USSR 1941 Chapter 717: Strategic focus

  Chapter 717 Strategic Focus

   "But..." Vasilevsky hesitated for a while, then asked: "Comrade Stalin, what can we do now?"

   There is indeed not much room for manipulation, because the entire battle has already been deployed, just like an arrow shot from a bow that cannot be turned back.

   You can't forcefully pull back those troops that are in full swing and start over again!

  Stalin did not answer directly. He stood up and shifted his gaze out of the window, saying: "The National Defense Committee has discussed this issue. The Supre Command believes that we should surround Stalingrad as soon as possible to smash the enemy's plan!"

   "Shift the focus of the battle?" Vasilevsky heard sothing tricky.

  The original strategic plan was a large and deep encirclent, and a small deep encirclent such as the attack on Karachi was secondary. It was more about harassing the German 6th Army so that it could not escape or divide its troops for reinforcents.

   Now, fearing that German reinforcents would destroy the large deep encirclent, the impatient and less confident Supre Command decided to focus on the small deep encirclent.

  In fact, the main reason is that the Supre Command, including Stalin, is not confident enough.

  As ntioned before, although the Soviet officers and soldiers did not show it, but because of the large-scale defeat in the early stage, they generally lacked confidence when facing the German army, and it is not even an exaggeration to say that they were afraid.

  In this case, the thinking of the senior officials of the Supre Command is: It would be good to save Stalingrad with a few small victories, and they still want to surround them and regain a large area of ​​lost ground in one fell swoop? !

It should be said that this idea is more secure and safer, because it can quickly complete the siege of Stalingrad. Manstein's reinforcents are too late for reinforcents, and the pressure on Stalingrad will increase in a short period of ti. reduce.

   But war has always been an adventurer's ga. Another aning of safety and security is conservative and missed opportunities.

   "So!" Vasilevsky asked: "What about the troops that are encircling in depth? Especially the 51st Army! Do you order them to stop attacking and turn to defense?"

  The Soviet army carrying out the deep encirclent has two troops, one is the Southwest Front Army located behind the German side in the north, and the other is the Stalingrad Front Army in the south.

  The Southwest Front Army does not need to worry too much, because it is a whole front army as the northern pincer, and the logistics supply can also be guaranteed.

The problem is the Stalingrad Front Army. Although it is also a front army as a southern pincer, several armies in it are not actually used to outflank but are fighting against the Germans. Among them, the 62nd Army even fought against the Germans in Stalingrad. In full swing.

   Therefore, the Stalingrad Front actually had only two armies to outflank: the 57th Army implented a small, dium and deep outflank while covering the right wing of the 51st Army, and the 51st Army implented a large and deep outflank.

   Now, Stalin intends to shift the focus of his strategy to outflanking at close range, so if the 51st Army continues to attack, it will be equivalent to going deep alone.

  So Vasilevsky thought that Stalin would let the 51st Army stop attacking and garrison in place.

   However, Stalin remained silent.

Vasilevsky, who had a deep understanding of Stalin, imdiately understood what this ant... Silence ans that Vasilevsky guessed wrong, which ans that Stalin did not intend to stop the 51st Army from attacking them. He hoped that It goes on the offensive.

   Sure enough, Stalin went on to say: "The offensive of the 51st Army is good for the battle. This is not just a matter of exciting victories. Their offensive will inevitably attract the enemy's main reinforcents, making it impossible to reinforce Stalingrad in ti!"

   Therefore, the 51st Army was used as a shield to ensure the smooth implentation of the small deep encirclent of the Soviet army and to force back or annihilate the enemies of Stalingrad.

Without waiting for Vasilevsky to speak, Stalin went on to say: "Therefore, the Supre Command believes that the task of smashing the besieged enemy should be entrusted to one person. Now there are two commanders of the front army, which hinders this task. The completion of the eting. The defense commissioners present at the eting supported this opinion."

  This is indeed a fact. The Stalingrad Front Army actually undertakes two different strategic tasks. One is to fight the Germans in Stalingrad, and the other is to encircle in depth. That is, the Don River Front and part of the Stalingrad Front are fighting the Germans.

  But what did you do earlier?

  How co no one ntioned this when planning?

   Now that the campaign is in progress, it turns out that these two parts should be rged into one? !

   "We want to reorganize the front army?" Vasilevsky asked: "At this ti?"

  Stalin nodded: "It's just a matter of the transfer of command! The tasks of the group army level are completely unchanged!"

   "So, which commander should we entrust with the task of finally eliminating the enemy?" Vasilevsky asked again.

   "Soone suggested that all the troops encircling and suppressing the enemy be handed over to Rokossovsky's command." Stalin turned around, took down his pipe and tapped it on the table.

   This also ans splitting the Stalingrad Front and handing over the troops to the Don Front.

   There was silence for a while. Seeing that Vasilevsky was silent, Stalin raised his head and asked, "Why are you silent?"

"I'm thinking about whether this is appropriate!" Vasilevsky replied: "I think both commanders are very capable. If the troops of the Stalingrad Front are assigned to the command of Comrade Rokossovsky; Coe will definitely feel wronged, or it will be detrintal to the morale of the Stalingrad Front..."

   "Now is not the ti to talk about grievances or not!" Stalin interrupted Vasilevsky and ordered: "Call Yerenko and announce the decision of the National Defense Committee to him."

   As he spoke, Stalin threw a docunt to Vasilevsky and said, "This is a reorganization plan!"

   "Yes, Comrade Stalin!" Vasilevsky answered, and then took the information from the table.

   "There is also Zhukov!" Stalin said: "Tell him!"

"yes!"

   Only then did Vasilevsky know that Stalin did not co to him to discuss with him at all, but to let him co forward to be a bad guy... Stalin knew that these things were difficult to say, so he let him be a mouthpiece.

   After returning to the headquarters, Vasilevsky hesitated again and again, and failed to make a call after picking up the phone several tis.

   If you use a Chinese idiom, this is "changing generals in battle".

  To be precise, it is not just "changing generals before the battle", but "changing generals just before the battle". The command of the troops that are fighting and the troops that are still fighting fiercely is changed. This impact is by no ans as simple as Stalin said.

   But no one dared to resist Stalin's order, and in the end Vasilevsky pulled out the phone.