Chapter 14 07. Ace Heroes Compete for Merry

After the Battle of Kursk ended in August 1943, the balance of forces on the Soviet-German battlefield had changed.At this time, the strength of the Soviet army expanded to more than 6.3 million, and the combat capabilities of soldiers generally improved.The German army and its vassals were reduced to 4.9 million, and their morale was low.At the same time, the British and American allies provided the Soviet Union with a large amount of advanced weapons and fuel, which quickly increased the strength of the Soviet army.By the end of 1943, the number of Soviet tanks and artillery exceeded that of the German army by 70%, and the number of aircraft exceeded that of the German army by 170%. The German army lost its strategic offensive capabilities and was forced to switch to defense.However, it is very difficult to establish a solid line of defense on a long front.Therefore, the Soviet Supreme Command decided to seize the opportunity and launch a comprehensive counteroffensive.

From the beginning of 1944, the Soviet army launched 10 rapid assaults in a row to wipe out the German troops in the Soviet Union and push the front line beyond the border. The Soviet army's first assault site was chosen on the northern wing of the Soviet-German battlefield.Although the Soviet army broke through the German blockade of Leningrad in 1943, the threat of the German army to Leningrad has not been lifted, and Leningrad is in danger of being besieged again at any time.Hitler ordered the Northern Army Group to hold on to the outskirts of Leningrad at all costs to ensure the free movement of the German fleet in the Baltic Sea and keep the German threat to Leningrad.In order to hold on for a long time, the German army built a solid in-depth defense fortification during the 27-month siege of Leningrad.

For this reason, Stalin decided to carry out a powerful blow to the German army near Leningrad and completely expel the German army from this area. On January 14, 1944, the forces of the three front armies of the Soviet Army launched a large-scale attack on the German army near Leningrad, which opened the prelude to the "first assault".By January 27, the Soviet army had advanced 150 to 200 kilometers, defeated 23 German divisions, and annihilated 2 divisions.By the end of February, the Soviet army opened up the railway from Leningrad to Moscow, completely freeing Leningrad from the siege of the German army.On the same day, Leningrad fired 20 gun salutes to celebrate the victory.The victory of this assault opened the way for the subsequent Soviet army to capture the Baltic coast.

While counterattacking on the northern front, from January to March 1944, the Soviet army launched a "second assault" on the west bank of the Dnieper River in the south.At that time, in order to guard the Ukrainian region on the west bank of the Dnieper River, the German High Command concentrated 96 divisions and 1.8 million people here, of which the number of armored divisions accounted for more than 70% of the German armored divisions on the eastern front.The German High Command realized that whether it could stick to this area would determine the fate of the German army's victory or defeat on the entire Eastern Front.

In order to completely annihilate the German army group on the southern flank of the Soviet-German battlefield and regain the entire Ukrainian region on the west bank of the Dnieper River, the Soviet army concentrated 2 million troops from 4 Ukrainian fronts.The assault began in early spring, when the snow melted, the river flooded, it rained heavily, and the ground was muddy. The German army never expected that the Soviet army would launch a large-scale offensive in this very unfavorable season for combat.The Soviet assault severely damaged the German Army Group South, annihilating 10 German divisions and 1 brigade.By the end of March, the Soviet army had advanced 400 kilometers westward, regained all Ukrainian territory west of the Dnieper River, and entered Romania, opening the way to Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

At the end of March 1944, the Soviet army took advantage of the victory and launched the "third assault". They regained Odessa and the entire Crimea Peninsula in one fell swoop, regained the famous fortress of Sevastopol, and wiped out nearly 150,000 enemies. people.The Soviet Black Sea Fleet regained freedom of action, creating favorable conditions for attacking Romania and Bulgaria from the sea. These three assaults set off a wave of Soviet counteroffensives.Relying on three years of combat experience exchanged with blood, Soviet soldiers drove tanks and planes provided by the United States and Britain to fight all the way. It's time for a beating.

At this stage of the war, the only advantage of the German army is that the tactical quality of the soldiers is still better than that of the Soviet army.In fact, regardless of whether your weapon is advanced or not, the most important thing is to give full play to the role of the weapon. Only in this way can the weak defeat the strong. At this time, the various "trump cards" that emerged on the German Eastern Front played a role, and the German army relied on these elites to boost morale and support them.Among them, there are both ace pilots and ace tankers. In World War II, the huge role of the Air Force has been fully demonstrated.In the German Air Force, the number one air combat ace such as Erich Hartmann appeared.

Hartmann was born in Germany in 1922. At that time, Germany was in a period of depression and people's livelihood after World War I.When Hartman was 3 years old, his family moved to China. His father Hartman was a doctor and opened a clinic in Changsha, Hunan.At the foot of Yuelu Mountain and at the head of Juzizhou, Hartman grew up drinking water from the Xiangjiang River.There is a saying in modern China: Without Hunan, there is no army.The children of Huxiang are capable of both literature and martial arts, and many iron-blooded men have emerged.Hartman became an ace pilot in the future, which may also have something to do with his childhood experience.

