Since Rokossovsky was the endorser, Sokov knew that letting Kirillov escort the gold to Moscow this time was a rare opportunity for him. Maybe the superiors would be happy and no longer pursue the matter of his capture, and they might even directly promote him to general.
After putting down the phone, Sokov couldn't wait to order Sidorin who was standing aside: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please immediately arrange manpower to escort Colonel Kirillov and his men to the front army headquarters."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." Sidorin agreed very readily: "I will take care of this matter immediately."
Kirillov, who stayed behind to guard the jewelry, never imagined that within a quarter of an hour after Sokov left, his confidant Captain Koshkin would appear in the room.
Kirillov quickly stepped forward and asked politely: "Comrade Captain, does the commander have any orders?"
"Comrade Colonel," Koshkin explained to Kirillov: "Comrade Commander has already agreed with General Rokossovsky to ask you to take your jewelry and rush to the front headquarters first, and then take a plane directly there. Moscow. Are you ready? If you are, we will leave now."
"It has been prepared for a long time, Comrade Captain." Kirillov naturally knew that this was his opportunity. Hearing Koshkin's question, he nodded quickly and replied: "You can leave at any time."
"The truck is outside," Koshkin said. "I will send a guard platoon to escort you to the front headquarters."
After Kirillov set off, Koshkin came back and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the vehicle in which Colonel Kirillov is riding has already set off."
Sokov asked with some worry: "Koshkin, if we only send one guard platoon to escort us, won't there be too few people?"
"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Koshkin replied: "Colonel Kirillov and Jewel are on the armored vehicle. Even if they are attacked by a small group of enemies, they can escape safely."
"That's good."
"Comrade Commander," Sidorin asked tentatively: "Tell me, what kind of reward will the superiors give them when Colonel Kirillov returns to Moscow this time?"
"What kind of reward, I can't say." Sokov said with a smile: "But when he comes back, the rank on the shoulder straps will definitely no longer be colonel. Okay, that's it for now, let's talk about it Just the work in front of you.”
"Comrade Commander, there is one more thing I forgot to report to you."
"whats the matter?"
"Here, look here." Sidorin pointed to the map and said to Sokov: "According to the scout's report, the enemy has laid a large number of mines here to prevent our army from entering the area."
"How many landmines are there and how much area do they cover?"
When he learned that the Germans had planted landmines at the edge of the swamp, Sokov's expression became serious. If the mines planted by the Germans were not removed in advance, let alone an infantry charge, even if they used a hovercraft to charge, they would be seriously injured by the German mines. Unspeakable. He asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what are you going to do?"
"I plan to organize several engineering teams to sneak into the enemy's defense areas quietly and open up several roads in their minefields for infantry to charge."
"This is a good idea." Ponejelin raised his own question: "But what should we do with those dug mines? If they are placed aside, they will be easily noticed by the enemy."
"Comrade Deputy Commander, in order to avoid being noticed by the enemy, we have sent a limited number of engineers." Sidorin said helplessly: "We cannot bring so many mines back, I am afraid we can only leave them in the minefield."
"No, we can't stay in the minefield." Ponejelin shook his head and said resolutely: "If the Germans discover these mines, they will understand that our army intends to attack in this area, and they may mobilize them from other directions. troops to strengthen defenses, thereby exposing our offensive intentions."
"If it doesn't work, we can only start clearing mines a few hours before the attack starts." Sidorin said: "This way, even if the enemy notices our intentions and wants to take any measures, it may be too late."
"Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff, actually you don't have to worry about this kind of thing." Belkin, who was sitting next to him silently, suddenly interrupted and said: "Maybe your commander already has a good idea."
After Belkin's reminder, the two people immediately thought that Sokov had always been resourceful and such a thing would not be difficult for them, so they both set their sights on Sokov, hoping to get a reasonable plan from him.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Sokov couldn't help but grinned and said, "I'm not a girl, why are you all staring at me?"
Sokov's joke immediately caused a burst of laughter.
Then Ponejelin said: "Comrade Commander, I think Colonel Belkin is right. You have always been resourceful. You can always come up with good solutions to problems that we can't figure out. Tell me, you How I plan to deal with the landmines planted by the German army can not only open up a channel for our army to attack, but also prevent the enemy from noticing my intentions."
"Comrade Deputy Commander, aren't you making things difficult for me?" Sokov deliberately pretended to be embarrassed and said, "You guys can't come up with a good solution, so I can come up with one?"
"Okay, Misha, stop teasing them." Belkin said: "If you have any good ideas, just tell them quickly so that they can make preparations as soon as possible."
Sokov nodded, suppressed the smile on his face, and said sternly: "Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff, since our engineers have raised the mines, why do they bring the mines back? Bury them in another place instead of replacing them. Okay?"
These words confused Ponejelin and Sidorin. They looked at each other and saw confusion in each other's eyes. Then Ponedelin turned his attention to Sokov again and asked puzzledly: "Comrade Commander, you re-buried the mines you dug out. What is going on? Can you explain to us?"
Sokov knew very well that the way he said it would probably be beyond the imagination of the two of them in their dreams, so he patiently explained to them: "When I say rebury the mines, I don't mean digging them out from somewhere." , just rebury it somewhere else. In that case, it would be better not to dig it up.
What I mean by reburying is to have engineers bury mines around the enemy's positions to block them. In particular, landmines must be laid on the road they must pass every day. After a few explosions, they will become honest and stay in their own positions obediently, not daring to go out easily.
In this way, as long as the enemy stays on the high ground and does not move around every day, we can ignore them and let the engineers continue to open roads in the enemy's minefield without worrying about being harassed by the enemy. "
"This is a really good idea." After hearing what Sokov said, Sidorin waved his fist excitedly and said happily: "Let our engineers lay mines around the enemy's high ground. As long as the Germans dare to go down the mountain, they may step on them." Put mines on them and blow them up a few times, and they'll be honest."
