Chapter 348 Strategic retreat (seeking monthly ticket)

Stry, the headquarters of the Russian Southwest Front Army. The commander, Admiral Ivanov, is in a rage at the moment. This made all the officers and officers of the entire headquarters silent, for fear of angering Admiral Ivanov, which would lead to unwarranted disasters.

The Russian 4th Army suffered a disastrous defeat in Lviv. The commander, Admiral Dimitriev, fled Lviv, and the number of troops withdrawn was less than 10,000. You know, the 4th Army is a huge army with 300,000 troops! But what I never expected was that it was defeated by the Germans in just a few days, and they paid such a heavy loss.

"General, the 4th Army's battle in Zamosc has also failed. The Germans have occupied Zamosc." A staff officer bit the bullet and reported to General Ivanov.

Given that Admiral Ivanov is in a very bad mood now, these officers don't want to see him unless it is absolutely necessary.

"I see, you go out!" Admiral Ivanov said expressionlessly.

Zamosic's defenders were wiped out by the Germans, which was nothing to General Ivanov. In his heart, he had fully accepted the fact that the 4th Army was wiped out.

"Yes, General." The staff officer hurriedly withdrew, as if he was afraid that General Ivanov would repent.

"Damn, what should I do next? The Germans are too strong, and the 4th Army is too weak, which led to Lviv being quickly occupied by the German army. Without Lviv, the logistics and combat supplies on the front line cannot be guaranteed. How can we continue this battle!" Admiral Ivanov was very angry and flustered at the same time.

"No, we can't continue the fight. We must retreat. Otherwise, once there is a problem with the supply of materials on the front line, it will cause a devastating blow to the morale of the troops. At that time, if you want to retreat again, it will be too late .” Admiral Ivanov thought secretly. Now, he no longer dared to think about winning. Even, he didn't even want to hold on for a moment. Because he knew that every time the time passed, their situation was dangerous. The German army that captured Lviv was like a dagger stuck in their backs, which could be inserted at any time and kill them.

However, for Admiral Ivanov, the retreat was not so easy. Before the battle began, he almost desperately chose a risky tactic. Now, the final result is that his adventure has completely failed. At the same time, it also caused heavy losses to the Russian Southwest Front Army. With such a result, he has no way to explain to Grand Duke Nicholas and Tsar Nicholas II!

"God! How could this battle be fought like this?" Admiral Ivanov closed his eyes in pain. Originally, the tactic he adopted was a bit risky. However, it is definitely not without a chance of winning. On the contrary, Admiral Ivanov also believes that the odds of winning are relatively high. After all, the Austrian army's vulnerability has been verified by them.

However, after the battle began, the tenacity of the Austrian army was completely beyond their expectations. No matter how fierce the Russian army launched a fierce attack, the Austrian army's defense line was still very stable. On the other side, the German offensive was very strong, which made the Russian army gradually fall into a disadvantage in this battle.

Now, among the four armies of the Southwest Front Army, the 4th Army has been wiped out. The 3rd Army, the 8th Army and the 11th Army have lost more than 100,000 troops. This also means that in just a few days of fighting, they lost nearly half of their troops. It is already impossible for the remaining 600,000 to 700,000 people to fight against the German-Austrian coalition forces.

"We must retreat! Otherwise, all the troops will be lost here." Admiral Ivanov made up his mind.

Immediately, Admiral Ivanov personally drafted a telegram and sent it to the Russian Army Front Command, requesting the Russian Army Commander-in-Chief Grand Duke Nicholas to retreat.

Grand Duke Nicholas is also paying attention to the development of the battle situation. After all, when the Northwest Front Army was wiped out and had not had time to rebuild, the decisive battle between the Southwest Front Army and the German-Austrian Allied Forces was directly related to the victory or defeat of the entire Eastern Front. When Admiral Ivanov chose aggressive tactics, Grand Duke Nicholas did not stop him. Because, he also hopes that the Russian army can win this battle.

But it is a pity that the god of luck did not favor them in the end. The Southwest Front Army with millions of Russian troops is already in a desperate situation in this battle.

"How could this battle be fought like this? Could it be that the military strength of the Russian Empire is really that far behind the mainstream of the world?" Grand Duke Nicholas said bitterly.

Although, the combat effectiveness of the Russian army has always been at the bottom among the great powers. However, relying on their huge military superiority, they can still maintain their status as one of the great powers. The title of steam roller made European countries even more frightened. But now, when the superiority of troops can no longer determine the outcome of the battlefield, the Russian army has lost its greatest advantage.

Grand Duke Nicholas knew that after this battle, the Russian army would be at a serious disadvantage on the Eastern Front. I am afraid that until the end of this war, they will not be able to recover their disadvantages. As for whether Russia can win the final victory in this war, Grand Duke Nicholas has no hope anyway. It's not that they are too weak, but because the enemy is too strong!

"General, Admiral Ivanov requests a retreat." A telegram from a general to Admiral Ivanov was handed over to Grand Duke Nicholas.

Grand Duke Nicholas nodded after reading it: "We have already lost this battle, and it is meaningless to continue fighting. It will only make us pay a higher price. Tell General Ivanov , I allow them to retreat. Temporary failure is nothing. We have not lost to the point of complete defeat, we still have a chance! Bring as many troops back as possible, that will be the seeds of our resurgence."

"Yes, General." The general nodded.

When Grand Duke Nicholas' telegram was delivered to Admiral Ivanov, he immediately gave the order to retreat. Admiral Ivanov ordered the Russian 3rd Army, 8th Army, and 11th Army to immediately break away from contact with the Austrian Army and retreat quickly. Retreat all the way to the hinterland of Ukraine and Belarus, and give up a large area of ​​​​territory in exchange for them getting rid of the pursuit of the German-Austrian coalition forces.