Chapter 96: Utilitarianism
In fact, since August, the Soviet High Command has been gathering troops in the area west of Moscow. These troops include both elite troops drawn from the Far East and Siberia, as well as some newly recruited soldiers who have not yet undergone basic training.
These troops were never sent to the front line when the fighting on the western front of Moscow was tense. They were stationed in Kolomna, Nokuysk, Yegoryevsk and other places, always waiting for orders from the Supreme Command.
In addition to military reserves, the Supreme Command has also been stockpiling weapons, including ammunition, aircraft, tanks, artillery, etc.
The German army intended to win a quick victory at the gates of Moscow, but the Supreme Command's targeted strategic policy was to fight a protracted war of attrition with the German army. Everyone in the Supreme Command believed that the German army could not afford a war of attrition, at least they had long supply lines to maintain, and the supplies consumed on the front line were measured in thousands or tens of thousands of tons every day. Therefore, the longer the battle dragged on, the greater the advantage would be.
The German army's attack methods were traceable. After each large-scale battle, they needed to stop and rest for a period of time. This was not only because the soldiers were tired, but also because they needed time to stockpile fuel and ammunition.
From the end of October to mid-December, the German army has never stopped attacking Moscow. In less than two months, their front line has advanced nearly 250 kilometers towards Moscow.
Due to battle casualties, wounded soldiers, and severe cold, the Soviet army suffered heavy losses during this period. Similarly, the German army was not immune. The difference between the two sides was that the Soviet army had a steady supply of new troops and new equipment to fight, while it was much more difficult for the German army to do so.
In fact, before the counterattack in the direction of Klin, the Soviet army had already made a counterattack plan, but the Supreme Command was very cautious. After all, the Soviet army in the direction of Moscow could not afford more losses. Now, the 133rd Division's successful counterattack in the direction of Klin gave the Supreme Command enough confidence. Including Stalin, the team members of the Supreme Command believed that the time for counterattack had come.
While Yuri was rushing to the headquarters of the 16th Army, Zhukov, commander of the Western Front, and Konev, commander of the Kalinin Front, were on their way to the Kremlin in Moscow. In accordance with the requirements of Comrade Stalin and the Supreme Command, they had formulated two counterattack plans and were currently preparing to report to the Supreme Command.
These two plans were basically formulated by Zhukov and Konev. The general plan of one of the plans was to launch a full-scale counterattack against the German army from the two directions of Klin and Khoslavl, and to outflank the German troops in the suburbs of Moscow from the north. However, Zhukov did not agree with this plan, and Konev was the main supporter of this plan.
The second plan was relatively more complicated. According to this plan, the Soviet army would launch a counterattack against the German army from three directions: Torzhok and Klin along the Tveri River, and Podolsk south of Moscow. Konev did not support this plan because if the counterattack was carried out according to the plan, the Western Front would become the absolute main force. After all, the main offensive direction was Podolsk south of Moscow, followed by the Soviet army in the Klin area that launched a concentric attack in the middle. The Kalinin Front under his command was only fighting in the Torzhok direction, and its nature as a coercive accomplice was obvious.
At the beginning, Zhukov had another plan that was even more difficult for Konev to accept, because according to that plan, his Kalinin Front needed to launch an offensive from the Penn direction to the northwest to threaten the rear wing of the German army in the direction of Leningrad. Although both were operations, the nature of the Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Leningrad was completely different. Konev himself was more utilitarian, and he certainly did not want to attack the German troops besieging Leningrad at this critical moment.
In fact, Zhukov may not have been without utilitarianism in the arrangement of the battle plan. Perhaps fundamentally, he just wanted to exclude Konev's Kalinin Front from the harvest. However, the second plan he supported was indeed reasonable.
Zhukov chose to launch a counterattack against the German army in three directions, especially to choose Podolsk as the main attack on the southern line, because he intended to annihilate the main force of the German 2nd Panzer Group commanded by Guderian under the city of Moscow. To achieve this operational goal, the first plan supported by Konev was obviously not feasible.
But Konev's first plan was also reasonable, because he believed that the German 2nd Panzer Group had not suffered much loss during this period, and it would be very difficult for the Soviets to annihilate them all at once. Therefore, it was more realistic to focus on Klin and Khoslavl in the north, outflank the rear wing of the German army besieging Moscow in the south, and choose the 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups as the main targets of annihilation.
