Minus 22 degrees Celsius is a terrifying temperature that can freeze people to death in the ice and snow without enough warm clothing.
Recalling the temperature of minus 8 degrees stated in yesterday morning's report, Guderian felt an inexplicable desolation in his heart and had no other choice but to lament the power of the cold wave in the Soviet Union.
"How many winter clothes does your division have now? Tell me the exact number."
Facing Guderian's question again, Colonel Schwerner, who had already prepared relevant answers in his mind, did not hesitate at all this time.
"The last time I received cold winter clothes was three days ago, and the quantity was only a pitiful 80 sets. I asked the logistics officer responsible for escorting supplies why there were only so many winter clothes, and the logistics officer gave me a wry smile.
It’s quite ironic.”
"At least 80 people will not freeze to death in this damn Russian ice and snow. Isn't this a happy thing? Colonel Schwerner. We can't decide our future destiny, but the difference is how we use it.
It’s just a matter of mentality to accept it.”
Listening to the ringing in his ears, Colonel Schwerner spoke, but in his mind he couldn't help but recall the heroic declaration of "let the soldiers warm up in Moscow for the winter" made by the head of state at the army group combat meeting.
Guderian, who also felt that the logistics officer's words were very ironic, never spoke again.
Guderian, who walked all the way through the snow to the outside of the village, soon saw with his own eyes the two sentinels who were freezing. The two trembling bodies were shivering in the cold wind. Even after seeing them,
Guderian still found it difficult to straighten his back when he saluted.
"Separate some of your division's winter clothes for the sentries on guard to wear in turn, Schwaner. Such clothes will freeze them to death at their posts."
After hearing Guderian's silent words, Colonel Schwerner just nodded slightly to show his understanding. Last night, the man who drank the captured vodka to keep away the cold fell drunk at the sentry post. He had not been able to sleep all night.
It was known that the body of the sentry who had frozen to death in the snow was buried in a snowdrift not far from the village entrance. This kind of thing was obviously not something that could be told to the worried-looking Guderian at this time.
Guderian raised his hand in return and patted the shoulders of the two sentries to encourage him. He then continued to move forward, walked into the courtyard of the small house in front of him, and stretched out his arms to push open the half-hidden door.
The wooden door was open, and the people who were sitting around the pit fire to warm themselves up against the cold had blank eyes and were obviously unprepared for Guderian's arrival.
Looking at the bewildered soldiers in front of them, more than half of whom were wearing Soviet cold-proof coats and fur hats, they could only barely distinguish them through the cap badge, which was obviously cut out and then embedded in the fur hats for the second time.
These people in front of him were not Soviet troops but German troops. Guderian would have been furious when he saw this scene in the summer, but now he was no longer in the mood to get angry.
"How did the war situation develop to this point? Just a month ago, I was full of confidence in capturing Moscow. Do we really want to repeat Napoleon's disastrous defeat in Moscow?"
Guderian, who was in a terrible mood, stayed in the room for less than thirty seconds before turning around and leaving, leaving behind the "Soviet soldiers" who were sitting around the fire pit holding dry bread cubes, preparing to boil water for breakfast.
"The soldiers looked confused.
"Who was that person next to the division commander just now? Damn it, why do I look like General Guderian? Is it because I didn't wake up or was it because I was dazzled?"
"It doesn't matter who it is anymore. They're all gone anyway. Frek, your water is boiling. Take it off the fire!"
In his ears, he could vaguely distinguish the vague words coming from the hut behind him. Guderian, who did not make any comment on this, turned his face to Colonel Schwerner next to him again.
"Why can those inside the house wear captured Russian coats, while the sentries standing guard outside only have our own autumn clothes to keep out the cold?"
Faced with Guderian's obvious emotional questioning, Major Schwerner, who was quite embarrassed and smiled sadly, had no choice but to tell the truth.
"This is the front line, General Guderian. The nearest Russian position to us is only seven kilometers away. If even the sentries on duty wear captured Russian army coats, this will cause a big problem.
, if possible, I really hope they can wear these bloody clothes taken from the dead."
Guderian, who was just asking questions and didn't think about these battlefield factors at all, couldn't help but be silent for a while after hearing these words. The facts were exactly as Colonel Schwerner said. If even the sentries on duty on the front line were wearing Soviet uniforms
That's when a big mess will really happen.
What Guderian didn't know, as he continued walking in the village towards the division headquarters not far away, was that a winter raid in the ice and snow was about to begin just a dozen kilometers away in the suburbs.
The sudden heavy snowfall and cold wave weather in the past few days have caused the originally sharp German front-line group to lose its original offensive energy and was forced to temporarily anchor and rest to wait for the arrival of replenishment of winter supplies.
The German army, which was stuck in the field defensive position and no longer responded to any attacks, switched from offense to defense, which was undoubtedly a good thing for the Soviet army, which was already almost overwhelmed.
Zhukov, who holds the abundant troops that have just arrived from Siberia and has sufficient capital to make a bold move on the local front, is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Once the German army stops advancing, it will be the Western Front under Zhukov's command.
When doing something, the first goal is to remove those German salients that penetrated deep into the Soviet defense hinterland and were embedded in it like nails.
"Did you see something? Sasha."
"You see, there are a total of thirteen Germans standing guard around the village. They are as cold as mice. You should really see what these Nazis look like now."
Wearing white camouflage uniforms and lurking in the snow, two Soviet soldiers stood close to each other. The Soviet soldiers, holding binoculars in their hands and observing the situation on the outskirts of this small village occupied by the German army, looked very excited.
"In addition to soldiers, have you seen any German tanks or anti-tank guns? Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko clearly instructed us to first find out where these things are deployed in the village."
Hearing the whispered words in his ears, the Soviet soldiers continued to quietly move the telescope in their hands to scan privately. The Soviet soldiers who were looking down at the entire village on the hillside without any valuable targets immediately spoke again.