The black smoke Sokov saw on the 1st Battalion's position was exactly the black smoke rising when the Germans burned supplies and military coats. The decision he made to switch from offense to defense could be considered a mistake. However, there were still many things to prepare for when the troops transitioned from a defensive state to an offensive state. After Sokov explained a few words to Starcha, he returned to the division headquarters with Samoilov and the guard platoon.
As soon as Sokov entered the headquarters, Sidorin put down the folder in his hand, walked quickly towards him, and said: "Comrade Division Commander, you are back!"
"How are you preparing?"
"The tanks of the tank brigade have been activated and will be ready for use on the battlefield after about twenty minutes of warm-up." Sidorin reported: "In addition, the three infantry regiments are ready to attack and will only wait for the tanks to pass through their defense areas. , you can launch an attack on the enemy."
Sokov looked around and saw that Ivanov and Anisimov were there, but did not see Golikov, so he asked curiously: "By the way, where are Comrade Deputy Commander of the Front Army going?" Is there a place?”
"Before you come back, Comrade Deputy Commander of the Front Army received a call from the Front Army Headquarters, saying that there was something important and asking him to rush back immediately." Sidorin finally emphasized: "In order to ensure his safety, I sent We were escorted by a platoon of guards.”
"Ah, Comrade Deputy Commander of the Front Army has left?" With a great man like Golikov by his side, not only can he keep abreast of the latest developments on the entire battlefield, but he can also get some conveniences in some aspects. Now he has Knowing that the other party left, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He asked absently: "Did he explain anything before he left?"
Sidorin heard the implication of Sokov's words and quickly said with a smile: "The superiors agreed to send two flying groups to provide air support for our offensive forces."
"Great, this is really great." Sokov was originally worried that if Golikov left like this, his superiors might not provide air support for his troops. Unexpectedly, before Golikov left, he also Really got this done. "With the support of the air force, we can increase the distance of our counterattack to ten to fifteen kilometers."
Sidorin, who was still smiling at first, stiffened when he heard what Sokov said. After a while, he tentatively asked: "Comrade Commander, why do you need to set a counterattack distance? If the enemy is really vulnerable, we can rush all the way to the Don River."
"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." Ivanov also echoed: "If the situation is really like what you said, and the Germans try to escape, our advance will make them more confused. We can advance in one go. Go to the Don River and join forces with friendly forces heading south or north."
"Let me ask you." Seeing that the two of them viewed the situation so optimistically, Sokov reminded them: "From yesterday to now, apart from the troops of our division, have other troops in the city begun to counterattack the enemy? ?”
"There should be." Sidorin said in an uncertain tone: "But their troops are weak, and even if they launch a counterattack, it will be on a small scale. I'm afraid they won't pose much of a threat to the enemy's defense line."
"That's right. The other troops in the city are weak, and even if they launch a counterattack, the effect will be very limited." Sokov pointed to the red and blue lines on the map and said to the two of them: "Look, where our division is located The position has become a protrusion. If we continue to advance, not only will our troops be scattered, but the supply line will also be stretched extremely long. The German army can easily cut off our counterattack troops from both wings. Once this happens, we will attack It won't be long before the troops run out of ammunition and fall into a desperate situation, and the fate that awaits our officers and men will be either death in battle or being captured."
At this point, Sokov paused intentionally and carefully observed the two people's reactions. Seeing that they were all frowning and thinking hard about what they said, he continued: "According to my estimation, the battle to defend Stalingrad will be over soon. If on the eve of victory, our team The troops who have established meritorious services are wiped out by the enemy, which will be a huge blow to the morale of our army."
Although Sokov has said many times before that if his troops go deep alone, they are likely to be surrounded by the German army, Sidorin, Ivanov and others did not seem to take it seriously. They felt that even if the troops were surrounded, as long as they waited for the troops from the north or south to arrive, they might be able to open a center and annihilate more enemies. At this moment, hearing Sokov's heartfelt words, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Seeing that the two men were silent, Sokov struck while the iron was hot and said: "Think about it, if we can fight steadily, occupy an open area, and wait here for friendly forces to come and join us, what kind of honor will we get? If the army is really surrounded by the enemy and suffers heavy losses, not only will we have no merit, but we may also be sent to a military court."
