USSR 1941

  Chapter 806 Cannon

As a result, Shulka arrived in Karachi amid the admiring conversations among the soldiers. The train compartment where Shulka was sitting was almost bursting. People who heard the wind jumped out of other cars and went straight to Shulka's car. Even Shulka didn't know how the wind came out...

  It was only later that Shulka found out that someone got out of the car halfway, and then yelled at the people in other cars: "Hey, do you know? Comrade Shulka is in my car!"

   "Who are you talking about? A breakout hero?"

   "Yes! I shook hands with him, and he's right there, going to the front with us!"

  …

  So the news spread from ten to ten, and soon the whole train knew about it. Even if the carriages were full, there were still people poking around outside trying to stuff them inside.

  At that time, Shulka was thinking that if the German fighter planes attacked the train, just this carriage would be enough for the pilot to make meritorious service.

   Fortunately, this did not happen, and Shulka finally reached Karachi safely.

   One thing Beria did not lie, the situation on the front line is indeed a bit different from before.

   "You are finally back!" Trufanov breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shulka: "I was worried that you would enjoy yourself in Moscow and forget about us!"

   "I did forget about you!" Shulka said: "But I miss the Germans!"

   Trufanov and Zolotarev laughed.

"The enemy seems to be moving!" Then Trufanov brought Shulkala to the front of the map and said, "It's mainly in the direction of the enemy's Don Army. Their strength has been strengthened recently, and we believe they are assembling Train gun!"

   "Train gun?" Shulka looked at Trufanov suspiciously.

   "Yes!" Trufanov nodded: "Although they did it very secretly, our guerrillas still got a little wind, and it is estimated that they will be assembled and put into use soon!"

   Shulka couldn't help but think of the scene when he was bombed by train artillery in the Brest Fortress.

   To be honest, the train gun is actually outdated in this era, because it takes a long time to assemble, has extremely poor maneuverability, and has high logistical requirements. For example, a train gun requires a brigade and another battalion to operate.

  So although it is amazingly powerful, it is a living target for the enemy's air power... such a huge guy stands there, and a few bombers fly over and drop a few bombs at will to destroy it.

  The problem is that the Germans have the initiative in air supremacy.

Although the skies of the Soviet Union at this time were not like when the war broke out, the Luftwaffe had full air supremacy, but it was still the Luftwaffe that could protect wherever it wanted to protect. The same is true.

  So although this cannon is outdated, the Soviet army still can't do anything to it.

   As a result, the giant artillery will pose a threat to the Soviet defense line.

No matter what the defense line is, as long as a shell comes over, even if the shell does not hit directly, its explosion power is enough to blow a gap in the defense line in an instant... The accuracy of the giant cannon is poor, but it has 8 tons to 10 tons per shell. Weighing tons, this thing can penetrate seven meters thick concrete, 30 meters deep soil and then explode inside, and its shock is enough to kill.

  The Germans once used this kind of giant cannon in the Sevastopol Fortress, and then abruptly knocked open the underground fortresses of the fortress one by one.

   It is conceivable that if this gun is successfully assembled and launched an attack on the Soviet defense line, the German army will smash the gap in an instant and then use the air superiority to cover the tanks swarming in through the gap, causing the Soviet defense line to collapse quickly.

  Even if the Soviet army had the Karachi defense line, it was no exception... When the artillery shells were fired, no matter what kind of bunker or building it was, a large area would fall down.

"Maybe we can consider taking the initiative to attack!" Zolotalev looked at Shulka and said, "I mean, in this situation, defense is getting more and more dangerous, so the only option is to attack. Maybe we A counterattack can force the enemy's train guns to withdraw!"

   This may have been discussed by Zolotarev with Trufanov several times.

  The fact is true, if the defense is threatened by giant artillery, it is better to take the initiative than to sit still.

The issue is…

   "I heard that this German train gun has a range of about 50 kilometers?" Shulka asked.

   "Almost, it should be about 45 kilometers!" Trufanov replied.

  Because this giant gun was used in both the Brest Fortress and Sevastopol, the Soviets probably knew its range.

"45 kilometers..." Shulka stretched out from the Soviet defense line, then drew a line, and said, "That means that the Germans may deploy this kind of giant artillery to the Mirerovsky area, so far away." How can our counterattack threaten it?"

  The artillery fire of the Soviet infantry has a range of only a dozen kilometers, which means that the Soviet army must advance the line of defense by at least 30 kilometers before it is possible to threaten the giant artillery.

  But 30 kilometers... If the Soviet army now has the strength to push the German army back 30 kilometers, there is no need to consider the issue of giant artillery.

   "What's more!" Shulka continued: "I believe the Germans have been prepared for a long time. They will inevitably fortify the front line and wait for us to attack. Isn't this the purpose of the Germans deploying cannons?"

   "You mean..." Trufanov said: "The Germans want us to attack their lines?"

  Shuerka nodded: "That's what I think. Although the cannon has a big target, if the Germans want to keep it secret, it seems that the guerrillas will not be able to hear the news! So..."

  Trufanov nodded in agreement: "Before that, I felt that the information came too suddenly, but now it seems that the Germans may have deliberately released the news!"

  The fact is true.

  Manstein really hoped that the Soviet army would attack first.

  But others didn't think of this, so when Manstein wanted to take the initiative to release the news of the German army's deployment of cannons, the staff officer expressed his confusion.

  Manstein replied this way: "Dora is just a giant cannon. It may be able to knock through the gap in the enemy's defense line, but then?"

   "Then we can occupy Karachi and rescue the 6th Army!" said the staff officer.

   "Do you think it is possible?" Manstein stared at the map and said solemnly: "The Soviets only need to set up cannons on both sides of the Don River to block the river. How many people can cross the Don River and come back alive?"

  (end of this chapter)