It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 107 Chapter | Is he really a genius?
Within two days of the battle, the 102nd Infantry Division of the Russian Empire was severely damaged, and the 90th Infantry Division and the 13th Mountain Division not far away were also hit hard.

According to military norms, destroying 60% to 70% of a unit can be called major annihilation, and destroying 80% to 90% can be called basic annihilation.

Ivan Rus's army suffered heavy casualties in just two days, suffering an unexpectedly heavy blow from the Hungarian army, with nearly 10,000 casualties. This might not be worth mentioning on the Central European battlefield - the tactical counterattacks launched by the Varland army every now and then could eliminate so many people.

However, the Hungarian side was ultimately a secondary battlefield, and the Battle of Zampron could be regarded as an inspiring and glorious victory.

For a time, major newspapers in Budapest used front-page headlines to publicize this hard-earned honor.

Against this backdrop, the concerns Shang Ke had raised earlier were completely forgotten.

In the late night of September 9, many officers with hurried expressions rushed to the headquarters of the 30th Army of the Russian Empire.

"... Commander, this is the case. The 41st Army is in dire straits, and the 102nd Division is in extreme danger."

A lieutenant colonel staff officer told the commander next to him the latest situation of the battle in the Zhanpulun Mountains.

Tukhachevsky, dressed in a neat general's uniform, stared at the map without comment.

Operation Jupiter, the attack on Hunsted, progressed slowly. A week later, the Tisza River defense line had not been broken through, and even a stable landing site had not been established.

The powerful people in St. Petersburg were very dissatisfied with this, and some even claimed that Tukhachevsky was passively avoiding war.

Veronika Alexandrovna also sent a stern question: What are you doing? Are the Huns more difficult to deal with than the Varlanders?

Tukhachevsky was clearly under immense pressure. Two years ago, he was ordered to train two mechanized corps, but he failed miserably and was subsequently imprisoned. Only recently had he been released by Veronica and given command of a large troop group.

This is Veronica, who values ​​talent, giving him a chance.

Aren’t you a genius military strategist?
Then I will give you another favor. Lead an army to attack Hungary, defeat them in a whirlwind, and seize the rich granary for our great motherland!
However, this was probably the last chance, and Tukhachevsky knew it very well.

What made him quite frustrated was that the army group he led was not a strong army with strong soldiers and horses. From the tank brigade to the infantry army, almost all of them were equipped with old equipment, and there were even antiques from the European War period.

第10集团军的重武器比较落后，大量装备着欧战时期的老古董1普特（122毫米）榴弹炮，而不是新型的M38型122毫米榴弹炮。

The tank brigades assigned to several infantry armies sound glamorous, but in fact most of the tanks are T-26 and BT-5/7. As for the T-28 multi-turret tanks, they only look powerful. There are only twenty or thirty of the invincible T-34s.

In addition, there are several negative factors that cannot be ignored - there is a significant shortage of officers, and some positions can only be temporarily replaced by non-commissioned officers; the radio equipment cannot even be expected to be the latest model, because even if the old antiques are included, it is not enough.

The upper echelons of Ivan Ross were very calculating. In order to defeat the Varland Empire, the General Staff concentrated most of the human and material resources on the Central European battlefield.

As for the Hungarian and Swedish directions, the lack of manpower and material resources is not a big deal. It is better to rely on the commander's genius in military art to make up for it!

Perhaps Tukhachevsky didn't know the Eastern proverb that a good cook cannot cook without rice, but he knew that he had no choice.

The intelligence staff colonel succinctly recounted, "The Huns have deployed at least four divisions in the Zampron Mountains. The confirmed designations are the 15th Infantry Division and the 1st Mountain Division. Additionally, aircraft reconnaissance has detected a cavalry unit marching southwest of the mountains. We suspect this may be the 3rd Cavalry Division."

"It's a bold move for the Huns to mobilize so many troops. How many reserves do they have behind the defense line?" Tukhachevsky stretched out his index finger and drew a circle on the map.

"Previously, we estimated there were four or five infantry divisions and one tank division. Now... perhaps there's only one left, Commander." "It seems the Huns believe we wouldn't dare take advantage of the situation to attack."

"After all, the tank division's combat effectiveness is very strong." The intelligence staff colonel said helplessly.

Even if the Tisza River is successfully crossed in the first phase, the landing site cannot be stabilized in a short period of time. At this time, the Hungarian army will definitely deploy tank troops to launch a large-scale counterattack.

This battle example had occurred a few days ago. Although our side successfully broke through a section of the defense line in the Tarča area, they were driven into the river by the fierce counterattack of the Hungarian army and ended in failure.

"This opportunity should not be missed. We must seize it to break through the Tisza River defense line." Tukhachevsky said to the crowd: "Learn the lessons of the Battle of Tarča. The old tanks are not up to the task of resisting counterattacks. We need powerful new cruiser tanks."

"But we only have a few of those tanks." The chief of staff said with a wry smile.

"Gather them together, form a strong assault combat group, and let the soldiers get familiar with each other as soon as possible." Tukhachevsky ordered.

Afterwards, he discussed the attack plan with his staff, selected two main attack directions and three feint attack directions, and was determined to break through the northern section of the Tisza River defense line in one go.

Unlike Ivan Rus's army on the Central European battlefield, which often concentrated thousands of tanks, Ivan Rus's army in the Hungarian and Swedish directions was indeed in a miserable state.

The 10th Army Headquarters ordered the transfer of cruiser tank companies equipped with T-34 from several tank brigades. It took three companies to gather 30 tanks, and another four were under repair, for a total of no more than 4 tanks.

Subsequently, the headquarters transferred two anti-tank artillery companies, an infantry reinforcement regiment, and a 122mm howitzer regiment, thus forming the so-called Takta assault group.

After the units reunited, the officers and soldiers took the time to get to know each other and conducted two simple coordination exercises.

A huge crisis is quietly approaching.

No one on the Hungarian side noticed the coming storm, and the joy of victory had not yet faded.

However, excessive joy often leads to sorrow.

In the early morning of October 10, the 3th Army of the Russian Empire launched a fierce attack simultaneously on a front of dozens of kilometers!

The incident happened suddenly, and the Hungarian commander, General Roland, found it difficult to determine whether this was an all-out attack or a focused attack.

At noon that day, the two infantry battalions of the Tokto assault group quickly broke through the defense line in this section. After crossing the Tisza River, the engineering troops began to build a pontoon bridge against the clock.

By midnight, the Taoktao assault group had basically crossed the river.

Ivan Rus's army spared no effort to stabilize the landing site and then successfully repelled a tactical counterattack launched by the Hungarian army.

For a time, rumors spread everywhere.

When Ivan Rus's army launched the attack, Shang was at a clinic in Miskolc for treatment—the price of greed! The celebratory banquets over the past two days had been too sumptuous!
"Tukhachevsky really counterattacked so promptly? Is he really a genius? He's getting worse."

Shang Ke immediately became alert and thought about how to remedy the situation.

(End of this chapter)