Doesn't it mean that in the face of the absolute strength gap, any skill is empty talk? Some people still want to challenge this "iron law". The most anti-heavenly operation in the course of the Battle of Moscow was not Stalin's military parade against the German attack, but the operation of Mikhail Yefimovich Katukov in the face of Guderian, the "father of the armored army" of the German army. The victory of the former is a complete miracle, because the gap in strength between them is so large that I am afraid that even the novel does not dare to write it.
However, it was such a strong figure, but because of Zhukov's "careful thinking", he was removed from the post-war list of titles, resulting in the former's honor being delayed by a full 14 years. Let's start at the beginning.
Although Katukov had joined the Soviet Army during the Russian Civil War, he was a private at the time; after graduating from the Higher Infantry Academy in 1927, his position was only promoted "routinely" every year. Until the outbreak of World War II, Katukov did not have any outstanding performance, and the position was only the brigade commander of an ordinary tank brigade. Although he was appointed commander of the Soviet 20th Tank Division in November 1940 and participated in a number of exercises and battles, this did not change much, and the high command gave him only the evaluation of "a capable and active commander".
From The first half of Katukov's career, the ghost knows why the Soviet top brass chose him as the commander of the 4th Independent Tank Brigade in early October 1941. This unit itself was nothing special, due to the rout of the Soviet army, this unit was hastily formed as a fresh force, and when Katukov took over, the brigade had only 45 tanks, with a variety of models, most of which were old goods that were close to retirement. Not only that, at that time, he had just finished surgery for a few months, had a kidney removed, and had a high fever from time to time, and his physical condition was not optimistic.
However, a "mediocre" and in poor health commander, coupled with a "rookie brigade" with worrying book strength, was assigned a rather crucial task - Katukov was ordered to hold on to Mtsensk, you know, it was the "western gate" of the capital Moscow, and if it was breached, the entire Soviet front could collapse.
Above all, history has given him a formidable opponent: Guderian, who was in charge of attacking in this direction, commanded 2 tank divisions and 1 motorized infantry division, with a total of more than 500 tanks. Moreover, this unit had fought a series of victories and was morale high. At Bryansk, Guderian's forces defeated Yelyommenko's four armies, and now that the two sides are compared, the Germans seem to have no reason to lose.
It is said that war is the stage of good soldiers, the stage of the Battle of Moscow is big enough, and the supporting roles are heavy enough, let's see how Katukov behaved.
Rather than saying how anti-natural Katukov's military brilliance was, it is better to say that he is good at seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, and integrates operational theory with the actual situation. He knew very well that the enemy had no suspense to occupy the superiority in troop strength, fight tactics, and he was not necessarily Guderian's opponent, so he might as well change his thinking and turn the disadvantage into an advantage. At that time, I am afraid that the whole world knew that Guderian was bold in his use of troops, very good at making breakthroughs on the battlefield, and the attack was unstoppable, so Katukov thought of a way to make the power of the tank unable to exert. He made a huge "decoy", that is, ordered the soldiers to dig two lines of defense, and set up some fake fire points and armored units on the first line of defense with wooden planks and other materials, so that they could be false and real, and the main force was placed on the second line of defense in the rear. Not only that, he also divided the artillery unit into pieces and scattered between the two lines of defense, and at the same time specifically instructed each group to immediately change positions after firing a few guns, so that the enemy could not understand the details of the Soviet army.
It is worth mentioning that Katukov's orders are not small projects, and the enemy has been hit in the face, and the soldiers' spirits are already highly nervous, so where is the spare time to do this? The officers and men who were afraid and tired and dominated by the mood of defeat were therefore dissatisfied, and some even made small reports to the top level, falsely accusing their commanders of having already collaborated with the enemy and wanted to exhaust the Soviet generals in this way, so that the German army would win without a fight. Fortunately, the High Command did not listen, and Katukov insisted on completing his deployment despite the rumors all over the street. The officers and men of the Independent 4th Tank Brigade were completely unaware that they were fighting alongside a "god of war."
On October 5, 1941, the Germans launched a sudden onslaught, and under the cover of more than 100 tanks, an infantry regiment violently killed the Soviet position. Katukov went deeper into the enemy and ordered the artillery to fire only when the enemy approached the false defense line, and the other side was caught off guard, and the rain of shells made them have no intention of fighting, so they had to retreat in a hurry. In this battle alone, the Germans lost 11 tanks in vain. However, Guderian was a famous general after all, and he immediately made a response. The next morning, the Germans approached the Soviet positions in the same way, but when they approached, they suddenly changed the battle formation, figured out the Soviet routine, and completely annihilated an anti-tank artillery company of the latter.
