209

Episode 209: Battle of Moscow (10)

"It's the Germans!"

"Shoot, shoot!"

As the Germans poured in, Zhukov gave the order to open fire. He himself carried a PPSh-41 and fired at the Germans.

For the first time since the Red-White Civil War, bullets were exchanged directly with the enemy on the front line.

It was not common for a general, even a general, to fight directly with his soldiers on the front line, holding a submachine gun.

But now that the German army had invaded the capital, the differences in class were meaningless. There is only a difference between those who surrender and those who want to fight.

Zhukov, who had already used up one magazine, cursed and replaced it with the next magazine. Even though I fired short bursts, the magazine was soon empty.

"It's a tank!"

"Shoot!"

The ZiS-3 located on the first floor fired at the Panther, but the armor-piercing bullet bounced off the Panther's gun mantlet.

The shell that bounced flew to the right and destroyed a Soviet machine gun emplacement.

The gunner fired his cannon aimed at the bottom of the Panther's body, but this time it did not work.

Soon, the Panther's gunner fired white phosphorus shells and set the anti-tank artillery on fire.

Anti-tank artillerymen died in pain as their skin was burned by white phosphorus.

The anti-tank rifles spewed fire, but there was no way anti-tank rifles would work since even the anti-tank guns didn't work.

Even when fired from the side, the Panther's 50mm side armor easily protected against the PTRD-41's 14.5×114mm armor-piercing bullets.

"Eat this, you fascist pigs!"

A Molotov cocktail was thrown from the window and landed on the Panther's engine room.

The soldier who threw the Molotov cocktail was soon hit by a bullet and fell from the window, but the Molotov cocktail he threw succeeded in neutralizing the Panther.

As the fire spread throughout the engine, the tank crew abandoned the tank and escaped.

But soon another Panther appeared and fired its main cannon and machine gun. With the support of the Panthers, the infantry infiltrated the first floor.

The soldier carrying the Flamenwerfer 41 spewed flames, burning alive the wounded soldiers who were unable to evacuate.

Soldiers covered in high-temperature flames died instantly without even having a chance to feel pain.

"grenade! "Bring the grenades!"

"Block the stairs! "Don't let them come up!"

"ammunition!"

Zhukov felt that the end was approaching. Desperate voices calling for ammunition were heard everywhere.

"Comrade Captain. "This is the last magazine."

"Is there anything else?"

The adjutant shook his head. The magazine in his hand now was the last magazine. Zhukov replaced the magazine with the feeling that his bones were being cut.

He still had a pistol at his waist, but after using it up, he no longer had any weapons in his hands.

Zhukov ran to the place where the gunshots were heard, determined to use at least the dead German soldier's gun when that time came.

"Kaaaaaaah!!!"

A grenade thrown by the Germans exploded, knocking three or four soldiers to the ground. The bloodied soldier struggled, flailing his arm, his wrist blown off.

As several German soldiers came up the stairs, Zhukov shot Pepesha (PPSh-41's nickname). Enemy soldiers fell down in rows with bullet holes in their backs.

"There are enemies on the left, on the left too!"

"Don't back down! Shoot!"

A grenade was thrown, and there was heavy drinking and screaming. The Soviet army fought tenaciously, but the German army did not back down either.

Rather, as the damage increased, they attacked even more fiercely, as if to see who would win.

"Don't shoot! "I surrender!"

In the midst of a hectic gunfight, several soldiers who had lost their will to fight threw away their weapons and raised their hands.

There was one ensign, one soldier, and one female medic. Then Zhukov's submachine gun burst into flames and knocked them to the ground.

"You cowards! "You fucking idiots!"

After executing the traitors himself, Zhukov ran out of bullets, threw the now useless PPSh-41 on the floor and pulled out his pistol.

After confirming that Tokarev was loaded, he aimed the gun forward, when a huge shock came from the left.

The shock wave created when the grenade fired by Panther hit the outer wall of the Kremlin, causing Zhukov to fall about 3 meters.

It was difficult to even breathe, let alone get up, because my entire body felt like I had been hit with a hammer.

I could not see at all from my left eye, and my vision in my right eye deteriorated rapidly. Blood pooled in my eyes and the whole world seemed red.

"Oh my god, damn it…"

"Great, Comrade Captain!"

Soldiers hurriedly rushed over and helped Zhukov. He was now having a hard time even getting up on his feet.

At that time, German soldiers appeared in front.

The SS major, wearing an officer's cap instead of a stahlhelm, stepped back and fired his MP38. Zhukov was not hit by a bullet, but the soldiers supporting him were.

Zhukov, who had fallen, could not see things clearly because his vision was blurred. He relied on his senses to grab the gun that had fallen on the floor.

