"Gentlemen, according to the intelligence we have obtained, Russians is indeed planning a counterattack against us. And the scale is not small. Therefore, in the next period of time, we must be more vigilant!" Marshal Guderian said.
According to the intelligence gathered, General Guderian is almost certain that the Russian army will launch an attack.
"God! Launching an attack in such cold weather? Aren't Russians afraid that their soldiers will freeze to death?" Lieutenant General 1st Polish Army Corps Commander Sakel exclaimed.
The Commanders from other group armies also nodded repeatedly, looking deeply convinced. According to everyone's knowledge, unless they were crazy, they would never issue such an attack order.
"No matter what Russians thinks, maybe they really want to die. Then, we will send them to see God. I hope that from now on, all frontline troops will be ready for battle. Once they are attacked by Russians, they must hold their position!" Marshal Guderian ordered.
"Yes, Your Excellency!" everyone replied.
"Russians Where will the focus of the attack be?" Commander of the 3rd Army Corps Fedor von General Bock asked.
Marshal Guderian shook his head. "It's not clear yet. However, it can be initially judged that it is the northern defense line."
Suddenly, the faces of the generals Poland and Belarus couldn't help but become serious. Although they laughed at Russians before, launching an attack at this time is no different from seeking death. But if their troops are attacked by the Russian army, it will probably be very dangerous. If not done well, the losses to the troops will be staggering.
"Everyone, can your troops withstand the Russian attack?" Guderian looked at 1st Belarusian Army Corps, 3rd Polish Army Corps and 4th Army Corps's Commander. These three armies are responsible for defending the northern defense line of Smolensk, the first-line position. The other 1st Polish Army Corps, 2nd Army Corps and 5th Army Corps defend the southern defense line. German 3rd Army Corps is defending the front line of defense of Smolensk.
"Your Excellency, once Russians launches an attack, we will definitely resist their attack with all our strength. But if the Russian army attacks too many troops, we may need support." 1st Belarusian Army Corps Commander Lieutenant General Chelyushenkov said.
"Yes, Your Excellency. If the scale of the Russian army's attack is not large, we can rely on a strong defense line to cause a large number of casualties to Russians. But if Russians invests too many troops, we may have to request reinforcements." Poland Commander of the 3rd Army Corps Lieutenant General Vashkevich said.
Marshal Guderian nodded. "Russians are not fools. They know how detrimental it would be to launch a large-scale attack in the cold winter. Therefore, they will not let the entire Western Front attack, but only send out a part of the troops to attack. In this case, the defenses should be able to withstand it. Once the Russian army launches an attack, 1st Belarusian Army Corps, 3rd Polish Army Corps and 4th Army Corps must cooperate with each other to support each other.. In addition, German military 13th Army Corps will rush to the front line for reinforcements when necessary. As long as they can resist the Russian attack, the cold weather alone will be enough to make them pay a heavy price. After all, according to the information we have obtained, many Russian soldiers still have no winter clothes and can only fight in autumn clothes. I even doubt that if such troops are put on the battlefield, they will immediately become popsicles!
"Hahaha!" All the generals couldn't help laughing, and the originally slightly tense atmosphere was diluted a lot.
"Okay, everyone, this is the end of the meeting. You all go back and prepare. This time Russians's attack is completely to give us military exploits. I hope that your troops can obtain sufficient military exploits in this battle." Marshal Guderian said.
"Yes, Your Excellency!" All the generals replied.
Germany promised before the war broke out that after the war, benefits would be distributed based on each country's performance on the battlefield. The better their performance in the war, the greater the benefits they will gain in future wars. With Russians taking the initiative to die, they certainly hope to take this opportunity to achieve greater results.
As time passed, German military and its allies stepped up their alert. A large amount of war supplies were secretly sent to the front line. Although the soldiers were a little nervous, they were still able to maintain high morale and waited for the Russian army to launch an attack when all kinds of supplies were sufficient.
On the morning of December 25, deputy commander Russian Western Front Army General Zhukov issued the order to attack. A large number of Russian troops began to pour out and attack the 1st Belarusian Army Corps and 3rd Polish Army Corps defense lines.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Russian artillery began to roar, but because of the snow and ice, it was very difficult to transport the heavy artillery to the front line. Therefore, the number of cannons carried by the Russian army is not large, and they are all cannons with smaller calibers.
As for the Belarusian Army and Polish Army, although the number and caliber of artillery equipped are not as good as German military, they are undoubtedly much better than the attacking Russian army. It's just that they are seriously at a disadvantage in terms of military strength.
The artillery of the Belarusian Army 1st Army Corps and Polish 3rd Army Corps also launched a fierce bombardment, suppressing the Russian artillery with fierce artillery fire. Lighten the frontline positions.
"Comrade Commander, most of our artillery is still in the rear, and the number of artillery and artillery on the front line is too small. If we fight for the artillery, I'm afraid we can't defeat the enemy!" said the Russian commander 19th Army Corps Lieutenant General Konev.
General Zhukov nodded, he also knew this. So, he put down the telescope in his hand with an ugly expression. From the telescope, he could clearly see that the enemy artillery on the opposite side was obviously more numerous and more powerful than the Russian army's. Moreover, Polish 3rd Army Corps's defense line was equally strong, and the Russian shelling did not cause any substantial damage to them. This is undoubtedly not good news for the Russian army.
"Don't waste time, dispatch the infantry! 19th Army Corps and 20th Army Corps are the main troops attacking Pustoshka. The 21st and 22nd Army Corps are the main troops attacking Usvyaty!" General Zhukov ordered.