207

Episode 207: Battle of Moscow (8)

October 29, 1942

Soviet Moscow

According to the mission assigned in advance, the company departed for the front without hesitation.

Ten tanks lined up and advanced toward the center of the city, where the sounds of fierce battle could be heard.

Soldiers armed with rifles and grenades moved along the tanks.

In the army, navy, naval ground corps, and civilian volunteers, there was no longer any difference in affiliation, only rank.

The remaining troops of the destroyed unit and the support troops from the rear were gathered together and formed into a new unit.

This was due to Stavka's instructions to send all soldiers capable of combat into battle regardless of their affiliation.

For this reason, in Moscow, naval officers holding submachine guns often give instructions to army soldiers, and army sergeants often lead platoons of naval ground soldiers into battle.

Although it was being defeated, the Soviet Union's central nervous system was still functioning and the war was continuing.

Stalin and his henchmen had long since abandoned Moscow, but the battle was still going on in Moscow due to Stalin's strict orders that Moscow should not be easily handed over to the enemy.

The sky was full of dark clouds and was as dark as muddy water. There were corpses hanging from every telephone pole.

They were deserters executed by the NKVD and Smersh. Among the deserters there were also officers.

Signs were hung on the bodies of the executed deserters, with various warnings written on them. It was to warn other soldiers.

The soldiers tried not to look at the corpses hanging from telephone poles and street trees.

When I saw their blood-less faces, my body froze and I couldn't do anything.

It was clear that the authorities thought that this barbaric method could raise the morale of the soldiers.

As the tank advanced around the corner, its turret ejected and soared into the air with a loud explosion.

The explosion of the tank caused infantrymen moving from the left and right to break the windows and enter the building.

The lieutenant, who had been hit squarely by the shrapnel and lost his head, advanced one or two steps further and then fell over, struggling with his arms and legs like a broken machine.

"Hit! "Reload!"

Wittmann, who saw the T-34/85 exploding in a plume of fire, designated the next target.

"Loaded!"

"launch!"

The second tank, the T-43, was also hit directly by 88 on the turret ring and sparks spewed out the hatch. Since there were no escapees, it seemed like the entire crew had been wiped out.

Ball fired his coaxial machine gun and waited for Richter to load the grenade.

A miserable corpse with a broken head was left where the coaxial machine gun swept through.

Soviet soldiers scattered around in search of cover and rolled to the ground under fire from SS infantry.

"Finish loading grenades!"

Ball fired at the first floor window of a house where a Soviet soldier had just jumped into. There were about 10 enemy soldiers inside.

They were annihilated by a stray bullet that flew through the window.

As the explosion occurred, the last soldier to jump in was thrown through the door and landed in the window of the building next door.

Pieces of broken glass fell to the ground, and flames and smoke billowed out.

"Be careful, another car showed up just now. "It's aimed this way!"

The T-34 that appeared next opened fire, but the shell bounced off the armor plate.

Realizing that he was at a disadvantage, he hurriedly retreated and tried to take cover behind a corner, but was hit by a Panzerfaust fired by the Germans and his trajectory was cut off.

The tank, whose tracks were broken, was stranded and unable to move on. Wittmann did not miss this opportunity.

"Shoot!"

The 88mm main gun fired fire again and roasted the enemy.

Deep scarlet flames rose from the destroyed tank. A scream was heard from inside the tram and then suddenly cut off as if cut with scissors.

A moment later, a belated explosion occurred and the turret fell down.

"Cuckoo 2 follows me straight ahead. "Cuckoos 3 and 4 should turn to the right and move."

-Received.

Hasel deliberately drove the tank slowly. He didn't know what trap was waiting around the corner.

He stopped the tram 20 meters before the corner.

Wittmann ordered the infantrymen who followed him to check what was behind the corner.

An SS sergeant holding a grenade cautiously moved forward. As soon as he showed his face around the corner, he reflexively pulled his body back.

Soon, intense shooting began. If the action had been delayed by just one second, the sergeant would have been turned into a hive.

"What's over there?"

"There are several infantrymen and tanks!"

As expected, the Soviets had their tanks waiting behind the corner and were planning to open fire as soon as the Tiger came forward.

They knew that they could only defeat Tiger by targeting its flanks. Ball asked.

"What are you going to do?"

"Go forward."

"yes?"

"But there's an enemy tank waiting around the corner?"

Richter asked with a look of incomprehension.

