Steel Soviet Union

As the new Chief of General Staff of the Red Army who succeeded Zhukov, Marshal Shaposhnikov, who was resourceful and approachable, had sufficient grasp of the front line and macro judgment.

This veteran Red Army veteran is very good at discerning the superficial truth behind the scenes. Marshal Shaposhnikov, who often analyzes and communicates with Zhukov on battle situations, is always able to make accurate predictions about the frontline situation and give advice. Starling provides the most reliable and trustworthy advice.

But the problem that Stalin presented to Marshal Shaposhnikov was not so easy to solve. The two reports that Stalin had just pointed at made Marshal Shaposhnikov frown slightly.

"The intelligence line stationed in Berlin sent news that the Germans are preparing to launch a bold and determined offensive again on the Eastern Front, no less massive than last year's invasion offensive. After all the German troops on the front have been fully replenished, All will be dispatched, and the more reliable time for the attack to start is around mid-April to early May this year.”

The intelligence sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs made Stalin firm in his determination to strike first and prepare in advance. This is the most obvious thing before him.

As for the other report, it was first-hand information that had just been received by the National Defense Committee, and even Stalin himself had just read it.

"Different from the center assault during the Winter War, this year's main assault direction of the German army is judged to be on the southern front. A rough guess is that it will first break through Rostov, then advance to Stalingrad and the Caucasus region, and finally advance to the Caspian Sea. Caucasus The Germans have always been determined to win the oil fields in the region, which is no small matter.”

From the perspective of distant future generations, there is no doubt about the authenticity of the contents of the two reports now placed on Stalin's desk. I have to say that the Soviet intelligence department is indeed very capable. The famous Sorge may be the brightest red star of the Soviet intelligence department, but he is not necessarily the strongest one.

It was March and the frontline battlefield was exceptionally calm.

The Soviet army, which was holding on for its last breath, had already exhausted its counterattack energy to attack from under the capital city. It was now trying its best to use the little time left on hand to replenish its troops and prepare for the upcoming battle this year.

On the other hand, the German army also survived the most exhausting winter. They found a quiet place to lick their wounds and rest quietly, accumulating attack energy and waiting to recover as before.

At present, the Soviet and German armies are preparing for war, which is a matter of obvious lice on a bald man's head. A larger-scale fierce and bloody battle is about to come after the winter snow melts.

Shaposhnikov guessed that after experiencing the setbacks of the Winter War, the Germans would no longer be able to launch a large-scale offensive to surround the siege on three sides and put the Soviet army in danger like they did in the previous Battle of Moscow.

But is the content mentioned in the report before us reliable? Which route will the Germans choose as their main attack direction? When, where and with what force will they attack the Soviet army?

Too many complex questions lingered in Marshal Shaposhnikov's mind. As the Chief of General Staff of the Red Army, he even asked himself that he could not give Stalin a responsible, accurate and reliable answer and advice.

After the cruel year of 1941, Marshal Shaposhnikov, as a responsible and qualified chief of staff, could no longer give Stalin any clear answer in a few words.

Faced with Marshal Shaposhnikov's slow shaking of his head after being lost in thought, Comrade Stalin, who was in a very good mood and a loving father, rarely got angry but nodded slowly and solemnly.

Since one person could not make up his mind, Stalin decided to immediately hold a meeting of the High Command regarding the summer offensive in advance.

Two days later, a large number of Soviet generals attended this important meeting, including Kotin’s father-in-law, Marshal Voroshilov, Marshal Timoshenko, and Marshal Shaposhnikov. Feng Chen Among the servants, General Zhukov, who had rushed back anxiously from the front line, was also present, as was General Vasilevsky, director of the Operations Department of the Red Army General Staff Headquarters.

Marshal Shaposhnikov, who was chosen by Stalin as the commentator, took the lead in explaining the overall strategic situation of the front line to the generals present, and then spoke of the very important final conclusion.

