After Lunev accepted the mission, he personally visited the division commanders and explained to them what role these rockets could play on the front line. After the other party agreed with his view, he proposed to collect the rockets distributed to each division and hand them over to Khokhlov's 182nd Division for use.
Faced with the order issued by Lunev, the commanders of each division did not dare to disobey, and quickly ordered the companies equipped with new rockets to hand over all the rockets.
After collecting all the new rockets, Lunev personally led more than 20 trucks, loaded with thousands of new rockets, towards the Shumakovo area just to be on the safe side.
After driving all night, the team arrived at Shumakovo at dawn.
Seeing Lunev getting out of the car, a commander in the car quickly asked: "Comrade Military Commissar, where should we unload these rockets?"
"Don't be anxious, Comrade Major." Lunev waved his hand to the other party and said, "I will go see the commander first and listen to what he has to say, and then I will arrange for you to unload the truck."
When Runev walked into the headquarters, he happened to see Sokov with his back to the door, leaning over the map on the table, while Khokhlov, Shepilov and others stood on both sides of him. Listen to him assign combat tasks.
Lunev walked to a place two or three steps behind Sokov and stopped. After coughing slightly, he said: "Comrade Commander, I'm here!"
Sokov heard Lunev's voice, stood up straight, turned around, and asked with some surprise: "Comrade Military Commissar, why are you here?"
"Didn't you call the Chief of Staff yesterday and order him to collect a sufficient number of rockets from the troops that have not yet set off?" Lunev replied with a smile: "I am worried that these rockets are not safe on the road. So I personally brought people to deliver them. Now the convoy is parked outside, I don’t know where to unload these rockets?”
"Colonel Khokhlov," learned that the convoy transporting rockets was parked outside the headquarters. Sokov quickly ordered Khokhlov: "Immediately arrange for manpower to unload the rockets from the vehicle and place them properly." The division chief of staff knew that this matter was of great importance and did not dare to neglect it. He personally ran out to arrange for manpower to unload the truck.
After the division chief of staff left, Lunev curiously asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, I heard that General Apanashenko has been here before?"
Sokov did not hide it, but nodded: "Yes, I was here yesterday."
"What is he here for?" Lunev asked cautiously: "Is he ordering you to command the troops to carry out a counterattack?"
Seeing that Lunev actually knew about this, Sokov couldn't help but be stunned, but then he thought that since Lunev was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he must have his own information channels. Knowing this, he nodded: "That's right. He I was ordered to put the 182nd Division into battle to counterattack the enemy who broke through in the direction of Oboyan, but I refused."
"Why do you refuse?"
"You rashly attack the enemy without knowing the strength and equipment of the enemy." Sokov said angrily: "Such an attack will have no results except casualties."
"Comrade Commander, when you were disobeying the order, didn't you think that you might be sent to a military court for this matter?"
"I never thought about it." Sokov shook his head, and then said decisively: "As long as my soldiers don't die in vain, even if I am sent to a military court, it won't be a big deal."
"I think you asked the chief of staff to send all the rockets to Shumakovo. The situation here must be very bad." Lunev asked tentatively: "Do you really think the enemy will rush to us? Here?"
When Sokov originally chose this defense area, he thought of the records in the history books: after the German army broke through the Soviet defense line and advanced 35 kilometers, it encountered the Soviet army's tenacious defense, making it impossible to move forward. In other words, even if the German army breaks through Oboyan's defense line, by the time they arrive here, they will be at the end of their game. Not to mention the elite troops under their own command, even ordinary troops can still stop them.
"Yes, based on the current situation between the enemy and ourselves, after breaking through Oboyan, the enemy will definitely continue to advance north in order to rush to Kursk as soon as possible and use it as a starting point to attack Moscow, and our fortified area , just blocking the path of the German army."
Said Sokov showed confidence, but Lunev was still uneasy: "Comrade Commander, how can we resist the German armored forces without the support of artillery, tanks and air force?"
