Beiyang 1917

"Your Excellency Muto, please don't forget that once the battle starts, in theory, reinforcements from all over Ukraine will flock to rescue Kharkov, the Ukrainian capital, except for the three German divisions south of Kharkov, stationed in Kiev The three German divisions and the three Ukrainian infantry divisions can also be quickly reinforced by trains. If you hurry up for a journey of more than 400 kilometers, you can arrive in half a day! At that time, the detoured troops on the left bank will hang alone in the west, and they will easily encounter each other. Encircle and flank!"

Hata Toshiro put on the map the predicted marching route of the Ukrainian reinforcements. From this point of view, if Kharkov starts, the reinforcements in Ukraine can at least come from Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk. Kharkov used the railway line in three directions to make centripetal reinforcements and assaults to Kharkov.

After Hata Junroku drew the signal arrows for Ukrainian and German reinforcements on the combat map, it caused a buzz in the combat conference room. Obviously, everyone now has an intuitive understanding. Although the strength of the Ukrainian autonomous government is It is weak, but there are more than ten divisions in total, and the German troops stationed in Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk and other places have a total of eight divisions. In fact, the Southwest Front Army Not only does it not have an absolute advantage in terms of total force, but it may even be at a disadvantage in the local direction of Kharkov.

"Major General Hata, didn't you say that there are only two German divisions in Kiev, and the combined German army in Donetsk and Mariupol has only one division. How come there are as many as eight German troops on the north bank of the Dnieper River?" How many divisions?" Stepin, commander of the Voronieri Army Group, couldn't help asking on behalf of most federal generals.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, we didn't have a single soldier in Belgorod ten days ago, and now we have assembled 4 troops through railways and roads. Although Ukrainians may not be smart, are you blind when you are a German? We are gathering and mobilizing, and the other side is also gathering and mobilizing. Although our reconnaissance of the Ukrainian part on the south bank of the Dnieper River is not sufficient, based on the existing intelligence judgments, the Udds have obviously strengthened the mobilization of some troops in southern Ukraine to the second. North of the Dnieper!"

Hata Junroku drew a few arrows on several major cities and strategic locations along the Southern Ukraine Railway, pointing to the north bank of the Dnieper River, and then said solemnly,

"The Germans are likely to strengthen the two divisions of Nikolayev and Krivoy Rog in the south to the Donetsk line, but the focus of the enemy's defense is still Kharkov, which is the capital of Ukraine. It seems that Kharkov is too close to the border, which is not an ideal capital location for Ukraine!"

"Major General Hata, why does the Front Army Headquarters insist that the East Route Army and the West Route Army must launch a campaign attack two days later than the Central Route Army? If our three armies attack at the same time, the enemy will inevitably lose sight of one thing and lose sight of the other. Then their follow-up reinforcements will defend The existing areas may not be able to do it, let alone go north to reinforce Kharkov!" The head of the third division, Baba Jiro, frowned.

In the view of Erlang Baba, the head of the division, the Ukrainian campaign was not only the first appearance of the Southwest Front Army of the Allied Forces composed mainly of the Japanese Third Army, but also an internal competition among the three divisions and three armies of Japan, while the Central Army Obviously shouldering the most important mission, although in the Ukrainian campaign plan originally formulated by the Allied Forces Command, the Central Route Army besieged Kharkov but did not attack it, adopting the method of besieging the city and fighting for aid, all the Ukrainian troops north of the Dnieper River. Attracted to Kharkov to defend and scramble for the capital.

However, Daba himself was still unable to resist the glory of leading the third division to win the Ukrainian capital Kharkov in one go, and as the battle was assembled and prepared, the Ukrainians and Germans on the opposite side were obviously not idle. Troops are also frequently mobilized and exercised, and they are obviously prepared for the upcoming war. In this case, if Kharkov is quickly captured after the war, the opponent may not continue to counterattack and compete, so the burden on the central army will be It won't be that heavy.

In fact, the question of the Commander-in-Chief of the Oba Division is also a common question in the minds of many generals present. Shunroku Hata looked at Jiro Oba, and then at Utsunomiya Taro. In desperation, he had to try his best to explain,

"When the Allied Forces Command formulated the Ukrainian campaign plan, the first plan was for the three armies to advance side by side, disrupting the opponent's defense and deployment at once, so that they could not take care of both ends, so as to strive to win Ukraine north of the Dnieper River in one go. Everywhere, ending the first phase of the Ukrainian campaign with the capture of Kiev."

"Sogar! Why didn't you stick to this combat plan, and adjust the current nondescript style of play at both ends of the first mouse? Major General Hata, I think the front army command lacks the basis to persuade the following! Why? Isn't war just about winning? It turns out that our Central Route Army has to carry such a heavy burden! The battle plan of the Front Army Command is obviously unfair!" The brigade commander of the 23rd Infantry Brigade Nobuyoshi Muto roared with blue veins on his forehead.

One of the main reasons for the current situation is that after ten days of further intelligence collection, it was found that the enemy forces in Ukraine are stronger than originally expected, and the enemy is obviously prepared, and the Central Route Army originally planned to play well. The difficulty suddenly increased. At this time, if the West Route Army and the East Route Army can go hand in hand, then the Third Division of the Central Route Army will fight a little easier, instead of facing the enemy in the first few days after the war. The enemy's counterattack posture throughout the north of the Dnieper River.

"Your Excellency Muto Brigade Commander, I would like to remind you that the revised Ukrainian campaign plan of the Front Army Command was made in full compliance with the instructions of the Coalition Command. The Coalition Forces implemented the Ukrainian campaign plan with the purpose of attracting the main German and Austrian forces back from the Western Front. , Our first phase of operations is to wipe out all the enemies north of the Dnieper River in Ukraine, so the task of the Central Route Army is not to simply occupy Kharkov, but to attract the enemy to reinforce Kharkov through a powerful offensive!"

"Once the main force of the German army gathers reinforcements near Kharkov, the attacks of our Eastern and Western Route Army will completely cut off the other side's retreat, so as to encircle and wipe out the opponent north of the Dnieper River. Of course, at present Our military strength is not dominant, but don’t forget that the Ukrainian autonomous government’s infantry divisions are only hastily armed and organized troops, and their combat effectiveness is not even as good as the Soviet Russian Red Army in the Battle of Ufa! So although their strength is not much worse , the strength can never be compared with our Southwest Front Army!"