BXBX NOVEL Chapter 230: Von Bock
Fortunately, the sound of tank motors and the darkness before dawn covered everything, and none of the surrounding fighters noticed this.
At this time, von Bock, the commander of the Central Army Group, was staring at the map in the headquarters, feeling helpless.
Although the German offensive was very smooth overall, only von Bock knew that it was in danger.
First of all, the hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops in the encirclement of Vyazma still need to be digested... Although these Soviet troops have been defeated, they still stick to their positions or try to break through.
Of course the German army couldn't let them escape, because every person who escaped meant that Moscow had more power.
Secondly, the weather has gradually turned cold, but German soldiers do not have the necessary winter clothes.
At this time, the German army may be able to ask for cotton-padded clothes, but the problem is that the German army’s logistics transportation capacity is limited. If the cotton-padded clothes are delivered, the ammunition will be reduced accordingly, which means that the pace of attacking Moscow will slow down. Berlin will never allow it.
So, one by one, the German soldiers put sheets, tents, animal skins, etc., all conceivable things on themselves or stuffed into their uniforms. After every battle, the first thing German soldiers do when cleaning the battlefield is often to pick off things that can keep warm from the enemy.
But this is not the biggest headache for Bock, because he knows that as the weather gets colder, the muddy ground will improve due to freezing, and the visibility will also improve after the rain turns into snowflakes. and air power are favorable.
That is to say, in the future, at least for a short period of time, the temperature drop before the severe cold is the best time for the German army to attack Moscow.
but…
The Soviets seem to have changed their tactics.
"They used the T34 tanks in one unit?" Von Bock asked the adjutant.
"Yes!" The adjutant replied: "The designation is the 4th Tank Brigade, and they defeated the 79th Armored Division in the direction of Klin!"
Seeing that von Bock was silent, the adjutant added: "Your Excellency, although the T34 tanks are excellent in performance, they only have about 80 tanks. As long as the weather permits, we can use air superiority to defeat them!"
What the adjutant said is reasonable. The German army has air superiority. No matter how good the performance of the tank is, it cannot withstand the bombing of the air force. This has been verified in previous battles.
but…
Von Bock knew that things were not that simple.
The fourth tank brigade was operating within the Soviet defense line, sometimes by train and sometimes by night.
What's even more clever is that the 4th Tank Brigade retreated back to Moscow immediately after a successful strike. For example, they disappeared without a trace that night after defeating the 79th Armored Division in Kling, which made it impossible for the German army to grasp their movements. and strike effectively.
"The Russians changed their tactics!" Von Bock said to himself: "It seems that they learned something in the war!"
The adjutant didn't understand the meaning of the marshal's words, so he didn't dare to answer.
Von Bock looked at the map and fell into thought:
The fourth tank brigade is by no means as simple as the adjutant thought... 80 tanks are indeed not many, but it is centered on Moscow and ready to attack at any time. At this time, the German army has already pressed within 100 kilometers of Moscow, that is, It is said that this fourth tank brigade can appear at any point on the defense line at any time and deal a fatal blow to the German penetration forces.
"Your Excellency, Marshal!" At this moment, a messenger handed a telegram to von Bock: "The Russians have launched a counterattack!"
"What?" Von Bock was puzzled for a while, thinking that he had heard it wrong, he picked up the telegram and read it again, and then asked: "Are you sure they are a large-scale counterattack and not just a countercharge?"
Counterattack is a very common tactic on the battlefield. Von Bock wanted to figure out whether the Russians were counterattacking at the strategic or tactical level.
"It's a counterattack, Your Excellency the Marshal!" The signal soldier said: "They carried out artillery preparations for 20 minutes, and then launched a counterattack from two directions at the same time. The offensive is very violent!"
Von Bock was stunned for a moment, he didn't understand the significance of the Russians launching a counterattack at this time.
Moscow got more reinforcements?
This is basically impossible. The reinforcements and materials entering Moscow are under the surveillance of the German intelligence agency. If a large number of reinforcements enter, he will get first-hand information immediately.
Then, there is only one possibility. The Russians are afraid. They are afraid that the German army will drive straight into Moscow, and they are unwilling to continue such passive defense, so they launch a counterattack.
Thinking of this, von Bock couldn't help but smile.
This is definitely a good opportunity for the German army, especially... If the Russians want to counterattack, the fourth tank brigade must be among them, because it is the key to the success of the Russian counterattack.
Von Bock was still worrying about how to deal with it just now, but he didn't expect it to come to his door.
After thinking for a while, von Bock ordered: "Immediately order the 10th Armored Division and the 4th Army to defend on the spot, and they must be blocked!"
"Yes, Your Excellency the Marshal!"
"Your Excellency Marshal!" The adjutant objected: "This is an opportunity for us, should we..."
"I know!" Von Bock interrupted the adjutant: "So I didn't want to block them, I just wanted to know which direction the fourth tank brigade is in!"
The adjutant suddenly realized when he heard the words.
So, the order "block them" is actually fake. Of course, the enemy that can be blocked will not be in the direction of the 4th Tank Brigade, otherwise it will be exactly the opposite, and then the German army can formulate the next battle plan.
Von Bock was right.
Because the counterattack of the 49th Army in the direction of Serpukhov was almost nothing.
Not only did they gain nothing, but they also suffered heavy casualties... Zhukov was relieved of his command, which meant that it was Stalin and the Supreme Command who commanded the battle. The characteristic of their command is: once an order is issued, it must be completed no matter how much it costs.
The report submitted by a surviving platoon leader after the war can clearly illustrate this problem:
"The battalion received a definite order to seize the position of the communists on the high ground outside the village of Choploye. But the enemy's firepower was too heavy and we could not go any further. But the order from the superior was: 'You must arrive at 20 The position can be seized in minutes, otherwise, the officers will be court-martialed.' The order was repeated six times, and we attacked six times. The battalion commander was killed, the political commissar was also killed, and there were only twenty guns left in the battalion!"
(end of this chapter)