As time entered September, the German army used all available forces to launch a fierce attack on the landing site, but they were still unable to drive Chuikov's troops into the Vistula River, and the Magnushev landing site became more and more stable.
Polish comrades sent from Lublin, after nearly a month of investigation, finally figured out what the Warsaw Uprising was about. The uprising was organized by a group of officers of the Krajow Army. They followed the orders of the Polish exiled government in London and launched the uprising on August 1.
The uprising was led by General Montel, and the Krajov Army, which had the largest number of troops, the best weapons, equipment and organization, played the leading role. The patriotic residents of Warsaw, those who hated the German occupation forces and hoped to drive out the enslavers as soon as possible all participated in the uprising. They took up arms and fought against the enemy without hesitation.
From the intelligence provided by Polish comrades, Rokossovsky knew that the leaders of the uprising did everything possible to prevent the uprising from establishing any contact with the Soviet army. But as time went by, the rebels who participated in the uprising began to understand that they had been deceived. The situation in Warsaw became increasingly difficult, and internal strife began among the rebels. The leader of the Krajov Army had no choice but to ask for help from the Soviet command through London.
After receiving the secret report, Chief of the General Staff Antonov communicated between Rokossovsky and the rebels. The next day, September 18, British Radio broadcast the news of General Boer's report on coordinated operations with Rokossovsky's command, as well as the continuous airdrop of weapons, ammunition and food by Soviet aircraft to the rebels in Warsaw. information.
If the rebels had contacted Rokossovsky's command earlier, the Soviet army would have provided weapons, ammunition and various supplies to the rebels in the city. But now General Boer's external propaganda cooperation only came to Rokossovsky's troops for help after the British Air Force's attempt to supply the rebels failed. However, he always had the illusion in his heart that London would provide them with weapons, ammunition and supplies.
One day a few days later, under the cover of Mustang fighters, 80 Flying Fortresses flew over the Warsaw Pact. Due to being attacked by German ground artillery fire, they had to drop supplies at an altitude of 4,500 meters. However, due to the interlocking defense lines between the rebel army and the German army, most of these airdropped supplies fell into the hands of the Germans.
Two of the British aircraft participating in the airdrop were shot down by German anti-aircraft guns. In order to avoid unnecessary losses, the British never airdropped Warsaw again after this time.
The German army found that the weakest point of the 1st Belorussian Front was between Praga and Sedelce, so they concentrated the 4th Armored Division, Goering Armored Division, 19th Armored Division and 73rd Infantry Division. A new offensive was launched in this area.
Rokossovsky, who was directing the battle in the headquarters, looked at the map in front of him and said to Malinen with emotion: "The rebels in Warsaw were able to seize the bridge on the Vistula River and capture Praga, striking from the enemy's rear. That's good. Then they can use this to help the troops of the 2nd Tank Army and make the situation develop in a direction beneficial to our army.
But the Polish government in London did not consider doing this at all, and General Boer and General Montel, who were their spokespersons in Warsaw, had no intention of doing this at all. After they did something shameful, they fled, leaving the people they provoked to pay a heavy price for everything. "
"Comrade Commander," Malinin said to Rokossovsky: "Since Bogdanov was wounded, the 2nd Tank Army has been commanded by Chief of Staff Radzievsky, a capable and energetic General, he achieved a lot of results while commanding the troops to fight against the German army. However, after a long period of fighting, his troops were reduced in number and the commanders and soldiers became exhausted. I think they may not be able to withstand the German army. Four divisions attack.”
Rokossovsky looked up at Malinin and said, "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you mean to let Mischa's 48th Army go up?"
"Yes, that's what I mean." Malinin pointed to the map and said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, please take a look. The 1st and 6th Guards Divisions under General Sokov are stationed in Sedelce can completely allow them to launch an attack from the flank of the German army to defeat their intention to besiege the 2nd Tank Army."
"I think it's okay." Rokossovsky thought for a moment before agreeing to Malinin's proposal. He added: "Under the current circumstances, it is very appropriate to put the 48th Group Army into battle. As long as they take action , we can contain a lot of German troops, so that we can pull the troops of the 65th and 70th Group Armies out of the Belovizh Jungle."
"As long as the 65th and 70th armies pass through the Belovizh Jungle, we will have a reserve team in our hands." Malinin said with some excitement: "I will make a call right away and convey your wishes to the three of them. Army Commander."
But before Malinin could make a call, a staff officer came over with a telegram and handed it into Malinin's hand: "Comrade Chief of Staff, this is a telegram from General Batov, commander of the 65th Group Army."
After hearing about the telegram sent by Bartov, Rokossovsky lost his temper: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what did Bartov say in the telegram?"
After quickly reading the contents of the telegram, Malinen showed a shocked expression on his face: "During the operation of the 65th Group Army, two German tank divisions interspersed into the middle of the group army, dividing the 65th Group Army's troops into several Partly. Now Bartov has lost contact with most of the division-level combat units."
"The situation is not good, Comrade Chief of Staff." Rokossovsky turned livid after listening to Malinin's story: "Our Second Belarusian Front on the right wing is advancing very slowly. If the 65th Group Army is defeated by the Germans, If we divide and annihilate, then there will be a gap of fifty kilometers wide between us and the friendly forces. If the Germans rush into the gap and encircle our troops in a roundabout way, the situation will not be good."
"Comrade Commander, we have to find a way to rescue the 65th Group Army from danger." Malinen said with a solemn expression: "Tell me, what should we do?"
"Let Misha's troops go into battle according to the plan just now." Rokossovsky stared at the map in front of him: "As long as the 48th Army takes action, the enemy's original attack plan will be disrupted. At that time, they will have to deploy troops to deal with Misha, and the pressure on Bartov will be greatly reduced."
