Sokov placed a plate of dumplings next to Asiya and asked softly: "Asiya, why did you come to the front?"
Asia raised his head and glanced at Yakov who was sitting opposite, and then replied: "This is what Comrade Ustinov meant. He felt that since we are husband and wife, we should not live apart in two places for such a long time, so he asked When Yasha came to the front line, he brought me with him."
Sokov left Asia in Moscow for two purposes. One was that the front line was too dangerous, and he was worried that Asia would be in danger and captured. He did not want it to happen again; the other was that it was tantamount to letting Asia go. Asiya stayed in Moscow as a hostage so that his superiors could feel completely at ease with him.
Now that Yakov personally sent Asiya here, it illustrates a problem. The superiors are very relieved about him and there is no need to keep any more hostages in Moscow, so he and his wife can be reunited. Fortunately, the victory of the Soviet army is now determined. In less than five months, the German army will be completely defeated. Asia will not be in any danger if he stays on the front line.
Thinking of this, Sokov said to Sidorin: "Chief of Staff, please contact the director of the field hospital later and ask him to arrange a position for Asia."
"That's no problem." Sidorin agreed readily, but then he asked a key question: "Do I need to tell the hospital director and political commissar about Asia's true identity?"
Sokov did not make a decision casually, but looked at Asiya and asked: "Asiya, what do you think?"
"I think it's not necessary." Asia shook her head and said, "I just want to be a military doctor quietly. As for whose wife I am, it doesn't matter, and I don't need anyone to take special care of me. .”
After getting Asiya's answer, Sokov had some concerns in his mind. His wife wanted to be a good military doctor with peace of mind and did not want too much human sophistication in the workplace, which he very much agreed with. So he said to Sidorin: "Chief of Staff, you have heard everything. Asia does not need any special care. When you contacted the director of the field hospital, you said she was a female military doctor from Moscow, and the rest was No need to say any more."
"Okay, Comrade Commander, I will inform the hospital director according to your wishes." But after Sidorin said this, he turned his attention to Asiya: "Asiya, if you are in the hospital If you encounter any trouble here, remember to call me at any time and I will help you solve the problem."
"General Sidorin, thank you!" Asia smiled sweetly at Sidorin and said, "If I really need help with anything, I will call you."
Everyone present was a big eater, and a plate of 20 dumplings was not enough to fill their teeth. After a while, all the dumplings in front of everyone were eaten.
Seeing that everyone had finished eating the dumplings, Ponejelin quickly got up and went outside to greet them, asking the soldier who cooked the dumplings to bring double portions in. He must ensure that everyone can enjoy their meal today.
While waiting for the dumplings, Sokov heard Potapov and Malyshev chatting: "Comrade Colonel, I heard that you have a lot of new American tanks. Is this true?"
"Of course it's true." Malyshev nodded and said, "They are all the latest Sherman M4 tanks..."
I don’t know why, but when Sokov heard about Sherman, a picture suddenly appeared in his mind: a group of soldiers were sitting in a classroom, and the instructor asked the students, "What was the most famous German tank in World War I?" "
One cadet stood up and responded in a loud voice, "Sherman!"
The instructor then agreed with his statement and added, "The Sherman M1 has a dead weight of 56 tons and a rate of fire of 350 rounds per minute. It can penetrate armor, blast and burn instantly. It is a hero in the tank."
Thinking of the plot of this divine drama, Sokov couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Misha!" The smile on Sokov's face was seen by Asia, who was sitting aside. She asked softly: "What are you laughing at?"
Sokov, who had come back to his senses, would naturally not tell Asiya that he had just remembered a scene from a divine play and couldn't help laughing. He quickly said perfunctorily: "I thought of you coming to my side, and I felt happy. .”
Hearing Sokov's sweet words, Asia's pretty face couldn't help but blush.
"Colonel Malyshev," Sokov said to the director of armored forces: "What do you think of the American Sherman M4 tanks compared with our tanks?"
