Battle of the Third Reich

Vol 5 Chapter 4: Run

"Hey...hey...loud, I can't hear you."

Major Rafin now almost wants to put the phone receiver in his ear hole. The noisy environment and poor call quality make him completely unable to hear what the other party is talking about. He yelled loudly with his hand in the other ear hole and tried hard Increases the noise figure in this room.

At this time, a beautiful female secretary hurriedly ran to his desk with a document. Raffin nodded to the girl with a smile and took the document from the girl.

"I understand, but now I can't do anything for you, Colonel. We are solving this problem, what... I can't hear it." Rafin finally understood the other's problem, and he listened to the other side The colonel complained while reading the document in his hand.

"Please wait a minute, Colonel." Raffin covered his telephone receiver and shouted at the secretary: "Miss Raffle, wait a minute."

Hearing Rafin's call, the girl turned back.

"Come here..." Rafin waved the file in his hand.

"Is there anything, major." The girl hurried back.

"Take this document..." Rafin picked up the pen from the table and scribbled the name on the document, then handed the document to the secretary. "Please print two more copies of this document, one for me and one for Colonel Lonke of the Logistics Department, and hand this copy to Colonel Watson of the War Bureau."

"Follow the order, major." The secretary took the file and hurried back to her desk.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, where did we talk about... Oh, I remembered. I said before, we are solving your problem, not only you, but also the troops who have encountered the same problem. There are many. I know, I understand your anxiety, but this is no way, I will inform you if there is a result, I know this is very important for your troops, but... understand, Colonel Mr. Yes, that's it, bye."

Raffin put down the receiver, he leaned tiredly on the back of the seat and let out a long breath. This is the first number of calls answered this morning, and Rafin can't remember clearly. The phone on the table has not stopped since he took over in the morning, making him feel as though the entire front line is complaining to him. Ruffin rubbed his temples with pain. His ears had started to hurt two hours ago. He decided to go to the military doctor after the shift.

Since Hitler's death, the Supreme Command of the Third Reich Armed Forces has been moved by Xu Jun from "Crag Castle" to Douai on the French front. The staff basically continued the original establishment, but only some of Hitler’s cronies were removed. The generals recommended a group of experienced grass-roots staff to replace the positions of those people. From the current perspective, the operation of the headquarters is fairly fair. Satisfactory.

Xu Jun requisitioned the most spacious and comfortable Golden Laurel Hotel in Douai City as the new residence of the headquarters, but he still gave the hotel operator a large amount of mark as compensation for the loss, which makes this expropriation look more like lease. The generals and marshals were a little disappointed with the new head of state’s actions. They felt that they did not need to compensate those Frenchmen for this. These Frenchmen should be infinitely glorious for the German Supreme Command in their hotel. Not only should they not ask for compensation, but they should also give the German officers and men stationed in the hotel the most high-end service to repay the favor of the heads of state. As a result, Xu Jun blocked the complaints of these generals and marshals in one sentence.

"We are the glorious German squad, not those poor robbers, if we live in other people's homes without making a little compensation, what is the difference between us and those thieves."

As a result, the generals and marshals blushed in shame, but this also gave them a deeper understanding of the noble character of the new head of state. They finally found a perfect leader for the German Army. Feeling happy, the German team resumed his former glory just around the corner.

The Golden Laurel is the most spacious and luxurious hotel in the whole of Douai. It has more than fifty gorgeous suites and hundreds of standard rooms. The interior is gorgeously decorated, and every inch of the place shows the grandeur of the French 16th century. Luxurious temperament.

But since the German Supreme Command was stationed, everything in the Golden Laurel has changed. The lobby on the first floor covered with the finest Italian marble became a huge office. Fifty desks and hundreds of file boxes separated it into pieces. The smooth ground is now everywhere. It is densely packed with wires and cables, which looks like it has entered a jungle.

The heavy cables traversed the entire lobby and spread to the door. Four huge generator cars roared day and night in the yard to provide power to the various electrical appliances of the headquarters. The original power system of the hotel was obviously unable to meet the commander. For the ministry’s needs, let’s not mention the non-stop electric printers and telex machines. Those large radio stations are enough to destroy the fragile lines of the hotel.

Due to safety reasons, all French employees in the hotel were ordered to go home to rest. A strict defensive position was set up outside the hotel. Three SS storm storm commandos and a regiment of army soldiers took charge of the headquarters. These soldiers armed with teeth patrolled their lines of defense around the clock, and even under their guards, even a mouse trying to get into the hotel would risk their lives.

