Sokov was worried that the two escaped spies would use arson to indicate targets for the German bombers. He also gave Samoilov a special order to let the patrols take more precautions.
But unfortunately, the patrol team that received Sokov's order felt like a dog biting a hedgehog but unable to bite it. Although Kremenchug is not a big city, it still has a large area and nearly 100,000 residents. It is a hellishly difficult task to find the spies who have slipped through the net and prevent them from setting fire to the city.
Many patrol captains complained to Samoilov: "Comrade Lieutenant, the city is so big and our manpower is limited. If a spy who slipped through the net wants to set fire to the city, there is nothing we can do."
After Samoylov's eyes swept across everyone, he found that his deputy, Lieutenant Serelkov, remained silent. He lowered his head and remained silent, so he asked tentatively: "Lieutenant Serelkov, why don't you speak?"
Serelkov looked up at Samoilov and said slowly: "Comrade company commander, tell me, if the German army wants to bomb the city, which target do they want to bomb the most?"
"It goes without saying." As soon as Serelkov finished speaking, another of Samoilov's deputies, Lieutenant Sapochuk, the company commander from the 98th Guards Division, said first: "The enemy wants to bomb the most. The target must be the group army headquarters. As long as the bombing can destroy the headquarters, our troops will fall into chaos due to the loss of unified command..."
When Sapochuk said this, he suddenly stopped with a shocked expression on his face. He looked at Samoilov and asked tentatively: "Comrade company commander, the enemy doesn't really want to bomb the group army headquarters, does it?"
"It is possible." Samoilov carefully considered this issue on his way back from the headquarters and felt that if the enemy carried out night bombing again, the first choice target would definitely be the group army headquarters. As Sapochuk said, if the army headquarters is destroyed, the troops deployed on both sides of the Dnieper River will fall into chaos because they lose unified command. If the Germans launched a fierce attack at this time, they might be able to drive the defenders of the landing field on the right bank into the Dnieper River.
"Comrade Company Commander," Sapochuk asked nervously, "How should we prevent spies from setting fires?"
"Come and see," Samoilov spread a city defense map on the table and said to everyone sitting at the table: "I just heard the commander say in the headquarters that if the enemy wants to attack at night, If the plane guides the bombing target, it can only light three fires and let the enemy planes bomb the triangle area formed by the fires."
Serelkov is a smart man. When he heard Samoilov say this, he immediately guessed his intention. His eyes suddenly lit up and he continued: "Comrade company commander, you mean that we should center on the group army headquarters. Find out where the spies might have set fire to?"
"Yes, that's what it means." Samoilov scratched the back of his head and said with an embarrassed look: "Even if we focus on the triangle area centered on the headquarters, with only the two hundred or so we have Man, it is still very difficult to completely prevent the enemy from setting fire."
Sapochuk stared at the map for a while, then pointed to a location and said: "This is a bookstore. If a spy wants to set a fire, this is undoubtedly the best place. I suggest deploying one or two patrols here." Team to prevent spies from entering the bookstore and setting fire to it."
"Okay." After Samoylov readily agreed to Sapochuk's suggestion, he looked at Serelkov and the other patrol captains and said, "Where else do you think the spies might set the fire? You might as well Say it all."
As soon as Samoylov finished speaking, the patrol captains expressed their opinions one after another:
"This is a school. The school library is also a place prone to fires."
"And here, there are several clothing stores on this street. If the spies want to set fire, this is also the best place."
"..."
The patrol captains were all very familiar with the areas they were responsible for. Following Sapochuk's prompts, they immediately named a dozen locations that were easily set on fire by spies.
At the beginning, Samoilov still chose to put one or two patrols at each point, depending on whether it was important, but he soon found that he had no one available.
Just when he was in trouble, he suddenly heard Serelkov ask: "Comrade company commander, do you feel a headache because you have no soldiers to use?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Serelkov." Samoilov did not hide anything and said truthfully: "If we want to deploy defenses in all areas, we will need at least double the manpower."
