205

Episode 205: Battle of Moscow (6)

"launch!"

The German army's bombardment began with salvos from 15cm howitzers and Panzerwerfer 42s.

Unlike the 15cm howitzer, which could fire shells up to 18km, the 15cm Nebelwerfer mounted on the Panzerwerfer 42 only had a range of 7km.

However, now that the Soviet artillery power was destroyed and air superiority was completely in the hands of the Germans, the short range, which was the Nebelwerfer's weakness, was not such a problem.

The Nebelwerfer, which has a short range but can project as much firepower as possible in a short period of time, displayed numerous achievements on the Eastern Front and received praise from the German and Axis forces and harsh curses and insults from the Soviet Army.

The Soviet army's trenches, which were mostly made of open trenches, let alone concrete bunkers, were exposed to German artillery fire and caused great damage.

Even if I was lying on the ground with my ears covered, if I got hit directly by the baptism of fire pouring down from the sky, that would be the end of the day.

"help me!"

"mom!"

"God, God!"

The young child soldiers, experiencing artillery fire for the first time in their lives, were paralyzed with fear. They desperately searched for their mother and God and prayed for this damned bombardment to end quickly.

The soldiers, completely distracted by extreme fear and stress, ran out of the trenches screaming and fell victim to the shells.

The soldier hit by the shell was broken into thousands of large and small pieces and scattered everywhere.

"Tank forward!"

"The target is the Kremlin! charge!"

After the bombardment with up to 88mm guns, commonly used as anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns, it was time for tanks and infantry.

"It's a tank!"

"Run away!"

"Don't run away! I will kill you! "Stay where you are!"

As the tanks of the 3rd SS Panzer Corps charged, the penal corps members in the trench became scared and began to run away.

The order to stay put did not work for those whose reason was paralyzed by fear.

"Start shooting!"

Then, the Maxim machine gun of the independent squadron positioned in the rear immediately opened fire.

The members of the punishment unit who had escaped from the trenches were spread out like a beehive.

"If you retreat, I will kill you! "Fight to the death!"

Enemy in front, independent squadron behind.

There was no choice for the front-line penal unit members.

The soldiers had no choice but to fight the Germans with life or death.

ZiS-3s, one door per platoon, fired, but all the shells ricocheted and flew in the wrong direction or fell to the ground.

"Pilot stopped. "There is an enemy anti-tank gun in front."

"We will deal with them in order, starting with the one on the right. "Load grenades!"

The Panthers opened fire and tore apart the anti-tank guns of the enemy defense line one by one.

It was virtually impossible for the ZiS-3 to defeat the Panther from the front unless the shell accurately hit the machine gun seat at the front of the hull.

At best, all we can do is adjust the trajectory and lose mobility.

"Shoot!"

The ZiS-3 exploded after being hit by a 75mm grenade, sending its wheels flying hundreds of meters away.

The Panthers, who had removed all anti-tank guns, fired their coaxial machine guns and machine guns on the front of the hull, blowing a hole in the head of the Soviet soldier.

Sd.Kfz 251 and Ketshen, equipped with Vulkan, also joined in and fired 40mm grenades over the heads of the Soviet troops.

Every time 40mm grenades exploded one after another, blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

"Kaaaaaa!!"

"surrender! surrender!"

"I surrender! "Don't shoot!"

The soldiers, who had completely lost their will to fight, threw down their weapons and raised their hands in a situation where pieces of what used to be human were flying in all directions and they could not even raise their heads.

Since there was no separate white flag, the soldiers hung their uniforms on their guns and waved them left and right.

The Germans, seeing this, stopped shooting for a moment, but this time the independent squadron in the rear opened fire.

Comrade Stalin ordered to kill all traitors who gave up fighting and surrendered. Therefore, they deserve to die.

However, even the bullets of the self-defense unit could not prevent the front-line soldiers from surrendering. If the soldiers refused to fight and stayed in the trenches, there was nothing the single-minded squad could do.

The tanks crossed over the Soviet trenches and moved forward. Once the front line trenches had been breached, it was now the turn of the independent squadron.

The unit was composed only of soldiers united by their fanatical beliefs under Stalin and the Communist Party, but even they were unable to stop the German tanks.

The unit fired its machine guns vigorously, but the tank rolled away, lightly deflecting the bullets.

"under! Those sick bastards. "I wonder if a Panther can be hit by a bullet or something."

"Couldn't fear have done something to my mind?"

The tankers did their best to ridicule the Soviet army's recklessness in trying to deal with tanks with nothing more than machine guns and fired machine guns leisurely.

When the MG40 rotated from left to right, no more bullets flew.

The German squadron, which did not even have an anti-tank rifle, let alone an anti-tank gun, was nothing more than a training target for the German army.

As the tanks pushed forward, firing their main guns and machine guns, the Soviet defense line, consisting of a single-handed battle force, collapsed in an instant.

As German tanks were entering downtown Zelenograd, a strategy meeting was in full swing in the underground bunker of the Kremlin Palace.

