Section 145: Defending Prague
On the 19th day of the battle, the Chinese had already entered Czechoslovakia and broke through the two lines of defense of the US military in succession. In addition to losing a large number of armored troops, the US military also lost nearly 40,000 American soldiers, 10,000 Soviet soldiers, 8,000 Bulgarian soldiers, and 8,000 British soldiers. The total loss exceeded 80,000. In addition, the Chinese were also actively increasing their troops, and the United States also felt a headache. Originally, it thought that the Chinese would be very difficult to advance, but unexpectedly, the Chinese attack was very fast. Now it has approached 200 kilometers of Prague, one hundred kilometers closer than before. If the Chinese charge again, they might be able to enter Prague. Prague's key position determines that this cannot be done, so the US military continues to increase its troops.
"Commander, this is the latest news we have received. The Americans transferred two armored divisions from France and Germany. At the same time, they also added a batch of new tanks. All of these new tanks are Pershing tanks. According to the news we have received, the Americans must defend Prague, and they will never give up on this city easily. According to our investigation, there is also the largest arsenal in Europe in Czechoslovakia. Although it was bombed by the US-British Allied Forces that year, we did not pay attention to it. If Prague was occupied by us, then this arsenal belongs to us. The Americans cannot make up their minds now. If they can make up their minds, of course they will blow up this arsenal, but according to the news we have received, they are transferring this arsenal." Speaking of this arsenal, most Chinese are familiar with it.
Many Chinese soldiers have used Czech light machine guns. Czech light machine guns were produced in this factory, and most of the Chinese weapons were also produced here, so these people know that this huge arsenal has been weakened many times since the war started. As long as countries occupy this place, they will take away some of the equipment here, especially the Germans, but this arsenal is still very large. Nowadays, countries are fighting a war of attrition. The Americans will never allow such an arsenal to be destroyed like this, so they are prepared for the worst. When the Chinese launched an attack, they relocated the factory.
"The arrow is on the string and you have to shoot it. You can see the current situation. If we stop our own steps, then our land in Czechoslovakia will not be able to be preserved. The Americans will slowly erode back. Therefore, we must expand the results of the war and take Prague. As long as we can win this city, it means we have gained a firm foothold in the local area. We can increase troops here and build various fortifications around it. Just like when we were in Poland, many people were not optimistic about us, thinking that we were unstable in Europe, and at the same time they also thought that we could not gain a firm foothold in Poland. But what is the result now? Poland has become our back, and we can use this as a base to radiate to the whole of Europe. I believe that the same is true for Prague." General Hu Zongnan said with great confidence.
At the beginning of the battle, General Hu Zongnan did not have such confidence. After all, the Americans invested in elite troops. However, until the battle is underway, everyone in the headquarters has confidence. Elites are really not our opponents to elites. This is also the result of our training. From the beginning of the war to the present, everyone has not forgotten their military skills, and on the original basis, everyone is training. This is the main reason why they can surpass the United States. The Americans think that they have a large number, so they are a little lazy in training. However, the Chinese side is still training fast. The sweat he puts in daily life is immediately verified on the battlefield. The Chinese army can attack so quickly, which is the result of daily training.
"This is a list issued by the front line. They also need a large amount of weapons and ammunition, especially large-caliber shells. During the previous bombardment, they used a total of 1 million shells. Now our train is moving at full speed. I hope to transport these things quickly. In addition, we have also requisitioned some cars. However, the transportation capacity of these cars is limited, and there are also tank supplements. Although we have only lost more than 200 tanks, there are more than 200 tanks to be repaired. All of them need various parts and these things must be transported to them. The actual problem before us is the transportation problems that are currently occurring, especially the 80 kilometers away from the railway line. This is the biggest problem." General Xue Yue pointed to the map and said.
If we fight along the railway line, no matter how large the loss is, we can finally replenish it. But now the soldiers rushed too fast and the engineers could not pave the railway. The original railway was damaged by the Americans and had to be repaired for a distance, so we can only use automobile transportation now. However, General Hu Zongnan did not think so. If we had enough cars, this transportation difficulty would not be revealed. Since we have occupied the European area, we have to take it on the spot. Although we do not agree to disrupt the normal lives of the people, if our offensive encounters trouble, do we still have to adhere to the original principles rigidly? This is absolutely impossible, and we have to proceed quickly and requisition various transportation products on the spot.
"There is nothing to say. If you pass my order, all the transport tools they transport will be requisitioned in our name and register all their assets. If they are the assets of ordinary people, we will hand them over to them after they are used. If there is any damage, we will use the materials in our army to compensate. As for those government departments and military departments, it is equivalent to the items we confiscated, and there is nothing to say. Drivers are recruited in Czechoslovakia, and those drivers are responsible for helping us transport. If they have made meritorious performance, they can give them some good treatment. These can be used flexibly. The commanders on the front line should understand this. Everything is for the victory of the war." General Hu Zongnan said.
Chapter completed!