"After combining various intelligence analyses, the General Staff believes that the German army will continue to launch assaults on the central front in the direction of Moss during the summer operations."

It is not so much that Marshal Shaposhnikov and the General Staff think so, but rather that the somewhat arbitrary and loving father Comrade Stalin himself made this very hasty conclusion.

Thinking about the upcoming summer campaign from the perspective of a politician, Stalin did not fully agree with the strategic intention of the German army to launch an assault on the southern front given by the intelligence agency.

With Moscow already on the verge of defeat, Stalin judged that the hungry Hitler would once again command his puppet lackeys, the Fascist army, and continue to attack the heart of the entire Soviet Union.

Always thinking about what Malashenko confided to him a few days ago, Zhukov, who felt that the situation was developing in a very bad direction, began to think about the content of his upcoming speech.

"Okay, comrades, after listening to Marshal Shaposhnikov's explanation, what do you think now? You can speak freely. For example, our next action should be to maintain defense or to use offense instead of defense. ”

Stalin's personal subjective idea was undoubtedly to take the initiative and launch a counterattack, but as a superior, his mentality still made him want to listen to the thoughts of his generals.

Zhukov, who was a little confused in his head, hardly paid attention to the speeches of the marshals and generals in front of him and turned a deaf ear. When the right to speak was transferred to Zhukov and it was his turn to speak, Zhukov, who was still thinking about how to persuade Stalin, almost didn't react.

"I advocate defense, Comrade Stalin."

Completely opposite to the content of Marshal Timoshenko's speech, Zhukov, who had a very clear judgment on the war situation, chose the most negative approach in Stalin's view.

"Based on my recent inspections on the front line, I think the German army has recovered from the winter setback! However, our army has suffered a great loss in terms of manpower and technical equipment and needs time to replenish and recuperate. Add to that The weather is getting warmer, and after the muddy road period is over, it will soon become conducive for the German army to launch an offensive. In the next stage, I recommend that our army adopt a strategic defensive posture."

Before Zhukov could finish his words, a roar from Stalin forcibly interrupted his speech.

"Comrade Zhukov! I must remind you! We are now determining the summer operation plan. We cannot be too passive and conservative, otherwise we will lose all the advantages gained in the winter war! We must launch a comprehensive counterattack based on local defense to destroy the Germans. Their offensive deployment disrupted their position. Only in this way can they completely seize the initiative on the battlefield!"

Zhukov, who was scolded by his loving father in public, did not say a word. Zhukov, who suffered a big loss after being beaten to the end for contradicting Stalin, became shrewd. If he wanted to continue to serve the motherland, he could not continue to defy Stalin in public at this time, so he simply sat back on his chair without saying a word.

Stalin took a breath and saw Zhukov sitting back in his seat without saying a word. He thought that Zhukov, who was always known for his bullish temper, was presupposing his own opinions, and then began to deliver a long speech that he had prepared to the generals present.

The content of Stalin's speech is nothing more than that the war has now entered a critical period, and it requires the sincere unity of the Red Army soldiers to drive the Germans out of the motherland.

Stalin repeatedly emphasized that the Germans were short of troops and difficult to replenish, and that they were now unable to carry out a full-scale offensive. The Red Army must engage in active defense, actively accumulate strength, and launch an unstoppable counterattack. It must proactively attack at the appropriate time to completely disrupt the German offensive deployment, thereby completely seizing the initiative on the battlefield.

This meeting that decided the fate of the Soviet army in 1942 ultimately failed to change because of Malashenko's little persuasion.

Zhukov, who was worried that he would be beaten to the end by Stalin, ultimately did not choose to stand up to the bull. Zhukov, who was familiar with Stalin's temper and character, knew very well that the current battle must be fought. This was the supreme leader's absolute will that could not be disobeyed.

With Stalin finalizing the counterattack plan of the Red Army General Staff Headquarters, the war machine of 1942 that almost prevented Malashenko from dying in Stalingrad finally slowly turned on its first gear.