Chapter 58 Chapter fifty-seven

Global Waterloo Four Stalingrad (from Armin Von Roon's "World Massacre") English translator's note: Feng.General Long concludes the strategic analysis of his book Holocaust with a review of the Battle of Stalingrad.The original book has a general description of all the big and small battles until the end of the war.Long recalls himself and Adolf in the epilogue of his magnum opus, titled "Hitler as Military Leader}}.The part that Hitler personally came into contact with happens to give an overview of the process involved in the following, and it is more interesting in anecdotes and anecdotes.Germany is facing catastrophe on all fronts, and Hitler is at the end of his life. This part makes a vivid and interesting outline of him in many places.My translations were still excerpts from the memoirs, and I added only Long's article on the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

I have altered Ron's account of the Battle of Stalingrad at my own discretion.Taken in isolation, the battle was meaningless, nothing more than five months of constant crushing of several German corps in a remote industrial city on the Volga.To fully understand the significance of this event, we must first have a comprehensive understanding of the ins and outs of the summer offensive of 1942.However, Long's analysis of the blue plan, which lists the names of many Russian cities and rivers, and at the same time involves frequent movements of German troops, is confusing and difficult for American readers.For the sake of clarity, I have interspersed certain fragments of "Hitler as Military Leader", all of which are quoted from Almin.Feng.Long's original work; at the same time, I have tried to remove as many tangled technical and geographical details as possible. --dimension.The Battle of Stalingrad confirmed on the battlefield Spengler's prophetic prediction of the inevitable decline of the West.Stalingrad was the battle for Singapore of Christian civilization.

The real tragedy of Stalingrad is that it could have been avoided.The West has every power to prevent this tragedy from happening.This tragedy is not like the fall of Rome, or Constantinople, or even the fiasco of Singapore: it is not one of those situations in the history of the world where a weak civilization is destroyed by a powerful one.Quite the opposite!If we, the Christian West, could unite, we could easily wipe out those barbaric Scythians in the new clothes of Marxist bandits from the steppes. We could have kept Russia in its place for a century and changed its nature of claws and claws. .

However, things backfired.Franklin.Delano.Roosevelt's sole purpose in the war was to destroy Germany so as to win the dominance of the world for American monopoly capital.He correctly recognized that Britain was doomed, but he either failed to see the threat of Bolshevism or could not find a way to eradicate it.He thus concluded that Germany was the only opponent he could destroy. The great Hegel once taught us that it is pointless to condemn the morality of world historical figures.From a moral point of view, if we value Christian civilization, which is now mired in Marxist ignorance, then Franklin.Roosevelt should undoubtedly be the chief culprit of mankind.But in military history, we only pay attention to whether a war leader achieved his political goals brilliantly.However short-sighted Roosevelt's goals were, he undoubtedly achieved his goal of destroying Germany.

Flashbacks to our second major offensive against the Soviet Union, which we named "Blue Plan" X, led to the Battle of Stalingrad. The "Blue Plan" was a brilliant idea, primarily Hitler's idea, and it nearly succeeded.It was Hitler himself who ruined the plan. Franklin.Delano.Roosevelt and Adolph.Hitler's stark contrast in using troops to fight is exactly like Plutarch's pen.One is as precise as a spider, and the other is a desperate gambler; one is doing everything according to the plan, and the other is giving orders entirely on a whim; , relying heavily on military generals, one is determined to go his own way, and the general is not allowed to be the master; one is caring for the troops, the other is reckless and impulsive, and only knows to drive the troops to death; , sent the last batch of reserve soldiers to the front line; the two world's powerful enemies finally formally confronted each other in 1942, also after nine years in power, but the difference between the two was so sharp.

Looking back now, all the world sees is the ugly image of Hitler's desperate situation in 1945: the poor creature in Roosevelt's trap, a paralyzed, trembling but still dreamy and stubborn A monster who managed to maintain his dominion over an exhausted Germany only by means of terror.But this was not Hitler in July 1942.At that time, they were our supreme heads; a lofty, mountain-heavy, mighty military chief who ruled over an empire that was beyond the reach of Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napoleon.At that time, the light of Germany's victory was shining on the world.Only when we look back on the past today can we see that it was just a flashback.

