Red Moscow

Paulus and his chief of staff, General Schmidt, were particularly disappointed when the Germans threw three engineer battalions into the barricade factory and did not achieve the results they had hoped for.

"Your Excellency Commander," Schmidt said to Paulus, who came behind Paulus who was looking up at the map, "Our plan to seize the factory failed because of the Russian Colonel Sokov's troops entering the barricade factory."

"It's that damned Sokov again. With him around, our operations would be very difficult to succeed." Paulus turned to face Schmidt and said through gritted teeth, "It seems that we need to send more troops to reinforce The fortifications of the barricade factory, get rid of this damned Russian army. Only by getting rid of them will it be possible to occupy the factory."

"But, Your Excellency Commander." Hearing Paulus' angry words, Schmidt said with a wry smile: "We have no mobile troops to mobilize now."

"November was a month full of disasters for us." Paulus walked back to his desk and sat down, looked at Schmidt and continued: "At the beginning of the month, Rommel's African Army was in Alamein. , was severely damaged by Montgomery and had to withdraw to Tripoli for self-protection. As a result, American troops took the opportunity to land in our rear on the west coast of Africa and advanced towards Tunisia.

It was precisely because of the unfavorable situation in Africa that the most elite Seventh Armored Division, Banner Guard Division, Imperial Division and Skeleton Division were all held in France. If the Führer could have thrown these four divisions into Stalingrad, I dare say that Chuikov and his troops would have lasted less than 48 hours. "

"My lord commander, judging from the current situation, it is absolutely impossible for the Führer to transfer these four elite divisions to Stalingrad." After pouring cold water on Paulus, Schmidt reminded him: "According to the report of the scouts, the Russians not only gathered troops in the middle reaches of the Don River in the northwest of Stalingrad, that is, on the opposite side of the Romanian Third Army, but also invested a large number of troops in the south of the city. I think these actions of the Russians, Means they're going to launch an attack."

"They will launch a counter-offensive every month, trying to drive our army away from the vicinity of Stalingrad. But these attacks of theirs have been ruthlessly smashed by us, and this time will be no exception." Paulus said this After speaking, he frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "Chief of Staff, I remember that the two armies of the Romanian 4th Army to the south of the city are covering the flank of General Huot's 4th Armored Army, right?"

"Yes!" Schmidt nodded, and said to Paulus: "Your Excellency, I think it is necessary to remind you that, except for the 1st and 13th Divisions, the rest of the Romanian Army is poorly equipped. If they were attacked by the Russians, the defenses could be breached."

"These two divisions have not made any achievements near Mamayev Hill during this period. I don't think there is any need for them to stay." Paulus was very dissatisfied with the record of the Romanian Army during this period. He said angrily: "Let them return to the construction as soon as possible, and the vacated area will be taken over by our troops."

"Your Excellency Commander," Schmidt asked Paulus respectfully when he heard that Paulus had returned the two Romanian divisions near Mamayev Post, "Which unit do you think should replace them?" defense?"

Paulus replied without hesitation: "Let Roskey's 71st Infantry Division and Rodenburg's 76th Infantry Division take over the defense of the Romanian Army."

Regarding Paulus' order, Schmidt asked with some apprehension: "Your Excellency, I am worried that the troops may be attacked by the Russians when they are changing defenses..."

"Chief of staff, don't worry, even if the Russians knew we were switching defenses, they would just stare blankly." In order to dispel Schmidt's doubts, Paulus specifically said to him: "According to intelligence, the claim that gave us a headache Colonel Kov is now at the barricade factory. As long as he is not on Mamayev Post, the defenders there will not dare to act rashly."

"But, but, what if he notices that our army has changed his guard and rushes back to Mamayev Post?" The muscles on Schmidt's face twitched violently a few times, "I'm worried that he might organize some kind of counterattack and let us The army is in chaos..."

"It is not difficult to keep him from leaving the barricade." Paulus said lightly: "Send the 336th Engineer Battalion to the barricade to assist the 305th Infantry Division in the attack. In this way, he will have to Concentrate on coping with our army's attack, and don't have time to take care of the direction of Mamayev Post."

