mixed in the war

The situation in the Soviet Union was indeed not good.

The Germans actually advanced rapidly in the winter, and advanced all the way to Stalingrad, and also completed the siege of this southern granary in a short period of time, which was basically beyond everyone's expectations.Because it doesn't make sense.

"But if the Germans have obtained a more effective way to keep out the cold, then their behavior is not unexpected." Because of the emergency, Marshall rushed to Shangri-La directly in a small plane: "The Soviets took pictures, and they also took pictures." I got the video, but those materials are still in Europe, and I can’t let everyone see them for the time being. But the Soviets are sure that the Germans have indeed found a way to keep out the cold. It is said that there are white snow and ice huts almost everywhere outside Stalingrad. .”

"Ice cabin? Are the Germans performing 'Snow White'?" Churchill was puzzled.

"The Soviets explained that this is the method used by the Eskimos in the Arctic to keep out the cold. Because ice is a poor conductor of heat, living in a hut made of ice can effectively resist the external cold. The minimum indoor The temperature is only a dozen degrees below zero, maybe even minus one or two degrees, and this temperature is not a problem for the Germans." Marshall looked very solemn, "And the Soviet Union also told us that the Germans entered the Immediately after arriving in Stalingrad, a large number of fortifications were built with ice blocks from the Volga River..."

"Ice fortification?"

"Very strong. If you add the climate factors of the Soviet Union, the strength of these ice blocks can even be compared to steel!"

Marshall's words made the whole room quiet, Roosevelt immediately shut up, and Churchill began to smoke his cigar vigorously... An ice fortification as hard as steel?Although they can't imagine it yet, they have already realized the seriousness of the matter.Although the Soviet Union has always been their imaginary enemy, it can be said that if it were not for the existence of the Soviet Union.If it hadn't been fantasizing about diverting the attention of the Germans to the Soviets, it would be impossible for Britain and France to engage in any appeasement policy against Germany.And this also represents the psychology of Britain, France and other countries that always hope that the Soviet Union will perish.But not now.The Germans have already captured almost the entire Western European continent. If they defeat the Soviets on the Eastern Front, they can concentrate all their forces on the Western Front.By then, the situation facing Britain and the United States will be ten times worse than it is now.

"Why don't the Soviets use fire?" Churchill asked hastily, seeing his bright cigar for no reason.But then he shook his head again and again: "This won't work...I'm sorry, I was too anxious."

"Understandable." Marshall said, "Actually, if the Soviets have enough fuel, they may really use the method you mentioned. But the fact is that when the Germans advanced to Stalingrad, they put A large number of civilians were driven into the city. So Stalingrad was short not only of food, but also of enough fuel to keep warm.”

"It's pathetic." Roosevelt sighed, "Did they say how long they can last?"

"Until spring at most," Marshall replied.

"So there's not much time?" Churchill frowned again. "Is the German attack so fierce?"

"The Germans didn't launch an attack," Marshall said. "They just surrounded Stalingrad. And they kept pushing people inside."

"……mean!"

Roosevelt and Churchill instantly understood the German intentions.They also cursed almost at the same time.They knew that the Germans simply wanted to win without a fight.Just imagine, as an important city in the southern part of the Soviet Union, Stalingrad has a large population, but they are still trying to drive people in.Then, how serious will the problems of accommodation, heating, and food in Stalingrad, which were already tense due to the encirclement of the German army, become?At that time, the Germans may only need one charge to take this important town.And if the Germans are lucky.Maybe they won't have to attack at all... provided they can pack enough people into Stalingrad before spring.

"Did the Soviets take no action?" Churchill was anxious.Now the United States is not fully prepared, and it is impossible for Britain to attack alone. France has surrendered...no one can help the Soviets.But the strength of the Soviets is not weak, they should be able to save themselves.

"The Soviets have not yet completed the deployment of the new line of defense. Although they are trying to send reinforcements to support the defenders of Stalingrad. But this will take time. And the Germans still occupy the air force superiority." Marshall said, "Stalin's telegram said , if we cannot put the rescue plan into action before spring comes, then Stalingrad is likely to be lost. And this also means that the next target of the German army will be Moscow!"

"The United States must send more troops to Britain as soon as possible. Gentlemen, we are running out of time. We must complete the build-up of troops before the Germans defeat the Soviet Union." Churchill cried.