In 1929, Hartmann returned to Germany.His flying talent was inherited from his mother, and his flying skills were also trained by his mother.Hartmann's mother is the "godmother" figure in the German aviation industry.When Hartman was a child, his mother encouraged him to use a paraglider to jump off the roof and experience the feeling of flying.When the son grows up a bit, the mother will fly him to the sky to experience it.By 1934, Mrs. Hartmann initiated the establishment of the Aviation Club and served as an instructor to train pilots.At that time, Hartman was in middle school and also became a cadet.

In 1937, when Hartmann was 15 years old, he got the highest level of flight license and became the instructor of the Hitler Youth Flying Corps.It can be said that this person has a high understanding and is a genius. In 1939, Hartmann graduated from high school and wanted to go to the Air Force, but his father didn't want him to join the army, thinking that Germany would definitely be defeated, and there was no good fruit to join the Air Force.Facts have proved that his father's vision is very accurate, he is really a prophet. However, his mother wanted him to join the Air Force to fulfill his son's dream of flying.Hartman joined the Air Force with his mother's support and began training to fly fighter jets.Because of his good flying foundation, Hartman participated in the Air Force pilot training for a month and then flew solo. After half a year, he was sent to fly the first BF-109 fighter jet.At that time, the instructor he met was the most powerful super pilot in Germany, Quhagen. He especially admired Hartmann and taught him some air combat skills that only "veteran" flying birds can understand without reservation.In other words, Hartman not only learned martial arts moves, but also learned a set of inner skills.

In 1942, Hartmann graduated with the rank of second lieutenant. In October, Hartmann, who had just turned 20, was assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing, the most effective and prestigious fighter wing in the Luftwaffe, and then went to fight on the Eastern Front. When Hartman participated in the air combat for the first time, he was in a hurry. It was hard to imagine that the famous air combat ace would look like this in the future.At that time, he was eager to fight, and considered himself to be superior in skills. He rushed forward and got into the middle of a group of enemy planes. Hartman's heart almost jumped out of his throat. Seeing that he was about to die, he failed to win Die first.The comrades-in-arms behind were very righteous, and they covered him and stood out from the encirclement.Then, Hartman got lost again, the plane ran out of fuel, and finally made an emergency landing on a road. This was the debut of the ace pilot, and the whole show was smashed.Afterwards, the captain counted on his fingers, and Hartman made all the seven mistakes that "rookies" like to make, so he was fined to sweep the runway.While sweeping the runway, Hartman said to himself, this is a good thing, if a person makes all the mistakes once, he will not make them again. In less than a month, Hartmann participated in the air battle again, and his opponent was the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft known for its "thick skin".Hartman was very calm this time, and he didn't fire until he was very close to the enemy plane - 100 meters, and he hit it!However, the Il-2 is an attack aircraft with thick armor, and machine gun bullets cannot hurt it.Finally, Hartman got under the enemy plane and hit the carburetor of the Il-2. This time he succeeded!Unfortunately, because he was too close to the enemy plane, he was injured by the fragments of the enemy plane's explosion. The enemy plane crashed, and he himself had to make an emergency landing in embarrassment, which made him very depressed. During his injury and hospitalization, Hartmann began to reflect on the tactics of the Luftwaffe. It can also be seen from here that he is really a genius in air combat. Two actual battles made him see the flaws in the tactics of the Luftwaffe.Hartman believes that when fighting enemy planes in the future, do not rush to attack after discovering the enemy plane, but pay attention to ascertaining the situation.If the enemy plane has no reinforcements, launch a surprise attack and then quickly leave.To sum it up is: dormant standby, run away after playing.This also became the tactical essence of his future air combat. After Hartman was discharged from the hospital, he began to emerge with new tactics.By March 1943, he shot down 15 enemy planes and won the Iron Cross of the Second Class; by October, his record had soared to 150, with an average of 18 aircraft shot down a month, and at most 6 aircraft a day, until he was awarded the Knight Iron Cross Medal, become a super ace pilot. In the first two months of 1944, he shot down