Zhukov tried to form a defensive line by squeezing out the remaining troops. But before he could mark his newly conceived defense line on the map, his dispatches were dispatched one after another.

"Great, Comrade Captain!"

"?"

"Istra and Zvenigorod have fallen!"

"The Chekhov defense line has just been breached!"

Somewhere has been captured, contact with a certain unit has been lost, and the German army is attacking somewhere.

The waves of retreats, loss of contact, capture, and requests for support continued to pour in.

When I came to, the Soviet defense line shown on the map was now bordering Moscow.

"… .."

***

October 22, 1942

USSR Moscow Kremlin Palace

"The enemy succeeded in breaking through the front line in a wide formation, Comrade Secretary General."

With heavy silence weighing heavily on the shoulders of the conference attendees, Zhukov continued his explanation in a businesslike tone.

"The enemy has captured Klimovsk from the south and is charging towards Podolsk.

Istra and Zvenigorod have also fallen to the enemy, who are now operating in the western countryside between Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk.

Zelenograd fell and we reached as far north as Khimki."

Stalin, who had been listening to Zhukov's explanation, opened his mouth.

"Once Yeromenko's 4th Shock Army goes on the offensive, everything will be fine."

Two days earlier, Stalin had ordered an offensive as soon as he received the report that the formation of Andrei Yeomenko's 4th Shock Army had been completed.

Dig in and strike the German camp between the west and south.

"Comrade Secretary General..."

"Comrade Secretary General. "Let me explain."

Voroshilov stepped in to replace Zhukov.

"The 4th Shock Army cannot go on the offensive."

"······Why?"

"We're out of fuel, Comrade Secretary."

Yeromenko's 4th Shock Army had no fuel.

This is because the fuel that should have been returned to them had already been delivered to Vasilevsky's 3rd Shock Army.

The 3rd Shock Army, which received its share of fuel from the 4th Shock Army, went on the offensive, and although it seemed to show some success for a while, it ultimately ended in failure.

In fact, even if it had enough fuel, the 4th Shock Army was in no condition to go on the offensive.

Although the organization was hastily completed due to Stalin's urging, it was still only able to fill 70% of its original number, and the troops that were barely filled were a ragtag unit made up of the elderly, children, wounded soldiers, and punishment units.

Tanks and artillery were also lacking in quantity, so there were many units that were armored units in name only but were at the level of infantry units in reality.

Even after Voroshilov finished speaking, Stalin could hardly open his mouth.

There was an awkward silence heavier than death. It was so quiet that even the sound of breathing was loud enough to be annoying to the ears.

When Stalin finally opened his mouth, people unconsciously held their breath.

"······From now on, only the person whose name is called will remain. Voroshilov, Zhukov, Shaposhnikov."

Except for the three people named, the remaining people left the conference room.

As the conference room door closed, a roar came out of the old dictator's mouth.

"That was an order! Yeromenko's attack was an order! But then, how dare you disobey my orders?

The military fooled me! "The Red Army dared to deceive me!"

While Stalin vented his wild anger, those present remained silent.

Stalin's anger continued. Even when the vibrations caused by the V2 landing were transmitted to the bunker, his words did not stop.

"These guys who make a fuss about having stars on their faces, but actually don't know how to do anything, ignore my orders! "I only learned things like how to hold a knife and fork!"

"Comrade Secretary General, your words are too excessive!"

Voroshilov, who could not hear, protested, raising the blood in his neck, but Stalin did not even listen.

"The military has been interfering with me for years. All you did was block my path!

If I knew it would be like this, if I knew it would be like this, I should have purged it a little more properly four years ago. Just like Hitler! Look at Hitler! That guy, he already killed all the bastards who got in his way! And this is the result!"

"······."

"Now it's all wrong. It's all wrong! "Fuck!"

Stalin, who was venting his anger by using foul language that he did not normally use, slumped down in his seat, wondering if he had exhausted all his anger or if he still had anger to pour out but was unable to do so because of his physical strength.

There was awkward silence again.

"······Yeromenko."

"yes?"

"Yeromenko. "Where is he and what is he doing now?"

Yeomenko was currently in charge of the Odintsovo-Podolsk defensive line.

Vasilevsky was fighting the German army in the northern outskirts of Moscow, leading his troops that were left with nothing but chaff.

"I will ask you for the last time."

"Yes, Comrade Secretary."

"Can you protect Moscow? "Answer honestly."

"······It is difficult."

"Right."

At Zhukov's words, Stalin chuckled as if he knew that would happen.

The fall of Moscow was virtually certain. The only difference was when it would fall; it was a fate that could never be avoided.

Neither the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of Red Army soldiers nor Rasputitsa nor the long supply lines could change Moscow's fate.

"Comrade Voroshilov."

"yes."

"Get ready to leave."

Stalin prepared to leave Moscow.

Lenin's emblazoned body, various cultural assets and important documents in Moscow, and high-ranking Communist Party officials were already in Kuybyshev.

Originally, Stalin should have stayed in Kuybyshev long ago, but he changed his mind and declared that he would remain in Moscow.

But since the fall of Moscow had been decided, staying here would only have been a waste of time.

