The commander responsible for commanding the German troops in the Bryansk direction was the newly appointed commander of the 2nd Army, Hans von Zalmut. After learning that the Air Force had mastered the air superiority of the battlefield and that the reinforcements' counterattack had successfully crushed the Soviet attack on the second line of defense, they immediately issued orders to the frontline troops to continue attacking northward in an attempt to retake the Soviet occupation. Zizdra and other areas.
Faced with the fierce German offensive, neither Orlov's infantry corps nor Sokov's 31st Guards Division fought to the death. They continuously repelled a series of attacks launched by the German army. Although they paid huge casualties, they finally established a firm foothold on the first line of defense they occupied.
In order to reduce the pressure on the 16th Group Army, Zhukov ordered the 10th and 61st Group Armies on the left and right wings to take active action and launched an attack deep into the German defenses. Although the troops commanded by the two generals Popov made little progress, they effectively contained the enemy's forces and prevented them from attacking the 16th Army with all their strength. As a result, the front line between the Soviet Union and Germany stabilized at the first line of defense occupied by the Soviet army.
In the early morning of June 22, Sokov was standing at the door of the division headquarters, looking at the bright sky and said to Potukin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, although Moscow does not have white nights like Leningrad, the sky tonight can be... It’s really bright.”
"Yes, the summer solstice is the day with the longest daylight of the year." After listening to this, Potukin nodded and said, "The fascists who brazenly launched war against us last year may have chosen this day because of the daytime hours. The long time can extend their combat time in order to achieve greater results."
While the two were chatting, a communications soldier suddenly ran out from the division headquarters and reported to Potukin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, there is a call from the front to call you."
Potukin looked at the signal soldier and asked: "Who called?"
The communications soldier quickly replied: "It's the call from Captain Jetrov, commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1135th Regiment."
Sokov was anxious to know what important matter Jetrov had called at this time, so he returned to the headquarters with Potukin.
Potukin picked up the phone and put it to his ear and said: "Is it Captain Jetrov? I am Lieutenant Colonel Potukin! What can I do?"
Sokov, who was sitting next to Potukin, heard Jetrov's somewhat excited voice: "Comrade Chief of Staff, Matvey and Norma, who had just gone out to perform a mission, captured the enemy in the minefield in front of the position. A prisoner."
"Caught a prisoner?" Hearing what Jetrov said, Potukin and Sokov showed surprised expressions on their faces. Usually, the prisoners captured in the minefields were engineers who were clearing mines. Their task was to clear a path through the minefield in preparation for the upcoming attack. Therefore, after a moment of silence, Potukin asked: "Is it an engineer?"
"No, Comrade Chief of Staff." Jetrov said hesitantly: "Yes... she is a female soldier."
"What, a female soldier?" Jetrov's words almost made Potukin and Sokov's jaws hit the ground. They thought to themselves, "Can't the Germans find anyone to be engineers? Actually? Even women are sent to minefields to clear mines." Because the news was so shocking, both of them ignored Jetrov's failure to acknowledge the other's identity as a soldier.
Sokov pointed at the phone and clicked a few times, then ordered: "Comrade Chief of Staff, ask Captain Jetrov to send someone to send the female prisoner here immediately. We need to find out why she appears here."
Potugin nodded after hearing this, and then said into the microphone: "Comrade Captain, the division commander ordered: Send the prisoners here immediately, we want to interrogate them."
After Potukin put down the phone, Sokov immediately asked him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is there anyone in the division who understands German?"
Potukin thought for a moment, then shook his head: "It seems not!"
"Oh, why did I forget about him." Hearing Potukin say that no one in the division knew German, Sokov was a little disappointed at first, then suddenly remembered that Asya knew German, and she could be used as a translator. Thinking of this, Sokov quickly picked up the phone and called the Istrian camp. As soon as he heard Belkin's voice, he said bluntly: "Hello, Comrade Belkin, I am Sokov. There is an important task and Asya is needed to assist. Send someone to send her here immediately. .”