"Comrade Military Commissar, you can rest assured about this." Seeing that Lunev was worried about the German armored forces, Sokov comforted him and said: "I guess you saw it when you came. The terrain here is complicated, and the roads on both sides are complicated. There are hills on both sides, and the enemy cannot deploy large-scale mechanized troops here. Our troops can rely on the terrain and use rocket launchers to attack enemy tanks on the hills on both sides. In this way, the German tanks are eliminated, and they The combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
"Comrade Commander," political commissar Colonel Shepilov said: "Judging from today's fighting situation, friendly forces have been conducting uninterrupted counterattacks. They are constantly driving away enemies who have broken through their defense lines and retaking their own positions. .”
After Sokov waited for Shepilov to finish speaking, he said calmly: "Comrade Colonel, you are right. The troops of the Voronezh Front are continuously launching uninterrupted counterattacks against the enemies who have broken through the defense line. But Their counterattack, apart from increasing the casualties of the troops, has no effect at all. Just watch, maybe they will appear near our position this evening, and then it will be a formal showdown between us and them .”
Lunev believed in Sokov's judgment very much. If he said that the enemy would come, then the enemy would definitely come. He stared at the map in front of him and asked without raising his head: "Comrade Commander, which regiment is holding the first line of defense?"
Colonel Khokhlov hurriedly replied: "Comrade Military Commissar, the troops currently holding the first line of defense are Lieutenant Colonel Goryachkin's 546th Regiment..."
"Oh, it's Lieutenant Colonel Goryachkin's 546th Regiment." Lunev nodded and said: "When your division was training, I went to inspect it twice and met this Goryachkin. Lieutenant Colonel Jin. In my impression, he is a commander with a very fighting spirit. I believe that under his command, all the commanders and fighters of the 546th Regiment will be able to block the German attack."
But Sokov was thinking about something else. After Lunev finished speaking, he asked Khokhlov: "Comrade Colonel, I wonder how many of the commanders I brought here are in this regiment?"
"Comrade Commander," Khokhlov smiled when he heard Sokov asked: "There is a battalion commander, three company commanders and several platoon commanders in the 546th Regiment. They are all you. The commanders you brought from the Sixth Army. The reason why the regiment has achieved remarkable results in training is inseparable from the commanders you brought."
Sokov was originally worried that the commanders and fighters of the 546th Regiment had not experienced actual combat. Even if they were well trained in peacetime, if they can achieve one-third of the training results on the battlefield, it would be considered very good. But when he heard that there were so many old troops in the regiment, he suddenly felt more at ease. Those were the backbone of the battle who had experienced hundreds of battles. With them in the army, he didn't have to worry at all.
"Comrade Colonel," Sokov said to Khokhlov: "According to my judgment, the German army may reach our first line of defense in the evening and contact Lieutenant Colonel Goryachkin immediately. Once the enemy is discovered, If there are any traces, report them to the headquarters immediately.”
After Lunev accepted the mission, he personally visited the division commanders and explained to them what role these rockets could play on the front line. After the other party agreed with his view, he proposed to collect the rockets distributed to each division and hand them over to Khokhlov's 182nd Division for use.
Faced with the order issued by Lunev, the commanders of each division did not dare to disobey, and quickly ordered the companies equipped with new rockets to hand over all the rockets.
After collecting all the new rockets, Lunev personally led more than 20 trucks, loaded with thousands of new rockets, towards the Shumakovo area just to be on the safe side.
After driving all night, the team arrived at Shumakovo at dawn.
Seeing Lunev getting out of the car, a commander in the car quickly asked: "Comrade Military Commissar, where should we unload these rockets?"
"Don't be anxious, Comrade Major." Lunev waved his hand to the other party and said, "I will go see the commander first and listen to what he has to say, and then I will arrange for you to unload the truck."
When Runev walked into the headquarters, he happened to see Sokov with his back to the door, leaning over the map on the table, while Khokhlov, Shepilov and others stood on both sides of him. Listen to him assign combat tasks.
Lunev walked to a place two or three steps behind Sokov and stopped. After coughing slightly, he said: "Comrade Commander, I'm here!"