The different views of the two front commanders on the combat plan caused great conflicts between them, and they even quarreled over it.
But no matter which combat plan is adopted, in order to be finally approved, the decision still needs to be made by the Supreme Command. From this aspect, Zhukov, who had performed outstandingly before, obviously has the advantage. As for Comrade Konev... hehe.
Rediavam village, a small village 8 kilometers northwest of Krasnaya Polyana, is the temporary headquarters of the 16th Army. Yuri's jeep is parked at the entrance of the village. The small village has now been completed as a barracks, and the woodland at the entrance of the village is the main garrison position for anti-aircraft artillery.
Yuri got off the car at the entrance of the village, took the leather coat handed to him by Arseni, and simply put it on. Then, he lit a cigarette for himself and walked towards the village.
Snowflakes started falling from the sky again. Although the snow was not heavy, the sky was very overcast. It was estimated that there would be another heavy snow in the next two days.
During this period, the temperature in the Moscow area dropped sharply, and the low temperature of more than 20 degrees below zero became the second enemy that the Soviet soldiers had to deal with. The army headquarters had just issued new cold-proof gloves to all troops during this period, but according to the soldiers' feedback, the cold-proof effect of these gloves was not very good.
The surface of the snow on the road has frozen into ice. When you step on it with high-top military boots, your feet won't sink into the snow at first. But as long as you lift your other leg and put all your weight on this leg, the ice on the snow will break with a crisp sound, and then sink your foot that was originally on the ice. In this way, walking in the snow is like dancing, first rising one level, then falling suddenly, and then rising another level with the next step, and then falling .
It may seem fun and funny, but in fact, if people walk on the snow for a long time, their knees will be very painful, and may even suffer from muscle strain, synovitis and other problems.
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel!"
Walking into the village from the path cleared by the village entrance, soldiers passing by saluted Yuri from time to time along the way. Some soldiers could even call out Yuri's full name, probably because they had been under his command before.
The army headquarters was located in the center of the village, occupying the former so-called "Anti-Religious Museum". Before the war, there were many such museums in the Soviet Union, which mainly displayed exhibits about the conflict between science and religion to educate people that religion is superstition and should be abandoned.
The anti-religious museum in the village is not very big. It was probably a small church in its former glory. In the previous bombing by the German army, this place was severely damaged. A big hole was blown out on the north wall. Now it is just simply repaired with wooden boards.
Yuri walked along the path in the village towards the headquarters. Just when he could see the headquarters in the distance, three or four female soldiers suddenly walked out of a private house and walked towards Yuri, talking and laughing.
At first, Yuri didn't pay attention. When the two sides got closer, he suddenly discovered that Suya was also among these female soldiers.
During this period of time, Yuri's mentality has obviously changed. When facing Suya again, he no longer has the fear and avoidance mentality, but instead becomes more indifferent.
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel!" Several female soldiers who were chatting and laughing passed by stopped and saluted when they saw Yuri coming.
Yuri didn't pay any special attention to Suya. He just returned a military salute, walked past them with a smile, and went straight to the command center.
Although this was the third time he met Suya, Yuri took it to heart. He walked to the command department and pushed the door open.
There were not many people in the army headquarters at this time. Except for Rokossovsky and Military Commissar Lobachev, the remaining four or five people were basically army staff. Yuri didn't know any of them and probably they had just transferred here.
"Comrade Commander, Comrade Military Commissar, Yuri Arkhipovich has been ordered to report here," Yuri stopped at the door of the headquarters hall, saluted Rokossovsky and Lobachev, and said loudly at the same time.
"Did you have a smooth journey?" Lobachev nodded and smiled. He had a very good impression of Yuri. After all, the two of them had faced crises together.
"It's going pretty well, Comrade Military Commissar," Yuri took off his gloves and smiled, "but the wheels keep slipping. It seems that American cars are still not well adapted to the Soviet weather and terrain."
Lobachev laughed, waved him over, and ordered the orderly to get him a cup of hot water.
"What's the situation in Sollechnogorsk?" Rokossovsky asked without looking up from the map on the table in front of him. "How many German troops are there?"
