Hitler never had much patience, and there was no such thing as Guderian, an officer who repeatedly disobeyed his instructions and was not dismissed. For the Führer, he never felt that an officer was indispensable, and he was convinced of his military talents. So for those high-ranking generals who dare to argue with him, he will never be polite.

Of course, Hitler didn't do it perfectly, after all, Guderian's previous achievements were great, and his ability was obvious. So he merely dismissed Guderian as commander of the assault group, rather than forcing him to retire as he did with other unpleasant garbage officers.

Hitler not only did not retire Guderian or remove him from the reserves, but promoted Guderian to the rank of general, and General Guderian was appointed director of the armored corps, with full responsibility for the development, organization and training of the armored corps.

Why would the Führer be so merciful? You must know that historically, Guderian squatted at home for more than a year before reactivating it. Why was his luck so much better this time?

The reason is very simple, in history, Guderian sat on the cold bench because of the defeat of Moscow, and the angry Führer must have to find a punching bag, and unfortunately, Guderian is one of those punching bags.

Now, although the Germans have suffered some setbacks, they have not suffered a defeat similar to that of the Battle of Moscow. In Hitler's view, the situation was still very good, and the Reich was facing only minor troubles.

Let's put it this way, the Führer was in a good mood, so he was a lot more tolerant of Guderian. And I'm afraid Hitler had another idea. That is to show Guderian how good he is. Didn't you, tank monster, say that the Kursk is dangerous? Then I'll just win and show you. Let you know that I, Hitler, am not in vain.

Yes. Hitler always had a peculiar inferiority complex and arrogance towards the famous military experts of the Wehrmacht. He had an inferiority complex, because compared with those military experts who came from a professional background, he did not receive a special military education, and his military rank during World War I was even lower. So when facing these military experts, he will always have a feeling of inferiority.

But at the same time, Hitler had his own pride, and his ideas were not favored by these military experts in the Norwegian campaign, the Polish campaign, and the French campaign. But he won an unprecedented victory. And these victories also made him a little flustered. I can't help but think, "You military experts are just like that!" ”

It's the same this time, since you, Guderian, are not optimistic about the prospects, then I, Hitler, will still work a miracle for you, and then humiliate and humiliate you, and see what else you have to say.

Yes, Hitler's mentality is a bit perverted, he did not force Guderian to go to the reserves, in fact, in order to humiliate Guderian more unscrupulously in the future.

Did Guderian know about Hitler's calculations? I'm afraid he doesn't know, because he is extremely worried about the fate of Guderian's assault group, and on the other hand, he is fully committed to the work of the director of the armored forces.

For this position. Guderian still has some ideas, through the actual combat experience of the first line. He had already learned how powerful the armored corps of the Red Army was. Compared with the high-quality tanks and armored vehicles of the Red Army, the existing armored forces of the German army were really a big problem.

The most prominent thing is the tank, whether it is the third or fourth or the Black Panther, which has just entered the battle, it is not an opponent of the Red Army tanks of the same grade. The Russians made up for the technical problems with an extremely simple way of thinking, making the tanks they equipped with simple, solid and easy to produce. To put it bluntly, there is a very high consumption ratio.

On the other hand, German tanks began to go into a strange circle, and the technical madmen Henschel and Boscher (translated as Porsche, in fact, are more foreign) did have an unusual mechanical talent and could come up with some refreshing new technologies.

However, in Guderian's view, none of these so-called new technologies are practical, and they are either problematic, flashy, or extremely expensive. And as a military man, he understands exactly what kind of weapons the army needs in a world war. It's not that the more advanced the technology, the better. The more new technology is used, the less reliable his grandmother becomes, and a weapon that is stacked with new technology is definitely the worst weapon ever.

For example, when it comes to the Black Panther, Guderian is extremely disgusted. In his opinion, this bulky big guy is really rubbish, although the cost is only a little more expensive than the No. 4 F2, but the production hours are more than double. Moreover, its mechanical reliability is outrageously low, there are piles of running gear failures, the engine spontaneously combusts from time to time, and maintenance is extremely inconvenient and time-consuming. This fucking is a difficult uncle.

Guderian believed that instead of producing the Panther, it would be better to produce more improved tank IV. The latter is simpler and more reliable, and the performance is also passable, Germany can take advantage of the industrial advantage to produce as many improved No. 4 tanks as the T-34 and T-35, so as to redeem the disadvantage on the battlefield. As for the panther, what, let it wash and sleep!

Not only did Guderian dislike the Panther, but he also had no liking for the bulkier and heavier Tiger, and it took enough man-hours to produce a Tiger tank, let alone four Tank No. 4, and the Tiger Tank cost almost ten times as much as the No. 4 tank. Nima, what is this egg-per-cost ratio? Can one Tiger survive the siege of four Tank No. 4?