another 50 planes, and his personal record reached 200, and his reputation spread far and wide.Because of the tulip flower heart arrow painted on the nose of his landline, Soviet pilots nicknamed him "Black Death".Even when the Soviet pilots saw Hartman's plane flying, they avoided it far away, so that Hartman had no results for a long time, and he became a lonely loser.How to do it?Hartman changed his strategy. He asked his subordinates to drive the "Black Death" out, and he drove an ordinary fighter plane to mix with the troops. A few times later, Hartman's record soared again. On March 2, 1944, Hartmann returned to China to receive an honor from Hitler, and then returned to his hometown to visit his parents.The mother is very proud because her son has become a great pilot, but the father is very pessimistic. He warns his son that no matter how strong you are, you can't save the war. Germany has already lost this war.Hartman was familiar with the inside story of the war, and he also knew what was going on, so he was speechless. In 1944, the German Air Force faced a strong opponent-the American P-51 "Mustang" fighter jet. In 1949, at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, it was this fighter that flew over Tiananmen Square.It is the ultimate propeller aircraft, and its performance surpasses the German BF-109 fighter jet in an all-round way.Therefore, a large number of German pilots were transferred back to the mainland to participate in air defense operations, and the Eastern Front was supported by elites like Hartmann. In fact, Germany had already lost its air supremacy on the Eastern Front at this time.However, Hartman still tried to turn the tide.By July 1, 1944, his record of shooting down enemy planes reached 250; on August 23, it reached 290; on August 24, it broke through 300, and the record is still rising.At that time, Germany was already in despair, and pinned its hopes on these so-called "national heroes". Therefore, Hitler summoned Hartmann again and awarded him the Knight's Cross with Diamond Double Swords and Oak Leaves to boost morale. At that time, the "July 20" incident that assassinated Hitler just happened.Hitler was in a state of panic, and the guard insisted that Hartmann hand over his pistol before entering the base camp.Hartman was very angry: "I don't even trust the officers who fought bloody battles on the front line. You don't need this kind of medal!" ah?That's why he went in with a gun.In the cold basement of "Wolf's Lair", Hartmann saw Hitler for the last time, and the great dictator looked desperate and stubborn.He held Hartman's hand and kept babbling: "I am optimistic about the future...I believe, yes, I believe..." Hartman felt his hand was slippery and weak Incomparable. After leaving the "Wolf's Lair", the sun was shining brightly, but Hartman's mood was a little gloomy, and the medal on his chest seemed extraordinarily heavy.He said to himself: "Maybe, it's time to do something important, before it's too late." Hartman seized the time to marry the girl Page he had known since he was 15 years old.At that time, Hartman shot down 301 planes, and the bride joked with him: "Am I your 302nd prey?" Hartman said: "No, you are the only one." But 8 days after marriage, Hartman left his wife and went to the front line, leaving a sentence: "Wait for me." No one thought that this wait would be 10 years.Hartman's last battle was in Czechoslovakia. At that time, he had been promoted to the rank of captain of the First Battalion of the 52nd Fighter Wing.Here, the pilots of the United States and the Soviet Union jointly strangled the first brigade, and Hartman fought desperately, creating a miracle of shooting down 7 "Mustangs" in one day.But the German army had collapsed, and so had the Third Reich. Until May 8, 1945, the day Germany announced its surrender, Hartmann took off for the last time and achieved the 352nd victory.It is said that an Il-2 attack plane from the Soviet Union swaggered past, thinking that Germany had surrendered and there was no danger, but Hartman beat it down when he saw it upset. Hartman led his men to surrender to the U.S. Army, but according to the agreement of the Allied Forces, Hartman mainly fought on the Eastern Front and should be handed over to the Soviet Union.The Soviets prosecuted Hartman for war crimes, sentenced him to 25 years of hard labor, and sent him to dig coal.Hartmann was digging coal in the Soviet Union, and his mother and wife were bleeding in their hearts.Hartman's mother complained to the Soviet authorities countless times in the five years after his arrest, and wrote a letter to Stalin, hoping to release her son, but there was no news of it.Hartman's wife has also been waiting infatuatedly for her husband's return.Finally, in 1955, Adenauer, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, personally wrote back to the two generations of Mrs. Hartmann. This great