The Istria Camp is located only five or six minutes away from the division headquarters, and Asiya quickly arrived at the division headquarters. Asiya was extremely excited to see Sokov again after a long absence, but in front of the staff and communications soldiers at the division headquarters, she still reported to Sokov in accordance with the regulations: "Comrade division commander, the health worker Asiya was ordered to come, please give instructions. !”
If it were a private occasion, Sokov might give Asiya a warm hug, but in this formal occasion, he could only say seriously: "Comrade Asiya, we are going to interrogate a prisoner later." , since there is no one in the division who understands German, I called Belkin specifically and asked him to send someone to send you here."
Hearing that Sokov asked him to come here to be a translator, a trace of disappointment flashed in Asiya's eyes. However, she still straightened her body and replied: "Comrade, please don't worry, I will definitely translate for you."
Potukin had long heard the story between Sokov and Asya. When he saw the two talking seriously in front of him, he deliberately did not expose them. Instead, he changed the topic and asked: "Comrade Asya, I heard that there is a German prisoner who surrendered in your camp. He is usually responsible for translating. Why didn’t he come today?”
"Report to Comrade Chief of Staff," Asia faced Potukin and replied dryly: "Corporal Ernst was injured in the battle in the previous two months and was sent to the military hospital in the rear. He has not been discharged yet. Woolen cloth."
After a few more chats, Matvey and Norma carried the prisoners to the division headquarters. Sokov saw the female prisoner held between the two men. She was tall and wearing a well-fitting German corporal uniform, with her hands tied behind her back. But with a black hood on his head, he couldn't see clearly what the other person looked like.
Somehow, as soon as he saw this female prisoner, Sokov felt a particularly familiar feeling in his heart. He pointed to the stool in the middle of the room and told Matvey: "Comrade Sergeant, let her sit on the stool."
After Matvey sat the female prisoner on the stool, Sokov, who sat back at the table, once again ordered Matvey: "Take the hood off her head." After hearing Sokov's order, Ma Tevye quickly removed the hood from the prisoner's head. As soon as the hood was taken off, Sokov saw that the female prisoner's mouth was still blocked by a rag, and he gestured to Matvey to take out the rag. After Matvey faithfully carried out Sokov's order, he took a step back and stood behind the prisoner with Norma holding a submachine gun.
Seeing the unkempt appearance of the female prisoner, Sokov was not interested in taking a closer look, so he turned to look at Asiya standing behind him: "Asiya, ask her name, rank and position."
Just when Asiya was about to translate Sokov's words into German, the female prisoner suddenly exclaimed, and then asked emotionally in skilled Russian: "You...are you...M...Misha?"
Sokov was surprised when he heard the other party calling out his nickname. Was he so famous in Germany? Surprisingly, even a German corporal knew his name, and it was still a nickname. He squinted his eyes and looked at the female captive, trying to see who she was.
"Oh my God!" Asiya exclaimed, then rushed past Sokov, hugged the female prisoner, and said excitedly: "Is it you, Agelina?"
Agelina? ! Hearing this familiar name, Sokov suddenly stood up from his seat, rushed over in a few steps, lifted the hair from the female prisoner's face with his hands, and looked at her carefully. "It's really Agelina." After confirming that the prisoner held in Asiya's arms was indeed Agelina, who had not been seen for a long time, Sokov walked up to Matvey and took his hand from his waist. He took out the dagger and cut the rope binding Agelina's hands.
"Agelina," Sokov and Asiya helped Agelina sit down and asked with concern: "Where have you been in the past few months, and why are you here? "
Potukin quickly waved to Matvey and the others, indicating that they should retreat first, then he personally fetched a basin of water, placed it in front of Agelina, and asked Asiya to help her wash her face.
"Agelina," after Asiya helped Agelina get dressed up again, Sokov repeated the question: "Where have you been these past few months, and why are you here."
Adelina looked up at Sokov and said: "A few months ago, I was sent to Bryansk by my superiors to serve as a translator at the headquarters of the German 2nd Army."
Hearing that the other party worked as a translator in the German headquarters, Sokov's mind suddenly thought of the two plain-coded telegrams of unknown origin, and he quickly asked: "So, those two plain-coded telegrams were sent by you?"
