Seeing that the situation was not good, some German soldiers raised their hands in the air and tried to surrender. When the commanders and soldiers of the first company rushed forward, they were in a state of high tension. How could they tell whether the Germans who appeared in front of them were continuing to be tenacious or laying down their weapons and surrendering to them? . Therefore, as long as they are enemies who appear in front of them, they will not leave any enemies behind.
Originally, there were many German soldiers who were ready to surrender, but when they saw that their comrades who were about to surrender were involuntarily killed in the trenches by the Soviet army, they had no choice but to give up their plans to surrender and continue to rely on the fortifications to resist.
If the Germans had occupied the position before the bombardment started, they might have been able to rely on fortifications to contain the Soviet counterattack. But today's fortifications have been almost destroyed by German artillery fire. In such fortifications, the German soldiers are unable to organize a decent resistance at all, and can only use the tactics of fighting and retreating to withdraw from the high ground.
After retaking the high ground, Narva immediately ordered his men to repair the fortifications. He knew very well that the existing fortifications would not be able to stop another German attack. After arranging all this, he called Mikhailev and reported truthfully: "Comrade Battalion Commander, although we have successfully retaken the position, all the fortifications on the high ground have been destroyed by enemy artillery fire. If If the enemy launches another such attack, I’m afraid we won’t be able to stop it.”
Regarding Narva's worries, Mikhailev had already prepared a countermeasure: "Captain Narva, your company fought very well just now, pretending to abandon the forward slope position, and when the Germans entered the reverse slope position, Catch them off guard again. If the enemy attacks again, you don’t have to defend your position. You can adopt the tactic of fighting step by step, retreat to the second line of defense, and let other troops stop them."
If it were another army, Mikhailev's words might ruin his future. The army educates its commanders and soldiers: Facing the enemy's attack, they need to stick to the position like nails and not retreat even a step. It would be better to leave the bones exposed in the wilderness than to hand over an inch of land to the enemy.
In Sokov's army, as long as the enemy can be effectively eliminated, some unimportant areas can be abandoned when necessary, forcing the Germans to divide their forces for defense, thereby reducing their strength for frontal attacks. Facts have proved that Sokov's approach is very effective. Sometimes giving up some unimportant positions can also consume a large amount of the German army's effective strength.
Sokov, who was staying in the headquarters, was sitting at the table, studying the enemy's next move with Managarov. Sokov put aside the battle report he had read, pointed to the map and said to Managarov: "Comrade General, judging from the current situation, the German army is preparing to launch a large-scale attack on the landing site and drive our troops into the Dnieper River."
Since the intelligence obtained by Sokov was shared with Managarov, he also understood the current distribution of enemies and enemies on the battlefield. As soon as Sokov finished speaking, he immediately added: "If the prisoners did not lie, your troops are now facing the three divisions of the German 1st Group Army. They are now simultaneously attacking the Mechanized Army, the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and the 73rd Infantry Brigade. The 254th Division’s positions seemed to be attacking in unison, but there must be one path that was their real main direction of attack.”
After Sokov waited for Managarov to finish speaking, he did not immediately express his position. Instead, he asked: "Comrade General, which unit's defensive zone do you think the Germans will choose as a breakthrough?"
"Needless to say," Managarov pointed to the location of the 73rd Brigade on the map and said with confidence: "Now among the three areas under attack, the weakest is the one commanded by Major Guchakov The 73rd Infantry Brigade. According to the analysis by Chief of Staff Derevyanko and I, this is definitely the area where the enemy will break through first, and I recommend immediately sending additional troops to the area to consolidate the defense line."
Sokov smiled lightly and said: "Comrade General, my idea is exactly the opposite of yours. Although the 73rd Infantry Brigade has only four infantry battalions, one artillery company and one machine gun company, with a total strength of more than 2,000 people. But I I don’t think the Germans can break through first from their defensive zone.”
Seeing Sokov's refutation of his statement, Managarov asked humbly: "Then where do you think the defense is easiest for the enemy to break through?"
"On the far left of our defense line is General Solomatin's Mechanized 1st Army. If it is really possible for the Germans to break through the defense line, then I think the first one to be broken through by the Germans should be their defense area."
"This is impossible!" After hearing what Sokov said, Derevyanko suddenly stood up from his seat and shouted.
Seeing that countless people's eyes were attracted to Derevyanko, Managarov coughed heavily and said with some displeasure: "Chief of Staff, don't get excited, listen to what General Sokov said. .”
"I'm sorry, General Sokov. I'm a little emotional. Please forgive me!" Derevyanko, who was criticized by Managarov, quickly apologized to Sokov, but he still insisted on his opinion: "Sokov General Lomagin's 1st Mechanized Army has more than 20,000 troops, and no matter how I look at it, I don't think the Germans will give priority to breaking through their defense lines."
Seeing that Derevyanko refused to admit defeat, Sokov said politely: "Comrade Chief of Staff, to achieve victory on the battlefield, many factors need to be considered. I admit that among the three units under attack, Solow General Ma Jing’s 1st Mechanized Army is the most powerful, but they also have the most rigid defensive tactics.”
Hearing Sokov's criticism of Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army, Derevyanko almost got angry again, but luckily Managarov noticed him and gently pulled his sleeve, making him realize , now the troops near the Dnieper River, not to mention the 1st Mechanized Army, even the 53rd Army, are all commanded by the young general in front of him. He can only shut up obediently, wanting to hear what Sokov will do next. say something.
Sokov continued: "During the battle to hold on to the No. 1 outpost position, the defensive tactics of the 21st Mechanized Brigade were quite rigid. When the enemy started shelling, the commander did not move the troops to a safe anti-slope position in time, and They were allowed to remain on the position to receive enemy artillery shells, which resulted in a large number of unnecessary casualties for our army. For a small position, the brigade suffered casualties of two battalions.
Let’s look at the defensive operations of the 73rd Brigade today. As soon as the enemy's shelling began, the commander promptly moved the troops to a safe anti-slope position to avoid the enemy's shelling. Although the fortifications on the position were all destroyed by enemy artillery fire, the casualties among the commanders and soldiers were minimal..."
After patiently listening to Sokov's analysis, Managarov nodded vigorously and said affirmatively: "General Sokov, you are right. There are many factors that determine victory or defeat on the battlefield. If used properly, Tactics, minimizing troop casualties, will determine how long we can hold on. Although Solomatin has a large number of troops, he does not know how to use tactics rationally, and his position may indeed be broken through first."
He turned to Derevyanko and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, our old ideas must be changed, otherwise we will be eliminated in the future because we are out of date."