In the lobby of the hotel are the grassroots departments such as the logistics support of the headquarters, and they maintain the daily operation of the organization. The second floor of the hotel is where several important agencies of the headquarters are located. There is a huge ballroom, which is now the general office of the general staff. Just like in the "Crag Castle", dozens of desks surround a huge The map sand table is lined up. Hundreds of staff and secretaries are busy walking around in this large office. Various documents and telegrams are constantly being transmitted on these desks. The sharp ringing of the phone and the discussion, shouting, command, and quarrel of the staff mixed together, making the office of the most important department of the German team as noisy and messy as the famous stock exchange on the other side of the ocean. . The offices of the supervisors were arranged in small single rooms on the two sides of the corridor of the office. There used to be the supporting service facilities of the ballroom. What kind of catering rooms and smoking rooms have become the escape of noise and tranquility. A small world.

The third floor is the office area of ​​the generals and marshals, and the most critical combat bureau was also placed here. Those standard guest rooms were changed to standard offices. Although the unnecessary furniture has been removed from there, the overly gorgeous decoration has been preserved, which makes these offices a little bit nondescript. Especially when those large maps filled with military signs were hung on the luxurious gold foil wall cloths, this feeling was even more intense, just like seeing a pink painted tank.

The top floor of the hotel became the living area of ​​the generals and marshals, and of course Xu Jun's bedroom and office were also set up there. As the new head of state of Germany, Xu Jun was placed in the most luxurious, most luxurious and spacious suite in this hotel, but he didn’t seem to like to work alone. Many times he would go to Kettle or Yoder In their office, ask them to discuss the problem, or they will lead the group of generals to the meeting room on the second floor. He occasionally went to the big office to inspect the work of his staff, but he rarely went again after he discovered that every occurrence of him caused a technical failure in that office, watching those awe-inspiring eyes let He felt a little uncomfortable.

Major Rafin was sitting in that big office now, and since the phone had never miraculously rang after receiving the colonel's call, he was finally able to take a breath. Raffin poured himself a cup of strong coffee from the big coffee pot at the table, and then took out a meat loaf from the restaurant in the morning from his briefcase. The major was ready to start enjoying his meal. Although lunch time is approaching, he knows that it is impossible for him to enjoy an undisturbed lunch in the past two days. It is better to fill himself up during work hours. This has become a habit. Raffin took a bite of the meat loaf and then drank a large sip of coffee. He felt that he had finally recovered a bit of energy, and this morning's busyness made him toss enough. Raffin took the bread in one hand and picked up a document on the table and read it carefully.

"All rise."

Suddenly the scream of the duty officer rang out in the office, the noisy room quieted down, the sitting officers jumped up, and those who were walking indoors stood upright, and everyone turned At the door of the office. Because there are too many officers here, school-level officers who enter and leave this office are like Jiang Zhi crucian carp. Just standing up to pay tribute to them may exhaust people. When Xu Jun discovered this problem, in order to maintain the operation and efficiency of the headquarters, a special order was issued, and the school-level officers inside the headquarters did not need to ask for a standing tribute. Although this obviously violated the etiquette regulations of the German ** team, But it was welcomed by most officers. However, if the duty officer shouted the righteous password, it means that a general or marshal was here. At this time, it must not be neglected, otherwise it will cause great trouble.

"All salute!"

The duty officer then shouted. With his trembling password, Xu Jun led his staff into the office. Today, the new German head of state is dressed as usual, a neat marshal uniform, no medals, only ordinary badges, his knight iron cross on the neckline, and his marshal battle in his hand The shiny leather boots were spotlessly clean, and the gold rims on the military cap shone softly under the light. However, Xu Jun’s face was not as spirited as his uniform. It can be said that this German **** is very haggard. Although his eyes are still so sharp, he shows up from his slightly frowned brows and serious corners of his mouth. Tired.

Xu Jun raised his marshal's scepter to pay tribute to the staff and secretaries, and then led the generals towards the large conference room across the office.

"Major Raffin, come with me."

Raffin's head boss, General Yoder, Chief of Operations, whispered to Raffin as he passed Raffin's desk.

"Follow your orders, Lord General."

Raffin nodded in spite of surprise, he hurriedly put on his military cap and followed behind Yoder into the big conference room.

After everyone was seated, Xu Jun glanced at the men sitting on both sides, then he turned his face and asked the commander-in-chief of his headquarters: "Marshal Keitel, we have basically understood the situation on the front line. , You first talk about your views on the current form."

"Obey, my head, this..."

Kettle frowned, he gestured behind him, and his lieutenant quickly handed over a document. Kettle pulled out his monocle from his breast pocket and clipped it to his eyes, then opened the document.

"My head of state, in terms of the current general form of our army, the combat at this stage is still satisfactory, but some problems have been exposed. These problems are that we have not encountered in the previous battle, and we have never considered it. Yes, I think we must take it seriously now, otherwise these problems may cause very serious consequences."

