"I thought these Nazis would really fight to the death until the entire army was annihilated. It seems I was overthinking it."
For a moment, Malashenko even mistakenly thought that these Germans on the top of the Zelo Highlands, who were smelly and hard, worse than the stones in the hut, would really fight to the death under the violent offensive of the leader's division.
At the last moment, until the whole army was annihilated.
Theoretically, the Germans did have a reason to do this.
This is the last line of defense leading to Berlin, the last chance to defend their so-called beliefs and prove their so-called loyalty. Everyone knows that if the Russians break into Berlin, there will no longer be any hope of victory and will be annihilated.
Not even a tiny bit of hope.
Even the miracle that the Russians performed in defending their capital was achieved when they blocked the German army from entering the city of Moscow.
Is it possible that the German army, which has now reached this level, can be confident that it is more capable and can do better than the Soviet army back then?
Some fanatics may think so, but at least most German soldiers with normal brains will not think so. Therefore, holding the Zero Heights, an easily defended and difficult to attack place that military strategists must fight for, is the last chance to turn defeat into victory. This is absolutely
It's worth risking your life to fight to the death, which is why Malashenko expected to encounter crazy resistance from the Germans.
But Malashenko seems to have overestimated the madness of the Germans and overestimated the extent to which these Germans were not afraid of death. At least the fighting will of these people was not strong enough to "annihilate an entire army."
Compared to the madness of their Asian bow-legged "very spirited" allies, it's still a bit worse.
"Please no, don't fire anymore, we surrender, surrender! All surrender!"
The first helmet was crooked, the clothes were torn, and the whole body was covered with blood stains. The German soldiers, who had no clean place, walked out of the trench holding the small white flag in their hands, and spoke in broken and difficult Russian to those who were still there.
The enemies pointed their guns at them and shouted tremblingly.
"Please don't hurt us. We are prisoners of war now. We put down our weapons and surrender to you. Surrender immediately!"
The isolation area blasted by the blocked artillery barrage was still in a state of scorched earth. No groups of Germans came to support, nor did any frightened German troops grease their feet and run away in groups.
This barrage of artillery fire undoubtedly became the dividing line between life and death.
The German troops in the non-frontline firefighting area behind the dividing line are okay for the time being. Although they cannot support their comrades, at least they have not lost their lives, but this is only temporary.
The German troops in front of the dividing line suffered numerous casualties. Most of them were either blown to pieces or beaten into a hornet's nest by random gunfire. There may also be unlucky ones who had their heartfelt words spoken to them in close combat.
Even those German soldiers who survived were all trembling with fear, fearing that these murderous Russians would rush up and add to their scores. Being alive at this time was simply like living in hell.
It's just a tiny bit stronger than a dead person, that's true.
"Let the infantry stick up, surrender the weapons of these Germans, and take them down quickly! Clean up this position and tidy it up. This is our landing site and assembly area. It will be of great use later."
So far, Malashenko has completed the first step of his plan: gaining a foothold on the top of the Zelo Highlands.
Yes, Malashenko's plan was never to use the brute force of the leader's division to launch a violent attack from the middle of the slope, flatten the entire top of the Zelo Highlands in one breath, kill all the fascists, and raise the red flag.
Inserted on the top of the high ground to declare light-speed and complete victory.
It sounds awesome and beautiful, but Malashenko clearly knows that it is impossible to do this. Even if he does it, it will definitely not make people happy. If the leader at that time can still participate
In the Battle of Berlin, if the losses were not so heavy that the army retreated to the second line, it would have been a high-profile event.
Malashenko asked his superior commanders to resolutely not base victory on huge casualties when commanding battles. Those soldiers and grassroots commanders who are good at fighting and have rich combat experience are the leaders.
The magic weapon to truly win every battle and become stronger as you fight.
Up to now, with all kinds of mountains at his back, Malashenko has a strong network of contacts and connections. He has no shortage of equipment. The only thing he lacks is people. No matter how advanced and rare the equipment is, as long as Malashenko wants, he can still run on the ground.
If it is used by the army, then Malashenko will be sure to get it. It is nothing more than sending a telegram and making a phone call. The difficulty is just a matter of face-to-face interviews. Anyway, he will definitely get it.
But those brave and skilled soldiers and experienced grassroots commanders are not required. They are not war weapons that can be produced as quickly as the production line is opened.
In the process of receiving subsequent additional troops, Malashenko also gradually discovered some problems that were not anticipated in advance.
One of the most noteworthy issues is that the newly added grassroots commanders lack too many things, have too many things to learn, and have too many things they don’t understand. Malashenko himself secretly used the simplified Chinese abbreviation
"Three more hairs".
These grassroots commanders transferred from ordinary troops, even from the Guards, have an unavoidable common problem: they do not understand what the integration of arms is. They do not understand how to be a synthetic grassroots commander.
Master and utilize one's own superior technical weapons, not to mention how to combine these technical weapons with military units to create tacit cooperation to improve combat effectiveness.
The only thing they know how to do is to fight according to the old methods, old routines, and old experiences of the past. They also fight like traditional tank divisions and infantry divisions. Their ability to coordinate with infantry and tanks is incredible. As for the coordination of infantry, tank, and artillery,
The synergy of the four tanks and artillery in step by step is even more blinding - it's all for nothing.
Although these people have experience in leading troops and have certain learning abilities and cognitive foundations, they are dedicated to teaching these people a comprehensive set of theoretical knowledge and tactical tactics, starting from the most basic and starting to understand more advanced stuff bit by bit.
, Malashenko still feels like it’s a waste of time just thinking about it, and it really hurts his head.
Instead of teaching these people new things, it is better to find ways to retain what they already have.
Even if you can teach the former, it will be a quick success. Theoretical knowledge that has not been put into practice on the battlefield will cost your life and blood as tuition. The identity of the grassroots commanders determines that not only they themselves will die, but also more
Many soldiers.
Based on all of the above, Malashenko had no intention of risking huge casualties by rushing down the entire Zelo Highlands in one fell swoop.
First capture a "landing ground" to gain a foothold. The captured position will be the starting point for your subsequent offensive to assemble your offensive troops. Starting from here can be compared to climbing up from the middle of the slope where it is difficult to assemble troops, wave by wave.
Support attacks are much stronger.
Of course, this is only one of the reasons. Malashenko actually has an even crazier idea in his mind that he is not yet sure can be put into practice. This still requires the cooperation of the German guys on the opposite side to complete it.