Chapter 176: The Polish Campaign (39)
The German high command outlined dozens of small squares in Warsaw and plotted all these areas on the map. Each group of street fighting troops would withdraw after occupying a square, and the next group of new troops would take over and continue to advance, so as to allow All troops experienced street fighting firsthand. Although the brutality here was nothing compared to the subsequent street battles in Stalingrad, it allowed the soldiers to accumulate good experience.
The German army was leisurely clearing and cannibalizing the Polish defenders in Warsaw, and the offensive at the front was also advancing in an orderly manner. This made Stalin who was far away in Moscow anxious.
Because the Soviet troops on the front line have not yet been able to break through the fortifications on the Polish border and are still standing still.
The Polish troops relied on solid defenses to fight steadily, causing tens of thousands of casualties to the Soviet Red Army. Although the entire defense line is now crumbling due to a lack of reserves and follow-up supplies, it seems that it will definitely not last another ten days and a half. questionable.
In order to show the importance he attached to the front line, Stalin sent his right-hand man Yezhov to the front line.
"Why haven't you broken through the Polish defense line yet? Marshal Voroshilov?!" Yezhov asked in an aggressive tone as soon as he arrived at Voroshilov's command post on the front line.
Voroshilov secretly wondered what he could do. As soon as he took office, he discovered how bad the situation was. Due to logistical chaos, materials that should have been continuously shipped to the front line were now piled up in Kiev and Minsk. The Germans helped build a lot of roads, but without corresponding dispatching levels, even half of the transport capacity could not be used.
The soldiers on the front line cannot replenish the supplies they deserve, and the ammunition cannot meet the needs of large-scale battles. How can they fight the war? He was glad from the bottom of his heart that it was summer and not winter. Otherwise, with such poor logistical support, countless soldiers would have frozen to death.
"Comrade Yezhov, Leonid has made a mess here. I have to sort it out before launching a large-scale attack." Leonid was the former commander. In order not to be sent to Siberia to dig potatoes, Voroshilo My husband can only let him take the blame, and he can't jump out to protest anyway, right?
Ye Ruofu thought for a while and felt that what he said made sense. After all, Voroshilov has only been in office for a few days, and it is impossible for him to take full responsibility. "How long will that take?"
"About two or three months." In fact, what Voroshilov wanted to say was at least six months. After all the supplies were in place, he would be confident of overcoming the Polish defense line in one fell swoop. But he also knew that Comrade Stalin would not have the patience to wait for so long, and might withdraw him in anger.
But obviously he still overestimated the patience of Stalin and Yezhov in front of him. Yezhov almost jumped up when he heard the time given by Voroshilov. "Two or three months? Marshal Voroshilov, are you kidding? Don't you know that the German army has surrounded Warsaw and is still advancing eastward. They will reach you in less than a month!" How embarrassing must it be that the Soviet army suffered countless casualties, advanced several kilometers into Poland, and achieved a great victory?
"..." Marshal Voroshilov didn't know the speed of the German army, but what could he do? He is willing to let the soldiers go up and die, but the premise is that the lives of these soldiers can be exchanged for victory!
Seeing him silent, Yezhof made a decision for him. "Continue to attack! We have never encountered any difficulties, so we are retreating from this difficulty?!"
Although he did not reveal it openly, Yezhov had usurped the military power of Marshal Voroshilov and issued the order to attack across the entire front. Marshal Voroshilov did not even dare to complain. After all, he was a confidant of the great leader Comrade Stalin. Maybe he could be taken down as a marshal and thrown to Siberia with just one word. Moreover, he also knew that Yezhov was engaged in political work, so he was more than capable of dealing with his own people. If he wanted to command a battle, he would be overestimating his capabilities.
Therefore, Marshal Voroshilov was happy to sit aside and watch Yezhov make a fool of himself, but the price was a bit high, and he didn't know how many soldiers had to be sacrificed.
Yezhov's desire to show off his strategic vision and commanding talent made the frontline's offensive weakness even worse. Because he insisted on the order to attack across the entire front regardless of priority, the Soviet army dispersed its advantage in heavy weapons and fought for several days in a row without being able to move forward. One-third of the regimental commanders were killed, and another third were captured and executed, but the situation still failed to open up.
This result made Yezhov quite embarrassed, but he was too embarrassed to go to Marshal Voroshilov. Instead, he found some middle and high-level commanders, discussed it all night, and finally came up with a concentrated superior force to break through at a single point. , a roundabout plan to outflank.
Unfortunately, this seemingly perfect plan ended up being chaotic due to the lack of middle- and lower-level officers, and the process of gathering troops was chaotic. The Soviet army itself became chaotic first and failed to implement it. The army was in chaos, and many political commissars reported to him that they could no longer push the army forward!
After two defeats, Yezhov finally understood what this war was about. Looking at the number of casualties in the troops, he felt sweat breaking out on his forehead. He couldn't help but regret in his heart that he shouldn't have come here if he had known this. All he could think about now was finding some excuse to shirk responsibility for this failure.
But when Voroshilov took back his command, he was faced with a mess that was even worse than before. It couldn't be worse.
That night Yezhov finally lost his temper and brought two bottles of good wine to Voroshilov. And Voroshilov didn't want to get into trouble with him, so he accepted Yezhov's silent apology.
After drinking a bottle of strong vodka each, both of them were a little confused. Yezhov said with a sad face. "Marshal Voroshilov, what do you think we should do now?" He came here and made some magical operations, but there was no progress, and the casualties of the soldiers were increased in vain. If he went back like this, the consequences would be unimaginable. Although he was Stalin's confidant, there were countless people who were jealous of this position. If he took a wrong step, it would be a disaster.
Although he was a little confused, Voroshilov could not say anything bold and heroic that he could capture the defense line tomorrow. "I still say that we can only continue the attack after the supplies are gathered and enough food and ammunition are distributed."
"But now Comrade Stalin wants to see a victory as soon as possible!" Yezhov slapped the table excitedly and shouted loudly. But the next second, he suddenly lost his voice and his face turned pale.
"What's the matter, Comrade Yezhov?" Voroshilov noticed that Yezhov was different and asked. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"..." Yezhov shook his head slowly, his expression changed several times, and he looked around cautiously. After making sure that there was no one else, he lowered his voice and whispered. "Since Comrade Stalin wants news of victory, how about we make one for him?"
"Make one?" Voroshilov was confused. How to make news of victory? Could it be that we had to forge one?
"!!" Voroshilov, who had reacted, felt that the roots of his hair on his head seemed to stand up straight, and his whole body was instantly soaked in cold sweat. He looked around hurriedly, and after making sure that there was no one else, he said anxiously. "Are you crazy?! If Comrade Stalin knew that we dared to deceive him..." He didn't dare to imagine what the consequences would be.
Yezhov's eyes became more and more determined. "Your Excellency Marshal Voroshilov, this line of defense will be conquered by us sooner or later. We are just advancing the news of victory. Strictly speaking, it is not a deception. You have to think clearly. If there is no news of victory, your fate will be like Leonid. As long as we have this news, we can buy some time and gain a greater victory. Even if we are discovered by then, our merits and demerits will offset each other, and no harm will be done to us." After a long period of coaxing and threatening, Voroshilov nodded in agreement with difficulty.