Blue Plan The Blue Plan refers to a summer offensive aimed at ending the war on the Eastern Front. Our March on Barbarossa in 1941 was aimed at destroying the Red Army and destroying the Bolshevik state through a massive summer offensive on three fronts.What we are trying to accomplish in one fell swoop is beyond our capabilities.Although we have wounded the enemy, the Russians are callous fatalists with a bestial ability to resist and endure.The Japanese disregarded the attack on Siberia - which was promptly reported to Stalin by Sorge, our spy at our embassy in Tokyo - which enabled the red ruler to evacuate his Asian defenses and bring down the barbaric Mongolian army This living force is thrown into battle against us.His various winter counter-offensives, though they had pinned us down in the snow and ice outside Moscow, were also failing.When the ice melted in the spring, we still controlled Soviet land roughly equivalent to the entire area of ​​the United States east of the Mississippi River.If it had been impetuous Americans who had been occupied, no one doubted that they would have collapsed long ago.But the Russians were of a different race, and they would have to be dealt another hard blow before they would admit defeat.

Project Blue was the continuation of Operation Barbarossa on the southern front.The aim is to seize the rich industrial, agricultural and mineral resources of southern Russia.The purpose of this plan is limited but clear: defend the northern and central lines, and defeat the enemy in the south.Hitler was born with a continental mind and knew nothing about the strategy of the Mediterranean Sea, but this plan is still the best one.We are ready to go, so we have to attack.Besides, we obviously couldn't see the war through without the oil from the Caucasus. Hitler's famous Directive No. 41 was originally drafted by Jodl's expert hand, and later rewritten by him himself.Regardless of the messy set of political rhetoric, the leading ideas of the blue plan have the following points: 1. Level and consolidate the fronts that have made breakthroughs in winter operations; 2. In Leningrad-Moscow-Orel- 3. Conquer the southern regions up to the Turkish-Iranian border; 4. Capture Leningrad and, if possible, Moscow; 5. Once the main objectives in Russia have been achieved, if the enemy persists, Then strengthen the eastern front from the Gulf of Finland to the Caspian Sea, and take a defensive position against the defeated enemy.

As a result, the original goal of Operation Barbarossa has now essentially become to strengthen the fortifications along the line from the Gulf of Finland to the Baku oil field on the Caspian Sea coast, forming a diagonally extending Great Wall, thereby blocking our "Slavic India." ".If we succeed in this battle, we can also obtain some other important benefits: cut off the leased material transportation line through the Persian Gulf, win Turkey to favor our side, and cut off the enemy's Persian oil supply.If all this goes well, it will be just around the corner to march into India or go northward, sweep across the area east of the Volga River, and finally occupy Moscow from behind.Admittedly, this is a risky approach.We have already failed once, and this time we try again, the strength is not as good as before.However, Russia was also weakened.Besides, the glorious feat of the German people to build a world empire under the leadership of Hitler is nothing more than a gamble with layers of weight.

Had we been able to change the balance of power in the war by seizing wheat and oil from Russia, and then stabilize the Eastern Front, there could have been two political solutions to end the war: one, the Anglo-Saxons, out of fear and us First, Stalin adopted a realistic attitude to make peace with us.Roosevelt has always been worried about a one-sided peace in the East, and this psychology dominates all his combat operations.Before the end of the war, Stalin was full of suspicion, lest the rich and powerful groups in the United States were about to abandon him halfway.Whether this strange alliance between our enemies will suddenly break up remains uncertain until the time of our surrender.

