When Sokov heard what Sidorin said, he couldn't help but sneered: "It would be great if it were really so easy to capture Warsaw."
Sidorin couldn't help but be stunned after hearing this, and then asked: "Why? Didn't the intelligence obtained some time ago say that the German army will withdraw from Warsaw on the 3rd of this month?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, the plan can't keep up with the changes." This is when Ponejelin interrupted: "If no uprising breaks out in the city, then it is entirely possible for the Germans to withdraw from Warsaw as planned. But now that an uprising has broken out in the city, Germany If people still retreat according to the original plan, it means they will suffer huge losses. Therefore, according to my judgment, not only will the Germans not retreat, but on the contrary, they will send more troops to Warsaw and quell the uprising in the city before doing so. What’s next?”
"But our 2nd Tank Army and the Polish 1st Army's troops have already rushed into the east of Warsaw." Sidorin said unconvinced: "And General Chuikov's 8th Guards Army also successfully crossed the river from the south of Warsaw. , and established a landing site. As long as they can launch an attack to the north as soon as possible and cooperate with the troops in the east direction of the city, I believe that the liberation of Warsaw is only a matter of time."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are really too optimistic." Sokov shook his head and said: "Although our army has rushed into the east of Warsaw, if we want to occupy the entire city of Warsaw, we must first cross the Vistula. River, establish a landing site in the west of the city to facilitate our army to gather troops and launch a larger-scale attack on the enemy in the west of the city. But..."
Having said this, Sokov pointed to the map of Warsaw on the table and said to Sidorin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, look, there are only four bridges on the Vistula River. If our army can successfully capture it, then in a short time There is still a glimmer of hope to seize Warsaw within this time. But if the Germans jump over the wall and blow up the four bridges on the Vistula River, do you think our troops can successfully liberate Warsaw?"
Sidorin was speechless at Sokov's statement. But he still said unwillingly: "Even if the Germans blew up the bridge on the Vistula River, so that the troops in the east of the city could not reach the west of the city, what about General Chuikov's troops? They have now crossed the Vistula, and there is no It is probably much easier to enter the city of Warsaw due to natural barriers.”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are wrong again." This time it was Ponejelin who retorted to Sidorin: "The reason why General Chuikov's troops were able to successfully forcibly cross was mainly because the German army's defenses in these river sections were weak. The reason why this happened This situation is entirely because the rivers in these areas are crisscrossed, which is not conducive to the deployment of mechanized troops. The German army feels that even if our army crosses the river from this area, it will be difficult to deploy large troops, and the threat to them is not great."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov added after waiting for Ponedelin to finish: "When Comrade Marshal called me just now, he mentioned General Chuikov's troops and said that the landing site they had established was at the moment. was attacked by four German divisions. In order to prevent the troops holding on to the landing site from being driven into the Vistula River by the Germans, the Front Army Headquarters dispatched pontoon bridge troops and were racing against time to erect pontoon bridges to transport the troops and various equipment assembled on the right bank. Ship it over."
Knowing that Chuikov's troops were in a difficult situation, Sidorin fell silent. He did not expect that the situation would become so serious in a short period of time. If the current trend continues, not only will it be impossible to capture Warsaw as soon as possible, but the attacking troops may even suffer heavy losses.
"Comrade Commander, I don't understand why the Germans issued an order to evacuate Warsaw?"
Sokov organized the vocabulary in his mind, and then said: "According to the gossip, Mustache was assassinated by his officers ten days ago. Although this assassination operation ended in failure, it was still somewhat It affects the morale and morale of the troops. In addition, the German army suffered disastrous defeats in Belarus and Poland. In order to stabilize the situation, it is necessary to appropriately abandon some cities and gather heavy troops to defend important areas. I think this is probably the German I originally planned to abandon the original intention of Warsaw.”
After listening to Sokov's analysis, Ponejelin nodded and said in a positive tone: "Comrade Commander, you are right. The reason why the Germans want to abandon Warsaw should be the reason you said. If Warsaw There was no uprising in the city. I thought our army would be able to successfully enter the city in two days. But with the outbreak of the uprising, the situation in the city changed unexpectedly. I thought we would enter Warsaw in a short time. It’s already unrealistic.”
Sidorin stared at the map for a while, then raised his head and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, if we still have a hovercraft to use, now is the best time to enter Warsaw."
Regarding Sidorin's statement, Sokov agreed: "Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, you are right. Relying on the powerful maneuverability of the hovercraft, we can choose any point to cross the Vistula River , and quickly assembled a certain size of troops. Taking advantage of the fierce fighting between the Germans and the rebels in the west of the city, we unexpectedly launched an attack to the west of the city. We might be able to successfully occupy the city within a day or two. maybe."
