June 26, 1940, 9:00 a.m., outskirts of Yuzefgrad.
General Popov, commander of the Russian Yuzefgrad Front, surrendered to the German military on behalf of the Russian forces garrisoned within Yuzefgrad.
Squad after squad of Russian soldiers formed neat ranks and passed through the weapon collection points in turn. They placed their rifles, pistols, machine guns, mortars, and other weapons there. Before long, the weapons had piled up like small mountains.
It was as if these Russian soldiers wanted to preserve their honor at the very last moment.
Marshal Brauchitsch, commander of the German D Army Group, accepted the Russian surrender on behalf of the German military.
When General Popov handed his sidearm to Marshal Brauchitsch, it marked the temporary conclusion of the Battle of Yuzefgrad.
"Long live the Empire! Long live the Empire! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" The German officers and soldiers erupted in cheers. They had finally won this battle at Yuzefgrad. This meant that Germany had already won more than half the war on the Russian front. The remaining Russian forces were no longer worth worrying about.
The Russian officers and soldiers, by contrast, wore grim expressions. After all, for soldiers to surrender to the enemy at the final moment was a humiliation, no matter how one looked at it.
The surrender of the Russian forces at Yuzefgrad gave the German military absolute superiority on the Russian front. Although the Russian forces in Moscow were still holding on, how much longer could they endure under the German offensive?
After the Yuzefgrad Front surrendered to the German military, Marshal Guderian, commander of German Army Group B, once again sent an envoy to see General Zhukov. If possible, he still hoped that the Russian forces in Moscow would surrender to the German military, just like those at Yuzefgrad