In North Africa, Italy and the Western Front during World War II, they participated in the battles between the United States and Britain.

The officers and soldiers were all impressed by the German army's strong combat effectiveness, especially their heavy tanks, machine guns and sniper shooters. When they really fought against the Soviet army, they soon discovered that in addition to the high-speed machine guns with extremely terrifying lethality against infantry, the Soviets had almost all the powerful tank clusters that were terrifying to the German army. They had the dual advantages of quantity and quality. T34 was able to destroy most of the Allied tanks and armored vehicles from a long distance, with Joseph.

The heavy tanks named after Stalin have defenses that are no less than Tiger and Tiger King tanks. What's bad is that they move much faster than imagined.

A large number of Soviet infantry arrived on the battlefield with tanks. They were not unnecessary victims of covering armored forces. As long as they jumped off the tank, they would avoid the defensive guns and artillery fire with their skillful posture and agile skills, and launched a charge in a brave and fearless and calm manner. Moreover, this army with the "**sand" submachine gun as its main weapon can organize more fierce front-field firepower than the German army, and are extremely good at hand-to-hand combat and close combat. Once they rushed into the trenches of the defensive side, it would be difficult for Western Allied troops to expel them. As for battlefield snipers, the Soviet army's use was no less than the German team in the middle and late stages of the war, which also caused great injuries to the officers of the US and British army. They often were shot and killed at a long distance without being able to command their soldiers to counterattack or retreat...

The news that the South Road combat cluster was subjected to a large-scale counterattack by the Soviet army soon reached the North Road combat cluster headquarters far away in northeastern Poland. It was still drifting heavily and it was dark, as if the end of the world in the Bible was coming. Faced with the increasingly pessimistic telegrams, the generals of the United States, Britain, France and Poland all expressed heavy expressions. Although their direct troops were not counterattacked by the Soviet army, once the friendly forces in the South Road were defeated or even suffered extremely bad losses, it would inevitably be

It will put the entire war into a passive situation. If the Soviet army, which had invested strong forces, made a decisive breakthrough in Romania and Hungary, they might cut from the southern wing to the rear of the Allied forces with a sickle, thereby blocking the land connection between the northern combat cluster and the rear. At that time, even if the Allied navies can use sea to transport a large amount of supplies, it will be very difficult to fully guarantee the northern combat troops of millions of people. Moreover, the impact of such a defeat on the morale of the officers and soldiers and even the international environment may be incalculable! []

The Soviet army invested the main force on the South Road, and their rear was naturally relatively empty. This simple truth was that the Allied generals had already reached a consensus when they obtained the first batch of battle reports. However, the continuous heavy rains seemed to have become an obstacle to the rapid attack on the Soviet army. Most troops suspended their advancement and focused their main energy on responding to rainfall and the Soviet counterattack. The rapid advancement was insufficient material reserves, and the road ahead became muddy and difficult to move forward due to rainwater soaking. In addition, the rash advancement might be ambushed by the Soviet army, which all deeply troubled Bradley and his comrades in the Allied Powers. On the one hand, they made the right-wing suit in accordance with the orders of the Allied Command.

Unit A turned around and went south to attack the Soviet counterattack forces in central and eastern Ukraine. On the other hand, in order to test the facts and reality of the Soviet army on the northern line, they launched their first offensive against Minsk in advance. Four American divisions and British divisions were under the cover of the artillery unit of the army. The rain was relatively small, and it lasted for less than a day. The impact on armored vehicles was not too great. However, after a few hours of attack, the Soviet army's tenacious defense on the periphery had already caused heavy losses to the US team, which was responsible for the main attack. After nightfall, the Soviet army also launched a tactical counterattack with heavy tank support infantry, regaining a trench and two highlands occupied by the US and British troops during the day.

"John, go and invite Marshal Manstein and his assistant."

Bradley directly ordered his subordinates' officers without discussing with anyone, and Manstein's name instantly made the British, French and Polish generals look even more gloomy and embarrassed. After the US military staff officer left, General Karen of the British army said angrily; "This Nazi marshal came the day before yesterday and said that the Soviet army would launch a large-scale counterattack in our area, suggesting that we focus on building a useless defense system. Now that our army is digging the trenches set up to hide from the rain, it is impossible to restrain the Soviet army's large-scale offensive on the southern front with an offensive in a short period of time. Don't you think we were fooled by the Germans and the Soviets?"

It sounds far-fetched to push the blame to a senior adviser who has only been here for three days. Moreover, they did not adopt Manstein's suggestion at all, but instead "put him on the shelf" for two days. The French general did not agree, and the Polish general snorted coldly, "Even if it is not a joint force, they will not help us sincerely. What are the benefits of our victory to Germany?"

