Sidorin, Ivanov and others standing nearby could hear the conversation between Sokov and Chuikov clearly. Regarding the bet the two made, they were not optimistic about Sokov and felt that he might lose.
After the room was quiet for a while, Sidorin spoke first. He shook his head and reminded Sokov: "Comrade division commander, although our superiors have added four battalions of troops to us, it is a pity that the commanders and soldiers are not ready for a counterattack. If we rush into the battle, it may be difficult to achieve the desired results."
"The chief of staff is right." Ivanov promptly expressed his support for Sidorin's statement: "The additional soldiers who were given to us were sent to participate in an ill-prepared attack before they had time to become familiar with the area. I’m afraid it won’t have a good effect.”
Seeing that Sidorin and Ivanov had the same views, and both believed that they would lose in this bet, they smiled and asked: "Chief of Staff, Deputy Division Commander, I heard the tone of your two voices, it seems that you think Am I destined to lose?"
"Isn't it?" Anisimov said, "Comrade division commander, to be honest, I don't think you can win this bet. After all, our army's counterattack this time will get the air force and a sufficient number of troops. Artillery support, as long as the Germans are not blind or deaf, they will definitely guess that this is a major counterattack that our army has been preparing for a long time. If I were Paulus, I would definitely dispatch troops from the city to reinforce the Don River without hesitation The defenders of the river basin will not be cut off from their retreat.”
"Commissar Anisimov, you are not Paulus, and Paulus is not you, so it is impossible for you to make the same decision." Although the other three division leaders did not think highly of him, Sokov was still confident Said: "I always believe that as long as the Stalingrad Front has not launched an attack, Paulus will not send any reinforcements to the defenders in the Don River Basin, and will still concentrate on the final attack on the factory area."
After Sokov finished speaking, he saw that Ivanov seemed to want to refute him, so he raised his hand to stop him, and then said: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you don't need to persuade me anymore. This time, will I lose or win the bet?" Let the facts speak for themselves. Anyway, the attack by friendly forces on the enemies in the Don River Basin will begin in a few hours."
Seeing Sokov being so stubborn, Ivanov sighed softly and said helplessly: "Comrade Commander, since you are so insistent on your opinion, you won't be able to listen to me no matter what I say. Then we Just wait until the friendly forces attack begins and see how the enemies in the city react."
…………
When the artillery units of the Southwest Front and the Don Front carried out powerful artillery attacks on the German, Italian, and Romanian troops entrenched in the Don River Basin, the news reached the German command headquarters in Glubinskaya.
Paulus stared at the telegram sent by the forward commander. After being stunned for a while, he sent a telegram to his Schmidt: "Chief of Staff, do you think the Russians suddenly launched a powerful attack on our defenders in the Don River Basin?" What is the purpose of the artillery attack?”
"The intention is obvious." Schmidt looked for some areas under artillery fire on the map and said confidently: "Maybe the progress we made in the city scared the Russian high command, so they Then we ordered the troops deployed to the north of our army to launch an assault on our flanks and rear. In this way, we tried to divert our attention and gain a precious breathing space for the defenders in the city."
Schmidt's analysis is not without purpose. As early as early September, early October, and even early November, the Soviet army had launched attacks on the flanks of the German army, trying to contain the German army's power in this way so that they could not concentrate all their forces to capture the city.
It was based on this consideration that after listening to Schmidt's words, Paulus nodded and said: "Chief of Staff, you are right. Even though the Russians have made so much noise, their purpose is nothing more than In order to relieve the pressure on the defenders in the city."
"Your Excellency, Commander!" Schmidt asked tentatively after Paulus finished speaking: "The defenders in the Don River Basin are almost Italian and Romanian troops. I am worried that with their combat effectiveness, it may be difficult to stop the Russians. attack. Do you think we should send troops to reinforce them?"
"Reinforce them?!" Paulus waved his hands and said, "No, Chief of Staff, we don't need to send troops to reinforce them."
"But if the Russian assault breaks through the friendly defense lines, our rear will be exposed to the Russians." Seeing that Paulus was unwilling to send troops for reinforcements, Schmidt carefully reminded him: "At that time, we will There is a danger of being attacked in the abdomen.”
