artillery arc

Chapter 653: The Prosun People's Response

At 7 on July 20, one hour before the Ante Cavalry Unit began its attack, Plossen's Southern Army Group Headquarters.

Marshal Goron saw General Shiplin walk into the headquarters operations room and went straight to greet him: "My old friend, you should know the reason why I called you to the army group headquarters, right?"

Shiplin: "Are you going to let me clean up this mess?"

Marshal Goron: "How can you call it cleaning up a mess? The High Command and His Majesty the Emperor have appointed the right people to the right posts, giving every Plosson general a stage to display their talents.

"You are very good at conducting retreat operations. Last winter, you led Army Group B out of Rokossov's million-strong army and the vicious General Winter.

"The Empire needs your talent now. Rescue the Empire's warriors from the dangerous situation in Shepetovka. But you dawdled in the Primorsky Fortress and took several days to arrive!"

Shiplin hurriedly explained: "I didn't delay on purpose, it's just that there are many defense issues in the Coastal Fortress that need to be dealt with, which is why I've been delayed until now."

"Don't worry about it." Marshal Goron waved his hand, then made a "follow me" gesture and walked to the map. "All signs now indicate that Rokosov, who devoured our rearguard troops left in Oboyang, is about to outflank our army in this direction."

Shiplin squinted at the contact line between the Proson Army and the Ant Army on the map, and suddenly interrupted the marshal: "Why don't I see the jagged line representing the defensive position on the dividing line between the two armies?"

The so-called zigzag line is a nickname for the diagram representing the defensive position because it looks like smoothed saw teeth.

Marshal Goron: "Because there is no continuous defense line, our troops have only had time to consolidate the defenses of each village. Before I returned from Eagle's Nest, the 52nd Army reported that there is a series of discontinuous forest areas along the boundary of the control area, and a defense line can be set up in the forest area."

Shiplin: "Where's the defense line?"

"The 52nd Army reports that the Ante observation posts have been directing artillery fire to interfere with the defense line. Currently, only percent of the forest has been fortified."

Shiplin found the 52nd Army's defense zone on the map and opened his mouth wide: "Does that mean this large area is full of loopholes?"

Marshal Goron: "We control the roads. Even if the enemy has troops infiltrating through these places, they will not be able to obtain supplies."

Shiplin: "Are you serious, Marshal?"

Marshal Goron sighed, "What can I say? I know that the Ant cavalry can replenish food and fodder on the spot after infiltrating, because the people of Ant have long been looking forward to the restoration, and they would rather starve themselves than support their own army.

"As for weapons, they can get them from the guerrillas and also rob our military depots. The situation is terrible now, of course I know that! But can I say this? If the people below hear it, the situation will get worse!"

Shiplin: "Where are the armored forces?"

Marshal Goron: "The 48th Panzer Corps was transferred from Army Group Center, but they also went through the fierce battles that began in June.

"The best-performing tank is the 4th 'Ghost' Armored Division, which has been serving as the army reserve. This morning, they reported 7 Panzer III command tanks, 32 short-barreled Panzer IIIs, 22 long-barreled Panzer IIIs, and long-barreled Panzer IVs in combat readiness."

Shiplin raised his eyebrows and said, "Not bad. According to past experience, such a force can destroy at least 300 ANT tanks."

Marshal Goron added: "As long as we don't encounter Ant's new tanks, it will be fine. At present, we only have new tank destroyers equipped with 105mm anti-tank guns to deal with these new tanks."

Shiplin: "How many of these tank destroyers do we have?"

"21." Marshal Goron replied immediately, "I have already reinforced all of them to the th Armored Division. Make good use of this armored force."

Shiplin: "Wait a minute, is the new tank destroyer the 70-ton thing I know about?"

"No, these 70-ton things can indeed deal with the enemy's new tanks. They can either scrape each other or penetrate each other. But these bulky things are now all spoils of war for the Ants.

"What we are talking about now is a thin-skinned, large-stuffed thing hastily made in the rear, a pure artillery carrier. It may not be able to penetrate the enemy's tanks, but if the enemy discovers it, they can definitely destroy it with one shot!"

Marshal Goron paused and took a deep breath. "But the good news is that the Kratt Bureau in Labberville reported that the production of Ante's new tanks was insufficient, and only Rokossov's troops were equipped with a certain number."

"We are facing Rokossov's troops." Shiplin reminded word by word.

Marshal Goron: "But the last time this type of tank was confirmed was ten days ago. We have reason to believe that all new tanks are broken or damaged. The Ante people's maintenance capabilities are very poor. It is estimated that we will not see these sharp things for half a month.

"Before that, the 8th Armored Division is the nemesis of all Ante armored forces and will destroy them all!"