Only by allowing us to defeat Russia can we stop the spread of Bolshevism all over the world. Why do Americans and British people never understand this truth?Churchill at least had plans to land in the Balkans and occupy Central Europe before Stalin.If it was a strategic misstep because we were too powerful and the terrain was too rough, at least it was politically savvy.Roosevelt could not see this.Since he cannot destroy us himself, he will help the Bolsheviks to do so.So he actually sacrificed Christian Europe to the short feast that American monopoly capital could feast on.The reward is a new dark age that is now descending on the world. Critics of the Blue Plan Answer Every time after a war, some easy-chair strategists and some history professors buzz and tell the bloody warriors how they should have behaved.A few shallow criticisms of the blue scheme, repeated over and over, end up with a false aura of realness.The Battle of Stalingrad was a fateful turning point in world history, so there should be a clear account of what led to this turning point. Strategically, the blue scheme is an excellent one. Tactically, Plan Blue failed due to Hitler's day-to-day interference. Critics nitpick that the only acceptable goal of any major campaign should be the destruction of the enemy's armed forces.In the summer of 1942 Stalin concentrated his troops around Moscow in anticipation of our attempt to end the war by destroying his main body and capturing the capital, which our critics asserted we should have done.Doing so is certainly in line with orthodox strategy.However, the attack on the south, we received a surprise effect, which is also an orthodox strategy. Translator's note: Russian materials confirm Long's statement.Stalin was convinced at the time that the attack on the south was a sleight of hand to move Moscow's defenses away, and so long held that belief that it was only Hitler's tactical clumsiness that saved Stalingrad, and probably the Soviet Union. We also heard another argument: that the strategic goals of the blue package were economic and therefore wrong.There is a cliché that admonishes us that we must destroy the armed forces of our enemy before we can enjoy his wealth as we please.These critics completely miss the point of the blue scheme.Option Blue was a plan for a massive overland blockade of the impoverished but ruling Soviet North's rump, cutting it off from food, fuel and heavy industry.If implemented effectively, blockades are time-consuming and tedious, but a tried and tested means of forcing an enemy into submission.Plan Blue was formulated at a time when the Japanese were on a rampage in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.We had estimated that they would keep America neutral for a year or more.But very unfortunately, they reversed course prematurely and unexpectedly at Midway and Guadalcanal, which allowed Roosevelt to let the flow of loan-lease supplies flow over our blockade lines to the Russians in 1942 .The situation has thus greatly improved. In the end, critics believe that if the blue plan wants to achieve the dual goals-Stalingrad and the Caucasus, it needs to greatly extend the southern front, which is bound to exceed the control ability of the German army, so the battle is already doomed to end in failure . However, Stalingrad was not the target of the Blue Plan.Stalingrad was Hitler's target, and only became his target when he lost control of himself in September. The strategy of the blue scheme The Don and the Volga rivers converge in an unusually peculiar way near Stalingrad.The two rivers are V-shaped at each turn, point to point, separated by forty square miles of dry land.The first phase of the Blue Plan called for the occupation of this strategically significant land bridge to prevent the enemy from attacking our southward troops from the north, and at the same time cut off the Volga River, the northern fuel and food supply line. In the V-shaped bend of the Volga River, along the steep river wall on the west bank of the river, there is a medium-sized industrial city that extends along with the terrain: Stalingrad.We don't have to occupy it, we just need to disable it with cannons and bombs to control the bottleneck.Our general plan is to thrust forward the two giant V-shaped arms along the Don River like a pair of pliers to encircle and wipe out most of