USSR 1941

  Chapter 135 Petrov

  The news of the Romanian division's defeat soon reached the Southern Army Group Command.

  Lundstedt couldn't help being taken aback when he heard this information, and first cursed: "These idiots!"

   Then he reacted and asked, "Where are our engineers? Shouldn't they be laying mines on the road?"

   "They did!" the adjutant replied: "But the Russians broke through the minefield!"

  Lundstedt, who was looking at the map, raised his head and looked at the adjutant in surprise: "They broke through the minefield?"

   "Yes, Your Excellency the Marshal!" The adjutant explained: "They installed a crushing stone in front of the tank, and then..."

  Lundstedt was stunned for a while, and he never thought that his landmine plan was cracked by a few rocks.

   But soon, Rundstedt came back to his senses.

   "Where are they now?" Lundstedt asked.

   "It has entered the range of Kolaif!" The adjutant replied: "With their marching speed, it may not take two days to reach Odessa!"

   It doesn't take two days...it means arriving before the Germans capture Odessa.

  What's more, if the defenders of Odessa hear that reinforcements will arrive immediately, they will undoubtedly strengthen their resistance, so that the possibility of the German army wanting to take Odessa within two days is very small.

  Lundstedt guessed right, Moscow was also shocked by the victory of the Soviet Ninth Army.

   You must know that the Ukrainian front line is basically defeated... In fact, it is polite to use the word "defeated" to describe it. The entire Southwest Front Army and the South Front Army may be surrounded by the German army and face the end of annihilation.

  But now, suddenly a surprise soldier from Kyiv went straight to Odessa, and the situation suddenly reversed...It was not the Soviet army that was surrounded and the supply line was cut off, but the German army that broke into the hinterland of the Soviet Union.

  Originally, Moscow did not believe that a mechanized army would be able to fight a way out in the rear of the German army as if entering no one's land.

After all, it is 500 kilometers from Kyiv to Odessa, and the German armored force has a case of defeating a Soviet tank army with a hundred tanks. .

  But the facts were beyond everyone's expectations. Not only was the Soviet 9th Army not defeated by the enemy, but it went straight to Odessa after going through three passes and killing five generals.

   "How far are they from Odessa?"

   "Seventy kilometers! If you march day and night, it only takes one day!"

   "Order them to speed up. In addition... immediately provide reinforcements to Odessa, and we must defend Odessa!"

"yes!"

  …

   In charge of the Odessa command was Major General Petrov.

  Major General Petrov was originally the commander of the 25th Infantry Division. After the war broke out, the 25th Infantry Division retreated to Odessa according to the order.

  When the Romanian 4th Army surrounded Odessa, Odessa didn't even have a unified command...it gathered remnants from all over the place, some even deserted.

  The reason is that Odessa is backed by the Black Sea, and the Black Sea Fleet of the Soviet Army has command over the sea, so deserters who are more familiar with the geography know that it is easier to escape from here.

   Soon, Moscow ordered the establishment of the Odessa Defense Zone, with Major General Petrov as the commander.

Petrov, who was ordered in danger, was very troubled by the mess he faced, because the composition of the troops was very complicated, mainly the 25th Infantry Division and the 95th Infantry Division, as well as the 9th Cavalry Division, the 421st Naval Infantry Brigade, and the 54th Infantry Regiment Wait, there are still many stragglers who don't know which army they are from.

  Although there are many components, the total force is only 35,000.

  Before that, the situation was pretty good. After all, it was against the Romanian army. Although the Romanian army had much more troops than the Soviet army, Petrov still commanded his subordinates to repel their attacks time and time again relying on the geographical advantage.

  But the situation took a turn for the worse after the German 22nd Infantry Division suddenly appeared on the battlefield and opened a gap in the middle defense line.

  The reason is that the middle defense line is 6-8 kilometers away from Odessa. This distance happens to keep the enemy’s artillery at a safe distance... Howitzers in this era generally have a range of about 10 kilometers, such as the German 105MM caliber howitzer.

  Theoretically, a distance of 6-8 kilometers cannot prevent the enemy from pouring artillery shells into the urban area of ​​Odessa, but the Soviet army also has artillery. Of course, the Romanian army dare not easily push the artillery into the Soviet defense line.

   This keeps Odessa from being cut off from the outside world.

  The connection comes from two aspects, one is the airport and the other is the port.

  The straight-line distance between Odessa and Crimea is only 200 kilometers. Aircraft and ships can quickly provide reinforcements for Odessa.

   But it was different after the middle line of defense was breached: the Soviet army had to withdraw to the last line of defense, which was the urban area, to fight the enemy on the streets, which exponentially increased the difficulty of defense.

More importantly, the Romanian army advanced the artillery position a few kilometers, which enabled them to block the airport and even the port with artillery... More than a hundred planes that had been fighting at the Odessa airport had to withdraw from Odessa , Coupled with the large-scale bombing of the port by the German and Romanian air forces and the blockade of the surrounding area with mines, the supply of Odessa immediately became tense.

  This means that every bullet and shell fired will be one less, and Odessa will fall sooner or later.

  In fact, the 22nd Infantry Division of the German Army has broken into Odessa from the left flank and is approaching the rear port...Once the German army occupies the port, the only way for the Soviet army to withdraw from Odessa will be cut off.

   Therefore, Petrov judged that Odessa was likely to fall within a few days, and they had to withdraw from the port, otherwise the more than 30,000 people stationed here would be in danger of being surrounded and wiped out.

   At this moment, the staff officer handed Petrov a telegram and said excitedly: "General, the order from Moscow, they said that the reinforcements will arrive here soon!"

   "Reinforcements? What reinforcements!" Petrov asked suspiciously.

   At this time, the Soviet army was defeated, and the port and airport were blocked by the enemy. Major General Petrov could not imagine where there would be reinforcements.

  "Southwest Front Army!" The staff officer said: "They have attacked all the way south from Kyiv, and now they have entered Kolaiv, only 70 kilometers away from us!"

  Major General Petrov couldn't help but stare blankly at the staff with his mouth half-opened upon hearing the words.

   "Kyiv? Are you sure?" Major General Petrov asked.

   Then Major General Petrov realized that this was nonsense, the staff would not know much more than himself, and the telegram from Moscow was in his hands.

   After reading the telegram several times back and forth, it was indeed what he said.

   At that moment, Major General Petrov, who was suspicious by nature, even thought that this was a means by Moscow to make them stick to the last moment.

  After all, Kyiv popped up a support army...It's hard to believe.