The Rise of the Third Reich

The reason why Model withdrew the armored troops was very simple. In fact, he was afraid that the armored troops would lose a lot of equipment when they retreated during the muddy season. The Tiger H tanks and E-50A tanks were both heavy vehicles, and they were most afraid of getting stuck in the mud and being dragged. Can't even drag it out.

If the Soviet army desperately concentrates its forces to attack a certain section, then the German army will inevitably retreat. Facing the sea of ​​tanks composed of JS-2 and T-34/85, even with the E-50A, there is no guarantee that an inch of position will not be lost. Moreover, the mechanized warfare in World War II was all mobile warfare. Fighting for every inch of land was the style of World War I. This was not the case in World War II.

However, the mobility of tanks such as Tiger H and E-50A in the muddy season is a tragedy. Even if they can be driven away, the wear and tear of the machine will cause the equipment to be overhauled in advance. In short, it’s very troublesome, so it’s better to retreat 50-100 kilometers in advance. Give up all forward positions to the Panzergrenadiers. The 88mm anti-tank guns and "Rhino" anti-tank destroyers they are equipped with can also severely damage the JS-2 and T-34/85 as long as they are used properly.

As for the "Rhinoceros" tank destroyer, the No. 4 tank equipped by the German Panzergrenadier Division, and the Grizzly assault gun, they are all junk goods now, and they are not afraid of losses at all. Moreover, the "Rhinoceros" and the No. 4 tank are relatively light in weight and have relatively good maneuverability in the muddy season and are easy to transfer.

However, no matter how good Model's battlefield intuition was, he would never have guessed that the Soviet Red Army, which had always been clumsy on the battlefield, would actually be able to carry out very exciting penetration and surprise attacks this time.

…

Moscow time, April 4, 1944. It is now less than 24 hours before the planned Soviet Central Front Army launches a general offensive in the direction of Kalinin Oblast.

Comrade Otto Braun, who was wearing a handsome and tailored uniform of a major of the Waffen-SS, walked towards a Sdkfz.234 heavy wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle, his whole body was shaking with nervousness.

The 44-year-old Braun participated in World War I, and later participated in the armed uprising in Bavaria in 1918. He was also arrested once in 1926, so he is considered to have been tested for a long time.

However, compared with previous tests, this mission was at least 10 times more dangerous - probably only going to Lubyanka 2 to explain the problem was more dangerous than pretending to be a German SS to infiltrate behind enemy lines.

Although this mission was extremely dangerous, Braun and others did not have enough time to receive the necessary training - the short 10-day special training only taught them how to use German equipment, get to know some of the German Nazi leaders and how to sing a few songs. In addition to a German song, there is also a repeated warning to them: commit suicide when necessary!

If faced with being captured, suicide is very necessary! Because Otto Braun is not eligible to enjoy prisoner of war treatment. Not only because he was wearing a German military uniform and did not have the status of a legal belligerent (according to the Geneva Convention), he was technically a spy. And also because he was German, not Soviet.

Whether it is treason or espionage, they can be tried by military courts and executed.

So being captured means death!

Therefore, General Rokossovsky, who was in charge of "Operation Red Star", very kindly prepared suicide poison for every Red Star commando. It is said that one can end one's life without pain, and the poison is now in Otto Braun's coat pocket.

Apart from the fact that the poison was reliable, Otto Blau knew that nothing else was reliable about this hastily prepared operation.

They don’t know the numbers and authenticity of the defenders in the area they are about to infiltrate; they have no authentic documents and don’t know any enemy passwords; they don’t know which German unit they “belong to”…

Although the Red Star commandos are all Germans and Austrians, all of them have been away from their motherland for many years and have no understanding of the situation in Germany and Austria. The enemy will only need to question the Red Star commandos for a moment to reveal their secrets.

The most exaggerated thing is that Otto Braun, who played the role of the SS major, did not even know how much Marks the German SS major was paid and what kind of "special provisions" he could receive - special provisions are special supply rights. The Soviet Union All countries that implement a rationing system have similar regulations, and will provide higher rationing standards for people with a certain status than ordinary people.

In the Soviet Union, Braun is a cadre who "gets special benefits." In his opinion, an SS major is equivalent to a major in the Soviet internal security department. His official rank is not low, so he should also have a good special offer, right? But no one told him this information at all.

Braun said to himself: This kind of imprecise style must not be allowed in Nazi Germany.

"Hi! Hitler!"

Several fake Nazis standing next to the heavy wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle saw Braun approaching, and they all raised their hands to him in a decent manner. Although these people were all red Germans, they were Germans after all. , they work much more seriously than the Russians.