Sokov's words made Sidorin's eyes light up: "Comrade Commander, how about we make a request to Comrade Marshal and ask the Weapons and Equipment Department to re-equip the hovercraft to us, so that we can cross the Vistula by surprise?" River, and took advantage of the confusion of the German defense to capture the city of Warsaw."
Sidorin's proposal was indeed very tempting, but Sokov thought for a while and still rejected his proposal: "Comrade Chief of Staff, your idea is good, but I think your superiors may not agree. You think, we After completing the strategy in Belarus, there will definitely be many places where hovercrafts will be used in the subsequent battles, but the superiors still transferred the hovercrafts without hesitation, proving that they intend to use these equipment in other more important places. Even if we make a request, I’m afraid we won’t agree.”
Although Sokov's words are very reasonable, this time Ponedelin also echoed Sidorin: "Comrade Commander, I think you can give it a try. Even if you are rejected, it is not a big deal. Anyway, we are here." We were also ordered to rest for a period of time. But if our superiors agree to hand over the hovercraft to us, it might become a key to changing the current war situation."
"Yes, Comrade Commander, let's give it a try." Sidorin also said smoothly: "Even if it is rejected by the superior, it is not a big deal. But if it is agreed, it will be a big deal for us. Good thing."
The words of the two shook Sokov's heart. He knew very well that with the cooperation of the hovercraft, he could cross an infantry division and a tank brigade across the river overnight, and take advantage of the German troops and troops in the west of Warsaw. When the rebels were fighting fiercely, they launched a surprise attack and might actually capture the entire city.
"Okay," Sokov hesitated again and again, but finally decided to give it a try. He picked up the phone on the table and called the front headquarters. As soon as he heard Malinin's voice, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, this is Sokov. I have something urgent to ask Comrade Marshal. Is he there?"
"Yes, yes. Just wait a moment and I'll call him for you right away." Soon, Sokov heard Malinin's voice calling Rokossovsky from the receiver: "Comrade Commander, Sokov General Husband said that I have something urgent to ask you."
When Rokossovsky heard that Sokov had something urgent to do with him, he felt quite strange in his heart. Why didn't he tell him something when he just talked to him on the phone, but now he called him and said: "Hey, Misha, What do you want from me?"
"Hello, Comrade Marshal!" Sokov said carefully: "I feel that the current battle in the east of Warsaw and the landing field established in the south of Warsaw may not achieve our ultimate goal, so I intend to ask you to agree to let my troops Join the fight.”
"What, let your troops join the battle?" Rokossovsky asked in surprise: "Why?"
Sokov knew very well that if he wanted to convince Rokossovsky, he must first analyze the current situation clearly: "Comrade Marshal, although our army has rushed into the eastern part of Warsaw, the city has been defended. The Siva River is divided into east and west parts. Once the German army blows up the bridge on the Vistula River, even if our troops occupy the east part of the city, it may be difficult to cross the river and enter the west part of the city."
"Although the troops commanded by General Chuikov have established a landing site on the left bank of the Vistula River, the Germans will definitely not allow them to consolidate the landing site under their noses. They will definitely send out troops to counterattack and try to remove the troops on the landing site. Eliminate or drive back to the right bank area."
"It is with these two points in mind that I plan to open up a new offensive line. I hope to get your support!"
"New offensive line?!" Rokossovsky asked in surprise: "Where is it?"
"The location between the city of Warsaw and the Magnushev landing site." After Sokov said the location where he planned to implement the breakthrough, he explained in detail: "The reason why I chose this location is that it is far away from Warsaw. The city is relatively close, which is convenient for launching an attack; secondly, it is backed by the Magnushev landing site, which can help them contain some of the German troops now. In the future, when we are short of troops, we can also get support from General Chuikov's troops."
"Then why didn't you choose to attack from the north of Warsaw?" Rokossovsky asked.
"The reason is simple, Comrade Marshal." Sokov replied: "Because there is Modlin Fortress to the north of Warsaw. The long-range artillery fire it possesses will cause huge casualties to our offensive troops."
After Rokossovsky waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he asked another key question: "Didn't all the river-crossing equipment of your army group be given to Chuikov's troops? What equipment do you plan to use to transfer your troops?" Transported to the left bank of the Vistula?"
"Hovercraft!" Sokov said: "This kind of transportation equipment can transport a large number of troops and equipment to the left bank area in a very short time."
"But wasn't the hovercraft taken away by the Weaponry and Equipment Department?" Rokossovsky asked in surprise: "Is there any way you can get Comrade Ustinov to give these equipment to you again?"
"Comrade Marshal, this is why I called you." Sokov said: "I hope you can come forward to discuss with Comrade Ustinov to see if he can hand over these hovercrafts again. us."
Regarding Sokov's request, Rokossovsky was a little embarrassed. Even though he was already a marshal, his rank was still not comparable to that of Ustinov, a young people's commissar. Even if he made a request to the other party , whether the other party can agree is still unknown.
