The communications staff officer's face suddenly turned red to the root of his neck. He handed the telegram in his hand to Derevyanko and reported with an embarrassed expression: "The telegram sent by General Solomatin stated that the enemy was targeting the 21st Mechanized Brigade. After a brief artillery bombardment of the defense zone, the infantry, under the cover of tanks, launched an attack on the brigade’s main position.”
"Comrade Lieutenant," Derevyanko said disapprovingly after hearing this: "The German army must want to clear the landing site established by our army on the right bank. Isn't it normal for them to launch a ferocious attack?"
"It is normal for the enemy to attack our positions." The staff officer said cautiously: "However, the Germans have opened a gap in the position of the 21st Mechanized Brigade, and more and more enemies have passed through the gap and entered our position. The depth of the army's defense is in danger of being torn apart."
The staff officer stood not far from Sokov and Managarov, and every word he said fell into the ears of the two. When Managarov turned to look at the map on the table, Sokov asked the staff: "Comrade Lieutenant, did General Solomatin take any action?"
Sokov's words silenced everyone. Only then did Derevyanko remember that Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army was now under Sokov's command. There was nothing wrong with the other party's question. He hurriedly came over, handed the telegram to Sokov, and said: "General Sokov, this is a telegram from General Solomatin. The position of the 21st Mechanized Brigade has been under a strong German offensive. , a gap was torn open.”
"Chief of Staff," Sokov quickly read the telegram Derevyanko handed him. Seeing that it did not mention any measures taken to deal with the immediate crisis, he ordered Sameko: "Send it to Solow immediately. General Ma Jing called and asked him how he planned to handle the matter."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." Samyko replied decisively: "I will call General Solomatin and find out what the situation is like there."
When Samyko called Solomatin, Sokov felt vaguely dissatisfied. Now the 1st Mechanized Army was under his command, but when the defense line was in danger, Solomatin did not report the situation to him in time. , but sent the telegram to the 53rd Army Headquarters. Doesn't he know that even the 53rd Army has to obey his command now?
Soon, Samyko contacted Solomatin and asked in a stern tone: "General Solomatin, the enemy broke through the defense line of the 21st Mechanized Brigade. Why didn't you report to us in time?"
"I'm sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff." Samyko's question reminded Solomatin that his troops were now under the command of Sokov, and his first reaction when his position was breached by the Germans was actually to send troops to the 53rd Army The headquarters sent a telegram. It would be strange if Chief of Staff Sameko was not angry. He quickly defended: "You also know that my troops have always been commanded by General Managarov. If anything happens, I always send him a telegram directly. I just learned that the 21st Brigade's defense line was breached by the enemy, and I was a little bit I was so panicked that I sent a telegram directly to Chief of Staff Derevyanko."
After listening to Solomatin's explanation, Samyko couldn't help but ask: "What measures did you take after the enemy broke through the defense line?"
"The troops of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade are gathering," Solomatin replied: "I plan to let them reinforce the 21st Brigade and restore the lost positions."
Before Samyko could speak, Sokov walked over and took the microphone in his hand, put it to his ear and said: "General Solomatin, this is Sokov. The Germans have just broken through your position, and they are still here." Without a firm foothold, you immediately organize your troops to counterattack, and you must drive the enemy out of your defense lines. Do you understand?"
"However, the 23rd Mechanized Brigade is too scattered. It will take half an hour at the fastest to assemble them all."
"Comrade General," Sokov said anxiously: "The enemy has just broken through your defense line and has not yet gained a foothold. At this moment, even if you deploy a battalion or even a company from the 23rd Brigade to counterattack, you can destroy the enemy who breaks through the defense line. "
The words awakened the man from his dream. Solomatin knew that the lost position should be restored as soon as possible, so he urgently mobilized the troops of the 23rd Brigade. However, so far, only one battalion of troops has been assembled. He originally planned to wait until all the officers and soldiers of the brigade were assembled before launching a counterattack against the Germans. After listening to Sokov's words, he immediately ordered his chief of staff: "Call the commander of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade and call the commander of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade. Troops are committed to the breach and eliminate those enemies who break into our defense lines."
