780 Sunset of the Soviet Empire VII If Moscow Falls......

On the night of May 16, the Soviet onslaught on the entire front of Tver unsurprisingly ended in failure, and the defensive line of the German armored cluster seemed impregnable. However, the well-tested Soviet general, General Timoshenko, will not lose confidence, because he still has enough troops in his hands. He soon made contact with the Moscow Front and worked out a more ambitious plan for a decisive battle. The Soviet North-Western Front and the Moscow Front were to dispatch eight army-level clusters to simultaneously assault the German defense line from the east and west directions and carry out a joint offensive campaign. The proposal was approved by the base camp on the day it was submitted.

If this battle plan can be successful, the German armored cluster will suffer heavy losses and lose its combat capability! The Soviet Northwestern Front was also able to enter the Soviet capital before the main German forces reached Moscow. To carry out this plan, the Moscow Front drew twenty divisions to form a new front, the Tver Front, with Lieutenant General Kacharov as commander. And the North-Western Front withdrew the three assault groups that had completely lost their combat effectiveness and replaced them with four infantry armies, plus the original 31st Army, a total of five army groups were invested! And appointed Lieutenant General Vasilevsky as the commander-in-chief of the former enemy. As a result, the total number of troops invested by the Soviet army in the Battle of Tver has reached 65 infantry divisions! If fully loaded, nearly 980,000 troops would have been attacked. But in reality, the divisions that participated in the battle either suffered heavy losses in the early battles, or they were newly formed infantry divisions that were not at all satisfied. However, the total strength of 65 divisions still exceeds 700,000 people! There are as many as 5,000 cannons used! Such a battle can be called a huge battle even in the military history of the world.

On the night of May 21, after several days of maneuvering and preparation, Lieutenant General Kacharov's Tver Front launched the first offensive. Nearly 800 large-caliber artillery pieces were mobilized to the front line to bombard the lines of the German armored clusters with heavy artillery fire, after which 20 divisions of Red Army infantry took turns to attack and capture several German trenches in succession. However, in the end, it was blocked in front of the earthen wall, which was mainly supported by tanks, and the Soviets launched a continuous attack despite the casualties, but they could not move forward!

At dawn the next day, the Luftwaffe mobilized more than 1,000 Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers to the Tver front to help in the battle, and Guderian decisively threw in armored forces for a counteroffensive. At about 7 o'clock on the first day, about 1,000 German tanks, together with Panzergrenadiers and motorized infantry, engaged Kachalov's Tver Front on a wide front, under the cover of German aircraft. For the next two days, the Germans attacked during the day, while the Soviets counterattacked by taking advantage of the inability of German aircraft to move at night.

By the evening of May 24, the Germans had finally routed the Tver Front with their powerful firepower and overwhelming air superiority! That night, 20 Red Army infantry divisions of the Tver Front, which suffered heavy casualties, were crushed, chased and crushed by nearly 1,800 tanks and high-assault artillery of five German armored divisions. The army of more than 100,000 men was completely in panic and despair, all the officers and men rushed to flee in the direction of Moscow, precious artillery, machine guns and heavy supplies were discarded at will, the formation of the troops was also completely chaotic, and the communication between the various levels was in a state of interruption. The front command was only able to contact even the nearest reasonably intact infantry regiment to cover its retreat in the direction of Moscow. But during the day on May 25, the terrible Stuka dive bombers screamed and dived in all directions to drop bombs, and the retreat of the Tver Front was blocked, and the German armored cluster took the opportunity to launch another assault, and finally completely crushed the Tver Front! Most of the officers of the Front Command, including Lieutenant General Kacharov, were killed in the final battle, and Kacharov himself was crushed into a pulp by the tracks of a rampaging German tank No. 3!

By the time the sun set quietly on May 25, the Tver Front, which had been formed for only 8 days, ceased to exist! Only Soviet prisoners of war, in a long line, walked towards the city of Tver with heavy steps and blank faces...... However, fortunately, the German Einsatzgruppen did not follow the Panzer Cluster, so the lives of the captured GCDs and political commissars were not in danger for the time being. Perhaps these people could pray to God that the kind-hearted Empress Anastasia would come and save them......

At the same time, to the west of Tver, the 5 armies of the Soviet North-Western Front also fought to the death against the 6 armored divisions and 2 motorized infantry divisions that blocked the enemy! On this battlefield, the Soviet army has an overwhelming numerical advantage, 5 army groups have 15 infantry corps, 45 infantry divisions, although each infantry division has 2 to 3 percent of the attrition, but the total strength is still as high as 480,000! There are also nearly 3,000 cannons. The corresponding German troops, including the Chinese Eighth Panzer Division, have only 8 divisions, with a total strength of only 150,000 and only more than 900 artillery pieces, but they have nearly 2,400 tanks and strong artillery! And during the day it will also receive air support from the powerful Luftwaffe.