All in all, Guderian had an idea when he took office, that is, he had to reverse the strange equipment of the German armored forces, the first is to control the cost of tanks and produce as many tanks as possible. This was of key importance to counteract the numerical superiority of the Red Army's armored forces; Secondly, it is a waste of resources to cut down those inefficient tanks that are time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Of course, Guderian did not mean to continue to let the German panzers hang themselves on the tree of tank four. After all, the bottom plate of the fourth tank was there, and the potential for improvement and development was really limited, and it was probably no match for the more advanced tanks of the Red Army.

What Guderian wanted to do was to develop one or two more versatile tanks to completely replace all the tanks in the German army's current equipment sequence!

It is not difficult to see that Guderian already had an idea similar to the later E-series tanks, and in fact, he and Speer played the biggest role in the development of the later E-series tanks. And his and Speer's thinking is also highly compatible. That's what these two think of as the E series. The most important ones are the E10 and E25. As for the steel monsters above the E50, he and Speer don't approve of it at all.

Both Guderian and Speer agree that the E-Series of E50 and above is a typical low-efficiency product, both from a tactical and engineering point of view. In Speer's words: "The more these models are produced, the faster we fail!" ”

If Guderian and Speer were to dominate the E-series tanks, the E50 and above could be cut. It is enough to have E10 and E25.

Unfortunately, these two were not in charge at that time, and the Führer and some of the senior generals who were close to the Führer were obsessed with heavy tanks. Tough says you have to develop those steel monsters. At that time, Guderian was depressed and had to succumb to the eccentricities of the Führer, so is there a difference between him now and him in history?

Unfortunately, there is not much difference, as soon as Guderian took office, he had the idea of overhauling the armored corps, preparing to get rid of the bulky and inefficient Haw Par along with it. But as soon as his idea was proposed, he was hit in the face.

"The development of the Tiger tank must not be stopped," Henschel replied to Guderian, "and the Führer desperately wanted the Tiger to enter service as soon as possible." He can't wait! ”

Not only Henschel rejected Guderian's request, but also another German tank and car giant, Bosscher, flatly refused to speak for Guderian. For businessmen and technocratics. Black Panther and Tiger are their favorites, and as for cheap and low-grade universal design, what the hell is that?

Not only did Henschel and Boscher not buy it, but Hitler also ignored Guderian's demands, for the Führer, he was fed up with the arguments of the front-line soldiers that German tanks were inferior to Slavic tanks, and he needed really high-end, elite German tanks back to this field. And there is no doubt that only the Tiger tank is in line with the lofty aesthetics of the Führer.

Guderian was depressed, and his idea was only approved by some people, such as the Minister of Armaments and Quartermasters, Speer, and Henschel's engineer Heinrich. Knikamp. The rest are very interested in the tiger and leopard. Only at the end of the war and after the end of the war will these people gradually wake up and understand that the development ideas represented by the tiger and the leopard and the tiger king are really a big hole.

But it's still too early to talk about this, at this time when the Third Reich was still at its most prosperous, and not many people from the top to the bottom had a sense of distress and thought that the future was bright!

Guderian was dismissed, objectively he jumped out of the fire pit of Kursk, but for Paulus, it was a complete tragedy, except that at first he thought he was acting in comedy, and he was full of enthusiasm for the future.

After Guderian left, Paulus immediately adjusted his military deployment in accordance with Hitler's requirements, and the 47th Mechanized Army, which had been fighting soy sauce behind the palace, finally had a job, and they formed a double arrow with the 46th Mechanized Army to storm the defensive positions of the Red Army from two directions.

For five days, beginning on 5 May and continuing until 10 May, Paulus attacked with all his might, wave after wave, such as on May 10, on which the Germans threw four corps into a fierce attack on all fronts.

Vasilevsky recalled: "The enemy's offensive was quite fierce, and standing in the command post at the front, I silently counted the shelling I heard, and in just ten minutes, more than a thousand explosions sounded on our positions. Knowing that this is only a small part of our position, it is not difficult to imagine how fierce the German shelling and bombardment were......"

"In the evening, the chief of staff told me that the Germans had fired more than 150,000 shells and dropped nearly 500 tons of bombs all day. A considerable part of the positions that were under heavy attack were almost blown up. With the help of artillery fire and air cover, the Germans broke through to our positions for a distance of five to seven kilometers......"

However, Paulus was not satisfied with this result, he felt that the Red Army should collapse under such heavy artillery fire, instead of just retreating a few kilometers in some sections, which reminded him of the First World War.

Paulus was very happy to be able to take over the post of commander of Guderian's assault group, and he had long wanted to show his skills. But I have never had the opportunity to perform. Paulus considered himself no worse than Guderian. Now that the Tank Geek can shine in Poland and France. Play the armor assault to the sky, then I can too!

