Beiyang 1917

() The headquarters of the 29th Infantry Army is also located in a building near Yekaterinoslav Central Railway Station. Unlike Kharkov, Yekaterinoslav has far less fortifications and defensive positions than Kharkiv Kharkov is complete. The original stone fortresses and walls of this important town and port city on the Dnieper River have been demolished and knocked down during the 200-year urbanization process. Therefore, the German army does not have stones like the Kharkov Old City Fortress. The city wall serves as a natural line of defense...

The 48th and 49th Divisions of the Reserve Infantry were stationed in the northwest and southeast of the city respectively. They built only field fortifications, while the rest of the 47th Division of the Reserve Infantry was stationed in the city center, also along the railway line. Stationed on both wings of the line and the railway station.....

1918年8月1ri12:00，叶卡捷琳诺斯拉夫，预备步兵第29军司令部

"Everyone...the latest news from the Kiev Army Group Command, Herman William Göring's 1st Fighter Wing still needs 1 to 2 days of preparations to complete the replenishment and reconstruction, and depending on the situation, it will be put into combat on the Ukrainian battlefield, William Gray General Na asked us, can we hold Eastern Ukraine with our current forces? He also ordered us to find out the next attack direction of the coalition forces as soon as possible!" Colonel von Hegemann, chief of staff of von Neuhaus, spoke.

Attending the meeting were the division commanders and chiefs of staff of the 48th and 49th Infantry Divisions, the commander of the Reserve 48th Division, Major General Mark von Ziegfest, and his chief of staff, Colonel Thomas von Lincoln, and the commander of the Reserve 49th Division, Tracy Feng Major General Woodford and his chief of staff, Colonel Gerhan von Torres.

"My dear Sven, according to the intelligence of the frontline reconnaissance, the coalition forces have not crossed the Uda River so far, and you and your troops just threw Krasnorad, an important railway and highway hub and base, to the Ukrainians. Feeling a bit panicked? ..

Let me say that it is more beneficial to hold on to this strategic point of Krasnorad than to retreat all the way to Yekaterinoslav, so at least we still have strategic depth. If Krasnorad is lost, not only the coalition aviation The team can directly use the field airport that we just repaired not long ago, and even the supplies and ammunition that your division hoarded there have not had time to rush back? "

While lighting a cigarette, he spoke casually. It was Major General Mark von Ziegfest, the commander of the 48th Division of the Reserve Infantry. In his opinion, the commander François was too fond of von Neuhaus, which led to Von Neuhaus was overconfident and lost Kharkov. Of course, he does not deny that the coalition's huge air superiority is a mythical existence, but whether it is the German army on the Eastern Front or the Western Front, there is no lack of air superiority How could the [-]-strong army, known as the elite, drive out the gang of allied forces from Kharkov in just a few days?

It is puzzling, except that the Ukrainian National Army is not useful, the defeated general Von Neuhaus should bear the greatest responsibility, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he took the blame and resigned?How can this guy continue to act as the command of the entire 29th Infantry Army?Even Lieutenant General von Dietrich, chief of staff of the army, wanted to avoid his limelight and stayed in Donetsk to command the Eastern Group, and refused to come back to take over the command of the 29th Army?

"Are you panicked? It's because the mule was pulled out by Madeira. The 47th Infantry Division can attack and retreat. How can there be panic? Krasnola is completely defenseless. Come here, if you withdraw at that time, you will have to say that you are panicking again... I am the acting commander of the campaign now, if you are not convinced, you can go to General William Glenner to file a complaint, but there is one thing, as long as I am the acting commander, you This teacher has to obediently obey my orders...is there a problem?!"

Von Neuhaus only got three hours of sleep in the morning. Although he shaved his beard and had lunch, he still looked haggard, but the light in his eyes was still aggressive. The 48th Infantry Division The equipment level of the 49th Division is similar to that of the 47th Infantry Division, but the training and combat effectiveness are much worse. It is wishful thinking to challenge the authority of the acting commander at this moment!

"I have no problem, but I am afraid that the Ukrainians have problems. Now there are people fleeing from Kharkov to Krasnorad. The 1st Army of the Ukrainian National Army has completely lost its combat effectiveness. The two The troops withdrawn from the Kharkov Volunteer Division add up to less than one division... how to fight next, as the acting commander, Major General, do you have any plans?" Major General von Ziegfels accepted , obviously does not intend to confront von Neuhaus head-on, everyone knows that the 47th Infantry Division is a bunch of screaming savages. Mouth addicted, if you really want to fight and rebel, you don't have the guts...

"Tricy, what do you think?" Von Neuhaus rubbed his face and threw the question to Major General Tracy von Woodford, commander of the 49th Division, who was smoking a pipe. But already over 60, he belongs to a general who was called back to form a reserve army after retiring, or a soy sauce character. Usually no one can offend the old and cunning, and his 49th infantry division is more powerful than the 48th division. There is still a lot of difference, the entire division is not even full... Just a little over 1 people...

Facing the question thrown by the acting commander who was seventeen or eighteen years younger than himself, the gray-haired Major General von Woodford frowned and said hesitantly, "Speaking of it...we didn't intend to stick to Yekater Linoslav, who knew that Kharkov lost so quickly... Of course, this is not the responsibility of the major general and the 47th Infantry Division. If you want to blame it, you can blame the coalition air force for too much firepower, the German Air Force is not up to date, and the Ukrainians are rabble ... As for how to fight, in my opinion, it is better to defend the city and wear down the spirit of the coalition first?"

Major General von Woodford hadn't figured out the acting commander's thinking, so he tentatively put forward his own suggestion, and his chief of staff, Colonel Gerhan von Torres, echoed, "I think what our commander said makes sense , It is only 200 kilometers from Kharkov to Ekaterinoslav. If the coalition forces advance by train, they will kill them in half a day. Of course, we can send engineers to blast the railway line at any time, but the Ukrainians are not willing to do that. I'm not willing, or I'll just blow up a few railway bridges... At least it can delay the opponent's attack!"

"Bridge bombing is a double-edged sword. If we only want to hide and defend, of course we should blow up all the railway bridges along the way, but in that case, our counterattack maneuverability will also be affected... Simon Petliura said It’s time to whine and ask us for an explanation!” It was Colonel von Hegemann, Neuhaus’s chief of staff, who spoke.

"Counterattack is good! But since you want to counterattack, what is Yekaterinoslav doing when you run back in one breath? Didn't the reconnaissance say that the main force of the coalition forces stayed in Kharkov and did not pursue it south of the Uda River..." Feng Qi Griffith is burning a wildfire on the side...