"Comrade Company Commander, don't worry." Serelkov waited for Samoilov to finish speaking and then said with a smile: "Don't forget, there is still an elite unit in the headquarters that has not been used. If we can get it There must be no problem with their help in dealing with two spies who slipped through the net.”
"There is still an elite unit in the headquarters?" The confusion on Samoylov's face only stayed for a few seconds before he thought of what unit Serelkov was talking about: "Lieutenant Serelkov, you are talking about the second lieutenant. Training company and junior commander instruction company?”
"Yes, it's them." Serelkov said: "There are 270 people in these two companies. If we get their help, we can completely prevent the spies from setting fire to the city."
"Okay." Samoilov felt that what Serelkov said made sense, and nodded in agreement: "I immediately called Comrade Chief of Staff and asked him to send these two companies to us."
When Samyko received a call from Samoilov, asking to borrow the second lieutenant training company and the junior commander training company, he seemed a little hesitant. When Sokov proposed that these commanders and fighters be assigned to grassroots companies to serve as company platoon leaders, he was one of the opponents. Now that these commanders and fighters are used as patrols, he feels that it is a waste.
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov, who was talking to Managarov, saw Samyko answering a phone call and held the phone in a daze. He thought something big had happened and asked quickly: "Excuse me." What happened?"
Samyko said: "Comrade Commander, Lieutenant Samoilov would like to second the second lieutenant training company and junior commander training company."
"What are you borrowing for?"
"In order to prevent German spies from setting fires in the city, they have set up defenses in more than a dozen places." Sameko explained: "Now we are short of manpower, so we plan to borrow these two companies."
"If he wants to use it, just lend it to him." After hearing this, Sokov said carelessly: "Anyway, the commanders and fighters of these two companies have nothing to do in the headquarters every day."
"But, let these future commanders serve as patrol members." Sameko said hesitantly: "Isn't it a bit overqualified?"
"Let them go exercise." Sokov felt that it was a waste for these commanders and soldiers who should have been baptized by war to stay in the headquarters all day doing nothing. Now that they finally had a chance to practice, they were not willing to give up easily, so they ordered Samyko: "Let them rush to report to Lieutenant Samoilov immediately."
Now that Sokov has made his position clear, Samyko could no longer object and could only say into the microphone: "Lieutenant Samoilov, comrade commander has agreed. The second lieutenant training company and the junior commander training company will be in I’ll rush to report to you in the shortest possible time.”
Sokov was worried that the two escaped spies would use arson to indicate targets for the German bombers. He also gave Samoilov a special order to let the patrols take more precautions.
But unfortunately, the patrol team that received Sokov's order felt like a dog biting a hedgehog but unable to bite it. Although Kremenchug is not a big city, it still has a large area and nearly 100,000 residents. It is a hellishly difficult task to find the spies who have slipped through the net and prevent them from setting fire to the city.
Many patrol captains complained to Samoilov: "Comrade Lieutenant, the city is so big and our manpower is limited. If a spy who slipped through the net wants to set fire to the city, there is nothing we can do."
After Samoylov's eyes swept across everyone, he found that his deputy, Lieutenant Serelkov, remained silent. He lowered his head and remained silent, so he asked tentatively: "Lieutenant Serelkov, why don't you speak?"
Serelkov looked up at Samoilov and said slowly: "Comrade company commander, tell me, if the German army wants to bomb the city, which target do they want to bomb the most?"
"It goes without saying." As soon as Serelkov finished speaking, another of Samoilov's deputies, Lieutenant Sapochuk, the company commander from the 98th Guards Division, said first: "The enemy wants to bomb the most. The target must be the group army headquarters. As long as the bombing can destroy the headquarters, our troops will fall into chaos due to the loss of unified command..."