"Also," Sokov added: "If you see any telephone lines leading to the high ground, cut them off so that the defenders on the high ground cannot communicate with the rear and cannot obtain various supplements in a timely manner. It is necessary to You know, the German troops stationed in the highlands probably don’t have engineers among them. If their communication lines are cut off, they will not be able to communicate with the outside world. Even if our troops make some small moves, they will not be able to report to their superiors in time."
"After destroying their telephone lines, we will lay mines under the telephone poles." Sokov said with a sneer: "This will also reimburse some of their communication troops, so as to improve the distance between various highlands and the German command headquarters." The connection is even more blocked."
After hearing Sokov's method, Ponejelin couldn't help but applaud: "Comrade Commander, your method is really great. Use enemy mines to trap the enemy on high ground, and cut off their communications and supplies." , this move is really wonderful.”
Hearing Ponedelin's praise, Sokov did not speak, but smiled faintly. He thought to himself: If he wants to deal with the Germans on the highlands, he has many ways, if he is not afraid of affecting the upcoming Operation Bagration. , I am afraid that I have already sent people to squeeze away the enemies on the high ground across the swamp.
Seeing that Sokov's plan was good, Sidorin quickly picked up the phone and called the engineering troops, told their commander what Sokov meant, and finally said: "...tell those engineers to dig out I planted mines around the enemy's high ground, especially on their way up and down the mountain, to cut off their supplies; and after destroying the communication lines, I laid mines under the telephone poles to blow up their communication soldiers... "
"Misha," Belkin, who heard Sidorin's call, shook his head and said, "I have to say, your method is really vicious. I think if the German army on the highlands is really cut off from supplies, what will happen again?" If we can't contact our superiors, it won't take long before we will voluntarily abandon these high ground and move to a further back position to re-establish our defense line."
"Operation Bagration will begin in about ten days," Sokov said with a sneer: "Even if the Germans want to abandon the high ground and retreat to the rear to build a new line of defense, it will be too late in time."
Although Belkin did not know the details of Operation Bagration, it did not prevent him from seeking Sokov's opinion and understanding Sokov's views on this large-scale battle.
"Bergin, I tell you with great confidence." Sokov knew the final result of Operation Bagration and said confidently: "Once the battle begins, the enemy will suffer a disastrous defeat. At most two to three In a few months, we can eliminate all enemies in Belarus."
Although Ponedelin heard Sokov say this more than once, but now hearing him say the same thing to Belkin, he couldn't help but feel worried. After all, Sokov's words were too confident. The Soviet army fought in Ukraine for more than half a year and only recovered half of the country. It was temporarily unable to drive the Germans away from Ukraine. However, a campaign launched in Belarus could drive out all the enemies within two months. , this sounds like a fantasy.
Although he thought so in his heart, Ponejelin would not say it out of his mouth. He turned his head to one side, pretending to look at Sidorin who was on the phone, but actually just to avoid embarrassment.
Sokov saw every move of Ponedelin. He was well aware of Ponedelin's reaction, but he did not give any more explanation. After all, facts speak louder than words. After the battle started, these people would naturally understand whether what they said was true or false.
Belkin personally participated in the battle to liberate Ukraine and naturally understood the level of the enemy's combat effectiveness. Hearing Sokov speak so confidently, he asked tentatively: "Misha, do you really think that our army can completely defeat the Germans in Belarus within two months?"
"Of course, I must have my own reasons for saying this." Sokov felt that if he didn't come up with something useful, Belkin might not believe what he said: "First of all, in this battle, we will A huge number of troops were used, and they were at an absolute advantage in terms of strength and equipment;
Secondly, the enemy placed its main troops and equipment in the direction of Ilic, which inevitably weakened our army's defensive strength in the main attack direction, allowing our army to quickly break through the enemy's defense after the battle started;
The last point is that before our operation begins, the guerrillas in Belarus will actively take action to destroy roads, bridges, and enemy communication lines behind enemy lines. Attack military depots, material transfer stations, and some important targets, turning the enemy's rear into a mess. "
"Misha, I think our slow progress in Ukraine is probably related to the lack of cooperation from the guerrillas." Belkin said with emotion: "As far as I know, the guerrillas in Ukraine are divided into three forces: First, The commanders and fighters who were dispersed by our army were formed into pro-Soviet guerrillas; the second was the guerrillas supported by the Germans and supported the Germans; and the third type of guerrillas was composed of Bandera elements who wanted to attack Germany. People will also attack our troops.
It is precisely because the guerrillas in Ukraine are complex and unable to provide us with effective help. Therefore, in our battle to liberate Ukraine, although the commanders and fighters performed extremely bravely and had advantages in strength and equipment, they were unable to drive the enemy out of the country. This is probably the main reason. "
"Bergin, you are right." Sokov agreed with Belkin's statement: "The guerrillas in Ukraine not only did not play a supporting role in our battle to liberate Ukraine, but on the contrary They are still trying to hold us back. They even help the enemy to deal with us. For example, General Vatutin, the commander of the First Ukrainian Front, was injured by the Bandera elements, and finally died due to wound infection."
When mentioning Vatutin, Belkin couldn't help but sigh: "His injuries were getting better, but unfortunately he died due to wound infection. This is such a pity. He was a good man, and the news of his sacrifice spread to the army. I I heard that many officers and soldiers shed tears."
Sokov did not say a word, although he felt that Vatutin was not available. If he was allowed to continue to command the 1st Ukrainian Front, it would be difficult for the front to achieve any impressive results in the coming days. But the dead are the most important. When Belkin said this, he could only agree: "Yes, he is a good man."
