The German attack was repulsed and calm returned to the front.
Sokov personally called Yershakov to confirm. After learning that all the enemies in front of them had retreated, he put down the phone in his hand.
"Comrade Commander," Vitkov said excitedly when he learned that the enemy's attack had been repelled: "I really didn't expect that those enemies who were once invincible were actually vulnerable to us. It's a pity that our tanks and artillery The number is a little small, otherwise we can launch a large-scale attack on the enemy.”
Compared with Vitkov's optimism, Sokov is obviously much calmer. "Comrade Chief of Staff, although the enemy's attack has been repelled by us, we should clearly realize that the enemy's strength is still far greater than ours." Strong. After the attack fails in this area, they may launch an attack in a new area."
After listening to what Sokov said, Vitkov also realized that he was too optimistic. If the enemy was really vulnerable, he would not beat the Southwest Front Army and the Voronezh Front Army to the ground. He asked cautiously: " Comrade Commander, where do you think the enemy might launch an attack?"
"From our north or south," Sokov replied, "therefore we must alert the defenders in both directions to be alert and ready to meet the enemy."
Vitkov recalled that Sokov had said two days ago that the German army might launch an attack to the south of the city to cut off the connection between the Red Army Village and Donetsk. Thinking of this, he quickly said: "I immediately called the two division commanders Sivakov and Gorishny and asked them to prepare for battle to prevent possible attacks by the enemy."
"Tell them," Seeing Witkov pick up the phone, Sokov warned him: "Send more scouts to conduct reconnaissance in the surrounding areas. If the German attack is to succeed, there must be a lot of troops dispatched. As long as our The scouts are not blind and can spot them in time."
"I understand, Comrade Commander." Vitkov nodded and said, "I will pass on your order immediately."
After receiving the order conveyed by Vitkov, not only the Sivakov and Gorishny divisions took active action and sent out more than a dozen reconnaissance groups, but also the Guards Division stationed in Donetsk. The 67th Division also sent a reconnaissance team nearby to conduct reconnaissance where the enemy might appear.
The reason why Major General Merkulov sent out the scouts was entirely because of his whim. He saw that other divisions were actively moving, but his division stayed in place motionless, which was not nice to say. What he never dreamed of was that it was precisely because of his perfunctory actions that he saved the entire combat group.
That night, the scouts sent to the southwest reported to Merkulov: "Comrade division commander, we discovered a large concentration of German troops thirty kilometers southwest of Donetsk. Not only did they have a large number of Tanks, armored vehicles, and a large number of artillery pieces.”
After hearing the news, Merkulov's first reaction was that the scouts had made a mistake and must have mistaken his troops for Germans. He even personally called the leader of the scouts: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, are you really?" Confirm, are you seeing a large German army?"
"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." The second lieutenant replied: "In order to prevent the situation of treating my own troops as enemies, I have verified it twice and there is absolutely nothing wrong."
Merkulov knew that the scout lieutenant was an experienced commander and would never lie to him about this kind of thing. He asked with some guilt: "According to your judgment, how many enemies are there?" troops?"
"I estimate that there is an infantry division, with a tank regiment and an artillery regiment." The scout second lieutenant said to Merkulov: "Whether it is military strength or technical equipment, they far exceed us."
"This information is very important," Merkulov said to his political commissar Sheiko after ending the call with the scout: "I need to report it to comrade commander immediately."
After the call was connected, Sokov recognized Merkulov's voice and asked curiously: "General Merkulov, what's the matter?"
"That's it, Comrade Commander." Merkulov said on the phone: "I heard that you ordered the 71st and 75th Guards Divisions to send scouts in all directions to look for traces of the enemy. So I Several reconnaissance teams were also dispatched to conduct reconnaissance where the enemy might appear."
Sokov knew very well in his heart that Merkulov could not be bored and called him to chat. Something great must have happened. He quickly asked: "General Merkulov, time is pressing. Just get to the point and don’t go round and round."
"That's it, Comrade Commander," Merkulov said into the microphone: "My scouts reported to me that they discovered a large gathering of German troops thirty kilometers southwest of the city. According to their observations , an infantry division reinforced by artillery and tanks.”
"What, a large number of German troops were discovered in your southwest direction?" Sokov asked in surprise: "Comrade General, is your news reliable?"
"Completely reliable, Comrade Commander." Merkulov replied: "The information was sent back by a highly trusted scout lieutenant under me. He joined the Bolsheviks long before the war and is absolutely trustworthy. .…”
"Comrade General, don't talk nonsense." Sokov was worried that Merkulov would talk nonsense again, so he interrupted him and asked directly: "Tell me, after learning that the enemy appeared, what measures did you all take? What measures were taken?”
"I have issued a combat alert to the troops and ordered everyone to prepare for combat."
Sokov was not satisfied with Merkulov's official statement. After the other party finished speaking, he then asked: "In the direction facing the enemy, have you reinforced fortifications and laid out minefields?"
"No, Comrade Commander." Upon hearing Sokov's question, Merkulov's face turned red. He replied with some embarrassment: "You know, our division was stationed in Donetsk. It didn’t take long, and many defense facilities had not yet been established.”
"General Merkulov, the Germans don't care whether you have time to build a complete defense." Sokov said impatiently: "Their goal is to eliminate you. If you don't want to be eliminated by them or become prisoners. , just seize the last moment to repair the fortifications and establish minefields where German tanks may pass by. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Merkulov quickly replied: "We will prepare for the battle as soon as possible."
