The Rise of the Third Reich

September 1, 1939, 8:45 pm.

The World War has been going on for 16 hours, and the main battle on the first day is basically over - the German armored forces will certainly not stop advancing, and they will continue to advance towards their respective goals. The next target of the 19th Armored Corps is the Vistula River, the next target of the 16th Armored Corps is the Pilica River, the next target of the 15th Armored Corps is the Nida River, and the 22nd Armored Corps will march overnight Advance towards the Dunaye River. But there was no organized Polish resistance in their path, at least not tonight, and probably not tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow.

Now, the real force blocking the advance of these German armored groups was not the Poles but the supply lines behind them.

At least 250,000 people drove in on this night in thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery and tens of thousands of various vehicles.

And every day they fight, they consume thousands of tons of supplies (fuel, ammunition, food, weapon accessories, equipment, tents, etc.), which are transported by Opel trucks with a load of 3 tons. At least 2,000 trucks full of supplies are required to arrive every day. front.

This does not mean that 2,000 trucks are enough. Because as the front continues to lengthen and guerrillas may appear, the time that the baggage trucks spend on the road will become longer and longer. If it takes a truck 2 days to complete the journey (and another 2 days to go back), then at least 8,000 trucks must be invested in delivering supplies to the mechanized troops on the front line; if the time to complete the journey increases to 4 days, it will take The number of trucks is 16,000; if the time to complete the journey increases to 8 days, then 32,000 large trucks will be needed...

And this figure does not take into account the insurance factor and the consumption of troops required to maintain the security of the logistics line along the way.

In other words, the number of Opel 3-ton trucks directly determines how far and how fast the German armored forces can run - this is real national strength! It is not a problem that can be solved by "advanced tactical theory".

In addition, in addition to the logistics of armored groups requiring trucks, the hundreds of thousands or millions of "traditional" German troops scattered on the battlefield also require a large number of trucks and horse-drawn carriages to ensure logistical supplies.

As is the case with armored units, the more trucks a "traditional" unit has, the more maneuverable they are on enemy soil. If an entire infantry division can rely on truck wheels for mobility, then this infantry division will be a so-called "motorized" infantry division.

In fact, the real secret to Germany's ability to carry out the so-called "Blitzkrieg" was not the concentrated use of tanks, but the fact that Germany had the world's second largest automobile industry and Europe's largest automobile industry at the time.

If there are not a large number of vehicles to support the logistics of the armored cluster, the concentrated use of tanks can at most create a few gaps in the opponent's defense line, but they will not be able to deploy troops in time for large-scale deep assaults.

Germany's opponents, the United Kingdom, France and Poland, on the night of September 1, 1939, had not yet realized how much damage the German armored group "on car wheels" would cause.

Therefore, on the evening of September 1, the political and military leaders of Britain, France, and Poland were relatively certain. They all agreed that the German offensive would slow down on September 2. Poland had enough time to adjust its deployment and prepare for a counterattack.

All we need to worry about now is the Soviet Union taking advantage of the situation!

…

"The situation does not seem to be as bad as imagined." This is what British Admiralty Secretary Churchill said to Prime Minister Chamberlain in the Foreign Office Building on Whitehall Street after learning about the Soviet Union's request to "dissolve the Polish Federation."

"What the Soviets handed over was not an ultimatum, right?" Fatty Qiu asked the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax.

"No, it's not an ultimatum," Viscount Halifax replied. "The Soviets didn't say they would go to war if they didn't agree, let alone a time for a final reply. This is obviously not an ultimatum."

Stalin was very smart and would not easily let his country get involved in an unmanageable world war. Although he really wanted to get Right Bank Ukraine and Western Ukraine (Eastern Galicia), it was obviously the most ideal to get that territory in a peaceful way or to avoid participating in a world war.

Moreover, the German Baltic States were also territories separated from the original Russian Empire, and Stalin also wanted to regain the Baltic States!

If Germany, Britain, France, and Poland were defeated in a fight, wouldn't the Soviet Union be able to take back the Baltics? Perhaps even Finland and Lithuania can return to the embrace of their motherland...

"How did the Poles respond?" Prime Minister Chamberlain asked.

"The Poles have not yet replied to the Soviet Union," Viscount Halifax said. "The Polish Foreign Minister stated in the telegram that if right-bank Ukraine must be sold, Poland should receive corresponding compensation from Germany."

"What do the Poles want?" Chamberlain asked noncommittally.

"East Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia and the Free City of Danzig." Viscount Halifax said, "This is what Foreign Minister Baker proposed in the telegram."

Chamberlain looked at Churchill and said, "Winston, what do you think?"