"Comrade division commander, you don't need to say any more." Ivanov raised his head, looked at Sokov and said: "I understand what you mean. In order to achieve the final victory, we need to control the rhythm of the attack to avoid becoming a victor. Became a loser. Comrade Chief of Staff, I agree with the division commander's plan, what do you think?" His next words were asked to Sidorin.
After thinking for a while, Sidorin looked at Sokov and asked: "Comrade Commander, where do you think our counterattack should be?"
"Our troops are about to launch an attack on the German third line of defense." Sokov pointed to the location of the German defense line: "After breaking through the enemy's line of defense, we will advance another five to eight kilometers appropriately. , and then ordered the troops to move to defense on the spot. Do you understand?"
"Understood." Sidorin nodded, and then asked: "Do I need to inform the leaders of each regiment about this?"
"Okay." After Sokov agreed with Sidorin's opinion, he thought for a moment and then added: "Chief of Staff, you must especially tell Lieutenant Colonel Papuchenko of the 122nd Regiment not to charge too hard. After completing the breakthrough, select a suitable location to build fortifications to prevent possible counterattacks by the Germans."
Regarding Sokov's order, Ivanov felt very puzzled: "Why do you need to remind the 122nd Regiment alone?"
"Colonel Bely and the tank battalion he commanded are now in the defense area of the 122nd Regiment." Sokov explained to Ivanov: "The equipment and tactics used by this tank battalion are different from other tanks. The battalion is different. If they are allowed to run rampant, there may be tanks that can really rush to the Don River in one go."
If Sokov had not said that just now, Sidorin and Ivanov might have been ecstatic when they heard that the troops could rush to the Don River, but at this moment they were worried that if they rushed in, they might end up dead. Plunge into the enemy's midst. Before the peripheral friendly forces arrive, the troops that rush forward will become lambs to be slaughtered. What awaits them will be the fate of the entire army being destroyed.
Half an hour later, the three infantry regiments deployed in the front, under the cover of the tank brigade, launched a charge towards the German defense line. The German officers and soldiers who were retreating hastily never imagined that the Soviet army would launch an unexpected attack at this moment. Some evacuating troops had to return to the trenches to block the attacking Soviet army.
Paulus, who was far away in the Gumlak area, was very surprised to learn that Sokov's troops had turned to the offensive again. According to his idea, the Russian army's tactics were rigid. Once they turned to defense, even if they saw The enemy retreats and will not attack easily without receiving orders from superiors. As for the retreat orders of the 71st and 76th Infantry Divisions, he had just issued them a few hours ago. Not to mention that the Russians didn't know about it, even several of his commanders didn't know about it. In such a short period of time, it was impossible for the higher-level command department of the Russian army to issue an order to switch to the offensive. Unexpectedly, Sokov's troops seized the opportunity in time and launched an attack on the retreating troops.
What was happening now was beyond Paulus's knowledge. After staring at the map on the wall for a while, he turned around and asked Schmidt: "Chief of Staff, what's going on? Why did the Russians react so quickly? Our troops just retreated, and Sokov's troops just Launched an attack? Are there Russian spies among us?"
"Your Excellency, Commander, I think it is impossible for us to have Russian spies within our ranks." After Schmidt denied the possibility of Russian spies in the headquarters with a positive tone, he analyzed to Schmidt: "According to the rest of the According to reports from the region, except for the offensive of the 41st Guards Division stationed at Mamayev Hill, the Russian troops in other areas only had small-scale battles with our army. According to my analysis, at Mamayev Hill The attack in the region must be Colonel Sokov’s personal act.”