statesman went to Moscow to intercede. The lad took it home."Hartman finally went home to reunite with his family and had a make-up wedding with his bride.His best man is another super ace Buckhorn who shot down more than 300 fighters.These are the only two German pilots who shot down more than 300 enemy planes. After returning home, Hartmann joined the German Luftwaffe and eventually served as a colonel. He died in 1993. If one person destroys 150 artillery positions, kills 519 tanks, destroys 1,000 other combat vehicles, sinks 70 landing ships, 2 cruisers and 1 battleship, and disables 1 battleship in 4 years, destroys He bought countless locomotives and trucks, and the annihilation record of one person is equivalent to 5 armored armies of the Soviet Union.Do you think this is a myth?But someone really did this kind of thing, and he is Hans Rudel, winner of the highest German medal. Rudel used to be a poor student. He dropped out of junior high school and spent all day doing nothing, wandering around on the street.His wanderings coincided with Nazi party street politics in full swing, so Rudel was a fanatical Nazi at an early age.Unlike other professional soldiers in Germany, he was a real Nazi.He was able to achieve such a high record later, and his crazy performance on the battlefield was also related to his firm Nazi belief. In 1936, Germany rebuilt the air force, and Rudel joined the air force. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Rudel began to participate in actual combat.As a reconnaissance aircraft pilot, he took many risks to complete long-distance reconnaissance missions and contributed to the command's judgment of the direction of the battle. He was awarded the second-class Iron Cross and won the first pot of gold in his life. After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Rudel was incorporated into the Second Bomber Wing and drove the "Stuka" bomber to attack the Soviet railway system. The train skins full of supplies were turned into piles under the heavy bomb he threw Heap of burning scrap iron.Within 18 hours on the day of the war, Rudel dispatched 4 times, messing up the Soviet army's transportation lines, and the legend began. On July 18, Rudel, who had outstanding military exploits, was awarded the first class Iron Cross and promoted to lieutenant. In September 1941, Rudel received a mission to attack the Soviet battleship "Mara" that threatened the German Army Group North to attack Leningrad. The battleship "Mara" was a heart problem of the German Northern Army Group. The ship was used as a floating turret, and more than a dozen large-caliber naval guns fired salvos, causing great casualties to the siege troops.In the first dispatch, Rudel flew the plane and hit the target accurately with a 500kg bomb.However, the 500-kilogram bomb can only tickle the warship for the rough-skinned and thick-skinned battleship, and the first attack failed.The Germans specially developed a 1,000-kilogram bomb to attack the battleship "Mara".Ordinarily, a 1,000-kilogram bomb would have no effect against such a huge battleship, and Rudel's level was reflected at this time.He drove the "Stuka" bomber, hung a large bomb, and launched another attack on the "Mara", throwing the bomb in a vertical dive of nearly 90 degrees, and the bomb actually penetrated the "Mara" The solid deck was plunged into the ammunition depot, and the "Mara" that exploded in the ammunition depot was directly broken into two pieces.It was a textbook attack of perfection, and Rudel created an example of using a bomber to swoop down on a sunk battleship.At that time, the Soviet army had 1,000 anti-aircraft guns dealing with Rudel, but they didn't stop him. Rudel later sank one heavy cruiser and one destroyer each, and successfully completed the task of supporting the Northern Army Group. During the Battle of Stalingrad, Rudel took off to fight every day and returned to China only once, but instead of taking a vacation, he was experimenting with a new type of "Stuka" fighter nicknamed "Cannon Bird".The aircraft carried two 37mm anti-tank guns, which Rudel was particularly fond of.He believed that bombs were not the best weapon against tanks, but artillery.Because the armor of tanks is getting thicker and thicker, hitting tanks on the ground is nowhere near itching.For example, the front armor of the German "Tiger" tank is 110 mm thick, and the paint will crumble when fired with a 37 mm gun.But installing a 37mm gun on an airplane is a serious problem. It is condescending. The turret hatch and engine radiator of the tank cannot be armored with thick armor, and grenades can destroy it.It's just that on the ground, the infantry has no chance to attack the tank's hatch and engine radiator.But being able to shoot in the air is like shooting a target. Rudel excitedly drove the plane back to the front.However, his first task after driving the new fighter was