How Trotsky dealt with Kamenev and Zinoviev will not be mentioned for the time being, because political struggles are never a matter of turning the other cheek in a hurry, this thing is a slow effort, even if the two sides do not share the sky, they have to be as affectionate as good friends on the surface.

Even if Trotsky had already made up his mind to break the wrist of a strong man, it was not something that could be broken, he had to make adequate preparations, and then take his time little by little. So during this period of preparation, for the time being, we will still focus on the war in Spain.

As mentioned earlier, with the help of the Germans, the Nationalist Army took the Republican Army and the international column by surprise with a surprise attack, completely turning the pattern of the South upside down. But truth be told, just as Tukhachevsky was at odds with the Second Republic, Franco was not exactly in tune with the Germans and Italians.

Franco and the German advisers did not agree on how to win the war. Franco had only one goal - and that was Madrid. He believed that as long as Madrid was captured, he would be the victor and the civil war would be over.

However, the German advisers, led by Guderian, were not as naïve as Franco thought, believing that even if Madrid was defeated, victory in the war would not be guaranteed. Guderian believed that as long as the Soviet Union continued to provide military assistance to the Popular Front, then the war would not be so easy to win. Even if Madrid is taken, but the Popular Front still has access to Soviet aid, then the fighting will continue.

Guderian believed that the winner of the Spanish Civil War was not Madrid, but how to close the channels of the Popular Front to Soviet aid. Judging by the current shape, Franco in the south should not be in a hurry to march towards Madrid. Rather, it marched along the Mediterranean Sea in the direction of Catalonia. If you can recover this coastal area. Then the passage of the Popular Front for Soviet assistance from the Mediterranean would be completely cut off. At the same time, Germany and Italy will be able to give Franco more help. When the time comes, it will be a matter of course, and then march on Madrid.

It should be said that Guderian's analysis is more reasonable, the Spanish Civil War in this time and space is very different from the historical one, the Soviet Union was halfway in history, the popular front received less and less aid, and Franco's side was open to receiving German and Italian aid, and it was difficult to win.

And now. Germany and Italy were frightened enough by the Soviet Union's iron-rod sweeping tactics, and they really didn't dare to provoke a conflict at sea again, and if the polar bear was ruthless, it would not be fun. And in this case, the civil war is developing in the direction of a war of attrition, and whoever can get more aid and use it more effectively will be able to win.

Neither Germany nor Italy could cut off the aid of the Popular Front at sea, and the best way at that level was for the National Army to attack in this way.

It's a pity that Franco was captivated by Madrid. rushed to the capital wholeheartedly, and Hitler in order to win over and take care of the Spanish brother. I had to agree against my will.

As a result, Guderian's plan of attack was abandoned and replaced by a plan to blitz Madrid. According to this plan, at the beginning of the battle, in addition to paralyzing the air force airfields in Malaga, Almeria and Cartagena, the German volunteers and the national army placed the direction of the main attack in the direction of Córdoba, preparing to rush along the railway line to Madrid in one go.

Of course, the main force of this was the motorized and mechanized volunteer army contributed by the Germans, with more than 100 No. 1 tanks as the vanguard, directly crushing the international columns and the Republican Army with air support. Aim to reach the outskirts of Madrid within a week.

Although Guderian did not like Franco's plan, as an excellent soldier and an expert in the use of armored forces, he nevertheless developed a very detailed battle plan. Judging from the course of the subsequent battles, Guderian's battle plan was relatively successful and achieved very good results.

However, as the campaign unfolded, Guderian soon discovered that his plan was not so perfect, and he made three mistakes, the first was his lack of experience in commanding the assault of armored groups, and overestimating the effect of the assault of armored forces. Except for the first day or two, the speed of the advance did not reach his estimate under the obstruction of several rivers in front of him. For example, in the capture of Córdoba, the battle for several bridges wasted a lot of time in the assault cluster.

The second mistake was to underestimate the combat effectiveness and fighting will of the international columns, the Russians were very stubborn in their resistance, and the tactics used in some local battles were very brilliant, such as the counterattack carried out by some Russian armored forces, which once beat Guderian's attack to the bottom. The performance of the No. 1 tank is really enough, and it is not a little cheaper in the face of the BT-5. If it weren't for the fact that the Vulture Legion basically mastered air supremacy, it would be convenient for Ju87A to play casually, otherwise, the result would be really difficult to say.

The third mistake is the logistical aspect, and it's only when the armor clusters actually get in motion that you know how staggering their consumption is. Even with the help of the railway line, the assault cluster has only a little more than a hundred tanks, but the fuel problem is always plaguing the assault cluster. Several times, the troops had to stop and wait for tankers.

This mistake was soon discovered by the Russians, and the Red Navy immediately intensified its attacks and blockades of the Nationalist oil tankers bound for Cádiz. At one point, the RO-2 and I-5K2 that took off from the aircraft carrier Leningrad attacked the oil tanker with anti-aircraft fire from the German and Italian escort ships, and then the B17 group, which took off from the direction of Madrid, simply began to bomb the port facilities in Cádiz.