Kettleton gave a meal. He looked up and observed the reactions of the commanders present to him. The result satisfied him. Everyone, including Xu Jun, was looking at himself with a serious eye, Kate Er Qing cleared his throat and continued: "At present, our A Group Army Group has completed 70% of the tasks we have given them at this stage, and the B Group Army Group has also completed your plan, resulting in the situation we need. And the c group army group is in accordance with your order to complete the containment of the enemy of Machino. From these circumstances, it seems that the battle can enter the second phase. However, in fact, we can not start the second phase of the operation, The main problem is the logistics supply. We clearly underestimated the difficulty of logistics transportation after the start of the battle. If those materials cannot be sent, the next stage of the battle cannot be launched."

"You are right, my chief of staff." Xu Jun said in a light interface: "If there are problems with logistics supplies, the consequences will become very serious. This should really be taken seriously. But before talking about this issue, you should first Come see my vision for the next move."

The adjutant on the side took a map and laid it on the conference table. Xu Jun stood up and glanced at his subordinates, then picked up a red pencil on the table and scratched on the map.

"Our a group army's attack disappointed me. Guderian would be blocked by a small French village for a whole day, and the result was still in ruins. Although he has already accelerated the speed of the attack, I still feel that Something seems to be missing. This may be my fault. I might have put too much pressure on him before the war, so he lost the kind of sharpness he had before, and I plan to give him a little stimulation at the right time, let He regained his confidence.

In the next step I will prepare to transfer my Sepulus to his right wing, and then try my best to win the important port of Le Havre. Then my legion, along with Gudrian’s armored nineteenth army and sixth and twentieth mechanized divisions, will go straight down the coast, seize several other French coastal ports, and cut off their foreign aid. channel. Of course, the follow-up infantry units of the Eighteenth Army should also keep up. They must consolidate our occupied areas and completely cut off the French from these areas.

The b group army group has now reached the position we planned. The next step is to launch a large-scale pincer attack. The 41st armor of General Reinhardt and the 15th armor of General Hult will serve as this time. The main force of the offensive, their more than 1,000 tanks have to be inserted directly into the rear of the French, and have been here. . . . Tours. It was a transportation hub for the French, and we had to occupy it within three days after the offensive was launched to completely separate the French 7th and 6th Army. The French 7th Army in the last battle of Dunkirk Zhong slipped out from under our hands, and this time they must never be allowed to run away.

The remaining troops of the b group army group proceeded according to the original plan, advancing on the plane, occupying the line from Paris to Metz. Three of the infantry divisions contained the passage of the French second army group to the French mainland, and assisted the c group army in the country Chino defended the army to contain it. This is my concept of the second phase of the campaign. "Xu Jun sat down and took a sip of water from the cup on the table."

"Excuse me, my head, your strategic vision has always admired us. No one has objected to this believer. I just want to remind you a little bit, how do you solve our logistical problems, This will definitely affect our next stage of the battle." Kettle asked doubtfully.

"Don't worry, I haven't talked about this yet. We may have encountered some logistical problems now, but I don't think this is a serious problem, we can certainly figure out a way to solve it." Xu Jun faintly Said.

"Which troops are we facing supply problems now?" Xu Jun asked Yoder.

"My head of state, according to current statistics, the vanguard of the a group of army groups encountered more serious conditions, while the b group of army groups was much better. I called Major Rafin, he was the duty officer who directly received feedback from the troops. Can answer your questions in this regard."

Yoder turned his head and said to Raffin sitting in the corner of the meeting room: "Major Raffin, you come to answer the question of the head of state."

"Observe... Obey, Lord General."

Raffin stood up quickly. He pushed his chest hard. As a commander in chief, he had never spoken in front of so many generals, not to mention the head of empire. Due to nervousness, Raffin's face became white, his forehead began to sweat, his mouth was a little dry, and his body began to tremble slightly.

"Major Raffin, can you tell me now which troops are reporting problems with their supplies and what materials are they missing now?" Xu Jun saw the tension in the major, and he smiled and asked Raffin .

"Report... The head of the report, there are now the nineteenth armored army, the fourth armored division, the sixth armored division, the eleventh armored division and the third mechanized infantry division reported that their supplies could not be delivered to the frontier forces, the first The 2nd Infantry Division and the 37th Infantry Division also reported the same situation, as well as the right-wing troops of the B Group Army Group, including the 15th Armored Corps. What they lack now is ammunition and fuel, and the armored troops still lack various parts "Raffin replied respectfully to Xu Jun's question. He had slowly begun to get rid of the tension he had just started.

"Only these troops? Major Rafin."

