Just as the troops still staying in Merefa Fortress were preparing a special bathhouse for female soldiers, the troops of General Managarov's 1st Mechanized Corps also arrived outside the city of Kremenchug.
This force was established in Kosterevo in September 1942 and made great achievements during the Battle of Stalingrad. Solomatin, the commander of the army, was awarded the rank of lieutenant general for his outstanding military exploits.
Although Konev has personally stated that he will hand over this force to Sokov's command. But now among the commanders in Kremenchug and the landing field on the right bank of the Dnieper River, the highest-ranking commander is Major General Fomenko, commander of the 84th Division. After they arrived, it became a headache for who should unified command the troops.
When Colonel Chuvashov in the city of Kremenchug learned that General Solomatin was calling, he personally went out of the city to greet him and invited him to his headquarters. While warmly entertaining the other party, he ordered the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Uzakov, to send a telegram to the Army Group Headquarters and report the news of the arrival of Lieutenant General Solomatin to the headquarters.
After receiving the telegram, Samyko also showed a troubled expression on his face. He said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, this is a headache. You know, we are currently in Kremenchug." The only troops in the area are the 98th Guards Division, the 84th and 254th Infantry Divisions, and the highest rank is Major General Fomenko, while General Solomatin is a lieutenant general, allowing him to accept the command of a major general or colonel. He definitely doesn’t want to in his heart.”
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, you are right." Sokov agreed very much with Fomenko's statement: "If it were me, even if I didn't say it, I would feel very uncomfortable in my heart. When executing orders, there will definitely be significant compromises, which will affect the implementation of the combat plan."
"What should we do?" Samyko asked Sokov for instructions: "How about we move the headquarters there overnight?"
"Don't disrupt our original plan for such a trivial matter." Sokov thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I think we will let the 73rd Infantry Brigade board the train after it returns from Kremenchug. I went with the car to Kremenchug in advance and unified the command of the troops there."
Samyko heard that Sokov was planning to go deep into the front line again. He originally wanted to object, but then he thought that the conditions for transferring the headquarters were not yet mature. It would be better to let Sokov go first and take over the command of several troops. This will enable them to improve their defense work as soon as possible. Thinking of this, he nodded and said: "Okay, Comrade Commander, I will call Major Guchakov immediately and inform him to prepare the troops to board the train."
When Guchakov received the call from Samyko, he was quite surprised. He asked in confusion: "Comrade Chief of Staff, according to the order of boarding, shouldn't we leave the day after tomorrow? Why did it suddenly change to today?"
"The situation in Kremenchug has changed a little. Comrade Commander must rush there as soon as possible." Samyko explained to Guchakov on the phone: "Your troops are his most trusted, so after the group army The chief will study and decide that it will be up to you to escort him to Kremenchug."
Upon learning that Sokov was preparing to go to Kremenchug, Guchakov suddenly became energetic. He assured Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I immediately issued an order to the troops to prepare them for departure. You can rest assured that as long as the commanders and fighters of our brigade are here, the safety of Comrade Commander can definitely be ensured."
When Samyko put down the phone, Sokov said to him: "Chief of Staff, send a telegram back to Colonel Chuvashov and ask him to receive General Solomatin well. If you have any questions, wait until I get there." "
"Do we need to move the 1st Mechanized Army to the landing site on the right bank as soon as possible?" Sameko asked for instructions.
"No need for the time being." Sokov shook his head and said: "Where the troops of the 1st Mechanized Army will be deployed, and how to deploy them, I will wait until I arrive in Kremenchug and consult with General Solomatin. "
Although Sokov always remembered that Konev said that from now on, Lieutenant General Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army will be under his command, but he is young and has a lower military rank than Solomatin. Is the other party willing to sincerely Obeying his orders was still an unknown, and he wanted to rush there as soon as possible just to solve this problem.
After Solomatin drank tea for a while at Chuvashov's headquarters, he returned to the subject: "Comrade Colonel, I would like to ask where my troops should be deployed. Also, as far as I know, in Kle There are several troops in Menchug and the landing site on the other side, who should be under unified command?"