not to fight tanks, but to fight landing craft.After the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet army wanted to engage in a landing battle on the Crimean Peninsula, intending to attack the German army from north to south.However, the Soviet army did not have any landing experience.The German commander was the famous general Manstein, and the Soviet landing battle ended in a disastrous defeat.Rudel drove the experimental "Cannon Bird" and sent a large number of Soviet landing troops into the Black Sea like a target.By the end of the campaign, Rudel had sunk a total of 70 landing craft and received the Oak Leaf Cross. Of course, Rudel's most famous record is playing tanks.When the "Cannon Bird" first appeared, the Soviet Union had nothing to do with this aircraft. Rudel destroyed 12 T-34 tanks on the first day of the Battle of Kursk.A Soviet artillery observer described Rudel's battle scene in this way: "The German plane rushed down from the top... When it was pulled up, the height was less than 10 meters. Walking through the smoke of our tanks, it came again... comrades were dying, our tank units disappeared..." The flight manual of "Stuka" stipulates that the height from the ground is 1000 meters, and Rudel actually dives to less than 10 meters. combined.By the end of 1943, Rudel had destroyed 100 Soviet tanks, and he was awarded the Knight of the Order of Oak Leaves with Two Swords.By 1944, under Rudel's example, more and more "cannon birds" were put into the Soviet-German battlefield. On March 29, 1944, Rudel was promoted to colonel and was awarded the symbol of Germany's highest military honor-the Knight's Cross with Diamond Double Swords and Oak Leaves. After receiving the honor, Rudel worked even harder. His purpose in life was to keep attacking. He gave up all his vacations and often insisted on carrying out missions while sick.By June 3, 1944, he had made 2,000 sorties. On New Year's Day in 1945, Hitler personally hung a knight's cross with diamond double swords and gold oak leaves on Rudel's neck.The name of this medal is extremely long, it is specially made for Rudel, and it only belongs to him.People like Hartmann and Rommel did not get it. As for the medal lover Goering, he won almost all the highest medals in Nazi Germany, including the Grand Iron Cross, but he still failed to get such a special medal.When the medal was awarded, both Hitler and Goering asked him not to take off to fight in the air. He has become a myth. If he was killed, it would have a great impact on the morale of the German army.As a result, Rudel took off the special medal that Hitler had just awarded and handed it to Hitler, saying that if you don't let me fight, I don't want this medal.Hitler and Göring looked at each other after hearing this, but they didn't expect this kid to be more belligerent than our brothers, so they had to let his temper go. Out to mix, sooner or later have to repay. On February 8, 1945, Rudel finally got out of luck. After destroying 12 Soviet tanks, he encountered a Soviet heavy tank.At that time, the Soviets also learned a lot. They learned a trick from their American allies and installed large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns on the top of the tanks.Seeing that there was no hope of escaping, the Soviet tankers simply went all out. They got out of the turret and used anti-aircraft machine guns to fight Rudel. Both sides opened fire at the same time.With his extraordinary perseverance and superb flying skills, Rudel barely made the plane land, but he also lost a right leg and was fitted with a prosthetic.After installing the prosthetic leg, Rudel continued to fly the plane into the air. At this time, Nazi Germany was about to collapse. Rudel once wanted to carry out a suicide attack, and even wanted to drive a plane to Berlin to rescue Hitler.However, in the end he chose to surrender to the US military.His life is much better than Hartman's. If this buddy is extradited to the Soviet Union by the US military, he might have to be shot.He differed from Hartmann in that Hartmann was a professional soldier, while Rudel was an unrepentant Nazi.After World War II, he hung out with a gang of racists and published a book calling out to the Nazis. In the later period of the Soviet-German War, the Germans were at a disadvantage in terms of strength and weapons. The key to the German army's ability to resist the Soviet army's attack was its excellent coordinated combat capabilities. On July 22, 1944, near Riga, a small village called Marihuana was written by the German army with the slogan "Stalin infested, please pay attention", which means that the Soviet army's most advanced "Joseph Stalin 2" heavy-duty The tank has arrived.The irrevocable German tank platoon leader Karius led 8 "Tiger" tanks to meet the Soviet tanks. Karius was the number one ace tanker of the German army in World War II. He destroyed 178 