Chapter 126 Strategy

Reichenau stared at Manstein with wide eyes.

"You mean we cross the Dnieper to continue the offensive under these circumstances?" asked Reichenau.

"Yes!" Manstein nodded.

"Even if we can rely on the captured supplies, we must know that there is a Southwest Front Army behind us!" Reichenau pointed to the map and said, "They can flank our army from the rear or launch a counterattack to western Ukraine at any time!"

"They won't!" said Manstein.

"Why?"

"Because they don't have enough supplies!" As he spoke, Manstein pointed to the map and explained: "The Russians have three supply lines, one is transported through the Dnieper River, one is by road, and the other is by railway! But all three supply lines From the Black Sea, as long as we strengthen the blockade of the Black Sea, it will be very difficult for the Russians to supply. In addition, it is time for us to use the guerrillas!"

"Ukrainian partisans?"

"Yes!" Manstein nodded: "Ukrainian guerrillas, they are Ukrainians, which has an inherent advantage... Just give them explosives and landmines, and they can install mines and explosives on roads and railways." , give them mines, and they can deploy them in the Dnieper River. As long as we minimize the supply of the Russian army, then the Southwest Front Army will not have enough strength to launch an attack, no matter which direction it is!"

After a pause, Manstein continued: "And our troops... the 1st Armored Group and the 2nd Armored Group have successfully joined forces, which means that our troops can safely follow the channel opened by the armored group. Move north..."

Speaking of which, Manstein pointed his finger at Moscow.

Reichenau soon understood that the main force of Army Group South would cooperate with Army Group Center to encircle Moscow.

Manstein's idea is reasonable, and Guderian has always disapproved of the Central Army's division of troops to encircle Kyiv.

Because Guderian sees it very clearly, although the encirclement of Kyiv may achieve great results, it deviates from the strategic goal of the Central Army Group...Moscow.

Apart from other things, it is a taboo to use troops to temporarily change the strategic goals set before the war on the battlefield. This is one of the reasons why Guderian flew to Berlin urgently to try to persuade Hitler.

Many modern military scientists believe that the reason why the German army could not successfully occupy Moscow was because it outflanked Kyiv...The outflanking of Kyiv was a tactical victory for the German army, but it was a strategic failure because it wasted the Central Army Group Precious time to attack Moscow.

Another way of saying it is that if Army Group South failed to capture Kyiv, the right wing of Army Group Central would be exposed to the Soviet Southwest Front Army.

This argument does not hold.

First of all, the Southwest Front Army was struggling to support the attack of the Southern Army Group, and it was simply unable to divide its forces to launch an attack in another direction.

Secondly, what the German army is most worried about at this time is not the mobile combat of the Soviet army... The German army has more advanced tanks, air supremacy, more advanced tactics and quality, and an armored group in mobile combat in the field can easily defeat a Soviet army. , There were even battles in which more than a hundred tanks defeated a thousand tanks.

What the Germans were afraid of was that they couldn't get around the strong cities that they had to conquer, Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the middle, and Kyiv in the south.

These fortified cities have a large area and can be stationed with a huge army, which can be attacked and defended. Once the logistics supply line is bypassed, it is easy to be cut off, so they can only attack one by one.

This kind of traditional offensive and defensive warfare is not exactly what the German army is good at, so the German army in history has repeatedly suffered setbacks during siege: Leningrad is like this, Moscow is like this, and Stalingrad is like this.

Kyiv was won with a large siege.

Therefore, if the Soviet army attacks the Central Army from Kyiv, it is exactly what the German army hopes... I am afraid that if you go out of the city, you will die if you go out of the city.

Guderian saw this very clearly, so he completely ignored the millions of Soviet troops in Kyiv.

This view is obviously correct, because even the 9th Army, which has improved tactics and communications, must rely on rainy days to attack, and most of them are Romanian troops and logistics troops. It was very difficult.

If the German army still had an armored division on the west bank of the Dnieper River, I am afraid that the Su Mechanized 9th Army would be unable to eat and walk around, let alone anti-encirclement.

From this point of view, the Barbarossa plan was destroyed precisely in the hands of Hitler, who thought he was a military genius. If he hadn't commanded it remotely, the result might have been different.

But now it seems that the German army has been given a chance.

"Then..." Reichenau asked the same question as the Fuehrer: "What about the right wing of Army Group Center?"

"Do we need to worry about this?" Manstein replied, pointing to the map: "The Pripyat Marsh stretches from Brest to the north of Kiev. , we can connect with the swamp to form a line of defense! At that time, the Soviets will attack our line of defense while waiting for reformation through labor!"

Reichenau couldn't help but nodded in agreement.

The Pripyat Swamp stretches for 600 kilometers, and the Dnieper River north of Kyiv runs from west to east, which can indeed form a line of defense.

As for the issue of troop strength... If the main force of the Southern Army Group is transferred to the central part, it will certainly be sufficient for defense.

The most important point is that, as the commander of the 6th Army, Reichenau commanded the troops all the way here. His experience told him that the Russians’ defense might be good, but their offensive warfare was a mess... They often only charge, charge and charge , driving the soldiers forward regardless of the cost and casualties, and there was basically no coordination.

Of course, except for the mechanized 9th Army.

"I agree with you, General!" said Reichenau, "but I must report it to the Führer for his approval!"

"Of course!" Manstein replied: "I'm sure he will agree, because we have no choice!"

Manstein was right.

When Reichenau sent the plan to Berlin, although Hitler was not very satisfied with it... At this time, his head was still trying to encircle and annihilate the millions of Soviet troops in Kyiv.

But after thinking about it, I found that it was not realistic to encircle and wipe out the Soviet army in Kyiv. Even if it could be done, it would take more time, and time was precisely what the German army did not have.

So, in the end, Hitler could only reply with a telegram: "Everything is going according to the plan, I believe we will win back Kyiv's defeat on another battlefield!"