"Comrade Commander," Major General Bilyuzov asked tentatively: "How should we deal with these enemies?"
Tolbukhin was drawing on the map with a red and blue pencil. When he heard his chief of staff ask this question, he asked without raising his head: "What do you think?"
Bilyuzov didn't know Tolbukhin's real intention, so he could only say cautiously: "Comrade Commander, judging from the air force reconnaissance situation, this German unit must be going to reinforce Kharkov. If they are allowed to Smoothly entering Kharkov will make our army's battle to capture Kharkov more difficult."
Tolbukhin stood up straight, threw the pencil in his hand on the table, and said decisively: "No matter whether the enemy goes to reinforce Kharkov or not, we cannot let them go easily. Immediately notify Nao of the 4th Air Force Group Army Air Force Major General Nako ordered him to dispatch reconnaissance aircraft to conduct reconnaissance in areas where the enemy was found. Once it is confirmed that a large-scale enemy is marching, bombers will be immediately dispatched to attack the marching queue."
After hearing Tolbukhin's instructions, Bilyuzov replied resoundingly: "Yes, Comrade Commander, I immediately called Major General Naunako and asked him to send reconnaissance planes for reconnaissance and dispatch bombers to attack the march. The Germans carried out the bombing."
After saying that, Bilyuzov grabbed the phone on the table and said loudly into the receiver: "I am Major General Bilyuzov. Please pick me up from the headquarters of the 4th Air Force Army and ask for Air Force Major General Naunako."
The call was quickly connected, and the voice of Major General Naunako came from the receiver: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, what instructions does the superior have for us?"
"General Naunako," Major General Bilyuzov said into the microphone: "Please immediately send more reconnaissance planes to conduct further reconnaissance in the area where the German marching column was discovered."
"Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army," Naunako waited for Bilyuzov to finish speaking and then immediately said: "After I reported the reconnaissance results, in order to verify whether the pilot's information was accurate, I sent several more reconnaissance planes. Reconnaissance of the area."
Knowing that the Air Force had taken the lead, Biruzov asked with some surprise: "General Naunako, what are the latest reconnaissance results?"
Naunako paused for a moment and asked the chief of staff at the side: "Chief of staff, have the pilots sent out come back?"
"No, Comrade Commander." The Air Force Chief of Staff reported to Naunako: "It will take at least twenty minutes before the latest report is fed back."
After Naunako figured out the situation, he reported to Bilyuzov: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, my subordinates may have to wait until twenty minutes before the latest reconnaissance information can be fed back."
"I understand. As soon as you have the latest intelligence, report it to the front headquarters immediately." After Bilyuzov said this, he added: "As soon as it is confirmed that a large-scale enemy is marching, you will immediately send bombers The formation heads to the area and bombs the enemy on the ground, absolutely not allowing them to enter Kharkov smoothly."
"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." Seeing that the order conveyed by Bilyuzov coincided with the battle plan he had conceived, Naunako quickly replied loudly: "Our aircraft bombs and machine gun bullets, It will leave a deep impression on the Germans."
When Bilyuzov put down the phone, Tolbukhin suddenly said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think just dispatching the air force will cause limited losses to the enemy. It is better to send ground troops to attack and give the enemy a greater impact." Killings. Which unit is closest to the German line of march?"
"It's Lieutenant General Starikov's 8th Army."
Tolbukhin said: "Immediately order General Stalikov's troops to move to the area, and once our air strikes begin, they will attack the enemy."
Regarding the order issued by Tolbukhin, Bilyuzov cautiously reminded him: "Comrade Commander, the enemy's march column has armored troops, but Lieutenant General Starikov's 8th Army lacks With anti-tank weapons, it is still very difficult to completely annihilate the enemy.”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you reminded me a lot." After Tolbukhin stared at the map for a while, he nodded slightly and said, "Then you give orders to the commanders of the 2nd, 5th and 17th Group Armies. , let them mobilize their idle troops and rush to the area as quickly as possible to participate in the encirclement and annihilation operations against the German army."