But before the gun could reach his hand, a bullet pierced him between the eyes.

"uh? SS Major Piper, take a look at this."

"What is that?"

"This guy gets 5 stars."

At her subordinate's words, Piper looked down at the corpse of the enemy soldier she had just shot. Five stars attached to the collar.

Plus a wide forehead and a nearly square chin.

"I guess this guy is Zhukov."

"Hey, we caught a red bean!"

"It's a reward, a reward!"

The soldiers screamed in excitement when they realized that the enemy they had defeated was a captain.

But the battle is not over yet. The gunshots coming from all over were the evidence.

"Let's think about it after the battle is over. You two, stay here and watch over this guy. Don't let other guys take it and say they killed it."

"yes!"

"Now, the rest of you, follow me. Victory is just around the corner!"

"Sieg Heil!"

***

20 minutes after Zhukov's death,

The Hakenkreuz flag was hoisted on the rooftop of the Kremlin Grand Palace.

In 1812, 130 years after the Kremlin was occupied by Napoleon's French troops, the Kremlin fell into foreign hands again.

However, even though the Kremlin was occupied, this did not mean that the entire Moscow area was occupied by the German army.

Most of central Moscow was controlled by German forces, but some eastern areas were still undergoing fierce fighting between German and Soviet forces.

Soviet troops remained in the Moscow underground station and continued resistance.

The remaining forces of the Soviet Army, led by a handful of remaining armored forces, made a desperate attempt to escape.

While the rearguard units sacrificed their lives to block the German advance, the remnants of the 3rd Shock Army attempted to escape with wounded soldiers and civilians on tanks.

"Advance! "Don't stop!"

Vasilevsky personally boarded the T-34-85, which was in the lead, and led the escape operation. In the face of the Soviet army's desperate attack led by tanks, the German army's siege was lifted, even if only for a moment.

"The siege has been broken!"

"There is no time! "Full speed!"

"Keep running until you run out of fuel!"

But hope did not last long. Soon, the German army blocked the Soviet army's escape procession with armored units.

They were so desperate that they couldn't keep up with the Soviets, but the Germans also had no reason to let go of all the game they had caught.

Led by the Panther, Panzer IV, and Hatcher, the German army poured all its firepower into the flanks of the Soviet army.

The Puma's 50mm main gun and the reconnaissance armored vehicle's 20mm autocannon opened fire, splitting the ranks of the escaping Soviet troops.

The SU-203, which had been hit on the side by a shell from Panzer 4, caused a huge explosion, cutting the formation in half.

Trucks carrying soldiers and refugees were caught in the explosion of SU-203, and the rearguard units had no choice but to stop as the road was blocked with debris and corpses.

The lead unit, which was advancing relentlessly, also encountered strong resistance from the German army.

The T-34 with Vasilevsky on board encountered a Panther. The Panther struck first, but the shell missed and hit the T-34 that was following.

Although it was a disaster for the rear tank crews and the soldiers on board the tank, it was a valuable opportunity for Vasilevsky and his crew.

"superior! "Shoot the side of the hull!"

The Panther in front of me had only the turret turned, exposing the side of the hull.

Taking advantage of the opportunity the driver had to stop the tank, the gunner aimed at the Panther's body and stepped on the launch pedal.

The Panther, which had been hit by an 85mm shell on the side of its hull, was no longer moving. Just as Vasilevsky was about to shout his joy, Panzer No. 4 appeared behind the Panther.

The moment a flash of light came out from the muzzle of Tank No. 4, a heavy vibration shook the tank.

When Vasilevsky came to his senses again, the escape unit he led was breathing its last breath.

Most of the tanks were destroyed or were in the process of being destroyed, and the soldiers and refugees were exposed to grenades and machine guns and were devastated.

As it seemed impossible to escape, the number of soldiers taking their own lives increased.

A captain detonated a grenade, shattering his hands and head, and a soldier, whose legs were blown off by the explosion, put the muzzle of the PPS-42 in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Except for Vasilevsky, the other crew members were no longer of this world.

The driver and radio operator were killed instantly when the armor-piercing shell penetrated the hull, and the gunner and ammunition operator were killed when fragments penetrated their heart and head.

Vasilevsky tried to escape from the tank swept by the iron storm by moving his body, but at the slightest movement, a pinprick pain struck his body.

Even breathing was painful as the broken ribs from the previous impact pierced my lungs.

"······Fuck it."

Does that mean I'm here too?

Isn't it a very sad end to think that the end of a long life is to die while hearing the sound of our allies dying on the battlefield?

Of course, considering the millions of nameless soldiers who met an even more gruesome end on the battlefield, this complaint may be nothing more than a complaint.

