Sokov received a formal notification from Vatutin that all the commanders and fighters rescued from the prisoner of war camps would be integrated into his 27th Army after necessary screening.
This good news made Sokov overjoyed. He immediately added 20,000 people to his army group, and the vitality of the army was basically restored. Moreover, these commanders and fighters, who had been bullied by the German guards, were filled with hatred for the enemy. As long as they were fully armed, they would be an extremely terrifying force, and they would become a nightmare for the Germans.
Vatutin continued: "After discussion and research, the Front Army Headquarters decided to send Deputy Commander General Apanashenko, as the representative of the Front Army, to your ministry to supervise the implementation of the screening work."
Sokov had been happy for less than two minutes when his heart became cold because of Vatutin's words. After he waited for the other party to finish speaking, he said cautiously: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, Lieutenant General Lunev, the military commissar of our group army, is a political worker from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I think that with his ability, he can completely complete this mission." Screening work.”
"Major General Sokov, it's useless what you say." Vatutin said in an unquestionable tone: "More than 20,000 rescued prisoners of war will all be incorporated into your army. If traitors and cowards are allowed to sneak in, they will be killed." It will bring unexpected consequences to your troops. General Apanashenko took the initiative to apply to go to your place, and you must cooperate with his work. Do you understand, Major General Sokov?"
Hearing that Apanashenko took the initiative to apply to join his army, Sokov felt an indescribable awkwardness in his heart, but since it was a decision made by his superiors, he had no right to object, so he could only answer bravely: : "Understood, Comrade Commander of the Front Army, we will definitely cooperate with his work."
Samyko didn't seem to care at all whether Apanashenko would come to supervise the work. He was extremely excited about getting 20,000 soldiers at the moment: "Comrade Commander, I wonder how you plan to allocate the 20,000 soldiers?"
"The 188th Division and the 81st Guards Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in this blocking battle, and they should be the priority to be replenished." Seeing Sameko holding a pen to record what he said, Sokov slowed down and said: "The casualties of the 384th Division are also not small, and they will be included in the second batch of supplementary targets. As for the 84th and 254th Divisions, and the two Marine Brigades as the third batch; the Infantry Brigade and the 182nd Division can be excluded from this round. outside the supply plan.”
After taking note of what Sokov said, Samyko raised his head and asked, "How many people can be assigned to each division of more than 20,000 people?"
Sokov did not give an accurate answer to Samyko's question: "You can convene a meeting with the division commanders to discuss how many soldiers should be allocated to each division according to the levels I just divided."
After Sameko made a note in his book, he asked again: "What about the weapons and equipment?"
"I'm afraid it will take some time to replenish the assault rifles." Sokov also seriously considered what weapons should be used by these newly added soldiers. He felt that although the assault rifles were more powerful than the Popov submachine guns, these new soldiers The fighters who join have no experience in using this weapon. Even if they are equipped with assault rifles, their combat effectiveness will probably be affected to a certain extent: "And even if the assault rifles are equipped with newly added fighters, they still need an adaptation process. And we can't get through it. How long will it take before they launch the attack on Belgorod? It’s a little too late, so I think we should let them continue to use our army’s standard weapons.”
After explaining the distribution of troops and the equipment of weapons to Samyko, Sokov turned to Lunev and said to him: "Comrade Military Commissar, the Front Army Headquarters plans to send Deputy Commander General Apanashenko over. Oversee our screening of prisoners of war.”
Lunev heard the underlying meaning of Sokov's words and said to him with a smile: "Comrade Commander, don't worry. Don't forget, I come from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There are some things we take second place in, and no one dares to do so." Recognize No. 1. With or without the supervision of General Apanashenko, our screening work can be completed smoothly."
After dawn, a convoy of three jeeps and five trucks appeared at the location of Sokov's headquarters.
After conducting an investigation, the officers on duty at the intersection found out that it was the convoy of General Apanashenko, the deputy commander of the Voronezh Front. They quickly let it go and notified Sokov by phone.