As a series of orders were issued, the various armies of the Southern Front took active action and began to mobilize troops towards the areas where the German army was marching. Air Force Commander Major General Naunako, after confirming the location of the German army, immediately dispatched the 219th Bombing Aviation Division and the 230th Assault Aviation Division to carry out air strikes.
The marching German troops saw the Soviet fighter planes appearing in the sky and immediately began to disperse and hide. The infantrymen left the road one after another and hid in ravines or forests on the roadside. However, the tanks, armored vehicles and trucks driving on the road were unable to hide in safe places in the shortest possible time. As a result, they became targets for Soviet bombers and attack aircraft. Attack the target.
After the first round of attacks, the roads were littered with burning tanks, armored vehicles and trucks, as well as corpses scattered everywhere. Some shivering German soldiers hiding in the ravine saw the attack planes and bombers swooping down from the sky. A familiar feeling suddenly came to their minds. It was just that their air force was bombing the Soviet army in the past, but now it happened to be adjusted. One, it was the Soviet fighter planes that were bombing them, and they could only hide in a place where they felt safe and resign themselves to fate.
The Soviet planes in the sky had just left. Before the German troops coming out of the forests and ravines could complete their formation, there was another dense sound of gunfire nearby. This was the leading unit of the 10th Infantry Corps under the 8th Army, heading towards the rear. German troops launched an attack.
Although the German army paid a huge price in the air raid that ended not long ago. But faced with the Soviet troops catching up from behind, they still relied on the crude terrain to resist stubbornly. Facing the German resistance, the attacking Soviet troops found it difficult to break through the enemy's defense line.
After more than an hour of fighting, Soviet attack planes and bombers appeared over the battlefield again. The pilots bombed and strafed areas with strong enemy firepower to destroy German resistance and assist the offensive forces in breaking through the temporary German defense lines.
When they saw the enemy gathering somewhere, the Soviet attack planes and bombers swooped down there, dropping bombs and strafing. When an aerial bomb falls, groups of enemies will be blown to pieces; when a string of bullets hits, the enemy's firepower point that is shooting wildly will immediately become mute.
The Soviet commander who directed the troops to attack saw some clues from the air force's tactics. Knowing that the aircraft in the sky were guiding and covering his attack, he ordered the troops to attack at the attack point of the aircraft. Often as soon as the plane exploded, groups of Soviet commanders and fighters rushed forward, drowning the remaining German officers and soldiers in a hail of bullets.
The German troops who had been bombed by the Soviet army originally fought on their own, but now faced with this kind of ground-air coordination by the Soviet army, they were suddenly in disarray. They had no intention of continuing to resist, so they adopted the tactic of fighting and retreating, retreating towards Kharkov, hoping to escape.
"Comrade Commander," Major General Bilyuzov asked tentatively: "How should we deal with these enemies?"
Tolbukhin was drawing on the map with a red and blue pencil. When he heard his chief of staff ask this question, he asked without raising his head: "What do you think?"
Bilyuzov didn't know Tolbukhin's real intention, so he could only say cautiously: "Comrade Commander, judging from the air force reconnaissance situation, this German unit must be going to reinforce Kharkov. If they are allowed to Smoothly entering Kharkov will make our army's battle to capture Kharkov more difficult."
Tolbukhin stood up straight, threw the pencil in his hand on the table, and said decisively: "No matter whether the enemy goes to reinforce Kharkov or not, we cannot let them go easily. Immediately notify Nao of the 4th Air Force Group Army Air Force Major General Nako ordered him to dispatch reconnaissance aircraft to conduct reconnaissance in areas where the enemy was found. Once it is confirmed that a large-scale enemy is marching, bombers will be immediately dispatched to attack the marching queue."
After hearing Tolbukhin's instructions, Bilyuzov replied resoundingly: "Yes, Comrade Commander, I immediately called Major General Naunako and asked him to send reconnaissance planes for reconnaissance and dispatch bombers to attack the march. The Germans carried out the bombing."