Solomatin's question left Chuvashov at a loss as to how to respond. Fortunately, Uzakov ran over with a telegram and reported to him: "Comrade division commander, this is a telegram from the group army headquarters."
Chuvashov snatched the telegram from Uzakov's hand and read it nervously. After reading the above content, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to Solomatin: "Comrade General, I just received a call from the commander of the group army, General Sokov, and he asked me to entertain you well. As for the troops How to deploy it and who will be under unified command will be discussed after he arrives."
After Solomatin waited for the other party to finish speaking, he asked calmly: "Then when will your commander arrive?"
"General Solomatin," Chuvashov thought for a moment, and then replied: "If everything goes well, we can reach us in eight hours at the fastest."
"What, eight hours at the fastest?" Solomatin's face showed an unhappy look: "Comrade Colonel, do you know that in war, every minute is precious. If my troops stay Is it too late to wait for eight hours outside Kremenchug before you start mobilizing when your commander arrives? If the Germans launch an attack at this time, can your troops holding on to the landing site on the right bank stop them? Enemy attack?"
"General Solomatin," Chuvasov couldn't help but feel angry when he heard that the other party looked down on his friendly forces, but he still suppressed the anger in his heart and tried his best to say in a calm tone: "You may not know that now The two divisions holding on to the landing site on the right bank had both fought face-to-face with the most elite SS divisions of the German army. In the end, the enemy suffered huge casualties, and even almost had their designation revoked.
Even if the Germans launch an attack at this moment, I believe that with the combat effectiveness of these two divisions, there will not be much problem in crushing the German attack. "
After listening to this, Solomatin couldn't help laughing and said: "Comrade Colonel, it seems that you are confident in the combat effectiveness of your friendly forces. I hope that when the enemy's attack begins, the two divisions on the landing field on the right bank will really be able to I can block the enemy's attack."
"General Solomatin, I believe that the performance of the friendly forces in the battle will definitely exceed your imagination." Chuvasov said confidently: "You can use one division to deal with the SS division of a group army of our army. Every encounter with our army ends in a disastrous defeat, and I believe there will be no exception this time." Just as the troops still staying in Merefa Fortress began to prepare a special bathhouse for female soldiers, Managa The troops of the 1st Mechanized Corps belonging to General Rove also arrived outside the city of Kremenchug.
This force was established in Kosterevo in September 1942 and made great achievements during the Battle of Stalingrad. Solomatin, the commander of the army, was awarded the rank of lieutenant general for his outstanding military exploits.
Although Konev has personally stated that he will hand over this force to Sokov's command. But now among the commanders in Kremenchug and the landing field on the right bank of the Dnieper River, the highest-ranking commander is Major General Fomenko, commander of the 84th Division. After they arrived, it became a headache for who should unified command the troops.
When Colonel Chuvashov in the city of Kremenchug learned that General Solomatin was calling, he personally went out of the city to greet him and invited him to his headquarters. While warmly entertaining the other party, he ordered the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Uzakov, to send a telegram to the Army Group Headquarters and report the news of the arrival of Lieutenant General Solomatin to the headquarters.
After receiving the telegram, Samyko also showed a troubled expression on his face. He said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, this is a headache. You know, we are currently in Kremenchug." The only troops in the area are the 98th Guards Division, the 84th and 254th Infantry Divisions, and the highest rank is Major General Fomenko, while General Solomatin is a lieutenant general, allowing him to accept the command of a major general or colonel. He definitely doesn’t want to in his heart.”
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, you are right." Sokov agreed very much with Fomenko's statement: "If it were me, even if I didn't say it, I would feel very uncomfortable in my heart. When executing orders, there will definitely be significant compromises, which will affect the implementation of the combat plan."
"What should we do?" Samyko asked Sokov for instructions: "How about we move the headquarters there overnight?"
