The Rise of the Third Reich

"Uranium weapons?"

Neither the US ambassador nor the British ambassador understood. In fact, they did not know about the "uranium project" secretly carried out by their governments. Like the Americans, scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory in the UK and intelligence personnel from MI6 Through joint efforts, the secret of nuclear fission was discovered in 1941. However, because the British Empire was already in dire straits, their uranium project progressed slowly. But this matter is top secret, and ambassadors stationed in foreign countries do not know about it.

Stalin smiled. In fact, he did not know what "uranium" was used for. His agents only found out that Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom were hoarding this "porcelain dye" and had also set up special scientific research institutions to carry out research. Researched in secret, this is obviously not for high-tech manufacturing of porcelain.

So when the British and American ambassadors came to discuss the World Anti-Nazi Alliance with Stalin today, Stalin took the opportunity to blackmail him. Maybe we can work out a "joint development", so that we can at least figure out what the Germans are doing with collecting so much uranium.

"General Secretary, I have never heard of this thing..." the U.S. Ambassador replied firmly, "What is this thing?"

"It's chemical element 92," British Ambassador Stafford Cripps knew what uranium was. He was engaged in chemical engineering before becoming a barrister. "But I didn't know this thing could be used to make weapons, it's just a dye..."

"It can!" Stalin continued to deceive, "Comrade Kapitsa, director of the Soviet Institute of Physics, told me that uranium can be used to make weapons."

Of course Stalin also knew that while the Germans were collecting uranium, they were also collecting quantum physicists, and experts from the Soviet intelligence department linked uranium and quantum physicists after research, because the quantum physics community is now keen on searching for transuranics element.

"Did Mr. Kapitsa say that?" Stafford Cripps, who studied chemical engineering, certainly knew that Kapitsa was a master of physics.

Now Stafford Cripps also believed what Stalin said. When he returned to the embassy, ​​he was going to send a telegram to London - Stalin was covered now! However, once he fully understands the slow progress of "uranium weapons research" between Britain and the United States, he may have to live on tenterhooks.

…

"Don't pick it up! Don't look at it!"

Amidst the scoldings of political cadres and cadres of the Group Army's Counterintelligence Department, Yakov Dzhugashvili climbed up from the wheat field on the roadside as if no one else was around, walked to the road, picked up a German bomber and dropped it flyers.

When his column of the 9th Mechanized Army stopped for a meal just now, it was discovered by several Do217s, who dropped a bunch of bombs and scattered many reactionary leaflets.

But Yakov Dzhugashvili was safe and sound. When the German plane arrived, he was eating beef and potatoes plus vodka - this was not a small meal, but the standard ration for "mid-level officers". But those German planes dropped flares first and then bombs (night bombing, who knows where the world's revolutionary fighters are at night if you don't drop a few flares?). As a result, Rokossovsky pulled the flares as soon as they dropped them. Following Yakov, he got into the wheat field beside the road, so there was no danger.

After the German plane had gone away, when Dzhugashvili emerged from the wheat field, he found many more leaflets on the road, which were obviously dropped by Nazi German planes. Others would not dare to pick it up, but Yakov Dzhugashvili was not afraid. Stalin was his loving father. So I picked one up and read it with the help of the firelight caused by the German bomb.

"What did the Germans say?" Rokossovsky saw that Yakov was looking at something he shouldn't be looking at. Instead of criticizing the education, Rokossovsky asked what he heard.

"The Germans say that Stalin betrayed the world revolution, betrayed Lenin's line, and colluded with British and American imperialism to attack socialist Germany. They also said that it was Stalin who killed and arrested many proven old Bolsheviks in order to carry out his betrayal of the revolution... …”

"Nonsense! Complete nonsense!" Rokossovsky said through gritted teeth. "These German Nazis talk nonsense all day long. No one will believe them without a word of truth."

Yakov Dzhugashvili shrugged his shoulders. Of course, the words in the German leaflets were slander. Indeed, no revolutionary fighter in the world would believe it. However, the propaganda on the Soviet side obviously did not work, because the crackling gunfire came from not far away again. This was the vanguard of the 9th Mechanized Army fighting against the guerrillas led by the Polish Solidarity Party and the Nazi SS Polish Army. Volunteers exchange fire. Ever since the 9th Mechanized Corps crossed the Bug River, Polish reactionaries had been firing on them. At the same time, no Poles took the initiative to welcome them with open arms.

At this time, the gunfire became more and more intensive, and occasionally there were several harsh explosions. A staff officer ran over from nowhere, came to Rokossovsky, and reported something to him in a low voice. Then Rokossovsky turned to Dzhugashvili and smiled bitterly: "Yakov, it seems that the comrades in the vanguard are going to fight hard again tonight."

"What's wrong?"

"There is a forest ahead, right next to the road. There are many Polish reactionaries ambushing there, and maybe anti-tank guns. They are really annoying and reactionary guys!"

