166

Episode 166: Operation Barbarossa (2)

"good! This is the second generation!"

Hartmann, who saw LaGG-3 crashing while emitting gray smoke, burst into laughter.

Just three minutes had passed since the fight began, and he had shot down two enemy planes.

The novice second lieutenant Hartmann, who had shown a foolish side during his first battle and caused the flight commander's concern, was no longer there.

There is only Hartman, a seasoned hunter.

Hartmann, who gained experience by repeating dozens of battles in a short period of a month and a week, has now become an ace pilot for the Luftwaffe, boasting 22 kills.

Just now he shot down two LaGG-3s, bringing his kill score to 24.

-Well done, Hartmann! That's amazing!

"That's too much praise, flight commander. "There is still a long way to go."

Hartmann shook his head in response to the sincere praise of the flight commander, Captain Etmund Rothmann.

Rothman, who had shot down the 41st aircraft, had a habit of saying, half jokingly and half seriously, that Hartmann would surpass him before the first snow fell, as Hartmann woke up in earnest and quickly raised his score.

Hartmann, who was able to go from a novice pilot to a veteran thanks to Rothman's advice and teachings, denied it, saying it was too far in the future, but anyone could see that Hartmann's growth was extraordinary.

Hartmann was the only one whose skills had improved to the point where he surpassed not only his classmates but also his seniors and had a shoot-down battle with the squadron leader.

The Soviet pilots greatly welcomed the LaGG-3, which had an elegant and sophisticated appearance compared to the old biplane I-15 and the I-16, which was nicknamed 'the little one' for its bulky appearance, calling it the 'grand piano'.

The Soviet pilots were happy that they could finally fly a cool-looking fighter jet, but their cheers soon turned into despair.

Contrary to its luxurious appearance, LaGG-3 was a defective product with many problems.

The water-cooled engine mounted on the LaGG-3 had low output and a lifespan of only 25 hours, so it had to be replaced frequently.

The already short lifespan of the engine was further shortened by the recoil of the ShVAK cannon mounted in the middle of the engine, which often resulted in the engine turning off or exploding during flight and causing crashes.

The fact that it was heavy and slow was the worst problem for a fighter plane, and because the center of gravity of the aircraft was tilted forward, the safety of operation was poor.

Even experienced pilots often had accidents during takeoff and landing of the LaGG-3, leading to sarcasm that they were "flying a coffin, not a fighter plane."

Due to many problems, production of the LaGG-3 was discontinued under Stalin's orders, but the pilots of the LaGG-3 already deployed to the front line were forced to fly in 'wooden coffins with warrants' due to the tense war situation.

Hartmann used the Bf109's excellent turning ability to outrun the LaGG-3 that was following him.

While the Soviet pilot, who had lost his target, looked around in confusion, Hartmann, who had entered the enemy plane's blind spot, smiled brightly.

"Goodbye, Ivan!"

The LaGG-3's wings were torn apart by dozens of 20mm cannon rounds, causing it to lose its balance.

Watching the enemy plane spinning like a top and plummeting to the ground, Hartmann carved a stick in chalk on the corner of the dashboard.

With this he shot down three enemy planes.

While a one-sided hunt by German planes was taking place, uninvited guests arrived.

It was a Soviet reinforcement force consisting of MiG-3 and YaK-7.

Hartmann clicked his tongue at the appearance of uninvited guests. This battle is going to be longer than expected.

Fortunately, fuel and ammunition were still stable.

Hartmann rushed at the Yakgi, which had a sickle and hammer symbolizing communism in front of the red star on the fuselage.

Judging by the fact that a sickle and hammer were drawn even on the fuselage, he was not an ordinary fanatic.

The best way to beat a communist is to beat them without giving them a chance to breathe. This was what Göring said when visiting JG 52, to which Hartmann belonged, when he gathered his pilots together.

'His Excellency the President spares no effort in providing support to you. So that you officers can beat the communists even harder. Ah, perhaps none of these people are non-violent?'

'Of course, Your Excellency!'

'good. I look forward to great performances from you guys in the future!'

It seemed like he was a rookie with little experience, and Hartmann's aircraft was right behind him, but he didn't even think about dodging.

That sight reminded Hartmann of his past self.

Even then, he was so preoccupied with attacking the bomber in front of him that he was caught behind by the enemy plane.

The flight leader, Captain Rothman, helped me out, so if I were to mess up, he would have ended up in trouble too.

Although he was a proud ace now, Hartmann never once forgot the mistakes he made in the past.

