After staying in the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion for less than an hour, Sokov received an urgent call from Samyko: "Comrade Commander, something happened. Can you come back immediately?"
Although Sokov could directly ask what happened on the phone, considering that his call with Samek might be eavesdropped by German agents lurking in the city, he did not directly ask the answer, but simply said : "I'll go back right away."
After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Chuvashov next to him: "Comrade Colonel, there is something going on in the headquarters. The Military Commissar and I must rush back immediately. It is up to you and Lida to deal with the aftermath of the transfer of the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion." The major will discuss it."
After saying that, before Chuvashov could respond, he stood up and said to Lunev, who had not yet come to his senses: "Comrade Military Commissar, there are things in the headquarters that we need to handle when we go back. Let's go now."
On the way back to the headquarters, Lunev asked Sokov curiously: "Comrade Commander, what happened?"
"I don't know." Sokov shook his head and said, "I was worried that the phone line of the Women's Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion was not secure, so I didn't ask. But in my estimation, this matter should have something to do with the Guchakov Brigade."
"Is it related to the Guchakov Brigade?" Lunev repeated Sokov's words and said to himself: "Did the German army notice our actions and strengthen the defense of the relevant areas?"
As soon as the two returned to the headquarters, Sokov walked towards Samyko who was standing at the table and asked loudly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what happened? Are we preparing to attack Pavlish His actions were discovered by the Germans?”
"Comrade Commander," Seeing Sokov returning, Samyko ignored the pleasantries and directly got into the topic: "Just after you left, I received a report from the landing site, saying that the German troops south of the landing site were evacuating. "
"What, the German troops south of the landing site are evacuating?" This unexpected news shocked Sokov, and he quickly asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is this news reliable?"
"To be honest, when I got this information, I also doubted its reliability, so I immediately sent someone to verify it."
Sokov knew Samyko and knew that he would not report anything to him without a final conclusion, so he asked tentatively: "What are the results of the verification?"
Sameko nodded vigorously and replied: "I requested the reconnaissance plane from Chengbei Airport to dispatch and conduct reconnaissance of the area south of the landing site. Our pilot found that there were indeed signs of large troop mobilization on the ground. When he wanted to fly low When he could see more clearly, he came under machine gun fire from the ground, causing his plane to be hit in multiple places and he had to leave the area as quickly as possible."
Before Sokov could speak, Lunev rushed to say: "Comrade Chief of Staff, could this be a conspiracy by the Germans? They pretended to be retreating just to wait for our army to give up their vigilance and then attack again." Launch an attack suddenly and unexpectedly to achieve the purpose of breaking through our defense line."
In order to prove that his statement is correct, Lunev also added: "You know, in order to divert the enemy's attention, our army often makes some false moves to paralyze the enemy. Moreover, the enemy's mobilization, reconnaissance aircraft The pilot only saw it at high altitude, and as soon as he lowered his altitude, he was attacked by ground fire. Therefore, I think the German's transfer is entirely possible as a conspiracy."
Sokov did not express any opinions on this matter. As the commander of the group army, he must determine whether the German troops have really withdrawn before he can formulate a series of combat plans in a targeted manner. He frowned and thought for a while, then asked Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, in which direction did the enemy evacuate?"
"After the enemy left the existing station, they moved northwest." After pointing out the direction of the German withdrawal on the map, Sameko boldly expressed his judgment: "I think the withdrawal was from the south side of the landing site. The German army should have completed the Chigilin area and assisted the enemy there in attacking the 7th Guards Army, trying to drive all our friendly forces into the Dnieper River before they could gain a foothold."
Sokov stared at the map in front of him, mentally agreeing with Samek's analysis, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he asked expressionlessly: "What is the size of the enemy's withdrawn troops?"
"From the analysis of the intelligence obtained so far, it should be no less than one division." Samyko said to Sokov: "However, this is only a preliminary reconnaissance result. Further intelligence requires continued reconnaissance."
