Empire in Progress

Chapter 419: start

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"Lampard, please think about your plan. I still think it's a bit risky for the SS to break into Moscow!" General Paul Hausser said again, "You should also see the intensity of the Soviet Red Army's defense now. Well, even if we successfully tear apart their defense line, there is no guarantee that we can establish a solid defense point. If we rush in, we are likely to be surrounded!"

"No, this is not that we are surrounded! It is that we attract the Soviet Red Army troops and create conditions for Army Group Center to encircle them!" Lin Wei disagreed with General Paul Hausser's opinion and withdrew his sight from the combat area. , said, "In other words, in Eastern dialect, this is called central flowering!" After saying that, Lin Wei ignored General Paul Hausser and decided that since he had made the decision, there was absolutely no reason to go back on it. War is simple and cruel. Victory means failure. A war will never happen. Especially between Germany and the Soviet Union, a winner must be decided. For this Battle of Moscow, Lin Wei had to sacrifice himself to a certain extent, because Lin Wei had decided to attack Moscow with the SS troops. Not only did he have to enter, but he also had to let Stalin know that Lin Wei himself Commanding operations in Moscow, only in this way, Stalin, who was surrounded by anger, would not retreat because of the unfavorable situation, but concentrate his forces to eliminate Lin Wei and the SS troops in Moscow.

The attack of the Third Armored Group Army overwhelmed the Soviet Sixteenth Group Army. However, the defensive forces of the Soviet Red Army always managed to persevere incredibly just when they were about to collapse. Lin Wei did not know how many times he received calls from the enemy throughout the day. News of impending collapse. Until night, the enemy was about to collapse, but was still fighting the German army on the verge of collapse. Under Lin Wei's strict orders, the offensive troops rarely conducted continuous operations, and even fought in the dark, which they were not good at. This would greatly increase the casualty rate, but now Lin Wei can't control so much, and the Soviet Red Army's supplements are far away. Compared with Army Group Center, which has penetrated deep into the city of Moscow, the longer it takes, the more disadvantageous it will be. The intensity of the attack must be increased to save time.

During dinner time, Lin Wei hurriedly finished his food and buried his body in thick documents. At this time, Adjutant Crawford opened the door and took a look at the room, making sure that only Lin Wei was there. After he was here, he walked up to Lin Wei and whispered, "Leader, deputy leader Heydrich called, half a million chemical and nerve agent bombs have arrived in Smolensk!"

Lin Wei paused for a moment while holding the pen for correcting documents, but immediately returned to normal. Lin Wei said in a nonchalant tone, "Were you not discovered by Marshal Bock's Army Group Center?"

"Absolutely not. Deputy Leader Heydrich has ordered the Volga German Division and the Gestapo to mobilize the Soviets near Smolensk and transport these bombs into a hidden place!" Crawford whispered.

"Very good, don't let the Wehrmacht know about this. They have their own traditions!" Lin Wei ordered, "These bombs must be kept properly. I will contact Marshal Goering at the appropriate time to provide us with cooperation! By the way , how is the progress of the Third Armored Army!"

"The Third Armored Group Army has made great progress. Of the three temporarily established lines of defense in Moscow, they have already broken through to the second line on the outskirts of the city!" Crawford said, "But the current situation is not optimistic. This is already the third line of defense. The armored group has reached its limit, and if the leader wants to see the truth in his Orekhovo encirclement plan, he must allow the Third Armored Army to retain some strength, so that the armored armies attacking from both wings can have a balanced strength!"

"I know this!" Lin Wei said quickly, "You just need to tell me how far we are from downtown Moscow now!"

"Twenty-seven kilometers!" Crawford replied quickly, "But this distance is also very difficult to break through. The defense density faced by the Third Armored Group Army is already very high!"

"Twenty-seven kilometers!" Lin Wei suddenly laughed and said in a soliloquy tone, "This distance is so suitable. It is within the range of the Gustav heavy rail train gun! I let Louis has dismantled so many heavy artillery in fortresses across Europe, and finally there is a city where he can test their power!" Listening to Lin Wei's words, Crawford suddenly felt a chill all over his body, and even with his eyes closed he knew that he was being What will Moscow look like after being bombarded by hundreds of heavy artillery with a diameter of over 280 mm. Using these railway guns to bombard Moscow would definitely shock the scene. Even if the Soviet Union learned of Lin Wei's intentions, it would not be able to stop it. Air control was in the hands of Germany. The only problem is that the German artillerymen, with so many train guns, have to get them to the position within the time scheduled by Lin Wei. These artillerymen will definitely be as tired as dogs.

The attack on one night on the 15th still had no effect. The German army was so close and yet so far away from Moscow. No matter where the Third Armored Group Army chose as a breakthrough point, it could see massive Soviet troops, which gave the attacking German soldiers a sense of The illusion is that the entire Soviet Union is here to fight Germany. General Hott, who had just marched south from Leningrad with great vigor, was immediately beaten and bloody at the gates of Moscow. General Hott originally thought that the battle in Leningrad was difficult enough, but he did not expect that the battle in Moscow would be even worse. Unlike the battle in Leningrad, the Third Armored Army did not suffer such heavy losses in the field battles in Leningrad. The losses mainly occurred in street fighting in the city.

