Chapter 1116: A Change in Mentality

The Michael Cathedral had fallen. This was a disaster for the entire Soviet defense system. It was the first place that could be considered a landmark building within the urban area of Moscow that the Germans had occupied since entering the Marino district. As long as the German army held this place, they could claim to have established a firm foothold in Moscow.

This was a situation the Soviet defenders absolutely did not want to see, because every one of their failures now was enough to influence the restless opposition forces stirring behind them. The closer they got to defeat, the more people would stand up and hit them while they were down. This was a reckoning for the Great Purge, a form of resistance from people who had been under heavy pressure against the regime.

The German army’s capture of the Michael Cathedral also caused the surrounding Soviet defenders to panic. After all, in the areas north and south of Moscow, the German army had not yet managed to break into the city; they were still some distance even from the Moscow suburbs. This gave the defenders in these areas a feeling that their own efforts were being dragged down by idiots.

“What? The German army has broken into Moscow’s urban area? What’s going on? Is Vatutin an idiot?” Upon receiving the news that German forces in the central region had entered the southwestern part of Moscow, Konev, commander of the 1st Guards Front, who was in the middle of directing his troops to hold their position, frowned. He then handed the telegram to his chief of staff. “I haven’t let the Germans advance a single step here, and that idiot Vatutin has already let the Germans fight their way into Moscow.”

The chief of staff was clearly in disbelief. He took the telegram from the Southern General Headquarters and only believed the news was real after confirming it was sent personally by Marshal Zhukov. Konev was right. The 1st Guards Front was fighting to the death in the area south of Moscow, but now it seemed that, due to the collapse on other fronts, their efforts had done nothing to slow the German attack speed.

The chief of staff thought for a moment before speaking his mind. He knew that this was not the time to undermine each other, and the German army group on their front had been building up its strength and was not an easy opponent. “General, Vatutin has held Moscow for so long; he should still have some ability. It’s possible the German offensive was just too fierce, which is why he slipped up…”

As things stood, within the massive Moscow encirclement, the position of any troop commander holding a front independently was more stable than at any time in the past. If it were normal times, when someone made a mistake, everyone would usually attack them in a pack, hitting them while they were down to pave the way for their own promotion. But at a time like this, no one wanted to take on such a responsible position. If anyone attacked a rival at this moment, the other person would certainly take the opportunity to resign: “You do it, if you think you can.”

Therefore, a very interesting phenomenon occurred among the Soviet defenders at this moment. Behind their backs, the Moscow defenders cursed Zhukov’s group for their failure in the south, calling them “idiots.” Zhukov’s group, in turn, cursed the Moscow defenders for being “good-for-nothing rice bags” who couldn’t stop the Germans. But when they met face to face, everyone wore a smile, and not a single bad word was spoken.

“Everyone knows the German offensive is certainly fierce… but… sigh…” Konev shook his head, sighing, and ultimately swallowed the words he was about to say. He actually wanted to say, “But we have no more reason to retreat,” but in the end, he didn’t say it. After all, although they had long run out of reasons for defeat, there were not many frontline generals who had the guts to die for their country.

On the battlefield, plans never keep up with changes. When Zhukov deceived the German armored forces and magically led his main force, which had been heading south, back to Moscow, everyone felt that Moscow’s defenses had been strengthened as never before. But only Zhukov and a few others knew that the plan they had pre-arranged to reinforce Moscow was, in fact, just a psychological trick aimed at their own side.

First, Model’s Army Group D had tailed them from the south, sticking tightly to Konev’s 1st Guards Front and other scattered units in the area. This reduced the mobile force Zhukov could detach to go north and reinforce Moscow to a completely negligible level.

As Guderian’s Army Group G began to turn its attack direction and cut into Moscow’s southeast, the only remaining force in the Moscow theater, the 3rd Guards Front commanded by General Vasilevsky, was also forced into the battle. Of Zhukov’s forces that had “fled” back to Moscow, only one or two divisions made it into Moscow city to assist in the defense. The rest of the troops were tied down by the new German enemy to the south.

And so, this “great pie” that Zhukov had drawn to protect Moscow was laid out before all the Moscow defenders like a reflection of the moon in water. Unfortunately, Stalin, Vatutin, and the other high-level Soviets were all perfectly clear on whether this “pie” was full of meat or crawling with cockroaches.

