Accardo was now living a good life, thinking every day about how to trick the Americans and the British in all sorts of ways, and his former greatest adversary, Stalin of the Soviet Union, was now in an underground bunker in the center of Moscow, in front of all sorts of desperate men.

The recent fighting in the southern part of Moscow had been slowed down by the rotation of Army F, and Marshal Kluge was ordered to return to the Wolf's Den to report on his duties, while his troops did not launch any more large-scale attacks after consolidating their defensive positions.

In the same way, Guderian also had to go back to get his newly made marshal's scepter, and by the way he would return to Berlin to see his friend, the recuperating Marshal Rommel. Therefore, Army Group G did not continue its attack in the southeast either. Although the 502nd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion had not lost a single of the latest 105 King Tiger tanks in the Battle of Moscow, because Army Group G was ordered to defend in place, they did not continue to move north to pick quarrels and provoke trouble.

The task of attacking the Moscow defense line fell on the two armies of Army Group A in the northwest direction of Moscow and Army Group E in the northeast direction. This is also the need to tear apart the Moscow defense line, try to mobilize the enemy in the city, so that they can lose more living forces in the process of frequently changing the direction of defense.

The Panzer Corps of Army Group A was the 2nd Panzer Corps, which was reinforced by 1 SS Infantry Division and two SS Panzer Divisions. If you count other separate armored battalions, the number of tanks in this force is more than 1400 units, which is definitely a formidable assault force.

In command of this force was also an old general, General Kreuzer of the German Army, the old boss of the Third Reich Führer Accardo's time in Hamburg, and the person who recommended Accardo for his promotion to captain. If Guderian and Rommel became the Führer's faction because they were appreciated by the Führer, then Kreuzer, the general, should be the backbone of the Führer's faction.

To be honest, in terms of the level of understanding and command of tank troops, this commander who was born as an infantry regiment commander is actually not as good as those well-known armored warfare masters in the German army, and the main reason why he can control such an armored force and become a highly successful general in Army Group A is that he is the Führer.

Like Kluger, he made him prosperous for no other reason than because he was a descendant of the Führer. Accardo installed a number of lineages in the army, and the reason for these lineages to hold important positions was their loyalty to the Führer. They were inextricably linked to the Führer, and although they were inferior to the brilliant generals of the army in some respects, they provided Accardos with a stable environment at a critical time.

That being said, don't think that Kreuzer is the kind of bastard who doesn't have much ability, he, like Kluger, is less talented, but he is better than hard work and steady. While Guderian and Rommel led their armored forces to fight thousands of miles and destroy countless enemies, Kreuzer commanded his armored 2nd Army but remained obscure.

However, Army Group A went all the way, fought a fierce battle in Minsk, surrounded the hundreds of thousands of troops in the central theater of the Soviet Union, and then marched eastward, captured Smolensk, and forced Moscow. Then it suddenly went north, biting the Leningrad Cluster and chasing after it, encircling and destroying the Leningrad Cluster and reaching the northwestern suburbs of Moscow - after so many battles large and small, the 2nd Panzer Army suffered the fewest losses of the entire German Panzer Corps.

However, if you carefully distinguish it, this army fought from France to Moscow, but the results were really not much less than the 7th Panzer Army and the 1st Panzer Army under Rommel and Guderian. This unit and the independent armored battalion under its jurisdiction gave birth to two twin stars of German armored forces, Mitchell Wittmann and Karjuus. Swept the 1st and 2nd place of the army's tank aces, more than the already promoted Rennes destroyed more tanks.

This impressive feats illustrate Kreuzer's ability, and although he is not the kind of being that shines like a comet, he is hidden in the vast stars of Germany, shining his light on the magnificent star map. In fact, if you think about it carefully, you are actually relieved: how many of the old foundations of the Wehrmacht who were selected in the Sikert era are stupid people who are vegetarian in wine bags and rice bags?

When people remember the famous generals who started the war with Hitler, how many people still remember that it was Sickert who reserved talents for the German army? How many people still remember that most of those brilliant generals who later became brilliant were veterans of the Wehrmacht? Rundstedt, Bock, Manstein, Liszt, Modell, Catherine...... Which one is not the best in the Wehrmacht?