enemy tanks and 130 artillery pieces by himself, and won the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Two Swords. In 1943, he once created a record of destroying 4 Soviet SU-85 self-propelled artillery within half an hour. At this time, Karius had been promoted to platoon leader and led 8 tanks to the front to meet the Soviet army and cover the retreat of the main force.He knew that knowing the enemy and the enemy could lead to victorious battles. Before the battle, he took his old partner, Sergeant Korsch, and drove a "Volkswagen" barrel truck to scout the surrounding area, and found that the entire village was occupied by Soviet tanks. Most of them are "Stalin 2" heavy tanks, which are specially used to deal with the German "Tiger" tanks. In addition, Karius also found that this small village is too small for the "Tiger" tanks, and it is difficult to open the posture. There is no chance, maybe stealing chickens will not make you lose money, lose your wife and lose your army.Therefore, Karlius and his old partner Keschi made a plan, and the two of us drove to level the village.In the afternoon, Karius drove his No. 217 tank, under the cover of Kersch's No. 213 tank, into the village of Marihuana, and staged a legendary battle like a lone hero. There are a total of 17 Soviet tanks in the village, including 10 "Stalin 2" tanks, and the other 7 are super powerful T-34/85 tanks.Karius dared to use two tanks to deal with 17 Soviet tanks, not because he committed a crime, but because he fully grasped the battlefield intelligence.He knew that the Soviets were sleeping at this time. Except for the two T-34 tanks standing guard at the head of the village, the other tanks were destroyed by Karius without starting. on the runway. The crew of the No. 217 "Tiger" tank cooperated skillfully, and one after another 88mm shells burst out at a very high rate of fire. Before the Soviet army could react, 10 "Stalin 2" had been beaten into burning waste Tie, the two Tiger tanks escaped unscathed.The Soviet Army's elite 1st Tank Brigade Independent Heavy Tank Regiment was almost wiped out.Then, Karius organized his troops to ambush at the entrance of the village. When the follow-up troops of the Soviet army heard the news and came for reinforcements, eight "Tiger" artillery guns fired at once, and the Soviet tank column marching on the road was burned into a sea of ​​flames. However, the Soviets had to suspend this offensive, and a large number of German infantry were able to escape. With his outstanding performance in this battle, Karius was promoted to lieutenant and awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Two Swords. Carlius was driving a heavy-duty "Tiger" tank. Germany's second ace tanker Buckman, driving a "Black Panther" tank, also destroyed 80 enemy tanks and won the Knight's Cross with Two Swords and Oak Leaves. According to American military scientists, during World War II, the Germans did too much useless work on tanks, such as "Tiger", "Tiger King", "Black Panther" and various messy assault artillery, and produced a lot.Now it seems that it is enough to produce only one type of "Black Panther" tank, because there are so many produced and the standards are not uniform, which has caused great difficulties in logistics. The Soviet Union produced 60,000 T-34s alone, and there are four heroes who are hard to beat, and tigers can't stand a pack of wolves.In war, weapons don't have to be high-end, as long as they are easy to use. After the collapse of the Third Reich, Karius chose to surrender to the U.S. Army, which is a relatively good ending.After the war, he opened a pharmacy in Bedesheim, Germany, and gave it a very domineering name, "Tiger".It is said that Tamiya, a famous Japanese model manufacturer, specially found the octogenarian Carlius and gave him a car of that year—a refined No. 217 "Tiger" tank model.Karius accepted the gift with a smile, but he didn't show any extra excitement, nor did he recall anything, as if it was another person who created the record of destroying 178 tanks and 130 artillery pieces. At this time, the Soviet Army is also vigorously promoting its combat heroes, especially Matrosov, a soldier from the 254th Regiment of the 56th Guards Infantry Division. On February 23, 1943, when Matrosov's unit was ordered to attack the German army, it was blocked by the firepower of the German bunker.Matrosov blocked the firing holes of the enemy bunker with his own chest, ensuring the victory of his comrades. Russian military historian Boris Sokolov once compared and analyzed the different preferences of Germany and the Soviet Union in promoting combat heroes.The heroes unanimously admired by the Germans are all super aces who have created amazing records in the air force, armored forces and submarine forces.These highly technical heroes rely on their good cultural quality, strict training, outstanding courage and calm