"Order the troops attacking the factory area to increase the intensity of the attack and drive all the Russians into the Volga River within today." Paulus sneered and said: "Once we occupy the entire city, the Russians will be in the Don River Basin." The attack launched is meaningless. Without us sending troops to reinforce the defenders in the Don River Basin, the Russians will retreat obediently."
After listening to Paulus's words, Schmidt couldn't help but think deeply. In his heart, he felt that Paulus's words were quite reasonable. The main purpose of the Russians launching such a large-scale attack was not to relieve the siege of Stalingrad. If their troops occupy the entire city, the Russians' efforts will be in vain, and it will be meaningless for them to attack the defenders in the Don River Basin.
After thinking about this clearly, Schmidt nodded and said: "Understood, Your Excellency, Commander. I will immediately notify General Kurtzbach and let his troops attack the factory area with all their strength."
"Remember!" When he saw Schmidt picking up the phone and preparing to call General Kurtzbach, the commander of the 51st Army, Paulus specially warned him: "Let them capture the entire Stalingist army today." Le.”
"clear!"
…………
Chuikov always remembered his bet with Sokov. When the friendly forces launched a powerful artillery attack on the enemy positions in the Don River Basin, he couldn't help but make a call to Yeremenko on the other side and asked anxiously: " Comrade Commander, do you have any news about the Southwestern Front and the Don Front?"
"General Chuikov." Yeremenko replied with a serious expression: "So far, I can only tell you that the artillery of these two fronts are preparing artillery fire on the enemy's defensive positions. Even if they want to launch an attack, they need Wait until the artillery preparations are over."
"Comrade Commander," Chuikov had already guessed that Yereomenko would give him this answer, so he continued to ask: "I want to ask you, do you think friendly forces can break through the enemy's defenses?"
"This is the first time that our army has assembled so many troops to launch a powerful assault on the enemy." Hearing Chuikov's question, Yeremenko said with some uncertainty: "But what kind of results can this assault achieve?" , it depends on what happens after the friendly forces put their ground troops into battle."
Yeremenko considered that Chuikov's call to him would definitely not be about something for which he did not yet know the answer, so he asked tentatively: "General Chuikov, may you have other intentions for calling me? "
"That's it, Comrade Commander." Chuikov thought that he would ask Yereomenko for help later, so he did not hide it from him and told him about the bet between him and Sokov, and finally said: "...if To counterattack the enemy on the front, without the cooperation of tanks, it may be difficult to succeed. I would like to ask if you can send a tank battalion from the east coast to assist Colonel Sokov's troops in launching a counterattack."
"Nonsense, simply nonsense." Yeremenko said angrily after hearing Chuikov's explanation of his purpose: "Don't say that I can't provide you with tanks now. Even if I can, I don't agree with you rashly asking for tanks today." The enemy launched an attack. This can be said to be a suicidal behavior. Not only is it difficult to achieve victory, but it may also cause the loss of the only living force in the city."
Chuikov thought that as long as he mentioned that he was preparing to launch a counterattack today, Yeremenko would definitely be overjoyed. Unexpectedly, the other party's reaction was far beyond his expectation. He asked with some embarrassment: "Comrade Commander, I think that once the friendly ground attack starts, we can attract the attention of the German troops in the city. Then we will You can give them a good beating when they get into chaos.”
"No, General Chuikov, I don't agree with you sending Sokov's troops to take risks." After Yeremenko sent four infantry battalions to supplement the 41st Guards Division, he once considered sending Sokov's troops to take risks on the first day of the major counterattack. , and let Sokov's troops go into battle. But after he reported the plan, it was rejected by the Supreme Command. It is for this reason that he disagreed with Chuikov letting Sokov's troops take risks on the first day of the counterattack: "At least we must wait until our front army has also launched a counterattack and the battle situation has become generally clear before considering taking Sokov's troops. Kove's troops went into battle. Do you understand?"
After Chuikov put down the phone, he picked up the cigarette case on the table, shook out a cigarette from it, held it in his mouth without lighting it, and quietly recalled the conversation between himself and Yereomenko in his mind. Seeing Chuikov holding a cigarette in his mouth but not lighting it, Krylov quickly lit a match, moved closer to help him light the cigarette, and asked cautiously: "Comrade Commander, what did the front commander say? He Do you agree to let Sokov’s troops launch a counterattack today?”
