December 25th is Christmas. During this most solemn festival in the Western world, the atmosphere on both sides of the Dnieper River is completely different.

The real severe cold has descended on this land, and almost all outdoor activities have been suspended.

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Snow and wind enveloped both sides of the Dnieper River, and the largest massacre in the history of human warfare finally came to a halt.

For Westerners, Christmas is the most important holiday of the year. Even though the cold wind is howling outside the window and the snow is falling overhead, holiday celebrations still have to be carried out.

Marshal Zhukov kept his word, and the 1st Ukrainian Front, 2nd Ukrainian Front, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front and 4th Ukrainian Front, which had already been designated, really reached the Dnieper River before Christmas.

This was a huge victory that allowed millions of Red Army soldiers to regain their confidence.

After determining that there was no chance of crossing west for the time being, the Red Army troops began to celebrate Christmas on the spot.

On Christmas Day, the Soviet High Command provided additional supplies to the frontline troops, but the actual situation was only from 6 potatoes a day in the past to 10 potatoes and two pieces of black bread today.

However, as long as you are serious about celebrating the festival, no matter what the food is, the atmosphere can still be achieved.

What's more, the Supreme Command allocated an additional batch of vodka, the favorite of Red Army soldiers.

The amount of vodka is also pitifully small, and on average it is far from enough to make people drunk.

After two months of continuous fighting in the ice and snow, the Red Army soldiers finally took a short break.

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The repairs after the big victory happened to coincide with Christmas, so I felt very happy.

Therefore, the festive atmosphere on the east bank of the Dnieper River is very strong, and the sounds of soldiers gathering together, singing and dancing can be heard in the trenches under the ice and snow.

Some troops even pointed their loudspeakers towards the west bank of the Dnieper River, drinking vodka and singing incoherently.

Marshal Zhukov personally rushed to the front line from Rovoniezh and personally interviewed the heroic troops with the most outstanding achievements on Christmas Day.

This is the most relaxed, comfortable and happiest Christmas that the Soviet people and Red Army troops have had since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Everyone believed that by the time next Christmas came, they would have defeated the fascists and achieved complete victory in the war.

The Dnieper River stretches for thousands of miles, and its banks are filled with laughter and laughter.

Different from the excitement and joy of the Red Army soldiers, the soldiers of the Central Xia Western Expedition Army were relatively calm. They just wanted to shrink themselves into a ball as much as possible.

I really didn't want to move, and the temperature outside the bunker had dropped to the point where I had to bring a stick with me to pee.

The soldiers could not experience the joy of the old soldiers, but admired them for being able to sing and dance in such a world of ice and snow.

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Occasionally when he moves, he will sigh:

"As expected of an old man, he has a thick skin."

..

The oil in the tank was frozen and had to be roasted over a fire before starting. This shows how cold the weather was.

Therefore, although the Bolsheviks on the east bank were singing and dancing, it was impossible for the Third Reich troops on the west bank to launch an attack.

The veteran Marshal Busch has been dismissed by Mustache, and he has been replaced by Marshal Model.

On Christmas Day, Mustache was still in Kiev and asked Marshal Model to personally supervise the people to build coastal fortifications.

The fortifications on the west bank already have some outlines, but they are far from satisfactory to Mustache.

Ukrainian people were forced by German soldiers to build bunkers and dig anti-tank trenches.

The weather is cold and work efficiency is very low. People often fall down and never get up again.

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The Germans didn't care at all how many people died, they just wanted to see a strong defense line be built as soon as possible.

The number of people was not enough, so they began to mobilize prisoners from the concentration camps in the rear.

Most of the prisoners were old men who were unwilling to surrender, and those who had surrendered were trained into an army of servants.

The unpleasant singing of Maozi soldiers was often heard from the east coast, but the singing was a different experience to the German soldiers and the civilians and prisoners who participated in the construction of fortifications.

It's not unpleasant, but envy and sadness.

After the wind and snow subsided, Mustache, accompanied by Model, personally came to the defense line outside Kiev.

Today is Christmas after all, so Mustache asked the Logistics Department to provide sufficient food to these soldiers who had just escaped from Army Group Center.

Compared with when they were in eastern Ukraine, the current German troops can receive relatively sufficient supplies.

