artillery arc

Chapter 423 "Rokosov's plan is very ambitious!" (18000 monthly tickets plus more)

Plossen, Army Group South Headquarters, 24 hours on the morning of the 0600th.

As soon as Field Marshal Ewald von Steiermark entered the headquarters, he saw that his adjutant looked nervous.

"What's going on?" the marshal asked coldly, "Don't panic! The soldiers are watching us!"

The adjutant quickly put on a stern face and said seriously: "The Air Force just sent a report that aerial reconnaissance found that thousands of tanks were assembled in Yeisk!"

Marshal Ewald frowned: "Is the news true? Where are the photos?"

"The reconnaissance plane made an emergency landing, so the people carrying the photos have just returned to the air force base and are developing them. Because the military situation was urgent, the observer on the reconnaissance plane wrote a written report." The adjutant replied.

Marshal Ewald nodded, came to the map, and quickly found Yeisk. He whispered, "What does Rokosov want to do by concentrating so many troops in this location? Isn't he just a lieutenant general? Can a lieutenant general command so many troops?"

Adjutant: “According to the intelligence of the Kratt Bureau, which was recently transferred directly to the Emperor, Rokossov has already hooked up with His Majesty the Tsar, so even though he only has the rank of Lieutenant General, his power is greater than that of the Front Commander.

"In addition, according to the intelligence we obtained from interrogating the newly captured prisoners on the front line, the commander of the Sukhaveli Front has been replaced by General Gorky, a general who has cooperated with Rokossov many times. When he was the commander of the Western Front, he and Rokossov were close!"

Marshal Ewald's expression turned serious when he heard this: "It sounds like a precursor to a large-scale offensive, but we can't draw a conclusion yet. Let's take a look at the photos first. Also, send a telegram to the Tenth Army. They have been fighting against Rokossov. Ask for their opinions."

Adjutant: "How? Are they asking whether they think Rokossov will attack?"

Marshal Ewald thought for a moment and said, "Ask them what they think of Rokossov's intentions. Since the occupation of Yeisk, Rokossov has been in the same place for a long time. Although he has defeated another infantry division, he is generally in a state of slacking off."

The army group chief of staff finally spoke: "Regarding this, General, after you fell asleep, the Tenth Army sent a telegram reporting that Rokossov defeated the 14th Armored Division with an absolute advantage in force. A large number of officers, including the division commander, Major General Karl, were killed. The armored division has been disbanded and cannot be restored."

Marshal Ewald raised his head and stared at the Chief of Staff: "What?"

"The 14th Division has been completely disbanded and cannot be restored. General Bock of the Tenth Army decided to add the remnants of the 14th Division to the 16th Panzergrenadier Division - mainly tankers without tanks and auxiliary troops that escaped."

Marshal Ewald's mouth trembled slightly.

Plossen's armored divisions are not as numerous and diverse as Ant's tank divisions. Even after the military expansion in the first half of the year, the number of armored divisions owned by Plossen did not exceed 50.

Moreover, the 14th Armoured Unit is a veteran unit. Just looking at its number, you can tell that its history can be traced back to the period when His Majesty the Emperor first expanded the army.

The defeat of such an army, which could no longer maintain its organization, was probably a greater blow to the Plosson period than the defeat of the Asgard Knights' Seder Division.

The Asgard Knights are a new unit after all. Although they are composed of elite soldiers and generals, the unit’s collective sense of honor and cohesion have not yet been established.

If they were defeated, it could be said that the new troops had not stood the test.

Among the senior Junker aristocratic officers, there was another reason for their defeat: there was no well-tested Junker officer corps to support them.

The Asgard troops were established by the emperor to compete with the old Wehrmacht. Even if they used old officers, they were those who had already betrayed the Junker Officers Corps.

So when the Asgard Knights' Sede Division was defeated by Rokossov, many people celebrated, just like last year when Rokossov firmly blocked the attack of the Asgard Knights led by the emperor's favorite general.

The 14th Panzer Division, which had a well-tested grassroots officer system consisting of the Junker Officer Corps, was completely defeated, proving that the elite troops of the Wehrmacht could not defeat Rokossov.

The Junker officers could no longer laugh at the young descendants of the Asgard Knights.

That’s why Field Marshal Ewald von Steiermark said bitterly: “The 14th Unit has been destroyed. My old friend’s son was in the 14th Unit. I don’t know if he escaped.”

The adjutant spoke up, "Is it Marshal Elrod's son? He was at the 14th Division Headquarters. If all the senior officers were dead, he should have died a martyr."

Ewald rolled his eyes at his adjutant and said, "Thank you for your reminder."

After a long silence, Ewald said to the chief of staff: "Send a telegram to Admiral Bock. The subject is the same as before, asking for his opinion on Rokossov's strategic intentions and requiring a detailed answer. The rest will be discussed after the photos come out."

