Regarding the German First Army of Ukraine, because prisoners and countless young people asked to join the army, after Borisov's application, the German Ukrainian Army was expanded into a group army. The entire army had 150,000 people now occupied not many places. The organization of a group army was enough, and of course it would definitely be expanded in the later period.

As for the weapons of the Ukrainian German army, of course, they used Soviet weapons. There were too many seized weapons, and Li Mo did not retain them at all, and gave them all to the Ukrainian German army. In addition, there were a large number of arsenals in Ukraine. At this time, the Soviet Union did not have much time to destroy them. Even if Stalin ordered the blow up these factories, the Ukrainian workers inside would not execute them. You should know that the bullets used by Germany now are the same as the Soviet bullet caliber and can be fully versatile. As long as these factories can be activated at full speed, they can at least meet all the bullet consumption of the German army. It can be seen that Ukraine's military industrial capabilities are the same as those of Ukraine in later generations.

Of course, those Ukrainian factories are going to be auctioned. These factories belong to the Stalin government, so it is natural to auction after confiscation...

As long as the German capitalists took over these numerous factories and injected funds and technology, the vast number of weapons, equipment and supplies needed by Li Mo's German army could be obtained from Ukraine. If Poland's output was added, Li Mo didn't have to worry about not having weapons at all, but was worried that his troops would be too few.

Since the Battle of Odessa, Li Mo's Southern Army Group has not encountered any major war in Ukraine. Although Stalin ordered the shooting of a large number of Ukrainian Soviet generals, it took a counter-effect. Ukrainian soldiers began to flee in large numbers, including officers, and the German army did not fight at all. The remaining Ukrainian troops collapsed. There was no way Stalin ordered the Soviet troops to retreat to Stalingrad urgently, which completely gave up Ukraine.

Li Mo arrived at Rostov, the railway hub of Ukraine, on May 5, and began to divide 200,000 troops to attack the Baku area of ​​the Soviet Union. Li Mo was all placed in Rostov for rest. It was not that Li Mo didn't want to attack. It was already 900 kilometers away from the German-Soviet border, and it was unrealistic to rely on trucks to transport it all. Li Mo was waiting for the railway to be smooth. Of course, the new Ukrainian government would also mobilize a large amount of manpower to help repair the railway. The National Defense Forces were still brutally strangled under the city of Kiev.

...

Of course, the German army in Kiev would not promote the German army. They believed that war should be the battle of both sides like knights, and the Soviets were even more unlikely to promote it. Instead, they would block out the news from Odessa to avoid shaking the hearts of the army and the people. Stalin used all propaganda and coercion to describe the Germans as the incarnation of the devil, so that everyone could resist the German invasion. Stalin's methods, combined with the stupidity of the commanders of the other two German armies, firmly implemented Hitler's national discrimination policy. Stalin's goal was achieved, and the Kievan people all devoted themselves to the battle against the German Wehrmacht.

The German army's far-reaching frontal assault and subsequent flank assault split the Soviet Southwest Front into several isolated groups. The 5th Army on the right wing of the front in northwest Kiev fought for about half a month in the Koros-strong regional positions, and used its actions to restrain the German army of about 10 divisions.

The army launched a counterattack on the flank of the German army that directly attacked Kiev, greatly improving the situation of the Soviet Red Army defending the city. In accordance with the instructions of the headquarters of the Supreme Command, the army retreated to the new defensive area north of Kiev. The 6th, 12th Army and the 18th Army had a total of 20 divisions in the southwest of Kiev, and the front army fought hard on the left wing.

On May 3, 1941, the German army surrounded the group in Uman area with two wings. On May 8, 1941, the "Uman Pocket" was eliminated, and the German army captured 130,000 Soviet Red Army, including Lieutenant General Muzichenko, the commander of the 6th Army, and Major General Bonegelin, the commander of the 12th Army. The German army seized 317 tanks and 858 artillery pieces. The combat operation continued here until May 13, 1941.

The failures of these operations have extremely complicated the situation of the joints between the Southwest Front and the South Front (the 6th and 12th Army have been relocated to the Southern Front since April 25, 1941 and become its right wing). In the central defense are the 37th and 26th Army (the former is formed based on the Kiev formation area, while the latter is basically formed by the various reserve corps operating south of Kiev).

From May 19 to 29, 1941, the 26th Army attempted to carry out a battle to destroy the encirclement maneuver of the German tank group, but only blocked the cluster for a few days. It was then forced to retreat under the German assault. The German army suddenly reached the suburbs of Kiev, Juliane, Messelovka, and the Forestry Engineering College and the Agricultural College.

However, the counter-assault carried out by the Soviet Red Army caused the front line along the outer layer of the fortification area to be almost completely restored before May 15, 1941. Among them, the 5th Airborne Brigade (led by Alexander Rodimtev) stationed at the Juliane Airport to repel the German front 2 to 3 kilometers at night; and the newly formed 37th Army successfully repelled the powerful assault carried out by the German heavy army from the southwest to capture the capital of Ukraine in the first half of May 1941.

Kiev citizens and nearby residents actively participated in the defense of the city. According to the decisions of the Central Committee of Ukraine (Brazza), the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic and the People's Committee, the Urban Defense Command was established. In a short period of time, 200,000 Kievans volunteered to participate in the Soviet Red Army.

The tenacious resistance and repeated counterattacks of the Soviet Red Army caused a long delay in the attack on the right wing of the Central Army Group, forcing the German Command to transfer a large part of the forces of the "Central Army Group" from the direction of Moscow - the 2nd Army (the commander is General Weix) and the 2nd Tank Cluster (the commander is General Guderian) to deal with the Soviet Southwest Front.

The German army's plan was to cross the Dzena River west of Tubizivsk and advance southward, and go straight to Romne behind Kiev; the 2nd Army moved south from Gomel to cover the right wing of the Tank Cluster 2; the 1st Tank Cluster attacked northward from Kremenchurg on the dnepr river bay, and met with the 2nd Tank Cluster in the Romne and Lokhvica areas, cutting off the Soviet Red Army on the west bank of the Dnepr River in the Dahequ area.

The 17th Army was responsible for restraining the Soviet Red Army in the dnepr river bend north of Cherkasse, while covering the left wing of the first tank cluster; the 6th Army went east, crossed the Dnieper River, entered Kiev, and began to encircle and annihilate the heavy army of the Soviet Red Army. On May 21, 1941, the German Command ordered the strengthening of the offensive on the north and south wings of the Soviet-German battlefield, and made a profound detour on the front army along the east bank of the Dnieper River from the north and south sides.

On May 8, 1941, the 2nd German tank group and the 2nd Army began to attack Starodub, Konotup and Gomel and Chernigov. At this time, the Soviet Red Army saw through the German intentions and ordered the Southwest Front Army to withdraw the various armies of the Southwest Front to the opposite bank of the Dnieper River on May 19, 1941 to organize defenses along the east bank. On the west bank, the Soviet Red Army should only stick to the positions in the Kiev area. In order to cover the right wing of the Front, the 40th Army, which was reorganized from the corps withdrawn from other areas, was launched along the Jesna River north of Konotup.

...To be continued...
Chapter completed!