Bradley looked at these really not so likable co-workers. Similar arguments and accusations from the US military landing in North Africa, the Allied attacks on Italy and the Normandy landing, and the march into Germany never stopped. Each person had different styles of behavior, and under the common interests of fighting against the same enemy, there was a distinction between the small interests of the state and individuals. Coupled with the individual's competition for power and honor, the open and secret struggle of the state for joint combat command, these were doomed to the complexity within the Allied command organization from the very beginning.

After a while, Manstein appeared in front of everyone with his assistant. Their expressions looked very calm, neither gloating nor arrogant. However, when Bradley asked Manstein if he knew the current situation of the war, the German marshal's blunt "do not know" made the other Allied generals present a little annoyed.

"The world is so noisy, and the marshal can rest in peace. This mentality is worthy of admiration!" General Karen said sarcastically in a sharp tone.

Without waiting for the assistant to translate, Manstein replied directly in German: "In our room, there is only one local Polish newspaper in apart from meals every day. The Polish we know is very limited, and even the news in the newspapers cannot be fully understood, let alone other than that."

General Karen immediately responded with a cold snorkeling.

"Martin Manstein, get back to the point!" Bradley helplessly dispelled the two of them's tit-for-tat words. He briefly introduced the situation of the Soviet army investing in a large-scale counterattack on the southern front, and admitted that the Soviet army had invested in the main force of the air force and armored forces this time. From the perspective of combat form, their intention should be to fight a large-scale siege and annihilation battle against the Allied South Line troops.

After hearing this, Manstein was not in a hurry to speak, but looked at it at the front of the map.

"The current situation has to remind people of the analysis of Marshal Manstein the day before yesterday." The Polish general said in his awkward English, "It's a pity that the marshal only guessed half of the time. The Soviets did launch a large-scale counterattack, but the main attack direction was on the southern line. The Marshal and the Soviets fought on the battlefield for several years and also presided over several crucial battles. In such a situation, they were only half right. It's really surprising and puzzled!"

Manstein did not respond directly this time. After his assistant translated this sentence with an indignant expression, the German marshal said without raising his head. "Any speculation is based on the common analysis of past experience and current situation. You do not even provide a radio, nor do you have detailed battle reports. You still expect a 100% correct judgment and treat me as a god? Thank you very much!"

These words made the Polish general shut his mouth in disappointment, and Bradley also heard some meaning. He turned his head and explained to his Longguan a few words. Before leaving, the adjutant looked at Manstein in a complicated way.

Although Bradley has not just introduced the response actions of the Allied forces in the North Line in the past two days, the pointed tips and lines on the combat map clearly marked everything. Manstein said to him, "If you remember correctly, the day before yesterday, the general told me that in the past two months, about 600,000 Soviet troops on the North and South Fronts have been wiped out or captured, and this time, the Soviet army is estimated to have tens of thousands of troops invested in counterattacks on the South Line. Considering the threats the Soviet army has been threatened in other directions, the Soviet army opposite you still has sufficient military strength."

When Manstein's words were translated into English by his assistant, General Karen said unwillingly, "If we calculate based on the 0 million troops claimed by the Soviet Union, the total number of enemy troops opposite us might reach more than 10,000, right?"

Just like in the past when discussing issues with subordinates and colleagues at the German command, Manstein replied without raising his head, "This ten million should refer to the total number of front-line regular troops, auxiliary troops, local guards, and Shanghai troops. The army troops that can truly gather on the European battlefield. You should have a more accurate estimate without an outsider like me explaining it!"

The Polish general said very dissatisfiedly, "The overall size of an army and a truly combative force are naturally two concepts. I mean that the Soviet army has concentrated all the elite troops on the southern line. Even if the number of troops is still large, only a part of them is guessing! And we have reason to believe that their overall strength of the air force is at a disadvantage. This time, it will inevitably send all the best airplanes of the air force to the southern line. On the northern line, it is only the second line and the reserve force. This is a great opportunity for us to use offense to disintegrate the Soviet army's offensive on the southern line!"

Manstein finally stood up, and he looked at the Polish general and said, "But you have drawn a considerable number of elite troops to support friendly forces. Regardless of whether the progress is smooth or not, they will no longer be able to enter the frontal battle of the Northern Line in a short time.

Now, the Soviet army on the opposite side has lost one arm, why are you the same?”

The Polish general asked back to the point of questioning, "So, do you think we should continue to implement our firm defense in nothing?"

"I have no choice but to decide what to go. I am just an adviser and an officer in custody of the defeated country." Manstein replied without hesitation.