“Report! Comrade General. We’ve lost contact with Hill 7. German artillery fire is blocking the way, and our signalmen can’t get near the summit.” An officer walked into the command post, stood at attention behind Konev, and began to report. “An observation post saw German troops already on the high ground, but this news has not been confirmed.”

“No need to confirm. It’s lost.” Konev knew his own troops better than anyone. That regiment, which was not a main force unit, had managed to hold Hill 7 for 10 hours, which was already a remarkable achievement. He wasn’t at all surprised that they had lost the position, so there was no need to verify it. “Tell the units on the flank to pull back. No more needless sacrifices.”

The officer saluted respectfully again and was about to turn and leave to carry out the general’s orders when the chief of staff stopped him. He then asked Konev, “General, Hill 7 is a gentle slope on our side. Should we counter-attack? Create some trouble for the Germans’ next advance?”

Konev was silent for a few seconds. He also wanted to use this high ground to make a move. But he suddenly saw the telegram from Zhukov’s headquarters on his desk. He remembered the news that the Germans had already broken into Moscow. He finally unclenched his fist and shook his head. “Forget it. No matter how outstandingly we fight here, if Moscow falls, it’s all for nothing.”

The chief of staff was stunned. In all the time he had worked with Konev, in his eyes, Konev had always been a mature commander with a very steady mentality. But now, that distant battle for a cathedral in Moscow was already influencing this Soviet commander’s decisions. This couldn’t help but give him, a chief of staff skilled in calculation and measurement, a pessimistic feeling that everything was spinning out of control.

The Soviet Union’s army of millions, in the face of the German troops, had only held out for a short year before ending up in such a state. It made those who had personally experienced the whole war sigh at the battlefield’s ever-changing and rapidly evolving nature.

And in another corner of the world, the person sighing with the same sentiment was General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the fierce Japanese general far away in Malaysia. At this moment, he was fighting with American forces over one small, star-scattered island after another, trying his best to save the toppling fate of the Japanese Empire. However, he knew that what he was preparing now was nothing more than an appetizer. The real storm was coming, and its arrival time would depend on the final result of the Combined Fleet’s battle in the Bismarck Sea.

“Your Excellency! Your Excellency! A message from Imperial General Headquarters. The 232nd Division behind us is embarking to reinforce our operations near Malaya.” An officer from communications bowed respectfully behind Tomoyuki Yamashita and then handed the document to the general, who had a fearsome reputation in the local area.

It had to be said that the Japanese troops were indeed very capable fighters. Their combat effectiveness was absolutely unparalleled in Asia at the time. Even from the elevated perspective of the United States, Japan was regarded as a rather thorny adversary, to say nothing of the Chinese army, which was not at Japan’s level. Any talk that belittled Japan’s strength in WWII was mostly a joke tinged with ridicule. Most of those who had faced the strength of Japanese soldiers were in awe of these fierce and brutal monsters.

And this General, Tomoyuki Yamashita, was a ruthless man who had once routed the American forces in the Malaya region, who hadn’t even been able to hold Australia. His troops were adept at jungle warfare and island landing battles. It could be said that he was Japan’s top high-level commander in the South Seas region, the one most capable of fighting tough battles. If the Japanese commander for the Battle of Imphal had been Yamashita, it’s possible the Japanese might have really broken into India.

“The 232nd Division? Sou ka… The Combined Fleet has lost.” Yamashita muttered, his hand on his command sword, his expression grim. The 232nd Division was clearly not a main-force Japanese division. A unit with a number in the 200s, compared to a “cart-horse” division, could at best be called a brigade. To use a non-main-force division to support him at this time meant that Imperial HQ had no decent forces to spare, yet they were still worried about his situation in Malaya.

In truth, the Japanese Army was doing better than the Navy right now. Although Kanji Ishiwara had made no progress in Manchuria, he also had no major failures. And he, Yamashita, had been building up in Malaya for several months. Even if it couldn’t be called impregnable, it could definitely be considered a small achievement.

So Yamashita was not that pessimistic right now. The problem he was mulling over was how to use the Japanese 14th Area Army under his control to crush the American forces’ provocations on islands like New Guinea and Kalimantan, and to stabilize the southwestern defense line of the Great Japanese Empire.

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