Once the blow was successful, the Germans did not intend to give the opponent a chance to breathe, and immediately organized their forces to launch a follow-up attack. Katukov ordered the artillery to start a "guerrilla attack" between the first and second fronts in accordance with the established battle plan, and every few shots immediately opened. Trapped in the ever-changing position of the Soviet artillery, the Germans did not know which direction to attack, so they had to stumble in a daze, and they suffered heavy losses in hesitation. In the second engagement, the Germans reimbursed 43 tanks, 16 guns, and at least 500 casualties; the Soviets lost only 6 tanks, and after rush repairs, 4 of them were restored to combat capability.
Interestingly, just when the Germans had to take a break in the face of two consecutive defeats of the weak brigade, Katukov actually turned to the offensive and took advantage of the night to send a batch of Katyusha rockets to bathe the Germans. The suddenly illuminated night sky, the dense shells, and the piercing screams left the Germans in disarray, and the casualties were difficult to count.
Successive defeats finally ran out of Guderian's patience, and he, who had always relied on armored units, had to call in air support and have fighters bomb Soviet positions before the October 9 offensive was launched. Subsequently, the German infantry, under the cover of armored units, divided into multiple routes, trying to rely on superior forces to suppress the Soviet defenses from all directions. Katukov adapted to the situation and gave full play to the mobility of the troops, making it impossible for the Germans to penetrate the Soviet defenses. Although the Soviets suffered some losses in the process, the Germans' losses were obviously much greater. By the early morning of 11 October, when the Independent 4th Tank Brigade had received orders to retreat, and the Soviets had built a new defensive line strong enough in the rear, Mzensk's gains and losses were insignificant.
The German army spent half a day, with several times the strength of the other side, but paid several times the casualties of the other side, and finally fought a lonely, such a result is really unacceptable. Guderian was perhaps trying to pierce the weakest point of the other side with the sharpest spear and turn the Battle of Moscow into a quick victory, but the result was astonishing. Stalin was particularly appreciative of generals who could fight hard battles, and after this battle, Katukov gained the favor of the top and was able to participate in key decisive battles such as the Battle of Jemiyansk and the Battle of Kursk. Katukov also lived up to expectations, performing well in every battle, which made him one of Zhukov's most reliable right-hand men.
However, who would have thought that the "golden combination" of this pair of tactical geniuses and strategic masters would actually be drawn up by a "small matter" at the end of World War II, and Zhukov even threatened Katukov to kill him like "killing a dog".
It turned out that in the process of the Soviet army's general attack on Berlin, Zhukov believed that he should occupy this historical honor. However, Konev's Ukrainian First Army had almost penetrated Berlin, and in a hurry, Zhukov ordered Katukov in the front to stop Konev. Unexpectedly, Katukov was very puzzled by this order: they are all comrades-in-arms, why should they be so true? If Konev did not agree, would he still have to turn his guns at the friendly forces? All in all, Katukov refused Zhukov's bizarre request. Enraged, Zhukov threatened to take off All of Katukov's medals and then "kill him like a dog." Katukov did not hesitate, and immediately replied: "Comrade Marshal, it is useless for you to shout at me, it is the motherland and not you who swear allegiance to me." ”
Although there was no follow-up at the time, it obviously greatly affected Katukov's future.
After the end of World War II, Stalin handed Zhukov the list of awards, but the latter went directly to the column "Marshal of the Armored Tank Corps" (Marshal of the Ranks, equivalent to the General of the Army) and crossed out Katukov's name. Not only that, Zhukov also wanted to send Katukov to the General Staff Military Academy for "further study", aiming to completely marginalize him. Stalin himself could not look at the pressure so clearly that he asked warily: "At present, the situation is so tense, who will be in charge of the defense of the west when he has gone?" Zhukov's request was then rejected without hesitation.
After the establishment of the Soviet "Tank Soldier Festival", Katukov was naturally invited. But under the "farewell care", the legendary general who had distinguished himself and was twice awarded the honor of "Hero of the Soviet Union" was placed in the 42nd row. Upon learning of this, Katukov refused to attend the event, which in his view was undoubtedly a humiliation. It was not until Khrushchev came to power that he inexplicably thought of the veteran general when visiting the United States, and hurriedly called and instructed Defense Minister Malinovsky to quickly arrange the rank of marshal of the armored tank corps for Katukov.
Fortunately, the feud between Ka and Zhu finally had a happy ending: in the late 1960s, Zhukov, who was expelled from the bureau, was idle at home, and his heart was very unhappy. What makes him even more unhappy is that in the past, when he was on high, the people around him were all stubborn; now that he has fallen, most people have fallen into the well in turn in order to please the high-level people, trying to step on his "corpse" to the top. Zhukov happened to hear about Katukov, and the "old wrongdoer" who had been tormented by himself was now in a very bad condition, and had to be hospitalized for his health, and even so, he did not say even half a bad word about Zhukov.
Zhukov was very emotional after hearing this, and quickly entrusted people to the hospital to send his blessings to Katukov. After listening to it, the other party seemed to be relieved and said calmly: "Why did you do that in the first place..."