Anti-Japanese War: My equipment is infinitely refreshed

As a result, the chief of staff revealed a mysterious smile and said: "There is no problem. The equipment is not only not outdated, but very advanced. The current 43rd Army can be said to be our fist force." His eyes revealed a hint of excitement and expectation, as if he saw the scene of the 43rd Army showing its prowess on the battlefield.

"What do you mean?" Model was a little confused and asked with a puzzled look on his face. He was confused by the chief of staff's words and didn't understand why the 43rd Army suddenly became a fist force.

"Take a look for yourself. This is the equipment list that has been sent to us." The chief of staff handed over a list without further explanation.

Model took the list, his eyes widened, he swallowed unconsciously, and said in disbelief: "Oh my God, is this true? There are armored vehicles, all the latest models? There are also self-propelled anti-tank destroyers?" His voice was full of surprise and joy. He did not expect that the 43rd Army would get such advanced equipment.

"Isn't this an armored grenadier division? Why is it renamed a mechanized infantry division?" Model asked in confusion. He was somewhat puzzled by the organization and naming of the troops, and didn't understand why the armored grenadier division was renamed a mechanized infantry division.

"Oh my God, if I had known there were such good weapons and equipment, I would have ordered the 255th, 267th, 293rd Infantry Divisions and the 286th Guards Division to re-equip themselves." Model was completely confused. He regretted that he did not ask about the situation clearly at the time. He thought it was just an ordinary reorganization, but he did not expect that a main force would be sent directly to him.

Originally, the combat effectiveness of the 43rd Army was average, slightly stronger than the second line but weaker than the first line, and he had always used it as a reserve force.

"It seems that the 43rd Army has become the main force. They will be sent to the battlefield in the next battle." Model said with a wry smile. At the same time, a bold idea flashed through his mind: "Maybe we should launch a counterattack."

He began to plan a specific counterattack plan in his mind, thinking about how to take advantage of the 43rd Army's powerful equipment to catch the Soviets off guard. He imagined the 43rd Army rushing towards the Soviet positions like a steel torrent on the battlefield and defeating the enemy.

He envisioned various possible situations, including the Soviet response, the terrain of the battlefield, and the impact of weather, and strived to develop a perfect counterattack plan.

The troops led by Marshal Model were already exhausted after a long battle and attrition, their supplies were almost exhausted, and their morale was low.

However, the supplies that Speer had gone to great lengths to deliver were like a timely rain, injecting new vitality and vigor into Model's troops.

Model knew very well that this was a crucial opportunity to turn the tide of the war, and if missed, the consequences would be disastrous.

He immediately summoned his generals, and in the dim command center, with the help of flickering candlelight, they carried out intensive and careful pre-war deployment on the large battle map.

His eyes revealed determination and resoluteness, and his fingers moved slowly on the map, elaborating on the details of each battle plan.

After repeated discussions and demonstrations, the counterattack plan was finally finalized, and a thrilling battle was about to break out.

At the beginning of the counterattack, the German army was unstoppable.

Under the cover of powerful firepower from advanced weapons, the German soldiers rushed towards the Soviet positions like hungry wolves.

Model's carefully planned tactics played a huge role. The German army cleverly used the terrain and adopted a roundabout tactic to successfully break through the Soviet army's first line of defense.

The battlefield was filled with smoke and the sound of gunfire was deafening. The morale of the German army was greatly boosted and they advanced rapidly all the way.

During the fierce exchange of fire, many Soviet troops were divided and surrounded by the German army. The German army took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack and wiped out a large number of Soviet troops.

For a time, the battlefield was littered with Soviet corpses and the ground was dyed red with blood.

However, the Soviet army is, after all, an army with strong combat effectiveness and tenacious will.

After a brief panic, the Soviet army quickly calmed down and began to organize a counterattack.

Relying on their rich combat experience, the Soviet commanders quickly understood the German tactical intentions and decisively adjusted their deployment.