the Soviet troops guarding southern Russia. One end of the pliers, the Volga Army, is far away , will set off first, advancing along the upper arm of the Don; at the other end, the Caucasus Army, will advance along the lower arm.The two armies are scheduled to join forces near Stalingrad between the two rivers, and after defeating and clearing out the besieged enemies, they will jointly complete the second phase of the conquest phase: the Caucasus Army swings southward, crosses the Don River, and marches towards the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. At the same time, the Volga Army was responsible for guarding the dangerous flank exposed along the Don River-during the advance of our army, this flank was occupied by the three satellite countries of Hungary, Italy and Romania. Troops serve as defensive missions. We know this is the weak link of the blue scheme.But we had lost nearly a million men in the war, and Germany's manpower was nearly exhausted, so we had to use these auxiliary forces to defend our flanks while the Germans advanced.However, we did not plan for them to hold off an all-out attack by the Red Army along the Don.This happened later only because the Führer lost his mind and disturbed the timetable of the campaign. Translator's Note: When editing Long's work, I omitted Manstein's capture of Crimea and Sevastopol, and Timoshenko's attack on Kharkov in May. suffered a failure.These major German victories weakened the strength of southern Russia, making the blue plan more hopeful of a complete victory.I translated "Army Group" as "Caucasian Army" and "B Army" as "Volga Army".These numbers of the German army are really complicated and difficult to remember, and this is all the more so with the many reorganizations during the battle. (Excerpt from "Hitler as Military Leader") Where did it go wrong... High Command is always a tense place during the course of a campaign.Sitting in the map room every day, waiting for the progress of the battle.The war seems to be moving very slowly.But on the battlefield, it is a concrete reality: hundreds of thousands of soldiers braved the enemy's artillery fire, crossed fields, passed through cities, and carried ammunition and baggage.At headquarters, you always see the same faces, the same walls, the same maps, you always eat in the same places, and you're always surrounded by tired, elderly soldiers in uniform.The atmosphere was tense and quiet, and the air was cloudy.The nerve center of this war always seems to be far away from the battlefield and indulge in fantasy.Hopes were dashed again and again, and the constant tension gnawed at everyone's hearts. This is especially the case with the forward command in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.Hitler gave it a name called "Werewolf". "Werewolf" is a base camp consisting of many simple log cabins and wooden houses, located in an open pine forest near the southern part of the Bug River.We didn't have any social activities to entertain us there, and we were physically so hot that if we weren't afraid that our naked bodies would attract swarms of stinging flying insects, we could really jump into the muddy, slow river to wash. bath.The hot and humid climate even caused Hitler to stop his only exercise, no longer taking his pet dog for a walk. We moved there in mid-July, at the height of the battle for Stalingrad.The hot climate made it difficult for Hitler to adapt, the strong sunlight made him restless, and there was nothing comfortable about the whole environment.His indigestion was getting worse and worse, and as long as he had gas problems, everyone in the room with him would suffer accordingly.Even his pet dog, Burundi, is eccentric and guessing. Even before that, however, when his headquarters were still in the cooler, more comfortable place in the woods of East Prussia, he had shown signs of nervousness, suddenly reacting to the plans of the Caucasus Army and the 4th Panzer Corps. completely changed... (Excerpt from "World Slaughter") The blue scheme went awry and can be traced back exactly to July 13th. At that time, Hitler's restlessness was growing.He could not understand why we had not been able to take prisoners in such large numbers as in the great raids of 1941.It may be because Stalin finally woke up, so he no longer ordered his troops to stand still and wait for capture. It