After meeting Xu Rui, Timoshenko took his own special train to Vyborg, but he only stayed in Vyborg for half a day, and then went straight to Helsinki.
Xu Rui did not tell Timoshenko about his discovery.
This is not Xu Rui taking the opportunity to vent his dissatisfaction, but because of national interests.
Although the Soviet Union suffered greater losses on the Far East battlefield, if the Soviet Union really annexed Finland, it would be able to make up for its losses on the Far East battlefield. Therefore, the Soviet Union may become more powerful than in history. This is not true. It is in line with China's national interests, because the Soviet Union's territorial ambitions are forever exhausted.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, if it were not for Mao Zedong's decisive decision, Northeast China would be gone.
Xu Rui saw through Rommel's plan without telling him. Timoshenko alone could not see through Rommel's plan.
Because at this time, even if we look around the world, blitzkrieg is still a cutting-edge military subject that has just emerged. Even in the German army with dazzling generals, senior generals who can truly grasp the essence of blitzkrieg are rare. Get up, apart from Guderian, there is only Major General Rommel.
Therefore, Timoshenko could not imagine that the Swedish-Finnish coalition would actually bypass a large number of towns between Tampere and Vyborg, strode through enemy lines, and launch an attack on Vyborg! It is precisely because of this that Timoshenko focused the Soviet defenses along the railway from Tampere to Kouvola and accumulated heavy troops on this line.
Timoshenko had reason to believe that the real intention of the Swedish-Finnish coalition was to capture Kouvola in order to cut off the railway traffic between Vyborg and Helsinki. In this way, the Soviet army could only rely on roads with low capacity to replenish supplies and gather in Helsinki. And the 500,000 Soviet troops and a large amount of technical equipment nearby will fall into passivity.
Therefore, Timoshenko gathered most of his troops and almost all mobile forces along the railway line, preparing to give the Swedish-Finnish coalition a head-on attack. After breaking up the coalition offensive, he would pursue the victory and capture Vaasa in one fell swoop, completely annihilating the Finnish Defense Forces, and at the same time, The Swedish Defense Forces gradually returned to the other side and prepared for the next stage of the war against Sweden.
Precisely because of his judgment that the First Lord came first, Timoshenko did not pay enough attention to some abnormal situations coming from the right wing. In fact, despite Rommel's most sophisticated arrangements, more than 150,000 troops were mobilized. , it is absolutely impossible for more than 500 tanks and hundreds of artillery to move in without leaving any traces.
When Rommel personally led the Swedish-Finnish coalition to advance towards Vyborg, the Soviet Red Army in the direction of Jyväskylä and the Finnish puppet army near Mikkeli had discovered clues, and discovered Swedish forces near Jyväskylä and Mikkeli. News of the invasion of the Finnish coalition was reported to the frontline headquarters of the Northwest Front, but it did not attract Timoshenko's attention.
Timoshenko stubbornly believed that it was only a small force of the Swedish-Finnish coalition that detoured to the right.
It was not until noon the next day that a piece of news from the Third Flight Regiment aroused Timoshenko's alert.
The fighters of the 3rd Flight Regiment took off from Viborg Airport to protect the bomber group of the 7th Flight Regiment. When they were preparing to go to Vasa for bombing, they encountered a Swedish Air Force fighter group in the airspace fifty miles north of Viborg. A fierce air battle began over Dohu. The result of the air battle was a disastrous defeat for the Soviet Air Force. A total of sixteen bombers were shot down and another eighteen fighter planes were shot down, while the Swedish Air Force only lost six fighter planes.
The news spread back to Helsinki, and the Northwestern Front's front-line headquarters was immediately bombed.
It is no secret that Sweden has an elite air force. Due to their narrow territory and sparse population, the three Nordic countries have their own characteristics in the construction of national defense forces. The Finnish Defense Force focuses on elite small units, while Norway focuses on shore artillery firepower. Sweden, a traditional Nordic power, has relatively balanced development, but it still focuses slightly on the construction of air force. Compared with Finland and Norway, Sweden's air force is relatively much stronger.
However, the Swedish Air Force had previously only operated in the airspace within a hundred miles of Vaasa at most, but its combat effectiveness was indeed impressive. The Soviet Air Force tried to bomb Vaasa several times, but failed and lost more than a dozen bombers, so this time Timoshenko directly dispatched a regiment of fighters to protect the 7th bomber regiment heading to Vasa for bombing.
As a result, the Soviet Air Force's fleet had just passed Vyborg fifty miles when it encountered the main force of the Swedish Air Force in the sky above the Calxido Lake.
This is definitely not an isolated incident. The Swedish Air Force, which had rarely crossed the border before, actually appeared in the airspace near Viborg, and the main force of the Swedish Air Force came, and they were all fighter jets. There must be a mystery in it, and Timoshenko had already smelled it. The atmosphere of conspiracy, but also the strong atmosphere of danger.
