While Romania was busy with reinforcements from Kiev, Timoshenko had already arrived at his new command, Alexandria. Here he will command the Soviet counterattack against Romania.

The transfer of command is very cumbersome, and there are too many documents for items to be transferred. Of course, just the transfer of the operational command is not so troublesome, but it is not easy either. This was not when Timoshenko walked into the headquarters, and there were still many officers and soldiers who were busy with the relocation of goods. Naturally, he didn't need to worry about these things, and the officers below would take care of them.

"By the way, when will the reinforcements of the Ninth and Seventeenth Armies from Moscow arrive?"

As soon as Timoshenko entered the door, he asked about his reinforcements.

"They are expected to arrive on 14.15 and at the moment Kyiv is ready. Upon their arrival, they immediately took over the 19th Army guarding Shepetovka and the 23rd Army of Zhytomyr. In this way, the strength of the troops that we can use for combat will reach 178,000. If we add the equipment from Moscow, we have a huge strike firepower of 947 guns. Enough to have a good fight with Romania. ”

The words of his chief of staff did not make Timoshenko smile. I saw that his face was still silent. "It's a tough fight, we've been fighting against the Romanians for years, and you know their strength. Since they have provoked a dispute this time, they must have their own support. Although our strength has grown well in recent years, we still can't just catch up. In the morning, Comrade Solnov sent me a telegram saying that they had attacked Mount Hermek, where a regiment was garrisoned, with the strength of one division, but had not been able to capture it. Although the defenders were severely damaged, the 24th Division suffered too many casualties and could no longer fight. He begged to be given a moment's time. ”

Temoshenko's words made the expressions of the political commissars who did not speak on the side a little exciting. "I remember that Solnov has good ability, how can he fight like this."

"I've read the combat report he sent, and there were no mistakes in the operation. But the stubbornness of the enemy was beyond his expectations. ”

Timoshenko defended his subordinates by saying that this subordinate was capable and he did not want him to make a bad impression on the commissar. "I agreed to his request, but based on what we've learned, he probably won't be able to get there."

"The enemy has increased its troops?"

The chief of staff reacted immediately.

"That's right, the enemy has increased the strength of a division, which in turn dashes my hopes of dealing with Hermek as a priority. But that side is at most a military-level battle, and the most important thing is our side. Only if we play well on our side can Moscow be satisfied. ”

Both the chief of staff and the commissar understood the intention of Timoshenko's words, and the point was to satisfy Moscow. Don't look at the current Soviet Union has more than 1 million troops, but the vast territory is dispersed, specific to the individual military districts. At present, the Kyiv Military District sits on the throne of the largest military district of the Soviet Union with an army of up to 280,000, and this battle is already the limit of Kyiv's available troops. So that's why Timoshenko said that.

Although it can be mobilized, and with the Soviet Union's manpower superiority, it is easy for the Soviet Union to come up with five or six million troops, regardless of the quality of such an army, the quantity alone will make many countries desperate. However, the main theme of the Soviet Union now is economic construction, and if it disturbs economic construction, none of the people present will have good fruit to eat.

After talking about the load-bearing topic, several people were not interested in continuing to talk.

As time passed, both sides of the Soviet Union stepped up their formations. Because of the terrain, the two sides can only solve the opponent through sports battles. And the Soviet Union relied on its strength and artillery.

The Romanian side, on the other hand, relied on aircraft and the 1st Panzer Division. Although the Soviet Union now has its own aviation industry, most of the aircraft used are old World War I aircraft, and the latest ones are only the I-5 I-6 aircraft that improved from the First World War.

At present, under the personal attention of Eder, the Romanian aviation industry has introduced a lot of technology and ideas from Germany and Italy, and its latest F-3 Albatross fighter has reached a speed of 440 kilometers per hour. Its ultimate elevation also reaches 10,500 meters, which is one of the best fighters in the world. And the Soviet Union I-5 I-6 is no match for albatross.

As for the 1st Panzer Division, it goes without saying. As the most lethal fist in Romania, the 1st Panzer Division had 224 tanks. There are 78 wheeled armored vehicles, and 1,000 vehicles are responsible for the transportation of soldiers, replenishment of supplies, and other tasks. Moreover, the 1st Armored Division should creatively dismantle the turret of the decommissioned Jackal III tank and install it with artillery as a mobile suppressive weapon with the army.

Such a move made the maintenance team of the 1st Armored Division more powerful, and naturally its combat effectiveness was also sublimated. Lieutenant General Hoffman, who was the division commander, was even confident that he could defeat the interception of three Soviet divisions, because they had not encountered so many tank attacks again.

Since the 1st Panzer Division has such a strong fighting force, how could Admiral Mandiv let it sit idle. Naturally, it will be plunged into the enemy's ribs as the tip of a Romanian knife.

Therefore, when Vice Admiral Hoffman arrived, he personally invited him to the command to explain the tasks of the armored division.

"The task of your 1st Armored Division is to break through the enemy's line of defense from Ukraine and march towards Kirovograd, and I will shoot the 1st Cavalry Division to walk with you."

Hoffman looked at the distance from Ukraine to Kirovograd on the map, and couldn't help but say. "I know the 1st Cavalry Division, but can they keep up with us?"

Hoffman also has his own reasons for asking this, because at present, the 1st Armored Division can travel hundreds of kilometers in a day, and such a speed is far beyond the reach of the cavalry division. Although a horse can run 20 kilometers in an hour, it sounds like it only takes 5 or 6 hours to get there. But tens of thousands of horses can't be counted like this, and there are other equipment.

It's like a soldier can travel 15 kilometers an hour, but an infantry division can travel 30 kilometers a day, even if it moves at a very fast speed. Mainly according to the speed of travel of the equipment, just a soldier walking with a gun on his back, where is there combat effectiveness. Not to mention the influence of the terrain on the march, and if there is a battle on the way, it will not be able to increase the speed.

However, Hoffman's words made Admiral Mandiv can't help but say. "The cavalry division is the fastest unit besides your armored division."

Faced with the doubts in Admiral Mandiv's words, Hoffman said confidently. "I have a solution."

"You say."

"Gather the cars and supply them to a division that will be responsible for following up behind our armored division."

"How many trucks will I need to do this?"

"1,200 trucks are enough. Moreover, according to intelligence, the Soviets built a combat-ready highway from Ukraineka to Kirovograd, and they were able to afford the movement of so many vehicles and tanks, and we didn't have to worry about road damage for the Soviets anyway. ”

"Looks like you were premeditated."

"No, I'm just improvising. Previously in the armored division we tried such a march. ”

Hoffman's words made Mandiv think for a while, and finally nodded and said. "That's fine, just follow your way."

In the words of the two of them, the direction of Romania's main attack was decided.