Although the Germans controlled this area, they had no decent fortifications. After being attacked by rockets, they were instantly killed and injured. The remaining people either ran away or raised their hands to surrender.
After learning that more than twenty prisoners had been captured, Sokov couldn't help but feel a headache. His troops are now operating behind enemy lines. If they carry prisoners, it will definitely affect the marching speed of the troops. The division leaders had two different opinions on how to deal with these prisoners. One was to execute them on the spot to avoid future trouble; the other was to take them with them.
The two sides disagreed, and finally handed over the conflict to Sokov. Now that the Germans have surrendered, it would be too inhumane to shoot them; but letting them go is also impossible. How to deal with these prisoners has become a problem that troubles Sokov.
After some thought, Sokov said to everyone: "I think we will temporarily take these prisoners with us and wait until the situation becomes critical before dealing with them."
After Sokov spoke, the other leaders in the division no longer had any disputes and all expressed that they would obey Sokov's orders. Sidorin asked: "Comrade Commander, what should we do next?"
"Since we have put forward a posture of advancing towards Izyum, the enemy will misjudge that we are preparing to attack Izyum." Sokov said to Sidorin: "In this way, the German troops who are worried about the loss of Izyum will mobilize Send troops to strengthen the defense there."
"Comrade Division Commander, I have an idea." Sidorin waited for Sokov to finish and said to him: "To the northeast of Izyum, there are troops of the defeated Southwest Front Army stationed. Should we send troops to join them? Get in touch. As long as they feint in that direction, it will make the enemy more aware that our attack target is Ijumu."
"Chief of Staff, what you said makes sense. However, we cannot command the friendly forces." After thinking for a while, Sokov continued: "I will immediately send a report to Commander Rokossovsky to tell us The plan told him to contact friendly forces and make some noise east of Ijumu to confuse the enemy."
Sokov's telegram was quickly placed in front of Rokossovsky.
After reading the telegram, Rokossovsky asked Malinin who was standing next to him: "Comrade Malinin, can you tell me whether Misha's plan is feasible?"
"Comrade Commander," Malinin replied: "The question now is not whether Major General Sokov's plan is feasible. It is whether the remnants of the Southwest Front are willing to cooperate with our actions."
"Go on."
"Since the troops of the Southwest Front were defeated by the German army, the remaining commanders and fighters have been in a state of panic." Malinen analyzed to Rokossovsky: "They have been frightened by the Germans. If the enemy does not attack, they will Their hearts are filled with joy; but if they are asked to attack, even in name only, they will become timid."
"So, for a long time, the Southwest Front Army cannot be counted on at all?"
"I think so, at least they will ignore our suggestions."
"It seems that we can only ask Antonov for help in this matter." Rokossovsky said, picking up the high-frequency phone on the table and connecting to the General Staff Headquarters in Moscow.
Hearing Antonov's voice coming from the receiver, Rokossovsky quickly said: "Hello, General Antonov, I am Rokossovsky."
"Hello, General Rokossovsky." Antonov didn't know the purpose of Rokossovsky calling him at this moment, so he asked tentatively: "What important thing do you have?"
"It's like this. Major General Sokov has led a division of troops deep into the enemy's rear. He plans to launch a feint attack on Izyum to attract the enemy's attention and force the enemy to move the main force back from the direction of Kharkov." Rokossovsky told Antonov on the phone: "According to the intelligence we have, the Southwest Front has assembled a large number of troops northeast of Izyum. If they make feints, they can cause the enemy to Misjudgment, thinking that our army is preparing to recapture the recently lost Izyum. In this way, the enemy's main force will continue to be transferred from the direction of Kharkov, thus giving the friendly forces holding on to that area more time. Rest and replenish.”
"General Rokossovsky, I'm afraid I need to ask Comrade Stalin for instructions immediately on this matter. Only after obtaining his permission can I issue orders to the troops of the Southwest Front. Two hours ago, General Vatutin was unlucky because of the unfavorable situation in the battle. Because of this, he was dismissed from his post.”
Rokossovsky couldn't help being surprised when he learned that Vatutin had been dismissed from his post, and then asked: "Then may I ask who the headquarters is planning to order to take over his post?"
"General Malinovsky." Antonov said: "He will officially take over the post of General Vatutin in a week."
"Hell, General Antonov, I don't have a week." Rokossovsky was a little anxious when he learned that he still had to wait a week: "Now Sokov's troops are surrounded by the German army. , if the friendly forces cannot provide timely cooperation, I am afraid they may be eliminated. I beg you..."
"What are you pleading for, Konstantin Konstantinovich?" Unexpectedly, at this time, Stalin's voice came unexpectedly from the receiver.
He heard that the person talking to him turned into Stalin. Rokossovsky quickly stood up from his seat, straightened his body and said: "Hello, Comrade Stalin."
"Tell me, what happened?"
"That's it, Comrade Stalin." Rokossovsky quickly reported to Stalin: "Major General Sokov led the 41st Guards Division, pretending to be the enemy and went deep into the enemy's rear and launched an attack on the enemy. According to his original plan , preparing to retake Izyum so that the Voronezh Front could gain a foothold there.
But their whereabouts have now been discovered by the enemy, so the plan to capture Ijumu has to be adjusted. In order to more effectively consume the effective strength of the German army, Sokov proposed that the remnants of the Southwest Front located northeast of Izyum should make some appropriate noises to attract the enemy's attention and make the enemy mistakenly think that we are the target of the attack. It’s Ijumu. "
"Comrade Rokossovsky," Stalin said seriously after waiting for Rokossovsky to finish, "I remember that not long after the war broke out, all fronts of our army were retreating step by step under the attack of the German army. At this time, Petrovsky, commander of the 63rd Infantry Corps, commanded the troops to launch a counterattack against the enemy, liberating the two cities of Rogachev and Zhlobin one after another, and wedged themselves into the enemy's front line for 30 kilometers. In order to commend his bravery and great achievements, I ordered him to be promoted to lieutenant general."