may be because the Soviet army in the south was invincible and collapsed before our army arrived. In addition, it may also be because the Russians are repeating the old trick of exchanging space for time. However, no matter what the reason is, the fact is that our captured Russians are no longer hundreds of thousands, but only tens of thousands . On July 13, Hitler suddenly decided that all eastward offensives originally aimed at the Stalingrad land bridge must turn around and turn southwest to capture Rostov!In this way he counted on a tight outflanking operation to wipe out what he estimated to be massed at the bend of the Don.The Caucasus Army then all turned around to complete this task.Hitler even mobilized the armored units of the Volga Army, the brave Fourth Corps, and let it rumble towards Rostov, although Halder once tried his best to oppose the concentration of such a large armored unit to complete the war. Such a secondary task.Since a large amount of supplies had to be used for the risky plan of capturing the Russians, the Volga Army was in short supply of gasoline, and as a result moved slowly and even had to stop advancing. The rapid attack of a huge force finally captured Rostov and captured nearly 40,000 enemies.However, precious time was lost and the overall plan of Solution Blue was disrupted.The Caucasus Army and the Fourth Corps blocked the traffic arteries as they rushed around Rostov.Unimaginable difficulties were created for the improvised organization and supplies. At this critical juncture, Hitler unexpectedly issued his notorious and disastrous Directive No. 45 to the headquarters. The degree of clumsiness and absurdity is really amazing, probably surpassing any military order in history.This order is tantamount to abolishing the blue scheme altogether.For such a military operation, for a serious and responsible general staff, it should have taken several months or even a year to analyze and study, conduct simulation exercises, and organize and deploy.But Hitler made rash decisions with the stroke of a pen within a day or two and, as far as I know, was entirely his own.If Yoddle had a hand in it, he never bragged about it! Instruction No. 45 included three major points: 1. Claimed (completely contrary to known facts) that the initial objectives of the campaign had been achieved and that the Southern Red Army had been "basically annihilated." 2. The Volga Army should resume its offensive against Stalingrad with the cooperation of the Fourth Panzer Corps. 3. The Caucasus Army under Liszt should go south immediately. In addition to completing the original difficult tasks, other tasks such as occupying the Black Sea coastal areas should also be added. This was Hitler's last attack order.Although the situation on the battlefield at this time still looked optimistic, our personnel at the high command had begun to lose heart.Army Chief of Staff Halder was deeply indignant.He wrote in his diary—and told me angrily—that these orders had nothing to do with military reality. The conditions for completing the summer offensive in reasonable form have now completely disappeared.Neither the meander of the Don River upstream nor the important land bridge was available at this time.According to the original plan, the Caucasus Army in charge of the lower Don River could only attack south if the Don River flank extending to Stalingrad was very safe.Now, these two armies must part ways with no security on the two flanks, move in different directions, and while performing tasks in different directions, it is bound to leave a growing gap between them. gap! In addition, the blue plan originally required Manstein's XI Army, which had conquered Crimea and captured Sevastopol, to cross the Caucasus Mountains to cooperate with List's military operations.However, Hitler, who was proud of the capture of Rostov, thought that the south was going well, so there was no need for Manstein to waste his troops there; so he ordered Manstein to lead his main force northward to attack 1,100 soldiers. Leningrad miles away! Hitler's last numbered order was Order 51 issued in late 1943.But in fact, other directives after this deadly 45th directive have all lost their vigor and are all defensive measures.Now is the last time he takes the initiative.His inexperience, and his exhaustion from monopolizing the military and political