"Comrade Stalin," Marshal Shaposhnikov analyzed, "there is still a possibility of a frontal attack by the Germans on the Minsk and Slonium districts. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

What I mean by this is that if the enemy finds out that we have a large number of troops deployed in the area between the Slutsk and Mozyr fortresses, as well as between the Minsk and Polotsk districts, they may choose to attack the Minsk and Slutsk fortresses head-on because we are prepared for fear that we have set a trap for them. ”

Shaposhnikov, as one of the most senior generals in the Soviet Red Army, spoke with a lot of weight. He joined the army in 1901 and spent 40 years in the army, where he had a wealth of military experience, a broad mind, a sharp mind, a good analytical man, a modest and generous mind, and a strict discipline, which was highly valued by Stalin.

However, such an excellent general has a fatal weakness in character. After more than 40 years of career, he is weak in character and does not dare to fight on the basis of reason.

As early as 1940, when the Soviet Union was preparing for war, Stalin asked Shaposhnikov to draw up a comprehensive staff report on what plans might be used for a German invasion.

In his report, Shaposhnikov believes that the direction of the main German attack will be between the Baltic and Pripitt marshes, and the targets will be Smolensk and Moscow.

At a meeting of the Politburo in September of the same year, he reported his ideas to Stalin. Although Stalin listened carefully to this report, he did not take it seriously, believing that the main direction of the German assault was southwest, and rejected the report made by Shaposhnikov.

Shaposhnikov's report is accurate, after the outbreak of the war, the German army did have the main goal of attacking Smolensk and Moscow, and the main direction of attack was in the Baltic Sea and Belarus. However, Stalin concentrated the main forces of the army in the southwestern direction, resulting in a shortage of troops on the Western Front and the Northwestern Front, while the Southwestern Front had a surplus of troops.

As a result, at the beginning of the war, the defensive line of the Western Front was quickly broken through, and the entire Front was crushed in a short time by the superior forces of the German Army Group Center.

If it weren't for Manturov's improved communications before the war began, and the development of advanced Yak-3 and La-7 fighters to stabilize air supremacy, the four armies of the Western Front might have been surrounded and annihilated by the Germans as in history.

"Therefore, when we mobilize our forces and plug the loopholes between the fortified areas, we should keep it secretive, so that the Germans do not find out about our large-scale movements, otherwise they will find out about our intentions." Malenkov, secretary of the Central Committee, who had never understood military affairs, suddenly uttered such a sentence. This sentence seems to make a lot of sense, but it was quickly discovered.

"In that case, then we should let the enemy know about these moves." The First Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (First Deputy Prime Minister of the Soviet Union), who rarely participated in military activities, expressed his opinion: "If the enemy knows that we have a large number of troops between the gaps in the fortified area, it will attract them to attack the fortified area.

In this way, we will be able to play the role of fortifications in the fortified area, and it will also buy us time to build a new line of defense in the gap between the fortified areas, and then we will be better prepared to deal with the enemy's attack. ”

After hearing Voznesensky's analysis, Stalin showed a fatherly smile, "Nikolai (Voznesensky's) analysis is very reasonable, if we can attract the enemy troops to the side of the fortified area, we can be more effective and give full play to the advantages of our existing fortifications."

If, on the contrary, the enemy concentrates his main forces and attacks through the gaps between the fortified areas, it will be easier for them to break through our front and then encircle our main forces east of Minsk. ”

Hearing Stalin's admiration for Voznesensky, Malenkov and Beria immediately showed a look of jealousy.

Voznesensky was part of the "Leningrad faction". In the near future, the struggle between this "faction" and the Beria-Malenkov political bloc will intensify.

Beria, who has always attached great importance to power, has always been jealous of the growing power of the Leningrad faction, and Malenkov, who has always been jealous, has always been hostile to Voznesensky and others, who are more capable and performant, and fears that he will one day replace him.

Common enemies and common interests have brought these two "like-minded" people together.

At the same time, the Leningradists did not like Beria and Malenkov very much. In their opinion, Malenkov will not do anything except be a sycophant, but he can mix in the position of secretary of the Central Committee. Malenkov, who is not outstanding in appearance and looks a little like a woman, is also privately called "Marina" by the Leningraders.

And Beria's character and temper also aroused the dislike of Zhdanov and Voznesensky and others, and in the case of mutual hatred and hostility between the two sides, this factional struggle and command will become more and more intense, and will eventually develop to the point of life and death.

"Judging by the current situation, it seems that the Germans have concentrated their main mechanized forces in the open space between the fortified areas." Vatutin, the deputy chief of staff of the Soviet Army, who was well aware of the battle situation on the front line, hurriedly reported: "According to the latest information I have, the main force of the German 3rd Panzer Group under the command of Hoth is moving towards the area between Polotsk and the Minsk fortress area.

The 2nd Panzer Group, commanded by Guderian, marched towards the area between the Slutsk and Mozyr districts, and it seemed that they were supposed to break through the gap in the strip between the fortified districts through the main forces of mechanized troops. ”

Vatutin's report seems to have come a little late, why is such an important situation reported now? Stalin was a little annoyed, "Comrade Vatutin, what are you doing as deputy chief of staff?" Why is this being reported now? ”

Actually, it was not that Vatutin did not want to report these situations, but when he first came in, Stalin told him to wait for others to explain the situation clearly.

But when everyone was ready, Stalin did not ask Vatutin to report on the deployment of the German army, but asked everyone what they thought about the German offensive, not how the current situation was.

Just as Vatutin was hesitating whether to report on the situation of the battle before it began, Manturov suddenly expressed his guess that it was consistent with the situation of the battle, and then Stalin, Shaposhnikov and others were discussing it enthusiastically. After a long round of talking, Vatujing had the opportunity to report.

Vatutin originally intended to explain, but in front of Stalin and the bigwigs, he did not dare to say it, and he did not dare to risk being blamed by Stalin and saying that "these are all excuses", so he had to bear the blame, "Comrade Stalin, I will report the situation clearly in a timely manner in the future." ”