"Comrade Zhukov."

"Yes, Comrade Secretary."

"I have separate instructions to give to my comrade."

***

October 23, 1942

USSR Khimki

-Get on board!

"Hahaha."

A gunshot rang out and a child soldier, who was running with cartridges in both hands, let out the sound of boiling phlegm and fell down.

Blood spurted out from the hole near the heart.

Brunegger was so used to this job that he could now change magazines with his eyes closed.

He replaced the magazine with a new one with skillful hands and sent a hand signal to his squad members while keeping an eye on the front.

'Follow me and move quietly. 'Keep your posture as low as possible.'

A month earlier, Brunegger had been promoted from SS sergeant to SS sergeant.

This was because orders were given to promote experienced reservists, as it was unknown how long the war would last.

As the rank changed, the title changed and the salary increased, but the work I did did not change.

Shoot, duck, run, kill.

I feel like a squirrel running on a treadmill.

However, the difference is that there is no time to be bored.

-Whoosh!

"Huh!"

As the bullet narrowly missed his cheek, Brunegger took a breath without realizing it.

He threw himself on the ground, not caring that his uniform was dirty with mud.

"Shoot!"

As Brunegger's squad members fired in unison, the window shattered and a shrill scream was heard.

"Joseph, Günther! You two follow me and the rest provide covering fire!"

"yes!"

While his squad members provided covering fire, Brunegger ran and pulled out a grenade. He pulled the pin out, then he threw it into the broken window.

"Get down!"

-Cow!

The grenade exploded, and thick gray smoke billowed out through the window. The fishy smell of blood was mixed among the acrid smell of gunpowder.

As I kicked down the creaking door that was half broken and went inside, a terrible scene caught my eye.

The face was burning like coal, and long intestines like snakes were sticking out through the torn skin.

Three Soviet soldiers were lying quietly on the ground, mangled.

I was already sick of corpses, so I wasn't particularly impressed, but this time was a little different.

"Was it a woman?"

Surprisingly, the enemy soldier he killed was a female soldier. All three of them.

Although there were female soldiers in the German army, most of them were signal officers, cooks, medics, and drivers, and on rare occasions, they were assigned to anti-aircraft artillery units.

The infantry, engineers, artillerymen, and armored personnel who traveled the front lines and exchanged gunfire with the enemy were all men.

However, the Soviet army was different from the German army. The Soviet Army also generously deployed female soldiers to combat units.

The female soldiers mixed among the male soldiers, ate together, slept together, and fought together.

And they died together.

"I guess the communists are also in an urgent situation. "They're putting women on the front lines."

"It's a crime of coming to the wrong country. "Tsk, tsk."

I felt no guilt about killing the woman. He was just a little surprised that the enemy he thought was a man was a woman.

It doesn't change the fact that they are enemies that must be killed anyway.

Whether a man or a woman, a child or an elderly person, if they wear a military uniform and hold a gun, they are all the same enemy.

Don't hesitate when killing your enemy. Anyway, communists don't feel guilty even if they kill you.

So there is no need for you to feel guilty. This was what SS Senior General Theodor Eicke, former division commander of the Totenkopf Division and currently the corps commander of the 3rd SS Panzer Corps, said to members of the Totenkopf Division when he was an SS captain.

As they said, Totenkopf soldiers did not hesitate when killing the enemy. If he didn't kill his enemies on the battlefield, he would die himself.

The Sd.Kfz 251/9 Stummel (stump) equipped with the 75mm 24 caliber main gun mounted on the Type 4 Tank A also spewed fire and destroyed the Soviet positions.

The Stummel, also known as the Kanonenwagen (cannon car), was popular among infantrymen as it could fire 75mm shells, which were perfect for infantry support.

As the 75mm grenade destroyed the machine gun emplacement, the soldiers began their assault.

Several times, he crushed a Soviet soldier who was still breathing with his butt and drove a bullet into the temple of a child soldier who was trying to pull out the pin of a grenade.

70% of Khimki city fell into German hands.

Brunegger's company stopped its advance and rested at a bus stop in downtown Khimki.

As I picked up the Coca-Cola with my dirty, muddy hands and put it in my mouth, SS Sergeant Fet called out Brunegger.

"Hey, Brunegger. "Come and take a look at this."

"What is this for, SS Sergeant?"

SS Sergeant Pett pointed to the bus stop route map to Brunegger.

"Here, do you know what the word at the end is?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know how to read Russian."

When the German-German War broke out, the higher-ups distributed Russian dictionaries to soldiers, but there were far more soldiers who did not know Russian than those who knew Russian. said SS Sergeant Pete, clicking his tongue.

"Красная площадь. "It means Red Square."

"aha!"

The final stop on the bus stop route table was Red Square. Red Square located in the center of Moscow.

There was still one more surprising news left.

"iced coffee! "I can see it, I can see it!"

"what?"

"I can see the Kremlin! The Kremlin!"

From that location, the soldiers could see the Kremlin's spire through a telescope. The spire of the Kremlin Palace, a symbol of Moscow and where Stalin lives.