After receiving the notice, Sokov did not dare to neglect and quickly brought members of the headquarters to the door to greet him.
Seeing the convoy approaching in the distance, Sameko couldn't help but shook his head and said: "What a rumor. Three jeeps and five trucks can form a military parade convoy. If discovered by the enemy's reconnaissance plane, the enemy will You can definitely guess that there are important people in the convoy, and they will be in danger once planes are sent out to bomb."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Lunev waited for Samyko to finish, then continued: "You are thinking too much. Now the air control in the entire Kursk area is firmly in the hands of our army. The enemy If the aircraft does not appear, once it appears, it will be shot down by our patrol aircraft."
The convoy came to a stop at the entrance of the headquarters. The passenger door of the second jeep opened. A lieutenant colonel jumped out of the car, came to the back and opened the door. He put his hand on the top of the door to prevent the people inside from bumping into each other when they came out. .
Seeing the grand arrogance of the other party, Sokov guessed that the person about to get out of the car must be General Apanashenko, and hurriedly trotted forward.
Sure enough, Apanashenko got out of the car. After he stood up straight, he looked left and right, and pulled the hem of his uniform with both hands.
"Comrade Deputy Commander of the Front Army, Major General Sokov, Commander of the 27th Group Army, reports to you." Sokov quickly stood at attention, saluted, and reported loudly: "You are welcome to come to us to guide our work."
Apanashenko raised his hand and returned the salute, and said with an indifferent expression: "General Sokov, I want to ask, what are your troops doing now?"
"Recuperating."
"Recuperating?" Apanashenko shook his head and said, "This answer is too general. I want to know the specific answer!"
"Comrade General," upon hearing Apanashchenko's words, Samyko quickly stepped forward and said, "I am Major General Samyko, Chief of Staff of the Army Group. Please allow me to report to you."
"Report it!"
After Samek agreed resoundingly, he began to report to Apanaschenko what the divisions and brigades of the group army, as well as the artillery and tank troops, were doing now. Not only is it very detailed, but it is also very clear.
After listening to Samyko's report, Apanashenko finally had some smile on his frosty face. Sokov quickly introduced Lunev to him: "This is Lieutenant General Lunev, the military commissar of the Army Group. In the coming days, he will cooperate with your work..."
"Comrade Lunev and I have known each other since before the war." Looking at Lunev standing straight, the smile on Apanashchenko's face grew wider: "I didn't expect that we would have the opportunity to work together."
After Apanashenko followed Sokov and others into the headquarters, he went straight to the wall and looked up at the large map hanging on it. After watching for a while, he turned to Sokov who was standing behind him and said, "General Sokov, can you tell me about your combat situation yesterday?"
Detailed reports on recent operations were sent by Sokov to the front army headquarters after dark. Hearing what Apanashenko said at this moment, he couldn't help but show a bitter expression on his face. He felt that Apanashenko didn't seem to like him, so he targeted him everywhere.
However, the other party is his superior. Even if he is dissatisfied with him, he can only hide it in his heart. He patiently reported the battles of the past few days in clear and detailed terms.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Apanashenko spoke again: "General Sokov, since you have taken the initiative on the battlefield, why don't you continue to expand the results? You know, if you are determined to defeat the German army, After the troops arrive, you may rush directly into Belgorod."
"Comrade General," Sokov couldn't laugh or cry when he heard Apanashenko say this: "The troops I can use are very limited, and when the troops pursue the enemy, the organization is completely messed up. Basically, units at the battalion level, company level, or even platoon level are fighting.
After encountering the supporting troops coming out of Belgorod, if we did not retreat quickly and switch to defense on the spot, we might be eaten by the enemy. "
After Sokov finished speaking, Samyko quickly echoed: "That's right, Comrade General, our two infantry divisions and tank corps are too scattered and have no ability to attack the fortress. Even if we can barely defeat Belgoro The response troops sent out by Germany are also unable to launch an attack on the enemy's well-defended cities."