power of Germany, at last had an adverse effect on his impulsive nature, his quick wit, and his firmness of character.This order is a completely crazy move.At that time, only our core staff members in the Supreme Command had the insight into the stupid nature of this order.The German army obeyed the order and entered the most remote depths of southern Russia along two routes, marching towards a dark fate. Arriving at Stalingrad The tragedy finally began, horribly and inevitably. The Caucasus Army crossed the prairie scorched by the midsummer heat, climbed over the snow-covered mountain peaks, and surrounded the coastal areas of the Black Sea. The outpost troops even reached the shore of the Black Sea.The Caucasus Army performed miracles, but did not achieve the intended goal.The tasks Hitler asked it to perform went beyond its manpower, its firepower, its logistics.At one point, the force was stalled for ten days due to a lack of gasoline and the trucks to deliver the fuel.At one point it was even delivered gasoline on camels, what a Greek irony!Trapped in the mountains, Liszt's large army was constantly attacked and harassed by the elusive, tenacious and tenacious small units of the Red Army, and stood still. At the same time, the Volga Army marched towards Stalingrad, arrived at the river bank north of the city on August 23, and bombed it indiscriminately as originally planned to paralyze it.The resistance was light at first, and for the first day or two it seemed that Stalingrad could be taken with one stroke.But nothing like this happened.Despite our best efforts, Stalingrad withstood the first sudden blow. Translator's Note: Long's dry account does not convey the real situation that the Russians saw. The attack on Stalingrad by the Sixth Army was clearly the most terrible event in what the Russians called the Great Patriotic War. The Germans once again launched a ferocious attack on the heart of their country, which made the army command Communist Party members, ordinary people, and Stalin himself were deeply shocked. The heavy bombing on August 23 was actually one of the most horrific tests of war that the Russians have ever experienced. About 40,000 civilians died. A sea of ​​fire, literally "rivers of blood". All communication with Moscow was cut off. For hours, Joseph. Stalin really thought that Stalingrad had fallen. However, although the city was about to endure one of the worst tortures in the history of war One, the crisis has also reached its peak. Most military commentators are certain that the Volga Army would have reached the river weeks earlier had it not been for Hitler's interference with the blue plan, when Stalin still hadn't woken up and mistakenly thought that the German offensive to the south was just a slap in the face.If so, Stalingrad would have fallen, a one-shot victory, and the entire war would likely have changed dramatically.However, Hitler canceled the most crucial move of the blue plan and turned around to fight Rostov. The Catastrophe at Stalingrad As mentioned above, the capture of Stalingrad was not necessary militarily. Our goal is to seize the overland bridge between the two rivers and prevent the Soviets from using the Volga as a supply route.Now that we've reached the Volga, we just need to surround the city; and blow it up to rubble.We had, after all, besieged Leningrad for more than two years, leaving a million or so Russians to starve to death in its streets.From a military point of view, Leningrad is effectively a zombie.There is no military reason why we should not do the same to Stalingrad. But political reasons increasingly prevailed.At this time, despite Hitler's strict urging, the Caucasus Army still stopped in the deserted mountain pass; Rommel, who was trapped in Alamein, launched two attacks, but failed twice, and finally suffered a devastating blow from the British army; The savage bombing of our towns is intensifying, massacring thousands of innocent women and children, and reducing some important factories to rubble; our submarine losses have skyrocketed alarmingly; the American landings in North Africa have caused shock Global political influence.All these unfortunate events ensued, causing Hitler's elation from the triumphant summer offensive to fade, while cracks began to appear in his absolute rule over that vast empire.Under these circumstances, the