USSR 1941

"You mean ... to keep the Ninth Army in Kyiv?" General Kirponos asked.

"You can say yes, or you can say no!" Shulka replied.

"What's the meaning?"

General Kirponos and Major Gavrilov looked at Shulka suspiciously.

"Yes, it's because we really want the Ninth Army to stay in Kyiv!" Shulka said, "It's just that we can't continue training in the open and aboveboard like before!"

"Hide it?" asked Major Gavrilov.

"Yes!" Shulka nodded. "Hide it in Kyiv! It will be much easier!"

Admiral Kirponos nodded in agreement. Kyiv is full of houses and warehouses. It is the third largest city in the Soviet Union, with a total area of ​​more than 700 square kilometers. There are thousands of tanks, not to mention more than 500. No big deal either.

On the other hand, the city of Kyiv is controlled by the Soviet army, and it will not be occupied by the German army at any time like the southern area. Of course, it is much easier to hide.

"But it won't make any sense if the German armored forces surround us outside Kyiv!" Major Gavrilov said.

This is of course correct. What the Soviet army is worried about is the German armored force, which is the 1st armored group commanded by Kleist.

As I said before, as long as the 1st Armored Group is near Kyiv, the newly formed 9th Mechanized Army of the Soviet Army cannot do much.

After all, it is an armored group of the German army. It is an armored group that is rampaging across the European continent at this time. They have rich combat experience. It is not the mechanization of the Soviet army that Shulka proposed several improvement plans to increase the combat effectiveness in a short time. The troops are comparable.

If the German 1st Armored Group was entangled, the Soviet 9th Army would have no chance to counter the encirclement. Not only did it not, but it would probably be wiped out after the first battle out of Kyiv.

Shulka knew it, Major Gavrilov knew it, and Admiral Kirponos knew it.

But of course Shulka wouldn't let that happen.

"So, we're going 'no'!" Shulka said.

"What does 'not' mean?" Admiral Kirponos asked.

"'No', that is, we want to convince the Germans that the Ninth Army is not in Kyiv!" Shulka explained.

"Pull the Ninth Army out of Kyiv to fight?" Major Gavrilov asked.

"No!" said Shulka, "to the east bank of the Dnieper!"

Admiral Kirponos nodded and said, "I see what you mean, Sergeant. We tricked the Germans into thinking we were retreating."

"Yes!" Shulka said: "During the day, we will withdraw the tanks and vehicles of the 9th Army to the east bank through the Kyiv Bridge, and bring these tanks and vehicles back by boat at night. In this way, the Germans will Thought the 9th Army was no longer in Kyiv!"

"Will they believe it?" asked Major Gavrilov.

"It will!" Admiral Kirponos said with certainty: "Believe me, Major, there will be many more spies in Kyiv than you can imagine!"

Of course, as I said before, these spies are not only Germans, but also many Ukrainians, and there are even rebellions in many places in southern Ukraine... They occupied villages and towns where the Soviet army was insufficient to welcome the Germans 's arrival

Major Gavrilov nodded, but then said: "But, what's the use? I mean, if the German 1st Panzer Group is always around Kyiv..."

"They won't!" Shulka said: "Let's analyze the possible development of the next battle situation..."

Speaking of Shulka, he pointed to the map and said: "If I am the commander of the German army and know that the tanks of the 9th Army, that is, Kyiv, have withdrawn to the east bank, then I will not worry about the Soviets breaking out, because there are no tanks. ,

The German army only needs to rely on a small number of light tanks and infantry to effectively block Kyiv! "

Saying that, Shulka turned his attention to Admiral Kirponos.

Admiral Kirponos nodded in agreement, which he cannot deny, because the Soviet army seems to have only retreat, defense, retreat and defense until now, while the offensive war... the attack of the Soviet infantry Performance has been bad, they just charge the enemy in waves, wave after wave, which gets nothing but casualties under the bombardment of the German machine guns and artillery.

So Admiral Kirponos sometimes didn't even know how to fight the battle.

"If you are convinced of this!" Shulka continued: "I believe that the Germans will not keep the 1st Armored Group near Kyiv, because this is a waste. The Germans have always believed that tanks must be mobile to be called tanks. Instead of staying nearby as an iron wall around Kyiv!"

"And where else can they go?" asked Major Gavrilov.

"They will first let the air force blow up the Kyiv bridge!" Shulka said: "In this way, it will be difficult for the 9th Army to return to Kyiv from the east bank in a short time, that is, they don't need to worry about our tanks at all!"

"That makes sense!" said Admiral Kirponos. "The Kyiv Bridge is our transportation and supply line. Blowing it up will make it difficult for us to communicate with the east coast, and the Germans will be able to free their armored forces!"

"Yes!" Shulka continued: "Then, I think the Germans will drive the 1st Armored Group south..."

"But we don't have much defense in the south!" Major Gavrilov said: "They don't need the 1st Armored Group to occupy the south, which is superfluous for the Germans!"

"Going south doesn't mean going to war!" Shulka's finger drew a horizontal line going east on the map, and said: "They will cross the Dnieper River..."

"It's impossible!" Major Gavrilov interrupted Shulka: "There are our shallow-water heavy gunboats on the Dnieper River, and the Southern Army on the east bank!"

"Shallow water heavy gunships are easy to deal with!" Shulka said: "They just need to plant mines in the river!"

"That's a German armored group, Sergeant!" said Admiral Kirponos. "We're going to blow up all the bridges, which means the Germans have to build pontoon bridges to cross the Dnieper!"

"Yes!" Shulka said. "It's dangerous, but they have to!"

"What is necessary?"

Shulka then swiped his finger to the north and said: "Join forces with the German Central Army to complete the encirclement!"

Hearing this, General Kirponos and Major Gavrilov couldn't help being stunned.