The fighting between the two sides began on the night of 21 May and ended in the early hours of 26 May, lasting four days and five nights. Every night the Soviets will launch a fierce assault on the German lines with the greatest force! The 4,000 cannons on both sides also roared all night, and the fiery red ballistics shuttled back and forth in the night sky, weaving a huge net of fire, covering the entire battlefield, shrapnel flew sideways, gunpowder smoke filled the air, and the Red Army infantry shouted "Ula!" The slogan of the charge, go forward and follow, and see death as home! The fascist German army and the Chinese Wehrmacht also resisted desperately, and whenever the defense line was critical, the German and Chinese tanks roared and launched a counterattack, bombarding with 75mm guns, desperately strafing with machine guns mounted on the tanks, and even crushing the Red Army soldiers with tracks! The Reds fought with anti-tank guns, anti-tank grenades, Molotov cocktail bottles, and these steel monsters that roared and spewed deadly tongues of fire...... Dozens or even hundreds of tanks are destroyed or damaged every night, and every German and Chinese tank emitting smoke means that at least a hundred GCIST fighters have paid with their lives! But what made it difficult for these martyrs to look at was that most of these smoky tanks, most of which were not fatally damaged, would be repaired by skilled German or Chinese mechanics on the second or third day, and they would continue to slaughter the GC fighters!

On May 26, when General Timoshenko confirmed that the Tver Front on the Eastern Front had been crushed by the Germans, he knew that the breakout was completely hopeless! Because it was no longer possible for Moscow to launch another offensive to cooperate with the North-Western Front...... And the Northwestern Front not only lost nearly 100,000 officers and soldiers in these days of fierce battles, but more seriously, it also consumed more than 80 ammunition reserves! Now the ammunition of the entire front army can no longer maintain high-intensity offensive operations. In the end, the two army groups that remained in Borogoye had already been routed by the White Russian army. Now nearly 1 million white troops flying the tricolor are marching towards the city of Torzhok, where the headquarters of the North-Western Front of the Red Army is located......

Of course, four days and five nights of fierce fighting were not without a little result, and the German armored clusters interspersed with Tver were exhausted. And nearly 400,000 Soviet Red Army, which had been withdrawn from Velikiye Luki, also entered Moscow without incident. After deducting the losses of the Tver Front, the Soviet army in Moscow had already exceeded 600,000 people, and nearly 500,000 Muscovites were mobilized to form thousands of workers' Red Guard battalions. In addition, the Siberian Front, in an extremely difficult situation, sent reinforcements to Moscow with 10 infantry divisions, which were to be commanded by Lieutenant General Chuikov, to enter the city of Moscow by train before the end of May.

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On the evening of May 26, almost all the members of the Politburo of the United States came to Stalin's dacha in Kontsevo for an emergency meeting. On the afternoon of that day, the new Chief of Staff of the Red Army, General Zhukov, told Stalin with the heaviest heart that the Soviet army had suffered a defeat in the Battle of Tver. Although the Germans looked precarious and suffered heavy losses (Zhukov guessed), they did not suffer a fatal blow and had the strength to launch a counterattack during the day on 25 May, supported by the Luftwaffe...... Lieutenant General Kacharov's Tver Front has already been routed, and today part of it has already fled back to Moscow, but not in large numbers. The whereabouts of Lieutenant General Kacharov himself are unknown, and it is estimated that most of them have dedicated his life to the cause of GCISM......

In addition, the North-Western Front also stopped its offensive in the early morning of the 26th and began to move to the defensive, and the attacking units of the five armies planned to withdraw from the front line tonight and retreat to Torzhok for rectification, after which they could be besieged by the German and White Russian troops. At present, the total strength of the army group is still about 900,000, but the lack of ammunition supplies, low morale, it seems that it is difficult to hold out for a long time, Zhukov suggested that the front can be dispersed to the north to break through, and after a successful breakthrough, the troops can be transferred to the Ural Mountains, where and the Caucasus Mountains will be the hope for the future revival of the Soviet Motherland!

Zhukov also reminded Stalin: "Comrade Stalin, it seems that we do not have enough forces to defend Moscow. At present, there are only 600,000 regular troops in Moscow, and with the 10 infantry divisions brought by Lieutenant General Chuikov, the total strength is only a little over 700,000. There are more than 2.2 million of the enemy's Guangde ** team, and nearly 2 million of the White Russian servant army! The two add up to 4.2 million people, and their weapons and equipment are obviously better than those of the Red Army, and the training of the troops, at least the level of training of the German army, is also better than that of the Red Army, and the combat effectiveness is also stronger, so the final result of Moscow can only be the fall of the ......" At this, the general's eyes were already full of tears, and he choked up and said: "Please, Comrade Stalin, leave Moscow!" The people of the USSR need you, and the working people of the world need you! Even if Moscow falls temporarily, the USSR will not perish, we can build a strong red base in the Urals, in the Caucasus. There to recuperate and wait for the opportunity to make a comeback......"

Leave Moscow and go to the Caucasus...... Go to your homeland of Georgia, where there is the sea on both sides and the Caucasus Mountains to the north, and as long as a small number of troops hold the pass, the enemy will not be able to enter. There are also no problems with the defense of the coastline, with the presence of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Sea Fleet, it is impossible for the enemy to land on the coastline of Georgia or Azerbaijan.

