Chapter 1784 Echo from Moscow (Part 2)
Rescue the Grossdeutschland Division? Stop being funny. read
The Russians on the opposite side have amassed heavy troops from three fronts and are pursuing and attacking fiercely. I can barely hold on to the strategic defense line and still try to save someone with a hammer. Just mobilize some troops for a show, and let your colleagues in Berlin have an explanation afterwards. Who would be so stupid as to send division after division into the pockets of the Russians? Anyway, I, Model, don’t do this.
Model mobilized his troops and responded to the order, but the mobilization of those troops was to re-establish a new strategic defense line and to stabilize the position by taking advantage of the precious time when the Russians slaughtered the Grossdeutschland Division and were delayed from continuing the assault. , quickly fill up and patch the hole that was penetrated in the defense line.
The order issued to combat troops at all levels was indeed to rescue the Grossdeutschland Division, but this did not mean that they really wanted to rescue. It was a trick deliberately played by Model and the top brass of the Wehrmacht in order to communicate afterwards.
It is true that the following units set off in accordance with the rescue order, but Model and the top brass of the Wehrmacht had already guessed that the Grossdeutschland Division would be killed by the Russians before the rescue troops arrived. The battle reports sent back by the Grossdeutschland Division from the front line were full of chaos, madness, and endless calls for help. The overwhelming number of Russians rushed towards them like carrion in the wild covered with flies.
It is meaningless to talk about rescue at this time, especially when the frontal strategic pressure is extremely intense, all fronts are tight, and the defense lines are poked with holes everywhere, it is even more meaningless and unrealistic, and there is no implementation at all. necessary.
It can even be said that if we really go to save the Grossdeutschland Division, it will only satisfy the Russians' appetite, and our side will definitely lose the battle with slim hope. This must be made clear.
When the frontline troops were almost halfway, the news that the Grossdeutschland Division had been completely wiped out suddenly came out, just in time for the troops to stop halfway, which was suitable for establishing a second strategic line of defense, and start to fortify in place.
On the one hand, this can be communicated afterwards, and there is no problem on the surface. Secondly, it also corresponds to the strategic defense plan that really needs to be implemented in the future and meets actual combat needs. Where can you find such a good thing? It's nice, isn't it?
In the final analysis, both the head of state and the commanders at the division, brigade and corps levels of the combat forces were actually kept in the dark and played around. The only people who know the truth are Model, who is the decision-maker of combat operations, and the group of senior Wehrmacht officials in Berlin who are specialized in the aspect of "complying with each other". This is the so-called routine.
Also "suspected of forgery" is Model's reply telegram to the Grossdeutschland Division. Strictly speaking, that telegram was not actually intended for the commander of the Grossdeutschland Division to read, but was specifically left for the Führer to read afterwards. of.
Otherwise, the human heart is actually a very complicated thing, and the actual execution of the routine depends on how you operate it.
If a group of people who know how to play tricks come together, it will naturally be "this trick is really fucking dirty." Even if you know that something is wrong or fishy, you just can't find the key points to reason because the actual execution process of the order seems to be without any problems and no loopholes can be found.
The natural result of this can only be "incompetent rage" with no place to vent his anger, and cursing unfinished tasks as "acting in disguise", which is what the head of state is like.
The blame for the annihilation of the Grossdeutschland Division cannot be carried by just one person. The blame is too big and heavy, and it can crush a person instantly, leaving him dead.
Since one person can't carry it, then all the top brass of the National Defense Force should carry it together. We can't just drag all the generals out to Tutu, right?
This is one of the many purposes of routines. You can also say that officials protect each other, and there is nothing wrong with that.
But this actually has a more important meaning. At least it preserves the best result for Army Group Center in the worst case, avoids meaningless troop losses and casualties, and is more conducive to the subsequent war. This It is the most important of many purposes.
It was also because the whole matter was too complicated and involved too many twists and turns. The Berlin Intelligence Network of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for investigating the matter was completely confused. It can only be said that it was barely confused.
The confirmed information that was finally sent back to Moscow only mentioned that the top brass of the Wehrmacht tampered with the order privately, and that the German troops on the front line also implemented it in different ways. In short, they did not follow the original version of the order and followed their own ideas. It is confirmed that "the enemy currently has two sets of command systems", which requires in-depth understanding to taste the "internal flavor".
When the report was transferred to Comrade Stalin, his loving father, who was good at leadership, immediately understood some of its deeper meanings, which was not difficult for Stalin to understand. After all, he did take this aspect into consideration when he launched the purge. Although he overcorrected and misjudged the situation, he still achieved certain results.
Now that such a serious problem has occurred within the enemy during the war, Comrade Stalin, who is happy in his heart, naturally understands what great good news this is for his own side.
It is no exaggeration to say that Comrade Stalin was more ecstatic than the good news of annihilating several enemy armies in one go.
Thinking of the above newly learned information not long ago, Comrade Stalin, who was holding a pipe and smoking from the corner of his mouth, smiled and continued to speak to Beria.
"That's good. The intelligence on the frontline shows that the next war will develop in a direction more beneficial to us. This is foreseeable. Tell me about the situation you found in Berlin. We just agreed Say it later."
"Yes, Comrade Stalin."
Beria nodded in response and took out the second report from his briefcase. This report was even more important to Beria personally than the first one. Because the situation that arises involves his authority and duties, it may cause a big mess.
When the report was handed to Stalin, he spoke again, but this time Beria's expression looked quite worried.
"This incident caused a big earthquake in Berlin, Comrade Stalin. Himmler, the leader of the SS, is mobilizing all the forces he can mobilize to do crazy things in Berlin. Now even Berlin's sewers are about to be dug up by him. Almost all those who are related to, have nothing to do with, or even don’t know about this matter can escape open and covert investigations, and some are even imprisoned.”
"We have reason to believe that Himmler received the highest authority, presumably out of suspicion, to find out the true truth of the whole matter."
"This sudden black terror has affected our comrades in Berlin. Several contact points have lost contact, and some informants embedded within the enemy have also been arrested on unrelated charges. They have never done anything related. Those Gestapo were really arresting people randomly, and they happened to sweep away our people who they didn’t even know about.”
"But the good news is that more people who have nothing to do with this have been arrested or taken away for investigation. They all hold important positions and have their own roles in various systems or authorities. Regardless of the final result, the absence of these people will make the enemy's entire system and brain more confused, suspicious, and suspicious of each other, and lose its original intelligence and efficiency."
"The harm outweighs the good, Comrade Stalin, this is my personal final opinion after studying this matter. But even so, I think we still cannot ignore the destructive effect this has on our intelligence network, considering the future development and actual needs, we still need to take action this morning to prepare.”
