After Chief of Staff of the Front Army Zakharov learned about Sokov's plan, he tentatively asked Konev: "Comrade Commander, do you think this counterattack plan should be reported to the Supreme Command?"
"Why?" Konev asked in surprise: "It's just a limited counterattack. I don't think it's necessary?"
Zaharov actually knew in his heart that with this limited counterattack, if he was lucky, he could kill one or two thousand enemies, but if he was not lucky, he might kill two or three hundred enemies and it would be overwhelming. Before, there was no need to report, but the situation is different now. The superiors want to see a victory, and Sokov's plan may be what the superiors want to see.
"Comrade Commander," Zaharov said cautiously: "I also know that this kind of limited counterattack will not achieve much results, and there is no need to report to the superiors. However, our army's recent attack on Poltava has not been successful. Good luck, I guess someone above you already has a problem with you, and this counterattack plan may be able to divert everyone’s attention.”
Zakharov's words made Konev fall into deep thought. He recalled that from the outbreak of the Soviet-German war to the present, he had been dismissed from the post of commander of the front army twice. If he had not received Zhukov's protection, he would have ended up with Pavlov. I went to keep my husband company. Even so, before the Battle of Kursk began, he appointed himself the commander of the Steppe Front, commanding a force with a very poor sense of presence. If it hadn't been for the troops fighting on the front line, it would have been deactivated long ago.
"Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff." Konev, who weighed the powerful relationship, said to Zakharov: "It's up to you to report this counterattack plan to the General Staff."
A few minutes later, Zakharov reported Sokov's counterattack plan to Chief of General Staff Antonov.
After Antonov carefully examined Sokov's counterattack plan, he picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number. When a voice came out of the receiver, he asked politely: "Hello, Boskele Comrade Beshev, I am Antonov.”
"Hello, Comrade Chief of General Staff." After hearing the call from Antonov, Poskrebyshev asked in a friendly tone: "What can I do for you?"
"Is the Supreme Commander himself in the office?" Antonov said politely: "I have important things to report to him."
"Yes, Comrade Chief of General Staff." Boskrebyshev replied: "He is in the office. You can come over now."
After Antonov put down the phone, he put the counterattack plan he had just received into a folder, then stood up and walked out from behind the desk, preparing to report to the bearded man.
In fact, frontline troops usually do not report such small-scale and inconsequential counterattacks. Even if they are reported to Antonov, the bearded man will not know about it. After all, the Supreme Commander himself had to deal with so many things every day, so he didn't bother him with such trivial matters.
But the reason why Antonov chose to report to Big Beard in person today was entirely because the recent performance of the Steppe Front Army was unsatisfactory. The two most elite Guards Groups attacked Poltava, which was only defended by three German divisions. Progress has been slow, and it is still unknown when the city will be liberated. Just because of this, the bearded man got angry several times.
Antonov quickly arrived at the other party, and he greeted Poskrebyshev who was sitting outside: "Hello, Comrade Poskrebyshev, I'm here, can you go in now?"
"Please wait a moment, Comrade Chief of General Staff." Poskrebyshev stood up and said politely: "I'll go in and take a look first."
Poskrebyshev came to the door, opened one of the doors, walked in, and closed the door behind him. After two or three minutes, the door opened and he walked out, stood by the door and said respectfully: "Please come in, Comrade Chief of General Staff! The Supreme Commander himself is waiting for you inside."
Antonov thanked Poskrebyshev and then walked into the office.
After entering the office, Antonov immediately saw the bearded man holding a pipe and walking around in the open space in the middle of the office. Seeing Antonov enter the door, the bearded man stopped and asked expressionlessly: "Comrade Antonov, are you so anxious to see me? Is there something urgent?"
"Yes, Comrade Supreme Commander." Antonov took out the folder tucked under his arm, pulled out the counterattack plan from it, handed it to the bearded man, and said respectfully: "This is the document from the 27th Army that I just received. I would like to ask you to take a look at the counterattack plan."