A few minutes later, a battalion of the 23rd Brigade rushed to the breach and started a desperate struggle with the German officers and soldiers who rushed in. Some commanders and soldiers cooperated with their comrades from the 21st Brigade to block the gap and cut off the enemy in the position from the outside world.
The number of German troops who broke through the 21st Brigade's defense line was not large, only seventy or eighty. When they were faced with constant counterattacks by the Soviet army, they were somewhat overwhelmed. Now that Soviet reinforcements have arrived, the comparison in strength and equipment becomes even more disparate. In just a few minutes, half of the German officers and soldiers who broke into the position were killed in the battle, while the other half were taken prisoner.
Knowing that the gap in the defense line was blocked, Sokov couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said to Samyko: "Chief of Staff, please tell General Solomatin that if you encounter any difficulties, please call us at any time. I will try my best to solve the problem for him."
"General Sokov," while Samyko went to call Solomatin, Managarov handed Sokov a cigarette and asked, "Tell me, the Germans Why the sudden attack?"
"The reason is very simple." Sokov held the cigarette in his mouth, first struck a match to light Managarov's cigarette, and then lit his own cigarette. After taking a puff, he said: "Before dawn, the Air Force attacked the German 8th Panzer The division carried out an air attack. Although the results have not yet been calculated, I estimate that the enemy suffered heavy losses. This force planned to ambush Solomatin's counterattack force and then participate in the attack on the landing site. Now the enemy saw that they The troops on the left wing were attacked by air, so they could only adopt force-attack tactics and get entangled with our army, which would make our air force useless because of the enemy."
"A weapon that prevents rats?!" Managarov repeated Sokov's idiom, nodded and said: "General Sokov, you said it very vividly. If the enemy is really entangled with our army, don't Speaking of the air force, even the artillery did not dare to fire easily, lest they accidentally injure their own people. In this way, the Germans can use their numerical and equipment advantages to seize the positions they want from our army."
"Comrade General, don't worry, I will never let them succeed." Sokov said with a sneer: "The Germans think that our army is still like what it was in the early days of the war. In the face of their attack, they can only hide in the fortifications to fight. Passive defense; or launching unrealistic counterattacks at inappropriate locations.
If there is a crisis in the defense area of the mechanized army, I will order the troops on their right wing to attack and give the Germans a head-on attack. We must attack not only during the day, but also at night, so that the enemy cannot eat or sleep, completely disrupting their offensive plan, and gradually taking the initiative on the battlefield into the hands of our army. "
"General Sokov, according to what I know, the German army we have to face has 20 divisions." Managarov said to Sokov: "Except for the current battle with our army in Poltava, There are four divisions of the Germans, and the Germans still have a dozen divisions in the direction of the landing site. We will be under a lot of pressure in the future."
"Don't worry, Comrade General." Sokov knew very well that in order to completely defeat the Germans, he must first establish confidence in victory, so he comforted Managarov and said: "Our current strength is not the strength of the war after all. Nothing can be compared to the moment of the outbreak. No matter how powerful the enemy is, we are fully capable of dealing with them."
If someone else had said this, Managarov might have walked away long ago, but now the person who said this is Sokov, who is privately known as the victorious general. Since he said that there is a way to stop the Germans If you attack, you will definitely be able to block it.
"Comrade General," Sokov continued: "You should know that the terrain on both sides of the river in our country is that the left bank is flat, which is conducive to attack but not conducive to defense; while the right bank is basically steep cliffs, making it difficult for our army to cross. Combat brings great difficulty.”
Regarding Sokov's statement, Managarov agreed: "General Sokov, you are right. If you hadn't taken Kremenchug and the bridge over the Dnieper River by surprise, It is estimated that at this moment we are still trying to force a crossing from the left bank to the right bank and establish a landing site."
"I am considering that the operation at the right bank landing site will probably last a long time." Sokov said to Managarov: "The weapons, ammunition and military supplies required by the right bank troops will be an astronomical figure. If it passes every day The Dnieper River Bridge transports supplies, and I am worried that there will be road congestion, which will affect the mobilization of troops."
