Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 817 Fierce Battle with Arsenyev

The General Staff of the Soviet Army placed Timoshenko's Second Far East Army in the Haishanwei and Ussuriysk areas. In terms of strategic layout, there may be some truth in it, and it can serve as a deterrent to the Japanese Kwantung Army. However, in terms of battles,

But it put the Second Army in an extremely disadvantageous position.

The Japanese coveted the territory of the Soviet Far East, their deep-rooted aggression and expansion, and their greedy ambitions for territories outside their homeland, which prompted the Japanese to take any risks. Tang Qiuli's fire on the Sino-Soviet border was just a

Just add a handful of firewood to the already boiling water at 99 degrees.

The Japanese army began its offensive on September 10th. By September 14th, it had occupied most of the Far East of the Soviet Union. Except for the Second Army, which occupied all of Sakhalin Island, when attacking Kamchatka Peninsula, it encountered the newly formed Soviet army.

The First Army of Kamchatka resisted tenaciously, and fierce fighting broke out between the two sides on the Klengre line in the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The progress of the Third Army of the Kwantung Army was hindered.

The Third Army of the Kwantung Army suffered a fierce counterattack by the Soviet army commanded by Timoshenko and was repelled to the Paspan line west of Spaske Dalini, with the loss of more than 40,000 people. Timoshenko's plan was to repel

After attacking the Japanese troops in the Arsenyev area from the direction of Ussuriysk, the Second Army immediately left the battlefield and moved north. Taking advantage of the Khabarovsk frontline channel that had not been cut off by the Kwantung Army, it withdrew the main force of the Army to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Then, integrate all the troops of the Far East Military Region, move south from the direction of Khabarovsk, and launch a large-scale counterattack against the Kwantung Army. The battle layout adopted by Timoshenko is the best of all options under the current situation in the Far East.

It was also the only measure he could take, all to prevent the group army from being encircled by the Japanese army.

Timoshenko's tactical counterattack was unprecedentedly successful. The Third Army of the Kwantung Army was beaten back again and again, but his good luck ended here. The First and Second Army of the Kwantung Army, which had completed their campaign missions, were under the command of the Kwantung Army Commander

Under the command of the official Ueda Kenkichi, they pressed against Timoshenko's troops from two directions.

Facing hundreds of thousands of Kwantung Army troops, Timoshenko was forced to shrink his troops to the Arsenyev area, use the original fortifications to fight tenaciously, and wait for reinforcements. In fact, the current Second Far East Army has fallen into

Encircled by the Kwantung Army on three sides, with the vast Sea of ​​Japan behind it, what awaited Timoshenko was a desperate situation.

The Arsenyev area is a shallow hilly area. It is the only important area in the Soviet Far East where natural terrain and landforms can be used for military deployment. The fast-flowing Daobi River is a natural barrier in the area. After the fierce battle, it was again

The Soviet army, oppressed by the superior strength of the Kwantung Army, retreated here.

Timoshenko is worthy of being a military master. When the Second Army was formed, he set up the Army headquarters here because of the terrain conditions here. Before the Sino-Soviet border police sirens frequently sounded, he ordered his subordinates to

The troops built a large number of fortifications here.

After several weeks of improvement by Soviet soldiers, the Arsenyev area has turned into a key defense area densely covered with blockhouses, field fortifications and fortifications, and connected by various communication trenches. More than 200,000 Soviet soldiers retreated

The soldiers of the Army should be grateful to their commander, Comrade Timoshenko, otherwise, the current situation of the Second Army would be collapse.

On September 15, the Kwantung Army, numbering more than 400,000, had tightly surrounded the approximately 230,000 troops of Timoshenko's Far East Second Army in the Arsenyev area. The Kwantung Army attacked the Soviet Union.

The army's encirclement has been completed.

In the early morning of September 16th, the Kwantung Army launched a fierce attack on the Soviet positions. The number of troops directly fighting between the two sides reached more than 260,000. Among them, the Kwantung Army dispatched six divisions and three brigades.

The large number of field artillery and the news of the great victory inspired the Kwantung Army soldiers to be extremely brave and continued to attack the Soviet positions.

The defensive battle in the Arsenyev area in the Far East broke out in an all-round way. After a day of fierce fighting, the attacking Kwantung Army troops occupied the outlying areas of Arsenyev at the cost of more than 30,000 people and injured more than 50,000 people. The Soviet Union's first

The Second Army suffered a total of more than 50,000 casualties, including more than 18,000 killed in action. The fierce artillery fire did not stop until the evening. The Soviet army was further compressed.

As night falls, the sea breeze blowing from the Sea of ​​Japan carries a hint of autumn chill. It cannot disperse the gunpowder smoke everywhere. The embers of the war are still emitting wisps of black smoke and dark red flames. There are numerous craters and the blood stains of soldiers on both sides are blurred.

The corpses were staggered, all telling the cruelty of the fierce battle during the day.

In the small town of Arsenyev, few intact houses could be found in the city. In one day, this small border town with less than 80,000 people endured a cruel test like hell. More than 100,000 Kwantung Army large-caliber artillery shells fell.

