217 Gaps between fortified areas
Aside from the Kremlin, Stalin's favorite place to stay was the Kontsevo Villa on the western outskirts of Moscow. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info
The villa, with an area of 1,000 square meters and a simple interior and dark green painted exterior walls, looks unremarkable, but in fact it is an extension of the Kremlin's power field.
Stalin felt at ease in this villa, which was surrounded by dense woods and equipped with the most advanced security system of the time, guarded by two walls, one of which had a surveillance hole.
In charge of the villa were experienced Soviet soldiers, armed with the most advanced firearms of the time, and led by Major General Rumyantsev.
The level of security made Manturov, who entered this villa for the first time, amazed, how good it would be to be able to spend the rest of his life in such a place, carefree, with the woman he loved!
Led by the head of duty, Major General Rumyantsev, Manturov came to Stalin's office. I saw an old man with a thin face, swollen eyes, and fleshy eyeballs sitting on the desk in the middle.
In addition to the old man and Manturov, there were seven other people in the office, including Malenkov, Beria, Molotov and Voznesensky from the State Defense Committee, and Shaposhnikov, Vasilevsky and Vatutin from the Soviet Red Army.
These seven people, according to their own clothes, sat on the sofas on the left and right sides. To Stalin's left were Molotov, Malenkov, Beria, and Voznesensky in suits, while Shaposhnikov, Vasilevsky, and Vatutin, in military uniforms, sat on Stalin's right.
Manturov, who was dressed in a general's uniform, noticed the pattern of the choreography as soon as he walked in, and when he saw that there was still an empty seat on the green side, he immediately found his place to sit.
"Comrade Stalin, Comrade Beria, Comrade Molotov...... Comrade Vasilevsky, good morning," Manturov walked to the middle of the office and greeted everyone present in turn, before sitting down.
"Comrade Manturov," Stalin said, pointing to the vacant position next to Shaposhnikov, "please take a seat." ”
Manturov nodded slightly, and then sat down next to Marshal Shaposhnikov.
"Comrades, according to the latest war reports, the Germans have launched an attack on the defensive lines along the lines of Belarus and Latvia." As soon as he saw that the people were coming, Stalin immediately explained the current situation to the crowd, "They concentrated their superior forces and launched a fierce attack on the Western Front and the Northwestern Front, what do you think?" ”
The Supreme Commander's question, everyone here did not know how to answer. This question is really too vague, and there is no bottom in the hearts of everyone here about what kind of views and what kind of views they have. They looked at each other, hoping that someone would come forward and answer the Supreme Commander's questions, but no one would say anything.
"What do you all do? Why is no one able to answer my question? "Stalin's face was very ugly, his pale face and his blood-colored eyes were formidable.
"Comrade Stalin," a young voice broke the situation, "I think that it is possible that the German Army Group Center will concentrate its forces and launch an attack on the area between the Slutsk and Mozyr fortresses, as well as the area around Polotsk-Dokshitsy. ”
"Why?" When Stalin heard Manturov's voice, his embarrassed, unapproachable face immediately became kind and kind.
"The strategic objective of the German Army Group Center this time, as I think everyone should have guessed, was to occupy and seize Minsk, the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, and then advance to Smolensk and open the gateway to Moscow.
The capital of Belarus is protected by a strong defensive line, namely the Minsk and Slutsk fortified districts of the Manturov Line. But I think everyone knows that between the Minsk and Polotsk districts there is an air raid tens of kilometers long, and between the Slutsk and Mozyr districts there is also a large gap.
If I were a German, I would have broken through the lines of the Soviet Red Army from this lack of fortifications, and then concentrated the main forces of mechanized forces to outflank the 3rd and 13th armies deployed in the area east of Minsk, and then encircled them. ”
When Manturov said this, he didn't know the bottom in his heart. Because historically, the German army did not adopt the tactics he just described, did not bypass the gaps in the defense line of the old state border, but directly attacked the fortified areas of Minsk and Slutsk, broke through the defensive lines in the fortified areas, and then captured Minsk.
However, in Manturov's parallel universe, the defense line on the old border was upgraded and the defense was greatly enhanced, and it was much more difficult for the Germans to break through the Minsk fortress area.
In addition, the Luftwaffe did not gain air supremacy, so it was difficult for their reconnaissance planes to find out the location of each bunker, and it was difficult for bombers to bomb the fortified area sufficiently, which also increased the difficulty for the Germans to break through the defensive line of the fortified area.
In this case, it is very likely that the Germans will take another approach, as Manturov said, to start directly from the gaps between the fortified areas, break through the Soviet defenses in those weakly defended areas, and then give full play to the advantages of mechanized forces, quickly complete the encirclement of the 3rd and 13th armies east of Minsk, and annihilate the main Soviet forces around Minsk.
This analysis is not unreasonable, but whether the Germans will do so is difficult for Manturov to predict.
Stalin looked at the map on the large table and marked the relevant strips with a pencil, "Comrade Manturov's analysis is very reasonable, and if I were a German, I would do the same." ”
Stalin set his sights on Vatutin, the deputy chief of staff of the Soviet army, and said: "Order the Western Front to increase the deployment of forces in the area between the Slutsk and Mozyr fortresses, as well as in the area around Polotsk-Dokshitsy in order to prevent the German invading army from breaking through the front line through the gap between the fortified areas." ”
Hearing the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Vatutin immediately stood up and said in a sonorous voice: "Yes! ”
"Comrade Stalin," Shaposhnikov frowned, looking at the large map hanging on the wall, "we also cannot rule out the possibility of a frontal offensive by the Germans directly into the Minsk and Slutsk fortified areas. ”
"Comrade Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov," Stalin turned his gaze to Shaposhnikov and called him by his full name, "and no possibility can be ruled out, but what is the possibility of a frontal German attack on the Manturov Line?" What is the success rate? Or rather, why are they attacking the Minsk and Slutsk fortified districts head-on? ”
"Comrade Stalin, I mean ......"
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