Chapter 552: Ground

Biquge EbookFREE.me, update my latest chapter of the third empire as soon as possible!
The economic construction of the Soviet Union was actually not slow. On the contrary, it was very fast in the Stalin era for many reasons. At least in terms of railway construction, the Soviets still exerted a lot of energy. Instead of hiring German engineers, they designed and built a large railway across Siberia under the leadership of their own technicians.
This railway extends from Kiev, Europe, to the Far East, and is the main artery of the entire Soviet Union across the east and west. It is a pity that this railway is not a European standard, but was built using the backward railway standards of the Tsarist Russia period. This railway has its own locomotive and wagon, which is almost an independent main line of traffic.
In this time and space, the railroad tracks in the Soviet Union were divided into two parts. The first part was the old-fashioned railroad tracks of Tsarist Russia, and most of the western part of the Soviet Union used European new railroad tracks provided by Germany. The two systems are not compatible, but in accordance with the principle of waste utilization, the Soviets still use two sets of rail systems together.
Of course, the two types of rails are not as simple as different widths. There is also a gap in the number of sleepers within 100 meters. The railroad standards in the era of Tsarist Russia were very far-sighted. The load-bearing structure of the rails was too simple, and the transport weight that could be expanded was very limited. But the backward railway design standards also have an advantage, that is, the construction cost is cheaper, which allows the Soviet Union to lay more railways to solve the "with or without" problem.
Like China, which was a waste of life, the Soviet Union now considers more than improvement, but from nothing to existence. The pursuit of quality is not the focus, whether it is possible to produce something and fill a blank area is the concern of everyone.
The train galloped on a very desolate plain. It was easy to hypnotize people with the rattling sound of the wheels hitting the rail junction. But at this moment, the people on this train were not in a mood to sleep because they were soldiers of the Far East of the Soviet Red Army heading to the western front.
This rank is not the same as other ranks. The soldiers in this train are armed with weapons, which means that in addition to being sent to the front line of western Ukraine, they are also responsible for a part of the defense work. Because this train is also loaded with 20 T-34 tanks that have just left the production line.
In the penultimate carriage at the end of the train, sits an elegant Soviet military officer, who is looking at a military map of the Soviet and Ukrainian provinces in his position, and on the other side of his table, With another map full of German annotations.
This Soviet officer was Lieutenant General Zhukov, who had just been ordered to take over the military power of Timoshenko and was in charge of military service near Ukraine. He was appreciated by Stalin for his outstanding performance in the Nomenkan World War I. He was promoted to Lieutenant General of the Red Army, and because of the tightness of the Western Front, he was transferred to Ukraine to command this counterattack.
"Look at the battle map seized from the Germans ..." Zhukov pointed to the map on the table and said to his staff. His tone was full of worries, and he seemed desperate about the operational deployment of the Western Front.
The combat map seized from the corpse of a German company commander was actually not complete, but the road conditions and important information recorded in the vicinity were countless times more detailed than the Soviet military map. Obviously, German spies in some areas have already secretly drawn detailed maps, and it is undoubtedly the German engineers who helped the Soviets build railways.
"It has been premeditated that the Germans have been preparing to invade our operations since 1930. At that time, we were foolishly cooperating with others to develop the western part of the Soviet Union." Zhukov shook his head and said with disappointment: "It's really A desperate war. "
The combat staff teamed up with a part of the German military combat map, and his expression was not natural. Of course, he knew how long it would take to draw this detailed combat map, and he knew how perfect the combat missions arranged according to this detailed map would be. Degree.
However, he still opened his mouth and persuaded: "General, after all, we have local strength advantages, and we have new weapons into the battlefield. The current international situation is also more beneficial to us. After all, the US participation in war is something we have always hoped for, not What? "
The staff member did not know that the Soviet p-40 fighter force had suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, and he did not know that it was not only the Soviet Union that put in new weapons. The Germans also showed their new equipment on the battlefield. And obviously the German new equipment has more advantages: the ta-152 fighter is obviously much better than the American p-40 fighter.
