When Chuikov's troops were actively operating near the Vistula River, the German army made new moves. For them, the loss of Brest not only shortened the distance to Warsaw, but also allowed them to bypass East Prussia from the south. In order to prevent this unfavorable situation from occurring, the German high command tried to prevent the Soviet army from developing an offensive near Brest. To this end, it gathered the remnants of the 2nd and 9th Field Armies there.
When Sokov learned that the remnants of the 2nd and 9th armies were beginning to gather and prepare to launch a counterattack against Brest, he quickly adjusted his deployment and moved all the troops originally deployed southwest of Brest to the north or to northwest to counter a possible German attack.
Just as he was deploying troops, he received a call from Rokossovsky: "Misha, have the Germans assembled heavy troops to the north and northwest of Brest?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov gave Rokossovsky an affirmative reply: "The remnants of the enemy's 2nd and 9th armies are gathering. It seems that they are preparing to launch an attack on us. Recapture Brest.”
"Are you confident you can stop them?"
"Of course, Comrade Marshal." Sokov said in a positive tone: "No matter how powerful the attacking enemy is, my men are confident that they can crush their attack."
"Misha, I originally planned to let you rest for a while, but judging from the current situation, I'm afraid I have to break my promise." Rokossovsky said apologetically: "Now Chuikov's troops are carrying out important operations. mission, so I hope you can launch an attack on the German army to divert the Germans' attention away from Chuikov. How about it, can you do it?"
"It can be done, Comrade Marshal." Sokov knew very well that Rokossovsky just wanted him to contain the German army so that the enemy could not detect the actions of Chuikov's troops near the Vistula River. However, he considered that the army had too many new soldiers and lacked enough weapons, so he took the opportunity to say to the other party: "Comrade Marshal, my army has recently added a lot of new soldiers, but it is regrettable that most of the new soldiers have not been replaced." There are no weapons. Do you think you can help us solve some of them?"
If it were any other time, Sokov would have made such a request, and Rokossovsky would have rejected it without hesitation, but at this moment, Rokossovsky had to think about it. He thought for a while and then said to Sokov: "Misha, the number of soldiers you have added this time is too many. Even I may not be able to add enough weapons to you. So, I will send someone to bring them to you." With the equipment of 10,000 people, we can arm ourselves as much as we can. The rest of the insufficient troops can be replenished on the battlefield. Don’t you think so, Misha?"
Now that Rokossovsky has spoken to this extent, does Sokov dare to say no? He could only bite the bullet and said: "Understood, Comrade Marshal, except for the 10,000 firearms provided by the front army headquarters, we need to find a way to deal with the rest of the weapons and equipment."
After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Sidorin and Ponedelin: "Comrade Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander, the front army headquarters has just given us an order. In order to defeat the German army's intention to capture Brest, we are ordered to Take the initiative to attack the enemy."
When they learned that they were going to attack the enemy, both Sidorin and Ponejelin had indifferent expressions on their faces. For them, soldiers were fighting on the battlefield. When the superior orders the time and place to fight the enemy, the troops must fight the enemy at the specified time and place.
However, what Sidorin is most worried about at the moment is the weapons and equipment of the army. After all, the 50,000 people who have just been replenished have already emptied the inventory of weapons in the Army Logistics Department: "Comrade Commander, can the superiors replenish us with weapons and ammunition?" ?You know, in order to arm these 50,000 people, all the weapons stored in the Army Logistics Department have been exhausted."
"I asked Comrade Marshal." Sokov said: "He said that he can provide us with 10,000 firearms of various types, but we need to find a way to solve the remaining insufficient troops ourselves."
"But where are we going to find a solution?" Sidorin said with a grimace: "You know, we have entered Poland. This place cannot be compared with the country. We will definitely not find any warehouses left by our army."
"Yes, the Chief of Staff is right." Ponejelin also echoed: "Comrade Commander, I wonder if you have any way to help our newly added soldiers solve the problem of weapons and ammunition?"
