The decisive battle against the Third Reich

Of course, not all infantry anti-tank equipment was adequate for Manstein's needs to win this battle.

For example, anti-tank guns and rocket launchers can be regarded as infantry anti-tank equipment, but their role on the battlefield is very limited... Anti-tank guns can generally only make sneak attacks, and they can only penetrate the armor of T34 tanks at close range. This does not include ricochet. Rocket launchers have low accuracy and short range.

The ME63 can not only effectively penetrate target armor, but also has an incredible range...one thousand meters or more, which is even beyond the range of enemy tanks. This will lead to the formation of "the Germans can fight the Soviets, but the Soviets can't." Without the advantage of the German army, only in this way can the German army stop the Soviet army's "iron torrent" on the battlefield.

In fact, the situation is more severe than Manstein and Qin Chuan could imagine.

Because at this time the Soviet army had invested in a number of new fighters: "Il-2M3", "La"-5, and "Yak"-9 fighters.

Among them, the "La" 5 fighter jet and the "Yak" 9 fighter jet have a top speed of 648 kilometers per hour and 672 kilometers per hour respectively, which is barely related to the 710 kilometers per hour speed of the German BF109.

More importantly, Soviet industrial production was restored with large-scale assistance from the United States, and these fighters were put into production at an alarming rate. For example, more than a thousand of the "La" 5 fighter jets were produced in just five months, with an average of two hundred fighter jets per month.

But Qin Chuan believes that this situation will not last long.

The reason is that the United States and Britain have not yet launched a large-scale battle with Germany at this time. If there is any battle, it will be a small fight in Africa.

Therefore, the United States could support the Soviet Union more instead of investing resources in its own battle.

If the United States and Britain opened a second battlefield in northern France, then the United States would have to fight Japan on the one hand, Germany on the other, and at the same time assist the Soviet Union.

As a result, U.S. aid to the Soviet Union will inevitably decline exponentially.

At this time, the Soviet Union mainly relied on assistance from the United States and Britain... The fall of the Baku oil field caused it to lose most of its energy. At this time, the Soviet Union may have exhausted its energy reserves in the war for Kursk. .

In other words, if the Soviet Union can be hurt in this battle, the Soviet Union will soon enter an embarrassing situation of insufficient energy. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to regard this battle as Stalin's last attempt.

The order was issued quickly, and the 4th Armored Group Army was ordered to be transferred to Kharkov. After all, the defense in the Caucasus was more about infantry and mountain troops. Armored troops and mechanized troops did not play a big role here... In fact, it was more important. The most important thing is to reinforce the Central Army Group. Otherwise, it is completely necessary to put an armored group army in such an important place as the Baku Oil Field.

However, the mobilization of the 4th Armored Group Army was somewhat troublesome because all transportation in the North Caucasus and its northern areas was destroyed and unrepaired. At the same time, there were also Soviet guerrillas in the north, so it obviously could not be like this. transfer.

In the end, you can only go in the direction of the Crimean Peninsula, that is, enter the Crimean Peninsula from Transcausal via the Kerch Strait and then go to Kharkov.

The entire journey in a large circle is nearly 2,000 kilometers. In addition, many areas (starting from the Crimean Peninsula) are covered with heavy snow. If you march normally, you may not be able to walk in a few months.

Fortunately, the Transcaucasus and Krillin Peninsula areas are in the rear. In order to facilitate transportation to the front line, railways were built and transport trains were put in after these places were captured. Therefore, armies and even tanks can be mobilized by train transportation. There was some trouble in the Kerch Strait. However, this trouble is reduced a lot because of the amphibious landing ship.

Of course, Qin Chuan and the other First Infantry Regiment did not need to make such a large circle. They took the helicopter to the west to Soglione, and then flew over the Sea of ​​Azov directly to Kharkov... This was done to avoid as much as possible A sneak attack by Soviet skirmishers in the Caucasus Mountains, although this may be very small, the Soviet troops above were either frozen to death or starved to death. Even if there were a few left alive, they didn't even have the strength to pull the trigger.

But there is a saying that "sail with caution". When it is time to be cautious on the battlefield, you must be cautious. After all, these are excellent soldiers on a fragile helicopter.

The temperature dropped sharply after the helicopter arrived in Soglione... This was the first feeling after leaving the barrier of the Caucasus Mountains. However, the soldiers seemed to be used to all this, and each took out cotton-padded clothes from their backpacks and put them on.

"I think I'll miss Fort Kinov!" said the baker. "At least it's warm there!"

"I miss it already!" Werner said.

"Oh, of course!" Alfredo responded: "This period should be your happiest day, leading the team to receive countless cheers and applause!"

"That's right!" Qin Chuan remembered the competition after hearing this and asked: "Werner, have we won the championship?"

"No, Lieutenant Colonel!" Werner replied with some embarrassment: "We only won one runner-up, and the championship was taken by the 92nd Infantry Division!"

"What's going on?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Well..." Werner replied: "They have more professional baseball players!"

"Uh-huh!" Qin Chuan said, "Have you told them that we will see you on the battlefield in the future?"

"Of course!" Werner replied.

"In fact..." Kuhn said: "Werner told them with his fists and bat!"

"Oh?" Qin Chuan couldn't help but look at Werner in confusion.

"It's not my fault!" Werner spread his hands: "They committed a foul, and the referee was obviously biased..."

"Did you win?" Qin Chuan interrupted Werner.

"Of course!" Werner replied.

"Very good, Werner!" Qin Chuan said: "This is more important than the championship. Let them know that the 21st Armored Division is not easy to mess with!"

There was a proud laugh in the cabin.

The helicopter was flying in a snow-white wilderness, and occasionally a military column dragging long carriages would pass by below. Everything seemed to be frozen.

Qin Chuan looked back at the Caucasus Mountains in the distance and couldn't help but have mixed feelings.

In fact, Qin Chuan was reluctant to leave Transcaucasus, because it was like a safe haven for the cold world outside, although there had been battles there, and the casualties were no lower than those in other places.

But like the baker said, at least it's still warm. And other places... large areas of the Soviet Union are either covered in ice and snow or in mud. Before these have completely subsided, there are tanks, artillery shells and patches of corpses.

It's hard for Qin Chuan to find anything beautiful here.