Catching an enemy plane from behind, piloted by a rookie pilot, was like eating a piece of cake while lying down.

As the autocannon roared, the Yak plane, which had holes in its tail and fuselage, rushed toward the ground at an oblique angle.

At this time, the canopy opened and the pilot jumped out.

Hartmann, who was following the pilot who jumped out of the aircraft, smiled involuntarily when he saw the parachute flower unfold.

"Gain experience like me in the future, comrade."

***

"What on earth are you talking about?!"

Zhukov screamed at his adjutant without realizing it.

His voice, which looked as if he was scared, was trembling so that everyone could tell.

"The fascists broke through the Stalin line... .. Hua, is this solid information?"

"Yes, comrade. Just-"

"Kaunas has fallen!"

As if to confirm that the adjutant's words were true, news came that Kaunas had just fallen into German hands.

The Stalin Line has been breached.

And that in just one day.

Zhukov, who studied the mistakes that led to the defeat of the French army, which blindly believed in the Maginot Line, deployed a large number of troops to the southern front and relatively few troops to the Stalin Line to avoid repeating the same mistake as the French army.

Among them, troops were mainly deployed to areas where the construction of defensive lines was less complete, and troops were not deployed separately to areas where positions were established.

This decision was made because, based on common sense, it was thought that the Germans would select and attack only vulnerable areas with less well-established defense lines.

Who, without going crazy, would force troops into a well-constructed defense line with concrete positions and trenches?

However, Manstein, whom he was dealing with, overturned everyone's expectations and attacked the areas where defense lines had been established.

Immediately after being previously destroyed by seismic bombs and train artillery.

The place where the enemy is most off guard is the most vulnerable.

Therefore, regardless of the means and methods, we will mobilize all means to destroy the defense line and then push in with all our might.

Manstein's strategy caught the Soviet army off guard and caused a great success for the German army and a catastrophe for the Soviet army.

"The Brest Fortress is under siege. Requesting support!"

"The Germans are attacking Lwów! "The 12th Rifle Division was destroyed, and contact with the 29th Mechanized Division was lost!"

"The Korbel outer defense line is under attack!"

"Lutsk has been attacked!"

Within an hour of the news that Kaunas had fallen, follow-up reports arrived one after another.

70% of the Soviet Air Force's fighter planes that had launched sorties to slow down the German army's advance even slightly failed to return.

One squadron lost 90% of its pilots in a single sortie and was declared destroyed and disbanded.

Amid a torrent of retreats, destruction, loss of communication, and reports calling for support, Zhukov and Tymoshenko desperately tried to stabilize the situation.

The German army's advance was so rapid that the strategy of deploying reserve forces to drive out the enemy and fill the holes in the defense line could not be used.

The Stalin Line had to be abandoned now. However, Zhukov and Tymoshenko's opinions later clashed over how to use these troops.

Tymoshenko argued that the troops stationed on the Stalin Line should be withdrawn to the rear as much as possible before they are surrounded by the enemy, while Zhukov argued that it was already too late to retreat and that the troops should be used to flank the German army.

They say that only then can we slow down the enemy's advance and save our troops who are in danger of being surrounded.

"Comrade Marshal."

The major, whose face was as white as a sheet of paper, approached with his legs shaking.

The two people who were on the verge of arguing with each other turned their heads at the same time without even knowing who was first.

"I received a call from Comrade Secretary General."

A call from Comrade Secretary General. The two people's faces hardened at those words.

"… "Excuse me."

Tymoshenko staggered out of his seat and ran to answer the secretary's phone call.

When he picked up the phone, I could hear him swallowing.

"Yes, Comrade Secretary."

-Comrade Tymoshenko. I just received the report.

Stalin asked with a voice full of impatience.

-Is it true that the Stalin Line was breached?

"… ..It's true, comrade."

Stalin did not answer for a while. One second felt like an hour.

Tymoshenko stood there holding the receiver, wondering what the secretary's silence meant.

When the arm holding the receiver went numb, Stalin opened his mouth again.

-What's the situation like?

"Not good. Kaunas fell, Brest was besieged, and the Germans advanced as far as Lwów and Kobel. The troops still deployed on the Stalin Line are ordered to retreat... ."

-Are you out of your mind, comrade?

"yes?"

-Do you not think that if even the troops on the defensive line are pushed back, the Germans will push in? Retreat is unacceptable. Bring in the reserves and drive out the Germans.