"Let the director of the reconnaissance department notify all reconnaissance teams located south of the landing site to immediately find out the true movements of the German army and how many troops have left the current defense area."
"Yes, I'll call the director of the reconnaissance department immediately."
"Wait a minute." Just when Samyko was about to make a call, Sokov stopped him again and added: "Inform the 254th and 300th Divisions on the front line of the landing site to build fortifications with great fanfare, especially in the Minefields were laid in front of the positions and barbed wire fences were pulled up, showing a posture of preparation for strengthening defense."
Regarding Sokov's order, Samyko seemed a little puzzled: "Comrade Commander, we will soon launch an attack on the enemy. If we lay minefields and pull barbed wire in front of the position at this moment, it will not be harmful to us. Does the attack cause any inconvenience?”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, don't worry." Sokov comforted Samyko: "Even if we lay minefields and pull up barbed wire, we can still send engineers to clear the way for the attacking troops before attacking."
But after he finished speaking, he found that Sameko still looked confused, and could only explain further: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think what you said makes sense. The German army is preparing to mobilize the troops south of our landing site to attack them. The 7th Guards Army has gained a firm foothold. But out of concern for us, they will be extra cautious when evacuating, and our posture of overhauling fortifications is to give the Germans the illusion that we only want to Strengthening defense and not having any thoughts of offense will prompt them to move more troops away."
Having said this, he turned his attention to Luniev who was aside: "Of course, the possibility of what Comrade Military Commissar said cannot be ruled out. As long as we strengthen our defenses, even if the Germans want to give us a surprise blow, we These newly built fortifications can also cause them huge casualties."
Understanding that Sokov was making double preparations by asking the forward troops to repair fortifications, Samyko couldn't help but his eyes lit up and he said repeatedly: "Comrade Commander is still thoughtful. Regardless of whether the German army withdraws troops from the south of the landing site, it is true. It's still a conspiracy. Our army is right to build more fortifications.
Seeing us assuming a posture of strengthening defense, the Germans will think that we have no intention of attacking, and they can safely and boldly transfer more troops to the landing site established by the 7th Guards Army. Even if it is their conspiracy, seeing that our army's defense has been strengthened, they have to adjust their tactics and reconsider new ways to deal with our army. "
However, before making the call, Samyko cautiously asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, does the Guchakov Brigade's plan to sneak attack Pavlish need to be adjusted?"
"No, no, no," Sokov waved his hands and said, "Now that the German army has begun large-scale mobilization, it may be more conducive to their actions. You should inform Guchakov of the latest situation, so that he can be aware of it, and at the same time, let him know the latest situation." According to the original plan, he sent troops to sneak attack the material transfer warehouse in Pavlish."
While Samyko was on the phone, Sokov, who was staring at the map, suddenly had a thought in his mind: "Should Shumilov be notified of this matter in time, and the situation here be reported to Konev? "
According to the intelligence obtained by Sokov, he knew that the battle at the new landing site was fierce. Although the commanders and fighters of the 7th Guards Army tenaciously resisted the German attack, they were still forced step by step towards the Dnieper River. There could be danger at any time. The possibility of being driven into the river by the enemy.
After staying in the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion for less than an hour, Sokov received an urgent call from Samyko: "Comrade Commander, something happened. Can you come back immediately?"
Although Sokov could directly ask what happened on the phone, considering that his call with Samek might be eavesdropped by German agents lurking in the city, he did not directly ask the answer, but simply said : "I'll go back right away."
After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Chuvashov next to him: "Comrade Colonel, there is something going on in the headquarters. The Military Commissar and I must rush back immediately. It is up to you and Lida to deal with the aftermath of the transfer of the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion." The major will discuss it."
After saying that, before Chuvashov could respond, he stood up and said to Lunev, who had not yet come to his senses: "Comrade Military Commissar, there are things in the headquarters that we need to handle when we go back. Let's go now."
On the way back to the headquarters, Lunev asked Sokov curiously: "Comrade Commander, what happened?"