"Don't disrupt our original plan for such a trivial matter." Sokov thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "I think we will let the 73rd Infantry Brigade board the train after it returns from Kremenchug. I went with the car to Kremenchug in advance and unified the command of the troops there."
Samyko heard that Sokov was planning to go deep into the front line again. He originally wanted to object, but then he thought that the conditions for transferring the headquarters were not yet mature. It would be better to let Sokov go first and take over the command of several troops. This will enable them to improve their defense work as soon as possible. Thinking of this, he nodded and said: "Okay, Comrade Commander, I will call Major Guchakov immediately and inform him to prepare the troops to board the train."
When Guchakov received the call from Samyko, he was quite surprised. He asked in confusion: "Comrade Chief of Staff, according to the order of boarding, shouldn't we leave the day after tomorrow? Why did it suddenly change to today?"
"The situation in Kremenchug has changed a little. Comrade Commander must rush there as soon as possible." Samyko explained to Guchakov on the phone: "Your troops are his most trusted, so after the group army The chief will study and decide that it will be up to you to escort him to Kremenchug."
Upon learning that Sokov was preparing to go to Kremenchug, Guchakov suddenly became energetic. He assured Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I immediately issued an order to the troops to prepare them for departure. You can rest assured that as long as the commanders and fighters of our brigade are here, the safety of Comrade Commander can definitely be ensured."
When Samyko put down the phone, Sokov said to him: "Chief of Staff, send a telegram back to Colonel Chuvashov and ask him to receive General Solomatin well. If you have any questions, wait until I get there." "
"Do we need to move the 1st Mechanized Army to the landing site on the right bank as soon as possible?" Sameko asked for instructions.
"No need for the time being." Sokov shook his head and said: "Where the troops of the 1st Mechanized Army will be deployed, and how to deploy them, I will wait until I arrive in Kremenchug and consult with General Solomatin. "
Although Sokov always remembered that Konev said that from now on, Lieutenant General Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army will be under his command, but he is young and has a lower military rank than Solomatin. Is the other party willing to sincerely Obeying his orders was still an unknown, and he wanted to rush there as soon as possible just to solve this problem.
After Solomatin drank tea for a while at Chuvashov's headquarters, he returned to the subject: "Comrade Colonel, I would like to ask where my troops should be deployed. Also, as far as I know, in Kle There are several troops in Menchug and the landing site on the other side, who should be under unified command?"
Solomatin's question left Chuvashov at a loss as to how to respond. Fortunately, Uzakov ran over with a telegram and reported to him: "Comrade division commander, this is a telegram from the group army headquarters."
Chuvashov snatched the telegram from Uzakov's hand and read it nervously. After reading the above content, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to Solomatin: "Comrade General, I just received a call from the commander of the group army, General Sokov, and he asked me to entertain you well. As for the troops How to deploy it and who will be under unified command will be discussed after he arrives."
After Solomatin waited for the other party to finish speaking, he asked calmly: "Then when will your commander arrive?"
"General Solomatin," Chuvashov thought for a moment, and then replied: "If everything goes well, we can reach us in eight hours at the fastest."
"What, eight hours at the fastest?" Solomatin's face showed an unhappy look: "Comrade Colonel, do you know that in war, every minute is precious. If my troops stay Is it too late to wait for eight hours outside Kremenchug before you start mobilizing when your commander arrives? If the Germans launch an attack at this time, can your troops holding on to the landing site on the right bank stop them? Enemy attack?"
"General Solomatin," Chuvasov couldn't help but feel angry when he heard that the other party looked down on his friendly forces, but he still suppressed the anger in his heart and tried his best to say in a calm tone: "You may not know that now The two divisions that stood firm at the landing site on the right bank had both fought face to face with the most elite SS divisions of the German army. In the end, the enemy suffered huge casualties, and even almost had their designation revoked.
Even if the Germans launch an attack at this moment, I believe that with the combat effectiveness of these two divisions, there will not be much problem in crushing the German attack. "