After saying that, Bilyuzov grabbed the phone on the table and said loudly into the receiver: "I am Major General Bilyuzov. Please pick me up from the headquarters of the 4th Air Force Army and ask for Air Force Major General Naunako."
The call was quickly connected, and the voice of Major General Naunako came from the receiver: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, what instructions does the superior have for us?"
"General Naunako," Major General Bilyuzov said into the microphone: "Please immediately send more reconnaissance planes to conduct further reconnaissance in the area where the German marching column was discovered."
"Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army," Naunako waited for Bilyuzov to finish speaking and then immediately said: "After I reported the reconnaissance results, in order to verify whether the pilot's information was accurate, I sent several more reconnaissance planes. Reconnaissance of the area."
Knowing that the Air Force had taken the lead, Biruzov asked with some surprise: "General Naunako, what are the latest reconnaissance results?"
Naunako paused for a moment and asked the chief of staff at the side: "Chief of staff, have the pilots sent out come back?"
"No, Comrade Commander." The Air Force Chief of Staff reported to Naunako: "It will take at least twenty minutes before the latest report is fed back."
After Naunako figured out the situation, he reported to Bilyuzov: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, my subordinates may have to wait until twenty minutes before the latest reconnaissance information can be fed back."
"I understand. As soon as you have the latest intelligence, report it to the front headquarters immediately." After Bilyuzov said this, he added: "As soon as it is confirmed that a large-scale enemy is marching, you will immediately send bombers The formation heads to the area and bombs the enemy on the ground, absolutely not allowing them to enter Kharkov smoothly."
"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." Seeing that the order conveyed by Bilyuzov coincided with the battle plan he had conceived, Naunako quickly replied loudly: "Our aircraft bombs and machine gun bullets, It will leave a deep impression on the Germans."
When Bilyuzov put down the phone, Tolbukhin suddenly said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think just dispatching the air force will cause limited losses to the enemy. It is better to send ground troops to attack and give the enemy a greater impact." Killings. Which unit is closest to the German line of march?"
"It's Lieutenant General Starikov's 8th Army."
Tolbukhin said: "Immediately order General Stalikov's troops to move to the area, and once our air strikes begin, they will attack the enemy."
Regarding the order issued by Tolbukhin, Bilyuzov cautiously reminded him: "Comrade Commander, the enemy's march column has armored troops, but Lieutenant General Starikov's 8th Army lacks With anti-tank weapons, it is still very difficult to completely annihilate the enemy.”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you reminded me a lot." After Tolbukhin stared at the map for a while, he nodded slightly and said, "Then you give orders to the commanders of the 2nd, 5th and 17th Group Armies. , let them mobilize their idle troops and rush to the area as quickly as possible to participate in the encirclement and annihilation operations against the German army."
As a series of orders were issued, the various armies of the Southern Front took active action and began to mobilize troops towards the areas where the German army was marching. Air Force Commander Major General Naunako, after confirming the location of the German army, immediately dispatched the 219th Bombing Aviation Division and the 230th Assault Aviation Division to carry out air strikes.
The marching German troops saw the Soviet fighter planes appearing in the sky and immediately began to disperse and hide. The infantrymen left the road one after another and hid in ravines or forests on the roadside. However, the tanks, armored vehicles and trucks driving on the road were unable to hide in safe places in the shortest possible time. As a result, they became targets for Soviet bombers and attack aircraft. Attack the target.
After the first round of attacks, the roads were littered with burning tanks, armored vehicles and trucks, as well as corpses scattered everywhere. Some shivering German soldiers hiding in the ravine saw the attack planes and bombers swooping down from the sky. A familiar feeling suddenly came to their minds. It was just that their air force was bombing the Soviet army in the past, but now it happened to be adjusted. One, it was the Soviet fighter planes that were bombing them, and they could only hide in a place where they felt safe and resign themselves to fate.
The Soviet planes in the sky had just left. Before the German troops coming out of the forests and ravines could complete their formation, there was another dense sound of gunfire nearby. This was the leading unit of the 10th Infantry Corps under the 8th Army, heading towards the rear. German troops launched an attack.