"I know. So, instead of going straight like this, turn the tram diagonally to the left and then move. "You probably learned what the mealtime (Mahlzeiten) angle is at tanker school, right?"

The mealtime angle meant turning the tank's body left and right to create the effect of sloped armor.

This tactic, called angling in English, was also a matter of special emphasis for drivers and tank commanders.

Wittmann knew that if the angle of the tank was properly adjusted, even 152mm shells could be deflected.

Hassell turned the tank to the left and continued forward. Ball swallowed without realizing it. It was a very trembling moment for him.

It was a very risky gamble because if you made a mistake, you could be completely defeated. The infantrymen also watched Wittmann's Tiger with bated breath.

The T-34/85, which was waiting behind the corner, fired the 85mm shells it had previously loaded when the Tiger appeared.

The T-34's gunner knew that even a Tiger could be destroyed if attacked from the side, so he looked forward to seeing the Tiger explode.

But his expectations were dashed.

-Kaang!

The 85mm shell that hit the side of the car body bounced into the air like a ball hitting a wall.

The confident gunner was taken aback when the enemy deflected the shell. It was impossible. It was clearly aimed at the side and fired...

"junior! "Back up!"

The tank commander, in panic, urgently shouted to reverse, but fire was already spewing out of the Tiger's muzzle.

The tank that was hit directly in the front of the hull exploded, and the soldiers around it were covered in shrapnel.

Soldiers covered in sparks and debris all over their bodies screamed. The ball fell to the floor with a machine gun and gave rest to the writhing people.

The tanks lined up behind the T-34/85 also panicked and retreated all at once.

However, the retreat did not go smoothly as each side obstructed the other's path.

Wittmann calmly aimed at the retreating tanks and ordered them to fire.

The tanks that were running away were also blocked and destroyed by the Tigers that attacked from the right.

The tank crews of the tank, who were stuck in front and behind, opened the hatch and came out with both hands raised.

Of the 10 tanks, 6 were destroyed and 4 gave up the battle and surrendered.

While the infantrymen pulled the enemy out of the tanks and lined them up, Wittmann unfolded the operational map and checked the current position.

"If you keep going like this and turn right, you will come to Novodevichy Monastery."

Novodevichy Monastery. This is a monastery built by Ivan the Terrible's father, Vasily III, to commemorate his conquest of Smolensk. It is famous for composing the famous 'Swan Lake' after Tchaikovsky saw swans swimming in the monastery's pond.

Now that the Russian Empire has fallen and the Soviet Union has come into power, the monastery is now used as a museum, but it is still marked as a monastery on the map.

The distance from Novodevichy Monastery to the Kremlin was about 7km.

***

November 1, 1942

USSR Moscow Kremlin Palace

"The news is that the German army has just advanced to the Pushkin State Gallery."

"is it."

It was only about 1km in a straight line from the Pushkin State Gallery to the Kremlin. The gunfire was already continuing outside.

Wounded soldiers have now filled the interior of the Kremlin Palace. Sand bags were filled in each window and machine guns were deployed to prepare for the final battle.

The NKVD and Smersi, who had been searching for deserters and reactionaries in the rear, were now deployed to the front lines.

Since the front line was already pushed right in front of the Kremlin, there was no time to search for deserters from the rear.

The Soviet army fortified the buildings and inflicted heavy damage on the German troops entering Moscow.

As the damage increased, the German army mobilized its Broombear and various large-caliber guns to collapse the buildings.

The 203mm B-4 howitzer captured from the Soviet Army was very useful in this type of urban warfare.

No matter how much effort was put into constructing the barricades or the buildings reinforced with snipers and machine gun positions, they could not withstand a single 203mm shell and collapsed.

"Comrade Captain. "This is a message from Comrade Secretary General."

"?"

Zhukov, who received the telegram sent by the Secretary from his adjutant, immediately burst into laughter. The full text contained the following text:

-Is Moscow burning?

After driving 800,000 soldiers and the people of Moscow to their deaths, he ran away and spent his leisurely time sending telegrams from there.

I felt like I wanted to ignore it, but I couldn't help but reply.

"What can I send you?"

I didn't know that if I reported the truth, my family would be harmed because they would think I was going against his instructions. However, if she lies and the truth becomes known later, that is a problem.

"······Tell them that we will fight until the last man."

"All right."

Zhukov raised his heavy body. He didn't really have anything to call a strategy meeting.

With limited troops and supplies, all the Soviet military can do is hold out as long as possible in their respective positions.