"There is no reason for heavy tanks to get stuck in these ruins, for the reconnaissance team to find suitable roads, cover the tanks with infantry to attack along these roads that are in slightly better condition, and then hand over the houses and ruins behind them to the infantry. Seeing the ruins of Moscow in the distance through the binoculars, General Kreuzer instructed the officers following him: "When attacking, try to arrange self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to cover the tanks, without a high firing angle, our armored vehicles may suffer in street battles." ”

An officer behind him raised his arm and saluted: "Yes, Your Excellency General, I will immediately arrange for grenadiers to follow your tank to ensure that my own losses are reduced." ”

"If I had enough ammunition, I'd rather raze all the buildings here with 1,000 cannons...... My troops are not good at this kind of war, so I want to change the environment as much as possible to make it what my troops like. Kreuzer put down his binoculars, and like other armored commanders, he liked to hang a huge high-powered telescope, carrying a map bag and wearing a leather jacket - a scruffy outfit that was extremely useful on the battlefield.

Kreuzer also likes to observe the battlefield close to the front line, and deploys his troops to face his enemies more flexibly. He famously concluded that "don't give orders if you haven't seen the battlefield." However, unlike Rommel and Guderian, he often wore an M35 steel helmet, took great care of his own safety and complied with many of the Führer's regulations.

He never takes risks, and even when he fights hard breakthrough battles, he likes to arrange tasks thoroughly. His tank advance seemed to be a natural thing, as if his troops had never faced a brave enemy. But Rundstedt once said of Kreuzer: "It seems that his enemies quickly retreated under his attack, without the slightest persistence or courage...... But I knew that if I were in command from the other side, the only thing I could do correctly under Kreuzer's preparation and flawless attack was to give the order to retreat. ”

At this moment, General Vatutin, who was opposite Kreuzer, had already felt the huge pressure brought to him by the methodical attack of the German 2nd Panzer Army on the opposite side. He mobilized 1 infantry battalion to try to catch some gaps in the counterattack, but he waited for a whole hour, from the Dmitrovsk road to the north bank of the Likhoborka River, and he did not wait for a chance to counterattack.

The Germans took the Friendship Park and attacked on the basis of the Glovinskoye cemetery. There are very few buildings in Moscow in the vicinity, which is very suitable for the advance of German armored forces, but the Soviet Red Army built a large number of machine-gun bunkers and barricades near this very obscure cemetery, relying on a large number of mines and anti-tank guns to stubbornly organize the defense of the German army.

The 501st Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, under Kreuzer's control, quickly felt this, and two companies of 20 King Tiger tanks, led by Mitchell Wittman, launched an attack on the Soviets in a dense formation. This time, the Soviets, who had run out of ammunition and food, were forced to abandon their positions and retreat to the river, setting up new defensive positions on the Lihoborka River and the railway line around the city.

"General Vatutin, Comrade Stalin is asking where exactly the Germans have advanced, and he wants you to maintain the line of defense in its current state until the end of August. "An officer walked into Vatutin's command and conveyed Stalin's words. Vatutin looked at the officer, not knowing how to organize his language.

Eventually, he opened his mouth and said in a hoarse voice to the officer in charge of delivering the message: "Son, I also wish we could hold the line, but just ten minutes ago, the Germans launched a fierce offensive north of Moscow, and we were caught off guard and lost many blocks. In fact, we are trying to hold on to every inch of the land, but when the soldiers who hold on to it die, the land will naturally become German—understand?"

"Comrade General, how many more troops do we have, how many reserves?" said the question that Stalin wanted to ask, and the officer asked the question that interested him. He wanted to know how much time he had left, how many soldiers could sacrifice their lives to continue his life.

"I only have 5,000 reserves in my hands, and there are about 90,000 regular troops scattered across the defensive line that can be found and can be commanded...... Zhukov's side may be worse, he and Konev should have 80,000 more, and Vasilevsky has at least 100,000. Now there is nothing to hide, and he, like Zhukov, said everything he knew: "Of course, if you count those 'Moscow Self-Defense Forces', the number of defensive troops can be three times more, and the combat effectiveness is not easy to say." ”