"This is a good idea." Schmidt nodded and said, "It is said that the day the engineer battalion entered the barricade factory, the Russians were caught off guard. If Sokov hadn't come out in time to defuse the crisis, our army might have already occupied the barricade. The whole factory."

The two were studying how to seize the barricade factory, and a communications officer walked in from outside. Schmidt hurried up to meet him and asked, "What's the matter?"

The officer hastily pulled out the folder from his armpit, opened it, took out a telegram and handed it to Schmidt, saying, "A telegram from the Berlin headquarters."

Schmidt took the telegram and waved to the officer, signaling that he could leave. He bowed his head and quickly browsed through the contents of the telegram, then walked quickly towards Paulus, and said, "Your Excellency, the telegram from the head of state, he told us to quickly take the rest of Stalingrad."

While Paulus was reading the telegram, Schmidt went on to say: "The Fuehrer believes that it is meaningless strategically that so many troops are held by the Russians in one city. We should end all this as soon as possible and put the Troops moved to other more important areas."

After reading the telegram, Paulus threw it on the table casually, and said with a sneer: "The more important regions, what other regions are still as important as Stalingrad?"

As soon as Paulus finished speaking, Schmidt interjected: "Your Excellency, the Russians' supplies have been completely cut off now, and their situation has become more and more difficult. If we concentrate all our forces and launch a final attack on the Russians With a general attack, the city will definitely be taken down completely."

"The Russians are in trouble, isn't it difficult for us?" Paulus complained: "Since the Russians destroyed the materials we hoarded at the Kotlu Bus Station and the 564th Kilometer Station, our army's ammunition and supplies have appeared. There was a serious shortage. Before attacking the factory, we could use powerful artillery fire to cover the Russian positions. Now, each artillery shell does not exceed half a base, so that the attacking force can receive artillery support , has been greatly weakened.

Also, in this damn Russian winter, it keeps snowing every day, which prevents our air force from dispatching, which causes us to lose air supremacy, so that the Russians can better hold their positions. "

Compared with Paulus, Schmidt is obviously more confident: "Your Excellency, the interruption of the Russian transportation line cannot be restored in a short time. I think we should use this rare opportunity to give the Russians the last One blow, so that their resistance can be completely crushed."

Paulus knew that his chief of staff would not be aimless, so he casually said such irresponsible words, so he nodded and said to him: "Chief of staff, tell me about your plan."

"Your Excellency, Commander, I admit that due to the Russian attack, we have some problems with our ammunition and supplies." Schmidt said: "But we only need to spend a few days to replenish the offensive resources for the frontline troops." Ammunition and supplies needed. When everything is ready, it will not be too late to attack the Russians."

"How long do you think it will take us to prepare?" Paulus asked.

"One week." Schmidt raised a finger and said, "I think it is completely achievable to replenish ammunition and supplies to the frontline troops in a week. As long as our preparations are completed, we can start a comprehensive campaign. Offensive. Let's say it's November 18, I think."

Paulus turned his head and glanced at the calendar on the wall, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, we will definitely launch the final offensive against the Russians on November 18, and we must take down those who are still controlled by the Russians before dark." Area."

After confirming the time for the final offensive, Paulus remembered another important thing: "By the way, Chief of Staff, according to the reconnaissance of the Air Force, those Russian guerrillas who attacked the station took a lot of supplies in the station to Moved to the camp in the forest. When are you going to send out a suppression force and get rid of these bloody guerrillas?"

Hearing this question from Paulus, Schmidt hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "Your Excellency, our main task now is to completely capture Stalingrad. We only need to take the city, and then turn around to deal with these guerrillas. It’s not too late.” Fearing that Paulus would be stubborn, he emphasized, “After all, we are facing a shortage of troops.”

"Chief of Staff, I thought about it for a while. The Russians have assembled a large number of troops in the middle reaches of the Don River, obviously intending to attack us, and there is only one Romanian 3rd Army." Paulus waited for Schmidt to finish speaking, He said thoughtfully: "I think we need to deploy troops to strengthen the defense."

