"If the enemy drops nuclear bombs on Moscow, how long will the Red Army hold out?" Trotsky's expression was slightly distressed, but more determined and calm. His gaze slowly swept over Vatsettis and Pavlov: "Say, please tell the truth, there is nothing that I can't accept." ”

Pavlov and Vasetis looked at each other, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army said in a slightly uneasy tone: "It depends on the number of nuclear bombs dropped by the enemy, if there are only a few, the defenders of Moscow should not collapse, we can hold out for a long time, maybe until the supply and ammunition are exhausted." Because our strength is still very large, there are 62 group armies, 27 tank armies, 3 air armies, and a large number of Red Guards, with a total strength of more than 4 million...... This is probably the largest garrison in history. Perhaps we can try to launch a limited counterattack or two in certain areas to delay the enemy's offensive. ”

Trotsky looked at Vasetis again, who only smiled bitterly: "Now the total strength of the Red Army may still be seven or eight million, and the number of troops capable of field warfare is also more than five million. But the morale of the troops was low, and a large number of defections and defections to the enemy were reported by various army groups. Moreover, there is a shortage of weapons and ammunition, since the main industrial bases are either occupied by the enemy or blown up (including nuclear bombs, ordinary bombing), military production is almost completely stagnant, and the troops can only rely on the weapons on hand and in stockpiles to fight, and even if they can achieve temporary victories in some areas, it will probably not be cost-effective relative to the price paid......"

"Comrade Pavlov, what do you think?"

Pavlov nodded slowly. But then he argued: "But the constant retreat will only lead to a further demoralization, and if there are one or two victories, perhaps the hearts of the people will be boosted." ”

"Pravda has produced too many brilliant victories. Even if we can repel one or two enemy Panzer Corps, how many people can believe it? Vatsedis's words were a bit harsh, but they were also true, and at this point, if any Soviet person believed in Pravda's message, it would be really brainless.

Pavlov was speechless for a moment, he was not confident of victory in a counterattack on the east bank of the Volga. Now listening to Vatsettis, it seems that the victory is in vain, and the people of Moscow and the Red officers and soldiers will not believe it at all. In case you are defeated. I'm afraid morale will fall faster.

At this moment, the commander of the Moscow Front, Marshal Yakil, knocked on the door and entered, he had just returned from the front line west of Moscow near Krasnoznamensk, and he had a faint smell of gunsmoke all over his body. It seems to have penetrated deep into the front line very close to the German positions. Trotsky looked at him with burning eyes and asked, "Comrade Yakir." How's the front? Was there a fierce battle with the Germans? Yakir took off his military hat and handed it to the orderly in the war room, before he replied with a heavy face: "That's right, when I arrived at the front line of Odintsovo with my combat staff officer, I happened to encounter a German attack, not a general attack, but to oppress our reconnaissance troops placed on the front line, and it seems that I was preparing for a general attack." Our comrades fought tenaciously, with rudimentary equipment such as 45mm anti-tank guns, anti-tank grenade launchers and anti-tank mines. Repelled the attack of at least one of the enemy's panzergrenadier divisions, held all the strongholds of the front. ”

Akil's words are, of course, very artistic. At first glance, it seems that the shape shì is good, the German attack was repulsed, and all the strongholds on the front were held, which is really gratifying. However, the brows of Trotsky and Vatsettis, who themselves were experts in the "art of speaking", naturally knew the true meaning of these words - the battle that had just taken place on the front of Odintsovo was, in military terms, a sentinel battle. The aim of the Germans was not to seize Soviet positions, but to press all Soviet outposts back to their positions, so as to seize control of the battlefield, which was often the prelude to large-scale offensives. And the real meaning of "holding all the forward strongholds" is that the outposts of the Soviet army have been pressed back to the forward positions, and the German army can be regarded as a victory in the first battle!

"So, a large-scale attack by the Germans is about to begin?" Trotsky furrowed his eyebrows and asked in a deep voice: "Is our position at the Odintsovo front strong enough?" Can it withstand the assault of a cluster of nuclear bombs and armor? ”

Yakir shook his head and said: "It is impossible for the enemy to drop nuclear fission bombs on Odintsovo, because they are building a starting position on the plain less than 5 kilometers away from the front line of our army, and there is no way to guarantee that there will be no accidental damage at such a distance." Moreover, a large number of bomb shelters have been dug in the area of Odintsovo, most of which are more than 10 meters deep underground, and unless the enemy uses armor-piercing nuclear bombs, they are simply not enough to threaten the troops in the bomb shelters. However, the lethality of the explosion of a nuclear bomb after drilling into the ground will be greatly reduced, and our bomb shelters are very numerous, scattered, and well concealed, and it is impossible for the enemy to attack them one by one with nuclear bombs. ”

