Steel Soviet Union

The tentative guess from the Chief of Staff obviously revealed what Marshal Loeb was really thinking. The Russians, who were not full to eat and were about to starve into ghosts, did not rush to transport food but instead transported tanks. Such a situation The story seemed not very funny to Marshal Loeb.

Since the possibility of reinforcements from outside the city has been rejected, the only remaining possibility after using the elimination method is that tanks come from within the city of Leningrad.

“Did the Air Force’s previous bombing report on the Kirov Tank Factory in Leningrad guarantee that that place was completely destroyed?”

Marshal Loeb's question was so unexpected that the chief of staff, who was thinking about other possibilities a moment ago, was stunned for two or three seconds before he reacted.

"The report submitted by General Kohler to the Army Group Headquarters mentioned that the bomber forces under his command had bombed the Kirov tank factory in Leningrad four times in a row. But except for the first bombing, a In addition to the intensive operations of the entire bomber brigade, the remaining several times were to bomb the Kirov tank factory while performing other major tasks. The attack density and the number of bombs dropped were not high, and the damage to the factory rebuilt by the Russians was not expected to be great. "

Since the German Army Group Northern commanded by Marshal Loeb encircled Leningrad from three sides on land, although the First Air Force of the German Air Force under Army Group Northern has begun to shift its primary task from frontline to ground support attacks, it has gradually transferred some of its forces. to the bombing of key strategic targets such as deep industrial zones and grain storage warehouses in Leningrad.

However, this kind of two-line operation that combines deep bombing with front-line ground support is not easy for the air force of Army Group North, whose overall strength is much weaker than Army Group Center.

In addition, German intelligence personnel lurking in the city had previously reported that the Soviet army had evacuated most of the equipment and personnel of the Kirov Tank Factory and that the factory's production had come to a standstill.

The German First Air Force, which had limited troops and lack of skills, did not invest too much force in the Kirov Tank Factory, a relatively secondary goal. The dilapidated brick factory building that no longer had the capacity to produce tanks and was empty did not have any strategy at all. The value and meaning are not even necessary to be blown into a pile of rubble.

After hearing his chief of staff's report, Marshal Loeb, who was pondering for a moment, blurted out again not long after.

"Except for the Kirov Tank Factory, I can't think of any place in Leningrad, a small city that is about to be sent to hell, that has the ability to manufacture so many heavy tanks."

"All the superficial and false signs before were lies and deception! The Russians successfully fooled us on the Kirov Tank Factory, an important target of great strategic value! Their heavy tank factory continues to produce, open Brand-new tanks from the production line are constantly being sent to the front line to attack us, but that all ends today!”

Marshal Loeb, who had a hint of sullenness in his words, was obviously very annoyed that he had been "strategically deceived."

In his opinion, the Soviet army's previous withdrawal of equipment and personnel from the Kirov Tank Factory was just a deliberate illusion to show to the German spies and intelligence personnel in the city. In fact, at most it was just taking the equipment personnel out for a spin and then returning them. Just return to the factory again.

The purpose was to divert the Luftwaffe's focus on bombing after using this layer of cover-up, and to continue tank production under the nose of the German army and secretly accumulate it for emergencies.

Marshal Loeb, who thought he had thoroughly found out the truth, naturally could not just sit back and ignore the status quo. The Kirov tank factory, which was still operating at full capacity to continuously produce new tanks for the Soviet army, must be eradicated!

"Where did the special train artillery regiment transferred from China arrive? What is the situation?"

Marshal Loeb, who stood in front of the war zone map hanging on the wall with his hands behind his back and stared intently, did not wait long.

This special train and artillery regiment was urgently set off from Germany to the front line to support the Northern Army Group. However, Marshal Loeb used many old connections and personally applied to the head of state himself to deploy this heavyweight national treasure unit. Its specific movements and The position has always been part of the daily work of the chief of staff of Army Group North, and there is no room for sloppiness.

"I just received a telegram an hour ago. The special train artillery regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Stefan has arrived at the Leningrad front line via Estonia and is currently on standby at the Kohtra Railway Station as planned."

The excellent news from the Chief of Staff further strengthened Marshal Loeb's will. As a fixed building complex, the Kirov Tank Factory is simply the best weapon for a world-destroying weapon like the K5 train gun. Strike object.

The Northern Army Group Headquarters, which quickly drew up the combat plan, quickly dispatched and deployed the special train artillery regiment composed of two K5 train guns. As for the specific coordinates of the Kirov Tank Factory and the bombardment parameters, the commander had already mastered air control. For the German Air Force, which could come and go as they pleased over Leningrad, this was no problem at all.

After the two K5 train guns, which had obtained the specific parameter coordinates, were deployed, they immediately began firing volleys with their ultra-long range of 60 kilometers.

The 283mm cannon shells flew with destructive power towards the former site of the Kirov Tank Factory, where he was also shot. Malashenko, who came to receive the new tanks following the order of General Zhukov, happened to catch up with this. A "Leningrad Express".

Fortunately, the ferocious bombardment by two K5 train guns that lasted for half an hour was indeed "remarkable" in the eyes of the German army.

The broken factory building with its walls collapsed, the tank turret that was lifted onto the roof of the factory, and even more than half of the area that looked like a final assembly factory was destroyed after a precise hit by a 283mm high-explosive grenade. The largest building.

All these results obtained by the German artillery observation planes looking down from a high altitude undoubtedly declared that the Kirov tank factory in Leningrad was completely destroyed by the shelling.

After developing the film in the observation machine's camera gun into black and white photos, Marshal Loeb was very satisfied with the results of the bombardment. The tank factory in the photo, which had been bombed into a relic of prehistoric civilization, was obviously no longer capable of any assembly and production. Tank capabilities.

"In this case, only the Soviet heavy tank unit that has been deployed on the front line needs to be considered. After the battle with Fritz, their losses were also not small, but they are still powerful opponents that must be guarded against. We must To prevent the tragedy of defeat like that of the Fritz Kampfgruppe from happening again.”