"No, my head of state, these are serious problems. Some troops also raised the same problem, but they all solved it later. Their supplies were delayed on the road, and there was no situation where they could not be delivered." La Fin answered.

"So have you asked what happened to the logistics department?" Xu Jun asked.

"No, my head of state, I just conveyed these questions to the logistics department."

"Very good, Major Rafin, you can go out." Xu Jun said lightly to Raffin.

"Follow your orders, Your Excellency." Rafin respected a military salute and walked out of the meeting room.

Xu Jun turned his head and said to his logistics staff: "Can you explain the reason to me? General Steck."

"Head of the report, we are trying our best to solve these problems. The problem is not to come out of the materials. We are still very sufficient for these materials. The main reason is that the troops have blocked the passages, and many supply teams can't move forward at all." The logistics staff responded carefully. .

"Okay, I know. General Steck." Xu Jun leaned back on the seat back, he thought for a while, then frowned.

"The responsibility for this matter lies with me. I didn't anticipate this happening. But thank God, the problem is not as serious as I thought, and it hasn't developed to the point where it can't be managed." Then he picked up the pencil Point and talk on the map. "The problem is in this area. This is my fault. I invested a total of 23 divisions in this area, and their offensives were limited to this small area. Many troops simply did not expand the occupied area before the forward forces. Unable to unfold, they were all jammed there. And in order to complete the task I gave them within the time specified by me, they all had to cross the Somme River within the specified time, but our crossing channel was only With these few, I can imagine how they would be confused in order to grab these channels.

The armored forces crossed the river first because they were fast and the main attacking force. In order to maintain the offensive speed, they must leave behind those heavy bulks and the subsequent infantry divisions in accordance with the practice. As a result, the infantry divisions were heavy Many and slow movements completely blocked the passage. Not only could the armored division's supplies not be delivered, but even the convoy of the logistics supply base could not use those passages. Xu Jun smiled and shook his head bitterly.

"This is the result of my quick success. I did not consider these logistical problems. Now I have reached the point where I can’t proceed to the next battle. I originally thought that investing so many troops at once could grab a favorable position as soon as possible, and then launch The quick attack recaptured our lost time, but what I didn’t expect was that it was just a waste of our time. It’s a lesson for me.”

Xu Jun paused and said: "But we still have the opportunity to remedy this mistake. We immediately ordered the infantry divisions to stop seizing the ferry, relax the time limit for completing their missions, order them to widen the crossing of the river as much as possible, and order the engineering troops to Double the pontoon on the Muhe River to speed up the evacuation of troops in the congested area. The forward troops may be able to assault the French ** team before obtaining new supplies. There must be a supply base for the French ** team. They can **** those supplies to supplement their consumption, hoping that they can do this before they run out of their supplies, it depends on the specific situation of their troops is decided by the commander. The specific task of this issue is left to you Well, Marshal Kettle, you can definitely give me a satisfactory answer."

"Yes, my head of state, you will not be disappointed by this." Kettle opened his heart, and he had been waiting for Xu Jun to give this problem to him to solve, and he already had it in his heart. In view of the specific plan, the rescue of the troubled troops is a great contribution no matter what, and it is really a pity to fall into the hands of others. But Kettle didn't show any overwhelming look on the surface, and he agreed with a solemn expression.

"Okay, now let's take a look at the campaign concept in front of me. Do you think there are any shortcomings or missing issues? Feng, Marshal Brauchich, let's express your views first. .. .” Xu Jun felt that a problem had been solved and his mood became lighter. He smiled and asked the commander-in-chief of the landing army.

"Oh, my head of state, I have some personal thoughts about the next battle, such as here..." The Field Marshal finally found an opportunity to express himself, he quickly stood up and bent down on the map Finger pointing up.

At this moment, the door of the meeting room was lightly knocked.

"Come in." Xu Jun said loudly. The guard opened the door, and Dougan and Randolph walked in.

"Ah, you guys, is there anything?" Xu Jun asked with a smile.

"My head of state, General von. Longstedt and General Manschmann are here. You ordered that they must be reported to you as soon as they arrive." Dogen replied respectfully.

"Von. Lundstedt and Manstein." The generals on the side were in a commotion. Their faces all showed joy, and it was always a joy to be able to hear their colleagues return safely. .

"Let them come in quickly, oh no, invite the two generals to the small living room to wait for me, and I will come immediately." Xu Jun said happily.

Strongly recommend Wu Meiju's recommended works: 1. "Flowers and Flowers": the author, snowy love, city, /show wave ok.asp?bl_id=5192

2. "The Three Kingdoms of Business": Author, Red Tiger, History, /show wave ok.asp?bl_id=11351

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