The decisive battle against the Third Reich

"Captain, Captain?"

Just when Qinchuan was hesitating between the Battle of Stalin and the Battle of the Caucasus, Manstein asked Qinchuan: "What do you think about attacking Kerch?"

Before Qin Chuan had time to speak, Manstein introduced to the officers in the conference room: "This is Sergeant Frick of the First Infantry Regiment, also known as the 'Legendary Sergeant' as you often call us. It was on his advice that the victory of Sevastopol was achieved!”

With a "wow" sound, there was loud applause in the conference room.

In fact, there was no need for Manstein to introduce him at all. The officers all knew who the only captain in Qinchuan's conference room was.

After the applause subsided, Manstein pointed to the map and said: "With a total length of 75 kilometers, the Soviets have deployed four lines of defense in the narrow place. The first line of defense is the Parpach Line. The Soviets have deployed two lines of defense here. There are three armies, the 47th Army and the 51st Army. The second line of defense is the Nasser Line. Here is the 44th Army. The last two lines of defense are the Sudan Ovka Line of Defense and the Kerch Line of Defense, which are garrisoned by the 46th Army!”

"There are many troops on the front line, but few troops on the rear!" Qin Chuan said.

"Yes!" Manstein said: "Because obviously, if we launch an attack, we must first defeat the first line of defense, then the second line, and the third line... And the defeated Soviet soldiers retreat while defending. , we don’t need so many troops in the rear!”

"Of course!" Qin Chuan said: "In this way, every time we attack, we will encounter a lot of enemy troops and we will defeat them all!"

"Yes!" Manstein nodded in agreement: "This is where we are in trouble!"

At this time, an officer made a suggestion: "Why don't we take a boat to bypass their defense lines and attack like the captain attacked Sevastopol?"

"This method obviously won't work on the Kerch Peninsula!" Manstein rejected the plan without thinking: "The reason for attacking Sevastopol is that the enemy has only one line of defense, and the target of the attack is very clear. The distance is also very short! But if we use the Kerch Peninsula... we will be trapped between the enemy's two lines of defense at any point, not to mention what will happen if we are discovered by the enemy at sea!"

Manstein was right. Sevastopol bypassed the enemy's defense line from the sea and had an element of sneak attack. He was not too worried about the Soviet Black Sea Fleet because air superiority had always been in the hands of the Germans. It's just that amphibious warfare was still a new thing in this era, and even the Yankees were thinking about it while fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. What's more, the German army now only has fishing boats. It's hard to imagine that the German army can use these fishing boats to seize the beach and land...

Qin Chuan couldn't help but be startled when he thought of this, and then his eyes followed the coastline of the Black Sea, and then his expression relaxed. He seemed to have thought of a way to solve the difficult problem of the Caucasus Battle.

"Captain!" Noticing Qin Chuan's expression, Manstein asked, "Have you thought of a way to attack Kerch?"

"No, general!" Qin Chuan replied: "In fact, it was never the Kerch Peninsula that I was worried about!"

"What do you mean?" Manstein asked doubtfully.

"General!" Qin Chuan pointed at the map and said, "As you just said, if we attack the enemy's first line of defense, we will push the enemy's remaining troops to the second line of defense, and then attack the second line of defense and push the enemy back to the second line of defense." Chase to the third line of defense... By analogy, when we occupy the Kerch Peninsula, where will we attack the enemy? "

One of the officers responded: "It'll give them hell, won't it?"

The officers laughed in unison.

Manstein glared at the officer, and everyone immediately stopped laughing.

Manstein was different from Rommel in this respect. He did not like to discuss irrelevant things in serious meetings, even if it was to tell a joke to relieve the tense atmosphere.

This may be related to their different births... Rommel was born in the grassroots, while Manstein was born in a noble family. His father, grandfather, and even uncle were all generals. The famous Field Marshal and German President von Hindenburg was still his. uncle.

"Of course they will suffer heavy losses!" Manstein looked at the map again, and then answered Qin Chuan's question: "In addition to casualties and surrender, they will retreat across the Kerch Strait to the Taman Peninsula!"

The Taman Peninsula belongs to the North Caucasus. It is separated from the Kerch Peninsula by the Kerch Strait. The narrowest part is only 4 kilometers, so it is not difficult to escape across the Kerch Strait to the Taman Peninsula.

In fact, during the historical Battle of Kerch, many defeated soldiers swam across the Kerch Strait and fled to the Taman Peninsula.

"Then what?" Qin Chuan then asked: "If we attack the Taman Peninsula..."

"Will they flee to the Caucasus Mountains?" Upon hearing this, Manstein couldn't help but have a flash of surprise in his eyes. He seemed to know what Qin Chuan was thinking about.

Qin Chuan nodded slightly and said: "So I am not worried about the Kerch Peninsula, Taman Peninsula, or other places, because the enemy at least needs to build fortifications in these places, and our tanks also have ways to attack, but we know Yes, the Caucasus Mountains have complex terrain and steep mountains. There are only a few mountain passes that can be entered and exited. They are a natural barrier. What we are doing now seems to be winning battles one by one, but in fact we are driving the enemy towards the Caucasus... I I just want to know, are we ready to fight the enemy in the Caucasus?"

Manstein's face couldn't help but change after hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure and then cleared his throat and said: "Captain, you seem to be thinking too far. No matter what, we must win the battle in front of us now." Isn’t it? Otherwise, we can’t stand in front of the Caucasus Mountains, so how can we attack?”

"Yes, General!" Qin Chuan understood the meaning of Manstein's expression. He seemed to have exposed a German attack target just now...Qin Chuan, who knew the history, took it for granted that the war situation would inevitably go towards the Caucasus. Development, but did not expect that it was still a military secret at this time, and Stalingrad was also.

Sure enough, Manstein called Qin Chuan to the office alone shortly after the meeting.

Seeing Qin Chuan come in, Manstein stopped the document he was reviewing, motioned Qin Chuan to sit down on the chair in front of him, and then asked: "Captain, you seem to have guessed our strategic goal?"

"I don't know if it's convenient to say it!" Qin Chuan replied.

"It would be a fool's errand not to tell you when you already guessed it, wouldn't it?"

"Yes!" Qinchuan replied: "I think our target is the Baku oil field in the Caucasus!"