The decisive battle against the Third Reich

In fact, Hitler's two strategic goals, namely Stalingrad and the Caucasus, are ultimately the same goal, which is oil.

Needless to say, attacking the Caucasus region, where there is the Baku Oilfield, the largest oil field in the Soviet Union. Its oil production accounts for 71.5% of the total national oil production of the Soviet Union. It can be said to be the energy center of the Soviet Union.

The attack on Stalingrad was because oil transportation from the Baku oil fields must pass through Stalingrad:

There are two ways of transporting Baku oil fields:

One is rail transportation starting from Baku via Makhachkala and Astrakhan to Stalingrad and then to other places.

The other is to transport the goods from Baku from the Caspian Sea to Astrakhan and then switch to railway or Volga River transportation.

But either way you need to pass through Astrakhan and Stalingrad.

Therefore, as long as Stalingrad is captured and an airport is built, oil transportation from the Soviet Union can be easily blocked.

From this perspective, Hitler could achieve the purpose of blocking Soviet energy by simply occupying Stalingrad.

But Hitler was worried, because of course the Soviet Union was not willing to be blocked by the German army, so there would definitely be a fight between you and me, so Hitler hoped to attack from both sides at the same time...to capture Stalingrad and at the same time capture the Caucasus. Baku Oil Field, this will not only eliminate the Soviet Union's idea of ​​​​competing with it, but also add a large oil field to Germany.

In fact, after Qinchuan discovered an African oil field, Germany has no shortage of oil. The problem is that both Romania and Africa are very far away from the Soviet Union. If there is an oil base in the Caucasus of the Soviet Union, it will save a lot of transportation capacity for the German army's logistics.

"So, Captain!" Manstein spread his hands and asked Qin Chuan: "Can you tell me what you are thinking about now?"

"Caucasus, general!" Qin Chuan replied: "Of course it is the Caucasus!"

After saying that, Qin Chuan stood up and walked to Manstein's desk. Manstein understood, packed up the documents on his desk and spread out the map.

"As I said at the meeting!" Qin Chuan pointed to the map and said: "If we use conventional operations to approach the Caucasus step by step, then even if we win a series of victories, we will eventually end up in two directions... ...That is, the Soviet army's remaining troops along the Taman Peninsula and the Don River defense line are compressed towards the Caucasus Mountains. Such an attack will only be asking for trouble! "

Manstein was silent for a while, and then said: "Captain, what I discuss with you next is not allowed to be leaked to anyone. Even your superiors such as Colonel Slain have no right to know, do you understand?"

"Understood, General!" Qin Chuan replied: "You can trust me!"

"Of course!" Manstein replied: "You are the 'Legendary Sergeant' who has caused big trouble for the British, Americans and Soviets time and time again, so you cannot be their spy. If you are a spy, Then we need spies like you!"

After a pause, Manstein added: "This is the conclusion the Military Intelligence Agency has made about you!"

So Qin Chuan knew that Manstein must have contacted the Military Intelligence Agency before meeting him.

However, it seems that this cannot be blamed on Manstein. After all, Qinchuan and Manstein had just met, and Manstein could not easily trust Qinchuan to discuss military secrets.

"We are not as simple as you think!" Manstein said: "We will invest mountain troops and Brandenburg troops in the Caucasus Mountains. I think you know what the Brandenburg troops do, right?"

"Of course!" Qin Chuan replied.

The Brandenburg Force is a force that can be called a special force formed by Canaris, the director of the German Military Intelligence Bureau... Their main characteristic is to learn the language and habits of the enemy country and disguise themselves as the enemy to infiltrate the enemy. Go to fight.

"This can indeed gain a certain advantage in the Caucasus Mountains!" Qinchuan replied: "But general, this does not mean that our mechanized troops can successfully pass through the Caucasus Mountains and occupy the Baku oil fields!"

"Yes!" Manstein nodded: "This is also what we are worried about. The terrain in the Caucasus is very complex. Our tanks often have to pass through narrow mountain roads with cliffs on both sides, which means... the enemy Just plant an explosive charge on both sides and detonate it, and it will bury us and the tank in the stone!"

Apparently, the Germans conducted detailed reconnaissance of the Caucasus.

In fact, when Germany attacked the Caucasus, it was difficult to move because of a similar dilemma. Even the mountain troops could not ensure that tanks and convoys could pass safely, because the enemy also had artillery and aircraft that could do similar things, and those who were bombed Not only were the Germans unable to fight back, they also needed considerable time and energy to clear the way.

The German army, which is good at using mechanized troops to carry out blitzkrieg, is most afraid of falling into such a quagmire.

"But Captain!" Manstein asked Qin Chuan: "This is inevitable, isn't it?"

"I think it can be avoided!" Qin Chuan said.

"How?" Manstein asked.

"The main force of the Soviets is in the direction of the Don River!" Qin Chuan pointed to the map and said: "The 260,000 troops of the four armies on the Kerch Peninsula mainly fight on the Crimean Peninsula. If we can defeat them... we can escape back. I’m afraid there aren’t many!”

Manstein nodded in agreement. The Soviet troops on the Kerch Peninsula were too dense. Once the defense line was breached, there would be heavy casualties. Although the narrowest point of the Kerch Strait was only 4 kilometers, there were not many soldiers who could swim across four kilometers. many.

"After we occupy the Kerch Peninsula, we will immediately launch an attack on the Taman Peninsula!" Qinchuan pointed at the map and said: "After occupying a foothold on the Taman Peninsula..."

As he spoke, he drew a curve on the sea and said: "Go directly to Novorossiysk, then pass through Tuapse and Sochi. The troops will be divided into two groups to occupy the Caucasus Mountains and cut off all Soviet military routes. All the way along the Black Sea coast and across the Caucasus Mountains, we rushed to the airports, ports and even oil fields and factories behind it!”

Before Qin Chuan could finish speaking, Manstein shook his head repeatedly and said: "No, Captain, this plan is too crazy. You must know that the Soviets have a Black Sea Fleet, and we only have fishing boats. How can we use fishing boats again and again?" A jumping attack along the sea surface is impossible!"

"Of course it's impossible for a fishing boat to do it!" Qin Chuan said: "But what if we have a new type of landing ship? In fact, I'm talking about an amphibious landing ship, which can travel on the sea and also be like a car on the shore. Drive!”