Our map deduction is neither a sand table deduction nor a wargame deduction. We just talk about our own views on the various problems that may arise in the attack on Kharkov. Therefore, we do not need to consider the impact of topography on the March and the effect of firepower attack, and the data of war casualties among different scales and arms.
I can roughly remember how Manstein arranged his troops in Kharkov, so when it was my turn to introduce the German defense, a little change would be my deployment. I looked at chisgakov and said, "Comrade deputy commander, if I were German, in addition to consolidating Kharkov's city defense work, I would also focus on the north side of the city. You see here, "I said, pointing to Kharkov and going on," because there are forests and swamps in the East and west of the city, it is very difficult for your large army to detour, so I only need to put in a small amount of troops to block your way. The flat terrain on the north side of the city is conducive to the deployment of mechanized forces, so I will take it as the focus of defense. "
After I finished, I looked up at chisgakov and saw that he didn't speak, but was staring at the map without expression. So I went on to say, "I will build five lines of defense in the area close to the north of Kharkov. Each line of defense is composed of several trenches, which are connected by traffic lines. I will reinforce the civil fire points on the positions to reduce the possibility of collapse after being shelled. And all the stone buildings behind the position will be transformed into strongholds by me, with guns under them and machine guns and submachine guns on them... "
When I said that, akhromeyev couldn't help interrupting: "Comrade commander, this kind of stronghold you mentioned is a copy of our wartime defense in Stalingrad. The point is, will the German army transform the stronghold into a new type of fortification that we are familiar with? "
"That's for sure, comrade major." I looked at akhromeyev and said, "when I was a division commander, you were the chief of staff of the division. You should know what the German paid for our fortifications. Therefore, I estimate that the German army will send a special person to conduct a careful study after it has occupied such fortifications. Now, in order to keep Kharkov, they will certainly use a lot of such fortifications. "
"Comrade commander, what should we do with these fortifications?" Asked akhromeyev curiously.
I understand that if we send troops to fight with the Germans in these fortifications, we will certainly pay a huge sacrifice. Therefore, I simply replied, "the way is very simple, that is, we can use artillery to close in and shoot directly to collapse the building. In this way, we can reduce the losses of our troops in the attack."
"Comrade commander, we need to know that there are a lot of tank brigades we can use." "If our tank brigade launches a strong assault formation after the artillery preparation and attacks the enemy's defensive positions, I don't think such fortifications can block our way forward," chisjakov said confidently
"Comrade deputy commander," I don't know how I can think of the famous battle of zelauf heights when I heard him say so confidently. The powerful offensive launched by the dominant Soviet army was disintegrated under the tenacious defense of the German army, and the offensive troops suffered heavy losses. In addition to the death and injury of infantry, hundreds of tanks and self-propelled artillery became scrap iron. Thinking of this, I directly poured a basin of cold water on him, "have you forgotten the German anti tank forces? Will they watch our tanks pass through their perimeter? If our army wants to break through their peripheral positions, it must pay a price beyond our imagination. If we cut off the retreat of the German army, they will fight to the end. Even if we enter the city, it will be a protracted street battle similar to the battle of Stalingrad. "
As soon as my words came out, the whole headquarters fell into silence.
When kirilov saw this situation, he quickly came out and said, "Comrade deputy commander, Rita is just analyzing the possible situation on the battlefield. She has absolutely no intention of aiming at you. Please don't be too careful."
After looking at me, chisgakov said with some hesitation, "Comrade commander, the situation you have assumed does exist in theory. However, at present, the main forces of the German army have been drained out. I think the number of German troops in Kharkov is limited. Facing the joint attack of our four army groups, they are very difficult to resist. So I think your worry is totally unnecessary, even unnecessary. "
"Comrade deputy commander," I said to him patiently, "I'm just analyzing to you what may happen on the battlefield. According to my experience, what I have just said is not alarmist, but is entirely possible. Maybe the German defense in Kharkov's northern approach is stronger than I said. Therefore, if our army wants to attack Kharkov from the north, it is bound to pay a high price, and it may even make the troops lose the ability of assault and attack. "
In my words, the headquarters once again fell into a brief silence.
Chisgakov might have seen that I was particularly stubborn in this respect, so he closed his mouth wisely and did not continue to argue with me. Maybe he knows in his heart that on the first day when he took office, he would fight with my immediate superior and blush. Even if I don't care, it will have an impact on his reputation. Those who know know know that there are differences in our strategy; People who don't know the inside story will say that they don't know how to respect their superiors, and even they are not familiar with the environment, so they even have a fight with their superiors.
Kirilov, as a commander of the same level as us, came out to make ends meet again at this time. He coughed lightly and said with a smile, "well, comrade Rita and deputy commander, we all want to defeat the Communist aggressors, but there are differences in their handling methods. It's common to have differences in our work. We don't have to fight like this."