"Your Excellency, Commander!" Schmidt asked respectfully, "Where do you plan to transfer troops?"

Paulus got up and walked to the wall, looking up at the unit number marked on the map. After looking at the map for a while, he raised his right hand and pointed at the map, turned his head and said to Schmidt: "Chief of Staff, you call Lieutenant General Heim, the commander of the 48th Armored Army, and order him to transfer the 22nd Armored Division to the Romanian 3rd Army. zone."

"What, dispatch the 22nd Armored Division?" Hearing Paulus' order, Schmidt couldn't help being stunned. He quickly glanced at the map, and then said: "Your Excellency, the 22nd Armored Division has been Deployed in the rear of the Italian 8th Army, 150 battalions away from the Romanian Army's defense area..."

"I know how far they are from the new defense zone. I have eyes." Paulus said with a stern face: "There are no troops with any combat missions at the moment, only the 22nd Armored Division. Time is running out, so give an order immediately Bar."

"Okay, I'll call Lieutenant General Heim and ask him to transfer the 22nd Armored Division to the south as soon as possible." After Schmidt finished speaking, he turned around and planned to return to his office, but he didn't take a few steps. Called by Paulus. The latter pointed to the phone on the table and said to him, "Chief of Staff, use my phone to call Lieutenant General Heim."

Schmidt returned to Paulus's desk, picked up the phone on the desk, and dialed a call to Lieutenant General Heim's headquarters. As soon as the phone call was made, he said bluntly: "General Heim, Your Excellency Commander ordered you to immediately dispatch the 22nd Armored Division to enter the defense zone of the Romanian Third Army."

General Heim, who had served as a reserve team for several months, was overjoyed when he heard Schmidt say that he had a task assigned to him, but after he heard the other party's task, his face immediately cast a layer of frost: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, I think it will take some time for the 22nd Armored Division to carry out your order. They are temporarily unable to mobilize."

Hearing what Haim said, Schmidt immediately widened his eyes and asked sharply, "General Haim, what's going on here? What does it mean that the 22nd Armored Division cannot be mobilized for the time being?"

Seeing that Schmidt was angry, Paulus had a surprised expression on his face. He leaned forward and leaned over the phone receiver, trying to figure out what Heim said wrongly, which made Schmidt angry. He heard Heim complain on the phone: "Since the 22nd Armored Division was in reserve and assigned to the rear of the Italian army, there was no chance of fighting, so the troops never actually got the fuel they needed for the tanks. If you want to set off, you need to add enough fuel to them first..."

Without waiting for Heim to finish, Paulus said angrily to Schmidt: "Immediately arrange the logistics department to replenish the fuel needed for the march to the 22nd Armored Division."

Hearing that Paulus agreed to refuel his troops, Heim was relieved immediately, and he quickly assured Paulus: "Your Excellency, I will immediately issue an order to the troops to get them ready to go. At most In three hours, they will be able to move towards the defense zone of the Romanian 3rd Army."

"Very good!" After hearing Heim's reply, Paulus nodded and said with satisfaction, "I hope your armored division can enter the designated defense zone soon."

It was thought that as long as enough fuel was replenished to the 22nd Armored Division, they would be able to move towards the defense zone of the Romanian 3rd Army within the specified time. But less than an hour later, Paulus received a call from Heim. The commander of the armored army said anxiously on the phone: "Your Excellency, it's not good, something happened, something happened. !"

Hearing what Heim said, Paulus couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart, wondering if the armored division was attacked by Russian guerrillas? He asked in a panic, "General Haim, don't worry, calm down, and tell me what happened?"

"I just received a call from Colonel Oberon, the head of the 204th Armored Regiment. He said that 39 of the 104 tanks in the regiment could not be activated at all." Heim said anxiously: "During the march, another 34 tanks broke down due to engine problems. In addition, there are many tanks whose turrets cannot be rotated..."

"Damn, what's going on?" Paulus asked angrily after listening to the other party's report, "Tell me, why are there so many tanks in the armored regiment malfunctioning?"