After all, Paulus was a famous general in the German army. He had received a good military education and quickly calmed down his emotions. After listening to Schmidt's analysis, he nodded and said: "Chief of Staff, you are right. This Colonel Sokov has always been unreasonable and caused our troops to suffer a lot. Sometimes, I didn’t even feel like he was Russian, or even from this world, because I didn’t feel like he was anything like the Russians that I knew.”
"Your Excellency, Commander." After Schmidt waited for Paulus to finish speaking, he quickly asked for instructions: "What should we do, let the troops continue to retreat, or stop to block the attack?"
Paulus turned around and stared at the map for a while, and said to Schmidt: "Chief of Staff, you immediately send a telegram to General Roskai to ask his troops to stop the transfer and move into blocking on the spot. Under no circumstances can the Russians be allowed to The people rushed to the Don River to join forces with their troops heading south or north.
As for General Rodenburg's 76th Infantry Division, since they were not attacked by the Russians, they were allowed to continue moving to the Don River Basin as planned. "
When Paulus's order came out, Roskai was riding in his barrel car, escorted by an armored car and three trucks full of soldiers, heading towards the Don River.
Half an hour later, the three infantry regiments deployed in the front, under the cover of the tank brigade, launched a charge towards the German defense line. The German officers and soldiers who were retreating hastily never imagined that the Soviet army would launch an unexpected attack at this moment. Some evacuating troops had to return to the trenches to block the attacking Soviet army.
Paulus, who was far away in the Gumlak area, was very surprised to learn that Sokov's troops had turned to the offensive again. According to his idea, the Russian army's tactics were rigid. Once they turned to defense, even if they saw The enemy retreats and will not attack easily without receiving orders from superiors. As for the retreat orders of the 71st and 76th Infantry Divisions, he had just issued them a few hours ago. Not to mention that the Russians didn't know about it, even several of his commanders didn't know about it. In such a short period of time, it was impossible for the higher-level command department of the Russian army to issue an order to switch to the offensive. Unexpectedly, Sokov's troops seized the opportunity in time and launched an attack on the retreating troops.
What was happening now was beyond Paulus's knowledge. After staring at the map on the wall for a while, he turned around and asked Schmidt: "Chief of Staff, what's going on? Why did the Russians react so quickly? Our troops just retreated, and Sokov's troops just Launched an attack? Are there Russian spies among us?"
"Your Excellency, Commander, I think it is impossible for us to have Russian spies within our ranks." After Schmidt denied the possibility of Russian spies in the headquarters with a positive tone, he analyzed to Schmidt: "According to the rest of the According to reports from the region, except for the offensive of the 41st Guards Division stationed at Mamayev Heights, the Russian troops in other areas only had small-scale battles with our army. According to my analysis, at Mamayev Heights The attack in the region must be Colonel Sokov’s personal act.”
After all, Paulus was a famous general in the German army. He had received a good military education and quickly calmed down his emotions. After listening to Schmidt's analysis, he nodded and said: "Chief of Staff, you are right. This Colonel Sokov has always been unreasonable and caused our troops to suffer a lot. Sometimes, I didn’t even feel like he was Russian, or even from this world, because I didn’t feel like he was anything like the Russians that I knew.”
"Your Excellency, Commander." After Schmidt waited for Paulus to finish speaking, he quickly asked for instructions: "What should we do, let the troops continue to retreat, or stop to block the attack?"
Paulus turned around and stared at the map for a while, and said to Schmidt: "Chief of Staff, you immediately send a telegram to General Roskai to ask his troops to stop the transfer and move into blocking on the spot. Under no circumstances can the Russians be allowed to The people rushed to the Don River to join forces with their troops heading south or north.
As for General Rodenburg's 76th Infantry Division, since they were not attacked by the Russians, they were allowed to continue moving to the Don River Basin as planned. "
When Paulus's order came out, Roskai was riding in his barrel car, escorted by an armored car and three trucks full of soldiers, heading towards the Don River.