"Comrade Commander," Malyshev quickly stood up after hearing Sokov ask himself, and replied: "According to my understanding, because the Sherman is powered by gasoline, it is easy to catch fire after being hit, because a dozen This kind of tank is called the "Lonson Lighter" by American soldiers. In addition, the Sherman also has shortcomings such as its body is too high, its armor is thin, and its firepower is weak. Compared with the T-34 and Panzer IV tanks of the same period, All are at a disadvantage.”
Hearing what Malyshev said, Sidorin couldn't help but frowned and asked: "Comrade Colonel, according to you, Sherman has no advantages?"
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"No, no, no, Comrade Chief of Staff, of course it has advantages." Malyshev replied: "Sherman is the most convenient for maintenance and production. It was destroyed on the battlefield in time. With the strength of our army's maintenance depot workers, it will soon be destroyed." Can get the restoration done.”
Sokov quite agrees with Malyshev's statement. The performance of Soviet tanks was not as good as that of German tanks, and they could only make up for it in quantity. Even if it is destroyed on the battlefield, it can be towed back to the repair station for repair. A tank has thousands of parts, and two brand new tanks can be pieced together from the parts of three destroyed tanks.
"Comrade Director of Armored Forces," Sokov said sternly to Malyshev: "Since Sherman has so many problems, it must not be used intensively during combat to avoid being blamed by the Germans. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Colonel Malyshev said carelessly: "This time, our superiors assigned us 20 vehicles. If we divide them equally, each tank brigade or independent tank regiment can only be allocated four to five vehicles. , there will be no impact on the composition of our existing tank models."
After eating the dumplings, Yakov said to Sokov: "Misha, I have something to tell you. Let's find a quiet place."
Sokov knew that Yakov now held a position in the General Staff. He was definitely not here to send Asia to his side. There must be more important things to deploy.
The two came to a separate room. After Sokov closed the door, he asked straight to the point: "Yasha, there are only two of us here. If you have anything to say, just say it."
"The offensive campaign in East Prussia will begin soon." Yakov said: "No one wants our offensive to turn into a protracted war, so the offensive troops need to be fast and unstoppable. The enemy must not be able to seize every favorable area to organize a planned retreat.”
"That's for sure, Yasha." He agreed with Yakov's statement: "The German army's defeat has been determined. If we cannot deal with them quickly and continue to fight a protracted war with them, there will be more sacrifices. .”
"In order to shorten the war, it is necessary to send troops to conduct detailed reconnaissance." Yakov said to Sokov: "You have a guerrilla group from Yugoslavia under your command. After this period of study and training, they can already They are performing a separate reconnaissance mission. I am here this time just to assign them a reconnaissance mission directly."
Perhaps because he was worried that Sokov did not understand the purpose of this, he also specifically explained: "Through reconnaissance of the enemy, we must not only find out the frontier of the enemy's defense, but also find out who are the enemies in the depth of its defense. There is an area available for retreat.”
When Sokov heard this, he felt a little puzzled. Nowadays, each army group is sending scouts to conduct reconnaissance on the German defensive areas. Why did Yakov just tell himself this?
Just listen to Yakov continue: "Although our air force has carefully conducted multiple photographic reconnaissance of this area, you also know that aerial reconnaissance will actually be subject to many restrictions. For example, the enemy conceals their armored forces In the forest, models of tanks and artillery were placed in easily exposed areas to confuse our troops."
Yakov took out a document bag from the briefcase he was carrying and placed it in front of Sokov: "This is an aerial photographic map provided by the Air Force regarding the deployment of German troops in the upcoming combat area. Your task is to send Yugoslav guerrilla comrades went deep into the enemy's rear and used these maps to figure out the depth of the enemy's defense and its rear, as well as the areas that should be captured before the main force of our army arrived."
When Sokov heard this, he realized a problem and quickly interrupted Yakov and asked: "Yasha, according to you, the Yugoslav guerrillas not only have to detect the enemy's defense deployment, but also participate in the battle?"