Ambushed in the woods ahead was a cavalry group of SS Polish volunteers, a battalion-level battle group—not a traditional cavalry battalion, but a combination of mounted infantry, horse-drawn 50mm anti-tank guns, cavalry guns, and mortar guns. It is a combined battle group of many arms such as artillery and mounted engineers, and it also carries a radio that can contact the air force. The Do-217 that carried out the bombing just now was called in by them.

The combat capability of this synthetic battalion-level battle group, especially the anti-tank combat capability, is far superior to that of an ordinary cavalry battalion. Although it cannot stop the progress of the 9th Mechanized Corps, it can delay them. In addition, there were two ring fortresses blocking the road that needed to be detoured as the 9th Mechanized Army advanced, so the violent advance as imagined did not occur. On June 1, the 9th Mechanized Army only advanced 50 kilometers, which was far from what Stalin boasted in his speech to the country (Stalin said it had advanced 50-100 kilometers). At this rate, it will take at least 2-3 days for the 9th Mechanized Army to reach the gate of Warsaw.

"Comrade Commander," Dzhugashvili asked, "do you want to dispatch the BM-13 rocket launcher?"

The fact that the 9th Mechanized Army was repeatedly blocked by battalion-level clusters of Polish Nazis was also related to its own weaknesses. This mechanized army has 1 tank brigade and 3 motorized infantry brigades (the tank corps has 3 tank brigades and 1 motorized infantry brigade). It currently has more than 220 tanks that can be operated, and there are more than 30 tanks under repair. The number of tanks is quite large, dozens more than the 11 newly formed German armored divisions with only one tank regiment. However, this kind of Soviet mechanized army is not lethal enough against fast-moving "soft targets". In the imagination of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union, this kind of Soviet heavy-armed force is used to deal with German tanks or German troops stuck in trenches. infantry. I never expected to encounter mounted infantry who were flexible and possessed considerable anti-tank capabilities.

When encountering such an enemy, we would certainly not be afraid if we open up and attack the Soviet mechanized army. Each mechanized army has two army-affiliated artillery regiments. They can bombard them with artillery, and then use motorized infantry (actually just marching in trucks) to charge. There is no need to dispatch tanks.

But now the enemies they encounter like to lay ambushes, buy landmines and make roadside bombs, or ambush 50mm anti-tank guns in the woods on the roadside to hit the weak sides of tanks. To deal with this kind of opponent with a small number of people but strong mobility and firepower, Rokossovsky's mechanized army has no other good way except to use rocket launchers to cover the infantry.

Because setting up an artillery position does not happen in a short time, the enemy will not give you that much time. When charging with tanks, you have to deal not only with the German 50mm guns, but also with the "Iron Fist" anti-tank grenade launchers and pre-planted anti-tank mines. It makes everyone feel sad to see precious tanks destroyed by a small force of reactionaries. After all, the Soviet Union is not as wealthy as the United States.

As for using infantry to charge directly, Rokossovsky did it once in the morning, and the result was quite heavy losses! Through this battle, Rokossovsky was surprised to find that the combat effectiveness of the German infantry (mounted infantry) far exceeded that of the Soviet Red Army!

Their infantry not only overwhelmed the Soviet infantry in terms of tactics and battlefield experience, but also had an astonishing number of automatic firearms. The German infantry seems to have a new submachine gun with a range that is no less than that of a rifle, but can fire continuously. Although it is not available for each person, it is used in conjunction with the MG42 and Mauser 98 rifles, which has an overwhelming advantage in the infantry vs. infantry battle. Advantage.

"Okay, send out the rocket launcher and fire a volley!" Rokossovsky agreed to Dzhugashvili's suggestion without much thought. No matter how secret a weapon is, it will be used on the battlefield, so the important thing is not to avoid being discovered by the enemy, but to use it in the right place.

Boo hoo hoo…

A piercing scream reached the ears of Colonel Fegelein, commander of the 20th Polish Volunteer Cavalry Division of the SS, who was watching the battle on the second floor of a Catholic church not far from the battlefield. At the same time, he also saw a hundred fires streaking across the night sky at extremely fast speeds, and then destroying a large forest occupied by Polish SS volunteers.

"The Soviets are firing rockets?" Colonel Fegelein frowned. He was worried about the Polish Nazis guarding the woods.

"Yes, Colonel, this weapon has brought us great losses. During the day today alone, our regiment lost more than 200 comrades, most of whom were killed by such rockets."

An SS lieutenant colonel immediately reported to Fegelein: "In addition, the Soviet KV-1 is also very powerful! Usually after a round of rocket fire, the KV-1 will guide the Soviet infantry to charge. Our 50mm gun It cannot deal with the front of KV-1 at all, and KV-1 will not charge too close. They will stop two to three hundred meters away from our position and use 76.2mm artillery and machine guns to support the infantry to continue charging. "

"Okay, I understand everything." Fegelein nodded, "Let your people retreat. There is no need to organize an ambush tonight."