In April 1944, when the war between the Soviet Union and Germany was about to enter its third year, the old adversaries, who had been fighting each other for two years, suddenly found themselves having to get acquainted with each other again. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The experience gained in the battles of 1942 and 1943 is now unreliable, if not completely ineffective.

For the Germans, the Soviet Red Army's progress in anti-tank combat capabilities was unexpected. In particular, the "Red Iron Fist" 60, the "Bazooka" rocket launcher, the RPG-43 anti-tank grenade and other low-cost anti-tank weapons were widely equipped, as well as the appearance and use of the low-profile SU-57 tank destroyer, which was good at ambushing and was also relatively cheap, as well as the "suicidal use" of a large number of ZIS-3 cannons. As a result, most German tanks/assault guns, including the Tiger H, became vulnerable. The only German tanks that could be guaranteed to be indestructible were probably the powerful E-50A and Cheetah tank destroyers. After the opponent of the Soviet Red Army, it is obvious that it has made rapid progress and needs to be recognized!

For the Soviets, the daytime bombardment on April 22 and 23 also gave them a new understanding of the powerful Luftwaffe.

Although the Soviet ground forces were regularly bombed in '42 and '43, the Soviet Red Air Force had not completely lost its skies at that time. Especially before the surrender of the British mainland, the Luftwaffe could not concentrate its forces on the Soviet-German battlefield. At that time, the Soviet Red Air Force could still compete with the Luftwaffe with its huge numerical superiority, and the air supremacy on the battlefield did not completely belong to the German army.

But this situation changed radically because Britain itself turned to Germany! Of course, this fundamental change did not happen overnight, but there was a gradual evolutionary process.

First of all, the number of German fighters on the Soviet-German battlefield increased greatly and the "survival time" of Soviet pilots was greatly reduced, and in the second half of 1943, a large number of old pilots of the Soviet Red Air Force died or were captured, and the strength of the Red Air Force also quickly dissolved.

This was followed by a leap in the performance of German fighters! Because of the absorption of aviation technology from the United Kingdom, the performance of German fighters from the second half of 1943 began to appear a period of rapid rise, although on the surface the main fighter of the German army in the Eastern Front is still Fw-190, but the engine installed in the shell of the Fw-190 is fully upgraded, all of which are combined with British high-temperature technology, British mechanical supercharging technology, German heat dissipation technology and German engine "drug" technology!

And the fuel used is also a higher level, which is high-quality aviation gasoline with a higher octane number (the higher the octane number, the better, it also depends on the condition of the engine), which can maximize the performance of the engine.

So from the beginning of 1944, the air battle on the Soviet-German battlefield was one-sided, and the Luftwaffe completely suppressed the Red Air Force and became the hegemon of the sky.

The third change was the rapid expansion of the size of the Luftwaffe, especially the bombing aviation.

Before the surrender of the British mainland in 1943, the Luftwaffe was mainly positioned as a tactical air force, and most of the aircraft equipped with aircraft, except for fighters, were strictly speaking ground attack aircraft used for precision strikes, including dive bombers and anti-tank attack aircraft.

The number of medium and heavy bombers used for tactical or strategic bombing of targets behind enemy lines is not large (there are many Ju288s in naval aviation, mainly for anti-ship).

And with the submission of the British mainland and the gradual improvement of the oil supply situation - the shortage of fuel was certain, but the amount of fuel at the disposal of the Luftwaffe was increasing year by year - the Luftwaffe finally had the possibility of equipping a large number of medium and heavy bombers: the Do217, Ju188, Ju288 and Me264.

By April 1944, through the unremitting efforts of the Luftwaffe, the newly established Bomber Command (excluding fighter-bombers, anti-tank attack aircraft, and dive bombers) had more than 3,000 commonly used medium and heavy bombers, and all of them were new aircraft with superior performance. It was enough to support the strategic bombing of the Volga-Ural industrial zone, and at the same time to indiscriminately bombard roads and transport hubs in the rear of the Soviet troops at the front.

Therefore, while the German armored forces learned the anti-tank combat power of the Soviet infantry, the Soviet Red Army also learned for the first time how passive and helpless it was to fight under the overwhelming air superiority of the enemy.

"What? Can't withdraw the troops? ”

In the Kremlin, after listening to Zhukov's report, Stalin suddenly had a feeling that his eyes were black.

More than a million people and thousands of tanks can be smashed into the northern front, and if they can't be withdrawn, how can the defense of Moscow be fought? Is the time soon to come for me to dedicate myself to the cause of human liberation?

"No, it's not that you can't withdraw...... "Zhukov shook his head and said," but it's hard to withdraw. ”

Does it make a difference?