When Sapochuk said this, he suddenly stopped with a shocked expression on his face. He looked at Samoilov and asked tentatively: "Comrade company commander, the enemy doesn't really want to bomb the group army headquarters, does it?"
"It is possible." Samoilov carefully considered this issue on his way back from the headquarters and felt that if the enemy carried out night bombing again, the first choice target would definitely be the group army headquarters. As Sapochuk said, if the army headquarters is destroyed, the troops deployed on both sides of the Dnieper River will fall into chaos because they lose unified command. If the Germans launched a fierce attack at this time, they might be able to drive the defenders of the landing field on the right bank into the Dnieper River.
"Comrade Company Commander," Sapochuk asked nervously, "How should we prevent spies from setting fires?"
"Come and see," Samoilov spread a city defense map on the table and said to everyone sitting at the table: "I just heard the commander say in the headquarters that if the enemy wants to attack at night, If the plane guides the bombing target, it can only light three fires and let the enemy planes bomb the triangle area formed by the fires."
Serelkov is a smart man. When he heard Samoilov say this, he immediately guessed his intention. His eyes suddenly lit up and he continued: "Comrade company commander, you mean that we should center on the group army headquarters. Find out where the spies might have set fire to?"
"Yes, that's what it means." Samoilov scratched the back of his head and said with an embarrassed look: "Even if we focus on the triangle area centered on the headquarters, with only the two hundred or so we have Man, it is still very difficult to completely prevent the enemy from setting fire."
Sapochuk stared at the map for a while, then pointed to a location and said: "This is a bookstore. If a spy wants to set a fire, this is undoubtedly the best place. I suggest deploying one or two patrols here." Team to prevent spies from entering the bookstore and setting fire to it."
"Okay." After Samoylov readily agreed to Sapochuk's suggestion, he looked at Serelkov and the other patrol captains and said, "Where else do you think the spies might set the fire? You might as well Say it all."
As soon as Samoylov finished speaking, the patrol captains expressed their opinions one after another:
"This is a school. The school library is also a place prone to fires."
"And here, there are several clothing stores on this street. If the spies want to set fire, this is also the best place."
"..."
The patrol captains were all very familiar with the areas they were responsible for. Following Sapochuk's prompts, they immediately named a dozen locations that were easily set on fire by spies.
At the beginning, Samoilov still chose to put one or two patrols at each point, depending on whether it was important, but he soon found that he had no one available.
Just when he was in trouble, he suddenly heard Serelkov ask: "Comrade company commander, do you feel a headache because you have no soldiers to use?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Serelkov." Samoilov did not hide anything and said truthfully: "If we want to deploy defenses in all areas, we will need at least double the manpower."
"Comrade Company Commander, don't worry." Serelkov waited for Samoilov to finish speaking and then said with a smile: "Don't forget, there is still an elite unit in the headquarters that has not been used. If we can get it There must be no problem with their help in dealing with two spies who slipped through the net.”
"There is still an elite unit in the headquarters?" The confusion on Samoylov's face only stayed for a few seconds before he thought of what unit Serelkov was talking about: "Lieutenant Serelkov, you are talking about the second lieutenant. Training company and junior commander instruction company?”
"Yes, it's them." Serelkov said: "There are 270 people in these two companies. If we get their help, we can completely prevent the spies from setting fire to the city."
"Okay." Samoilov felt that what Serelkov said made sense, and nodded in agreement: "I immediately called Comrade Chief of Staff and asked him to send these two companies to us."
When Samyko received a call from Samoilov, asking to borrow the second lieutenant training company and the junior commander training company, he seemed a little hesitant. When Sokov proposed that these commanders and fighters be assigned to grassroots companies to serve as company platoon leaders, he was one of the opponents. Now that these commanders and fighters are used as patrols, he feels that it is a waste.
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov, who was talking to Managarov, saw Samyko answering a phone call and held the phone in a daze. He thought something big had happened and asked quickly: "Excuse me." What happened?"