"Hi, Hitler." Braun saluted like a German SS major, and then an SS soldier carrying a Mkb42 automatic carbine (assault rifle) opened the car door for him.

Braun glanced at the long list of vehicles lined up behind the armored vehicle in front of him - there was an Sdkfz.234/2 Cougar armored vehicle, an Sdkfz.222 armored communications vehicle, and several vehicles equipped with artillery or machine guns. Half-track, plus a couple of motorcycles.

However, there is no "Little Leopard" reconnaissance tank that only appeared in the German armored scouts before the end of 1943 - this tank looks a bit like a "Tiger" (the Tiger in this time and space looks similar to a Black Panther), but it is smaller. There are many, they are very fast, and they are also equipped with a KWK3 tank gun, which can even threaten heavy tanks such as the KV-1 when using a special shell (discarding armor-piercing projectile).

"Let's go!" Otto Braun withdrew his gaze and gave the order to the communications soldier on the armored vehicle. Then he got into the carriage, sat down on a very comfortable seat, and closed his eyes. It’s time to recall your past happy life.

The vehicle was quickly started, and the sound of the motor was lighter than any Soviet-made vehicle Braun had ever ridden in. When the vehicle moved forward, Braun found that this large 8-wheel armored vehicle was very smooth and smooth. It’s almost time to catch up with the cars produced by the Soviet Union itself.

Braun, who was sitting in the carriage, couldn't help but sigh: It seems that Germany's industrial strength far exceeds that of the Soviet Union. No wonder the vigorous world revolution has reached this point...

…

"...The young soldier stationed at the border misses the distant girl in his heart; he fights bravely to defend the motherland, and Katyusha's love will always belong to him.

Fight bravely to defend the motherland, Katyusha's love will always belong to him.

Just as pear blossoms are blooming all over the world, soft gauze floats on the river; Katyusha stands on the steep bank, singing like the bright spring light.

Katyusha stood on the steep bank, singing like bright spring light. "

When Sergeant Shura Kosmodeyanskov heard the soldiers of the 8th Guards Infantry Division who were transferred from Kazakhstan singing "Katyusha" as they were passing by the road, he was thinking of something better than My sister Zoya, who is 2 years older than me.

Zoya joined the guerrillas. After leaving her hometown of Moscow in the second half of 1942, there was no news. It is said that she had died heroically at the gunpoint of the evil Nazi gangsters. In fact, Zoya passed the exam in the autumn of 1943. I entered the Russian Language and Culture Department of Petrograd State University and am now eagerly learning knowledge in the most beautiful university in Russia, preparing to serve the reactionary Russian motherland in the future...

But her brother Shura didn't know this. Like Zoya in 1942, Shura is now a Soviet who firmly believes in communism.

After the world revolution turned into the Great Patriotic War, Shura, like most of the boys in his class, signed up to join the Red Army.

But what frustrated him was that he was not immediately sent to the front line to fight against the evil invaders. Instead, he was selected into the tank school to learn to drive a tank.

After graduating with honors, Shula did not get his wish to drive the mighty T-34 and KV-1 tanks. Instead, he was assigned to a light tank brigade transferred from the Far East to drive the BT-7 light tank.

Due to the BT-7's weak firepower and relatively thin armor, it would only result in death if it encountered any kind of German tank/assault gun on the battlefield. Therefore, Shula's tank brigade has not been sent to the front line, but has been stationed around Moscow. It was not until recently that he received the order to go to the front.

When he thought that he would soon be able to drive a BT-7 tank to crush the evil German infantry, Shula was so excited that he forgot about his "miserable" sister.

Shula's 18th Guards Tank Brigade is now under the jurisdiction of the 7th Guards Tank Army of the Red Army, and the 8th Guards Infantry Division passing by Shula's tank also belongs to the 7th Guards Tank Army.

The division commander is Major General Ivan Vasilyevich Panfilov. He is 51 years old and is one of the oldest division commanders in the Red Army. He enlisted in the army to participate in World War I in 1915. In 1918, he joined the famous 25th Infantry Division of the Soviet Red Army (Khapayev-Shaboyang Division). His qualifications are not old. However, he did not become a major general until 1940, and he became a division commander only after the world revolution broke out. Only in April 1944 did we get the opportunity to go to the front line to compete with the invaders and Belarus.

The teacher, who was riding on a Kazakh horse, watched the Kazakh warriors under his command march forward while singing, and his originally gloomy mood suddenly felt relieved.

The Soviet Union is still very powerful and has endless fresh troops. It can definitely persevere!