The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 1336: Chapter 966: High Stakes_2 Chapter 1336: Chapter 966: High Stakes_2 Germany’s German Army had effectively implemented blitzkrieg tactics against Poland and Belgium, a feat in which Manstein’s contributions were absolutely significant.

Utilizing Manstein and his Second Armored Corps to execute this surprise attack was also a part of the efforts to capture Stalingrad by the German Army.

After all, if the Second Armored Corps were to be redeployed, there would be significantly fewer armored forces on the frontline, possibly even provoking a counter-offensive from the Russian army.

In a vast expanse of white plains, numerous camouflaged German tanks slowly progressed toward their destination.

Tank after tank compressed the soft snow into a solid snow ground, quickly covering the tracks made by the preceding tanks.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the armored troop finally halted. In the distance, the contour of a moderately sized urban city was beginning to emerge.

“General Manstein, according to the map, we are now only 20 kilometers from Saratov,” a soldier inside the tank reported to Manstein after carefully examining the map.

“Very well,” Manstein rubbed his hands together, trying to revive his numb arms, then instructed the soldier, “Rest here for ten minutes, then proceed to Saratov at maximum speed.

I hope we can capture this city swiftly and cross the river to the opposite bank before the Russians can react to our presence.”

The reason Manstein had repeatedly succeeded in breaching enemy lines was the strength of the German armored forces and the element of surprise.

If the enemy were aware and prepared, even the powerful German armored units would find it difficult to cross the Volga River under enemy surveillance.

The command was swiftly relayed to every tank, and the ten-minute rest period began shortly.

For all the German armored soldiers in the tanks, these ten minutes were filled with anticipation as well as apprehension. To avoid alarming the enemy, the German Army even refrained from deploying planes to scout Saratov in advance.

After all, the appearance of German planes over Saratov would definitely alert the Russians, who might even reinforce their defenses.

While this ensured that the Russians were unlikely to detect them in advance, it also meant that the German Army had almost no detailed intelligence about Saratov.

The last intelligence report from Saratov had been received more than two months ago; whether the Russians had reinforced or what the current defensive situation was in Saratov, the German Army had no idea.

This was the real reason for deploying Manstein in this raid. It was a bold gamble, and the German Army was prepared to face all unknowns.

If the gamble paid off, the German Army could potentially overcome all of Stalingrad in one go, thereby altering the course of this battle and the entire war.

However, if the gamble failed, the Second Armored Corps engaged in this mission might find itself in an irredeemable situation, and the battle of Stalingrad could collapse outright.

The Russian army at this time was no mere showpiece. Throughout the prolonged war, it too had produced many excellent generals and military commanders.

Furthermore, the Russian ethos of fearlessness in the face of death had significantly bolstered the combat effectiveness of the Russian army.

With the support of the Motherland War, the overall combat capability of the Russian forces was among the top three globally, compelling even the German Army to engage with full force.

The frontline at Stalingrad, which had a whole armored corps withdrawn, indicated a significant reduction in German firepower in the short term.

If the Russian army exploited this opportunity, the German Army might have to forfeit much of Stalingrad, which had been captured at great cost in soldiers’ lives.

Aware of the immense responsibility he bore, Manstein, at this moment, lost his usual confidence and arrogance.

Although Manstein had often contradicted the German Chancellor’s opinions and even voiced completely opposing views at military conferences.

But that was only opposition to the German Chancellor, it did not mean Manstein wanted to see Germany fail.

Even as a mere soldier, Manstein preferred to witness an unending stream of victories for Germany. Even if it ultimately proved him wrong, it was still better than seeing his beloved country defeated again.

The Germans had learned the bitter lessons of defeat in World War I; no German wanted to experience the penalties after a loss in World War II.

Even if there was just a sliver of hope, Manstein wouldn’t hesitate to seize it and do everything possible to salvage and strive.

Germany bet correctly. Russia did not increase the defensive power at Saratov, nor did it construct a military airport there to boost its air strength.

But Russia also bet wrongly. Although Saratov lacked an airport, there was a recently constructed makeshift airport between two cities across the Saratov River.

Over forty brand-new Australian-made planes were stationed at this airport, for which the Russian Government had paid a hefty amount of resources to acquire.

War caused continual devaluation of the currencies of many European nations, most notably France and Russia.

The Franc was already in a cycle of devaluation, compounded by one-third of the territory being occupied, plunging its value to an all-time low.

How severe was the devaluation of the Franc? It was practically invisible in all international trade.

To import military supplies and other materials from Britain and Australasia, France had to use gold or other critical resources, or equivalent currencies.

In these trades, the Australian Dollar was welcomed by many nations and had become the most resilient currency after gold and major supplies.

Even the historically global currency, the Pound, couldn’t replace the Australian Dollar’s status in wartime. After all, Britain was a belligerent nation, and its native land had undergone extensive bombings by German planes, leading to the Pound’s devaluation.

Arthur was also happy to enhance the circulation of the Australian Dollar this way. If all nations around the world used the Australian Dollar as their international currency for trade, Australasia would stand as the sole beneficiary.

This would also improve Australasia’s international influence and strengthen its impact on other nations.

Arthur was very thankful for his earlier decision to decouple the Australian Dollar from the Pound, minimizing their interconnectivity.

If the exchange between the Australian Dollar and the Pound remained linked, the only world currency at this moment would be the Pound, and no other currency would stand a chance.

Thanks to the extensive purchase of armaments and other grain and medical supplies by European countries, the Australian Dollar was now circulating in many nations and regions, and Australasia had accumulated a significant amount of gold reserves through trade.

These gold reserves were crucial for the issuance of the Australian Dollar. With more gold reserves, Arthur could issue more Australian Dollars, ensuring its value remained robust, without worrying about devaluation like the Franc.

A major reason for the devaluation of the Franc was the French government’s lack of sufficient gold reserves. A lot of the reserves had been used to purchase supplies or had been seized by the Germans during the occupation of Paris.

This left the French government with no solution to the devaluation of the Franc and even made letting the Franc depreciate more economical than controlling it.

The Russians had not anticipated that the dozens of planes stationed between the two cities across the Saratov River would play a significant role in the war.

The German armored forces were indeed powerful, but against dozens of advanced airplanes, they were utterly powerless.

The armored forces seemed like live targets, continuously enduring the bombings and attacks by the Russian Air Force.

Although the anti-aircraft guns and machine guns on the tanks could fire streams of bullets toward the planes, the anti-aircraft guns were too slow and weak, and the machine guns could not threaten the metal-framed airplanes made in Australasia.

Thus, the outcome of this battle was already predetermined. After suffering heavy tank losses, the German armored groups embarrassingly retreated.