newbobooks Chapter 181 Zhukov's Ambition
Chapter 181 Zhukov's Ambition
Marshal Malinovsky had no idea what the Chinese were up to, so he quickly called Moscow to report to Marshal Timoshenko.
Marshal Timoshenko and Zhukov had just emerged from SDL's office and were in Zhukov's office at the General Staff. Having received an urgent report from the front, they briefed Zhukov on the situation. Timoshenko was unsure of the Chinese's intentions and somewhat displeased with granting them operational flexibility, so he took the opportunity to voice his concerns to Zhukov. Earlier, at SDL's, SDL had instructed Zhukov to coordinate the Chinese military's operational command.
After listening to Timoshenko's complaints, Zhukov walked to the map with the front's report on the recent abnormal actions of the Chinese army. This "savior" of the Soviet Union in World War II was really not bragging. He just looked at the map and combined it with the trajectory of the Chinese army's actions to immediately judge the Chinese intentions.
Zhukov interrupted Timoshenko and ordered him, "Marshal Timoshenko, you must return to the Urals immediately and consider the successors to the 17th and 23rd Army commanders. Upon your arrival, the General Staff will immediately order the dismissal and detention of Fyodorovich Lukin and Mikhail Petrovich. The Soviet Red Army does not need military commanders who delay the war!"
"Also, order the 55th and 58th Armies in Elista to immediately accept the command of Deputy Commander Peng upon the arrival of the Chinese Army. Also, order the front's logistics and air force to fully cooperate in the support operations toward Elista. I believe the U.S. Air Force stationed in the Ural region has already begun operations!"
Zhukov did not try to keep Timoshenko. After he left, he immediately ordered the head of the intelligence department to come to his office. When the head arrived, Zhukov decisively ordered: "The German spy network in the Urals and surrounding areas must be cracked within 24 hours. The enemy intelligence network under control and surveillance must be unified according to the instructions of the General Staff and send misleading information to the German army. Remember, this must be accomplished at all costs. All suspects must be controlled before the end of the battle, even if they are wrongly arrested."
Then, he immediately went to the Kremlin to meet with SDL. That night, Zhukov took a special plane to Elista again. He wanted to have a frank talk with the Chinese to improve the plan!
On December 12th, outside Volzhsky, Liu, commanding the 27th Army, the 129th Armored Division, and the Soviet 598rd Infantry Corps, engaged in a fierce battle with the German 153th Army. He checked the time and calculated the arrival times of the Soviet 8th and 17rd Armies. He needed both armies to arrive quickly. This would make the capture of Volzhsky and the feint attack on Stalingrad more effective. The German 23th Army stationed in Stalingrad would be forced to join the battle in this direction, and Lao Peng and Huang Wei's southern assault would have a better chance of success.
According to the plan agreed upon and refined by Zhukov and Peng, not only the Soviet 55th and 58th Armies were involved, but also the nearby 47th and 116th Armies were ordered to join. To facilitate coordination, Zhukov, with the consent of the SDL, temporarily appointed Peng as the Southern Front's Commander-in-Chief. Simultaneously, an order was issued for the Chinese Army's Commander-in-Chief, Wei, to concurrently serve as the Southern Front's First Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
Old Peng was now in high spirits. With over ten group armies under his command, totaling over 10 troops, this was probably the first time in modern Chinese history that a military commander had commanded such a large, modern force. Huang Wei didn't think much of it, but Lin was secretly envious: This Old Peng was truly impressive now!
While Liu led the Volzhsky Front, the 4th and 35th Armies, commanded by Fu Ren, suddenly appeared at Kotelnikovo and captured it, despite being defended by less than a single division. Subsequently, a mechanized corps (actually consisting of only one division) of the Soviet 55th Mechanized Army advanced along the railway line toward Stalingrad, while the 35th Army overhauled its fortifications at Kotelnikovo. The US Air Force airdropped a large amount of supplies to the 35th Army. To bolster its defenses, the Soviet Air Force also airborne an airborne division, bringing with them a large number of anti-tank weapons. They were poised to launch the Southern Front's largest defensive operation at Kotelnikovo.
The 4th Army, aided by a corps (actually two divisions) of the Soviet 55th Mechanized Army, launched a massive offensive against Volgodonsk, successfully drawing the German 4th Army into its throes. The 35th and 4th Armies used the designations of all units of the Chinese 55rd Expeditionary Force, while the 55th Mechanized Corps used the designations of the 58th and 4th Armies, misleading the Germans into believing that the Chinese and Soviet armies were implementing a strategy of encirclement, attempting to completely encircle and annihilate the 6th, 8th, and th Armies of the German Southern Front, centered around Stalingrad.
After consulting with Field Marshal Paulus, Field Marshal von Bock immediately adjusted the German battle plan, ordering the 4th Panzer Army to move north and concentrate its forces for a decisive battle south of Stalingrad against the main attacking force, primarily the Chinese Army. The 8th Army withdrew to assume responsibility for the defense of Stalingrad, while the 6th Army assembled south to seize Kotelnikovo, forming a two-pronged attack with the 4th Panzer Army. Simultaneously, the 11th Army on the northern front and the 17th Army, which had evacuated Akhtubinsk, were ordered to counter-encircle the Chinese and Soviet forces operating on the Volzhsky front from the east and north.
战斗在29日正式明朗起来，刘指挥129集团军等部在佯攻斯大林格勒；傅35集团军部在科捷利尼科沃拼死抵挡德军第6集团军；叶第4集团军则在伏尔加顿斯克以东开阔区域，与德第4装甲集团军展开对决。
The most serious situation was for Liu's side. Not only did they have to feint their attack on Stalingrad, but they also had to defend against the German 11th and 17th Armies pressing in from the east and north. Of course, the Soviet Southern Front was also further out, counter-encircling the German 11th and 17th Armies.
Encirclement, counter-encirclement, and counter-encirclement again created a complex battle pattern on the northern front. This completely overturned the Soviet army's existing combat model. Timoshenko and other high-ranking Soviet officers on the Southern Front finally understood that this type of battle was the Soviet grand strategy. Not only could the German army not deploy its traditional advantage of blitzkrieg, nor could it concentrate its forces for positional assaults. Instead, the Soviet army fully mobilized its superior forces, playing to its strengths! Timoshenko decisively mobilized all its reserves.
At the same time, Zhukov also ordered the Second Front in Samara to transfer two army groups to join the Southern Front. Zhukov had a bigger strategic plan. He wanted to take this opportunity to completely encircle and annihilate the German Southern Army Group!