Although the overall performance of the T-34 tank on this train is better than that of the M4 Sherman tank in service in the United States this year, it is still the level of the German leopard tank, with thicker armor and greater artillery power. Tiger tank, there is definitely an insurmountable gap. It is obviously not realistic to expect the emergence of the t-34 to challenge the technical superiority of the German armored forces.
Of course, confidence must be full. This is a matter of attitude. The commander of the Soviet Red Army has been frightened by the purge that has not been completely finished, and he dare not say anything contrary to Stalin's ideas. This is a means of life-saving and has nothing to do with character and ability.
If the United States had been pulled into the water by Japan and forced to participate in the war, the Soviet Union might have already shaken hands with Germany now, right? Zhukov thought a little helplessly. He actually did not approve of a hands-on action against Germany in advance, but he knew that the start of the war against Germany would only be more tricky for the Soviet Union.
He saw Germany's deliberate thoughts on this military map, and also saw the quality gap between the officers and soldiers at the grass-roots level on both sides. It may be very difficult for the commanders of the Soviet Red Army to investigate the nearby terrain maps themselves. Many Soviet grassroots commanders have not received a good military education. They only rely on their faith and courage to fight. The brains are mainly left to the generals.
Ideally, it ’s not impossible to do this, but the purge is holding up the banner of loyalty, killing most of the brainy officers and generals, which also creates a terrible fact: the Soviet army Most people have no way to fight with their brains. The clumsy is as powerful as a bear but can't make it.
There is a group of generals who ca n’t use their brains, plus a group of middle-level officers who ca n’t use their brains, and a group of low-educated soldiers who ca n’t use their brains. The highest-tech, highest-tech military has a desperate feeling when it comes to mind.
Zhukov poured himself a cup of boiling water, and then looked at the scenery outside the window. His motherland has such a vast territory. This is the highest honor that countless ancestors have continued to expand. But now he doubts whether he can hold this territory. Let your juniors continue to survive in this beautiful land.
"Send a telegram to Comrade Stalin and tell him that if possible, I hope to stop this attack and strengthen our frontier defense to stick to the existing position." After thinking for a few minutes, Zhukov finally opened his mouth to himself. The staff said: "To be honest, I am not sure about the offense. I hope that our diplomats will end the war at the negotiating table."
"General ..." The staff member froze when he heard Zhukov's words, and then reminded his chief officer: "We can't make it to the military court if we generate electricity to Moscow ..."
"I'd rather be sent to Siberia, or be shot in Moscow, and don't want to accept such a trial after burying 1 million Red Army soldiers!" Zhukov said firmly: "This is my choice and my power!"
The staff nodded. He also felt that he might still have a way of life: if he was sent to Siberia because he had offended Comrade Stalin, there was still a chance. But if you fail to command the war and bury a large number of personnel and materials, then it is not as simple as going to Siberia.
He went to another car to send a telegram. Zhukov picked up the military map and looked it up again. The Germans were shrinking their troops on the frontal battlefield. They made a hard joke that the Ukrainian region had occupied. This is the most letting Where he is desperate.
To be honest, he was not afraid of the German army driving straight in. After all, the German army's aggressive advancement could not threaten the huge deep hinterland of the Soviet Union. Even if he lost Moscow, he was confident of winning the war, because the use of land to consume the German armored forces was simply a profitable trade for the Soviet Red Army. The rear instability caused by the same rapid attack will definitely bring a greater and more convenient opportunity for the Soviet Union to counterattack.
However, the German strategic planner was simply a genius, which made Germany not to be blinded by the victory of the border, but stopped steadily in Ukraine. The line of defense deployed along the Dnieper River shortened the line of defense of the German and servant Romanian forces, and the defensive system along the river can be described as solid.
At this stage, the Soviet troops do not have the strength to ensure the successful penetration of their troops across the river, nor can they guarantee that their troops will not be annihilated by the German armored forces head-on after crossing the Dnieper River. Therefore, Zhukov felt that it was a very unwise choice to start a counterattack at the end of May this year. He felt that this time could be postponed to the end of July or even the end of August.
The reason is very simple: the battle will continue until the cold winter of Ukraine. The time is when the Soviet troops that are good at fighting in the winter will play, and the advanced tanks and aircraft of Germany will be greatly reduced because they cannot adapt to the cold weather of the Soviet Union.