beleaguered Führer felt increasingly desperate for a prestige victory in order to turn the tide. Stalingrad! Stalingrad, the city named after his greatest rival!Stalingrad, the symbol of Bolshevism against which he fought all his life!Stalingrad, the city that appears more and more frequently in newspaper headlines as the center of this war! The capture of Stalingrad had become incredibly preoccupied with him.His orders over the next few weeks were the product of insanity, and they were getting worse.The Sixth Army had previously set a record of invincibility and invincibility in Poland, France and Russia with its mobile strike force, but now it is throwing division after division into the twisting machine of Stalingrad. , The streets of Stalingrad have become rubble at this time, and it is impossible to use mobile tactics.In a "rat war" that was fought for section by section, batch after batch of battle-hardened veterans of the great Sixth Army fell under the guns of Slavic snipers. Absolutely sent a large number of reinforcements to continuously destroy our strength, and on the other hand, carefully planned and prepared a large-scale counterattack against the weak satellite country troops flanking the Don River. Because Joseph Stalin finally woke up, Hitler was so crazy. Constantly Sending his best divisions one by one down the throat of the Morlock god ① of Stalingrad is a great opportunity to send it to his door. In late November, the blow finally came.The Red Army quickly crossed the Don River and assaulted the Romanian troops defending the Volga Army's flank northwest of Stalingrad.This auxiliary force that has not been battled is like cheese under a sharp knife, and it will collapse at the touch of a knife.On the southern flank, the Romanian flank defenders of my 4th Armored Corps were similarly attacked.And when these offensives continued into December, the Russians broke through the entire defense line along the Don River, which was stationed by the Italians and Hungarians who served as the rear guard of my Sixth Army; three hundred thousand German soldiers, the elite of the German army, Trapped in a circle of steel. (Excerpt from "Hitler as Military Leader") Hitler's metamorphosis... During these miserable days, I happened to be on a remote inspection mission, most of the time away from the High Command.When I set out in late August, the Russian campaign was going fairly well.The two armies were advancing swiftly along their respective lines; the Red Army seemed to be still losing ground, not taking advantage of the widening gap left between our two fronts.Hitler, though predictably on edge and suffering from the heat, seemed to be in a good mood. By the time I got back, "Werewolves" had undergone startling changes.Halder has been resigned and has no one to replace him.General List of the Caucasus Army has also been dismissed, and there is no one to replace him.Hitler held both positions at the same time. Adolf.Hitler was now not only the Führer of Germany, the leader of the Nazi Party, and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, but also his own chief of staff, and at the same time directly commanded the Caucasian Army trapped in the mountains six hundred miles away.All this is not a nightmare, but a fact that is happening. He now had nothing to say to his former confidant, Yordle.No matter who it was, he ignored it.He ate alone, and spent most of his time in the dimly lit room, thoughtful.During his formal meetings with members of the command, his secretaries took turns in and out, taking notes of every word.He was really speaking to these secretaries, not to anyone else.He has been completely cut off from the army. Little by little, I figured out what happened.Halder was finally kicked out in September for his opposition to Hitler's folly in storming Stalingrad.In this way we lost the last of our sane minds, the only senior staff officer who had dared to contradict Hitler for several years. As for that Yordle who only knows how to obey blindly, the head of state once sent him to the Caucasus Army to urge General Liszt to continue to advance at all costs.But after Jodl returned, he told Hitler the truth for the first time in his life: Liszt could not move forward without improving logistics.Hitler was already on the verge of breaking out; Jodl was unexpectedly surprised this time, and couldn't