Sokov's choice not only surprised Rokossovsky, but even Stalin.
He thought he heard wrongly, so he said into the microphone: "Konstantin Konstantinovich, tell me again, which army does little Misha want to join?"
"It's the Steppe Front of General Konev."
"Isn't it wrong?"
"I have verified it repeatedly and there is absolutely no mistake."
"I see."
After Stalin put down the phone, he paced back and forth in the room clutching his pipe. The reason why he plans to transfer Sokov from the current front is because there will be no more fighting in the Red Army Village-Donetsk area in a short period of time. The troops of the Leningrad Front were fighting against the enemies besieging Leningrad; and the troops of the Western Front were also exchanging fire with the troops of the German Army Group Center from time to time.
According to his idea, when Sokov learned that he would be transferred from the current area, he would choose one of the two fronts mentioned above as his new destination. But what is unexpected is that he did not choose either of these two fronts, but chose the grassland front which was only a reserve force.
Thinking of this, he walked to the table, picked up the phone, and asked someone to call Konev's headquarters. When he heard Konev's voice coming from the receiver, he said: "Is it Konev? I'm Stalin!"
Konev did not expect that Stalin would call him at this time, and quickly straightened his body and said: "Hello, Comrade Stalin."
"Konev, I want to ask, are you familiar with Sokov?"
"Sokov?" Konev repeated the last name and then asked: "Comrade Stalin, you mean Major General Sokov, the commander of the Sixth Army, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Stalin asked calmly, "Are you familiar with him?"
"Comrade Stalin," although he didn't know why Stalin asked this, Konev replied truthfully: "I have read about him in the newspaper, but I have never met him in person. It can be said that he is a complete stranger." .”
"Today I asked Rokossovsky to inform Sokov that he was ready to transfer him from the Sixth Army and let him freely choose where he wanted to go?" Stalin asked: "Guess, what did he choose? place?"
When Konev heard what Stalin said, he couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart and thought to himself: Sokov wouldn't ask to come to my troops, would he? But this is just a reserve team, and I'm afraid he won't have any chance to make contributions after he comes. Although he knew the answer in his mind, Konev still pretended to be confused and asked: "Where?"
"He told Comrade Rokossovsky that he wanted to join your army." Stalin said with some confusion: "I find it strange. According to his character, he would definitely go to the Leningrad Front or the Western Front, but he didn't It occurred to me that his last choice was to go to your army. I was just confused about this matter, so I called you to ask you what was going on. "
"Comrade Stalin," Konev said quickly when Stalin seemed to have doubts about him, "I have never had any interaction with Major General Sokov, and whether he knows me is still a question. So, I don't know at all. Know why he chose my unit."
Stalin did not have any doubts about Konev's statement. After he said a few words casually, he hung up the phone directly.
Konev held the phone with a blind tone in his hand and began to wonder in his mind: There were many troops in his front army, but these troops were all transferred from other front armies. The troops were under-replenished in terms of personnel and technical equipment, had no reserves of material equipment, and were very tired. It must be supplemented and strengthened within an extremely tight deadline and equipped with everything necessary for combat operations in order to establish a combat organization with combat effectiveness. What did Major General Sokov look at that made him take the initiative to apply for his own army?
Before he could think of a reason, Military Commissioner Lieutenant General Mehlis walked in. He looked at Konev holding the phone in a daze, and greeted him with a smile: "Comrade Commander, what are you thinking about? I saw that you didn't put down the phone for a long time. Who called you." "
"It's Comrade Stalin."
"What, Comrade Stalin?" Mehlis, who had just sat down, heard that Konev had just finished talking to Stalin. He immediately jumped up from his seat and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I don't know the Supreme Commander?" What did I say to you on the phone?"
Although Mehlis and Konev are partners, Konev does not like this snitch at all. Especially in 1942, he was sent to the Crimean front line as a representative of the headquarters of the Supreme Command. He had conflicts with the commander of the front army Dmitry Kozlov, and used his power to replace a group of cadres, which led to the collapse of Crimea. The Soviet army lost half a million men in one week.
But since the other party had asked about it, he had to say: "Comrade Stalin told me that the commander of the Sixth Army, Major General Sokov, took the initiative to ask to come to our front."
"Major General Sokov, commander of the Sixth Army?" Mehlis asked with some surprise: "Isn't he confronting the enemy on the Red Army Village-Donetsk line? How could he take the initiative to ask to come to our front army? You know, we are just a reserve front army, whether we can participate in the battle is a question, let alone make achievements."
"I don't know the specific reason." Konev looked at Mekhlis and said: "Since he is the commander of the Sixth Army, and he has achieved meritorious service not long ago. When such a commander arrives in our army, How should we place him? It is a bit inappropriate to make him a division commander or even a corps commander. Let him be the commander of the group army. There are candidates for the commanders of the four group armies. We cannot dismiss anyone and let him take over. Bar?"
"Comrade Commander," although Mehlis likes to tell stories and flatter others, he still has his own opinions on personnel appointments: "I think it is best for the Supreme Command to arrange whatever position he holds. If it’s suitable, we don’t have to worry about it.”
Sokov's choice not only surprised Rokossovsky, but even Stalin.
He thought he heard wrongly, so he said into the microphone: "Konstantin Konstantinovich, tell me again, which army does little Misha want to join?"
"It's the Steppe Front of General Konev."
"Isn't it wrong?"
"I have verified it repeatedly and there is absolutely no mistake."
"I see."
