Reichenau stared at Manstein with wide eyes.

"Are you saying that we cross the Dnieper in this situation and continue the offensive?" Reichenau asked.

"Yes!" Manstein nodded.

"Even if we can rely on the captured supplies to replenish, we must know that there is a Southwestern Front in our rear!" Pointing to the map, Reichenau said: "They can flank our army from the rear or launch a counteroffensive in western Ukraine at any time!" ”

"They won't!" Manstein said.

"Why?"

"Because they don't have enough supplies!" As he spoke, Manstein pointed to the map and explained: "The Russians have three supply routes, one is through the Dnieper, one is by road and one is by rail!" But all three supply lines come from the Black Sea, and as long as we strengthen the blockade of the Black Sea, it will be very difficult for the Russians to replenish them. Plus, it's time for us to put the guerrillas to good use! ”

"Ukrainian partisans?"

"Yes!" Manstein nodded: "Ukrainian partisans, they are Ukrainians, and this has an inherent advantage...... Just give them explosives and mines, and they will be able to load them on roads and railways, and give them mines, and they will be able to lay them in the Dnieper. As long as we compress the supply of the Russian army to the maximum, then this Southwestern Front will not have enough strength to launch an offensive, no matter which direction it is! ”

After a pause, Manstein continued: "And our troops ...... The 1st and 2nd armoured armoured groups have successfully converged, which means that our troops can safely move north along the passage opened by the armoured group......"

As he spoke, Manstein pointed his finger at Moscow.

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

Manstein's idea made sense, and Guderian had always disapproved of Army Group Center dividing its forces to encircle Kyiv.

Because Guderian saw very well that the encirclement of Kiev, although it was possible to achieve great results, deviated from the strategic goals of Army Group Center...... Moscow.

Among other things, the temporary change of the strategic goal set before the war on the battlefield was a taboo for the use of troops, which was one of the reasons why Guderian urgently flew to Berlin to try to convince Hitler.

Many modern military scientists believe that the reason why the Germans could not successfully occupy Moscow was because of the outflanking of Kiev...... The outflanking of Kyiv was a tactical victory for the Germans, but a strategic defeat because it wasted valuable time for Army Group Center to attack Moscow.

Another version is that if Army Group South fails to capture Kiev, the right flank of Army Group Center will be exposed to the Southwestern Soviet Front.

This is not true.

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

Secondly, the German army at this time was not most worried about the maneuver of the Soviet army...... The German army has more advanced tanks, air supremacy, more advanced tactics and qualities, and a single armored cluster can easily defeat a Soviet front army in field mobile combat, and there are even more than 100 tanks defeating 1,000 tanks.

The Germans were afraid that they would not be able to bypass the fortified cities that they had to conquer, Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the middle, and Kiev in the south.

These fortified cities are large enough to garrison large armies that can be attacked and defended, and once they bypass their logistical supply lines, they can easily be cut off, so they can only attack one by one.

This traditional offensive and defensive warfare was precisely not what the German army was good at, so the German army in history was repeatedly defeated in sieges: Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad.

Kyiv was taken with a big siege.

So, if the Soviets attacked Army Group Center from Kyiv, it was exactly what the Germans wanted...... I'm afraid that if you don't go out of the city, you will die if you go out of the city.

Guderian saw this very clearly, so he did not pay attention to the millions of Soviet troops in Kiev at all.

This view was obviously correct, because even the Ninth Army, with its improved tactics and communications, had to rely on rain to attack, and most of the attacks were fought by Romanian troops and logistics units, and it was difficult to meet any German infantry division.

If the Germans still had an armored division on the west bank of the Dnieper, they were afraid that the Soviet mechanized 9th Army would not be able to eat and walk around, let alone any counter-encirclement.

In this respect, the Barbarossa plan was destroyed precisely at the hands of Hitler, who thought he was a military genius, and if he had not commanded it remotely, it would probably have been different.

But now it seems that the Germans have been given a chance.

"Then ......" Reichenau asked the same question as the Führer: "What about the right flank of Army Group Center?" ”

"Do we need to worry about this?" Manstein pointed to the map and replied: "The Pripyat swamp stretches from Brest to the north of Kiev, and if we build a defense along the Dnieper River in the northern part of Kiev, we can form a line of defense with the swamp!" Then it will be time for the Soviets to attack our lines! ”

Hearing this, Raichenau couldn't help but nod in agreement.

The Pripyat swamp stretches for 600 kilometers, and the Dnieper River north of Kiev runs from west to east, so it can indeed be connected to form a defensive line.

As for the question of troop strength...... If the main forces of Army Group South are all transferred to the center, it will certainly be enough for defense.

The most important point is that Reichenau, as the commander of the 6th Army, commanded the troops all the way here, and his experience told him that the Russians might be able to defend it, but the offensive war was a mess...... They tend to charge and charge, driving their soldiers forward at any cost and casualties, and there is little coordination.

Except, of course, that mechanized 9th Army.

"I agree with you, General!" "But I must report it to the Führer for his consent!" said Reichenau! ”

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

Manstein was not mistaken.

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

But thinking left and right, it is not realistic to find that the Soviet army that encircled and annihilated Kyiv is not realistic, and even if it can be done, it will take more time, and time is precisely what the German army does not have.

So, in the end, Hitler could only reply with a telegram: "Everything goes according to plan, I believe that we will win back the defeat of Kyiv on another battlefield!" ”