The decisive battle against the Third Reich

"Bang bang!" Manstein raised his gun and fired a few bursts. Although there were a few more bullet holes on the target about 300 meters away, the results were not very good.

"Interesting!" Manstein raised the telescope and looked at it, then said self-deprecatingly: "I haven't touched a gun for a long time. If it can hit even me, that will be enough to prove its range!"

Qin Chuan and Colonel Slain couldn't help but laugh. Of course, they would not doubt Manstein's military qualities, because everyone knew that he was a veteran from World War I.

Usually veterans from World War I have more or less stubborn ideas. In fact, the German generals are much better than other countries in this regard, but inevitably there are still some people like General von Bock who have difficulty accepting new equipment. New ideas.

In fact, the more important issue with the MP43 is a new concept... If it is just equipment, for the Eastern Front, where there are hundreds of thousands of troops at every turn, what weapons a regiment is equipped with is actually a very small matter, but with MP43 Eliminating bolt-action rifles with longer ranges is a big deal for the military, so some people can't accept it.

Manstein was obviously not a traditional person. After trying a few more magazines with great interest, he nodded and said: "It's great, really great... If we can equip this gun in large quantities, If so, I believe those Soviets who always like to charge in groups will be beaten to their knees and begging for mercy!"

After a pause, Manstein continued with some disappointment: "However, from the current point of view, this equipment's help to us is still very limited!"

"General, are you talking about Sevastopol Fortress?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Yes!" Manstein glanced at Qin Chuan unexpectedly.

"Before arriving here, I learned some information about the battle situation from the colonel!" Qin Chuan explained.

"Very good!" Manstein handed the MP43 in his hand to Qin Chuan and said, "If every soldier can consider the problem from the commander's point of view like you instead of just obeying orders, I think things will be fine. So much solved!”

But this was more of a polite word. After Manstein finished speaking, he planned to return to the headquarters.

"General!" Colonel Slain stepped forward to stop Manstein, and then said: "Sorry, General! I have a request!"

"Huh?" Manstein said: "Send you to the battlefield? Don't worry, Colonel, I also want to see the actual combat effect of this rifle, so this is exactly what I want!"

"No, General!" Colonel Slain replied: "I hope you can tell the captain more information, or you can say the problems you encountered!"

Manstein looked at Colonel Slain and then at Qinchuan with some confusion.

"I mean..." Colonel Slaine looked at Qin Chuan and said, "Maybe you don't believe it, General. But he has a special ability. He can always think of a way when we are desperate. In North Africa, it is It's the same in Holm, so I thought he might be able to help you!"

Manstein looked at Qin Chuan and said, "I've heard of you, Captain. Maybe I can also call you 'Legendary Sergeant'. Colonel Slaine may be right, but this battle , almost no one can make any comments!”

Qinchuan knew what Manstein meant... What the Germans wanted to attack was the Sevastopol Fortress. It was said that its strength was comparable to the Maginot Line. In front of this fortress, the only thing the Germans could do seemed to be a forceful attack.

"But!" Manstein then said: "Why not give it a try?"

As he said this, he waved to Qin Chuan and Colonel Slaine and motioned for them to follow.

In the headquarters, Manstein pointed to the map and introduced: "The enemy was originally stationed in the Zhankoi area. As you can see, there is a narrow area like a gourd mouth, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but we still Breaking through their defenses with air superiority and tanks."

As he spoke, Manstein pointed at the map and moved south: "They were divided into two parts and retreated on their own initiative. One part retreated to the Sevastopol Fortress in the southwest and was stationed on the Balaklava line. The main force will be withdrawn to the Kerch Peninsula to the east to build three lines of defense!"

"So!" Qin Chuan said, "As long as we take another step forward, we may be attacked from both sides by them?"

"That's right, Captain!" Manstein nodded appreciatively: "You must know that we are short of troops. We mainly deploy our troops on the defense line. There are only two corps of troops that can be put into this damn place. A total of There was one undermanned armored division and five infantry divisions, but the enemy had five armies with a total of 260,000 people. Their strength was more than twice ours, and they also had all the geographical advantages... But we were defeated Demand to annihilate them within a short period of time!”

Manstein couldn't help complaining.

This is indeed a very difficult battle, because the Soviet army is distributed in two pairs, so the German army, which is already under-strength, must be divided into two groups to fight separately. If you are not careful... If the Soviet army counterattacks and reoccupies the Hulukou area of ​​​​Zhankoi, it will Blockade the German troops on the Crimean Island with no way out.

"What are these?" Qin Chuan asked, pointing to the squares drawn on the map.

"The battery!" Manstein replied: "The battery of the Sevastopol Fortress!"

As he spoke, Manstein pulled out a few pictures from the file and said, "This is the data and sketches we obtained from the prisoners!"

Qin Chuan couldn't help but be shocked after taking the document and looking at it: These turrets are all covered by 200 to 300 mm thick armor plates. There are three layers of permanent fortifications under the turrets, and each layer of permanent concrete canopy is 3,000 mm thick. ~4000mm.

The fort is equipped with twin 305MM cannons with a range of 44 kilometers, which can hit almost anywhere on the Crimean Peninsula.

All forts are surrounded by permanent concrete armor plates and are connected by underground passages and small railways. Countless bunkers and firepower points are set up in the mountainous areas. All fort turrets are sunken and have an absolute advantage in shooting range. A ground attack on this defensive zone was theoretically impossible. Moreover, the designers stored the basic ammunition of the fortress in the main ammunition depot called 'Kurabe', which is 30 meters underground on the south bank of Severnaya Bay!

…

No wonder some people say that this is another Maginot Line of Defense. Although it is not as long as the Maginot Line of Defense, its strength and firepower are even better, especially behind this line of defense is the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. For mobile troops.

Manstein spread his hands and said: "Now you understand what you are facing? They are things that even aerial bombs cannot pose a threat to, let alone your rifles!"