personality, which are difficult for ordinary people to match. The Soviet Union also produced such a group of ace elites during the war, which were outstanding among the Allied forces, but their records were far from comparable to those of Germany, such as the ace pilot Kozhdub (62) and Pokryshkin (59). shelf).However, Matrosov's reputation far overwhelmed these outstanding ace elites in the Soviet army. The Soviet Union prefers Matrosov-style heroes, and even launched a god-making movement, which is tailor-made considering the reality of the Soviet army.Since the Soviet army has always been at a disadvantage in terms of quality, training and quality, but has an advantage in quantity, highlighting the spirit of sacrifice can offset the lack of training and quality.In addition, the Soviet Supreme Command has always preferred to regard people and equipment as fleeting consumables, and put quantity before quality. Therefore, the Soviet Army has always needed to establish heroes that everyone can easily emulate and can be produced in batches. This preference and propaganda also created a typical image of the Soviet army: After the main force in the west was encircled and wiped out, a large number of recruits were conscripted into the army, and after basic training that could not be simpler, they were pulled to the front line.If the spirit of Matrosov is burning in their hearts, these young men holding a Mosin Nagant rifle or a Bobosha submachine gun in their movements will overwhelm the German soldiers with higher quality on the opposite side with their fanatical spirit of sacrifice . However, this kind of blind promotion of the courage of sacrifice hindered the technological construction of the Soviet army and caused a large number of unnecessary casualties to the Soviet army. Looking at the history of World War II, the German army was the originator of the "blitzkrieg". Under the guidance of Guderian's military thinking, the German army blitzed Poland, blitzed France, and blitzed the Soviet Union, all of which achieved brilliant results.However, when it came to the Soviet-German battlefield in 1943-1944, it was the turn of the Soviets to launch a blitz.General Vatudin is one of the few military talents in the Soviet army who is good at using tanks for "blitzkrieg". Vatudin was born in a peasant family in Russia in 1901. He joined the Red Army in 1920, and later participated in the military operation to eliminate the Ukrainian peasant uprising army.The following year, he joined the Russian Communist Party. From 1926, Vadudin studied at the Frunze Military Academy and the General Staff Academy for 10 years. In 1936, the Soviet Union began the "Great Purge". Not only was Vadudin, who had just graduated, not "purged", but because a large number of people with higher ranks than him were "purged", he was quickly promoted. In 1938, Vatutin was promoted to major general and was appointed chief of staff of the Kyiv Military District. In 1939, Vatudin participated in planning the Soviet Union and Germany to carve up Poland, and served as the chief of staff of the Soviet Red Army Army Group South. In 1940, under the command of Zhukov, this unit took part in the battle to occupy Bessarabia in Romania.As a reward, Stalin promoted Vatudin to lieutenant general in 1940 and appointed him as a key member of the General Staff. However, Vadudin's shortcomings were quickly exposed. He was reckless. When facing various reforms, he was obviously unable to adapt to this important position due to his lack of combat experience and practical knowledge, and his management methods and strategies were too abstract.Fortunately, he came from a peasant background, was young, and most importantly, he was loyal to Stalin, which made him one of the few generals that Stalin admired.However, Vatudin and other senior Soviet generals failed to fully prepare before the German army blitzed the Soviet Union in June 1941. On June 30, 1941, Vadudin was appointed chief of staff of the Northwest Front and began to emerge.He has a strong will and an optimistic spirit, and treats his subordinates well, and his subordinates admire him for his character.Vadudin never cared about personal gains and losses, often took the lead and promoted talents eclecticly.What is especially commendable is his courage. In the early days of World War II, most Soviet generals were timid in the face of failure, afraid to take the initiative to attack the German army.Vadudin, on the contrary, dared to take the initiative to attack. In the early days of the Soviet-German War, the Northwest Front wanted to prevent the army commanded by Manstein from attacking Leningrad.Vadudin sat near Novgorod and directed the Soviet army to organize an offensive in an attempt to surround most of the German army.Therefore, Manstein had to regroup the entire army to stop the Soviet attack.In this way, the German army delayed the timing