USSR 1941

  Chapter 97 Changes

  Merry Christmas everyone! I want apples too, just apples with a bite, wait...

  ************

  The German front continued to advance towards Kyiv, and reached the outer suburbs of Kiev six days later. Shulka and others in Kyiv could already hear the "rumble" of guns ten kilometers away.

Occasionally, a few German reconnaissance planes broke into the Kyiv defense line in the rain for low-altitude reconnaissance... Poor visibility in rainy days is actually a double-edged sword. It is difficult for German pilots to see anything in the air. Hearing the sound of the plane's motor, it was too late to shoot when it suddenly appeared in front of him, and the enemy plane disappeared in the blink of an eye.

   "The last line of defense!" Major Gavrilov looked from the window to the direction of the gunfire, and said, "It is the main force of the Germans attacking Kyiv, the 1st Armored Group!"

  This is for sure, because everyone knows that the Kyiv defense line is a hard nut to crack. Of course, the Germans will concentrate their tanks and assault guns in the direction of Kyiv.

   "Do you think we are ready?" Major Gavrilov asked.

  Shuerka shook his head helplessly. A few days of preparation was far from enough, even though the reforms made by Shurka had greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the Soviet tank troops.

   "I have confidence in you!" Major Gavrilov said, "So I don't worry about that at all!"

Shulka could only give a wry smile. You must know that what they are going to deal with is the German army... Although the German tanks at this time are actually inferior to the Soviet tanks in terms of firepower and protection, the problem is that the coordination and training of the two are incomparable. .

  So, Shulka has no idea what it will look like on the battlefield.

   "Major, Sergeant!" At this time, a signal soldier ran in from the rain outside, stood up and saluted, "Comrade Kilponos asked you to go!"

   "I'll be right there!" Major Gavrilov responded, took two raincoats from the wall and threw one to Shulka, put it on, and walked out the door.

  Front Army Command.

  Major Gavrilov and Shulka were already frequent visitors here, so the guards did not stop them, and let them pass after saluting.

   Walking into the headquarters, I saw Admiral Kirponos smoking a cigarette while frowning at the map.

   "Comrade General!" The two stood up and saluted the general.

  Admiral Kirponos nodded, and then said: "I have just received information that Comrade Budyonny has been relieved of his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Direction, and Comrade Timoshenko will take over!"

   Major Gavrilov and Shulka glanced at each other without saying anything.

  They all know that this is because Budyonny, like Zhukov, demanded to abandon Kyiv and withdraw to the east of the Dnieper River, but apparently he also failed.

  It is a taboo for military strategists to change the general before the battle, not to mention the imminent battle.

   It can also be seen from this point that Moscow will not abandon Kyiv until the last moment, even if the Southwest Front Army is in danger of being surrounded.

"They think they can prevent the Germans from outflanking the rear!" Admiral Kirponos stood up, then pointed to the map and said: "To the west of Romny is Comrade Budyonny commanding the 21st Army, and to the east is Yelimenko. The Bryansk Front commanded by comrades, they are responsible for flanking the German armored forces and blocking them in the Romney area!"

  A front army plus a group army, flanking one of Guderian's armored clusters from left to right should be successful. The problem is that the Soviet army's reaction speed is too slow.

   "I've decided not to apply for a retreat anymore!" Admiral Kirponos said, straightened up and raised his head.

  Shuerka knew what this meant. If Admiral Kirponos had hoped for a retreat before, he has now made up his mind.

   "I think you need to understand these situations!" Admiral Kirponos pointed to the map and said: "According to our reconnaissance, the Germans concentrated their main force in the north, while most of the Romanian troops were in the south!"

   Shulka knows this, maybe even more than Admiral Kirponos:

  The German Army Group South has a total of six armies. Among them, there are three armies, the 6th, 17th and 1st Armored Group, which are all composed of German troops. The main force is undoubtedly the 1st Armored Group commanded by Admiral Kleist.

  These three units were all deployed on the left flank of the German army, which is the north. The northernmost is the 17th Army.

  The 1st Armored Group located in the middle, together with the 6th Army deployed on the right wing, formed the main offensive force to attack Kyiv.

  The right wing, also known as the south, is composed of the German and Romanian 11th Army and the Romanian 3rd and 4th Army. They are responsible for protecting the right wing of the main German army and advancing towards the Dnieper River defense line.

"There is no doubt!" General Kirponos said: "The combat effectiveness of the Romanian army is far inferior to the German army. Much easier, that's their weakness!"

After a pause, General Kirponos went on to say: "But here is the question, how can we break through the German blockade, or should we start operations now? I mean, we don't need to deploy the Ninth Army. The agency is waiting in Kyiv for the Germans to encircle!"

   Shulka immediately understood what Admiral Kirponos meant.

  His worries are justified. The current situation is that the main force of the German army is rushing towards Kyiv from all directions and surrounding Kiev.

  If the original plan is implemented, then the Soviet 9th Army needs to open a gap in the encirclement and move south.

  But what the Soviet tanks lacked compared to the German army was mobility, and even the Soviet tanks would break down all the way, so the German armored forces could easily catch up with the 9th Army that broke through and surrounded them.

  This is why Admiral Kirponos wants to deploy the 9th Army outside the Kyiv defense line in advance.

   "But, Comrade General!" Shulka objected: "If deployed outside the city, it will be difficult to escape the eyes of the Germans!"

  This is for sure. You must know that this is an army with more than 500 tanks and countless cars and motorcycles. It is almost impossible to deceive the German army that is advancing across the board.

   "So we need to attack early!" Admiral Kirponos said.

   "But this will not achieve the effect of encirclement!" Shulka said: "All we can encircle is the enemy infantry who broke into the line of the Dnieper River!"

   "There must be a trade-off!" Admiral Kirponos replied.

   "No, Comrade General!" Shulka thought for a while and replied: "We can do it!"