USSR 1941

Needless to say about the ensuing battle situation, Soviet tanks crowded the main road one after another and were blown up by the Germans. Soon the main road was blocked by tank wreckage.

The wreckage of these tanks could not even be pushed away because there was a steep slope from bottom to top. At the same time, the "Matilda" tank had insufficient horsepower due to its heavy armor. There is no way out.

The infantry could climb up the steep walls of the river, but it was conceivable that it would have no effect. They were quickly shot down by rows of bullets from the German machine guns, leaving only puddles of blood in the snow. and corpses.

Katukov was silent for a while, and then ordered to the staff around him: "Retreat!"

"yes!"

Katukov raised his binoculars to look at the battlefield, and asked: "What do you think, Comrade Shulka? Maybe Comrade Zakhakovic is right, we should bypass this place instead of attacking!"

Shulka did not answer.

If you encounter a place that is impossible or difficult to conquer, the German army usually bypasses or surrounds it instead of smashing it.

But Rzhev is different.

The reason is that Rzhev is an important support point of the German defense line. As I said before, the radius of ten kilometers is within the blockade range of its artillery. Coupled with the rapid maneuvering of the German horse-drawn sled, the result of bypassing it is It is easy for the German army to fill the gap in the defense line again and then be surrounded like the main force of the 9 divisions of the 29th and 39th armies.

"I think we're going to master the terrain of Rzhev further!" Shulka said.

Katukov replied simply: "No problem!"

This is indeed no problem, because this is the Soviet Union, including Rzhev. There are always a few soldiers in the Soviet army who grew up in Rzhev or went there.

In fact, when the Soviet army attacked, Katukov had already asked his subordinates to search for it, so when Shulka followed him back to the headquarters, two soldiers were already there describing it to the staff.

"Comrade Colonel!" Seeing Katukov's return, the staff officer reported, "This is Sergeant Dorofevich and Sergeant Yevdokim. They grew up in Rzhev!"

Katukov walked aside and picked up a cup of hot water, then shook his head at Shulka and said, "I'll leave it to you!"

"Comrade Shulka!" When Shulka stepped forward, the two saluted Shulka excitedly:

"Nice to meet you!"

"Is there anything we need?"

"Yes!" said Shulka, "I would like to know, apart from the main road,

Are there any other roads in Rzhev? "

"There are indeed such roads!" Staff Sergeant Dorofevic replied: "The altitude of Rzhev is not high, and there are people in all directions, so there are many small roads. The problem is that these small roads are blocked by snow in winter and cannot pass. Already!"

Katukov heard the voice here, and walked up to Shulka with doubts on his face, "Are you planning to sneak attack?"

"Why not?" Shulka replied: "If our tanks can't attack!"

Katukov thought for a while, then nodded and said: "You are right, this may indeed be a solution... All the defenses of the Germans in Rzhev seem to be aimed at tanks. If we attack from the mountain road, it means that they are These arrangements are in vain!"

"But Colonel!" Sergeant Dorofevich's eyes showed a look of horror: "The mountain road is not only blocked by snow and difficult to pass, but also very narrow. It only needs a few machine guns to seal it!"

"So the Germans don't think we will attack from the mountain roads!" Shulka said: "Even because these mountain roads are covered with ice and snow, they don't even know there is a road there!"

"That's right, Shulka!" Katukov exclaimed. "They probably didn't know about those mountain roads, so of course they wouldn't block them with machine guns! Why didn't I think of that!"

In fact, this is not to blame Katukov.

First of all, Katukov is a commander of a tank unit. He usually commands and considers how to use tanks or tanks, artillery, and aircraft to fight in coordination. It is unimaginable for him to abandon these and fight with pure infantry.

Secondly, the Soviet army usually does not consider these details in combat. They charge more on a large scale and in large quantities. Sneak attacks like this are often considered to be tactics used in guerrilla warfare when their strength is insufficient, and regular troops disdain to use them. It can even be associated with greed for life and fear of death.

Shulka is different. In the wars he knows, a large number of regular troops use guerrilla warfare tactics, such as the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, such as the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, and so on.

Katukov stopped hesitating after speaking. He put the map in front of Sergeant Dorofevic and said, "Point out all the mountain roads you know!"

"Yes, Colonel!"

"I know there is one here. It is more than one meter wide in the south, and it can be passed by a horse-drawn sleigh!"

"No, this one won't work!" Katukov rejected it without even thinking about it: "Although it is convenient for us to pass through, it is likely to attract the attention of the Germans!"

Katukov's thinking is correct, so mountain roads should be considered in the direction of extreme danger. The more impossible and dangerous the mountain road is, the safer it will be during combat.

"Then..." Sergeant Yevdokim hesitated for a moment, pointed to the cliff and said, "I know there is also a mountain road here. In fact, it is not a road. Some people found a mountain road here to take a shortcut. The way to go up and down..."

Katukov glanced at Shulka, and then replied: "Very well, Sergeant Yevdokim, now you want to draw or describe the places and trends of this road. ?"

"Of course!" Sergeant Yevdokim replied.

When Sergeant Yevdokim was recalling and drawing this mountain road, Katukov and Shulka walked aside and asked, "Is this the one?"

Shulka nodded: "Although this road is dangerous and it is very difficult to climb it, the possibility that the Germans know about it and take precautions against it is very low. At the same time, it is not easy to be exposed during the climbing process, because the whole process They will all be blocked by cliffs!"

"I think so too!" Katukov said, "We need to find some soldiers with mountaineering experience!"

It is not difficult to find such soldiers. Before the war broke out, the Soviet Union had 19 mountain divisions.

Although these mountain divisions are either in Kyiv or in the Caucasus, it is not difficult to find a few soldiers who have served in the mountain division or have mountaineering experience from the army.

Then, Katukov and Shulka discussed the details of the battle, and the battle plan was finalized.