General Ivanov, commander of the Russian Southwestern Front Army, left Stavka and raced through the night back to his front-line headquarters in Stryi. Yet throughout the journey, his face remained exceedingly grim.
As a front-line commander, anyone facing an enemy as formidable as the German 8th Army Corps would probably wear the same expression. After all, the German 8th Army Corps had proven its might to the world with a dazzling record of victories. Even General Ivanov feared that his forces would be swiftly defeated under the German 8th Army Corps' assault.
After returning to Stryi, General Ivanov immediately summoned the officers of the Front Army's Staff Department and ordered them to devise tactics for dealing with the German 8th Army Corps. Then, without stopping for breath, he summoned the commanders of the army corps under the Southwestern Front Army. No matter what, the German 8th Army Corps was about to launch an offensive against them. This was a major matter; they had to hold back the German offensive. Better still, they had to find a way to win this battle. Otherwise, all their previous efforts would have gone down the drain.
"Gentlemen, we are in deep trouble this time. Germany's 8th Army Corps is moving south, and its target is us!" General Ivanov said bitterly as he looked at his generals.
"The 8th Army Corps? The German 8th Army Corps that wiped out the entire Northwestern Front Army?" a Russian general asked in alarm. He was General Dimitriev, commander of the Russian 4th Army Corps. His 4th Army Corps was stationed at the northernmost edge of the entire Southwestern Front Army. That meant that once the German 8th Army Corps attacked, his 4th Army Corps would likely bear the brunt of its blow.
The German 8th Army Corps had