Steel Soviet Union

When time passed in a hurry and came to July 10th while Malashenko's 20th Tank Division and the entire 9th Mechanized Corps were resting and recuperating, the German tanks that were rolling forward according to their original historical trajectory finally pushed themselves The track wheels of the enemy crushed it flat to the bottom of Smolensk.

As an ancient Russian city guarding Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, Smolensk is only 360 kilometers away from Moscow in a straight line. For the German and Soviet armies on both sides, it is undoubtedly a battleground of great strategic significance. land.

In order to pull out the last nail embedded in the road to Moscow, the German high command located in Berlin, the heart of the empire in the rear area, quickly moved to the German frontline in the name of the head of state. Among the three major battle clusters, the most powerful and The German Army Group Center, commanded by Marshal Bock, issued the order.

"Encircling the Soviet troops in the West Dvina and Dnieper River areas, occupying the Orsha, Smolensk and Vitebsk areas, and opening up an offensive channel to Moscow."

When Marshal Bock, the supreme commander of the German Army Group Center, received the order from the Supreme Headquarters, he immediately instructed his most elite and fastest-attacking 2nd Armored Group to adjust the direction of the attack and speed up the attack in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Headquarters. The attack was conducted at a pace that did not give the retreating Soviet troops a chance to breathe.

As the fist and sharpest force of the entire German Army Group Center, the 2nd Armored Group did not disappoint Bock and Hitler. In just two days after receiving the order, it defeated many main forces of the Soviet Western Front, which was the frontal enemy. The Nieper River and the Sidwell River established a solid bridgehead for the subsequent large forces of the German Army Group Center.

The German general who commanded the German 2nd Armored Group to overcome obstacles and make rapid progress was none other than Heinz Wilhelm Guderian, a famous German general who would be known as the "Blitz Hero" and the "Father of German Armored Forces" in later generations.

When the Soviet General Staff Headquarters in Moscow and Stalin himself received the news that the German Army Group Center had forcibly crossed the Dnieper River and was approaching Smolensk, the gate of Moscow.

In response to the German army launching the Battle of Smolensk, the Soviet General Staff immediately decided to establish several army-level battle groups with Stalin's approval, from the Bely-Yartevo-Roslavli front to Smolensk. A counterattack was carried out in the direction of Smolensk to reverse the situation in Smolensk.

In order to select suitable generals for these newly formed Smolensk battle groups with a responsible attitude of "fitting good horses with good saddles", after being recommended by General Zhukov, then Chief of General Staff of the Soviet Army, the commanders from far away in the frontline areas were Major General Rokossovsky, who was leading his 9th Mechanized Army to rest and recuperate after the war, soon received a transfer order from Moscow.

On July 14, when Rokossovsky handed over the 9th Mechanized Army to his deputy, he was ordered to return to the Moscow base camp to report. Waiting for his arrival at the airport was Zhukov, the then Chief of General Staff of the Soviet Army. Admiral.

As soon as the two famous Soviet generals in World War II who were recognized by later generations met, they immediately got straight to the point without any unnecessary pleasantries.

"How is the battle situation on the entire front line? Comrade Zhukov. In addition to our Southwest Front Army, what is the battle situation of the other front armies?"

Hearing the questions from Rokossovsky's mouth, Zhukov remained silent at first. He bent down and got into the back seat of the car to sit side by side with Rokossovsky. After reaching out and closing the door, Zhukov spoke indifferently. .

"The situation on the entire front is not good right now, my old friend."

"Except for your Southwest Front Army, the other front armies, including the main Western Front Army, were also defeated one after another and lost cities and territory. Comrade Stalin has not had a good night's sleep for a week in a row because of the deteriorating battle situation on the front line. Now he has been unable to sleep well every day. The most common words on people's lips are "How is the battle situation on the front line?" " and "Did the so-and-so front army repel those Germans?" But every time he heard answers that disappointed him with hope, he would suffer from insomnia all night long, and so on. "

Hearing Zhukov's indifferent reply to him, Rokossovsky, who had a strong sense of responsibility and patriotic passion in his heart, couldn't help but feel depressed because he could not share the leader's worries.

Seeing Rokossovsky's lost and lonely expression next to him, Zhukov, as the chief of the Red Army's general staff and in charge of all the battle dynamics on the front line, immediately stretched out his right hand and patted him gently. Rokossovsky's shoulders.

"There is no need to fall into loneliness because of past failures, Comrade Rokossovsky. As far as I know, your 9th Mechanized Army was already the most eye-catching unit in the early stages of the entire campaign."

"The first tactical victory your army achieved since the war began in the area from Klevan to Oreka is very exciting. That night was one of the few days in my memory when Comrade Stalin smiled with satisfaction after reading the battle report that day. "

"At the same time, it is precisely because you have demonstrated your own value and commanding talent in front of Comrade Stalin and on the cruel battlefield that Marshal Timoshenko and I recommended you to be approved by the Supreme Command. Now you can There is a bigger stage to display your outstanding talents for the motherland and the Soviet Union.”

Faced with such words from Zhukov's mouth, Rokossovsky, who was in a daze and suddenly became interested, quickly raised his head again and spoke.

"Marshal Timoshenko? Oh my god, I really didn't think about it. I mean, how is Marshal Timoshenko doing now? Where did the Supreme Command send him to serve?"

After hearing the question from Rokossovsky, Zhukov, who had no intention of hiding anything from him from the beginning, spoke slowly again.

"Marshal Timoshenko has been appointed by Comrade Stalin as the new commander of the Western Front. He is now on his way to take office. If nothing else happens, he should have arrived at the front line and started work by now."

"The new commander of the Western Front? Shouldn't the commander of this Western Front be Comrade Pavlov?"

After hearing the indifferent words from Zhukov's mouth, he immediately showed surprise and puzzlement. Obviously, as a young major general on the front line, Rokossovsky was not aware of the recent uproar among the top officials in Moscow. Still don’t know anything.

Seeing Rokossovsky's surprised expression in his eyes, after thinking for a moment, Zhukov blurted out the words that came to his lips.