The soldiers put on warm winter clothes, and their bodies gradually became warmer, but the severe psychological damage could not be improved.

The Bolsheviks on the other side were very happy, but during the inspection, Mustache only saw soldiers sitting in the trenches dazed or numb.

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There is no festive atmosphere at all.

Mustache was a little confused. The troops had obviously received sufficient clothing and food, but why were they still so lifeless?

He frowned involuntarily and walked around the front line with an expressionless expression.

Marshal Model knew the situation of the troops. The soldiers had not yet come out of the shadow of the previous tragic defeat and the snowstorm.

The happier the Bolsheviks on the other side were, the more decadent and lifeless their own position became.

Listening to the unpleasant noises that occasionally came from the wind and snow, the mustache's face was as cold as ice, and the beard on his upper lip trembled.

After taking a deep breath of the cold air, he turned around and returned to the warm headquarters in Kiev with hatred in his eyes.

The fire in the fireplace is burning brightly, spreading warmth to every corner of the house.

Mustache poured three glasses of red wine himself, one for himself, one for Marshal Model, and the other for Army Group Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ludwig.

The expressions of the three people flickered in and out, hot and cold in the light of the burning fireplace.

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After being silent for an unknown length of time, Mustache suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse:

"The failure of the Kursk-Kharkov battle not only cost the empire 500,000 elite troops, but we also went to the treasure land of Eastern Ukraine."

Manstein surrendered 200,000 people in Army Group South. Marshal Zhukov commanded his troops to pursue and fight fiercely, causing the German army to pay at least 300,000 casualties.

The value of 500,000 elite troops mentioned by Mustache is the lowest statistical figure and does not include the attrition caused by illness and frostbite caused by cloudy and cold weather.

Marshal Model and Lieutenant General Ludwig took a sip of red wine and did not dare to interrupt.

"The loss of grain-producing areas and industrial areas is only secondary. What I can't stand is that the empire has lost the coal fields of Donbas, the manganese mines of Nikol, and the iron ores of Khakov, as well as other oil and gas fields.

Waiting for resources!”

Mustache's voice became increasingly angry.

The land of Ukraine is not only fertile, but also contains a large amount of resources underground.

Coal production in Donbas accounts for about 70% of the total coal production in the entire region;

The manganese ore reached 80%. The manganese ore required for the industries of the Third Reich was basically obtained from this occupied area;

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Iron ore, oil, natural gas, etc. are equally important.

The defeat of the battle resulted in the loss of all these resource producing areas, which would have a huge impact on the military production of the Third Reich.

Mustache is also particularly worried about oil.

Germany is rich in resources, with large reserves of coal and iron. The loss of the Eastern Ukraine region will only have a major impact on the military industry, and it will not be fatal.

But oil is different. The Third Reich did not produce oil.

Petroleum is also called the blood of industry. Without petroleum, many productions cannot proceed normally. The most direct example is that tanks, armored vehicles, automobiles, aircraft, etc. have no oil available.

Without oil, it is impossible to launch large-scale battles and to withstand the enemy's overwhelming attacks.

One of the main reasons why Mustache chose to fight against the Soviet Union was to obtain oil from Ukraine and the Caucasus.

After the failure of the Battle of Stalingrad, the German army completely lost the Caucasus oil fields.

Nowadays, oil fields in Ukraine have also been greatly lost.

The mustache drank all the wine in the glass, knocked on the table and said:

"I am very worried that after this snowstorm stops, the Chinese and Bolsheviks will send heavy bombers to bomb our Romanian oil fields."

"That's the lifeline of our country's oil supply. Once it's lost, the consequences will be disastrous!"

The expressions of Marshal Model and Lieutenant General Ludwig became very solemn.

After losing North Africa and the North Caucasus, Romania became the empire's only source of oil.

Previously, the Allied forces on the Western Front had dispatched bombers to long-range bombardments of Romanian oil fields. Fortunately, due to the long distance, the number of bombers the Allies could dispatch at one time was limited.

The empire deployed powerful air defense forces in Romania to temporarily ensure the safety of the oil fields.

However, the Zhongxia people's bombers are larger than the Allied forces, and their distance is also closer, and they can even dispatch fighter jets to escort them.
To be continued...