But here, the Third Armored Group suffered heavy losses in field operations where armored forces are good at fighting. The high casualties made General Hott somewhat doubtful. If his troops kept fighting, how much would they have left when they reached Moscow? people.

Fortunately, General Huot's confusion did not last long. On the morning of the 16th, Lin Wei sent a message to General Huot, "The Third Armored Group Army must maintain its offensive for three days to buy time for our preparations. The Fifth SS Army will take over from the Third Armored Army in the next few days, and the Third Armored Army will then rest and recuperate. General Hoth, I wish you good luck!"

Lin Wei's consoling telegram had no effect on the occupation, or even had no effect at all, but it was very necessary to stabilize the morale of the Third Armored Group Army. No matter who it was, they were willing to fight a psychologically confident battle, not In an endless and anxious battle. After all, not every army is really surrounded by a fanatical fighting atmosphere like the Waffen SS.

Lin Wei's telegram was quickly conveyed to the subordinate corps, then divisions and regiments by General Huote. With the exact target in mind, the attacking Third Armored Group Army naturally felt confident. With the exact guarantee, they were more able to settle down. It calmed down the emotions of the soldiers and at the same time calmed down the soldiers who were tired of fighting continuously.

In view of the pressure that General Huot's Third Armored Group was under, Lin Wei also gave some support and ordered Guderian's Second Armored Group to conduct a feint attack in the southeast. The main purpose was not to allow the Second Armored Group to achieve great results. Instead, let them attract the Soviet troops they face and prevent them from supporting the Soviet Sixteenth Group Army.

At the same time, on the road from Istria to Moscow, the artillery troops coming from the rear began to set up positions. Sixty percent of the artillery of Army Group Center was gathered here by Lin Wei, and the 80-mm-caliber cannon reached Three thousand three hundred doors were opened. But the protagonist is obviously not these conventional forces. On the road from Smolensk to Istria, the German army recruited all the residents along the line and laid a temporary railway from Mozhaysk to Moscow. Under the threat of death , the recruited Soviets burst out with 120,000 enthusiasm and helped Germany complete this imminent task with unprecedented efficiency. Within three days, the short-distance railway from Mozhaysk to Istria was laid. With a loud whistle, a train arrived safely in Istria. It carried the disassembled Gustav heavy rail gun, as well as 1,500 artillerymen and a team of artillerymen who served this behemoth. batch of high-strength rails.

Under the gaze of hundreds of thousands of armed SS troops, this behemoth began to reveal its formidable form under everyone's eyes. The Soviet reconnaissance plane that seemingly took off for reconnaissance saw Gustav's true face without missing a beat. As well as the densely packed heavy artillery and anti-aircraft artillery groups around Istria.

With the addition of these artillery units, Lin Wei was full of confidence in the next battle. Three days later, Lin Wei ordered the Imperial Division and the Viking Division to take over the positions of the Third Armored Group Army and continue to attack the Soviet troops who refused to retreat. However, it only requires two divisions to conduct a powerful search. Lin Wei does not want his elite troops and cannon fodder to lose both sides.

The number of artillery in Istria is increasing every day, and the railway artillery that Lin Wei needs is also arriving in Istria in a steady stream. Now all this makes Lin Wei feel that victory is within grasp, but Lin Wei suddenly starts to have convulsions again, thinking I know Stalin's current reaction. Lin Wei knew that such a big movement would definitely not be hidden from the Soviet intelligence department. Everyone was curious, and Lin Wei naturally wanted to know how Stalin would react when he learned that so many artillery troops had gathered.

Of course Lin Wei didn't know that Stalin, the steel leader in his heart who had always refused to admit defeat, almost failed to live up to his hopes. Just yesterday, the Fifth SS Armored Group Army took over the attack of the Third Armored Group Army, and the Imperial Division and the Viking Division After advancing the front line by five kilometers, the distance between the German army and Moscow is now dangerously close to almost nothing. It only takes half an hour for the tank to accelerate to reach Moscow. At the same time, the Soviet Union detected the heavy artillery positions deployed by Lin Wei in Istria. Two pieces of news greatly shocked Stalin. Under Beria's persuasion, Stalin almost boarded a train at the railway station and escaped from Moscow.

There, the train was waiting for Stalin, but Stalin did not get on. Of course he knew what he meant to the Soviet Union. Once he escapes without fighting, the entire Soviet Union will lose its spiritual support. Stalin is wandering around the train station, holding his iconic big pipe. The Soviet government has decided to move some party and government agencies and diplomatic missions Withdrawing to Kuibyshev, only Stalin and a few leaders, including Marshal Beria and Timoshenko, were left in Moscow. Beria repeatedly urged Stalin to retreat early.