The surprise on Agelina's face flashed away. She nodded and said affirmatively: "Yes, those two telegrams were sent by me."
"But why did you invent the coded telegraph?" Potukin, who was standing aside, had seen the two telegrams with his own eyes. After seeing Agelina admit that she had sent the telegram, he asked in confusion: "Don't you know , when our army receives the telegram, the Germans can also receive it. Doesn't this put you in a dangerous situation? "
"Comrade Chief of Staff, I guess I may know the reason." Sokov raised his hand to stop Potukin from continuing to ask, and said: "It should be that something happened to the comrade in charge of sending the report, so that Agelina did it for When delivering messages, one had to risk using clear telegrams.”
"That's right, Misha, it's just what you said." Agelina nodded and said affirmatively: "The operator who cooperates with me is an elderly shoemaker. Every time I need any information, I passed it on, so I went to the shoe store to find him in the name of shoe repair. But something happened last month. He was suddenly arrested, and then there was no news. In order to spread the information I obtained, I could only risk using clear codes. Telegraph sends messages.”
"Why did you appear here?" Sokov thought to himself, this place is hundreds of kilometers away from Bryansk. How did you, a weak woman, appear on the front line?
Agelina saw Sokov's suspicion of herself and quickly explained: "After I sent two clear telegrams in succession, I was suspected by the Germans, but they couldn't find anything against me and didn't dare to What to do with me. But in this way, I will never get any valuable information from them. It happened that the chief of staff of the group army took me to the front line to inspect during the day. I took the opportunity to sneak out. I wanted to crawl into my We were at the military position, but before we could get through the barbed wire fence, we were captured by two soldiers.”
Hearing what Agelina said, Sokov suddenly broke into a cold sweat. Although Jetrov's report said that Agelina was caught in a minefield, the real minefield was behind the barbed wire. If Matvey and Norma hadn't caught Agelina in time, Na. The fate awaiting her was either to be killed by a landmine or to be shot to death by soldiers on duty at the position. Therefore, he said with lingering fear: "Fortunately you did not climb into the barbed wire fence, otherwise we would have to collect your body now."
After Agelina took a sip of the hot tea handed to her by Asiya, she looked at Sokov and asked: "Misha, can you send someone to take me to the front army headquarters? I have important information, It needs to be handed over to superiors immediately.”
"Send you to the front army headquarters. I don't have the ability." Seeing Agelina change the subject on his own initiative, Sokov knew in his heart that the secrets she held were beyond his own level, but if he wanted to It was impossible to send her directly to the front army headquarters, and she could only be transferred through the group army headquarters. "But I can send you to the Army Group Headquarters first and ask them to send someone to take you to the Front Army Headquarters."
Sokov picked up the phone on the table and connected to the group army headquarters. When he heard someone talking inside, he immediately said: "I am Major Sokov, commander of the 31st Guards Division. I have something important to tell you." Comrade Commander reports."
The person who answered the phone waited for Sokov to finish and then said lazily: "Major Sokov, Comrade Commander is sleeping. If you have anything, you can tell me."
Sokov didn't know who answered the phone, so it was naturally impossible for him to disclose such confidential information to the other party casually. Since Rokossovsky was sleeping, Malinin might not be sleeping too, so he continued: "Sorry, what I said is very important. If it is not convenient for Comrade Commander to answer the phone, please ask Comrade Chief of Staff to answer the phone." Bar."
Not long after, Malinin's familiar voice came from the receiver: "I'm Malinin, Major Sokov. Is there anything urgent?"
After hearing Malinin's voice, Sokov first glanced at Agelina sitting next to him, and then said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the person who invented the coded telegraph for us is sitting next to me at the moment. She said it was important We need to rush to the front army headquarters immediately, can you send someone to pick her up?"
Malinin waited for Sokov to finish and then asked cautiously: "Major Sokov, are you sure she is the one who invented the coded telegraph?"
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Regarding Malinin's question, Sokov replied affirmatively: "I have dealt with her before, she is a very reliable person, and I believe what she said is true. "
"In that case," Ma Lining hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Okay, I will send someone to pick her up as soon as possible."