"The 27th Army?!" After the bearded man repeated the unit number, he asked hesitantly: "Is it the unit commanded by Xiao Misha?"
"Yes, it is the 27th Army commanded by Major General Sokov."
After confirming that the plan came from Sokov's troops, a smile appeared on the bearded face. He took the plan from Antonov and browsed it carefully. Antonov stood aside, quietly waiting for his next instruction.
The counterattack launched by Sokov was only a limited counterattack, and the plan would definitely not be too long. Zakharov told it, and Antonov recorded only one page.
It only took Big Beard two minutes to read this counterattack plan. He shook the plan book in his hand and said with some displeasure: "Comrade Antonov, is this the counterattack plan you want to report to me?"
"Yes!"
"I thought that in this plan, we could see our army further expand the landing site during the counterattack, but unexpectedly it turned out to be only a limited counterattack." The bearded man said in a stern tone: "A counterattack of this scale will not be possible. It was actually reported to the General Staff Headquarters, isn’t it a bit of a fuss?”
"I think the reason why General Sokov made such a plan is completely restricted by their current situation."
Antonov's words aroused the bearded man's curiosity: "Comrade Chief of General Staff, what is going on?"
"The attack on Poltava is still continuing, so the weapons, ammunition and materials we supply to the front line are given priority to the troops attacking the city. Sokov's troops are too far away from the logistics, so they receive limited supplies. ." Antonov explained calmly: "Precisely because they could not obtain sufficient supplies, they could only launch a limited counterattack at the landing site to avoid exhausting the limited number of weapons, ammunition and supplies. When the Germans counterattack, they will no longer be able to stay at the landing site to fight the enemy's attack."
The bearded man picked up the cigarette box placed on the conference table, took out a cigarette from it, crushed it with his fingers, and stuffed the tobacco into the butt. After doing all this, he put the pipe in his mouth, but did not light it immediately. Instead, he asked slowly: "Comrade Chief of General Staff, is what you said true?"
"It's completely true, Comrade Supreme Commander." Seeing that the bearded man still had doubts about the matter, Antonov quickly explained to him: "Marshal Zhukov contacted me two days ago and said that he hoped that I would come forward to negotiate with the Air Force. , allocate some transport aircraft to provide supplies to the 27th Army in Kremenchug."
After Chief of Staff of the Front Army Zakharov learned about Sokov's plan, he tentatively asked Konev: "Comrade Commander, do you think this counterattack plan should be reported to the Supreme Command?"
"Why?" Konev asked in surprise: "It's just a limited counterattack. I don't think it's necessary?"
Zaharov actually knew in his heart that with this limited counterattack, if he was lucky, he could kill one or two thousand enemies, but if he was not lucky, he might kill two or three hundred enemies and it would be overwhelming. Before, there was no need to report, but the situation is different now. The superiors want to see a victory, and Sokov's plan may be what the superiors want to see.
"Comrade Commander," Zaharov said cautiously: "I also know that this kind of limited counterattack will not achieve much results, and there is no need to report to the superiors. However, our army's recent attack on Poltava has not been successful. Good luck, I guess someone above you already has a problem with you, and this counterattack plan may be able to divert everyone’s attention.”
Zakharov's words made Konev fall into deep thought. He recalled that from the outbreak of the Soviet-German war to the present, he had been dismissed from the post of commander of the front army twice. If he had not received Zhukov's protection, he would have ended up with Pavlov. I went with my husband. Even so, before the Battle of Kursk began, he appointed himself the commander of the Steppe Front, commanding a force with a very poor sense of presence. If it hadn't been for the troops fighting on the front line, it would have been deactivated long ago.
"Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff." Konev, who weighed the powerful relationship, said to Zakharov: "It's up to you to report this counterattack plan to the General Staff."
A few minutes later, Zakharov reported Sokov's counterattack plan to Chief of General Staff Antonov.
After Antonov carefully examined Sokov's counterattack plan, he picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number. When a voice came out of the receiver, he asked politely: "Hello, Boskele Comrade Beshev, I am Antonov.”