Seeing that kirilov had set a new stage for himself, chisjakov quickly said: "Comrade military commissar is right. I always respect Comrade commander. I just had an argument with her, but it was just a small difference in the concept of war. However, we do not yet know the situation of the enemy and the analysis we have made is inaccurate. I think we have to wait for the scouts to come back and understand the German forces and defense deployment, so that our attack plan can not be divorced from reality. "
Chisgakov and I originally had only differences on the concept of war, and there was no personal grudge. On the contrary, we used to get along very well when we worked together. So when I saw the other party's initiative to make friends with me, I waved my hand and said in a conciliatory way: "comrade deputy commander, you just came to our office today, we should give you a good reception." With that, I turned to ask akhromeyev, "chief of staff, can you get some food for the deputy commander?"
When akhromeyev, who plays the role of the orderly, left, I looked at chisjakov sitting next to him and asked with concern, "Comrade deputy commander, are you all well?"
Chisgakov nodded and said with a smile, "all right, all right." He looked around, looked at everyone's eyes, and then said, "when I was sent to the hospital in a car accident, I heard the doctor say that I broke four ribs. At that time, I thought the injury was serious and I had to lie in the hospital for at least half a year. Who knows, only two weeks later, I was discharged. After a period of training in Moscow, I just received a call from Marshal Zhukov today, saying that the deputy commander of the sixth group army of the guards was injured. I was asked to go to bergerord immediately to take over the post. "
I can't help feeling a sense of guilt at what he said. He not only replaced him as the commander of the group army, but also made him recover. He drove here from Moscow for about ten hours.
Kirilov waited for chisjakov to finish, then asked with concern: "Comrade deputy commander, I don't know when the new military commissar will take office?"
"The new military Commissioner?" Chisjakov was a little confused when he heard kirilov say so. He asked in a puzzled way, "Comrade kirilov, do you want to transfer to another place?"
Kirilov shook his head in confusion and explained, "Comrade deputy commander, I don't think it's appropriate for me to be a military commissar of the group army with my qualifications and level. We should let a more suitable person take up the responsibility. For example, the original military commissar is the most suitable person. "
"Comrade kirilov, he can't come!" "He broke his leg in a car accident and is expected to stay in bed for the first half of the year. Even if he recovers, I think his chances of returning to the army are very small," chisjakov sighed
When chisjakov said that the former military commissar would not come back to replace kirilov, I was relieved. After all, I had been working with kirilov for such a long time, and they cooperated with each other very well. If a new military commissar is to be appointed at this time, there will be a relatively long running in process, which is hard for me to accept.
"Comrade military commissar," I went on, "since the superior appointed you to the post of military commissar of our group army, you have recognized your ability. Therefore, before the superior appointed a new person, you can work with ease. I'd like to join you in directing the troops into Berlin! "
Maybe my last words played a role. Kirilov, who is still a little out of shape today, has finally returned to normal. He nodded hard and said solemnly, "well, Rita, since you say that, I'll be your partner with peace of mind. I want to see with my own eyes our troops rush into Berlin and smash up the bandits' nest. "
After kirilov finished, chisjakov said to me with a smile, "Comrade commander, it seems that you are full of confidence in our final victory in the war."
"Yes, comrade deputy commander." I politely responded: "although we were badly beaten by the Germans at the beginning of the war due to lack of preparation, our commanders and fighters grew up rapidly after two years of war. From now on, it's time for us to attack and defend the enemy. "
"When do you think we can get to Berlin?" Asked chisgakov curiously.
"The representative of Germany signed the letter of surrender on May 7, 1945, which came into effect on May 8." When I heard chisjakov's question, such an answer immediately came to my mind. Of course, I just know these things. If I tell them, I will be regarded as a psycho. And if my prediction is consistent with history, I think the people from the Ministry of interior will come to me and ask me, "why can you tell the exact date of German surrender?" I don't want to ruin my bright future because of a casual remark.
I pretended to think for a long time, and finally said in an uncertain tone: "although the German army has suffered heavy losses from our army in Kursk and Belgorod, after all, their strength is still there, so it is very difficult for us to achieve the final victory in a short time. This war may last another two or three years, and then the end of the war will come. " At this moment, akhromeyev came in with a plate of food. I pointed to him as if I saw a Savior and said, "Comrade deputy commander, the major has brought us food. Let's talk while we eat." Fortunately, chisgakov didn't go to the bottom of the matter and ask me where my theory is based. Instead, he had dinner with us. After eating for a while, he suddenly asked me, "Comrade commander, I want to know how you would fight if you were commanding the troops to attack Kharkov." I moved the plate with bread slices and dried sausages in front of me to one side, revealing the blocked map. Then I pointed to the location of Kharkov and said to chisgakov, "Comrade deputy commander, if I were to command the attack, I would put two groups of troops in the north of Kharkov to make an uninterrupted feint attack, which would create an illusion for the enemy, Let them think we're going to make a breakthrough in this direction. And I sent a group army to the west of Kharkov, to the left of the German army, to short breath the Kharkov Poltava railway, and then to attack the city from the West and southwest. " After listening to me, chisgakov looked at the map for a while, then asked his question, "what should we do if the German army sees that we are only feigning in the north and mobilizes troops to resist our attack?"“ This is very simple. " I said confidently: "once the German army attempts to transfer its troops to the West and southwest of Kharkov to meet our attack, I will change the two groups of troops in the north of Kharkov from feint attack to strong attack, so as to firmly contain the main force of the enemy here, so as to prevent the German army from mobilizing its troops."