At this moment, Stalin's mood was undoubtedly extremely complicated. since the beginning of the war. He always suffered from the great pain of constant failure. Millions of troops were wiped out in less than half a year. , countless tanks, aircraft and artillery were ruined in vain. The almost unstoppable Germans had now advanced thousands of miles to reach Moscow. A direct threat to his empire and even his own survival. Is the fate of the Soviet Union and Stalin really over

Finally, Stalin blew out a puff of smoke and made up his mind, deciding to stay in Moscow and continue to command the war. Kiev was gone, and Leningrad would soon fall. Stalin could not tolerate Moscow being captured. If so, Stalin also knew about this war. The Soviet Union was doomed. With great determination, Stalin decided to stay in the Kremlin and would never retreat to Kuibyshev until the last moment. Stalin always believed that it was shameful to retreat without fighting. From his own heart, Stalin also believed that it was unforgivable to abandon Moscow directly. Whether we can hold it or not, we still have to fight to find out. However, the special train prepared in the suburbs of Moscow and the four aircraft at the machine factory are still on standby at any time. If Moscow really cannot hold on, Stalin will still evacuate at any time. Whether Stalin will evacuate depends entirely on the war situation.

Back in the Kremlin, Stalin realized just how much chaos the government's evacuation had caused, and the ashes of documents that staff had hastily burned before the evacuation. And in the famous Lubikayan Prison. People from the Soviet NKVD were busy executing prisoners. Other very important prisoners were brought to Kuibyshev for execution. Among these people were the former Assistant Chief of General Staff, Air Force Lieutenant General Ayna Smushkovic, and Air Force Lieutenant General Rychakov of the Defense Appointments Committee, who were contacted there. They and the Soviet Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Merezkov were all arrested after the Soviet-German war began.

There were panic scenes in Moscow, and rumors spread among residents that German tanks might enter the city at any time. There were also rumors that Stalin had stepped down, and panic caused chaos throughout the city. Some criminals began to take advantage of the situation. Shops, trucks carrying canned goods, and even the British and American embassies were attacked. Those who were wavering burned their party cards. They took down the portrait of Stalin. Inside a residential building where some residents have left. The thieves, guided by some money-grubbing administrators, started stealing openly.

Stalin, who returned to the Kremlin, immediately ordered Beria to restore order. The dispatch of the internal security forces restored calm to the chaotic Moscow. After all, in a chaotic situation, as long as the army takes action, it will immediately crush people's attempts to fish in troubled waters. .

At the same time, Stalin ordered the establishment of an "Independent Mobile Force Brigade" to prepare to blow up important buildings and infrastructure in Moscow, leaving a dilapidated empty city for the Germans. The "Moscow Plan" was based on an effective strategy once formulated by Tsar Alexander I. At that time, Tsarist Russia failed in the war with Napoleon, and the French army occupied Moscow in 1812. However, because Tsarist Russia bombed many facilities in Moscow during its evacuation, the French army found that it was impossible to station troops for a long time after the occupation and was forced to withdraw.

However, destroying a twentieth-century metropolis was a considerable challenge, so Stalin selected more than a thousand landmarks in Moscow and asked the "Special Brigade of Independent Mobile Troops" to be on standby at any time. Explosive devices were set up at the Bolshoi Petrov Theater, the Kremlin, and many famous Catholic churches in Moscow. Landmines were buried in major hotels and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All Soviet leaders' suburban villas were also required to install bombs, except for Stalin's own. The Soviet supreme commander had already planted bombs in his mansion because he was worried about domestic assassins. Not only famous buildings, but all of Moscow's water systems, telephone networks, and power stations were to be blown up in order to reduce the city to rubble. It’s just that Stalin never dreamed that his orders would be violated by the commander of the Independent Mobile Force Brigade. Out of consideration for protecting the city, these soldiers of the Independent Mobile Force Brigade did not do so later. Moreover, because Lin Wei entered Moscow faster than Stalin expected, the SS troops had already rushed into Moscow before the Special Brigade of the Independent Mobile Forces had even completed Stalin's order to plant the bombs. This has protected Moscow to a considerable extent, and even if it is occupied by Germany, it will be better than completely blowing it up.

At 8 o'clock in the morning on October 19th, Lin Wei sent a message to the Imperial and Viking divisions, which were struggling with the Soviet 16th Army and the 26th Army that came to support, "Disengage contact with Soviet soldiers and evacuate immediately." Get to a safe zone!" General Paul Hausser, who received Lin Wei's order, immediately thought of the railway guns deployed in Istria, trembled all over, and immediately ordered a retreat.

At this time, ten kilometers east of Istria, the Gustav heavy railway gun slowly started with its huge body against the backdrop of four rows of high-strength rails. The tragic maneuverability makes it almost impossible to avoid any bombing, but it doesn't matter, the air superiority is now in the hands of Germany. The ground here has already been reinforced so that it can withstand the recoil of this giant cannon as much as possible. As the ejection machine pushed the 800 mm caliber shell into the chamber, with the sound of metal friction, the barrel of the Gustav Railway Gun, which was thickened several times, gradually rose.