"General Sokov," Apanashchenko picked up the explanation stick leaning against the wall, tapped the map on the wall, and said to Sokov and others: "You fought this battle too conservatively. If you continue to attack the city, it won't matter even if you are unable to make progress for the time being. However, after the front army headquarters learns that you have launched an attack on Belgorod, it will send troops to attack the city from other directions to reduce the impact on you. Main force."
"Also." Apanashenko turned around, holding the explanation stick in both hands, looked at Sokov and said displeasedly: "We are a regular army, but judging from the series of tactics you used, it is completely guerrilla It’s the team’s style of play. Using such tactics to deal with the enemy, even if you win, it’s still a big chance.”
Faced with Apanashenko's criticism, Sokov really couldn't laugh or cry.
"Comrade General," upon hearing Apanashchenko's words, Samyko quickly stepped forward and said, "I am Major General Samyko, Chief of Staff of the Army Group. Please allow me to report to you."
"Report it!"
After Samek agreed resoundingly, he began to report to Apanaschenko what the divisions and brigades of the group army, as well as the artillery and tank troops, were doing now. Not only is it very detailed, but it is also very clear.
After listening to Samyko's report, Apanashenko finally had some smile on his frosty face. Sokov quickly introduced Lunev to him: "This is Lieutenant General Lunev, the military commissar of the Army Group. In the coming days, he will cooperate with your work..."
"Comrade Lunev and I have known each other since before the war." Looking at Lunev standing straight, the smile on Apanashchenko's face grew wider: "I didn't expect that we would have the opportunity to work together."
After Apanashenko followed Sokov and others into the headquarters, he went straight to the wall and looked up at the large map hanging on it. After watching for a while, he turned to Sokov who was standing behind him and said, "General Sokov, can you tell me about your combat situation yesterday?"
Detailed reports on recent operations were sent by Sokov to the front army headquarters after dark. Hearing what Apanashenko said at this moment, he couldn't help but show a bitter expression on his face. He felt that Apanashenko didn't seem to like him, so he targeted him everywhere.
However, the other party is his superior. Even if he is dissatisfied with him, he can only hide it in his heart. He patiently reported the battles of the past few days in clear and detailed terms.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Apanashenko spoke again: "General Sokov, since you have taken the initiative on the battlefield, why don't you continue to expand the results? You know, if you are determined to defeat the German army, After the troops arrive, you may rush directly into Belgorod."
"Comrade General," Sokov couldn't laugh or cry when he heard Apanashenko say this: "The troops I can use are very limited, and when the troops pursue the enemy, the organization is completely messed up. Basically, units at the battalion level, company level, or even platoon level are fighting.
After encountering the supporting troops coming out of Belgorod, if we did not retreat quickly and switch to defense on the spot, we might be eaten by the enemy. "
After Sokov finished speaking, Samyko quickly echoed: "That's right, Comrade General, our two infantry divisions and tank corps are too scattered and have no ability to attack the fortress. Even if we can barely defeat Belgoro The response troops sent out by Germany are also unable to launch an attack on the enemy's well-defended cities."
"General Sokov," Apanashchenko picked up the explanation stick leaning against the wall, tapped the map on the wall, and said to Sokov and others: "You are fighting this battle too conservatively. If you continue to attack the city, it won't matter even if you are unable to make progress for the time being. However, after the front army headquarters learns that you have launched an attack on Belgorod, it will send troops to attack the city from other directions to reduce the impact on you. Main force."
"Also." Apanashenko turned around, holding the explanation stick in both hands, looked at Sokov and said displeasedly: "We are a regular army, but judging from the series of tactics you used, it is completely guerrilla It’s the team’s style of play. Using such tactics to deal with the enemy, even if you win, it’s still a big chance.”
Faced with Apanashenko's criticism, Sokov really couldn't laugh or cry.
