stonecrandall Chapter 446
Chapter 446
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In mid-April 192, on the banks of the Danube, in Bratislava.
After holding out for a month and a half without any reinforcements, and hearing that Czechoslovakia had been annihilated, the 450,000 Czech troops trapped in Bratislava finally gave up resistance, walked out of the city, and surrendered to the German army outside the city!
“The morale of the Czechs seems pretty good. After being besieged for more than a month, their spirit and energy seem to be even stronger than that of the Hungarian army!”
Outside the city, the three major generals of the German army gathered together and commented on the army that walked out of the city to surrender.
“Haha, after all, it is the successor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If its own population was not a little smaller, Czechoslovakia might become another great power in Europe!”
Manstein laughed, feeling very good.
After seeing the military appearance of Czechoslovakia, he was very grateful that he could solve this huge hidden danger at his doorstep before the outbreak of the world war.
If they could not solve the little bully Czechoslovakia now, this country would become a thorn in their throat in the future!
“By the way, I heard that Model will be transferred to Brachrom soon. I heard that the newly established Bohemian Republic is short of troops, so your Second Army will be transferred there to garrison!”
“Who said that? How come I don’t know? Besides, isn’t the Fifth Army in Bohemia?”
Model was surprised to hear the news. His defense zone was in Silesia. Although it was a reasonable transfer to transfer him to Bohemia, it always felt wrong.
Silesia not only borders Poland, but also borders the Russian Bear. This narrow and long area is very important to Hans. If he is stationed in Silesia, he can not only protect Hans’s central hinterland, but also serve as an outpost for Hans to attack eastward at any time.
If he is transferred to the Bohemian region, then this function will not exist!
“After all, the Fifth Army is the Imperial Guard. They are used to protect the safety of Brandenburg and the capital, so they will not be stationed outside all the time!”
Manstein was able to solve Model’s doubts.
“I think the troops in Bavaria, Saxony and other places will probably have to be replaced. After taking over Jeck, the security situation in our southeastern region has greatly improved. There is no need to maintain so many garrisons in these places!”
Dietrich combined with the current situation and expressed his own speculation. He felt that Bavaria and Saxony had completely become their inland areas at this time. There were no enemies in the surrounding areas. So the Third and Fourth Armies stationed here must be transferred, right?
“The Seventh Army may not return to North Schleswig!”
“In other words, this time, in addition to Guderian’s First Army, all the remaining six armies will be mobilized?”
Model was even more surprised when he heard Manstein’s words.
Hans’s seven armies have a total of 2.5 million people. Mobilizing six sevenths of the force will probably completely complete the layout of the next battle plan!
“Well, it’s like this. The General Staff should have already drawn up the defense zones of each army group. If nothing goes wrong, this transfer order should be delivered to everyone within three days!”
As the Chief of the General Staff, Manstein must know more.
Since he said so, it proves that this matter is wrong!
Model and Dietrich looked at each other and were very concerned about how the deployment of these six armies would be allocated!
This mobilization basically determines the direction of Hans’s key attack in the next stage!
If they deploy their troops on the Eastern Front, then there is no doubt that their imaginary enemy must be the Borland people in the east.
And if they stockpile heavy troops on the Western Front, then their target may be the Gauls, or the three low-lying countries of Benelux!
Although the two were very concerned about this matter, they did not open their mouths to continue asking.
With their understanding of Manstein, this guy will definitely say what he should say, and he will never leak a word of what he shouldn’t say.
And except for revealing the mobilization of Model’s Second Army, he never mentioned the mobilization of the other five armies. There is something fishy about this matter!
……
Hans’ capital, Berlin.
In the General Staff, several chiefs of staff, Major Halder, Major Zeitzler and Major Jodel, all felt that Mainz’s arrangement was a bit too bold, so they were trying their best to dissuade Mainz, hoping that he would change his mind!
“General, isn’t it too arrogant to deploy only one army group on such a long defense line on the Western Front?”
“Yes, the Western Front must defend against enemies from at least three directions, including the Rhine region, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony. In the Rhine region alone, at least one army group must be deployed. And because the Baden region borders Gaul and Italy, at least one army group must also be deployed!”
Several majors are very young, but most of them have participated in World War I.
They have witnessed the cruelty of World War I, so they still remember the war on the Western Front that was almost like a meat grinder.
In World War I, there was nothing commendable about the tactics of both sides. The best way for both sides to break through each other’s defense line was to send more troops to the front line and use superior forces to crush the enemy!
Therefore, in the eyes of several staff officers, whether it is a defensive battle or an offensive battle, the Western Front needs a large number of troops.
If they were to distribute them, they would at least throw three armies on the Western Front, because the enemy here is obviously much stronger than that on the Eastern Front!
Here on the Eastern Front, only one army is needed. The Polish people are weak, and they have just suffered a disastrous defeat. In a short period of time, they are unable to threaten Hans’ safety!
The remaining two armies can be placed in Brandenburg and Audili, and can support other fronts at any time!
However, how is Mainz distributed? What about it?
On the Western Front, he left behind an army, and it was not the strongest First Army, but the Seventh Army with the worst combat effectiveness.
On the Eastern Front, Mainz deployed three armies at once.
The Third Army of East Prussia, the Fourth Army of Silesia, and the Sixth Army of Pomerania!
And Model’s Second Army was also placed in Bohemia, which means that four armies were deployed on the Eastern Front!
As for it?
It’s just a small Poland, and it’s a Poland that has been defeated twice and its teeth are almost pulled out!
To deal with such a country, is it necessary to dispatch more than one million troops?
Faced with the doubts of these young generals, Mainz did not change his decision.
He quickly signed the order, and then asked the communicator to notify the entire army of the order by telegram, so that they could start to mobilize.
Then he took a look at these puzzled young people and asked,”Is my mobilization against common sense?”
The three of them nodded in agreement, not only against common sense, but also incredible!
“So, have you ever thought about why I do this? Of course, I am not a retard or an idiot because I can be president, so there must be a reason why I do this!”
Mainz asked with a smile.
After hearing his words, several people looked at each other in bewilderment: Yes, what is the purpose of President Mainz doing this?
“So, if you don’t understand my intention, it’s easy to think that this configuration is unreasonable, right?”
The three nodded again. Even if Mainz said so, they still felt that it was unreasonable to do so, because it violated common sense.
Facing a powerful enemy, it is natural to allocate more troops to strengthen defense. How can you use all the troops to defend a weak country?
“What if this is not defense, but offense?”