Zhukov had already told Lin Jun his prediction of the German army a few days earlier, and Lin Jun also agreed with this - aerial reconnaissance learned that the German mechanized troops were gathering on the west side of the battle line, but they did not seem to immediately engage in a rapid assault action: the Germans had enough ammunition, and everyone understood that time was pressing, and the biggest reason was that there was a problem with the fuel supply of the troops. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Without enough fuel, no experienced commander would allow the mechanized corps to carry out a decisive campaign offensive, otherwise it would fail to achieve its goal and might fall into a predicament from which it could never recover. There was no better way but to let the infantry units encroach on the city of Minsk step by step, and then launch a flank assault after the minimum amount of fuel was needed.

Such a forecast came from the Western Front not only from the situation on the front, but also from the rear of the German army, not from Berlin, but from Romania and the guerrilla areas occupied by the Germans.

The Romanian comrades have been trying to maintain radio contact with Moscow, which is an adventure at the cost of their lives: since the bombing of the Romanian oil fields organized by Lin Jun, the Germans and Romanians have restored about 50 percent of Romania's crude oil production in the past six months, and Romania's own oil refining capacity has only recovered more than 30 percent.

The effects of strategic bombing are long-lasting, and repairing refineries in ruins is not a problem that can be solved in a short period of time, and remanufacturing refinery equipment and rebuilding refineries requires a huge amount of collaborative work. But just give the Third Reich another 3 months, and Romania's oil production will be able to return to pre-war levels, and for the Germans it will be another fatal three months!

After the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the demand for liquid fossil fuel far exceeded the prediction of the German high command, because Soviet Russia was too large, and the combat capability of the Red Army was not comparable to that of Britain and France, and the fuel consumption of the troops was almost twice as much under the same circumstances as on the Western Front! This, combined with the fact that the Red Army had destroyed almost all of the roads and rail systems during its retreat, made it extremely difficult to transport supplies from the West to the front, which already required a connection and transshipment. By September, even the main mechanized units of the German army could only obtain less than 50 percent of the minimum operational fuel supply, and the various army groups could only rely on the method of "saving" to obtain the fuel needed to launch a large-scale campaign.

The German High Command was also worried about this, but what could it be?! The only thing to count on was Romanian oil, coal liquefaction was a drop in the bucket, and by the end of September, Hitler seemed to be a little undecided - "Can we take Moscow before winter?" Or do you want to seize the Caucasus oil fields first ?! ”

If you have oil in the Caucasus, you can solve any problem, but now you will be able to transfer the troops of Army Group South, which have been transferred to the central line, back to Ukraine to launch a full-scale offensive on the oil fields of the Caucasus? Judging from the preliminary situation, the Red Army defending in Ukraine can drag the German army into the harsh winter even by stalking to the death, which will make the German army's forward still far from the oil field area!

This time, Hitler did not make a "historic mistake" and did not "divide his forces in two ways again", but was bent on opening the road to Moscow first, and was determined to psychologically destroy the Soviet resistance.

By this time, the German army was still gathering on the west side of Minsk, and Zhukov was able to predict the thoughts of the German high command - it depends on whose teeth are good and whose bones are hard enough!

The Germans were also in trouble in the occupied territories at the moment: although most of the occupied territories had returned to the Soviets only two years earlier, some of their inhabitants did not consider themselves Soviets and became accomplices of the Germans. However, the accomplices were only a very small part, and most of the common people were regarded by the Germans as Poles and Romanians. The "Romanians" are okay, the "Poles" will really understand what is Nazi and what is fascist! Only then will we know what it really means to have a strong motherland!

Life was difficult for the people of the occupied territories, but fortunately many of the people who supported the Soviets retreated to the east in an orderly manner, leaving behind everything but their belongings. But even so, countless Soviet people and a small number of troops who had not had time to retreat, or who had been on the task of blocking and were scattered, were forced to remain in the German-occupied territories. The commanders and fighters of the Red Army, who were deep behind enemy lines, did not passively accept the predicament, but resisted and organized countless guerrilla units!

In the endless Bolesiye Everglades area, there was an active guerrilla force of more than 1,000 people, but this guerrilla force had its own name -- the 53rd Independent Cavalry Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army! The division commander, Major General Kondrat-Semenovich-Melnik, commanded this unit and was the supreme commander of all Red Army partisans in the vicinity of tens of thousands of square kilometers.