Stalin looked at Zhukov, who explained: "It's just that the troops are retreating more slowly than planned, and the loss of personnel and equipment will also suffer considerable losses during the retreat." ”

Zhukov's brow furrowed even tighter when he said this, "And...... Moreover, in the ensuing operations, the movement and operation of the Red Army's heavy units will probably be carried out under the enemy's overwhelming air superiority. ”

"Georgi. Konstantinovich," Stalin did not fully understand what Zhukov meant, and he asked with a frown, "what do you have to say to me, is it that the battle of Moscow is going to be unfought?" ”

"No, no, ......no," Zhukov hurriedly shook his head, "it's not that it can't be frozen, on the contrary, today we successfully thwarted the German attack in the town of May Day on the Red October railway line." The 8th Guards Infantry Division fought well, very well! ”

Although the perimeter was lost on the morning of the 24th, the 8th Guards Infantry Division was obviously able to hold out in Wuyi Town, and in the eyes of the Soviet troops, it was still possible to hold out for another 7-10 days to delay the actions of the German Army Group North.

And these 7-10 days will be a key one for the battle of Moscow.

Stalin knew that Zhukov still had something to say, so he looked at his beloved general with burning eyes.

Zhukov added: "The Germans have now suspended their indiscriminate bombardment of Ufa and Kuibyshev, and have concentrated their bombers on the northern part of Moscow and Kalinin Oblast, mainly bombing lines of communication, presumably in an attempt to prevent the rapid withdrawal of our northern front cluster to Moscow." ”

"Prevent the rapid retreat of the Northern Front cluster?" Stalin was stunned for a moment, in fact, the Red Army High Command did not want to withdraw all the clusters of the Northern Front to Moscow, and at present only a few tank armies were retreating.

"They want to surround our Northern Front cluster!" Zhukov further analyzed, "The indiscriminate bombardment of the Germans was aimed at delaying the retreat of the northern front cluster, and the purpose of their offensive on the western front was supposed to be to insert the armored cluster between Moscow and Kalinin." ”

"The Germans want to annihilate our cluster on the northern front?" Stalin sneered, "Their appetite is not small! ”

Zhukov nodded and said: "Yes, the Germans have a great appetite, but as long as we find out their intentions, we have a chance to defeat them." ”

"Oh?" Stalin asked, "Do you set a trap for the Germans?" ”

"Yes!" "The General Staff thought it would be possible to allow a part of the German panzer cluster to break through to the Kling region between Moscow and Kalinin, and then concentrate a powerful tank assault cluster on its flank, cutting off communication between them and the rear," Zhukov said. ”

Kling belongs to the Moscow region, located between the cities of Kalinin and Moscow in the Kalinin region, on the Red October railway line, more than 60 kilometers from the city of Moscow and more than 70 kilometers from the city of Kalinin.

If the Germans had occupied Klin, then the main line of communication between Kalinin and Moscow would have been cut off, and the northern front cluster of the Central Front would have been left in the brink of the enemy.

But the German clusters that broke through into Kling were also on both sides, because the cities of Kalinin and Moscow were surrounded by large areas of heavily fortified areas that the Soviets had painstakingly managed. Beginning in the autumn of 1943, millions of people worked for more than half a year, building countless fortifications, and it would take a long time for the Germans to clear them, no matter how strong they were.

"If this plan is to be carried out," Zhukov said, "it is not necessary to withdraw the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th Guards Tank Armies on the Northern Front to Moscow, but only to concentrate them on the Kalinin fortified strip." At the same time, the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies and other mechanized clusters were concentrated in the Moscow fortified area. Then, after the Germans broke through to Klin, they carried out a north-south flanking attack, striving to annihilate the German armored cluster! Taking into account the threat of the Luftwaffe, we can arrange the assault of the tank army to take place at night, using night combat and close combat to break through the German armored clusters in one fell swoop! ”

This plan seemed to be a trap for Germany, but in fact it was a gamble for Zhukov -- to gamble on the last bit of luck of the Soviet Union.

However, this is also a last resort, as the mud season is coming to an end, the German armored cluster will soon be revitalized, and then it may be the end of the Soviet Union.

Listening to Zhukov's latest plan, Stalin's face also showed a long-lost smile. Zhukov's scheme...... Sounds totally doable! How strong can a lone German armored cluster in the muddy season be? How could it be possible to withstand the attack of 6 tank armies? Maybe they will be wiped out by the combined attack of 6 tank clusters!

"Good!" Stalin nodded approvingly to Zhukov, "This plan can be carried out." He thought for a moment and then said: "In order to better carry out the operation of flanking the German army, it is now possible to re-establish the Kalinin Front and unify the command of the Red Army on the battlefield north of Moscow Oblast." The commander of the front army let General Chuikov take the post! ”