After Stalin put down the phone, he paced back and forth in the room clutching his pipe. The reason why he plans to transfer Sokov from the current front is because there will be no more fighting in the Red Army Village-Donetsk area in a short period of time. The troops of the Leningrad Front were fighting against the enemies besieging Leningrad; and the troops of the Western Front were also exchanging fire with the troops of the German Army Group Center from time to time.
According to his idea, when Sokov learned that he would be transferred from the current area, he would choose one of the two fronts mentioned above as his new destination. But what is unexpected is that he did not choose either of these two fronts, but chose the grassland front which was only a reserve force.
Thinking of this, he walked to the table, picked up the phone, and asked someone to call Konev's headquarters. When he heard Konev's voice coming from the receiver, he said: "Is it Konev? I'm Stalin!"
Konev did not expect that Stalin would call him at this time, and quickly straightened his body and said: "Hello, Comrade Stalin."
"Konev, I want to ask, are you familiar with Sokov?"
"Sokov?" Konev repeated the last name and then asked: "Comrade Stalin, you mean Major General Sokov, the commander of the Sixth Army, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Stalin asked calmly, "Are you familiar with him?"
"Comrade Stalin," although he didn't know why Stalin asked this, Konev replied truthfully: "I have read about him in the newspaper, but I have never met him in person. It can be said that he is a complete stranger." .”
"Today I asked Rokossovsky to inform Sokov that he was ready to transfer him from the Sixth Army and let him freely choose where he wanted to go?" Stalin asked: "Guess, what did he choose? place?"
When Konev heard what Stalin said, he couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart and thought to himself: Sokov wouldn't ask to come to my troops, would he? But this is just a reserve team, and I'm afraid he won't have any chance to make contributions after he comes. Although he knew the answer in his mind, Konev still pretended to be confused and asked: "Where?"
"He told Comrade Rokossovsky that he wanted to join your army." Stalin said with some confusion: "I find it strange. According to his character, he would definitely go to the Leningrad Front or the Western Front, but he didn't It occurred to me that his last choice was to go to your army. I was just confused about this matter, so I called you to ask you what was going on. "
"Comrade Stalin," Konev said quickly when Stalin seemed to have doubts about him, "I have never had any interaction with Major General Sokov, and whether he knows me is still a question. So, I don't know at all. Know why he chose my unit."
Stalin did not have any doubts about Konev's statement. After he said a few words casually, he hung up the phone directly.
Konev held the phone with a blind tone in his hand and began to wonder in his mind: There were many troops in his front army, but these troops were all transferred from other front armies. The troops were under-replenished in terms of personnel and technical equipment, had no reserves of material equipment, and were very tired. It must be supplemented and strengthened within an extremely tight deadline and equipped with everything necessary for combat operations in order to establish a combat organization with combat effectiveness. What did Major General Sokov look at that made him take the initiative to apply for his own army?
Before he could think of a reason, Military Commissioner Lieutenant General Mehlis walked in. He looked at Konev holding the phone in a daze, and greeted him with a smile: "Comrade Commander, what are you thinking about? I saw that you didn't put down the phone for a long time. Who called you." "
"It's Comrade Stalin."
"What, Comrade Stalin?" Mehlis, who had just sat down, heard that Konev had just finished talking to Stalin. He immediately jumped up from his seat and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I don't know the Supreme Commander?" What did I say to you on the phone?"
Although Mehlis and Konev are partners, Konev does not like this snitch at all. Especially in 1942, he was sent to the Crimean front line as a representative of the headquarters of the Supreme Command. He had conflicts with the commander of the front army Dmitry Kozlov, and used his power to replace a group of cadres, which led to the collapse of Crimea. The Soviet army lost half a million men in one week.
But since the other party had asked about it, he had to say: "Comrade Stalin told me that the commander of the Sixth Army, Major General Sokov, took the initiative to ask to come to our front."
"Major General Sokov, commander of the Sixth Army?" Mehlis asked with some surprise: "Isn't he confronting the enemy on the Red Army Village-Donetsk line? How could he take the initiative to ask to come to our front army? You know, we are just a reserve front army, whether we can participate in the battle is a question, let alone make achievements."
"I don't know the specific reason." Konev looked at Mekhlis and said: "Since he is the commander of the Sixth Army, and he has achieved meritorious service not long ago. When such a commander arrives in our army, How should we place him? It is a bit inappropriate to make him a division commander or even a corps commander. Let him be the commander of the group army. There are candidates for the commanders of the four group armies. We cannot dismiss anyone and let him take over. Bar?"
"Comrade Commander," although Mehlis likes to tell stories and flatter others, he still has his own opinions on personnel appointments: "I think it is best for the Supreme Command to arrange whatever position he holds. If it’s suitable, we don’t have to worry about it.”
"Major General Sokov, commander of the Sixth Army?" Mehlis asked with some surprise: "Isn't he confronting the enemy on the Red Army Village-Donetsk line? How could he take the initiative to ask to come to our front army? You know, we are just a reserve front army, whether we can participate in the battle is a question, let alone make achievements."
"I don't know the specific reason." Konev looked at Mekhlis and said: "Since he is the commander of the Sixth Army, and he has achieved meritorious service not long ago. When such a commander arrives in our army, How should we place him? It is a bit inappropriate to make him a division commander or even a corps commander. Let him be the commander of the group army. There are candidates for the commanders of the four group armies. We cannot dismiss anyone and let him take over. Bar?"
"Comrade Commander," although Mehlis loves to tell stories and flatter others, he still has his own opinions on personnel appointments: "I think it is best for him to have the Supreme Command to arrange whatever position he holds. If it’s suitable, we don’t have to worry about it.”
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