Chapter 1237: Chapter 917: Attacked from Behind

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Chapter 1237 -917: Attacked from Behind

“Where the hell are those damn German Armored troops? Is our rear position still safe?” Upon hearing the news of the German Armored troops, Pavlov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front Army, quickly stood up, asking with a touch of tension and trepidation.

Perhaps Guderian himself hadn’t expected that the most worrisome part of this risky flanking plan wasn’t the German High Command, but their target, General Pavlov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Western Front Army.

“The garrison in Baranovichi, during their patrol, discovered a large number of tank tracks to the west of Baranovichi. Judging by these tracks, the German Armored troops had gotten very close to Baranovichi but ultimately chose to head west along the railway direction, which is where we are,” reported the Messenger truthfully.

At first, Pavlov nodded. The fact that the German Armored troops had approached Baranovichi but did not launch an attack also confirmed Pavlov’s guess, which was that the German Armored troops did not actually possess the capacity for engineering; they were merely a decoy.

But when he heard the Messenger say that the armored troops had already moved west, aiming for the headquarters of the Western Front Army, Pavlov was stunned again.

“Where’s the map? Quickly bring me that damn map!” Pavlov urgently ordered.

Hearing the General’s command, his subordinates didn’t dare hesitate and quickly brought over all the defense maps and charts of the Polish Region.

“West of Baranovichi…” Pavlov murmured to himself, but soon his expression turned to panic. He realized that although the triangle positions around Białystok were very solid against the German Army’s offensive from the west, the rear positions along the Grodno and Brest line were actually the weakest in the triangle.

This was actually quite normal; the rear was Russian territory, and it was impossible for Pavlov to use the majority of his troops to defend the rear.

But this indeed presented the Germans with an opportunity. If the Germans discovered where the Russians had the least deployed forces, and took advantage of it, then undoubtedly, the three Army Groups of the Western Front Army would be in great danger.

“How many airplanes do we still have?” Pavlov immediately asked.

“The German bombings destroyed most of our airplanes; currently, fewer than 100 are capable of taking off,” replied Deputy Commander Bolkhov.

The Western Front Army possessed several hundred thousand soldiers in three Army Groups, but only had more than 300 airplanes, most of which were located around Białystok.

As the front lines in the confrontation against Germany, many military bases, including Białystok, had been attacked even before the war erupted. The airfields were destroyed, and many of the airplanes in hangars were also bombed, largely destroyed.

This added insult to injury for the already not-so-rich Western Front Army in terms of airplanes. A force that was considered powerful in Russia could barely muster under 100 airplanes, which was proof of the Western Front Army’s comprehensive lag in military preparation.

Of course, such scenes were not unique to the Western Front Army. Setting aside the performance of the German Army for the moment, the Air Force had shone exceptionally well in the past few days of the offensive.

Although an undeclared war was somewhat dishonorable, the Air Force’s surprise attacks indeed played a critical role. Compared to other Powerful Nations, Russia’s industry was already relatively backward.

Of course, the backwardness referred to here is the lag in advanced industry, as well as many military industries that require the accumulation of technology.

If we’re talking about the mere scale of basic industry, Russia actually wasn’t doing badly, having already surpassed the Island Nation and Italy.

Close to 800 airplanes were deployed near the entire border, yet within just two days, almost half had been destroyed.

This directly alleviated the Germans’ concerns, as the Russian Air Force no longer had the capability to counterattack Germany, nor could they pose any threat to German territory.

“Order all airplanes to take off immediately, patrol non-stop for 24 hours along the line from Grodno to Brest. Send a request to Minsk to dispatch troops for support.

I will not allow any tank to break through the line from Grodno to Brest, at least not until I receive orders from the Supreme Command,” Pavlov ordered, not caring anymore whether the Air Force could withstand the German pressure.

For Pavlov, if he couldn’t ensure the safety of the line from Grodno to Brest, then his Western Front Army would likely face a significant threat.

But what was frustrating is that without orders from Supreme Command, including Pavlov himself, no one dared to issue the order to retreat.

This made the situation the Western Front Army was facing extremely awkward; whether they chose to move or stay was problematic—a lose-lose situation.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after a long advance, Guderian finally neared Pavlov’s Białystok triangle defensive positions.

Looking at the Russian positions in the distance, Guderian revealed a seldom-seen smile and instructed his subordinates: “Rest on the spot for ten minutes, armor groups check the ammunition loading of the tanks.

Launch the attack after ten minutes; I hope to quickly sever these Russians’ positions and swiftly threaten Białystok.”

This flanking maneuver was planned in advance in conjunction with the German Army’s frontal attack. As soon as Guderian’s armored cluster launched an attack from behind, the German Army in the front would also make the final frontal assault.