When he saw Malinin picking up the phone and preparing to call Sokov, Rokossovsky specifically told him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you can tell Misha what happened in Warsaw. Maybe it will help him formulate various plans." Proper battle plan.”
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Malinen nodded and said, "I will truthfully tell General Sokov the situation in Warsaw."
The call was quickly connected, and as soon as Malinin heard Sokov's voice, he said bluntly: "General Sokov, Comrade Commander ordered you to send troops as soon as possible between Praga and Sedelce To meet the German forces and relieve the pressure on the 2nd Tank Army.”
Although the army had rested for a month, Sokov could no longer sit still. But at this moment when he heard Malinin's order, he couldn't help but asked curiously: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, why do we want to meet the enemy between Praga and Sedelce? You know, if our troops move north, We can also join forces with the 65th Army staying in the Belovizh Forest.”
"General Sokov, Comrade Commander asked me to tell you that the rebels in Warsaw are claiming to cooperate with us outside." Malinen said briefly: "So our next attack direction is still Warsaw."
When Sokov heard this, he couldn't help but frowned. He said to himself that he asked Rokossovsky to come forward in early August to help him ask for a hovercraft from the weapons and equipment department to help the troops cross the river. Unexpectedly, Rokossov was Ski refused. Now more than a month has passed, and the uprising in Warsaw is on the verge of failure. It may be a bit late to send troops for reinforcements at this time.
"Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army," Sokov said coldly: "Isn't it too late to attack Warsaw now? I'm afraid that before we can enter the west of Warsaw, the insurgents in the city will be wiped out by the Germans ”
Hearing what Sokov said, Malinin had a wry smile on his face. He told Sokov about the situation in detail, and finally said: "General Sokov, this is the situation in Warsaw today. Although it is clear that We know that it is a little too late to help the rebels at this moment, but we still have to do our best. As for the final result, we can only leave it to fate."
"Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." Sokov nodded and said: "I will deploy immediately and strive to launch an attack on the German troops between Praga and Sedelce as soon as possible."
After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Ponedelin and Sidorin: "Comrade Deputy Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, I have just received an order conveyed by General Malinin, asking us to immediately set up operations between Praga and Sedelce. Launch an attack in time to defeat the German troops entrenched there."
The two looked at each other after hearing this, and both saw the surprised expression in each other's eyes. In the end, it was Ponejelin who spoke first and asked: "Comrade Commander, what is going on? The superiors asked us to rest in the existing area, why did they suddenly order us to go into battle? What happened?"
"Just now the Chief of Staff of the Front Army told me that the Polish comrades in Lublin finally figured out what happened in Warsaw after a period of investigation." Sokov said to the two of them: "Now the rebel army in the city can no longer support it. They could only ask for reinforcements from our army through London. The Germans obviously found that our strength was weakest between Praga and Sedelce, east of Warsaw, so they mobilized three armored divisions and one infantry division. , launched an attack on the 2nd Tank Army that was holding on there. The task given to us by our superiors was to coordinate the friendly forces to crush the enemy's attack."
After Ponedelin waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he immediately stared at the map on the table and examined it carefully. He looked at it for a while, then raised his head and said: "Comrade Commander, how much troops do you plan to invest? Are you going to use only the 1st and 6th Guards Divisions stationed in Sedelce, or will you put more troops into the battle?"
"I think two divisions should be enough." Sokov said: "We have been studying the map every day recently. You should know that if we can allocate some troops to support General Batov's 65th Group Army, help them Coming out of the forest will make our flanks more solid."
Ponjelin nodded after hearing this and said: "Well, that makes sense. Now the 65th Army is encountering some difficulties in the forest area. I think we should support them and help them get out of the predicament as soon as possible."
"If you want to rescue General Batov, you will need at least two divisions." Seeing that Ponedelin agreed with his point of view, Sokov continued: "Add a tank brigade and two artillery regiments. , we can defeat the enemies plaguing General Bartov and help them come out of the forest. As long as they leave the forest area, it will not only ensure that our right wing will not be threatened by the German army, but also help the third party who is in the same bad situation. 70th Army, get out of the current predicament."
When Sidorin heard what Sokov said, he said with some worry: "Comrade Commander, our superiors asked us to attack the enemy between Plaga and Sedelce. We only dispatched two divisions. Isn't that too little?" What’s up?”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, I also want to put all the troops into battle to achieve the goal of defeating the enemy in the shortest possible time." Sokov explained to Sidorin: "But if we really do this, then the flanks will be exposed. In front of the enemy, if they rush into our offensive formation regardless, they may split our troops into several pieces. By then, let alone defeat the German attack, whether the troops can protect themselves is also a question. .”
"Then what are your plans, Comrade Commander?" Sidorin asked.
"I just said that when we are executing the combat tasks assigned by the front army headquarters, we must also send troops to reinforce General Batov's 65th Group Army." Sokov said: "As long as we rescue General Batov's troops , then our flanks will be safe, which means we no longer need to send troops for defense. In this way, we can calmly deploy troops to strengthen the enemy attack between Plaga and Sedelce."
"I agree with the commander's combat plan." Ponjelin agreed: "This is the most beneficial to us. If we put the main force between Praga and Sedelce from the beginning, if The enemy took the opportunity to launch an attack on our flanks. In order to resist their attack, we had to use the remaining troops for defense. Doing so meant that we did not have any reserves, which was very detrimental to our subsequent operations. of."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Seeing that Ponedelin supported his plan, Sokov smiled and nodded, and then ordered Sidorin: "Immediately call the commanders of each infantry division, infantry brigade, and tank brigade and ask them to They rushed over immediately for a meeting, and I want to assign them new combat tasks."
