The reason why Sokov sat here chatting and did not rush to take Paulus away was because he had many considerations. One is to wait for Rokossovsky’s order to determine the location for Paulus to be settled and ensure his safety;
Second, if Paulus is escorted out at this moment, he will be crowded with ordinary German prisoners, which is also very detrimental to protecting his safety.
It was precisely because of this consideration that Sokov patiently sat with Paulus in the smelly basement and chatted with him.
In this way, after waiting for almost forty minutes, Ivanov came in from the outside with his men and reported to Sokov: "Comrade division commander, all the prisoners in the department store have been taken away. The enemies in the remaining areas have been escorted away. are surrendering to our troops.”
"Comrade Deputy Division Commander," Sokov asked rhetorically: "Do the rest of the areas you mentioned refer to the areas controlled by my combat group?"
"No." Ivanov shook his head and replied: "According to the information I received, the troops of the 64th Group Army are accepting the surrender of the German army to the south of us; and to the west, there are also troops from the 65th and 57th Group Army. The troops are receiving prisoners."
Sokov knew very well that the areas Ivanov was talking about were all south of Mamayev Heights, but he did not mention a word about the factory area to the north, and then asked: "What about the factory area to the north?" What about the area? Have the enemies entrenched there surrendered?"
Ivanov shook his head and said: "I have no information over there for the time being."
Sokov stood up and asked the radio operator sitting in the corner: "Has the front headquarters received a call back?"
The operator raised his head and replied: "I asked just now, and the other party asked me to wait."
"Wait?" Ulbricht, who was working as a translator on the side, asked curiously: "Comrade Colonel, what does the front headquarters mean?"
Sokov speculated that the reason why Rokossovsky delayed giving him an order may be because he was waiting for a reply from Moscow. After all, this was the first time since the Soviet-German war broke out that such a high-level German commander was captured, so the higher-ups would naturally take him seriously. He was silent for a moment and replied: "Comrade Ulbricht, General Rokossovsky asked me to wait. Obviously he is still waiting for a reply from Moscow. After all, for such a high-level German general, we still The first time you take a prisoner, you must be very careful in how you handle it.”
"Comrade Colonel, you are right." Ulbricht nodded and replied: "From the outbreak of the war to now, it has been difficult to capture even a German general alive. This time, a German marshal and his men were captured alive. A group of military commanders and division commanders, this is definitely a great victory."
Paulus, who was sitting aside, felt a little irritated when he saw Sokov and Ulbricht talking in Russian that he did not understand. He coughed lightly, and then interrupted the conversation between the two Sokovs: "Colonel Sokov, I also want to ask a question."
"Marshal Paulus," Sokov said politely when he heard that Paulus wanted to ask him something, "If you have anything to say, just tell him."
"I have three requests." Paulus held out three fingers and said: "First, I am used to eating two breakfasts a day. I hope you can satisfy my eating habits when I was in the prisoner of war camp; second, I have to drink from the prisoner of war camp every day. Ukrainian wine; third, I can read a newspaper every day so that I can keep abreast of the situation outside."
After listening to Ulbricht's translation, Sokov smiled bitterly and said to Paulus: "Marshal Paulus, your three requests may seem simple, but they are indeed very difficult to implement. First of all, because in the war, , a large area of land was occupied by you, and we lost a lot of food production areas, so much so that we had to implement a rationing system across the country. Everyone eats a certain amount every day. To provide you with two breakfasts a day, even if I If you agree, the person responsible for watching over you will not agree either.
Secondly, the Ukrainian wine you want to drink may not be able to satisfy you. After all, the places where these wines are produced are still occupied by the German army. Until our military regains these lost territories, there will be no legal way to obtain the wine produced there. But I have a suggestion for you, consider Georgian wine, which tastes no worse than the wines produced in Ukraine. "
"Colonel Sokov, you are right." After listening to Ulbricht's translation, Paulus said to Sokov: "It is indeed too difficult for you to get Ukrainian wine. It seems that I really should change my taste and drink Georgian wine from now on.”
After Sokov laughed dryly twice, he continued: "Third point, you said you want to read a newspaper every day in order to keep abreast of the situation outside. But which newspaper do you want to read? "Izvestia", "Red Star" or "Red Star" "Pravda"? You know, these newspapers are only in Russian, so you wouldn't study Russian just to read the newspaper."
After hearing what Sokov said, Paulus laughed twice, and then said: "Colonel Sokov, you are right. I really can't read Russian newspapers, and it's impossible to learn Russian. What I mean is Yes, can you find me some German newspapers? After all, life in a prisoner of war camp will be very boring."
"Marshal Paulus, others may find life miserable in a prisoner of war camp, but that is not the case for you." Sokov comforted Paulus and said, "I think you are in a prisoner of war camp. You will get the treatment you deserve. Maybe you can often attend some important occasions and get some unexpected benefits."
Regarding Sokov's statement, Paulus was skeptical at first, but seeing the certainty in Sokov's words, he couldn't help but believe it. After all, the other party is very famous in his own army, and what he says is very credible.
At this moment, the radio operator sitting in the corner stood up and said to Sokov: "Comrade division commander, there is a call from the front army headquarters."
"What did the telegram say?" When Sokov heard that it was a call from the Front Army Headquarters, he quickly asked nervously: "Where should we place Paulus?"
"The telegram said," the operator said hesitantly, "that Paulus should be handed over to the 64th Army immediately, and Ruskin, the Army's Chief of Staff, will personally come to receive the prisoner."
Regarding Sokov's statement, Paulus was skeptical at first, but seeing the certainty in Sokov's words, he couldn't help but believe it. After all, the other party is very famous in his own army, and what he says is very credible.
At this moment, the radio operator sitting in the corner stood up and said to Sokov: "Comrade Division Commander, there is a call from the Front Army Headquarters."
"What did the telegram say?" When Sokov heard that it was a call from the Front Army Headquarters, he quickly asked nervously: "Where should we place Paulus?"
"The telegram said," the operator said hesitantly, "that Paulus should be handed over to the 64th Army immediately, and Ruskin, the Army's Chief of Staff, will personally come to receive the prisoner."