----

At 24 on the morning of the 0900th, the Tenth Army Headquarters.

Admiral Pok looked at the telegram in his hand and shook his head repeatedly: "What is Rokossov's intention? I am not a worm in his stomach! Maybe Rokossov just wants to destroy us one by one, cutting the ham with a knife, bit by bit, until he completely eats the dozens of kilograms of ham!"

Chief of Staff: "Isn't this too slow? At this rate, it will take at least ten years to wipe out all the Plosson troops!"

A staff officer in the room laughed, but Admiral Bock glared at him fiercely: "What are you laughing at? Rokossov is blocking us now and making us unable to move! Not only are we unable to move, but the Sixth Army that is preparing to follow behind is also unable to move! This guy is blocking our two armies, hundreds of thousands of troops!
"Not only did he block us, he also bit us several times! Even if he didn't have any big goals, he can be considered a famous general for being able to do this! Damn famous general!"

Admiral Poke sighed: "We are just like the conqueror back then, looking down on the Ants, and as a result, famous generals emerge one after another."

Chief of Staff: "But the question is, what should we say when we reply to the Army Group Headquarters?" Admiral Bock was silent.

Everyone was waiting for him to speak again.

For a moment the tent became quiet, and one could even hear the chirping of insects in the distance.

Finally, Admiral Polk said, "Report the worst-case scenario so that we can get more reinforcements. Write a nice battlefield assessment!"

For an army-level commander like Admiral Bock, he does not need to consider the overall battlefield situation. All he needs to consider is to prevent his own front line from being broken through and to complete his combat mission as much as possible.

Therefore, it is a common practice to portray the situation in a more serious way. In fact, in the military academy in Plossen, students are even hinted to do so - this way, they can at least ensure that the war zone they are responsible for does not go into trouble.

As for judging where reinforcements are really needed from a large number of exaggerated reports, it is the responsibility of the commander at the army group level.

This is what the entire military academy in Plossen teaches its students.

Admiral Bock did not want to break this tradition - besides, he really needed reinforcements. He had only one armored division left, and if Rokossov attacked again, he would have to play this last trump card.

Admiral Bock felt that in order to be safe, he had to get at least one more armored division from above.

In order to obtain this armored division, it is reasonable to portray the situation as more serious.

----

At 24:1130 noon on the th, Plossen Southern Army Group Headquarters.

Marshal Ewald finally received a detailed battle assessment from the Tenth Army.

He had only read half of the article when his brows twisted into knots: "Is the situation so dire? Has the Tenth Army suffered such heavy casualties? How did Rokossov inflict so many heavy casualties on our troops during the defensive operations?"

Chief of Staff: "Maybe I am exaggerating, but I have to exaggerate the enemy's threat even at the risk of lowering my own evaluation. I think they really need reinforcements now."

Marshal Ewald cursed: "When will the officers below be able to report the results of the battle without adding water, and report the battle situation without strengthening the enemy?"

The Chief of Staff just smiled bitterly.

Marshal Ewald sighed, "But I agree with your judgment. The Tenth Army was indeed hurt by Rokossov. What do you think of withdrawing an armored division from the 55th Armored Corps, the reserve of the army group, to reinforce the Tenth Army?"

"I think so." Just as the chief of staff agreed, an Air Force brigadier general came in with a briefcase, his expression unusually serious.

Marshal Ewald: "The photos are out?"

"It's out, and we've carefully assessed it. The situation is very bad." The Air Force Brigadier General took off his hat, revealing his sweat-soaked bangs.

Marshal Ewald: "Calm down, you are an air force officer. Even if Rokossov has a million troops, you can't carry him."

The chief of staff stepped forward, took the briefcase from the brigadier general, opened it and took out the photos.

Air Force Brigadier General: "The clearest photo is at the top. Outside Yeisk there are tanks everywhere, tanks everywhere!"

The chief of staff's expression also became serious. While looking at the photo, he muttered, "When did they assemble such a large tank force?"

Marshal Ewald took out his monocle, put it in his eye socket, and then held out his hand to the chief of staff.

The chief of staff hastily handed the first photo to the marshal.

The next moment, Marshal Ewald's hair stood on end.

Although the photo is obscured by thick smoke, numerous tanks can still be seen through the gaps in the smoke.

He shouted to his adjutant, "Quick! Bring out the aerial reconnaissance photos from the day before yesterday!"

Brigadier General: "This is the first time this tank cluster has been photographed! And look at this picture!"

He took the stack of photos from the chief of staff's hand, quickly found a photo numbered 133, and handed it to the marshal: "Look! The Ants are camouflaging these tanks, and we took pictures before they finished camouflaging! Look at these wide-angle photos! Rokossov has at least a thousand tanks!"

Ewald silently checked all the photos and said with a serious expression: "Rokosov's plan is very ambitious! We must report it to the headquarters immediately!"

(End of this chapter)