Major General Val looked at his watch, and then said to Sokov: "General Sokov, I will give orders to the troops when I get back. But because the troops are too scattered, it may take some time to regroup them. About an hour and a half After that, our troops can officially disarm you."
Regarding the time mentioned by Major General Val, Sokov did not think he could achieve it, so he said generously: "General Val, I will give you two and a half hours. After two and a half hours, we will start to take in the prisoners. Anyone who refuses will We will resolutely and decisively eliminate the officers and soldiers who lay down their weapons."
In order to grasp the further developments of the Imperial Division in a timely manner, Sokov specially sent two officers, carrying a walkie-talkie, to follow Major General Val back to his temporary command post in the forest.
As soon as Major General Val left, Lunev took the initiative to reach out to Sokov and said enthusiastically: "Comrade Commander, please accept my congratulations on the troops under your command for annihilating the German Imperial Division."
"Comrade Military Commissar, it is still too early to talk about annihilating the Imperial Division." After Sokov said to Lunev, he ordered Merkulov: "Comrade General, order your troops to fight well. Be prepared and ready to launch a final attack on the enemy trapped in the forest."
"Comrade Commander," upon hearing Sokov's order, Merkulov asked in surprise: "Didn't the commander of the Imperial Division already agree to lay down his weapons and surrender to our army? Why are we still preparing for battle? Woolen cloth?"
"General Merkulov," Sokov said seriously: "If Major General Val is commanding an ordinary imperial division, then there will not be much problem in fulfilling the terms of the negotiation just now. But what we have to face It is the most elite SS division of the German army, and it is still unknown whether they will obey Major General Waal's orders."
"The hierarchy in the German army is very strict, and subordinates will never disobey the orders of their superiors." Merkulov retorted: "Even if they are SS divisions, as long as Major General Waal gives orders, I think the German officers and soldiers should still obey them. of."
"General Merkulov, I want to remind you one thing." Sokov continued: "From the end of February to now, the Imperial Division has had three division commanders. And Major General Val has only been in office for half a month. , he has not yet formed absolute authority in the division, and since he took office, the Imperial Division has been losing battles. I think many officers and soldiers are unconvinced by him. If they want to make these unconvinced It is probably not an easy thing for officers and soldiers to follow his orders and lay down their weapons and surrender to our army."
After Sokov's explanation, Merkulov immediately realized that he had thought too optimistically about the matter. Even though Major General Val humbly accepted the terms of surrender after negotiation, if the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Division did not buy it, , then the agreement just reached is just a piece of paper. All that can be done now is to prepare the troops for battle according to Sokov's orders, and once it is confirmed that the enemy is unwilling to surrender, resolutely eliminate them.
While Merkulov was giving combat orders to the troops, Sokov made a phone call to the headquarters and asked Vitkov who answered the phone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, how is the situation at the 71st Guards Division? Have they wiped out the defeated Skeleton Division troops?"
"Not yet, Comrade Commander." Vitkov replied: "Although we captured Colonel Shimon, the commander of the Skeleton Division, the main force of the Skeleton Division quickly collapsed after the confrontation between our troops and fled to the nearby In the forest. You have to know that the forest covers an area of dozens of square kilometers. It is not easy to find thousands of German soldiers hiding in such a vast area."
"Inform Colonel Sivakov," Sokov said in a stern tone: "Intensify the search efforts, be sure to find the scattered officers and soldiers of the Skeleton Division, and eliminate as many of them as possible. If they really allow them to escape back to the German positions , as long as Manstein sends them a new division commander, it won't take long for this army to regain its strength. By then, they will pose a huge threat to our army."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." In fact, even if Sokov didn't say anything, Witkov realized the seriousness of the problem. On the surface, he defeated the main force of the Skeleton Division and captured the division commander Colonel Shimon alive. But now that most of the Skeleton Division's troops have successfully escaped, as long as Manstein sends them a new division commander, I believe it won't be long before they regain their combat effectiveness and become a force that gives the Soviet army a headache.
