General Rundstedt was both shocked and delighted to be appointed Army Group Commander of Army Group E. Though among the German military's five major Army Groups, Army Group E had only two armies—the fewest troops—and those two armies had only recently been formed, making them the weakest in combat strength. But it was still an Army Group Commander's post. That meant he already had one foot across the threshold into the realm of field marshals.
After the first phase of Operation Barbarossa had ended, the commanders of Army Groups A, B, C, and D had all been promoted to field marshal. If he could lead Army Group E to defeat Buru and win the coming war, he believed His Majesty the Emperor would certainly not begrudge him a field marshal's baton.
As for whether they could defeat the Russians, General Rundstedt did not doubt it in the slightest. After all, the first enemy they had to face was merely the Russian Caucasian Front Army. This front army did not have many troops, and its combat strength was even weaker. It was true that they had defeated the Turks and Iranians, but that was not because the Russian military was too strong—it was because the Turks and Iranians were too weak. If it were the German military, two armies would be enough to beat them until they were crawling everywhere looking for their teeth!
"Your Majesty, I request permission to leave for the Persian Gulf immediately and familiarize myself with the situation there!" General Rundstedt said. Now, he did not want to waste even a moment. The sooner he reached the Persian Gulf, the sooner he could formulate a battle plan.
"My general, there is no need to be so anxious. The 21st Army Corps and 22nd Army Corps will need