They urgently dispatched elite troops from the rear to launch a counter-encirclement of the German army.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the Soviet tank troops rushed towards the German positions like a steel torrent. The powerful impact made the German soldiers feel unprecedented pressure.

As the Soviet counterattack gradually unfolded, the situation on the battlefield changed dramatically.

The German army, which had originally held the upper hand, was now surrounded by the Soviet army.

The German offensive momentum was completely curbed and the soldiers began to panic.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the German commander also began to lead by example, allowing the German soldiers to regain their morale and fight a desperate battle with the Soviet army.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle for positions, and every inch of land had to be fought over repeatedly.

The situation on the battlefield changed rapidly. Sometimes the German army had the upper hand, and sometimes the Soviet army regained lost ground.

Both sides paid a heavy price, but neither side showed any intention of backing down.

The battle entered a white-hot stage. Soldiers on both sides were blood-thirsty and the battlefield was filled with a suffocating bloody atmosphere.

As the sky darkened, the battle continued.

Model knew that if this continued, the German army would be in a desperate situation.

He had to re-examine the situation on the battlefield and think about the next battle plan.

The Soviet army was also stepping up its offensive, trying to wipe out the surrounded German troops in one fell swoop.

The sky of Moscow was covered with thick leaden clouds, and the biting cold wind was like a ferocious beast, rampaging through the streets and alleys of the city.

The atmosphere in the Kremlin's conference room was as solemn as the weather outside, so depressing that it made people feel breathless.

The bearded Stalin was sitting in front of the huge desk, holding a cigarette in his hand. The light smoke swirled in front of his face, but it could not hide the deep worry and furrowed brow on his face.

Not long ago, he had just heard a shocking report - a large number of advanced weapons and equipment suddenly appeared on the battlefield of the German army. The quantity and power of these weapons were beyond everyone's imagination.

At first, Stalin did not take the matter seriously.

After all, in wartime, the development and deployment of new weapons is an almost annual occurrence.

Moreover, the situation of the Soviet Red Army on the front line was relatively good at that time, and the balance of victory seemed to be gradually tilting towards them.

Therefore, he thought it was just a routine military escalation of the German army and would not have much impact on the overall situation. However, when he received an urgent telegram from Marshal Zhukov, he realized that the seriousness of the matter was far beyond his imagination.

In his telegram, Zhukov described in detail the brutal conditions of the latest battle: the Soviet Red Army encountered unprecedentedly tenacious resistance from the German army in this large-scale counterattack.

The power of those new weapons cost the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army a heavy price.

After several days of fierce fighting, the Soviet Red Army not only failed to achieve any substantial results, but also suffered heavy losses - the number of casualties exceeded 100,000, and more than 2,000 tanks were lost.

Although the Soviet Union's T-34 tank production had increased significantly at this time, such huge consumption also put the Soviet Union's military resources to a severe test.

"Another large number of new weapons? And they are more advanced than the last time." Stalin looked at the contents of the telegram and said irritably, his voice revealing an anger and anxiety that was difficult to conceal.

"Yes, Comrade Leader. This time our large-scale counterattack was once again defeated by the German army's advanced weapons." The secretary stood aside and answered expressionlessly.

His voice was calm, but behind the calmness there was a deep worry.

After hearing the secretary's answer, Stalin's expression became even uglier.

He suddenly pressed the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray and shouted in a bad tone: "Damn it, what on earth is the intelligence department for? Why did the German army suddenly have such advanced weapons, but there was no news at all? A bunch of rubbish!"

In Stalin's furious state, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

The officer in charge of intelligence stood in the corner, trembling all over, with cold sweat on his forehead. He was filled with fear and grievance, and he wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start.

Do you mean to say that you haven't received any news about new weapons?
But the disastrous defeat on the front line was right in front of him, which made him feel extremely desperate and helpless.

"It seems that the intelligence department needs to send people to reorganize it. Otherwise, in the next counterattack, we will be caught off guard by the German army's new weapons and suffer heavy losses." Stalin muttered to himself.