"Yes." Yakov nodded, confirming Sokov's statement: "Of course, their strength alone cannot complete the mission. You need to send specialized combat troops to cooperate with their actions. Those who go deep behind enemy lines Troops should always advance forward, bypass the enemy's resistance hubs, seize important areas such as passes, ferries, bridges, etc. that the enemy must pass through, and hold on until the main force arrives in greater numbers."
After listening to Yakov's story, Sokov quickly figured things out: "In other words, first send the Yugoslav guerrillas behind enemy lines to find out whether the reconnaissance photos provided by the Air Force are reliable? Then send them with me Combat troops converge, penetrate directly into the depth of the enemy's defenses, seize key areas such as passes, ferries, and bridges, cut off the enemy's retreat, and hold on until the arrival of the main force of our army."
"Yes, that's it." Yakov nodded and said, "I have carefully read the battle plan reported by Marshal Rokossovsky. Among the several armies participating in the war, you are the most suitable to carry out this plan." The task. So after discussing with Chief of General Staff Antonov, I will personally assign the task to you."
After listening to Yakov's words, Sokov said with some laughter and tears: "Yasha, it turns out that this is the mission. You can just say it directly in front of my deputies. There is no need to find a special place to talk alone. I also I thought you were going to ask me to send someone to parachute into Berlin and go directly to capture the mustache."
"If you think you have such strength, it's not impossible to consider it."
"I was just joking." Sokov knew very well that although the Soviet airborne troops took a long time to form, their combat effectiveness could not be compared with that of the British and American armies. Going to parachute into Berlin at this time would be equivalent to giving someone a death: " Although the German army is now at a military disadvantage, the defenses near Berlin are still very strong. Our transport planes may be shot down by anti-aircraft fire before they even approach the sky above Berlin."
"Are you talking about the air defense tower in Berlin?" Yakov said smartly: "I heard that this kind of air defense tower can hit planes and tanks from above. Within its fire range, neither planes nor tanks can. pass."
Yakov's words reminded Sokov of later generations of idiots who touted the Berlin air defense towers. They said that the air defense towers were indestructible. In order to destroy these air defense towers, the Allied and Soviet forces dispatched tens of thousands of aircraft for bombing overnight. As a result, by dawn, only a few dozen planes returned to the airport, and the rest were shot down, while the air defense towers were unharmed.
Sokov, who has experienced the baptism of blood and fire for several years in this era, sneered at this statement. How ignorant people must be to say such weird things. They really thought that the several anti-aircraft guns on the tower could be like gods. Like the Sherman M1 tank in the play, which has a rate of fire of 350 rounds per minute? Even if the air defense tower could really shoot down tens of thousands of bomber planes, the power of the explosion when these planes landed would be enough to level the entire Berlin.
"Yasha, don't think Berlin's air defense tower is so mysterious. It was actually built to prevent the British Air Force from bombing Berlin." Sokov said: "When we attack Berlin in the future, it may cause us certain damage. It's troublesome, but it can't change the final battle situation. The final winner of this war must belong to us and the Allies."
"I didn't say this outside just now because I was worried that the news would leak out." Yakov explained to Sokov: "Although I know that all the people in the command post are my subordinates, I am careful not to make a big mistake. If the news really leaks out, , the consequences will be very serious.”
Sokov couldn't refute Yakov's statement for a while. He could only change the topic to other aspects: "By the way, why did you bring Asiya to me? Is she in the weapons and equipment department?" Are you not used to staying here?"
"This is what Comrade Ustinov meant, and it was approved by my father." Yakov smiled and said to Sokov: "You have been married for two years, but so far, you have not had a child. If you continue to live apart like this, I'm afraid you won't have children by the time the war is over."
Sokov thought to himself that he and Asia got married during the Battle of Stalingrad, but so far, they only have the name of husband and wife but no reality of husband and wife. It is strange that they can have children. But now that Yakov has sent Asia to him again this time, he can consider having a child as soon as possible.
He nodded to Yakov and said in a grateful tone: "Thank you, Yasha! Thank you for sending Asia to me. When we have children in the future, we can consider getting married."
After hearing this, Yakov laughed loudly and said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, then I will wait for that day to come as soon as possible!"