Vasilevskiy endured the pain and took Tokarev out of his holster.

There was a possibility that the pistol had broken due to the impact a little while ago, but on the outside it seemed fine.

He put the muzzle of Tokarev's gun to his chin and closed his eyes. And he pulled the trigger with the last of his strength.

***

November 4, 1942

Yeromenko's troops, who resisted until the end, eventually raised the white flag.

As conditions for surrender, Yeromenko demanded humane treatment for all prisoners and the safety of himself and his staff.

Bork accepted, and Yeromenko surrendered.

Yeromenko, who surrendered and appeared at the German military headquarters, traveled around downtown Moscow at Bork's request and announced the news of the surrender.

Since there were still troops throughout Moscow who had not yet heard the news of the surrender due to loss of contact with their superiors, it was necessary to inform them of the news of the surrender directly.

"Soldiers of the Red Army in Moscow and citizens of Moscow. The comrades have remained loyal to Comrade General Secretary and have continued the excellent fight in Moscow despite limited support.

But further resistance is meaningless. Order to stop fighting immediately. With each hour of fighting that continues, the suffering of Moscow's citizens and the wounded only increases. Through an agreement with the German military high command, our forces officially declared surrender. Therefore, I order the fighting to stop immediately."

Immediately after Yeromenko's surrender speech was broadcast throughout Moscow, the soldiers who had been fighting alone in isolation also laid down their guns one by one.

He then raised his hands and became a prisoner of the German army.

November 5th

Bock, commander of German Army Group Center, declared a cessation of all hostilities in Moscow.

With this, the Siege of Moscow ended with 1.24 million casualties and prisoners taken by both Germany and the Soviet Union.

***

November 9, 1942

Soviet Moscow

The sight of downtown Moscow, swept by a storm of iron and fire, was noticeably different from what we saw in January.

It was an eerie sight that made you feel like you were in a very large cemetery.

The Kremlin Palace, which boasted a magnificent exterior, St. Basil's Cathedral, and Lenin's Mausoleum, all suffered significant damage due to the battle.

Naturally, the road had also suffered considerable damage from the fighting, so the car shook several times on the way to the Kremlin.

On top of that, heavy snow was falling from the sky, and aside from poor visibility, snow quickly piled up on my hat and shoulders.

"Mr. President? "Aren't you cold?"

asked the driver, SS Lieutenant Colonel Erich Kempka. Snow had already accumulated centimeters on his military cap.

"It's okay. "I wore a coat and an ushanka."

"I'm wondering if you're okay with your eyes still closed. Would you like to move into the car right now?"

"That's it, that's enough. Let's keep going like this. "Wouldn't it look unsightly to change cars when we're not far from the Kremlin?"

I said it nicely, but in truth, I was regretting it immensely.

Kempka recommended riding a Kübelwagen or Schwimmwagen, which is smaller and more compact than the Mercedes-Benz W31 he usually drives, but has a tarp ceiling to block snow.

But I insisted on driving the Mercedes because I wanted to leave a stronger impression on the German people.

As a result, we were destined to become snowmen before we even arrived at the Kremlin.

Maybe it's because everyone doesn't talk about it, so they may be dissatisfied inside.

I was thinking that, purely due to my own stubbornness, I was going through hardships that I shouldn't have to endure in this cold weather, being exposed to the bitter wind and snow... But then Goebbels suddenly burst out laughing.

"Maybe it's because I came as a conqueror, but instead of being cold, I feel cool!"

"If not at a time like this, when would you ever experience something like this? "After everything passes, it all remains as memories, hahaha!"

Not to be outdone, Hess also laughed out loud and agreed.

You guys, your words are shaking.

While going to the Kremlin, I looked at the surrounding sights to forget the cold.

Work is underway to mobilize Moscow citizens to erase various propaganda slogans carved on the wall with paint, but there are so many that I thought it would take quite a while to erase them all.

If it were me, I would have dug at least one more trench with the manpower I could use, but our communist friends didn't seem to think so.

Tanks, artillery pieces, and vehicles destroyed during the battle were moved to a corner just enough to not impede traffic.

With Soviet and German tanks mixed up and snow piling up, children were playing and having a snowball fight among the wreckage.

"They're having a snowball fight even though the city looks like this."

Hess said.

"Aren't they children? They're just kids, so what do they know? And seeing them playing so calmly, it seems like they don't hate or hate us at least."

"As expected of you, Excellency the President. I can't believe you show such mercy even to the blood of your enemies. "Your Excellency the Führer is an example to all German people."

Goebbels continues to utter flattery today, thinking that this is the time. The funny thing is, at times like this, I didn't stutter again.

Anyway, he's a great guy.