to break out of the encirclement. Among them were Russians, Tatars, Kyrgyz, Cossacks, Volga Germans, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Lithuanians and thousands of others from all over the Soviet Union. Trapped in this great triangle between the Desna, Dnieper and Sura rivers, Ukraine has become a huge cemetery.
The news that these Volga Germans had been found immediately attracted one person, that is, Heydrich, deputy national leader of the SS, who came because of the Katyn massacre. Like Lin Wei, Heydrich was also a complete conspiracy theorist. , once he has the opportunity, he will continue to make small moves to obtain favorable conditions. In Lin Wei's eyes, the number of these Volga Germans can form a new division. These Volga Germans who are familiar with the situation in the Soviet Union will become a sharp weapon for Germany. Steel knife. But in Heydrich's eyes, these native Germans were the best candidates for the Gestapo. It was not a problem to select some of them to train as agents. Lin Wei and Heydrich also argued over this via telegram, but now it seems that Lin Wei, who has already taken the train back to Berlin, is already at a disadvantage.
Neither Linwei nor Heydrich had any doubt about the loyalty of these Volga Germans. In terms of blood, they were all Germans. Realistically speaking, Stalin's forcible relocation of some ethnic groups has already begun. Even if these Volga Germans don't understand the situation now, they will know it sooner or later. It is hard to imagine that a person whose whole family has been exiled would still be devoted to his nominal motherland, and besides, they may not necessarily be leaning toward someone in their hearts.
Therefore, Heydrich took advantage of Lin Wei's temporary departure and immediately came from Smolensk to rob these Volga Germans. After the targeted selection by the Gestapo, Heydrich immediately sent the selected future Gestapo back to Germany and ordered the Gestapo personnel to accept these Volga Germans and begin training immediately.
After the Battle of Kiev developed in Germany's favor, who became the busiest person in Berlin? It was not Marshal Blomberg, the commander-in-chief, nor General Jodl, the Minister of Operations. This person was the one who seemed to be fighting the battle in Kiev. It doesn't matter, Foreign Minister Ribbentrop. The reason for Ribbentrop's busyness is simple. Now Minsk has fallen, the fall of Kiev has been confirmed, and the offensive in Leningrad is intensifying. Although it is still in the hands of the Soviets, everyone knows about Marshal Loeb's Northern Army Group. Most of the troops are still stationary and are engaged in a sit-down battle with the Soviet Northwest Front.
So now Ribbentrop must show his worth as foreign minister and ask Japan and Turkey to join the war. The conditions for Turkey to agree to participate in the war were lowered due to the loss of the British mainland, but it also required Germany to control two to three of the four major cities in the Soviet Union. After the Battle of Kiev, Germany had fulfilled this condition to a minimum extent, Ribbentrop Naturally, Turkey was asked to join the war. Fulfill the original promise.
As for Japan, Lin Wei once pretended to be deaf and dumb to calls for an alliance with Japan within Germany. However, in order to save Germany from dying, Lin Wei finally relented on this issue before the war broke out. At least If Japan attacks the Soviet Union, it must deploy its troops in China so that the Chinese can suffer less. Lin Wei, who is now enjoying himself on the train, may never have imagined that it is Japan that makes Ribbentrop angry now.