Moreover, after Anastasia seized most of Russia's territory, the German and Chinese invading armies would most likely withdraw from Soviet territory, and they would have to fight Britain and France...... So that the next battle was between herself and Anastasia, how could this woman defeat the Bolshevik Party and defeat herself? But the question is, having lost almost the entire Soviet Union, can the comrades of the Bolshevik Party still follow him?

Stalin pondered this question all afternoon, and by the time the Politburo members sat down in the conference room, waiting for his instructions, they still had no final answer. As if looking for an answer to the question that was troubling him, he surveyed the faces of the Politburo members in his gaze, and then, turning and opening the window, he looked out into the forest around the villa. Finally, as if in a nonchalant manner, he asked: "If Moscow falls, where should our cause be restarted?" ”

"Anywhere, as long as there is the wise leadership of Comrade Stalin!" Molotov replied categorically.

"We should go to Transcaucasia and establish a revolutionary base." Voroshilov, who knew Stalin's ideas best, advised: "There are the Caucasus Mountains to the north, the sea on both sides, we have a fleet to control the coastline, and to the south Turkey and Persia." If Germany and China go to war with England and France in the near future, Britain and France will certainly come to our aid through Persia. ”

"And will Moscow still defend it?" As if talking to himself, Stalin replied to himself: "I think it is necessary to defend it, we need time to consolidate the base areas of Transcaucasia, we need to send supplies and reliable comrades there, we need to understand the instability there, and it will take time...... He was silent for a moment, and then said: "We should form a Transcaucasian Front, and who should be the commander of this Front?" After asking this question, Stalin turned his eyes to Voroshilov. Of these Politburo members, he trusted Voroshilov the most.

"I'll go! Comrade Stalin, I went to Transcaucasia, I am familiar with the situation there, and I will definitely be able to successfully complete the task! Voroshilov immediately volunteered.

Stalin nodded with satisfaction, "Very well, let's appoint Comrade Voroshilov as commander of the Caucasian Front!" He thought for a moment and said: "It's not enough to have a Caucasian Front, we also need a Ural Front...... You say, how about we transfer Timoshenko from the North-Western Front and send it to the Ural Front? Now that the encirclement has not finally been closed, Comrade Timoshenko still has a chance to come out. ”

"Then who will lead the Northwest Front?" Kalinin asked.

"Let Comrade Konev lead the North-Western Front." Stalin paced in the conference room, "Let Timoshenko find a group of backbones in the Northwest Front and break through together." Comrade Voroshilov, you also selected a group of people from the Moscow Front and the headquarters of the Red Army and took them to the Caucasian Front. In addition, those who retreated to Kuibyshev also had to go to Tbilisi one after another. ”

"Comrade Stalin," said Kalinin, who suddenly thought of something, "some time ago, the Chinese comrades wanted to invite me and some veterans of the Bolshevik Party, as well as the leaders of the GC International, to Baotou...... Refuge, look at this......"

"Oh?" Stalin replied slowly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, "This should be a good intention, right?" They wanted to preserve a little blood for the Soviet Union, and it was difficult for them. In this way, we can suggest that GC International appoint Comrade Zhou Elai as the director of the Oriental Bureau, Mao Zd and Wang Ming as deputy directors, and let the leaders of the GCD of Asian countries such as Lu Yi, Ho Chi Minh, and Nosaka Sanzo also go to Baotou, and the Oriental Bureau will also move to Baotou, and at the same time the important task of spreading GCISM in Asia and promoting the GCIST revolution will also be entrusted to Zhou Elai and other Chinese comrades. ”

Although Stalin had already guessed Zhou Elai's intentions, but at present, the Bolshevik Party of the Soviet Union was already in a catastrophe, and he really couldn't take care of the internal wrestling of the GC International, so he simply ceded the GC International Oriental Bureau to the Chinese G in order to appease this little brother who was not very obedient, in fact, it would not be long before the strength of the Chinese G would surpass that of the Soviet Union!

And so it was decided. Voroshilov was immediately sent to Tbilisi to form the Caucasian Front, 5 infantry divisions adapted from the units of the Soviet Internal Guard, and the 1st Tank Division adapted from the Tank Armored Forces School, which were replaced with the Guards Infantry Division and the Guards Tank Division, and left Moscow with Voroshilov and went to the Caucasus.

After receiving the order, Timoshenko also took a small number of key officers and guards to the north to highlight the encirclement that had not yet been completely closed, and soon took a plane to Chelyabinsk, an important town in the Ural Mountains, to form the Ural Front. According to the plan, the forces of this front would come from the Siberian Front, which had retreated to the mountains of the Urals after being defeated by Blyukher.

At the same time, the materials and personnel evacuated from Moscow, after a short stop in Kuibyshev, began a long journey again......

Of course, all this work was carried out in the utmost secrecy. On the surface, the Soviet propaganda machine was still desperately shouting slogans for the defense of Moscow, and military parades were held on Red Square, where one Red Army unit after another, after being reviewed by Stalin and the Soviet leadership, drove directly into the fortifications around the city of Moscow, waiting for the bloody battle to come!

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