When Rokossovsky just took over the command, Vatutin did feel resentful in his heart. However, after more than a month of observation, he found that the other party was indeed more experienced and more comfortable in commanding large corps in combat than he was, which made him understand. The gap between the two of them was revealed, and they slowly accepted this fact.
At this moment, Vatutin was not angry when he heard Lunev exposing his scars. He just smiled bitterly and said: "General Lunev, how should I put it? When I was first replaced by Rokossovsky, I must have some I was disappointed. But after a period of observation, I found that he far surpassed me in handling crises and commanding large corps operations. If the German army launched a counterattack on Kiev, and he was not there to take over my position, Kiev might fall again. into the hands of the Germans.”
Lunev was even more surprised to see Vatutin speaking so bluntly. He has known Vatutin for more than ten years and knows that he is a headstrong person who cannot even listen to the opinions of Zhukov and Vasilevsky. Now he can actually recognize Rokossovsky's commanding ability. It is really too much. It was unexpected.
Since Vatutin was eager to leave Moscow, Lunev did not continue to ask questions. He just wanted to get the other person on the plane quickly, and then he could go back and resume his life.
We drove to the airport. Since the airport had been notified in advance, the plane had already been arranged to wait on the runway.
Seeing two black cars approaching, the pilot standing next to the plane rushed to greet Vatutin who came out of the car: "Hello, Comrade General, I have been ordered to take you back to Kiev."
Vatutin glanced at the back of the transport plane and found that two fighters were also ready to take off, so he casually asked: "Comrade pilot, will those two fighters also follow us to Kiev?"
"Yes, Comrade General." The pilot nodded and replied affirmatively: "Although the air supremacy from Moscow to Kiev is in the hands of our air force. But in order to prevent enemy planes from crossing Kiev and posing a danger to your safety , the superiors specially dispatched two fighter planes to escort us.”
Vatutin originally wanted to avoid fighter escort, but then he thought about it. This is Moscow, not Kiev, and he has no say in what happens at the airport. Thinking of this, he hummed softly, and then got on the plane with the help of his adjutant.
Lunev watched with his own eyes as Vatutin's plane took off and turned into a small black dot in the sky. Then he turned to his subordinates behind him and said, "Okay, let's go back."
Returning to Lubyanka, Lunev went directly to the office to meet Beria and prepared to report to him.
Beria had already been notified by Lunev that Vatutin wanted to rush back to Kiev immediately. When he saw Lunev walking in from outside, he nodded to him and asked bluntly: "Vatutin General Jing has returned to Kiev?"
"Yes, Comrade Beria." Lunev replied respectfully: "General Vatutin's plane took off a quarter of an hour ago. If everything goes well, he will arrive in Kiev in two hours."
"When he returned to Moscow this time, did he only go to see Sokov?"
"That's right." Lunev replied: "From the moment he got off the plane and set foot on the soil of Moscow, to the time he left Moscow, I followed him step by step. Except for Sokov, he Didn’t see anyone, didn’t call anyone.”
"Then tell me what Vatutin said when he visited Sokov in the hospital."
Lunev agreed and gave a detailed report to Beria of what he saw and heard.
After hearing this, Beria stood up and walked out from behind his desk. He walked back and forth in the spacious office with his hands behind his back, and began to think about every detail of Lunev's report.
After walking for five or six minutes, he suddenly stopped and asked confusedly: "Lunev, what do you think of this matter?"
Lunev was stunned for a moment, then understood what Beria meant, and quickly replied: "I think Vatutin came to Moscow this time just to persuade Sokov to join his First Ukrainian Front."
"Oh, his purpose is that simple?"
"I think so." Lunev nodded and replied: "You also know that Vatutin was dismissed from his post last month due to poor command. Now although his command is about to be restored, if his subordinates Without one or two capable army-level commanders, it is difficult to say that a situation like the Battle of Zhitomyr will not occur again.”
"You make sense." Beria agreed with Lunev's analysis: "As far as I know, Rokossovsky and Konev also proposed to the Supreme Command that they hope to wait for Sokov After his recovery and training, he was able to be sent to their unit. I never expected that Sokov would become a sought-after commodity on all fronts at such a young age."
Hearing what Beria said, Lunev smiled lightly, and then said: "Comrade Beria, I have been partnering with Sokov for nearly a year. I have a say in his abilities."
"tell me the story."
"Perhaps because he has not received systematic military theory education, the tactics he uses when commanding operations are often different from our traditional tactics." Lunev said: "Use his new tactics on the battlefield to deal with the enemy. , often beating the enemy until he is unable to parry."
In order to further strengthen his persuasion, he also specifically emphasized: "For example, several elite SS divisions of the German army basically had no defeats against other units of our army. But as long as they encountered Sokov, they would fight They will definitely lose the battle. Because of the various tactics used by Sokov, the Germans have no idea how to deal with it."
Beria returned to his desk and sat down, and said to Lunev: "Comrade Lunev, you might as well go to the hospital to meet Sokov and hear what he means."
When Lunev heard what Beria said, he asked in confusion: "Why should you ask him?"
"Now the General Staff has taken a fancy to him and is doing everything possible to keep him. Antonov even specially talked to Comrade Stalin about this matter." Beria looked at Lunev and said: "Through your usual introduction to me Under the circumstances, I think it is more appropriate for Sokov to return to the front line."
"Understood." Lunev remembered that he had accompanied Shtemenko to meet Sokov and persuaded him to stay in the General Staff Headquarters, but he was politely rejected. At this moment, Beria asked him to understand Sokov. Naturally, he would not shirk his true thoughts: "I will go to the hospital right now."
"Go ahead," Beria waved to Lunev and said casually, "Say hello to me by the way."