After Merkulov finished calling his troops, he happened to hear Sokov giving orders to Vitkov. After Sokov put down the phone, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, why haven't the main forces of the Skeleton Division been eliminated by our army?"
"When our army's left wing launched an attack on the Skeleton Division's defense area, the Skeleton Division happened to send an armored regiment here to reinforce the Imperial Division that was attacked by you. As a result, the division's defense was empty, leaving our assault troops in the first place. Time captured Colonel Shimon, the acting division commander of the division.
Their division commander was captured by us, but unfortunately the cunning enemy immediately dispersed and took advantage of the complex terrain in the forest to engage in guerrilla warfare with our troops. Although our army has a large number of troops and high morale, it is not easy to eliminate them in a short period of time. "
"So, it is necessary for us to completely annihilate the Imperial Division and bring this offensive battle to a successful conclusion." After Merkulov finished speaking, he tentatively asked Sokov: " Comrade Commander, am I right?"
"Yes, General Merkulov, you are absolutely right." Since it is difficult to realize the intention of annihilating two SS divisions at the same time, Sokov can only settle for the next best thing and destroy the Empire first. The division continued: "The current situation is exactly like this. Two German division commanders were captured, the Imperial Division was completely annihilated, and the Skeleton Division was severely damaged. In this way, the Intelligence Bureau will have a lot more confidence when publicizing the results of the war."
"Comrade Commander," Merkulov waited for Sokov to finish and then reported to him: "I have ordered the troops to prepare for the attack. The troops of the 41st Guards Division are also considering heading towards us. In two hours, they will be able to reach the attack position. Even if the Germans do not surrender, the strength of our two divisions will be enough to destroy them."
Major General Val looked at his watch, and then said to Sokov: "General Sokov, I will give orders to the troops when I get back. But because the troops are too scattered, it may take some time to regroup them. About an hour and a half After that, our troops can officially disarm you."
Regarding the time mentioned by Major General Val, Sokov did not think he could achieve it, so he said generously: "General Val, I will give you two and a half hours. After two and a half hours, we will start to take in the prisoners. Anyone who refuses will We will resolutely and decisively eliminate the officers and soldiers who lay down their weapons."
In order to grasp the further developments of the Imperial Division in a timely manner, Sokov specially sent two officers, carrying a walkie-talkie, to follow Major General Val back to his temporary command post in the forest.
As soon as Major General Val left, Lunev took the initiative to reach out to Sokov and said enthusiastically: "Comrade Commander, please accept my congratulations on the troops under your command for annihilating the German Imperial Division."
"Comrade Military Commissar, it is still too early to talk about annihilating the Imperial Division." After Sokov said to Lunev, he ordered Merkulov: "Comrade General, order your troops to fight well. Be prepared and ready to launch a final attack on the enemy trapped in the forest."
"Comrade Commander," upon hearing Sokov's order, Merkulov asked in surprise: "Didn't the commander of the Imperial Division already agree to lay down his weapons and surrender to our army? Why are we still preparing for battle? Woolen cloth?"
"General Merkulov," Sokov said seriously: "If Major General Val is commanding an ordinary imperial division, then there will not be much problem in fulfilling the terms of the negotiation just now. But what we have to face It is the most elite SS division of the German army, and it is still unknown whether they will obey Major General Waal's orders."
"The hierarchy in the German army is very strict, and subordinates will never disobey the orders of their superiors." Merkulov retorted: "Even if they are SS divisions, as long as Major General Waal gives orders, I think the German officers and soldiers should still obey them. of."
"General Merkulov, I want to remind you one thing." Sokov continued: "From the end of February to now, the Imperial Division has had three division commanders. And Major General Val has only been in office for half a month. , he has not yet formed absolute authority in the division, and since he took office, the Imperial Division has been losing battles. I think many officers and soldiers are unconvinced by him. If they want to make these unconvinced It is probably not an easy thing for officers and soldiers to follow his orders and lay down their weapons and surrender to our army."