Although this sentence was not spoken loudly, it was like a bombshell, causing a stir in the conference room.

When the officer in charge of intelligence heard this, his face instantly turned pale as paper, his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

"Comrade great leader, I, I..." The officer in charge of intelligence stammered and tried to explain, but his mind was blank and he had no idea what to say.

"Okay, go and deal with it." Stalin glanced at him and said lightly. His eyes revealed a kind of disappointment and helplessness, as if he had lost confidence in this intelligence officer.

"Yes!" The officer in charge of intelligence breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been pardoned.

At the same time, he secretly swore in his heart that this time he must reorganize the intelligence department and never let such a thing happen again.

"Why do you think it failed?" Stalin said to himself, his eyes looking at the snow-covered city outside the window. He seemed to be asking his secretary, but also seemed to be asking himself.

"Comrade Leader, why don't we invite Marshal Zhukov to come and ask him?" the secretary suggested cautiously. His voice was very soft, but it was particularly clear in the quiet meeting room.

After listening to his secretary, Stalin nodded and said, "You are right."

Soon, an urgent telegram was sent to the front line. After receiving the telegram, Marshal Zhukov immediately put down his work and rushed back to Moscow without stopping.

When he walked into the Kremlin conference room, he saw Stalin's serious and angry expression.

"Don't we have powerful armored forces and a large number of Katyusha rocket artillery units? We even have a million guerrillas in the enemy-occupied areas to assist us in fighting. How come we still can't destroy the German army? We were even counterattacked by the German army twice?" Stalin looked at Zhukov and asked angrily.

His voice was full of doubt and confusion, as if he was questioning why Zhukov let this happen.

"Why do we have such a powerful army, and even the Allies are continuously replenishing our military supplies, but we still cannot defeat the weakened German army?" Stalin immediately asked another question, his eyes fixed on Zhukov, as if trying to find the answer from his face.

Faced with Stalin's series of questions, Zhukov fell into silence.

His heart was filled with pain and self-blame, and he didn't know what he should or shouldn't say.

He knew very well that this failure had brought huge losses to the Soviet Red Army and had also caused Stalin to question him.

Looking at the silent Zhukov, Stalin sighed, and then softened his tone a little and asked, "Tell me how many casualties there are."

Stalin was reluctant to scold Zhukov, his trusted and beloved general.

After all, in the past war years, Zhukov had commanded many key battles for him. It was thanks to Zhukov's outstanding command that the Soviet Red Army won victory after victory and achieved the current situation.

"About 110,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, 2,300 tanks were destroyed, more than 1,500 artillery pieces were blown up, and there were countless trucks and other equipment." Zhukov lowered his head and answered frankly.

His voice was full of guilt and helplessness, as if he was admitting his failure to Stalin.

"Why have we lost so many troops and weapons and equipment?" Stalin roared angrily when he heard the number.

He really couldn't understand why they suffered such heavy losses despite having such a strong military force.

"I'm sorry, Comrade Leader, please punish me. It's all my command error. I didn't expect there would be so many advanced weapons and equipment this time." Zhukov said helplessly.

His face was full of pain and self-blame. He felt that he had let down Stalin's trust and the expectations of all the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army.

"There will definitely be punishment, otherwise how can we give an explanation to those soldiers who died." Stalin took two puffs of his cigarette and said slowly, "But what we need to do now is to find out what the German army's new weapons are, where they were produced, and how much they were produced. Only by understanding these can we find a way to deal with them."

Zhukov nodded; he understood what Stalin meant.

In war, intelligence is the key to victory. Only by understanding the enemy's weapons and equipment can an effective combat plan be formulated.

"Comrade Leader, what is the next strategy?" Zhukov asked.

He knew that under the current situation, the next strategic plan must be formulated as soon as possible, otherwise the Soviet Red Army would fall into a more passive situation. (End of this chapter)