help but contradict his master, enumerating Hitler's various wrong orders that led to the current predicament.The two ended up berating each other loudly like two washerwomen, and since then, yordle has not appeared in front of the great man again. It was several days before I was called to attend a briefing.I was fully prepared to report Rommel's supply difficulties even if I lost my head.For some reason, Hitler did not listen to me.But I'll never forget the way he stared at me when I walked into the room.His face was pale, his eyes were red, his head was tucked between his shoulders, and his body was slumped in the chair, shaking with one hand holding the other.He kept his eyes on me, trying to see if the news I was bringing was good or bad, trying to find a glimmer of optimism, a glimmer of hope.What he saw could only disappoint him.He bared his teeth, gave me a fierce look, and immediately turned away.The man in front of me resembled a trapped animal.I found that, deep down in his heart, he knew full well that he had lost the war by disrupting the blue plan and ruining Germany's last few chances; Every corner is approaching him step by step. But he won't admit mistakes, it's just in his nature.在那以后的几个漫长难熬的星期里，一直到第六军投降，甚至直到一九四五年他于绝望中自杀，我们听到的全是我们的这些将军如何辜负了他，包克如何在沃罗涅日贻误战机而导致了斯大林格勒的陷落，李斯特如何额预无能，隆美尔如何由于胆小怯战而指挥无方等等，等等。甚至在包围斯大林格勒的部队被打得七零八落、纷纷投降的时候，他所能想到的也不过是晋升保罗斯为陆军元帅；而当保罗斯非但没杀身成仁、反而选择了投降之时，他便怒不可遏，大发雷霆。九万精锐被俘，二十余万精锐因他葬送，所有这一切，对于这个人来说都是无关紧要的。保罗斯竟然没开枪打穿自己的脑壳，对于他的荣升表示应有的感激，这使希特勒大失所望。 （摘自《世界大屠杀》） 事后分析希特勒始终不准第六军利用它的唯一机会，向西面杀出一条生路；被围之初，它本可以依靠自己的力量突围而出，十二月间，曼施坦因所率新建顿河集团军在冰天雪地中力战驰援，两军相距仅三十五英里，眼看就可会师，但是希特勒就是不准保罗斯突出重围。直到保罗斯投降为止，司令部里一直回响着他那刺耳的咆哮：“我决不离开伏尔加河！” 他开口闭口“斯大林格勒要塞”，但是事实上哪有什么“要塞”，只不过是一支陷入包围之中并且不断减少的部队罢了。十月下旬，他在一次全国广播演说中吹嘘：他事实上已经攻克斯大林格勒，因为“他不想再有一个凡尔登”，所以正“从容不迫地逐步扑灭零星的抵抗”，他不在乎时间的早晚。这样，他就在公众面前完全切断了自己的退路，也决定了第六军束手待毙的命运。 有些军事分析家把这场灾难归罪于戈林。戈林曾经许下诺言，每天要向被围的第六军提供七百吨补给，但是德国空军虽然尽了最大努力，都从未超过每天两百吨的数量。而戈林则将此归咎于天气不好。当然，戈林这样保证只不过是按着他主子定的调门跳舞罢了。他们是老搭档。他知道希特勒要这么说，他就这么说了。大批德国空军驾驶员因此就非要去送死不可。希特勒从未因此责备戈林。他要留在伏尔加河，一直等到悲剧降临，而戈林的骗不了人的瞎话在这一点上给他帮了忙。 约德尔在纽伦堡法庭作证说，早在十一月，希特勒就曾私下向他承认，第六军已经完蛋，但是为了掩护高加索集团军撤退，必须将它牺牲。简直是荒唐透顶！从斯大林格勒突围撤退，那才合乎正常情理。但是，擅长鼓动术的希特勒感到，一支大军的全军覆没，这么一场令人痛彻心肺的悲剧，能使人民团结在自己的周围，而撤退则会拆穿他的牛皮，使他丢脸，有损他的威望。出于这样一种考虑，他白白断送了一支能征善战的精锐打击部队，这个损失是永远无法弥补的。 罗斯福的胜利就在这个时候，弗兰克林。罗斯福于当年一月举行的卡萨布兰卡会议期间宣布了“无条件投降”这个口号；无论从哪方面说，这个口号都是绝妙的一招。对于这个口号持批评态度的人——包括八面威风的艾森豪威尔将军在内——都没参悟罗斯福这一声霹雳会收到的效果；他不失其诡计多端的本色，在一次记者招待会上不动声色地脱口而出，就把这个口号传扬开了。 第一，他使全世界，首先是德国人民，醒悟到一个基本事实：我们正在输掉这场战争。这几个字简简单单，但清清楚楚地表明了一场全球的滑铁卢的大转折已经发生。这件事情本身就是宣传上的一次惊人胜利。 第二，他公开向斯大林发出信号，保证英美两国决不会在西方谈判媾和。当然，斯大林依然满腹狐疑，不过这已是罗斯福所能对他作出的最最响亮有力的保证。 第三，他向土耳其和西班牙这些动摇观望的国家，向欧洲被占领的各国人民，向一直顺风使舵的阿拉伯人作出了保证，在俄国战局改观之后，西方各国不会放松努力，不会允许布尔什维主义横行欧洲大陆和中东。 第四，在这初次对我们取得胜利的时刻，为他自己那个娇生惯养、没有骨头的民族提供了一个简单明确的战争目标。一方面迎合了他们的天真烂漫的心理，同时也对指望战争立即结束或者妥协媾和的种种念头泼了一盆冷水。 有人提出异议，认为这个口号坚定了德国人民在希特勒领导下抵抗到底的决心，认为罗斯福本应越过希特勒，直接呼吁德国人民和德国军队推翻纳粹政权，签订体面的和约才对。这些意见只能表明他们对于第三帝国的实际情况的愚昧无知。 希特勒已经称心如意地彻底改造了德国，这个政权之下的各种结构，包括军队在内，都是群龙无首，一切权力都集中在他一个人身上。根本就不存在可以推翻纳粹的人。根本就不存在可以呼吁的对象。我们国家的命运已经和这个人紧紧联结在一起。自从取得政权以来，他的一切行动都是为了这样一个目的，他也达到了这个目的。 他就是德国。武装部队已经以他们神圣的荣誉向他宣誓效忠。一九四四年七月以失败而告终的那个暗杀企图既无头脑，又失信义。我没参与其事，而且我也从未后海做出这样的决定。一方面命令士兵为某个领袖战死疆场，然后又去谋杀这同一个领袖（不论他是多么有失众望），这是对原则的背叛，这个道理对我是显而易见的，对于其他所有将领也应该是显而易见的。 每逢司令部里发生什么令人难受的事情，我曾不止一次想过，如果我们之中有谁要开枪打死希特勒，那是一件相当容易的事。但是他知道自己可以依靠德国人性格中的两根支柱：荣誉和义务。 德国人民处在可悲的历史陷阱之中，命中注定还得苦战两年半的时间，而其目的不过是为了保住那个已把他们引向毁灭的国家元首的性命。我们终于认识到了实行元首制的这个致命错误，不过为时已晚。一个君主可以要求停战，并在战败的情况下维护他的国家的荣誉和稳定，例如日本的天皇就是这样。但是一个战败的独裁者，却只能是一个四面楚歌的窃国大盗，他不得不象莎士比亚笔下的麦克白一样奋战到底，直到越来越深的血泊淹没了他。 希特勒无法下台；所有的纳粹党人都无法下台。他们对犹太人的秘密屠杀排除了这个可能性。“无条件投降”不会对他们造成任何区别，也不会对德国人民造成任何区别。现在，除了“神的没落”之外，没有任何东西能够把希特勒和德国人民拆开，或者结束这场战争。 English translator's note: Feng.隆将军叙述了斯大林格勒战役之后，又概述了高加索集团军的战斗经过及其结局，他把这篇文章题作（集团军的可歌可泣的大撤退》。这是《世界大屠杀》一书中最长的一篇。我相信，美国读者不会象冯。隆将军的德国读者那样对该文感到兴趣。事实上，保罗斯的军队在斯大林格勒投降之后，高加索集团军的退路便被切断。为了摆脱困境，希特勒经过一番犹豫之后，委派非常精明干练的冯。曼施坦因去指挥所有那些出师不利的部队之中最受威胁的北翼部队。曼施坦日在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。另一位将军，克莱施特，则带领南翼部队撤退到黑海上的桥头堡。最后，高加索集团军终于有条不紊地突出了包围圈，并在撤退过程中多次重创红军。于是，德国人发现他们自己差不多重又回到了蓝色方案所规定的起跑线。这是一场劳民伤财的大规模军事演习，功劳应该归于德国的最高“直觉”天才，这位天才下令发动了这场演习，然后又把它搅得一团糟。在德国军队之中，这场军事行动获得了一个普遍流传的伤心的雅名：“周游高加索的旅行”。 我曾有机会见到希特勒，所以知道他有时候说话会多么娓娓动听，甚至非常和蔼可亲，就和一伙匪徒的首领一样；他完全具有一个江洋大盗的魄力和狡诈。在我的著作里面这不是大人物的品格。希特勒的早期“胜利”，只不过是一个死心塌地的恶棍出人不意地抢掠得手、一变而为国家元首，然后便利用一个伟大民族的全部威力去支持他的恣意妄为。 为什么德国人民会效忠于他，这仍然是个历史之谜。他们知道他要达到的目标是什么。他早就在他那本里说得清清楚楚。他和他的那些国家社会主义同伙从一开始就是一群一眼可以看穿的非常危险的暴徒，但是广大的德国人却崇拜和信仰这批恶魔，直到无情的斯大林格勒之战，才使他们如梦初醒，有些人甚至还要再过许久之后。