Chuikov did not answer Krylov's question immediately, but took a puff of his cigarette and asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think Sokov's troops should be allowed to launch a counterattack against the German defensive positions today? "
"How do you say?" In response to Chuikov's question, Krylov replied solemnly: "Honestly speaking, I also hope to drive the Germans out of the city as soon as possible, so naturally I hope to counterattack as early as possible. The better. But I thought about it carefully. When we gave Sokov the counterattack plan, the enemy in front of Mamayev Hill was the Romanian army. With their combat effectiveness, they could not stop the counterattack of the 41st Guards Division. . But since the German army changed its defense, our counterattack plan has faced a very embarrassing situation..."
"You don't have to say any more." Before Krylov could finish speaking, Chuikov raised his hand to interrupt him: "There is indeed a big difference between whether the enemy to be attacked is the Germans or the Romanians. But after a long period of After the battle, the morale of the city's defenders was somewhat affected. Since Sokov's troops can launch a counterattack early, it can boost the morale of the troops and make everyone more confident in holding their positions."
After Krylov waited for Chuikov to finish speaking, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, do you really think that after our friendly forces launched an attack on the enemy in the Don River Basin, the German troops in the city will not launch another attack? ?”
"I think this should be a matter of common sense." Chuikov said with a frown: "As a senior commander, when he finds that he is attacked by superior enemy forces from behind, the first thing he has to do is to attack the enemy. Send reinforcements to the areas he attacked, rather than continuing to attack areas he has been unable to capture.”
However, Chuikov did not expect that within half an hour of his words, he would be slapped in the face. The commander of the 37th Guards Division, Ruo Ludev, called him and said anxiously: "Comrade Commander, due to the ice on the river, German engineers have laid roads on the ice for tanks to pass. Now there are almost ten roads. A tank entered the factory area, and a large number of German infantry also gathered. It seems that they are planning to launch a full-scale attack on our division's defense area."
"What about the direction controlled by the 45th Infantry Division?" After the road bridge connecting the factory and the outside world was blown up some time ago, the German tanks, assault guns and armored vehicles were unable to enter the factory area. The German army could not seize the defenders' positions with only infantry. The battle inside the Dzerzhinsky factory fell into a stalemate. But now that he heard that German tanks had entered the factory again, Chuikov's heart became heavy. He knew that the 37th Guards Division was severely attrited and could only hold on to a small area of the factory. Most of the areas were occupied by Sokolov. The colonel's 45th Infantry Division was in charge. "What's the situation like there?"
"A large number of German tanks and assault guns have also appeared in the area they are responsible for." Zoludev replied on the phone: "It seems that the Germans are planning to launch a fierce attack on the Dzerzhinsky factory today. Commander Comrade, I ask you to send troops to reinforce us."
"Send troops, where can I send troops?" Chuikov's mood became bad when he learned that the German army was about to launch an attack on the Dzerzhinsky factory. When he heard Zholudev's request to send reinforcements, he He said angrily: "Otherwise, I will go over and fight side by side with you in person."
"What about the direction controlled by the 45th Infantry Division?" After the road bridge connecting the factory and the outside world was blown up some time ago, the German tanks, assault guns and armored vehicles were unable to enter the factory area. The German army could not seize the defenders' positions with only infantry. The battle inside the Dzerzhinsky factory fell into a stalemate. But now that he heard that German tanks had entered the factory area again, Chuikov's heart became heavy. He knew that the 37th Guards Division was severely attrited and could only hold on to a small area of the factory. Most of the areas were occupied by Sokolov. The colonel's 45th Infantry Division was in charge. "What's the situation like there?"
"A large number of German tanks and assault guns have also appeared in the area they are responsible for." Zoludev replied on the phone: "It seems that the Germans are planning to launch a fierce attack on the Dzerzhinsky factory today. Commander Comrade, I ask you to send troops to reinforce us."
"Send troops, where can I send troops?" Chuikov's mood became bad when he learned that the German army was about to launch an attack on the Dzerzhinsky factory. When he heard Zholudev's request to send reinforcements, he He said angrily: "Otherwise, I will go over and fight side by side with you in person."