"I don't know." Sokov shook his head and said, "I was worried that the phone line of the Women's Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion was not secure, so I didn't ask. But in my estimation, this matter should have something to do with the Guchakov Brigade."
"Is it related to the Guchakov Brigade?" Lunev repeated Sokov's words and said to himself: "Did the German army notice our actions and strengthen the defense of the relevant areas?"
As soon as the two returned to the headquarters, Sokov walked towards Samyko who was standing at the table and asked loudly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what happened? Are we preparing to attack Pavlish His actions were discovered by the Germans?”
"Comrade Commander," Seeing Sokov returning, Samyko ignored the pleasantries and directly got into the topic: "Just after you left, I received a report from the landing site, saying that the German troops south of the landing site were evacuating. "
"What, the German troops south of the landing site are evacuating?" This unexpected news shocked Sokov, and he quickly asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is this news reliable?"
"To be honest, when I got this information, I also doubted its reliability, so I immediately sent someone to verify it."
Sokov knew Samyko and knew that he would not report anything to him without a final conclusion, so he asked tentatively: "What are the results of the verification?"
Sameko nodded vigorously and replied: "I requested the reconnaissance plane from Chengbei Airport to dispatch and conduct reconnaissance of the area south of the landing site. Our pilot found that there were indeed signs of large troop mobilization on the ground. When he wanted to fly low When he could see more clearly, he came under machine gun fire from the ground, causing his plane to be hit in multiple places and he had to leave the area as quickly as possible."
Before Sokov could speak, Lunev rushed to say: "Comrade Chief of Staff, could this be a conspiracy by the Germans? They pretended to be retreating just to wait for our army to give up their vigilance and then attack again." Launch an attack suddenly and unexpectedly to achieve the purpose of breaking through our defense line."
In order to prove that his statement is correct, Lunev also added: "You know, in order to divert the enemy's attention, our army often makes some false moves to paralyze the enemy. Moreover, the enemy's mobilization, reconnaissance aircraft The pilot only saw it at high altitude, and as soon as he lowered his altitude, he was attacked by ground fire. Therefore, I think the German's transfer is entirely possible as a conspiracy."
Sokov did not express any opinions on this matter. As the commander of the group army, he must determine whether the German troops have really withdrawn before he can formulate a series of combat plans in a targeted manner. He frowned and thought for a while, then asked Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, in which direction did the enemy evacuate?"
"After the enemy left the existing station, they moved northwest." After pointing out the direction of the German withdrawal on the map, Sameko boldly expressed his judgment: "I think the withdrawal was from the south side of the landing site. The German army should have completed the Chigilin area and assisted the enemy there in attacking the 7th Guards Army, trying to drive all our friendly forces into the Dnieper River before they could gain a foothold."
Sokov stared at the map in front of him, mentally agreeing with Samek's analysis, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he asked expressionlessly: "What is the size of the enemy's withdrawn troops?"
"From the analysis of the intelligence obtained so far, it should be no less than one division." Samyko said to Sokov: "However, this is only a preliminary reconnaissance result. Further intelligence requires continued reconnaissance."
"Let the director of the reconnaissance department notify all reconnaissance teams located south of the landing site to immediately find out the true movements of the German army and how many troops have left the current defense area."
"Yes, I'll call the director of the reconnaissance department immediately."
"Wait a minute." Just when Samyko was about to make a call, Sokov stopped him again and added: "Inform the 254th and 300th Divisions on the front line of the landing site to build fortifications with great fanfare, especially in the Minefields were laid in front of the positions and barbed wire fences were pulled up, showing a posture of preparation for strengthening defense."
Regarding Sokov's order, Samyko seemed a little puzzled: "Comrade Commander, we will soon launch an attack on the enemy. If we lay minefields and pull barbed wire in front of the position at this moment, it will not be harmful to us. Does the attack cause any inconvenience?”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, don't worry." Sokov comforted Samyko: "Even if we lay minefields and pull up barbed wire, we can still send engineers to clear the way for the attacking troops before the attack, and it will not affect the attack at all. We may launch an attack at any time."