These actions made the assault of the armored group unsustainable, and it took ten days for the assault group to stagger to capture the city of Real, but there was no way to take another step forward.

Because not only was there a shortage of fuel and ammunition, but after a long-distance assault, the wear and tear of the No. 1 tank was also quite alarming, and after arriving in the city of Real, only 50 No. 1 tanks could move. The rest are either mechanical failures or exhaustion of accessories.

At this time, even if Franco kept urging his troops to continue to advance and take Madrid with a breath, Guderian could only call a strong stop. Because this armored pioneer realized the danger!

What dangers? Danger of collapse!

The supply lines are simply too long. And when I was rushing forward before. Most of the enemy had only been routed, and in order to reach Madrid earlier, Guderian left the routed troops scattered along the lines of communication to the Nationalists who would follow.

But he was not satisfied with the efficiency of the National Army, and he walked for more than ten days, still circling around the vicinity of Mount Morena. They were tormented to death by the guerrillas and routs mobilized by the Popular Front.

If the Nationalist army could not keep up quickly, and Guderian's exhausted and poorly supplied troops continued to rush forward, it would be a dead end. Moreover, Guderian also found that the enemy on the opposite side was very unusual. For example, when he captured Ciudad Real, it was clear that his troops were all at the end of the crossbow. The first two attacks were repulsed, but the third attack was unusually smooth, and the enemy almost ceded Ciudad Real to him.

This made Guderian immediately vigilant, could it be that the enemy was preparing to lure the enemy deeper? This kind of tactic is very good at the Russians, and when facing Napoleon, he used this hand, isn't it normal for him to draw a scoop pit with a gourd?

Especially when Guderian learned that the enemy had destroyed all the supplies and was retreating to Madrid in great stride, and that there were no more troops left between Madrid and Ciudad Real, he thought that he had seen through the enemy's intentions.

"Stop and rest immediately and wait for the Nationalist Army to catch up!"

Guderian did not make the mistakes of Napoleon. And at this time, his troops really need to rest and replenish. So, was Guderian right?

It should be said. This was a misunderstanding, Guderian looked up to the Popular Front, and now it was not Tukhachevsky and the Soviet advisers who were directing the defense of Madrid, but the Spaniards. Fierce clashes broke out between the Second Republic and the international column over the defense of Madrid, and the Popular Front transferred all the Republican forces that had cooperated with Tukhachevsky in the attack on Ferrol.

The meaning is obvious, Lao Tzu can't command the international column, and he still can't command the republican army? Without the cooperation of the Republican Army, Lao Tzu will see how you fight Ferrol!

To put it bluntly, the Popular Front is drawing salaries from the bottom of the kettle, allowing Tukhachevsky to retreat. In their opinion, without the cooperation of the Republican Army, the more than 30,000 troops of the attack column would not have been able to take Ferrol, and Tukhachevsky would have to come back obediently.

It's just that the teases of the Popular Front really underestimate Tukhachevsky, who is Tu Shuai? That's quite proud, during the civil war, he was able to lead a poorly equipped army group to the death of Kolchak, Kolchak's white bandit gang was much stronger than Ferrol's national army to tell the truth. Tukhachevsky was not even afraid of Kolchak, and he could take a few national troops into his eyes.

From the very beginning, Tukhachevsky had little hope for the Republican Army, and his only hope was that these pig teammates would not drag their feet. Now that he has been transferred, it seems that his troops are smaller, but in Tukhachevsky's opinion, this makes it easier for him to command the battle, and he can finally command the battle without any scruples.

So, not long after the Popular Front transferred the Republican Army, Tukhachevsky did not bird the government of the Second Republic and directly launched a campaign to liberate Ferrol. At this moment, the Second Republic was dumbfounded, and the strategy of drawing wages from the bottom of the kettle became self-defeating. When the news reached the city of Real, the faces of the Republican troops who defended the city turned white, they had the confidence to fight with the Germans, that is, they thought that the international column would soon come to reinforcements, but now the reinforcements are gone, they immediately became deflated balloons, and they fled.

And this escape triggered a chain reaction, the Republican army north of Ciudad Real followed the rout of Ciudad Real and ran towards Madrid. It's just a matter of running away!

To put it bluntly, if Guderian seizes the opportunity to chase after the victory at this time, then it will be really easy to take Madrid in one fell swoop. Because neither the Germans nor the Russians expected that the Spaniards were really a bunch of strange goods.

The Popular Front saved their lives with their own strange tricks, but the next shape was very grim, even if the Republican Army was drawn from the north, they didn't feel safe at all. In any case, they had no confidence in their own republican army, and once again they could not wait to ask the Soviet big brother for help, demanding that Tukhachevsky's troops and Halepsky's troops defending Malaga in the south be immediately transferred to Madrid. To put it mildly, Madrid is about the bigger picture of the revolution. There must be no room for error.