After finishing his call with Merkulov, Sokov stared at the map for a while, then picked up the phone and dialed the headquarters of the 71st Guards Division: "Hello, is Colonel Sivakov here? I'm Sokov, speak to him."
Sivakov's voice soon came over the phone: "Hello, Comrade Commander!" He thought that Sokov was calling to inquire about the reconnaissance situation, so he quickly said, "The scouts we sent are still here. I haven’t received any information back, so I can’t provide you with information for the time being.”
"I'm not calling you to learn about the enemy's movements." Sokov said to Sivakov: "Just now General Merkulov reported to me that there is an enemy 30 kilometers southwest of Donetsk. A large number of German troops appeared in the area."
"What, the enemy appeared in the southwest of Donetsk?" Hearing the news, Sivakov couldn't help being shocked. He even asked for instructions: "Comrade Commander, I would like to ask, what is the mission of our division? "
"It is obviously very difficult to defend Donetsk with the strength of the 67th Guards Division alone." Sokov directly issued a combat order to Sivakov: "You immediately transfer the 219th Guards Regiment to The closest position to Donetsk. Once General Merkulov cannot resist the enemy's attack, this regiment will immediately go into battle to assist friendly forces in defending the city. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Sivakov replied resoundingly: "I immediately adjusted my deployment and moved the 219th Guards Regiment to the vicinity of Donetsk."
Seeing Sokov put down the phone, Vitkov said with emotion: "Comrade Commander, I thought we had four infantry divisions in the cluster, and thought we already had a lot of troops. But we didn't realize this until we actually needed to use troops. The troops are not enough for defense. What should we do next?"
Sokov stared at the map and considered for a long time. He felt that in order to get rid of the current predicament, he could only ask General Krylov for help and ask him to transfer troops from the 21st Army to strengthen the defense in the direction of Donetsk. Having made up his mind, he picked up the phone and was about to call Krylov, but soon put it down again. He knew that no matter how good his relationship with Krylov was, the other party would not call him until he received orders from his superiors. Will send out soldiers and soldiers at will.
Thinking of this, he used another high-frequency phone to contact Rokossovsky in the distance: "Commander of the Front Army, I think we may be in trouble."
"What's the trouble?" Rokossovsky's heart skipped a beat, thinking that something must not happen here in Sokov, otherwise the area that had finally been stabilized would change: "Is there anything I can do to help you? ?”
"Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front Army," Sokov felt funny after hearing Rokossovsky's answer, and quickly said: "According to what we have detected, there is an infantry division reinforced by tanks and artillery. The enemy appeared thirty kilometers southwest of Donetsk. According to my estimation, the enemy may want to completely cut off the retreat of my combat group through the attack on Donetsk."
"Why, with your current strength, can't you repel even one German division?" Rokossovsky asked puzzledly: "You know, your troops faced several German divisions before. You don’t have the slightest fear in attacking, why are you so panicked now?”
"Comrade Commander of the Front Army, I did not panic." Sokov explained to Rokossovsky: "I placed the main force in the Red Army Village, and there is only one 67th Guards Division in Donetsk Defense. You also know that this force has been severely weakened after the battle. It will be very difficult to defend the important Donetsk with a depleted force."
"Okay, stop complaining in front of me." Rokossovsky interrupted Sokov's words and asked straight to the point: "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"I would like to ask the 21st Group Army to deploy no less than one division to the south of Donetsk. In this way, when the enemy launches an attack on Donetsk, the troops of the 21st Group Army can respond promptly. We provide support.”
"You have a good idea," Rokossovsky said with a smile: "If you really ask the 21st Army to transfer an infantry division, it will be equivalent to one more unit under your command. In this way, I'm afraid many group army commanders can't compare with you. If other comrades raise their opinions, how should I deal with them?"
"Comrade Commander of the Front Army," Sokov continued: "The current top priority is to defend the Red Army Village-Donetsk line. The longer we fight here, the more friendly forces in the direction of Kharkov will You can get more time to replenish and consolidate your defense line. As long as the friendly forces can gain a foothold in the direction of Kharkov and crush the German attack, even if our entire group is wiped out, it will be worthwhile."
"Okay, don't act pitiful in front of me." Rokossovsky easily saw through Sokov's little trick and said simply: "I'll call General Krylov later. However, the troops deployed to the south of Donetsk in the future will not be one division, but two divisions. Only in this way can we have greater certainty to defend the city and prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy again."
"Great, this is really great." When he learned that Rokossovsky was willing to send two divisions to strengthen his defense, Sokov couldn't help but be overjoyed. He quickly said: "As long as the friendly troops can enter the defense on time position, then the Germans' attempt to retake Donetsk would be in vain."
After confirming that Rokossovsky would dispatch two divisions of reinforcements to him, Sokov felt happy. He called Merkulov again and said: "Comrade General, let me tell you good news. Tomorrow at the latest, two friendly divisions will arrive south of Donetsk one after another. If you need it, you can Ask them for help at any time.”
"Ah, there will be two friendly divisions to the south of the city?" This unexpected good news made Merkulov, who was originally gloomy, suddenly smile: "This is really great. In this way, I will We can concentrate more troops on the front line to fight the invading enemy to the death."
