This was the strategy of the Germans.

When everyone thought that it was Guderian's troops of Army Group Center who outflanked Kyiv, no one would have imagined that it was Army Group South that had been holding on all along, but it was Army Group South that had been holding on all along.

Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group was an outflanked attack, attracting all the attention and forces that Moscow could muster: an army group led by Budyonny and a front led by Yelemenko.

From this point of view, there are no problems with the command of Moscow.

The first is that Kyiv's geographical location is very important, and it is true that it should not be given up lightly.

Secondly, with a front army and a group army to flank the left and right, the German 2nd Panzer Group would not be fast even if it could continue to outflank its movements.

This gives Kyiv more time to react.

In other words, if it can't be stopped in the end, the Southwestern Front and the Southern Front still have time to retreat.

It is precisely because of this that Moscow has repeatedly vetoed the requests of front-line officers to retreat.

If the tide of war were to turn out like this, then Moscow might be right, and even the tide of the war could be reversed, after all, Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group was fighting deep into the Soviet Union, and its logistical supply lines were stretched too long.

Here's the problem......

The 1st Panzer Group, commanded by Kleist, suddenly crossed the Dnieper without the knowledge of the Soviets and drove Romny from the other direction to complete the encirclement...... Only then did the Southwestern Front have no time to retreat and was completely surrounded.

The 1st Panzer Group was able to cross the river without the knowledge of the Soviets because of the cover of torrential rain:

First of all, as Shulka said, the laying of mines on the river prevented the shallow heavy gunboats of the Soviet army.

The second is to let the infantry attack the east bank first.

This was quite common, because the entire Tnieper was met with German and Romanian troops who tried to cross the river and attack, some positions were defeated and some were successful.

After succeeding, they did not expand the results of the battle by occupying a place on the east bank, and the Soviets did not care, believing that it was just a small group of infantry that could be driven down the river at any time and destroyed.

Then, on a rainstorm night with very poor visibility, the Germans built a pontoon bridge over the Dnieper, and the tanks risked crossing the river to cross the 1st Panzer Group overnight.

Shulka didn't anticipate it, but that's how the battle was fought historically.

But of course, these details Shulka can't be said.

"How can you be sure of that!" Major Gavrilov asked: "I mean, think that the 1st Panzer Group of the Germans will cross the river?" ”

"I can't be sure, Major!" Shulka replied: "Because I don't know either, I'm just guessing that they're going to do it!" ”

Admiral Kirponos was silent for a long time, then nodded and said: "There is no threat of a tank breakthrough in Kyiv, and at the same time, the outflanking of Army Group Center is blocked...... Then it is indeed possible for the Germans to do this! ”

"If the German 1st Panzer Group really crosses the Dnieper!" Major Gavrilov said: "That means that there is basically no opponent on the West Bank that can match the 9th Army!" ”

There is certainly some truth to this.

First of all, it was the German infantry that remained on the West Bank, and even the authentic German army was very few...... Of the three German armies: the 17th Army was stationed in the area of the Pripyat Marshes, which was basically negligible; The 1st Armored Cluster crossed the river to outflank, which was easy to come back in the past; The 6th Army was necessarily the main force attacking Kyiv, and it would not be difficult for the Southwestern Front to hold them back.

This was followed by the 11th Army, a mixed German and Romanian Army, and the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies.

Secondly, all these armies advanced to the front line of the Dnieper, and then the 9th Army would be interspersed and faced with the rear of the German and Romanian armies, that is, their logistics units.

Thinking of this, Admiral Kilponos no longer hesitated.

"That's it!" Admiral Kirponos said: "The Germans have attacked all the way here, and I am sure they will do it!" ”

Shulka agrees with this, which is a very normal thing in the eyes of the Chinese, simply put, the German army will have a more or less underestimated enemy mentality if they win all the way, so the probability of falling into the trap is very large, but it is not easy for Admiral Kirponos as a Soviet to explain this truth clearly.

Due to the tight schedule, the plan was quickly launched.

This came as a surprise to Shulka, because at least a detailed plan should be drawn up, such as setting up an absolutely secret hiding point for tanks and cars in Kyiv, and then a similar stop on the east coast, and then arranging transport ships, routes back, and so on.

Although these are not difficult things, the point is to keep it secret, absolutely secret, otherwise, as long as a little wind leaks out, the Germans know that the 9th Army may still be in Kyiv, then the situation is only afraid that it will not be as good as they want.

This is a matter of life and death for Kiev and even the Southwestern Front, and of course it must be handled carefully.

But all this was not planned, and the retreat of the 9th Army to the east bank began almost as soon as Major Gavrilov and Shulka returned.

"You know what?" When Shulka entered the barracks, Pukarev shouted to Shulka: "We are retreating!" ”

"Retreat? Where to evacuate? Shulka asked, pretending not to know.

"Don't care where you go!" Pukarev said: "Pass down the order and get them ready!" ”

"Yes, Comrade Tuas!" Shulka said, and turned his gaze to the actor and the others.

"You all heard that!" Shulka said: "Prepare to retreat!" ”

The fighters were silent for a moment, and then suddenly cheered:

"Great, retreat!"

"That means we don't have to fight, doesn't it?"

"Not necessarily, but at least not now!"

……

It doesn't seem like the performance of a "group of heroes", but it's real.

Because no one really likes war, not to mention that the 333rd Regiment has been on the front line under the threat of war for so long, they rarely really have time to relax.

But...... Shulka did not express an opinion, because only he knew that this so-called retreat was only a façade.

Half an hour later, the 9th Army really entered the retreat procedure: the motorized 131st Division was the first echelon, then the 20th Tank Division, and the 35th Tank Division.

At a sharp whistle, groups of soldiers in raincoats climbed into cars and followed the tank regiment towards the Kiev Bridge.

Before that, the troops had to pass through Kyiv first, and Shulka, who was sitting in the back of the car, looked out and saw the Kiev people on the side of the road throwing suspicious glances at them one by one...... The people do not think that the Kyiv defense line will be lost, so they are not worried that the war will come to this.

But if this is the case, why did the army retreat?

Could it be that the tide of the war was not in favor of the Soviets and the army did not tell them?