"Aaaah-"

"Morphine, do you have any more morphine?"

"That's the end!"

"shit!"

Food and medicine were almost exhausted, and vodka was being used as a substitute for morphine to relieve the injuries of wounded soldiers.

Injured soldiers who needed anesthesia for amputation surgery had no choice but to leave it to heaven.

Even patients who could have been saved with just enough medicine were dying.

Military doctors performed surgery while listening to the sound of German artillery fire. Every time the ceiling shook and small debris fell, children cried and the elderly prayed.

Zhukov saw a girl about 10 years old carrying a bucket full of water, whimpering.

A woman who seemed to have been an ordinary housewife before the war was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, wearing a tattered military uniform.

"Comrade Captain!"

As I turned around with a heavy heart, the adjutant came running up to me, panting.

"The Germans have sent a messenger."

***

"This is Lieutenant General Hans Krebs."

"Georgi Zhukov. "It's been a while since we last met."

"Have you been safe so far?"

German general and Soviet general. The two men, enemies of each other, exchanged salutes and then shook hands awkwardly.

Krebs, who served as Chief of Staff of the Central Army Group, was acquainted with Zhukov.

Krebs, who was the German military attaché in Moscow, Soviet Union, often met not only Zhukov but also Stalin, and Stalin, who liked Krebs as a person, often invited him to parties.

However, as war broke out and the Soviet Union and Germany became each other's enemies, Krebs had to return to Germany.

And now, he is in Moscow again.

To stop pointless resistance and encourage honorable surrender.

"Is Secretary-General Stalin still alive?"

"exactly. "Stay alive."

This friend must have heard that rumor too. Since it had spread to the German army, it was easy to see how far it would have spread to low-ranking soldiers and citizens.

Well, that has now become a good thing anyway.

"But he's not here."

"······What do you mean by that?"

"Literally. Comrade Secretary General is not in Moscow. He has left Moscow."

Krebs was surprised to learn that Stalin was not in Moscow, but he was not embarrassed.

Common sense tells us that there was no way Stalin would have stayed here unless he intended to die.

"I am currently the supreme commander in Moscow."

"is it so?"

If so, negotiations will be easier. As soon as he sat down, Krebs got to the point.

"I don't think you know why I came here."

Zhukov nodded.

"I know."

"General, the direction of the war has already been decided. Germany won the war, and the Soviets lost. "Resisting any longer will only lead to more meaningless sacrifices and will never change the outcome."

"······."

"General, you did your best. There will be no one anywhere who does not know this. His Excellency the President also spoke highly of the general."

"Thank you. But I don't know if Comrade Secretary General also thinks so."

Zhukov laughed bitterly. If Stalin had thought that way, he wouldn't have left himself here.

The fact that he was still here was proof of how Stalin evaluated him.

Both Vasilevsky and Yeromenko remained in Moscow and were fighting. They are both people who, for one reason or another, went against Stalin's wishes and went out of business.

"Continuing the fight will only delay the coming destruction by a few days. Moscow has almost already fallen at this point. "It would truly be for the sake of the soldiers and the citizens of Moscow if you declared surrender now."

Zhukov smoked a cigarette without answering Krebs' question. Then Krebs also took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. The two smoked in silence.

"I mean well."

When the cigarette that was longer than his middle finger was now no longer than a finger's length, Zhukov broke the silence and opened his mouth.

"But I think it's hard to accept."

"Why?"

"I swore to Comrade Secretary General that I would definitely protect Moscow no matter what. What do you think would happen if I raised the white flag? And what about my family?"

And one more thing, there was a reason why Zhukov could not surrender.

He argued that not only those who surrendered to the German army but also their families should be executed as they were enemies of the Soviet Union, and he even put this into practice himself.

He surrendered to the German army?

The family will be sent to the firing squad that day, and even if they survive, they will end up in a situation where they are not alive.

"And the war does not end just because Moscow falls. The Soviets still have millions of soldiers and over 100 million people. No matter what happens, the Soviet Union will endure hardships to the end."

"But what is wrong with the soldiers and citizens now in Moscow? They won't want to die. "Please make a wise decision for their sake."

Despite Krebs' continued persuasion, Zhukov firmly shook his head.

"I'll say it again. I can never surrender. "I have no intention of doing so."

"······All right. "I can't help it."

When the negotiations came to nothing, Krebs sighed, grabbed his military cap, and stood up.

"Still... I hope you think again."

"I will be grateful. "Please go quickly."