When Sokov heard Rokossovsky's delay in speaking, he guessed that he must be in trouble, and quickly added: "Comrade Marshal, time is pressing. If the hovercraft can arrive earlier, we have a better chance of capturing the city of Warsaw." High. If we wait for the main force of the German army to arrive, even if we have more troops to cross the river, it will be exponentially more difficult to capture this city."
Rokossovsky didn't understand what Sokov said. After weighing it, he said to Sokov: "Okay, Misha, I will call Comrade Ustinov immediately, hoping that he can hand over these hovercrafts to us so that we can use them in the shortest time." Liberate Warsaw within time.”
After Rokossovsky ended the call with Sokov, he sat down and thought for a while, feeling that if he contacted Ustinov rashly, he would most likely be rejected by the other party. When he was in a dilemma, Ma Lining came over and asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, what are you thinking about?"
Rokossovsky repeated the conversation he had just had with Sokov to Malinin, and finally said: "I have no friendship with comrades Ustinov. If I make this request to him, there is a high chance that will be rejected.”
"Maybe we can ask Marshal Zhukov for help." Malinin suggested to Rokossovsky: "In any case, both of them are members of the Supreme Command and can talk to each other. Maybe if he comes forward, can solve this matter.”
"This is a good idea." Rokossovsky thought that Zhukov was now at the headquarters of the 65th Army, and quickly ordered someone to help him get through the phone of the headquarters: "I will call Marshal Zhukov right now."
After the call was connected, Bartov, who answered the phone, thought Rokossovsky had any combat missions for him, and proactively asked: "Comrade Commander, do you have any combat missions for us?"
Unexpectedly, Rokossovsky asked: "Is Marshal Zhukov here?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal is in my headquarters." Batov said, "I will call him right away."
Soon, Zhukov's voice came from the receiver: "Koschka, how is the progress of Chuikov's troops?"
"They have established a landing site on the left bank, but the Germans are constantly counterattacking, trying to drive his troops back to the right bank of the Vistula." Rokossovsky briefly reported Chuikov's situation. , he simply stated the purpose of his call: "Comrade Marshal, I would like to ask you a favor."
Hearing what Rokossovsky said, Zhukov couldn't help but laugh: "Koschka, given the friendship between the two of us, if you have anything to say, just say it, don't say whether to help or not."
"That's it, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky quickly repeated to Zhukov what Sokov said to him, and finally said: "Misha asked me to contact Ustinov Comrade, I hope to get those hovercrafts from the Armament and Equipment Department to use to ferry his troops across the Vistula."
After Rokossovsky finished speaking, Zhukov fell silent. To be fair, if he negotiates with Ustinov, the chance of getting those hovercrafts is very high, but what he is considering is whether it is necessary to capture Warsaw at the moment.
Seeing Zhukov's delay in speaking, Rokossovsky couldn't help but become a little anxious, and quickly asked: "Comrade Marshal, can't you speak in front of Ustinov?"
"No, Koschka." Zhukov felt that it was necessary to explain the current situation clearly to Rokossovsky and let him make his own decision: "I can come forward to ask Ustinov for the hovercraft. But what I’m thinking about now is, is it necessary for us to take Warsaw City now?”
Rokossovsky couldn't help but be stunned after hearing this: "Comrade Marshal, what do you mean?"
"According to unconfirmed news, the uprising in Warsaw was led by the Krajov Army." Zhukov said on the phone: "You also know that this army is not friendly to our army. This is reflected in their deliberate This can be seen from the news of the blockade uprising. I was thinking just now, even if our army really enters the west of Warsaw and comes into contact with them, tell me, by that time, will they welcome us or oppose us? Woolen cloth?"
Zhukov's words reminded Rokossovsky of the scene of contact with Krajov's army two days ago. He couldn't help but feel that Zhukov's words made sense. If he really helped Sokov find the hovercraft, let his troops take advantage of it. As the Germans were in chaos, they rushed into the west of Warsaw. What attitude would the rebels in the city take towards the Soviet troops entering the city?
"So, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky said cautiously: "It is inappropriate for us to enter Warsaw at the moment."
"Yes, that's what I mean." Zhukov nodded and said: "Although we have not yet figured out the scale of the uprising in Warsaw, one thing is certain, that is, the main forces in the uprising army , led by the Krajow Army. If we help them defeat the German army, I am afraid that not only will they not be grateful to us, they will even become our enemies and try every means to squeeze us out of Warsaw, waiting for the exile government in London to take over. City."
"I understand, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky also made a decision at this moment, and said to Zhukov: "Since the conditions for capturing Warsaw are not mature at present, then we don't need to look for Comrade Ustinov anymore. . I plan to observe it for a while and then decide what measures should be taken to capture Warsaw."