Sokov heard Lunev's voice, stood up straight, turned around, and asked with some surprise: "Comrade Military Commissar, why are you here?"
"Didn't you call the Chief of Staff yesterday and order him to collect a sufficient number of rockets from the troops that have not yet set off?" Lunev replied with a smile: "I am worried that these rockets are not safe on the road. So I personally brought people to deliver them. Now the convoy is parked outside, I don’t know where to unload these rockets?”
"Colonel Khokhlov," learned that the convoy transporting rockets was parked outside the headquarters. Sokov quickly ordered Khokhlov: "Immediately arrange for manpower to unload the rockets from the vehicle and place them properly." The division chief of staff knew that this matter was of great importance and did not dare to neglect it. He personally ran out to arrange for manpower to unload the truck.
After the division chief of staff left, Lunev curiously asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, I heard that General Apanashenko has been here before?"
Sokov did not hide it, but nodded: "Yes, I was here yesterday."
"What is he here for?" Lunev asked cautiously: "Is he ordering you to command the troops to carry out a counterattack?"
Seeing that Lunev actually knew about this, Sokov couldn't help but be stunned, but then he thought that since Lunev was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he must have his own information channels. Knowing this, he nodded: "That's right. He I was ordered to put the 182nd Division into battle to counterattack the enemy who broke through in the direction of Oboyan, but I refused."
"Why do you refuse?"
"You rashly attack the enemy without knowing the strength and equipment of the enemy." Sokov said angrily: "Such an attack will have no results except casualties."
"Comrade Commander, when you were disobeying the order, didn't you think that you might be sent to a military court for this matter?"
"I never thought about it." Sokov shook his head, and then said decisively: "As long as my soldiers don't die in vain, even if I am sent to a military court, it won't be a big deal."
"I think you asked the chief of staff to send all the rockets to Shumakovo. The situation here must be very bad." Lunev asked tentatively: "Do you really think the enemy will rush to us? Here?"
When Sokov originally chose this defense area, he thought of the records in the history books: after the German army broke through the Soviet defense line and advanced 35 kilometers, it encountered the Soviet army's tenacious defense, making it impossible to move forward. In other words, even if the German army breaks through Oboyan's defense line, by the time they arrive here, they will be at the end of their game. Not to mention the elite troops under their own command, even ordinary troops can still stop them.
"Yes, based on the current situation between the enemy and ourselves, after breaking through Oboyan, the enemy will definitely continue to advance north in order to rush to Kursk as soon as possible and use it as a starting point to attack Moscow, and our fortified area , just blocking the path of the German army."
Said Sokov showed confidence, but Lunev was still uneasy: "Comrade Commander, how can we resist the German armored forces without the support of artillery, tanks and air force?"
"Comrade Military Commissar, you can rest assured about this." Seeing that Lunev was worried about the German armored forces, Sokov comforted him and said: "I guess you saw it when you came. The terrain here is complicated, and the roads on both sides are complicated. There are hills on both sides, and the enemy cannot deploy large-scale mechanized troops here. Our troops can rely on the terrain and use rocket launchers to attack enemy tanks on the hills on both sides. In this way, the German tanks are eliminated, and they The combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
"Comrade Commander," political commissar Colonel Shepilov said: "Judging from today's fighting situation, friendly forces have been conducting uninterrupted counterattacks. They are constantly driving away enemies who have broken through their defense lines and retaking their own positions. .”
After Sokov waited for Shepilov to finish speaking, he said calmly: "Comrade Colonel, you are right. The troops of the Voronezh Front are continuously launching uninterrupted counterattacks against the enemies who have broken through the defense line. But Their counterattack, apart from increasing the casualties of the troops, has no effect at all. Just watch, maybe they will appear near our position this evening, and then it will be a formal showdown between us and them .”
Lunev believed in Sokov's judgment very much. If he said that the enemy would come, then the enemy would definitely come. He stared at the map in front of him and asked without raising his head: "Comrade Commander, which regiment is holding the first line of defense?"
