Regardless of how the Soviets would attack Germany or how the Germans would defend Berlin. <-> But as the Allied forces approached the heart of Germany from two different directions, I walked in the military camp and often heard soldiers talking happily: "People in Berlin now say that 'optimists learn English, and pessimists learn English. Those who want to learn Russian¡¯.¡±
John said to me: "It seems that the Germans also know that Berlin is about to be undefended!"
"Aren't you talking nonsense? The whole of Germany cannot be defended, let alone a small Berlin?" I paused and then said: "Germany's defense of Berlin is nothing more than how long it will hold or how much damage it can do to their enemies. Just casualties!¡±
John nodded and admitted: "Indeed! If the Germans surrender, I'm afraid he will have no choice but to choose us!"
, in fact, the Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop also said the same thing. He was a man without a sense of humor. He declared directly at a diplomat dinner: "Germany has lost won the war, but he still has the right to decide who will give the final victory of the war." This sentence, which represents the mentality of most Germans, has been bothering Stalin since he launched the Battle of Berlin. He did not want Germany, which he had consumed a huge amount of force to defeat, to become a wedding dress for the Allied forces who did not waste a single shot in the end. . <h1></h1>
At the same time, as soon as Model¡¯s 300,000-man German Army Group B was surrounded on April 2, the U.S. Ninth Army led by General Simpson immediately began to advance rapidly toward the Elbe River. They all firmly believe that their current goal is the Nazi capital. After the dispute with the British Montgomery, General Montgomery became more or less honest under Churchill's reprimand. Eisenhower, who was in control of everything, also believed that the possibility of occupying Berlin was very high. This is because the Germans are too afraid of the Soviet Union. If Stalin of the Soviet Union is forced to go too far and Germany is desperate, it may directly surrender to the Allied forces represented by Eisenhower.
Of course, as the commander-in-chief, he does not rely on this kind of hope. In the second part of Eisenhower's order to General Simpson, he asked the Ninth Army to "use every opportunity to seize the bridgehead over the Oder River and prepare to attack Berlin or the northeastern area."
The Ninth Army¡¯s Second Armored Division, known as ¡°Hell on Wheels,¡± is the most powerful unit in the U.S. military. It included many tough Southerners who enlisted in the Army during the Great Depression. Its division commander Isaac White had already planned the route to attack Berlin. His plan was to pass through the Elbe River near Magdeburg. The unit closest to him is the 83rd Infantry Division, known as the "Civilian Circus". We call it that because for some reason the soldiers of this division always like to collect all kinds of captured vehicles and equipment. Spray on green paint and a white five-pointed star. It looks a bit nondescript.
Lin Bonner once pointed at the troops of the division and said with a smile: "Look, our 'circus' has appeared again!"
To the north, the 5th Armored Division was advancing towards Tangerm¨¹nde, while on the extreme left flank of Simpson's force, the 84th and 102nd Infantry Divisions were advancing from either side of the confluence of the Elbe and Havel rivers. Troop advances were often halted temporarily by resistance from small groups of SS troops. But most of the German troops ultimately chose to surrender. American soldiers stopped only to refuel or repair their vehicles.
The past few days of war and rapid advancement have made all American soldiers exhausted and sleep-deprived. They are all dirty and smelly, and the beards on their faces have not been shaved for a long time. If they were pulled out on the streets of the city now, they would be I'm afraid he's worse than the homeless beggar in Liantou. However, the excitement of rapid advancement replaced their need for sleep, which for soldiers only required a period of time. Germany will be defeated, and then everyone can go home. This is the only spiritual strength that supports the soldiers.
The 84th Infantry Division halted when ordered to capture Hanover, but just 48 hours later it was ready to move forward again. April 8th. Eisenhower met with its division commander Alexander Bolling in Hanover.
"Alex, where are you going next?" Eisenhower asked.
"General, we are ready to move on. We are marching on Berlin, and nothing can stop us."
"Keep moving forward." The commander-in-chief patted him on the shoulder and said to him, "I wish you the best luck and don't let anyone stop you from moving forward." Bolin believed that this sentence once again confirmed that their goal was Berlin.
On the left flank of the U.S. Ninth Army. The British Second Army, led by General Dempsey, had reached the city of Celle and would soon liberate Belsen concentration camp. Meanwhile, on Simpling's right, General Hodges's First Army was also advancing toward Dessau and Leipzig. George Patton's Third Army had advanced the farthest, having passed through Leipzig and southward into the Harz Mountains. ?8fdb; female prisoners were shot dead by SS guards and thrown into the ditch on the roadside. The blue and white prison uniforms covered the entire road - the suffering place of these unfortunate women. When they arrived at their destination, less than half of them were female prisoners. When the Allied forces occupied the place, these unfortunate women who survived cried bitterly about this damn war.
I sighed and said, "This damn war!"
These small things are not worth mentioning to the big guys. What they are paying attention to is that in southern Germany, Devers's Sixth Army Group-including Patch's Seventh Army and Delat Detanisi General's French 1st Army - was moving through the Black Forest, with the Army Group's left flank extending into Swabia. After capturing Karlsruhe, they moved on to Stuttgart.
Although Hitler's Ardennes campaign was unsuccessful, to be honest, it left a shadow in Eisenhower's mind. Although the overall situation on the Western Front was advancing steadily, he was still worried about the German army building defensive positions in the Alps. He hoped that this would The two armies marched toward the Saarburg area in the southeast and met with the Soviet army in the Danube Valley.
After the Ardennes Counterattack, I had nothing to do. After a month's rest, my mission came. The command will not waste any strength. Of course, we will not be entrusted with meritorious tasks, because There are always some troops who need to achieve results in this kind of thing, which is the same at home and abroad.
Our task is very easy, that is, to follow the advancing group troops and strike from behind. The so-called strikers are to consolidate various occupied areas or be responsible for some light tasks such as patrolling. John said cheerfully all day long: "I like tasks like this! I like tasks like this!"
Lin Bernard, on the other hand, was bored with the new recruits who had joined the army and had not been baptized on the battlefield. He boasted about his reputation as an elite in many battles, which made some recruits yearn for it. But John said: "I won't miss it if I don't go to the front line for the rest of my life!" (To be continued.)d;line, I don¡¯t miss it either! "(To be continued.)