When Rokossovsky just took over the command, Vatutin did feel resentful in his heart. However, after more than a month of observation, he found that the other party was indeed more experienced and more comfortable in commanding large corps in combat than he was, which made him understand. The gap between the two of them was revealed, and they slowly accepted this fact.
At this moment, Vatutin was not angry when he heard Lunev exposing his scars. He just smiled bitterly and said: "General Lunev, how should I put it? When I was first replaced by Rokossovsky, I must have some I was disappointed. But after a period of observation, I found that he far surpassed me in handling crises and commanding large corps operations. If the German army launched a counterattack on Kiev, and he was not there to take over my position, Kiev might fall again. into the hands of the Germans.”
Lunev was even more surprised to see Vatutin speaking so bluntly. He has known Vatutin for more than ten years and knows that he is a headstrong person who cannot even listen to the opinions of Zhukov and Vasilevsky. Now he can actually recognize Rokossovsky's commanding ability. It is really too much. It was unexpected.
Since Vatutin was eager to leave Moscow, Lunev did not continue to ask questions. He just wanted to get the other person on the plane quickly, and then he could go back and resume his life.
We drove to the airport. Since the airport had been notified in advance, the plane had already been arranged to wait on the runway.
Seeing two black cars approaching, the pilot standing next to the plane rushed to greet Vatutin who came out of the car: "Hello, Comrade General, I have been ordered to take you back to Kiev."
Vatutin glanced at the back of the transport plane and found that two fighters were also ready to take off, so he casually asked: "Comrade pilot, will those two fighters also follow us to Kiev?"
"Yes, Comrade General." The pilot nodded and replied affirmatively: "Although the air supremacy from Moscow to Kiev is in the hands of our air force. But in order to prevent enemy planes from crossing Kiev and posing a danger to your safety , the superiors specially dispatched two fighter planes to escort us.”
Vatutin originally wanted to avoid fighter escort, but then he thought about it. This is Moscow, not Kiev, and he has no say in what happens at the airport. Thinking of this, he hummed softly, and then got on the plane with the help of his adjutant.
Lunev watched with his own eyes as Vatutin's plane took off and turned into a small black dot in the sky. Then he turned to his subordinates behind him and said, "Okay, let's go back."
Returning to Lubyanka, Lunev went directly to the office to meet Beria and prepared to report to him.
Beria had already been notified by Lunev that Vatutin wanted to rush back to Kiev immediately. When he saw Lunev walking in from outside, he nodded to him and asked bluntly: "Vatutin General Jing has returned to Kiev?"
"Yes, Comrade Beria." Lunev replied respectfully: "General Vatutin's plane took off a quarter of an hour ago. If everything goes well, he will arrive in Kiev in two hours."
"When he returned to Moscow this time, did he only go to see Sokov?"
"That's right." Lunev replied: "From the moment he got off the plane and set foot on the soil of Moscow, to the time he left Moscow, I followed him step by step. Except for Sokov, he Didn’t see anyone, didn’t call anyone.”
"Then tell me what Vatutin said when he visited Sokov in the hospital."
Lunev agreed and gave a detailed report to Beria of what he saw and heard.
After hearing this, Beria stood up and walked out from behind his desk. He walked back and forth in the spacious office with his hands behind his back, and began to think about every detail of Lunev's report.
After walking for five or six minutes, he suddenly stopped and asked confusedly: "Lunev, what do you think of this matter?"
Lunev was stunned for a moment, then understood what Beria meant, and quickly replied: "I think Vatutin came to Moscow this time just to persuade Sokov to join his First Ukrainian Front."
"Oh, his purpose is that simple?"
"I think so." Lunev nodded and replied: "You also know that Vatutin was dismissed from his post last month due to poor command. Now although his command is about to be restored, if his subordinates Without one or two capable army-level commanders, it is difficult to say that a situation like the Battle of Zhitomyr will not occur again.”
"You make sense." Beria agreed with Lunev's analysis: "As far as I know, Rokossovsky and Konev also proposed to the Supreme Command that they hope to wait for Sokov After his recovery and training, he was able to be sent to their unit. I never expected that Sokov would become a sought-after commodity on all fronts at such a young age."
Hearing what Beria said, Lunev smiled lightly, and then said: "Comrade Beria, I have been partnering with Sokov for nearly a year. I have a say in his abilities."
"tell me the story."
"Perhaps because he has not received systematic military theory education, the tactics he uses when commanding operations are often different from our traditional tactics." Lunev said: "Use his new tactics on the battlefield to deal with the enemy. , often beating the enemy until he is unable to parry."
In order to further strengthen his persuasion, he also specifically emphasized: "For example, several elite SS divisions of the German army basically had no defeat against other units of our army. But as long as they encountered Sokov, they would be defeated. They will definitely lose the battle. Because of the various tactics used by Sokov, the Germans have no idea how to deal with it."
Beria returned to his desk and sat down, and said to Lunev: "Comrade Lunev, you might as well go to the hospital to meet Sokov and hear what he means."
When Lunev heard what Beria said, he asked in confusion: "Why should you ask him?"
"Now the General Staff has taken a fancy to him and is doing everything possible to keep him. Antonov even specially talked to Comrade Stalin about this matter." Beria looked at Lunev and said: "Through your usual introduction to me Under the circumstances, I think it is more appropriate for Sokov to return to the front line."
"Understood." Lunev remembered that he had accompanied Shtemenko to meet Sokov and persuaded him to stay in the General Staff Headquarters, but he was politely rejected. At this moment, Beria asked him to understand Sokov's Naturally, he would not shirk his true thoughts: "I will go to the hospital right now."
"Go ahead," Beria waved to Lunev and said casually, "Say hello to me by the way."