The industrial and agricultural areas of the plains were already under the control of the Germans, but the vast forests and swamps did not belong to the fascists, they gave the partisans a sheltered camp and plenty of space for the partisans to operate. Just like the 53rd Cavalry Division, after several months of fierce fighting, Major General Melnik found that his already heavily lost troops might not be able to retreat to the east side of the line before the Germans converged, and decisively decided to direct his troops to stay in the occupied area and carry out guerrilla warfare.

The Cossacks all supported the decision of the division commander: as a brave and warlike people, they could survive and fight anywhere! They believe that their commander can lead them to the final victory, no matter how difficult the situation in front of them! Melnik did not disappoint his comrades, as a veteran of the difficult civil war and 23 years of fighting against the Ukrainian kulak bandits, he was a guerrilla warfare expert commander. In guerrilla warfare, Melnik's abilities were not comparable to those German commanders who only knew how to fight and encircle and suppress the regular army.

Numerous partisan detachments were organized, "Red October", "Scythe Hammer", "Kirov", "Communist Fighters", "Swamp Columns", ...... Countless guerrilla names appeared in the occupied zone. Fighters and people who did not want to be enslaved by the fascists gathered together, and in a short period of time a large number of resistance groups appeared in the vast occupied areas from the Black Sea in the south to the Baltic Sea in the north, most of which were mainly small members of the original Red Army, and a small number of partisan members were mainly former civilians. These guerrillas numbered only a few in number, and many of them were like the 53rd Cavalry Division - destroying the enemy's lines of communication, attacking German outposts, eliminating the grassroots reactionary government supported by the fascists, and eliminating the reactionary accomplices who supported the fascists!

From the moment the partisans were behind enemy lines, they did not let the fascists settle down for a day! The partisans attacked any worthy target, were loyal to the Soviets, to the socialist motherland, and resolutely fought the fascists to the end! When they run out of ammunition, they take it from the enemy, and if they don't have supplies, they let the fascist supply convoys and outposts become their own supply points.

In the Bolesian Swamp, Melnik did not concentrate his main forces, but deployed them in several camps, where they could support each other and flexibly carry out their own tasks. There were not only warriors on horseback, but also many civilians who had fled into the Swamp - the commanders organized everyone: doctors, blacksmiths, teachers, tailors, carpenters, shoemakers...... All of them were not idlers, they were part of the partisans, and they were all doing their work. Young men do the heavy work and guard the camps while the armed men carry out their duties, those who can take part in the battle are trained in military affairs, and women and the elderly mend clothes and cook food...... Here, all are equal except for the command.

Melnik fought so hard because of the large number of civilians in the camp, he managed with militarized discipline, but there were also relatively loose points: young people could fall in love, but pregnancy was absolutely forbidden! The arrogant Cossacks knew that the orders of the comrades of the generals could not be disobeyed, and whoever violated them - whoever you are, you will be shot!

The conditions were not terrible, and the greatest difficulty of the guerrillas was that they did not have superiors: many of the guerrillas fought for the faith in their hearts, because they had no idea what was going on in the outside world.

The partisans with battery-powered radios were happy because they could hear Moscow and understand the situation in the outside world. And in the 53rd Cavalry Division, the most precious item was the last high-power radio left behind - when using it, two young men were required to shake the generator! Whether or not they can get in touch depends on luck, because the distance of hundreds of kilometers and the large number of radio signals interspersed in between make communication a difficult one.

But that's it, with it, Melnik was able to get in touch with the Minsk Western Front, which also made it clear to the Supreme High Command that the partisans were fighting! The commanders and fighters in the occupied areas did not surrender to the fascists!

Last week, the Air Force of the Western Front also carried out two airdrops to the 53rd Cavalry Division, delivering what the partisans needed most - not much, because it was a few MiG-1 high-speed fighters on the mission, and only in this way could the Luftwaffe blockade be guaranteed: the partisans were in dire need of medicine and records!

What do you want a record for?

"Without food and weapons, we can take it from the fascists, but the fascists can't give us Katyusha, we need Katyusha and Holy War!" This is a passage from a message sent by Melnik at the time of the most recent contact.

The longer the front, the more difficult it was to replenish, and with the numerous partisans, the Germans in the rear began to realize that trouble was coming. (To be continued.) )