The sudden appearance of the Swedish Air Force in the airspace northwest of Vyborg was suspicious enough, but all that came were fighter jets, not even a bomber, which was even more suspicious. Timoshenko was not stupid, on the contrary. He was also very smart, and he made a judgment almost instantly.
The Swedish Air Force is blocking the airspace near northwest Viborg!
So the Swedish Air Force must be trying its best to hide something!
Timoshenko suddenly felt a strong uneasiness in his heart, and immediately ordered the Air Force to send more fighter jets to the northwest airspace of Viborg to intercept the Swedish Air Force. At the same time, he ordered the Viborg garrison to immediately dispatch a reconnaissance force to the area near Lake Kasido. Conduct reconnaissance to see what the Swedish army is doing in that area
However, it was no longer needed. Almost as soon as Timoshenko's order was conveyed, a communications staff officer hurried in with a telegram and said: "Commander, urgent telegram from Viborg!"
After Timoshenko read the telegram, his face suddenly turned pale.
Next to him, Alexei, Ivan and other senior staff officers suddenly looked at each other.
After a long while, Timoshenko breathed a long sigh of relief and said: "Everyone, we are in big trouble. The Seventh Army left behind in Vyborg just sent an urgent message. The enemy is twenty miles northwest of Vyborg. The Raqqa stronghold was violently attacked by the Refine-Finn coalition forces. The coalition forces attacking the Raqqa stronghold included at least several regiments and groups of tanks!"
"What?"
"The Raqqa stronghold was attacked?"
"There are several regiments of coalition forces?"
"And hordes of tanks
"How is this possible? Could it be that the Seventh Army made a mistake?"
"Yes, this is simply impossible. How could the tanks of the Swedish-Finnish coalition suddenly appear in the Raqqa stronghold, which is more than 300 kilometers away from the front line? This is illogical, this is completely illogical!"
Several senior staff members at the headquarters were instantly shocked. They couldn't believe it was true.
"That's enough!" Timoshenko stopped the quarrel among several staff officers and said in a deep voice, "The Seventh Army will not be mistaken. It is certain that the main force of the Ryfen coalition forces appeared near the Raqqa stronghold! And Ryfen The intention of the coalition forces is also very obvious, which is to capture Vyborg, destroy the military supplies stored in Vyborg and cut off our army's retreat!"
Hearing this, the expressions of Ivan, Alexei and several other high-ranking officials immediately changed.
Only then did they suddenly realize that if Vyborg was really captured, not only would the massive supplies stored there be destroyed, but the 500,000 Soviet troops assembled in Helsinki would immediately be in trouble. If Vyborg could not be recaptured within a month, Fortress, the main force of the Northwest Front will be in a desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food, and it is also possible to be completely annihilated by then.
Timoshenko immediately issued an order, and all mobile forces immediately returned to rescue Vyborg.
The communications staff officer turned around and hurried away, but Ivan, Alexey and six or seven other senior staff officers still hadn't come to their senses. Is it really too late to order the mobile force back to rescue Vyborg at this time
…
"It's too late!" Rommel put down his telescope and said confidently, "Our forward armored regiment has advanced to ten kilometers outside Vyborg. At this time, even if Timoshenko urgently orders all mobile forces to return to rescue Vyborg, It’s too late for Vyborg, Vyborg is over, and so are the Soviet troops in Helsinki!”
Accompanying Rommel was Edward, the commander of the First Army of the Swedish Defense Forces.
After hearing Rommel's words, Edward's face flushed with excitement.
Although this blitzkrieg was organized and directed by Rommel, Edward, as the highest commander of the Swedish army, is bound to leave a mark in the history books. Of course, this must have a prerequisite, that is, Viborg must be successfully captured. , and then completely wipe out the main Soviet army gathered in Helsinki.
At that moment, Edward asked: "General Rommel, can our army really take Vyborg?"
"Of course." Rommel whistled, and the two Dogo dogs immediately sprang out from the dense forest in the distance and ran up to him with a huff and a puff on the thick snow. Rommel knelt down again. , reached out and touched the Dogo's head, then stood up and said to Edward, "By tonight, my Dogo will be able to enjoy canned beef from the Soviet Red Army in Vyborg."
"But..." Edward was still a little worried and said, "What if the attack on Vyborg does not go well and the main force of the Soviet army in Helsinki quickly returns to support?"
"General Edward, your worries are not unreasonable." Rommel smiled slightly and said, "Then let's send an infantry division out to Kamakama to be responsible for blocking the main Soviet reinforcements coming from the direction of Helsinki. As long as If this infantry division holds on to Unkama for twenty-four hours, Vyborg will definitely be captured."
Edward nodded and said, "That way it'll be no problem."
At that moment, Rommel issued an order to move the Third Division of the Swedish Defense Forces to the direction of Urnkama, and then used the German vanguard he brought from Germany as the vanguard to launch a fierce attack on Viborg while it was still dark. The garrison of the fort had only one army and was obviously ill-prepared. Facing the fierce attack of the Swedish-Finnish coalition, it soon began to waver across the board.