In the city, all residents have entered underground hiding places.

In the east corner of the city, in a relatively complete house, there are a few gas lamps. The small room is brightly illuminated. The windows without glass are tightly blocked. There are more than a dozen radio stations, intense work, and staff officers coming in and out.

and the communications corpsman, with a nervous look on their faces, General Timoshenko, commander and political commissar of the Second Army of the Soviet Far East Military District, was dictating a telegram.

"The General Staff transferred to Comrade Stalin. Throughout the day on September 16, the Kwantung Army deployed more than 170,000 troops, equipped with a large number of artillery, to launch a large-scale attack on our positions. The fighting was fierce. By the evening of this evening, we had occupied

In all positions outside Arsenyev, our troops suffered more than 50,000 casualties."

"In just one day, more than one-fifth of the troops suffered casualties. This is something unprecedented in the Red Army's previous battles. From this, it can also be seen that the Japanese Kwantung Army is determined to destroy our group army. If the battle continues like this, more than ten

In a few days, the Arsenyev area will surely be lost. Without logistical supplies, our unit can hold on for about a week. Please ask the General Staff to truthfully report the situation of the Second Far East Army to Comrade Stalin."

This is a typical war of attrition. The key is that Timoshenko cannot afford to consume it. Whether it is in terms of troops, ammunition, materials and supplies, it is not a situation conducive to long-term persistence. There are no reinforcements from outside, and there is a lack of food and grass internally. Constant fighting

Attrition, Timoshenko cannot afford to fight such a battle.

Stalin, who received Timoshenko's telegram, stepped up operations to rescue the Second Army. He could no longer afford to lose the Pacific Fleet. If Timoshenko was wiped out by the Japanese again, the day would come when the Soviet Union returned to the Far East.

It was about to be far away, and the nearest troops of the First Kamchatka Army were in a fierce battle with the Second Army of the Kwantung Army, and they could not escape for a while.

The only thing that can be counted on is the Transcaucasian Front. This is a huge force with nearly 350,000 troops. It is equipped with a large number of artillery regiments equipped with 155mm caliber howitzers, more than 900 tanks, and more than 400 aircraft. As long as the foreign troops

The Caucasus Front joined the Far East battlefield, and the Second Far East Army could not only escape the danger, but also push the Kwantung Army back to the northeast.

Stalin's telegram to the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, General Paul Piliuski, seemed extremely urgent: "Comrade Paul Piliuski, how many days will it take at the earliest for your front army to join the battlefield in the Far East? At present, the Second Army in the Far East

The group army is in a very unfavorable situation, and only your troops can reinforce Comrade Timoshenko."

General Paul Belewski was also troubled. Even if his troops marched day and night, it would take six to seven days at the earliest to reach Khabarovsk, not counting the time it would take for the Kwantung Army to block the attack.

If you go slower, there is no way to reach it without a ten-and-a-half month period.

He sent a telegram back to Stalin, "All troops will arrive in the Far East in twelve days." This was already the limit. General Paul Piliuski didn't know how to fulfill this promise, but Stalin's reply was cold.

Leng's words: "No, the Transcaucasus Front must enter the battle within six days, that is, from now on, September 22."

There was no room for negotiation, and the date was directly set. General Paul Piliuski almost went crazy, but he did not dare to bargain. From Stalin's telegram, he had already guessed that Timoshenko's situation was extremely bad.

He can only be ruthless and drive the troops to run. Fortunately, most of his front troops are motorized divisions. If they tap their potential, they should be able to join the Far East battlefield within the time specified by the leader.

Otherwise, what awaits you is a military court. The Soviet Transcaucasian Front troops did not dare to delay along the way. They rolled eastward and whipped General Paul Piliuski. Stalin felt slightly relieved that this was the biggest bargaining chip.

Once inside, the situation in the Far East will immediately change. Send a telegram to Timoshenko, asking him to hold on for more than a week.

However, all the Soviet troops in the Asian part east of the Ural Mountains have been mobilized and committed to the battlefield in the Far East. If a new war breaks out in other places, how should Stalin deal with it?

After playing the cards in his hand, Stalin was a little unwilling to compromise with Tang Qiuli. He sent a telegram to Molotov, who had arrived in Minusinsk, asking him not to negotiate with Tang Qiuli for the time being and to wait for Moscow's decision.

Order, Stalin's wavering disease occurred again.

Tang Qiuli in the Uliasutai area in western Outer Mongolia continued to receive intelligence from Tang Qiuli in Haishanwei. The Japanese and the Soviets were fighting lively, but he was so quiet here that he almost fell asleep. Zhukov and

The surrounding Soviet soldiers were extremely obedient, did not cause trouble at all, and behaved like good students.

But no more representatives were sent to contact him. Stalin deliberately wanted to hang him out here. Tang Qiuli's anger increased little by little.

This morning, we received a telegram from Feng Jiwu, who had established a foothold in the Lake Baikal area. A large number of Soviet troops came from the direction of Transcaucasus, with a strength of about 120,000. At present, they have reached the west of the Lake Baikal area and are still there.

As we rapidly advanced toward the eastern region, another variable appeared.

(To be continued)