"Hello, Comrade Chief of General Staff." After hearing the call from Antonov, Poskrebyshev asked in a friendly tone: "What can I do for you?"
"Is the Supreme Commander himself in the office?" Antonov said politely: "I have important things to report to him."
"Yes, Comrade Chief of General Staff." Boskrebyshev replied: "He is in the office. You can come over now."
After Antonov put down the phone, he put the counterattack plan he had just received into a folder, then stood up and walked out from behind the desk, preparing to report to the bearded man.
In fact, frontline troops usually do not report such small-scale and inconsequential counterattacks. Even if they are reported to Antonov, the bearded man will not know about it. After all, the Supreme Commander himself had to deal with so many things every day, so he didn't bother him with such trivial matters.
But the reason why Antonov chose to report to Big Beard in person today was entirely because the recent performance of the Steppe Front Army was unsatisfactory. The two most elite Guards Groups attacked Poltava, which was only defended by three German divisions. Progress has been slow, and it is still unknown when the city will be liberated. Just because of this, the bearded man got angry several times.
Antonov quickly arrived at the other party, and he greeted Poskrebyshev who was sitting outside: "Hello, Comrade Poskrebyshev, I'm here, can you go in now?"
"Please wait a moment, Comrade Chief of General Staff." Poskrebyshev stood up and said politely: "I'll go in and take a look first."
Poskrebyshev came to the door, opened one of the doors, walked in, and closed the door behind him. After two or three minutes, the door opened and he walked out, stood by the door and said respectfully: "Please come in, Comrade Chief of General Staff! The Supreme Commander himself is waiting for you inside."
Antonov thanked Poskrebyshev and then walked into the office.
After entering the office, Antonov immediately saw the bearded man holding a pipe and walking around in the open space in the middle of the office. Seeing Antonov enter the door, the bearded man stopped and asked expressionlessly: "Comrade Antonov, are you so anxious to see me? Is there something urgent?"
"Yes, Comrade Supreme Commander." Antonov took out the folder tucked under his arm, pulled out the counterattack plan from it, handed it to the bearded man, and said respectfully: "This is the document from the 27th Army that I just received. I would like to ask you to take a look at the counterattack plan."
"The 27th Army?!" After the bearded man repeated the unit number, he asked hesitantly: "Is it the unit commanded by Xiao Misha?"
"Yes, it is the 27th Army commanded by Major General Sokov."
After confirming that the plan came from Sokov's troops, a smile appeared on the bearded face. He took the plan from Antonov and browsed it carefully. Antonov stood aside, quietly waiting for his next instruction.
The counterattack launched by Sokov was only a limited counterattack, and the plan would definitely not be too long. Zakharov told it, and Antonov recorded only one page.
It only took Big Beard two minutes to read this counterattack plan. He shook the plan book in his hand and said with some displeasure: "Comrade Antonov, is this the counterattack plan you want to report to me?"
"Yes!"
"I thought that in this plan, we could see our army further expand the landing site during the counterattack, but unexpectedly it turned out to be only a limited counterattack." The bearded man said in a stern tone: "A counterattack of this scale will not be possible. It was actually reported to the General Staff Headquarters, isn’t it a bit of a fuss?”
"The attack on Poltava is still continuing, so the weapons, ammunition and materials we supply to the front line are given priority to the troops attacking the city. Sokov's troops are too far away from the logistics, so they receive limited supplies. ." Antonov explained calmly: "Precisely because they could not obtain sufficient supplies, they could only launch a limited counterattack at the landing site to avoid exhausting the limited number of weapons, ammunition and supplies. When the Germans counterattack, they will no longer be able to stay at the landing site to fight the enemy's attack."
The bearded man picked up the cigarette box placed on the conference table, took out a cigarette from it, crushed it with his fingers, and stuffed the tobacco into the butt. After doing all this, he put the pipe in his mouth, but did not light it immediately. Instead, he asked slowly: "Comrade Chief of General Staff, is what you said true?"
