The German military and its allies' offensive grew ever fiercer, inflicting enormous casualties on the Russian troops stationed within Smolensk. At the same time, their morale suffered a severe blow.
As casualties mounted and more and more positions were lost, the Russian troops' will to resist was no longer as steadfast as before.
This change was undoubtedly even more disadvantageous for the Russian troops. At this rate, they presumably would not be able to hold out in Smolensk much longer. In other words, they would soon be wiped out by the German military and its allies.
The Russian Western Front Army had originally commanded five infantry army corps, one tank army corps, and one air army corps. However, the 3rd Army Corps and the 3rd Tank Army Corps had already been swallowed whole by the German military. The 1st Air Army Corps had suffered devastating losses under German Air Force air raids just as the war began. The other four infantry army corps had also sustained heavy losses. After retreating into Smolensk, they had then been subjected to a brutal siege by the German military and its allies, suffering even more grievous losses. Many Russian army corps barely had any troops left at all.
A military conference was underway at the headquarters of the Russian Western Front Army. However, aside from Political Commissar Fominikh and the other political officers, whose faces still brimmed with confidence and fighting spirit, the other senior military commanders were on the verge of utter despair. Even General Timoshenko, the front army's commander, knew that this time, the odds were stacked against them.
"Comrades, the German military and their Puppet Troops are attacking more and more fiercely, while our casualties continue to rise. What should we do now?" General Timoshenko asked.
"Comrade Commander, although our losses