"We sent the three brigades outside the city to search for German participation. Have they gained anything recently?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Sidorin nodded, then opened a notebook and reported to Sokov: "The three brigades we sent, after several days of search, eliminated a total of 685 Germans. Among the officers and soldiers, the 109th Infantry Brigade killed 275 people, the 118th Infantry Brigade killed 319 people, and the 122nd Infantry Brigade killed 91 people."
After listening to Sidorin's report, Sokov couldn't help but frowned: "What's going on with the 122nd Infantry Brigade? Less than a hundred enemies were eliminated. What's going on?"
Seeing the anger on Sokov's face, Sidorin quickly explained to him: "Comrade Commander, there are many reasons. For example, there are no Germans in the area searched by the 122nd Infantry Brigade. existence, all the results they will achieve will be minimal."
Sokov sneered and continued to ask: "Is there any other reason?"
"Other reasons?" Sidorin thought for a while and replied: "There is another possibility. Most of the people sent to search are inexperienced recruits, so it is difficult for them to find the hidden enemies."
After Sidorin finished speaking, Sokov said: "Where is Lieutenant Colonel Victor now? Did his brigade headquarters personally lead the search?"
"That's not very clear." Sidorin said in a panic: "I'll make a phone call first to confirm."
Soon, Sidorin finished the confirmation call and reported to Sokov: "The brigade chief of staff reported that Lieutenant Colonel Victor is now training new recruits on the training ground."
"Okay, I understand." Sokov stood up and said to the two of them with a serious expression: "I will go to Victor's place to have a look, and you will be responsible for the work here."
Soon, Sokov, accompanied by Koshkin, came to the station of the 122nd Infantry Brigade and found Victor on the training ground. He was training the troops at the moment.
Seeing Sokov's arrival, he quickly stopped the training and ran over to report to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the 122nd Infantry Brigade is undergoing military training. Please give instructions!"
"Keep training!" Sokov simply replied.
Soon, the temporarily suspended training resumed.
"Lieutenant Colonel Victor," Sokov looked at the soldiers who were practicing walking and aiming, and asked with some displeasure, "Is this how you train your troops?"
Hearing what Sokov said, Victor asked in surprise: "Comrade Commander, is there something wrong?"
"Of course not." Sokov pointed to the soldiers walking back and forth in front of him practicing goose steps, and said to Victor: "Do you think these goose steps can be used in offense, or can they be used in defense?"
Sokov's question immediately confused Victor, leaving him wondering how to answer the question.
Seeing that Victor didn't speak, Sokov became even more angry. "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," he said rudely: "After we go to the battlefield, do you think what the soldiers are training can be used?" What’s the purpose?”
"cannot."
"Okay, since you said you can't, why do you still let the soldiers train?" Sokov said: "Isn't this a waste of time?"
"So what should we train for?"
"I think soldiers should be allowed to experience the feeling of bullets flying over their heads, so that they can overcome their fear after going to the battlefield."
"How should we train?" Victor asked.
Sokov pointed his hand at a row of mounds dozens of meters away and said: "Let the soldiers hide behind the mounds and shoot at their hiding positions so that they can feel the feeling of bullets flying over their heads. "
"This is not good, Comrade Commander." Victor felt a little disheartened when he heard what Sokov said: "Doing this may easily cause unnecessary casualties."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, no." Koshkin interjected from the side: "There are steel plates in the mounds on the training ground, which are enough to block bullets fired from dozens of meters away."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, gather your people." Sokov said to Victor in a commanding tone: "I want to organize such training myself."
Facing the order issued by Sokov, Victor could only bite the bullet and gather the people, no matter how reluctant he was. Fortunately, those participating in the training at the training ground were all new recruits who had just been added to the army, and the number was not too large.
"Comrades," Sokov stood in front of the queue and said loudly to the recruits in the queue: "If you have never been on the battlefield and experienced the feeling of bullets flying overhead, then training in the training ground will be difficult. Well, that’s useless. Next, we will conduct live fire shooting to let everyone experience the feeling of bullets flying overhead.”
