Iron Cross

Tyulenev's worries soon became a reality. The Red Army received news from various channels that the strength of the German troops on the southern front was growing particularly fast. This growth had exceeded the strength needed to defeat the British 10th Army. The remnants of the army By January 23, there were three divisions left that were not full, and they had basically lost all their heavy equipment. There were not even a few covering aircraft. The entire army was destroyed in front of them. But the German army not only did not follow the retreat of the Indian and British forces The German army pursued towards eastern Persia, Afghanistan and India, but instead moved its deployment focus deeper and deeper into northern Persia. On January 24, the German army occupied Isfahan, an important town in central Persia, only 350 kilometers away from Tehran. Although they have not yet exchanged fire with the Red Army, after discussions with the front army staff, it was unanimously determined that the German army had an intention to attack northward, and it was imminent. At this time, the troops transferred from Central Asia into Persia had not even completely crossed the border, let alone fought with the Red Army. The Persian armies converged - something that deeply disturbed Tyulenev.

The Caucasus Front did not exaggerate the difficulties it faced. The Eastern Front was not the place where the German army increased its troops the most. The Southern Front had become the third largest troop group in the Third Reich.

After numerous troop deployments, additions and organizational adjustments, the German Army on the Eastern Front is undoubtedly the largest heavily armed group in Germany, with a total army strength of 202 divisions. The German Army on the Western Front (Western European countries and the mainland) is the second largest heavily armed group, with the Army The total strength exceeds 50 divisions; originally the German Army on the Northern Front (in the direction of Norway and Denmark) was the third largest troop group with more than 14 divisions (including one armored division), but now the total strength on the Northern Front has dropped to 11 divisions. However, the strength of the southern front is expanding exponentially.

The southern front mainly includes Guderian's Africa Army and Rommel's Middle East Group (officially renamed the Middle East Group from the Canal Army after taking over the Persian oil fields). The combat area of ​​the Middle East Group includes the entire Middle East region east of the Sinai Peninsula. The Africa Group is responsible for all African regions. The two armies fought one from west to east and the other from north to south. The momentum was quite terrifying. In order to strengthen their strength, the troops originally deployed in the direction of West Africa to intimidate French colonies and British and American landing attempts (under the command of Guderian, with strength mainly including 2 armored divisions and 2 infantry divisions) were mobilized for reinforcements. Rommel divided After arriving at the 22nd Infantry Division, Guderian was assigned to the 10th Armored Division.

At the same time, according to the transfer order of the General Staff, the 2nd SS Reich Division will join the Middle East Army in early February. In this way, the Africa Army will have 5 armored divisions and 3 infantry divisions with a total of 120,000 people; the Middle East Army will have 4 armored divisions (Viking, Grossdeutschland, 15th and Imperial Divisions), 1 infantry division and 2 The paratrooper brigade totals 90,000 people. In addition, Guderian had the 501st and 502nd Tiger Heavy Armored Battalions, and Rommel had the 506th Heavy Armored Battalion.

Hoffman vowed to assure his two men that before the end of March, they would receive further support, and the total strength of the southern front would exceed 20 divisions. But the day after he said these words, Rommel sent a telegram through Kesselring, hoping to get the support of another infantry division, and he requested that it be a mountain infantry division by name. The reason was very good - northern Persia , Transcaucasus is a large mountainous and hilly area, mountain infantry divisions are very valuable, and the Russians also dispatched mountain troops because they requested to strengthen this area, and even euphemistically stated that they could postpone the deployment of the Imperial Division - his armor strength is enough .

This request made Hoffman dumbfounded, but he had just patted his chest and had no choice but to agree. So he had to temporarily change the reinforcement plan - assign the Imperial Division to Guderian first, and order the infantry originally assigned to Guderian in mid-February. The division suspended operations to free up transport capacity for Rommel to add a mountain force. The problem is that Germany's most prestigious mountain troops are either stationed in Norway or serving in the Kleist Group in the Caucasus on the eastern front. It is unrealistic to mobilize them in the short term. In the end, it was Keitel who suggested that the 7th SS Prinz Eugen Mountain Infantry Division go to the southern front, and Rommel happily accepted it.

Although Germany's additional troops to the southern front would help reduce the pressure on the Red Army on the eastern front, Stalin and the Red Army General Staff still found it difficult to deal with it after receiving Tyulenev's relevant report because it was impossible to isolate the Middle East battlefield. , especially Rommel's continuous siege in Persia and the defeat of General Wilson's 10th Army, which made everyone worried - the British Empire's rule in southern Persia will soon come to an end, but in the future, northern Persia will what to do?

The first purpose of the Persian battlefield is to protect the channels for aid supplies, and the second is to cover the fragile Baku oil fields. Now the first level of meaning has completely lost its meaning after Britain and the United States lost sea control in the Indian Ocean, but the second level of goals is not easy to achieve.

"Can the Persian Army be allowed to launch an attack now?" Stalin asked with a frown at the seminar on the Middle East. "The forces of the Rommel Group are still relatively scattered, with one part in Iraq and another part in Persia. No part of it is a match for the Persian Army, is it..."

Zhukov and Vasilevsky looked at each other without saying a word. After a long time, they shook their heads and expressed their disapproval of the attack plan.

The two originally made a plan together: when Rommel was deeply pursuing the British 10th Army, they planned to use the opportunity of the German logistics supply line to lengthen and the troops to be dispersed to launch an attack and slam the enemy's flank. However, they did not expect that the Germans did not press the button at all. The script was scheduled to go - he easily let go of the panic-stricken Admiral Wilson's remaining defeated generals, took the initiative to break away from contact with the British army, and instead retracted his troops back to Isfahan, and assumed a posture of attacking Tehran .

Then the two men believed that Rommel was about to launch an attack. Not only did they nervously order the garrison in the direction of Tehran to be more vigilant, they also asked the Persian Army to speed up its march south to prepare for the battle. However, after being busy for a long time, they found that the Germans were staying in Isfahan. They didn't move, just busy holding on to the local defense system and deploying air power.

Not only did the Russians not understand, but even Hoffman did not understand what Rommel wanted to do.

Soon, the Russians knew what Rommel was doing. In the early morning of January 24, the Italian paratrooper brigade launched an airborne assault and quickly occupied Urumiye, located in northwest Persia, more than 200 kilometers away from Mosul. The capital moved quickly, forced its way through the triangle of Turkey, Iraq, and Persia, and controlled the oasis area in the west of Lake Urmia. This was a very favorable position. More than 120 kilometers northeast of the lake was the important town of Dabu in northwest Persia. Reishi.

If the city can be captured, it will directly cut off the connection between the Red Army's Persian Army and Transcaucasus.