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the battle ended, Kurt did not see, and only when he returned to his unit did he witness a brief conversation between the tank commander and the chemist Feldwebel.

      “We barely had time to get out of there, or else you and I, Herr Lieutenant, would have had to scrub your tank of mustard gas and treat each other with this stinking crap from the anti-chemical bags. None of us have full hazmat suits.”

      “Well, then, this time we were lucky,” the Lieutenant took the chemist's words calmly. “How did it end in the air?”

      “The Messerschmitts took down another attack plane, and I didn't see any more. Worse is another thing. These Russians seemed to be flying in to spray our trenches with chemicals, and when the M-109s came at them, they started to get rid of the stuff by opening the airborne spray devices.”

      “What's wrong with that?” The Lieutenant was flaccidly surprised. “Since they didn't deliver the chemical contamination to our trenches, the infantrymen must deliver a case of schnapps to the fighters.”

      “This victory for the Luftwaffe is going to cost us,” the Feldwebel grinned angrily. “The Russian attack planes completely flooded the corridor we scouted with mustard gas. So get ready, Herr Lieutenant. Tomorrow, or maybe even today, the command will drive us again to the raid.”

* * *

      My modest wish to reinforce the two tank brigades assigned to me with chemical defense units was granted by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command with an unexpected vast sweep.

      Shaposhnikov decided not to be penny wise, and each of the brigades received two separate chemical defense battalions from the General Command's reserve, with all the units and equipment due to them – decontamination vehicles, decontamination units for clothing and equipment, chemical reconnaissance platoons and combat support companies.

      “Comrade Marshal, I got everything I needed in terms of anti-chemical protection. Thank you for your understanding. Nevertheless, this is not enough for the success of the operation,” I decided that if they give it to me, I should take everything my grasping hands could reach, “The enemy will quickly see what our counterstrike can lead to and will counter it fiercely. In particular, the Germans would certainly launch air and artillery strikes against the chemical defense battalions, which will be busy decontaminating the passages for Comrade Konev's armies. I must be able to counteract these attempts effectively. The regular air defense capabilities of tank brigades are totally inadequate to cover the advancing tanks and protect the chemists at the same time.”

      “All right,” Shaposhnikov agreed after a little hesitation, “we'll solve this problem. Anything else?”

      “Artillery. I need the ability to quickly organize a counter-battery fight when the German heavy howitzers start shelling our battle lines. Ideally, I would like to have a direct link with the artillery regiment of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, which will work on the coordinates transmitted by me. It would be better to have two regiments.”

      “It's doable,” nodded the Marshal, “especially since this scheme has proven itself more than once in real combat. But things are worse with ammunition. Large-caliber high-explosive shells are almost non-existent even in the front-line depots.”

      “Comrade Marshal, chemical munitions would be excellent for counter-battery warfare. Mustard gas and lewisite quickly discourage artillerymen from continuing to fire, especially if one high-explosive round in every five or six chemical rounds still lands on their positions.”

      “You're not a supporter of the use of poisonous substances, are you, Lieutenant Colonel?" grinned Shaposhnikov.

      “I'm not. But I'm not a stubborn idealist. If there's no other way out, we'll use what we have. At least until the asymmetric response is ready.”

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      Примечания

      1

      In real history, Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941 – almost immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the landing of Japanese troops in the Philippines. In the reality of the book the Wehrmacht found itself in a much more difficult situation on the Eastern Front, and Hitler refrained from such a rash move.

      2

      After Japan's sudden attack on the United States, Roosevelt did ask Stalin for help in fighting the Japanese aggressor. The first conversation between the U.S. president and the Soviet ambassador took place in Washington the day after the Japanese struck at Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt wanted the USSR to allow the U.S. to conduct air strikes against the Japanese metropolis from Soviet territory. However, this would have meant a violation of the neutrality pact signed in April 1941 between the Soviet Union and Japan and would inevitably have led to a state of war between the USSR and Japan. Stalin was forced to refuse Roosevelt, citing the aforementioned pact and the fact that the USSR was currently engaged in a heavy war with Germany, which required the concentration of all forces and means. Having received a negative answer, Roosevelt told

Примечания

1

In real history, Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941 – almost immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the landing of Japanese troops in the Philippines. In the reality of the book the Wehrmacht found itself in a much more difficult situation on the Eastern Front, and Hitler refrained from such a rash move.

2

After Japan's sudden attack on the United States, Roosevelt did ask Stalin for help in fighting the Japanese aggressor. The first conversation between the U.S. president and the Soviet ambassador took place in Washington the day after the Japanese struck at Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt wanted the USSR to allow the U.S. to conduct air strikes against the Japanese metropolis from Soviet territory. However, this would have meant a violation of the neutrality pact signed in April 1941 between the Soviet Union and Japan and would inevitably have led to a state of war between the USSR and Japan. Stalin was forced to refuse Roosevelt, citing the aforementioned pact and the fact that the USSR was currently engaged in a heavy war with Germany, which required the concentration of all forces and means. Having received a negative answer, Roosevelt told the Soviet ambassador that he regretted such a decision, but if he were the Soviet leader, he would have done the same.

3

In real history, during the Tikhvin strategic offensive operation, which lasted until the end of December 1941, the Red Army failed to take Kirishi. The Kirishi bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Volkhov River was held by the Germans for almost two years, and it was a serious threat to the Red Army because of the possibility of renewed German offensive towards the Svir to join the Finnish troops.

4

In real history, Rostov-on-Don was also liberated by the Red Army during the Rostov offensive, held from November 17 to December 2, 1941, but Soviet troops were not able to take Taganrog, although such a task was put before the advancing armies. As a result, Taganrog was liberated only in August 1943 after two years of occupation.

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