"But comrade, it is-"

Just as Tymoshenko was about to make a rebuttal, Stalin warned him in a colder voice than before.

-Please tell Comrade Zhukov as well. This is the last warning. I definitely said it was the last time.

The phone was disconnected.

***

When Tymoshenko returned, Zhukov was smoking a cigarette.

"What did Comrade Secretary General say?"

Tymoshenko's stern face looked as Zhukov asked, crushing a cigarette in the ashtray.

"You gave the order to shoot."

"Comrade, what do you mean? "It's an order to shoot."

"You did not allow the troops deployed on the Stalin Line to retreat. They say that the moment those troops are pushed back, the Stalin Line will fall into the hands of the Germans. "Our mission is to deploy reserve forces and drive the Germans beyond the Stalin Line."

"That is impossible, comrade! Don't you know it too? "Now all we have left is retreat-"

"Why did someone who knew that say before that anything was possible!"

Tymoshenko slammed the table, causing the pen to tumble to the floor.

"We have no choice. This is the last time! If you refuse orders even here, it will be the end for you and me, the end! Do you understand what I mean?"

"… .."

As Tymoshenko said, they already had no choice.

If they follow orders, the two will survive. The troops deployed on the Stalin Line will be surrounded without a move.

If the order is disobeyed, the Stalin Line's troops will barely escape captivity and will be of great help in stopping the German army.

However, the two will no longer be able to command them. Let alone command, I was fortunate to have survived.

Stalin was a man who always kept his word. He was especially pathological when it came to matters related to human life.

He made sure to kill whoever he decided to kill.

Zhukov felt a headache and barely shifted his gaze to the map. Dozens of divisions he wanted to bring to the rear were close to the Stalin Line.

As soon as the Secretary General's order was given, all those troops had to give up. A large army of as many as 460,000 people.

Moreover, those troops were not just random idiots who were randomly conscripted and given guns in order to increase the number, but were elite troops who had been trained for several months or up to several years.

The mere fact of having to give up all of them made Zhukov feel sick.

'What happened to the Red Army of the world…? .'

***

July 1, 1942

Wolfsschanze, East Prussia, Germany

"No retreat?"

"Yes, Mr. President. According to the enemy radio intercepted by our troops, an order to fire was given to the enemy forces on the Stalin Line."

I don't understand.

There is a hole in the defense line, and the enemy is pouring in through the hole and rushing to the rear, but the order is to hold the defense line to the end.

It was something that did not make sense.

Even the stupidest commander would know that if the front line collapses, they must withdraw as many troops as possible.

Nevertheless, leaving them tied down in the defensive line was tantamount to saying that they would not care whether the troops were surrounded or not.

"When I first heard it, I thought it might have been misrepresented. But I checked and it was true. Thanks to you, I laughed happily for the first time in a while, hahaha."

With a big smile on his face, Manstein showed a document recording the enemy's radio transmission that he had intercepted.

Only after seeing that could I believe that Manstein's words were true.

"Huh, that's ridiculous. No retreat, something that even a cadet would not do... ."

"Since they are so stupid, wouldn't they have dared to start a war with Germany? Anyway, isn't that a good thing for us? "My guys have tied their arms and legs, so all you have to do is be careful not to get bitten by their teeth and kick them in the groin."

Manstein smiled as if he enjoyed just imagining how to cook the Soviet army.

Since the enemies said they would stay on their own feet, it was like he was wasting his time.

All we have to do is run eastward as hard as we can and get behind the enemies while the enemy continues to hold on to the now useless defense line.

According to a report by the National Defense Force, the number of troops deployed in the Stalin Line area is 460,000. Although tens of thousands of people may have decreased in the breakthrough process, the fact that it is still an enormous army does not change.

However, due to a single command from the gunner whose intention was unclear, they ended up like rats caught in a trap.

"What is the situation on the southern front?"

"We are still in a standoff, but the Stalin Line has been breached, so we will not be able to hold out for long. As soon as they start moving north! "I plan to rush forward and crush the enemies with all my might."

Luftwaffe bombers are already flying out every day, destroying all bridges and railways.

Even the Soviet military lacks oil. The amount of fuel that was imported from the US and UK would have greatly reduced or evaporated by now.

There was an order to hold fire and not retreat after breaking through the Stalin Line, and there was a fuel shortage.

As Manstein said, the Soviet army had tied up its own limbs.

Stalin's trolling, which played a huge role in the advance of the German army throughout history, was being repeated here as well.