of the attack, and the Soviet army gained more time to strengthen the fortifications in the city.The Germans missed their best chance to take Leningrad, an opportunity that might even change the tide of the battle. However, at that time, the casualties rate of the troops commanded by Vadudin was very high. He often overestimated the combat capabilities of his troops, set the goals too high, and rashly launched attacks on the enemy without considering the difficulty of the terrain and the solidity of the German defense line. Troop losses were staggering, with casualties as high as 60%. In July 1942, Vatudin was ordered in danger and was appointed by Stalin as the representative of the Soviet Supreme Command to command the Bryansk Front Army, which was later renamed the Voronezh Front Army to resist the German summer offensive. During the battle, Vatudin found that the new commander of the 60th Army and the commander of the 18th Tank Army Cherniakhovsky had an excellent command and was capable of withstanding the German attack.Vatutin asked Stalin to hand over the 60th Army to the command of Cherniakhovsky. At first Stalin objected because he was a Jew.However, Stalin also knew that this person could lead an army well, and finally accepted Vatudin's suggestion. In this way, Cherniakhovsky quickly became an excellent commander of the Soviet army.It can be seen from this that Vadudin is still fair and responsible. In the ensuing battle, although the Germans captured Voronezh, they were unable to break through Vatudin's line of defense.Later, the German army abandoned the original plan and began to attack Stalingrad.During the Battle of Stalingrad, Vatudin participated in the formulation of the offensive plan and was adopted.During the counter-offensive, after Vatudin commanded the troops to break through the German defenses, they invested in a rapid cluster composed of two tank corps, advanced rapidly in depth, quickly occupied the battle support point, and formed with the mechanized army of the Don Front Army and the Stalingrad Front Army了合围，将德军包围在1500平方公里的地域内，从而使德军精锐鲍卢斯的第六集团军成了瓮中之鳖。在反攻斯大林格勒的战役中，瓦杜丁以灵活多变的战术，巧妙运用坦克，取得了很大战果。 由于瓦杜丁的出色表现，斯大林在1942年12月7日晋升他为上将。 1943年2月，曼施坦因集结了强大的装甲部队，重新占领了哈尔科夫。斯大林发现瓦杜丁的部队并没有太大的损失，为表示奖励，晋升他为陆军大将。 库尔斯克战役中，充分显示了瓦杜丁不拘兵法，审时度势，随机应变的高超指挥战术。昔日的农家小子，已经成长为名副其实的苏军名将。 就在瓦杜丁成了曼施坦因真正对手的时候，他却走到了生命的尽头。1944年2月29日下午，瓦杜丁率警卫员离开驻地前往第六十集团军视察工作。晚8时左右，瓦杜丁行至一个村庄附近时，发现有乌克兰民族主义游击队活动。当他停车查看时，遭到伏击，腿部受重伤。在基辅医院救治了6个星期后，瓦杜丁终因伤势过重，于1944年4月15日去世，年仅43岁。 赫鲁晓夫在回忆录中说，瓦杜丁本来可以注射青霉素而活下来，但使用这种药物必须得到斯大林的批准，而斯大林没有同意。他的理由是，青霉素不是苏联生产的（当时苏联不能生产），而是美国生产的。斯大林认为，美国为了削弱苏联的力量，有可能污染青霉素，因此，用这种药物治疗一位重要将军，这种风险不可接受。 瓦杜丁的国葬仪式在基辅举行，基辅市还为他建立了纪念碑。 瓦杜丁大将英年早逝、沙场殒命，人走了，仗没打完。不过，这时苏联并不缺乏将帅。除了像朱可夫那样的“消防大队长”，苏军还有很会打仗并富有个性的元帅。 在二战期间的苏联体制下，想打胜仗是不容易的，而罗科索夫斯基却被称为“常胜元帅”。他还经历了九死一生，是一个优秀的军人。 罗科索夫斯基生于1896年，“十月革命”后加入红军，一路摸爬滚打。在1938年苏联“大清洗”中，85个军级将领（中将）死了57个，罗科索夫斯基当时是骑兵军长，由于出生在波兰，又长期在远东服役，被加上了波兰间谍、日本内奸及可笑的破坏骑兵训练等罪名投进监狱。他还被假枪毙至少两次，要他交代同谋，面对死亡威胁时，他依然没有牵连任何人。在受到非人虐待时，他也没有对生命失去信心。战后，罗科索夫斯基在疗养的时候碰到斯大林，斯大林问他在监狱有没有挨打，罗科索夫斯基说挨打了，但他补充道：“我在那里知道了什么才是真正的布尔什维克。”由于罗科索夫斯基为人很好，铁木辛哥为他说了很多好话，加上运气比较好，死神一直没有光顾他。 当时，在苏芬战争中，苏军很不顺利，斯大林决定放一些会打仗的人出来上前线，罗科索夫斯基就九死一生地活了下来。他再次穿上军装的时候，军法官这样跟他讲：“犯人，祖国现在需要你去服务，你的军衔暂定为少将，关于你的死刑问题以后再说。” 不过，斯大林忘记了罗科索夫斯基在“大清洗”时被判了死刑，他是作为死刑犯上的战场，一直到斯大林死了也没有撤销他的死刑。 罗科索夫斯基本来是第十六集团军司令，莫斯科保卫战前夕，他突然接到命令：将部队转给友邻的卢金中将，带集团军司令部到维亚兹玛去接收新部队。到了维亚兹玛，他惊奇地发现，应该等候在那里的几个师压根儿就不见踪影。于是，罗科索夫斯基试图和方面军司令部联系，但他发现和上级的联系已经中断了。仅仅几个小时后，斯摩棱斯克市市长冲进了他的司令部，大喊“德国人进城了”。罗科索夫斯基十分震惊，难以相信地问：“谁报告的？可靠吗？”对方回答说：“还用谁报告吗？我亲眼看到德国坦克就在大街上！”罗科索夫斯基只好下令立刻离开市区，在撤离途中，罗科索夫斯基的汽车在大街上与一队德军坦克迎面相遇，还好他的司机反应很快，迅速把汽车拐进了旁边的一条小路。就这样，罗科索夫斯基和他的司令部成员成了前线部队中唯一的幸存者，这是他又一次死里逃生。 罗科索夫斯基的为人，得到了熟悉他的人的高度认可。莫斯科保卫战结束后，罗科索夫斯基被任命为布良斯克方面军司令，他向总参谋部推荐自己的参谋长马里宁接任第十六集团军司令，没想到，马里宁强烈要求继续跟着他，而不去担任集团军司令。除了马里宁，罗科索夫斯基的参谋部人员都一致要求继续追随他。在数十年后的回忆录中，罗科索夫斯基对此仍非常感动。 罗科索夫斯基的参谋部是在1941年，他孤身来到斯摩棱斯克“救火”时，由十几个刚从伏龙芝军事学院毕业的年轻军官组成的。罗科索夫斯基用人不疑，疑人不用，鼓励部下发挥主动性，放手让他们自己去想办法完成任务。在罗科索夫斯基的带领下，他的参谋部成了苏军中最杰出的参谋部，而他的参谋人员，也一直对他们的司令忠心耿耿。 在参谋人员的鼎力协助下，罗科索夫斯基指挥的部队战术灵活，比那些只会机械地服从命令的苏军将帅强得多。更可贵的是，面对独裁者，罗科索夫斯基敢于坚持自己正确的意见。 1944年5月的一次军事会议上，罗科索夫斯基提出准备同时在两个地段突破敌军的防御。斯大林认为，应该集中兵力于一个地段。罗科索夫斯基没有像绝大多数苏军将领那样对斯大林言听计从，而是坚持说，在两个地段同时实施打击的方案更好。斯大林听了有些不高兴，让他出去好好考虑一下再回来。 罗科索夫斯基在隔壁房间思考了一会儿，但无论如何也无法说服自己，他回到会议厅，仍然告诉斯大林，在两个地段实施打击更为可取。斯大林再次反驳说应该集中兵力实施一次打击，但罗科索夫斯基仍然坚持己见。随后，会场出现了长时间的静默，斯大林让他再出去考虑一下，不要过分固执。 这次，莫洛托夫和马林科夫也随罗科索夫斯基一同出去，严肃地警告他顶撞斯大林的危险。马林科夫严厉地命令道：“同意斯大林的观点，其他什么也不要讲。”他们回到了会场，斯大林问罗科索夫斯基把问题想清楚了没有，罗科索夫斯基说他认为还是在两个地段同时实施打击更好。斯大林问道：“那么依你的观点，应以哪一次打击为主？”罗科索夫斯基回答说两次打击同样重要。会场再次出现了静默，熟悉斯大林的人都知道，这通常是斯大林爆发狂怒的前兆。但这次斯大林沉默了很久，说道：“难道真是同时实施两次打击更好吗？”最终，他同意了罗科索夫斯基的方案，这是斯大林为数不多的几次被别人说服的例外情况。 战争期间，罗科索夫斯基还闹出了绯闻。这段绯闻还被人利用来陷害他，不过他再次有惊无险。 1942年，在疗伤的罗科索夫斯基偶然结识了著名女演员瓦连京娜·谢罗娃。两人互相倾慕的消息迅速传开了。特务头子贝利亚得知后，那叫一个羡慕嫉妒恨啊，便向斯大林告密说：“谢罗娃去前线探望罗科索夫斯基，而且一直在司令部内留宿。”斯大林也羡慕不已：“谢罗娃？是那个美丽的女演员吗？她真是美若天仙。” 贝利亚一看有戏，接着说：“但元帅的声誉会因此一落千丈，我们该怎么办？”“我们该怎么办？怎么办？”斯大林慢慢地说：“我们该羡慕，贝利亚同志，我们该羡慕才是！” 突然，斯大林又笑着说：“罗科索夫斯基的妻子去哪儿了？”贝利亚回答说：“我会查清的，她大概撤退到后方去了。”“赶紧找到她，用飞机送她去罗科索夫斯基的司令部，让她跟谢罗娃去争吧。”说完，斯大林的脸上露出了恶作剧般的笑容。