This time Trotsky finally smiled: "Comrade Yaquil, you mean that Moscow is not afraid of a nuclear bomb attack?" We have thousands of bomb shelters in Moscow! ”

Yakir thought for a moment, nodded and said: "It can't be said that you are not afraid at all, unless the enemy has a sufficient number of nuclear bombs to carry out a covering strike on the entire defensive zone of our army, it will be difficult to deliver a fatal blow to our army." Of course, this conclusion does not take into account the factor of troop morale...... "

……

The German side also came to the conclusion that "Moscow is not afraid of a nuclear bomb strike." Commander of the German 1st Panzer Army, Elvard. Feng. Under the headquarters of General Kleist, there is an air-raid shelter 15 meters deep, which is enough to accommodate thousands of people to take refuge in it at the same time -- this air-raid shelter originally belonged to the Krasnoznamensk City Committee of the Soviet GCD, so it has a large area and very complete facilities, with warehouses, electromechanical rooms, communication rooms, rest rooms, and operational command rooms, as well as well-designed ventilation pipes and entrances and exits. According to the conclusions of the on-site investigation by the air force staff officers attached to the German 1st Panzer Army, this huge bomb shelter was enough to withstand a direct hit by a nuclear bomb with a yield of 20,000 tons! Moreover, there are no less than 20 such dugouts in Krasnoznamensk alone, which is enough to transfer the entire strength of a division underground. And in several towns near the city of Krasnoznamensk, several bomb shelters of the same specifications were also found, according to the mayor of Krasnoznamensk, who defected to the enemy, all the towns around Moscow, there are air defense facilities of a similar scale, these projects began to be planned and constructed as early as the second half of 1932, with the deterioration of the world war situation, the scale of construction was continuously increased, until Krasnoznamensk was occupied by the Germans, The construction of air defense facilities is still in full swing. According to the most conservative estimates, at least a few million people are now digging holes in and around Moscow every day, and the total area of bomb shelters built is likely to be in the hundreds of millions of square meters!

Upon learning of this, General Kleist immediately communicated with the commander of Army Group B in Minsk, von Anderson. Marshal Bauk got in touch and reported on the fact that Moscow had a large number of strong anti-aircraft fortifications. And the German 2nd Panzer Army, which occupied Zvenigorod and Istria, also later appealed to the commander of German Army Group C in Kiev (Trotskygrad), von Brown. Marshal Rundstead reported the same message.

"Your Excellency the President, Marshal Bauck and Marshal Rundstead have all sent telegrams to cancel the battle plan to bombard Moscow with nuclear bombs!" The Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, Colonel-General Keitel, stood in front of Hitler and Hoffmann and calmly reported the news he had just received from Army Group B and Army Group C Headquarters.

Hitler and Hoffmann were standing with their arms crossed and discussing something next to a huge map of 1 in 50,000. The map almost fills a wall. Above around Moscow, in line with the densely packed that has been marked. Listening to Keitel's report, both straightened up. Hoffman frowned, "Did they state their reasons?" ”

"Both Army Group B and Army Group C have received reports from front-line troops that a large number of large bomb shelters with a depth of more than 10 meters have been found in several towns west and south of Moscow, and in addition, according to reliable information, the city of Moscow has a more complete and solid air defense system, with a total area of bomb shelters, probably as high as 100 million square meters! These bomb shelters would greatly reduce the effectiveness of a nuclear fission bomb attack, and in addition, the area of defense around the city of Moscow was too large, and unless the enemy was compressed into a small area of defense of several tens of square kilometers, a small number of nuclear fission bombs would not be enough to inflict heavy damage on the Soviet troops. ”

Hoffman shook his head and said with some sarcasm: "When did these Bolsheviks become burrowing rats!" 100 million square meters of bomb shelters...... God, how much does that cost? He looked at Hitler: "Your Excellency, it seems that we can't drop nuclear fission bombs for the time being." ”

Hitler hummed and said to Hoffmann: "Did the General Staff develop a plan to seize Moscow without using nuclear fission bombs?" ”

Hoffman frowned and said: "There are two alternative plans, respectively, to take Moscow by storming and besieging the city, in view of the strong defense of Moscow and the large number of defenders, I will take a long-term siege of Moscow and defeat Trotsky with hunger!" (To be continued......)