But for the demands of the Popular Front. Once again, Tukhachevsky forcefully refused. He has always believed that if Madrid is lost, it will be lost, and it has nothing to do with the overall situation. As long as Ferrol can be dealt with, all the threats from the north will be cleared, and then you can deal with Franco wholeheartedly, and then take Madrid back.

Tukhachevsky not only resolutely refused to withdraw his troops, but also ordered Halepsky, who commanded the international column near Malaga, not to allow the return of aid to Madrid, but on the contrary, Tukhachevsky's order to Halepsky was to immediately attack in the direction of Cadiz. Strive to cut off the supply routes of enemy armored clusters.

Khalepsky was really Tukhachevsky's hardcore partner, and Tukhachevsky's demands were 100 percent satisfied, and after receiving the order, he immediately organized a force that could be taken into the counterattack.

Of course, to tell the truth, there are not many of these troops, and the reason is very simple, the international column in the south originally had only 10,000 men, and it was organized into two brigades. With the exception of the international columns, the rest of the Republican Army was either ineffective. Either cowardly and timid, or rigidly ready to carry out the order to defend Madrid.

Anyway, if it weren't for the international column in Málaga pestle. The grandsons would have given up on Malaga and handed over this important port to Franco. Khalepsky was quite speechless about this group of teases, and he wrote in his diary: "At this time, if I have enough troops, not too many, just 20,000, no!" Even if there were 10,000, or even 5,000 republican troops, the situation would be completely different...... I could have thrown all the international columns into an attack in the direction of Cádiz, and even if I couldn't take Cádiz, I would be able to pin down a large number of enemies in the south of Spain and relieve them of pressure on Madrid...... It could even be done better, if the enemy's lines of communication could be destroyed in one fell swoop, and when Comrade Tukhachevsky recaptured Ferrol and waved his army south, it was completely possible to fight a war of annihilation in Madrid or south of Madrid, and eliminate these fascist bandits in one fell swoop! ”

Halepsky's vision was good, but it was completely impossible to realize, because the short-sighted government of the Second Republic was only concerned about the safety of Madrid, and did not hesitate to transfer all the troops to Madrid. Had it not been for the resistance of Tukhachevsky and Halepsky to this order, and for the widespread anarchism of the Catalan local government, which simply did not obey Madrid's command, Franco's troops could have easily occupied all the ports on the Mediterranean coast and completely sealed the lifeblood of the Second Republic.

Fortunately, this qiē did not happen, and after the previous slam and punch, Guderian stopped the attack out of reason. So in late November, there was a short period of recuperation on the battlefields of central Spain.

The Popular Front was busy gathering troops and turning Madrid into a pillbox, while Guderian was urgently resting and readjusting his deployment. Of course, this was only the situation around Madrid, and in the south, the international columns led by Halepsky began to actively maneuver, constantly harassing the enemy's supply routes. In the north, two divisions led by Tukhachevsky broke through the three lines of defense of the Nationalist army, encircling Ferrol.

A fierce battle for the attack and defense of the city is about to begin, and whoever can win will also be able to take the initiative in the decisive battle in the future.

Of course, Ferrol is not so easy to fight, the city has been a naval base in northern Spain since the Bourbon dynasty, and after hundreds of years of operation, it has been turned into a fortress. Moreover, Ferrol was the stronghold of the Nationalist army in the north from the beginning, and a large number of die-hard fascists took control of the city, and it was not easy to recover it.

In particular, it should be noted that Tukhachevsky's troops were insufficient, and he had less than 40,000 troops under his command, which was a bit reluctant to capture a city.

Tukhachevsky himself, however, was confident, believing that Ferrol looked indestructible, but in reality it was just that. He already had a full understanding of the fighting power of the Spaniards, whether it was the National Army or the Republican Army, they were a bunch of guys who could only fight with the wind, and they would quickly collapse in adversity.

Tukhachevsky was confident that if he put enough pressure on Ferrol, the National Army would soon collapse.

"The Air Force must exert its full strength," Tukhachevsky wrote in his memo, "and the troops lack heavy artillery, especially large-caliber heavy artillery capable of smashing through fortresses." The only threat to those fortresses is the Air Force, and I hope that the B17 will be able to use the power that Arxnis claims to be able to smash the enemy's fortress to smithereens. ”

Tukhachevsky pinned all his hopes on the Air Force, so what was the level of the Air Force of the international column in the North? It should be said that the situation was much better than in the south, where at the time of the German assault, most of the fighters in the north were outside the enemy's attack radius and received almost no great losses.

At this time, Tukhachevsky had 24 B17-M62s, 52 SB-2-M105s, and 18 Su-1s, as well as 78 I-15s, 59 I-16s, and 15 MiG-1s...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you to the pig dashing 2, take the broken lunzi, 435349915, glorious charter, agz00025, Juventus and kill the potato comrade!