Chuikov believed that forming a new battle group would help improve the current unfavorable situation in Stalingrad. As long as he proposed it and got benefits, Sokov would readily agree to it. Who knew that Sokov would reject him so tactfully, so he frowned and asked dissatisfiedly: "Why, tell me your reason?"
Sokov noticed Chuikov's dissatisfaction and knew that if he didn't explain clearly, he might leave a thorn in the other's heart. After reorganizing the language in his mind, he said: "Comrade Commander, the enemy has launched countless attacks on Mamayev Heights, but in the end they all ended in losing troops. They realized that in order to capture this so-called city It is completely unworthy to invest a lot of troops and technical equipment at the commanding heights. Therefore, they have now adjusted their strategy and used the army of the slave country to continue the attack, while the main force was transferred to the factory area to the north in an attempt to capture the barricade factory. and Dzerzhinsky Factory. As long as they capture these two factories, they can go out to the Volga River and go down the river to seize the ferry in our rear and completely cut off the connection between the defenders in the city and the outside world. If Setting up a battle group at this time will attract the enemy's attention from the north of the city..."
"Colonel Sokov," Gurov heard this and asked unexpectedly: "So, you are afraid? Are you afraid that the enemy will regard your place as the focus of the attack?"
"Yes, Comrade Military Commissar, I'm scared." Sokov felt that he needed to talk the issue out in front of Chuikov and Gurov, otherwise, if he really set up a battle group in the south of the city, Stalingrad would be devastated. The situation has become even more confusing: "The two chiefs must also know that the battles in the old city in the south of the city are mainly small-scale. Therefore, although our troops deployed here are small, we can still prevent the enemy from occupying the entire old city. .
However, once a battle group is formed and the enemy discovers that our army poses a threat to them in the old city, it is possible to adjust the main attack direction. Once the enemy's main force gathers in the south of the city, I'm afraid our troops can only sustain it for a day or even less. At that time, the enemy can go north along the Volga River, take the back road of Mamayev Ridge, occupy the ferry by the river, and cut off the connection between the city and the outside world. If this happens, all the factories in the north of the city will fall when they run out of ammunition and food. "
After listening to Sokov's analysis, Chuikov said nothing. He just tapped his fingers on the table slowly, thinking about whether he should give up the idea of forming a battle group.
"Comrade Commander..." Seeing Chuikov's delay in speaking, Gurov called him softly.
Chuikov raised his hand to stop Gurov, looked up at Sokov and asked: "Colonel Sokov, I know that if a battle group is established, the pressure on you here will increase. But apart from that, you Is there any good way to reduce the pressure on the Barricade Factory and Dzerzhinsky Factory?”
"If you want to defend the Barricade Factory and the Dzerzhinsky Factory, you cannot engage in passive defense." Although Sokov knew that in his own capacity, he had no right to dictate the defense of the two factories, but since it was Chuikov who asked , he could only say carefully: "An appropriate counterattack must be carried out to disrupt the German offensive steps."
"We have always used this style of play." Chuikov was obviously not satisfied with Sokov's answer: "The question is, why did your counterattack succeed, but the friendly counterattack failed?" He was deeply afraid that Sokov was hiding something. , and also specifically emphasized, "In order to defeat the German attack on the city, if you have any good ideas, you can't hide them."
"I think that for a counterattack to be successful, it must be sudden and concealed." After Sokov expressed his thoughts, he was afraid that Chuikov and the others would not understand, so he specifically explained: "We do not have the number of tanks and artillery. There are many enemies and lack of air cover. If we prepare artillery fire before the counterattack begins, it is equivalent to telling the enemy that we are about to launch an attack in this area. You should hurry up and prepare..."
Sokov's words immediately caused laughter in the room. After everyone laughed, Chuikov nodded and said: "Yes, Colonel Sokov, what you said makes sense. We are at a disadvantage in terms of the number of artillery and tanks and do not have air cover. We are preparing to launch a counterattack." The short-term artillery preparation at this location is indeed a notification to the enemy that we will launch a counterattack here, giving them enough time to take countermeasures."
After saying these words, Chuikov turned to look at Gurov sitting next to him, and said with a smile: "Comrade Military Commissar, look, the enemy's psychology has been figured out by Colonel Sokov. No wonder his troops Always win the battle.”
"Yes, Comrade Commander, what you said makes sense. Colonel Sokov has understood the enemy's psychology, so he can be more targeted when formulating combat plans." After listening to Chuikov's words, Gurov Afterwards, looking at Sokov, he continued to explain his point of view: "Because of this, I think it is very necessary to establish a battle group. If Colonel Sokov can command more troops, he can achieve greater results, thus It will greatly weaken the enemy's strength and reduce the pressure on the troops in the north of the city. It will lay a good foundation for the final victory in the defense of Stalingrad."
The smile on Sokov's face gradually disappeared. He did not expect that after spending a long time with his words, he finally managed to persuade Chuikov to change his mind. In the end, Gurov was still stubborn and insisted on raising the issue of establishing a battle group again. He quickly turned his attention to Chuikov for help, hoping that the other party would stand up and say a few words for him.
Chuikov saw the look Sokov cast, but he did not rush to express his position. Instead, he frowned and thought for a while, and then turned to Gurov and said: "Comrade Military Commissar, I think the establishment of a combat group is not a good idea." It needs to be considered in the long term. Even if a consensus is reached within the group army, and Colonel Sokov agrees to serve as the commander of the combat group, it is still unknown whether the superiors can approve this plan and whether they can send us more troops."
"Comrade Commander, I reserve my opinion." Gurov said stubbornly: "I propose that after returning to the headquarters, we should immediately hold a meeting of the members of the Military Committee to discuss the plan to establish a battle group. "
Chuikov knew that Gurov's starting point was good. If he refuted him in public, he would be unable to get off the stage, so he nodded and said: "Okay, Comrade Military Commissar, should we set up the establishment in the south of the city and the Mamayev Heights area?" Regarding the battle group, we will convene the members of the military committee to discuss it after we return to the headquarters.”
"Colonel Sokov," Chuikov asked Sokov again: "What are your plans for the next battle?"
"I plan to rely on the existing fortifications on Mamayev Hill to consume the enemy's effective strength and wait for the arrival of the major counterattack."
After listening to Sokov's words, Chuikov grinned and asked: "When do you think we can launch a counterattack?"
Sokov clearly remembered the specific time of the Soviet counterattack, but he was not stupid enough to report it to Chuikov. Otherwise, Chuikov would find out that the time Sokov mentioned coincided with the real counterattack time, and he would not be able to justify it. Therefore, he pretended to think for a long time before saying slowly: "Comrade Commander, the major counterattack under Moscow last year was on December 6. I think our major counterattack may be launched before December."
"Launch a counterattack before December?!" Chuikov repeated the time, with a bitter expression on his face: "In other words, we must survive the enemy's strong attack for two more months. I think, the next Times are going to be extremely difficult.”