Paulus was holding back his strength to prove himself, but he had chosen the wrong object, and his enemy was not a Polish footcloth, let alone a Gallic chicken carried away by pride, but a more tenacious and ferocious polar bear. What's more, this time the polar bear is well prepared, how can it be possible for Paulus to get his wish?

So in the coming days, no matter how much Paulus invests more. It doesn't make sense to bomb indiscriminately. His legion was indeed advancing step by step, but the amplitude was too small to form an effective breakthrough, but instead it was like a flat push.

The first-line flat push cannot fight a war of annihilation, and the German army's first-line flat push also has the credit of the Red Army, if it were not for Ubolevich ordering Vasilevsky to gradually retreat, then the Germans may not be able to advance an inch.

On 15 May, ten days after Hitler's deadline, while Paulus was still gnashing his teeth at Vasilevsky's line, the Red Army's Sixth Army in the south moved into action. Having overcome numerous difficulties, the 6th Army recaptured Shostka and the traffic point Grukhov. Closed the passage for Paulus's escape from Southka.

On the orders of Ubolevich, the 6th Army did not continue to approach Ligov and Kursk, but immediately began to build a strong blocking position around Shostka. In the words of Ubolevich: "Whether it is Guderian's cluster or the German army in Chernihiv in the east, you must firmly block them, and they will never be allowed to converge!" ”

At the same time, Zhukov's Fifth Army in the south also attacked all the way to Konotop, and on the first day of its arrival in the city launched a fierce offensive, cutting off the railway line so that the Paulus cluster could no longer get any supplies.

When the movements of the Red Army's Fifth and Sixth Armies were fed back to the German General Staff and the Wolf's Lair, whether it was Hitler or Keitel, Jodel or Halder's face was not good. Even the most idiotic they can see the Red Army's attempt, which is to encircle and annihilate the Paulus cluster!

Hitler, in particular, had a very ugly face, because Guderian had foreseen this situation just ten days earlier, and had repeatedly called for an immediate retreat. And how did he do it? Guderian was removed from his post and all his suggestions were discarded. This slap made his face hurt hotly!

However, Hitler could not admit his mistake, let alone admit defeat, but continued to slap his swollen face and become fat: "The Bolsheviks always had the illusion that they could defeat the invincible German army by relying on that hastily organized rabble. This is extremely ridiculous and ignorant! ”

After making a start, Hitler pointed on the map and continued to comment: "From the current intelligence, we can know that the enemy has only one heavily battered 6th Army at Southkä, and only a tired 5th Army at Konotop, and these two armies are nothing at all!" ”

Yodel couldn't help but complain in his heart: "If you say it's nothing, it's nothing?" After all, these are two group armies! And it just happened to strangle Paulus's lifeline, how can it be said that it is nothing? ”

However, Hitler also had his reasons: "In the Chernihiv region, our army still has a relatively strong corps, and it is entirely possible to draw one or two armies to attack and advance towards the Shostka and drive out the enemy's Sixth Army." ”

After a pause, Hitler added: "But this is not necessary at all, Southka does not matter, only stupid Slavs would send heavy troops to occupy this useless city!" As he spoke, he poked Konotop heavily with his teaching stick, and said with great interest: "The focus of our army's attack is Konotop, and it can only be Konotop. I order the 9th and 11th armies to immediately reinforce the defenders of the area, drive the enemy away, and be sure to keep the supply lines of the Paulus cluster open! ”

As he spoke, the teaching stick in his hand suddenly raised, tapped Kursk harder, and continued: "At the same time, the Paulus cluster continues to exert pressure on Kursk, be sure to destroy and break through this damn city as soon as possible!" ”

Keitel, Yodel and Halder, you look at me, I look at you, now they have figured out Hitler's thoughts, the Führer still refuses to give up Kursk, still wants to attack, this is completely in line with his temper, this is holding his breath to prove his ability to Guderian!

However, it cannot be completely said that Hitler's deployment was problematic, and it is indeed more important to ensure the security of Konotop, which is not only a retreat for the Paulus cluster, but also a lifeline for the Paulus cluster. Ensuring that this lifeline is unblocked is not only the basis for Paulus to continue to attack Kursk, but taking a step back, even if there is a real case, the Paulus cluster can safely exit from here. As for Southka, it is really worse than Konotop and not strategic!

Soon Hitler's deployment was approved with the unanimous approval of all three, but when Guderian learned of this deployment, he couldn't help frowning, from the beginning he thought that Shostka made sense, otherwise he would not have deliberately captured Ligov and then turned back to take the city. But now, the city, which seemed meaningful to him, was ruthlessly abandoned by the Führer, like throwing away a bag of garbage...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you cjsky, xuyiqing1985, the lost remnant maple, the drunken maple, the Nanyue Manlong, hzwangdd and Comrade Juventus!