"The demands of the Poles are reasonable," Churchill said, "but to cede the right bank of Ukraine to the Soviet Union..." He shook his head and said nothing.

"No, it's not a cession," Viscount Halifax said. "Stalin has already figured out the steps for us. Disband the Polish Federation, let the Ukrainians become independent, and then the Soviet Union will occupy Ukraine itself."

"It makes no difference," Churchill shrugged. "We still betrayed the Ukrainians." He thought for a moment and asked, "What do the French think?"

"Prime Minister Faraday thinks it is acceptable," Viscount Halifax said, "but the Soviet Union must participate in the war against Germany, and they should attack the Baltics. Of course, the Baltics also belong to the Soviet Union. In addition, France also supports Poland's occupation East Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia and the Free City of Danzig also hope that Czechoslovakia can regain its independent status."

"Then what do they want?" Churchill asked again.

"The Saarland and the Ruhr area," Halifax said. "In addition, Germany must deindustrialize."

Churchill nodded, "I think you can agree that we can no longer give Germany the slightest chance, and we can even wipe this country completely off the map!"

Fatty Qiu is now the leader of the right wing of the British Conservative Party, and he is a minister who speaks effectively.

"Winston, you mean we should agree to the Soviet Union's request?" Chamberlain asked with a frown.

"No, there is no need to agree immediately," Churchill said. "You can delay it for a while and see the effect of the Polish counterattack."

The Poles also reported the idea of ​​the "Great Counterattack on the Vistula" to the British and French. At the same time, they also reported to the British and French the battle report of "killing and capturing more than 45,000 Germans." After studying the progress of the German troops on the front line, British and French military experts concluded that the German troops had lost approximately 30,000 people. At the same time, they also believed that the German offensive would slow down on September 2. Referring to the speed at which the German army broke through from Belgium to near Paris during the last World War (the assault after the Battle of Belgium) - it advanced about 200 kilometers in 8 days. This time, after the Germans defeated the Polish Coastal Army, it would take at least 10 days to break through to the vicinity of Warsaw. The resistance of the Coastal Army could contain the Germans for at least another 5 days.

"Both the Poles and our Imperial General Staff believe that the decisive battle will break out between September 16th and 20th, and may last for 10 days." Neville Chamberlain thought for a moment, "In other words, the war will take place in There will be a stalemate in October, just like in the last war. Let us give the Soviet Union an answer on October 1st.”

He thought for a while and added: "If the Soviet Union goes to war with Poland before then, then we will bomb the Baku oil fields!"

"Then when will we declare war on Germany?" Churchill asked again.

"September 3rd." Chamberlain said, "Because once war is declared, London may be attacked by German air attacks, so it will take some time to arrange air defense matters." He took a deep breath, and then sighed, "So I It is recommended to submit an ultimatum to Germany at 12:00 on September 3, requiring them to withdraw their troops from Poland immediately, and the French will submit the same ultimatum at 5 p.m.”

…

"Your Majesty General, this is the statistical report on casualties and missing persons of each army group."

At 9:15 pm, Admiral Hersmann, who was at the Stettin Naval Fortress, received the latest casualty and missing reports.

Hersman took the report and read it in a low voice, "During today's daytime battle (as of 7 p.m.), the loss statistics of Army Group South are as follows:

Officers: 38 dead, 62 wounded, 4 missing;

Soldiers: 403 dead, 1,210 wounded, 302 missing.

The loss statistics of Army Group North are as follows:

Officers: 28 dead, 55 wounded, 3 missing;

Soldiers: 306 dead, 1,102 wounded, 209 missing.

The losses of Army Group Baltic were calculated as follows:

Officers: 11 dead, 19 wounded, 1 missing;

Soldiers; 103 dead, 336 wounded, 35 missing.

The statistics of the losses of the air force and naval aviation on the Eastern Front are as follows:

Officer: 9 dead, 16 injured, 25 missing;

Soldiers: 16 dead, 33 wounded, 41 missing.

The Baltic Fleet suffered no loss of life. The total number of casualties and missing persons in various ministries was 4,367..."

He put down the report and pondered for a while, "The loss is not small!"

Not small? Manstein rolled his eyes, it would have been the last world war, which meant the loss of three regiments in one day.

"Your Excellency, General," Manstein decided to say some comforting words, "because time is relatively short, the statistics of injured personnel do not distinguish between minor injuries and serious injuries, and many missing personnel may just be separated and will return to the army soon. . The actual losses (killed, seriously wounded and unrecoverable missing) are probably less than 3,000."

Hessmann then showed a smile and said, "Okay, Erich, report this data to Berlin and attach an explanation. This is our first day's report card!"