The decisive battle against the Third Reich

500 tons of supplies per flight day.

If we calculate that each Junkers 52 transport aircraft can barely reach a load capacity of 5 tons, 100 Junkers transport aircraft will successfully land in Stalingrad every day with full supplies... It is a landing rather than an airdrop. If the supplies are airdropped, the supplies will still be lost. It will decrease in a series, so more transport aircraft will be needed. This does not include the losses caused by the low accuracy of airdrops.

So this is almost impossible to do on the battlefield, because the Soviets will use anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, etc. to block the airspace of Stalingrad... As mentioned before, Stalingrad is a rectangle with a depth and width of only five kilometers. Airspace can easily be blocked.

In addition, the surrounding howitzers would make it impossible for aircraft to land at Stalingrad.

Anyone with a modicum of military knowledge knows this is impossible.

But Goering still insisted on answering: "I can do it!"

So Qin Chuan understood that in history, at least one of the reasons why Hitler refused to withdraw his troops from Stalingrad even after death was because of Göring's big words.

Paulus got angry: "This is a lie, Your Excellency the Führer!"

But Hitler was obviously more willing to believe Goering's words. He replied: "The Reich Marshal has reported to me. I can only believe his report and stick to my decision!"

In principle, Hitler's plan made some sense.

Paulus believed that there were only two options when it was determined that the Soviet army was going to counterattack... either to send additional troops to fill the gap or to retreat.

But the problem was that Hitler wanted neither.

Send more troops... Hitler had almost no troops left to send.

Retreating was not what Hitler wanted.

So he could only make his own choice and hold the line of defense without sending additional troops.

Therefore, on the one hand, he considered transferring several troops from the 6th Army to join the Romanian Army to enhance their strength and anti-tank capabilities, or it could also be said to use the German army to mobilize their combat determination.

On the other hand, if the defense line is really broken through and the 6th Army is surrounded, then the Air Force can also transport supplies to the 6th Army... Hitler thought that the sky belonged to Germany, so he believed that the Air Force could do this.

Of course, this is obviously out of touch with the reality on the battlefield and belongs entirely to the romantic imagination of those in power, such as Hitler and Göring, who sat in their offices.

But Hitler just believed what Goering said, or it could be said that Goering saw that Hitler was unwilling to give up Stalingrad and surrendered to him... In any case, Qin Chuan's attempt to change Hitler's mind through "evidence" can be said to have failed. .

To be precise, the "evidence" succeeded, but Hitler still did not change his mind.

"Don't worry, General!" Perhaps to appease Paulus, or perhaps to praise Qinchuan again, Hitler said with a smile: "In addition to the Imperial Marshal's air force, we also have the 'Legendary Sergeant'; There’s a helicopter, isn’t there?”

As he spoke, Hitler turned his attention to Qin Chuan: "I seemed to have heard last time that helicopters can transport 2 tons of supplies, right?"

"Yes, Your Excellency the Head of State!" Qin Chuan replied: "And the helicopter can also take off and land on complex terrain. It only needs to provide a small open space for it. I think it is perfectly fine to use it to transport supplies in Stalingrad. Done!”

Paulus and Alexander couldn't help but look at Qinchuan in astonishment.

Hitler said happily: "Look, General Paulus, you noticed that this is not just my idea, the 'Legendary Sergeant' also agrees with me, and you are all his superiors!"

"Your Majesty the Head of State!" Qin Chuan continued: "The problem is, I don't understand why we are doing this!"

"What do you think?" Hitler asked.

"Can I use the map, Your Majesty the Head of State?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Of course!" Hitler raised his head towards the map, and even took the instruction stick from his desk and handed it to Qin Chuan in a very discreet manner.

Qin Chuan took the baton, then pointed at the map and said: "I wonder if Your Excellency the Head of State and the Imperial Marshal have noticed that if the Soviet Union breaks through from the Don River and the Volga River, it will not only be a matter of Stalingrad being surrounded. , if the Soviet army advances in the southwest direction... As you know, our troops in the rear are very empty. They can almost advance all the way without blocking. Once they capture Rostov, they will cut us into pieces that cannot be contacted. Three parts: west of the Don, Stalingrad and the Caucasus!”

Everyone was stunned after hearing this, including Hitler. He was only thinking about Stalingrad but did not expect that the Caucasus would also be surrounded.

"The head of state is right!" Qin Chuan said: "The Imperial Marshal is also right. It is indeed possible for us to use the air force to provide supplies to Stalingrad and hold it, and we can even wait until next spring to launch a counterattack. But the problem is... the Soviets Is the siege of the 6th Army just to encircle and annihilate the 6th Army?”

"We have two mountain divisions in the Caucasus Mountains!" Hitler said: "They can stop any enemy with the natural barrier of the Caucasus!"

"Of course!" Qin Chuan nodded in agreement: "But the problem is...the Soviets can also go down the Volga River, enter the Caspian Sea, and land directly in the Transcaucasus or even Baku. Before that, if Stalingrad had not been surrounded If so, the 6th Army would threaten this transportation route, but if the 6th Army was trapped near Stalingrad...then what would stop the Soviets from doing this? I sometimes can't help but wonder...the Soviets? Is this counterattack plan aimed at Stalingrad or the Baku oil field?”

Only then did Paulus and Alexander understand what Qin Chuan meant, and couldn't help but glance at each other and nod slightly.

Hitler was embarrassed and crossed his hands, holding his chin and meditating on the map.

Historically, he did not need to worry about this, because Germany did not take the Baku oil fields, but now it is another matter.

"Perhaps..." Hitler said: "The purpose of the Soviets is to make us mistakenly think that their goal is Stalingrad, while on the other hand they divide the Caucasus and then attack Baku down the river!"

"Yes, Your Excellency the Head of State!" Qinchuan said: "You must know that the oil production of the Baku Oil Field accounts for 71.5% of the total oil production of the Soviet Union. Without it, the Soviet Union will be like a lion without food. One day They will be starved to death or even starve to death. All they can do is rely on British and American assistance to survive, but if they capture Baku again..."

"Then even holding a hundred Stalingrads will be of no use!" Hitler replied.

So Qin Chuan knew that he had persuaded Hitler.