The recruits in the queue did not know the purpose of Sokov's words, and their faces were full of confusion.
Sokov bent down and picked up a disc machine gun and said to the soldiers: "Now, I need three volunteers to hide behind the mound, and then I will shoot at the mound so that they can experience the bullets firsthand." The feeling of flying overhead.”
After listening to Sokov's words, the recruits were all frightened and broke into cold sweats. Hiding behind mounds of dirt and withstanding machine gun fire must be a job with a very high mortality rate. Although many people are not afraid of death, it is not worth dying on the training ground like this.
Seeing that no one volunteered to come out, Sokov pointed his hand at a corporal and ordered: "Comrade corporal, come out!"
The corporal whose name was called by Sokov did not dare to neglect. He stood up from the queue in a hurry and asked in a panic: "Comrade Commander, what are your instructions?"
Sokov handed the light machine gun in his hand to Koshkin, and then said to the corporal: "Comrade Corporal, let me take you to experience the feeling of bullets flying over your head."
When the two came behind the mound, Sokov shouted to Koshkin, who was holding a light machine gun: "We are ready to shoot."
But Koshkin was afraid that Sokov would be in danger and hesitated to shoot. When Sokov saw that he was not shooting, he raised his voice and shouted: "Koshkin, shoot, shoot quickly, we are ready." After shouting, he retracted behind the mound.
The corporal who was hiding behind the mound with Sokov was already so frightened that he lay on the ground with his face on his back, shivering, and asked tremblingly: "Comrade Commander, will we be killed?"
"No, comrade corporal." Sokov comforted the corporal and said: "Such a mound can hide at least three people. When you go to the battlefield in the future, you must remember what I said. This will increase your chance of survival. .”
When Koshkin was holding a machine gun and preparing to shoot at the mound, Victor stopped him and asked tentatively: "Comrade Captain, how about we switch to blank ammunition, which can greatly avoid accidental injuries."
"No, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Koshkin unequivocally rejected Victor's proposal: "Since the commander ordered the use of live ammunition, then live ammunition must be used." After saying that, he rushed to the mound. Two shots were fired from the position. After doing all this, he stood up straight and shouted towards the mound: "Comrade Commander, the shooting has been completed, you can come out!"
Hearing Koshkin's cry, Sokov slowly poked his head out from behind the mound, glanced at Koshkin's position, and found that Koshkin had indeed put the machine gun aside, so he felt confident and bold. Stand up.
Sokov and the corporal answered the front of the queue and asked everyone: "Comrades, who else wants to try?"
When the recruits saw Sokov taking the corporal to experience it for themselves, they suddenly became more courageous, and they all raised their hands and asked to try it. Sokov pointed at the two soldiers at any time, and then asked the corporal to take them to hide behind the mound.
This time Sokov was the one doing the shooting himself. He fired two bursts first, then a continuous shot. Then he stood up and shouted from behind the mound: "You can come out now!"
When the corporal returned to the queue, Sokov stopped him, and then said with a smile: "Comrade corporal, tell your comrades what it feels like when a bullet flies over your head?"
The corporal thought for a while and then replied: "When the bullets first started flying over my head, I was so scared that I almost peed my pants. The second time I went there, I had more experience. As long as I hid behind the pile of dirt and didn't move, I would be fine." Bullets can't hit me at all."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Sokov called Victor in front of him and said to him: "Let every soldier experience the feeling of bullets flying over their heads. In this way, when they go to the battlefield in the future, they will not What kind of panic will arise. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Victor nodded and said, "I will immediately arrange for manpower to come here to cooperate with the new recruits for training."
"Also," Sokov warned the other party: "Just shoot two bursts for each experience. Don't waste too many bullets, lest we don't have enough ammunition when our army goes to the battlefield."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." Victor nodded vigorously after hearing this and replied: "I will follow your order and effectively control the consumption of ammunition while completing special training."