After Sokov's explanation, Merkulov immediately realized that he had thought too optimistically about the matter. Even though Major General Val humbly accepted the terms of surrender after negotiation, if the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Division did not buy it, , then the agreement just reached is just a piece of paper. All that can be done now is to prepare the troops for battle according to Sokov's orders, and once it is confirmed that the enemy is unwilling to surrender, resolutely eliminate them.
While Merkulov was giving combat orders to the troops, Sokov made a phone call to the headquarters and asked Vitkov who answered the phone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, how is the situation at the 71st Guards Division? Have they wiped out the defeated Skeleton Division troops?"
"Not yet, Comrade Commander." Vitkov replied: "Although we captured Colonel Shimon, the commander of the Skeleton Division, the main force of the Skeleton Division quickly collapsed after the confrontation between our troops and fled to the nearby In the forest. You have to know that the forest covers an area of dozens of square kilometers. It is not easy to find thousands of German soldiers hiding in such a vast area."
"Inform Colonel Sivakov," Sokov said in a stern tone: "Intensify the search efforts, be sure to find the scattered officers and soldiers of the Skeleton Division, and eliminate as many of them as possible. If they really escape back to the German positions , as long as Manstein sends them a new division commander, it won't take long for this army to regain its strength. By then, they will pose a huge threat to our army."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." In fact, even if Sokov didn't say anything, Witkov realized the seriousness of the problem. On the surface, he defeated the main force of the Skeleton Division and captured the division commander Colonel Shimon alive. But now that most of the Skeleton Division's troops have successfully escaped, as long as Manstein sends them a new division commander, I believe it won't be long before they regain their combat effectiveness and become a force that gives the Soviet army a headache.
After Merkulov finished calling his troops, he happened to hear Sokov giving orders to Vitkov. After Sokov put down the phone, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, why haven't the main forces of the Skeleton Division been eliminated by our army?"
"When our army's left wing launched an attack on the Skeleton Division's defense area, the Skeleton Division happened to send an armored regiment here to reinforce the Imperial Division that was attacked by you. As a result, the division's defense was empty, leaving our assault troops in the first place. Time captured Colonel Shimon, the acting division commander of the division.
Their division commander was captured by us, but unfortunately the cunning enemy immediately dispersed and took advantage of the complex terrain in the forest to engage in guerrilla warfare with our troops. Although our army has a large number of troops and high morale, it is not easy to eliminate them in a short period of time. "
"So, it is necessary for us to completely annihilate the Imperial Division and bring this offensive battle to a successful conclusion." After Merkulov finished speaking, he tentatively asked Sokov: " Comrade Commander, am I right?"
"Yes, General Merkulov, you are absolutely right." Since it is difficult to realize the intention of annihilating two SS divisions at the same time, Sokov can only settle for the next best thing and destroy the Empire first. The division continued: "The current situation is exactly like this. Two German division commanders were captured, the Imperial Division was completely annihilated, and the Skeleton Division was severely damaged. In this way, the Intelligence Bureau will have a lot more confidence when publicizing the results of the war."
"Comrade Commander," Merkulov waited for Sokov to finish and then reported to him: "I have ordered the troops to prepare for the attack. The troops of the 41st Guards Division are also considering heading towards us. In two hours, they will be able to reach the attack position. Even if the Germans do not surrender, the strength of our two divisions will be enough to destroy them."
"Yes, General Merkulov, you are absolutely right." Since it is difficult to realize the intention of annihilating two SS divisions at the same time, Sokov can only settle for the next best thing and destroy the Empire first. The division continued: "The current situation is exactly like this. Two German division commanders were captured, the Imperial Division was completely annihilated, and the Skeleton Division was severely damaged. In this way, the Intelligence Bureau will be more confident when publicizing the results of the war."
"Comrade Commander," Merkulov waited for Sokov to finish and then reported to him: "I have ordered the troops to prepare for the attack. The troops of the 41st Guards Division are also considering heading towards us. In two hours, they will be able to reach the attack position. Even if the Germans do not surrender, the strength of our two divisions will be enough to destroy them."