Shiplin: "I understand. I will make good use of the 100th Armored Division. But it is really touching that the armored division with less than tanks has become the savior of the entire army group."

Marshal Goron: “The other divisions of the 48th Panzer Corps still have 100 tanks. In addition, they were transferred from the Central Army Group. The Central Army Group controlled most of the tank battles and finally controlled the battlefield, so many tanks have been recovered and are being repaired.

"Theoretically, the longer we wait, the more armored forces we will have."

Shiplin: "Do you think Rokossov will wait?"

"No." Marshal Goron shook his head, "He won't miss the opportunity." As if echoing Marshal Goron's words, the communications staff officer entered the headquarters with a nervous look and whispered a few words in the ear of the Chief of Staff of the Second Army.

Because the original staff team of the Southern Army Group was almost destroyed, now the staff team of the army group basically comes from the Second Army.

Plossen's army group is relatively large, with as many as 300,000 to 400,000 people in one group. The staff team is just enough to command and support the operation of the entire army group.

Marshal Goron was also the commander of the Second Army, so everything went smoothly.

As for the temporarily promoted acting chief of staff of the army group, he was of course kicked aside to accumulate experience.

The marshal looked at the chief of staff of the Second Army: "What's wrong?"

"Just now, Ant's cavalry crossed our defense line."

General Shiplin: "It seems that the 70% undefended area has been utilized."

Marshal Goron: "Even if all the forests are fortified, the cavalry will still have room to slip through. This is a grassland. If we want to form a solid front, we have to build trenches on the vast plains. We don't have the time for that."

Shiplin: "So the cavalry charge was expected? What about the countermeasures?"

Marshal Goron: "Defend your defenses and hold your strongholds."

Shiplin: "Are there enough troops?"

"Not enough." Marshal Goron was very frank, "And even if the enemy ignores our strongly fortified villages, they can still destroy our supply teams. The only solution is to armor the supply teams, and equip each supply retreat with at least 20 half-track vehicles and a corresponding number of armored grenadiers."

After the marshal finished speaking, he glared at General Shiplin.

Apparently both men were aware of the biggest problem with this "solution."

General Shiplin: "How many additional troops will this require?"

"We have calculated that we will need at least four Panzergrenadier divisions so that we have enough armored vehicles and panzergrenadiers to protect all the convoys."

General Shiplin: "The four Panzergrenadier Divisions are not consolidating the front line, nor are they participating in the counterattack. They are simply escorting the truck convoy. These four divisions will also consume fuel and supplies, and their vehicles will also wear out... I feel like this is a dead end."

"No!" Marshal Goron retorted, "The root of the problem is that the grasslands of Khazaria are too vast, our forces are too dispersed, and our supply lines are too long. As long as we retreat to the Tiber River, our force density will increase, the supply lines will become shorter, and we will have a coherent line of defense. All problems will be solved."

Shiplin: “It looks like that.”

Marshal Goron: "This is your duty. I came back from the Eagle's Nest and brought your appointment letter. His Majesty the Emperor also asked me to bring a message. As long as you can successfully complete the retreat, the Marshal's Scepter will belong to you."

Shiplin smiled bitterly and said, "You are roasting me on the fire."

Marshal Goron: "How can you say that? This is the trust of the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor. Well, I'll take my leave. My chief of staff and staff are all trustworthy. Of course, you can also transfer people from the 11th Army."

Shiplin shook his head. "No, it's too late. The enemy cavalry has already broken through. We can't let the command system fall into chaos. Chief of Staff, show me the current retreat plan. Also, how many armored grenadiers do we have?"

"We have six armored grenadier divisions, but they have lost 60 percent of their half-track vehicles. And we have no control over the battlefield, so the lost vehicles can basically be considered a total loss." The chief of staff quickly reported a string of numbers.

Marshal Goron was drinking coffee nearby.

Shiplin: "Which one is the most elite among the six divisions? The 16th Panzergrenadier Division?"

"This 'most elite' is difficult to define. Theoretically speaking..."

When the chief of staff hesitated, Marshal Goron said, "The 16th Panzer Grenadier Division is the best, and you are familiar with them."

Shiplin: "Greyhound? Then we will form a battle group with the Greyhound Division as the core, responsible for resisting the enemy attacking us from the east - I mean, the enemy that is predicted to chase us.

“All Panzergrenadier divisions except the Sixteenth Armored Grenadier Division will be broken up into rows and spread out along the entire retreat route, allowing them to deal with Ant’s cavalry.

"In addition, with the Eighth Armored Division as the core - wait, I remember the commander of the Eighth Armored Division was that Adel?"

"Yes, 'Panzer Schultz,'" the Chief of Staff replied.

Shiplin: "I want to see him, now, right away."

(End of this chapter)