"Then what should we do?" Managarov asked modestly. The communications staff officer's face suddenly turned red to the root of his neck. He handed the telegram in his hand to Derevyanko and reported with an embarrassed expression: "The telegram sent by General Solomatin stated that the enemy was targeting the 21st Mechanized Brigade. After a brief artillery bombardment of the defense zone, the infantry, under the cover of tanks, launched an attack on the brigade’s main position.”
"Comrade Lieutenant," Derevyanko said disapprovingly after hearing this: "The German army must want to clear the landing site established by our army on the right bank. Isn't it normal for them to launch a ferocious attack?"
"It is normal for the enemy to attack our positions." The staff officer said cautiously: "However, the Germans have opened a gap in the position of the 21st Mechanized Brigade, and more and more enemies have passed through the gap and entered our position. The depth of the army's defense is in danger of being torn apart."
The staff officer stood not far from Sokov and Managarov, and every word he said fell into the ears of the two. When Managarov turned to look at the map on the table, Sokov asked the staff: "Comrade Lieutenant, did General Solomatin take any action?"
Sokov's words silenced everyone. Only then did Derevyanko remember that Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army was now under Sokov's command. There was nothing wrong with the other party's question. He hurriedly came over, handed the telegram to Sokov, and said: "General Sokov, this is a telegram from General Solomatin. The position of the 21st Mechanized Brigade has been under a strong German offensive. , a gap was torn open.”
"Chief of Staff," Sokov quickly read the telegram Derevyanko handed him. Seeing that it did not mention any measures taken to deal with the immediate crisis, he ordered Sameko: "Send it to Solow immediately. General Ma Jing called and asked him how he planned to handle the matter."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." Samyko replied decisively: "I will call General Solomatin and find out what the situation is like there."
When Samyko called Solomatin, Sokov felt vaguely dissatisfied. Now the 1st Mechanized Army was under his command, but when the defense line was in danger, Solomatin did not report the situation to him in time. , but sent the telegram to the 53rd Army Headquarters. Doesn't he know that even the 53rd Army has to obey his command now?
Soon, Samyko contacted Solomatin and asked in a stern tone: "General Solomatin, the enemy broke through the defense line of the 21st Mechanized Brigade. Why didn't you report to us in time?"
"I'm sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff." Samyko's question reminded Solomatin that his troops were now under the command of Sokov, and his first reaction when his position was breached by the Germans was actually to send troops to the 53rd Army The headquarters sent a telegram. It would be strange if Chief of Staff Sameko was not angry. He quickly defended: "You also know that my troops have always been commanded by General Managarov. If anything happens, I always send him a telegram directly. I just learned that the 21st Brigade's defense line was breached by the enemy, and I was a little bit I was so panicked that I sent a telegram directly to Chief of Staff Derevyanko."
After listening to Solomatin's explanation, Samyko couldn't help but ask: "What measures did you take after the enemy broke through the defense line?"
"The troops of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade are gathering," Solomatin replied: "I plan to let them reinforce the 21st Brigade and restore the lost positions."
Before Samyko could speak, Sokov walked over and took the microphone in his hand, put it to his ear and said: "General Solomatin, this is Sokov. The Germans have just broken through your position, and they are still here." Without a firm foothold, you immediately organize your troops to counterattack, and you must drive the enemy out of your defense lines. Do you understand?"
"However, the 23rd Mechanized Brigade is too scattered. It will take half an hour at the fastest to assemble them all."
The words awakened the dreamer. Solomatin knew that the lost position should be restored as soon as possible, so he urgently mobilized the troops of the 23rd Brigade. However, so far, only one battalion of troops has been assembled. He originally planned to wait until all the officers and soldiers of the brigade were assembled before launching a counterattack against the Germans. After listening to Sokov's words, he immediately ordered his chief of staff: "Call the commander of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade and call the commander of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade. Troops are committed to the breach and eliminate those enemies who break into our defense lines."