"...Mr. Prime Minister, I intend to appoint Admiral Douglas MacArthur as the commander-in-chief of our troops to Europe, and temporarily serve as the commander-in-chief of the European Allied Forces. What do you think?" Roosevelt said in a deep voice.

"General MacArthur? Well, he is a great general. But...he seems to have just broken out from the encirclement of the Japanese. I remember correctly?" Churchill shrugged, noncommittal to Roosevelt's proposal.

"His enemies are ten times his size." Both Roosevelt and Marshall got a little angry... This fat man did it on purpose!The purpose is to replace the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces with the British.But why doesn't he think about who is begging whom now?Hey, we Americans help you British people, it’s okay if you don’t feel grateful, and dare to fight for power?When do we owe you?Believe it or not, I'm ignoring you if you get mad?We don't believe it anymore, we are willing to negotiate a peace, and the Germans will be so courageous that they will fight across the Atlantic. ...Unfortunately, it is a pity that Roosevelt and Marshall are different from Churchill, who likes to make a big statement.

"Rushing out of the siege of ten times as many people as himself, and before that, he led the troops to resist the enemy's fierce attack tenaciously for several months... He is fully qualified to be our Allied commander." Roosevelt Again.

"Is that so? If that's the case, then he is indeed an extremely good general." Churchill's expression remained the same, but he smoked his cigar faster, and looked at Roosevelt and Marshall with some unkind eyes.Britain's power in Southeast Asia is stronger than that of the United States, and he is well aware of the Japanese army's attack on the Philippines.In that battle, MacArthur and his troops were almost powerless to resist, and were easily defeated and surrounded by the Japanese.Of course, it is true that the Japanese are stronger, but did MacArthur defend tenaciously against the onslaught of the Japanese for several months in the encirclement?That's basically an "open confinement", okay?In order to lure more enemies, the Japanese didn't do anything to MacArthur's people at all, they just surrounded them.In fact, apart from the Japanese, it is the Chinese who really perform well in the Philippines.Knowing that the Japanese had been prepared for a long time, the Chinese still cleverly destroyed the Japanese plan, and finally rescued MacArthur and his group.Therefore, if we really want to evaluate the generals who participated in the Philippine war, the Chinese general who directed the rescue operation performed the best. Of course, the Japanese Seishiro Sakagaki is not bad. As for MacArthur...

"MacArthur and his troops are currently resting in China and northern Vietnam. We plan to let him lead this force to Egypt, join the British Eighth Army in El Alamein, and then launch an attack on Libya. Try to seize various oil fields in Libya." Churchill only "praised" MacArthur, but he still did not indicate whether he was willing to be the commander of the European Allied Forces.Both Marshall and Roosevelt could hear it.But Marshall didn't really care much about these...MacArthur had a temper similar to that of the short fat man in front of him. The more people there were, the more energetic he became, and the same arrogance and blind pride.Such a person is not the first choice to command a multinational force.That's why he asked Roosevelt to point out that MacArthur was only "temporarily" serving as the Allied commander.The purpose is also simple, to establish the leadership of the Americans on the European battlefield.Otherwise, the supreme commander was not established, but he won the battle afterwards, which would be tantamount to giving the British a reason to postpone the selection of the Allied commander.Judging from Churchill's performance, the British are happy to do this.Although they were forced to put down their face and ask the United States for help, they were actually very upset, and they were very unwilling to accept the command of the Americans in this war.Even if they know that the lack of a unified command is not suitable for the cooperation of the two armies.Of course, if the battle is lost, the problem is not small, but the reason why MacArthur was chosen to attack is to win... Marshall has worked with MacArthur for so many years, and he understands the opponent's temper very well.After all, MacArthur belongs to the kind of person who deserves to be beaten.The harder you get beaten, the higher your level will be when you perform again.After suffering from the Japanese, MacArthur is very likely to be able to get it back from the Italian army in Libya, and the [-] American soldiers who have experienced war in the Philippines must be better than those in the country after going through a rest. Troops are more effective.Strong generals paired with strong soldiers, at least from the present point of view, this is the most powerful combination in the entire U.S. Army. He, Marshall, didn't pull people into the horse casually.

"Okay, I agree to let the Eighth Army cooperate with the U.S. Army. However, in order to strengthen the Eighth Army, I decided to send General Montgomery to serve as the commander of the Army, so as to cooperate more effectively with General MacArthur." Churchill said.

"..." (to be continued...)