When Rokossovsky heard Stalin mention Petrovsky, he immediately understood the other party's intention and said quickly: "Comrade Stalin, the situation now is very different from that then."
"What's the difference?" Stalin asked, "What's the difference?"
"At that time, the enemy was advancing deep into our country, and their forces were very dispersed. This time, as long as a combat-effective force is concentrated and an effective counterattack is carried out against them, huge results can be achieved. But now, Sokov The division is surrounded by three of the most elite German SS divisions. In the direction of Izyum, there are also two German infantry divisions, as well as an armored corps that can arrive within a day. If Sokov's troops are ordered to attack directly Ijumu, I’m afraid they will be wiped out.”
Rokossovsky's words plunged Stalin into silence. After a long time, he finally said: "Comrade Rokossovsky, what is Sokov's intention in this area?"
"According to his report," Rokossovsky reported: "He intends to annihilate as many effective German forces as possible during the movement in order to reduce the pressure on our troops."
"Annihilate the enemy on the move," Stalin mentioned this statement and said dubiously: "Is Sokov really capable of doing this? Don't forget that the enemy was not wiped out much by then, but his troops were annihilated by the Germans. "
"Comrade Stalin, Sokov is very good at fighting." Rokossovsky saw that Stalin did not trust Sokov, so he explained to him: "Since he proposed the tactics of annihilating the enemy in the movement, then I I believe he will not let me down."
"You should have already known from Antonov that I have dismissed Vatutin from his post and appointed General Malinovsky to replace him." Stalin said on the phone: "But he will be there as soon as possible. It will take a week to get familiar with your troops. I think by then you can ask him to assist you in the battle."
"Comrade Stalin, we simply can't wait a week." Rokossovsky became a little anxious: "Sokov's troops are fighting a desperate battle with the Germans. If the troops of the Southwest Front do not fight in the direction of Izyum If you make some feints, I'm afraid you won't be able to attract the enemy's attention."
"Can't they wait even a week?"
"Can't wait, Comrade Stalin." Rokossovsky said with emphasis: "Every minute on the battlefield is precious, and our troops simply don't have time to wait another week."
"Okay then." Stalin said into the microphone: "I will discuss this matter with Comrade Zhukov immediately and let him temporarily go to the Southwest Front Army to take over the command. I believe that with his friendship with Xiao Misha, he will do his best to help. "
After receiving a positive reply, Rokossovsky asked Malinin to send a telegram to Sokov, saying that the base camp was prepared to immediately send Zhukov to act as the commander of the front army. If Sokov's division prepared to attack Izyum , the troops of the Southwest Front will fully cooperate. Even if they are unable to attack for the time being, they will make some noise to attract the attention of the Germans so that they will not be besieged by more German troops.
After reading Rokossovsky's telegram, Sokov seemed to have received a reassurance. He was worried that if his troops got too close to Ijumu, not only would the enemy's resistance become stronger and stronger, but at the same time, he might also receive an order from his superiors to let him capture Ijumu at all costs. If that were the case, he would have to be prepared in advance to sacrifice everyone.
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov handed the telegram to Sidorin and said to him: "Order the 122nd Regiment to continue advancing westward, while the 124th Regiment remains in ambush, preparing to attack the enemy who comes after hearing the news. "
"What, let the 124th Regiment stay in ambush?" Hearing Sokov's order, Sidorin asked in surprise: "Comrade Division Commander, do you really think that the enemy's large troops will arrive here? "
"We first destroyed a German regiment headquarters, and now we have captured their defense area." Sokov said with a smile: "In order to find out who attacked them, the German commander will definitely send troops to check. .When the time comes, we will take advantage of their inattention and attack decisively to destroy or severely damage this enemy group."
"Well, that makes sense." After Sidorin thought about Sokov's words, he felt that setting up an ambush near the area he had just captured would indeed surprise the enemy and catch them off guard. He nodded vigorously and said: "Comrade division commander, your method is really good. As long as the enemy's troops do not exceed a thousand people, once they enter our ambush circle, there will be no hope of survival."
"By the way, Chief of Staff, I want to emphasize discipline."
Seeing Sokov saying this expressionlessly, Sidorin couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat, and quickly asked: "Comrade division commander, could you please explain what discipline is?"
"From now on, every battle we fight will take no prisoners. Do you understand?"
Sidorin naturally understood that the reason why Sokov issued this order was because if the troops operating behind enemy lines carried a large number of prisoners, their movements would become slow and they would be in danger of being exposed at any time. He quickly replied: " Understood, comrade division commander, I will convey your order to each regiment, so that everyone will take no prisoners during the battle."
Sokov nodded and continued: "The ammunition we carry is limited and cannot be replenished. It is destined that we will not be active behind enemy lines for too long. Therefore, we must use quick tactics to attack a certain place. After the German troops are captured, we immediately move to attack new targets. We must constantly consume the effective strength of the German troops in mobile warfare. In this way, by the time we withdraw to the Red Army Village, the enemy will not have enough strength to attack the city."
Hearing Sokov mention the Red Army Village, Sidorin couldn't help but look to the east. He murmured: "I hope the troops holding on to the city can use the time we bought them by harassing them to strengthen the city's defenses. . Otherwise, when the enraged enemies launch a crazy attack on the city, we will not be able to stop them without a complete defense system."