Bradley helplessly skipped the Polish general and asked Manstein directly; "According to the Soviet combat habits, they must have made complete considerations. The obvious loopholes may be difficult to find, but there will always be relatively weak areas, right?"

Manstein replied decisively, "The strategy of steady defense and retreat in the early stage of the war allowed them to preserve most of their vitality. This counterattack was a key link in the transformation of strategic rhythm. The Soviets must do their best, and their marshals at least nominally took control of the country. This counterattack is bound to be won. All seemingly weak points are probably traps to attract opponents. Whether you go south to the south, divide the troops or advance directly to Moscow, it is a failure. In my opinion, the best way to plan for the present is to stick to it. That's all I want to say. If you decide to adopt a persistence strategy, I can provide some experience against the Soviet army. If you decide to fight back, I can only wish you good luck!"

Seeing Manstein say this with a serious and decisive attitude, Bradley and his colleagues in the allies seemed very surprised. In terms of command experience and war experience, most of them were competent, like Bradley himself, and he was among the top commanders of the land war. They had the ability and confidence to command large corps to fight. The reason why they valued the most was the experience and lessons learned from the years of confrontation between the German and Soviet troops. But at the same time, even a well-known professional soldier like Manstein could only give very limited professional trust—both sides knew this, and Manstein's attitude only indirectly pointed out this point.

Seeing that my colleagues in allies have a deep prejudice against Manstein, and continuing to be in the same room is nothing more than deepening the intensity of this smoke-free war, Bradley had to bring a common step for everyone; "Okay! Marshal Manstein, please go back to your room first! We will try our best to ensure that you obtain information about this war so that you can better fulfill your role as an advisor. Here... On behalf of the Allies, I thank you for your selfless contributions. I hope that one day we can truly abandon past grudges, respect each other, and live in peace with each other."

Manstein then returned Bradley's American military salute with the Wehrmacht. As for the good wishes of peace, he did not respond in any verbal terms. He turned around and left the room that had never made him feel a little happy.

At this time, on a clear night in eastern Ukraine, the Soviet offensive was full of inertia like an arrow that had just come out. After the passing of tanks and mechanized infantry units, the Soviet infantry divisions and heavy artillery units followed through the dilapidated Allied defense line, and every face looked optimistic and positive. Although the night march prohibited singing and loud noises, the officers' active slogans and laughter from time to time in the team still highlighted the mentality of the officers and soldiers. At this moment, people seemed to have returned to the year. No matter how tenacious the enemy's resistance was, they were all heading towards the end of victory step by step.

This time, although the Allied forces led by the United States and Britain had powerful naval and air force and artillery units, their soldiers were far less difficult than the German SS. On many positions on the front line, the US and British officers and soldiers were like German soldiers who were frightened by British tanks in 1917. They lacked the courage to fight to the end in the face of the t34s. Many troops only used anti-tank guns and anti-tank rocket launchers to make preliminary resistance. Once they realized that the enemy was unstoppable, they would choose to retreat or surrender. The US and British tankers were surprised by the way the Soviet armored forces fought. They might never have expected that a powerful medium tank could appear on their flanks or even behind with cheetah-like skills. The "Black Death" Il 2 attack aircraft, which made the German officers and soldiers helpless, also ravaged the Allied armored forces without any mercy in the daytime battle.

The sound of gunfire came from not far away. A row of trucks were parked by the road near the fork in the road. The soldiers wearing Soviet-made steel helmets were turning the cannons to be dragged by the truck and setting up temporary launch positions. Under the command of the commander, an infantry team heading west also stopped by the roadside. The soldiers were waiting calmly, watching the friendly troops behind passing by the road in front of them. Although the weather was a little hot, no one in the team unauthorizedly disassembled the equipment and took off their military boots for breath. After a while, the commander brought it back

Specific combat orders; with the support of artillery, an enemy nearby was almost defending. After the attack order, the lieutenants and non-commissioned officers in the team quickly scored points. Since it was a mountain climbing attack, the soldiers followed the order to remove the ration bags and spare rain boots. At this moment, the cannons nearby opened fire, and the thunderous roar was like the horn of the battle. The gunners adjusted and reloaded with their capable movements. At this time, looking away from the road, you could clearly see continuous flames jumping on the mountains in the distance.

A burst of cannons disappeared, and the commander of the infantry team, a thin and refined middle-aged school officer, jumped onto the rocks on the roadside and shouted to the soldiers who were about to enter the battle; "Soviet soldiers, in order to defend our great motherland, in order to defend our homeland and our loved ones, to eliminate these imperialist invaders! Go forward! Go forward! Go forward
Chapter completed!