The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1306 - 952 Turning to the Southeast_2

Chapter 1306: Chapter 952: Turning to the Southeast_2

Chapter 1306 -952: Turning to the Southeast_2

This idea permeated the entirety of World War I and the early stages of World War II; for most European nations, engaging in decisive battles was considered the preferred way to end a war.

But the German Chancellor clearly did not think so.

There’s a saying that goes well here, “If you cannot solve the problem, then solve the person who presents the problem.”

The German Chancellor clearly could not convince the army’s Commander-in-Chief in the High Command dominated by Junker nobility, but this was not a problem for the Chancellor.

Just one day later, on December 12, 1937, a telegram from the Supreme Command of the German Empire directly changed the situation in the German military.

According to the telegram, the German Chancellor dismissed several positions, including the army’s Commander, the Chief of General Staff, the Commander of the Central Army Group, and the Commander of the Second Armored Group, and appointed himself as the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, personally taking over command of the German Army.

Because of the defeat in Moscow, the Junker nobility, even if dissatisfied, were completely unable to resist the telegram from the Supreme Command.

After all, on the surface, this order was issued by Emperor William II of Germany and had the support of the German government; they couldn’t very well start a rebellion, could they?

After all, at this point, the German Chancellor was not alone. After the Stormtrooper was reformed from the Schutzstaffel, the Chancellor’s control over military power had surpassed that of the Junker nobility.

In addition to his superb oratorical skills, the German Chancellor gained a lot of support in the political arena and among the civilian population.

With support from both the political and civilian sectors, the Chancellor’s reign became even more secure. In such circumstances, not to mention the Junker nobility who had already lost many of their generals in World War I, even the aristocracy at the peak before World War I would struggle to regain their power.

After having dealt with the person who presented the problem, the German Chancellor finally had no more worries.

As the new Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, he could easily issue his orders to the army, and to a certain extent, bypass the High Command completely.

The Junker nobility generals in the High Command and General Staff could do nothing in the face of such a situation.

There was no helping it; with military power, political authority, and popular support in the hands of the Chancellor, the power he held was indeed beyond their ability to shake.

On December 14, after friendly consultations within the German High Command, the Chancellor’s plan to attack Stalingrad was finally unanimously approved by a vote.

In his speech on that day, the German Chancellor passionately stated that not only was the goal of this attack to capture the extremely important city of Stalingrad, but also to seize the opportunity to move south to take over the entire Caucasus and occupy its oil fields and industrial base.

As long as the lifeline from the Caucasus to Moscow was cut, other regions of Russia would lose a large amount of energy and supply of materials, and the scales of victory would still tilt in Germany’s favor.

The German Chancellor’s words were not unfounded. Based on some information previously made public by Russia Nation, it could be basically confirmed that the Caucasus was a very important resource area for Russia Nation.

The Caucasus had nearly 86.5% of Russia Nation’s petroleum reserves (at that time, not now), 65% of their natural gas reserves, and 56.5% of manganese mines, making it Russia’s most important current energy supply area.

If they lost the Caucasus, those tanks of Russia Nation whose origin was unknown would completely lose their power source. Without petroleum, a tank is nothing more than a hunk of immovable metal.

Moreover, Germany would be able to establish contact with the Middle East Region through the Caucasus. Looking further ahead, if the attack on Stalingrad goes smoothly, Germany would also have a sizable military force capable of attacking the Middle East, disrupting the petroleum resources of the British and Australasia, critical to their interests in the Persian Gulf.

The Chancellor became more and more excited as he thought about this and couldn’t wait to send a telegram to Guderian, commanding the Armored troops, ordering Guderian to lead the Second Armored Group to move rapidly southwards. After a brief rest in Kiev, they would join forces and head eastward towards Stalingrad.

When Guderian received this telegram, he was completely flabbergasted. He had not expected that, just a few days after the defeat at Moscow, the High Command had already made a new plan for his Second Armored Group.

But the question was, had those guys in the High Command ever considered the Second Armored Group’s equipment and supply wear and the fatigue level of the soldiers?

Although tankers don’t have to march themselves, sitting inside a tank is not as comfortable as one might imagine.

Especially in December, the severe cold of Moscow posed a significant challenge for these tank soldiers.

The space inside the tanks was not as spacious as one might imagine, and some areas were designed to be quite narrow, which really tested the soldiers’ agility.

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This is why later generations commonly required tank soldiers to have a height of less than 1.7 meters when being recruited.

After all, it was the shorter soldiers who could be more agile in such cramped environments.

Even for the battlefield as a whole, the shorter the soldiers, the higher their survival rate. After all, the larger the body, the bigger the target for the enemy to aim at, which invisibly increased the chance of being hit by the enemy or by stray bullets.

Where is Guderian’s Second Armored Group now?

They are currently located at Tula, on the border between the hills and the plains, south of Moscow.

The deployment of the Second Armored Group here serves not only to guard against enemy tank units outflanking the main German forces but also to seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the rear of Moscow.

Unfortunately, since the beginning of the Battle of Moscow, the Russians haven’t given the German Armored Groups the chance to wage a blitzkrieg, and the tank units of both parties have been more involved in attrition and the old tactics of the Russian tank units.

The distance from Tula to Kiev and then to Stalingrad stretches over 2000 kilometers, an enormous challenge for the exhausted Second Armored Group.

Even if they could rest in Kiev for some time, it would not be enough to negate the fatigue and weariness in the hearts of the German soldiers.

What’s more, the Battle of Stalingrad was launched only a few days after the failure of the Battle of Moscow, which greatly confused and puzzled Guderian.

They could have carefully prepared for more than two months, summoned more armored and firearm troops, maintained a comprehensive lead in weapons and equipment, and then considered the attack on Stalingrad.

After all, although Stalingrad was not as important as Moscow, it was definitely one of the most important cities in Eastern Europe for Russia Nation.

It could even be said that Moscow, Saint Petersburgh, and Stalingrad were the three most important cities for Russia Nation in Eastern Europe at the time.

The hasty launch of the attack on Stalingrad—was this really a battle plan devised by the High Command?

Little did they know, it was precisely because of the importance of Stalingrad that the German Chancellor decisively chose to attack it immediately following the failure in Moscow.

After all, the mere name “Stalin” was enough to temporarily cloud the rational thinking of the German Chancellor.

Besides Guderian’s Second Armored Group, parts of the firearm units of the German Central Army Group retreating from Moscow to the rear also received such orders.

Like Guderian, many generals expressed dissent, but they could only obediently follow orders.

After all, there is a complete difference between expressing dissent and directly disobeying a command, and at that time, the German Army had no intention of outright defiance.

While Germany was preparing for the offensive on Stalingrad, the Allied Nations were already celebrating their victory in Moscow.

Of course, the British were naturally the happiest.

For the shrewd British, using the heavy casualties of the Russians to win against the Germans was a hugely profitable deal.

More importantly, this victory had a positive effect on the morale of the entire Allied Forces.

It broke the image of the invincible German Military, and further compounded the difficulties of Germany having to fight on two fronts.