The 1st and 6th Guards Divisions of the 48th Group Army successfully broke into the town of Puutusk after continuously breaking through multiple German defense lines, and launched a fierce battle with the defenders in the town.
A few days ago, if Sokov's troops wanted to successfully enter the town of Putusk after breaking through several German defense lines, they would not only spend a lot of time but also suffer huge casualties. However, due to Sokov's success in confusing the enemy with a fake defense map, the German commander transferred the main forces to other areas. As a result, the 48th Group Army's frontal defense became weak, and the two Guards Divisions Only the commanders and fighters could rush into the town so easily.
After learning that two Guards Divisions had entered the town and were engaged in a fierce battle with the stubborn enemy, Sidorin smiled and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, it seems that our preliminary preparations were not in vain. The intelligence confuses the enemy and causes them to make wrong judgments, which leads to the weakening of our defensive power on the offensive front."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, the Germans are not fools. After they find out that they have been deceived, they will adjust their deployment in a timely manner." Sokov pointed to the map and said to Sidorin: "The several divisions they have transferred to other areas will be transferred to other areas at the latest. They will return one after another tomorrow, and we must use this time difference to increase our offensive intensity against them."
"Do we need to put the second echelon into battle?" Sidorin asked.
Sokov did not make any decision immediately, but ordered Sidorin: "Call the two commanders of the Guards Division and ask them what the current situation is and whether they are still able to maintain a strong offensive?"
Sidorin agreed, and then called the two Guards Division commanders to learn about the current situation of the troops.
A few minutes later, Sidorin put down the phone and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, Major General Tolstikov and Major General Onuprienko replied that their troops suffered few casualties during the attack, and they were completely Have the ability to keep fighting.”
Sokov nodded after hearing this, and then said: "Let them speed up the attack, strive to control the town of Puutusk as soon as possible, and then launch a new round of attacks on the German positions south of the town. By the way, and Artillery Director Pota Contact General Boff, whose artillery assistance is needed to break through the enemy's defenses."
"Comrade Commander," as soon as Sokov finished speaking, Potapov's voice came from the door: "I'm here! If you have any instructions, please give the order directly."
"General Potapov, you're here just in time!" Sokov waved to Potapov and motioned for him to come to him.
After the opponent stood at the table, Sokov pointed to the map on the table and said to Potapov: "The 1st and 6th Guards Divisions, which are responsible for the main offensive mission, are now competing with the German army for the town of Puutusk. Once they capture the town, they will then launch an attack on the German positions south of the town. I hope your artillery will establish new artillery positions as soon as possible and prepare artillery fire on the German defensive positions."
"The German army initially deployed the 5th Chasseur Division, the 35th Infantry Division, the 232nd Infantry Division and the 592nd People's Grenadier Division south of the town of Puutusk." Sokov introduced Puutusk to Potapov The situation south of the town of Tusk: "But because the enemy fell into our scheme and transferred most of the troops away, now only the 5th Jäger Division and the 592nd People's Grenadier Division remain in the south of the town. "
"Misha," Ponedelin, who was sitting next to him, said to Potapov: "The 592nd People's Grenadier Division is actually similar to our militia unit. Its combat effectiveness cannot be compared with that of the regular army. It is considered to be relatively weak on the defensive line. A link…”
Before Ponedelin could say anything, Potapov rushed to say: "Comrade Deputy Commander, I understand. Later our artillery fire will focus on the 592nd People's Grenadier Division and open the door for the infantry from them." A gap in the offense.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, he was denied by Sokov: "Wrong, General Potapov, what you want to fight is not the 592nd People's Grenadier Division, but the 5th Chasseur Division."
This confused Potapov. According to his understanding, with Sokov's character, he must first fight the weak enemy, and then turn around to fight the strong enemy. How could the order be reversed? He asked in confusion: "Comrade Commander, why do we want to attack the powerful 5th Jäger Division?"
"It's very simple." Sokov replied: "If we attack the 592nd People's Grenadier Division first, they will definitely ask for help from the 5th Jäger Division, and then the Jäger Division will provide them with support. But if we Let’s attack the Jäger Division first. The 592nd People’s Grenadier Division is too weak to provide support to the Jäger Division. We can only watch helplessly as we defeat the Jäger Division. After we defeat the powerful enemy, we can then turn around. It will be much easier to deal with weak enemies."
"So that's it." After figuring out Sokov's combat intentions, Potapov couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He felt that Sokov's combat style was really unconstrained and arbitrary. Not to mention that the enemy couldn't figure out his details, even himself As a subordinate, if the other party doesn't explain, he will be equally confused.
After assigning tasks to the artillery, Sokov said to Sidorin: "Let the 3rd Infantry Division and the 120th Guards Division be ready for battle. Once the attacks of the 1st and 6th Guards Divisions are frustrated, they will Get into the fight.”
After recording Sokov's order, Sidorin asked tentatively: "Are the second echelon infantry divisions 109th, 211th and 284th, as well as the three infantry brigades, also ready for combat?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, although the more troops we invest, the more initiative we can take on the battlefield." Sokov said: "But today is only the first day of offensive operations. If we invest all our troops in the battle, Once the losses of the troops in the later period are serious and the attack capability is weakened, where will we have the follow-up troops to continue fighting? The second-echelon troops are on standby. As for when to enter the battle, it needs to be decided according to the changes in the situation on the battlefield."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." Now that Sokov has made a decision, Sidorin will naturally not object. He nodded and said, "I will immediately convey your order to all divisions and brigades."
Potapov stayed in the headquarters for a short time, then got up to say goodbye and returned to his troops.
When he conveyed Sokov's deployment to his subordinates, these commanders were also shocked: "Isn't it the usual practice to attack the weak enemy first and then the strong enemy? Why did it change this time to attack the strong enemy first and then the strong enemy?" Fight weak enemies. If you can't defeat a strong enemy in one bite, then the battle may become a stalemate."
"Comrade commanders, please be quiet and let me explain to you." In response to the problems of the commanders, Potapov relayed Sokov's words to everyone, and finally said with a smile: "What's wrong with you, why? Do you want to question the commander's decision? You know, not long ago, I felt that you still had unconditional trust in him."
Potapov's words embarrassed the commanders present. An artillery regiment commander blushed and said: "Comrade General, you are right, we should not question the commander's decision. You know, he has basically never lost a battle on the battlefield. To win, The best way is to carry out his orders unconditionally."
"Comrade Colonel," Potapov was very satisfied with what the regiment commander said. He nodded and continued: "You are right. As long as we absolutely believe in the commander, we will definitely win." Then he He waved to everyone, "Let's all go back to our respective units to make preparations. As soon as the two Guards Divisions capture the town of Puutusk, we will launch artillery bombardments on the enemies south of the town."
While the artillerymen were preparing intensively, the situation on the battlefield changed somewhat. The Germans were worried that the remnants of the 129th Infantry Division in the town would not be able to hold on, so they transferred a regiment of troops from the 5th Chasseur Division to reinforce the town.
After receiving the news, Sokov called Sidorin and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the German army has mobilized troops from the 5th Chasseur Division to reinforce the town. To ensure that the attack goes smoothly, we need to do something."
"Comrade Commander, what should we do?" Sidorin asked.
"You immediately call General Potapov and say that the situation on the battlefield has changed." Sokov said: "Let the artillery troops shell the German positions south of the town in advance to disrupt the German defense deployment. .”
Potapov received a call from Sidorin and learned that the artillery bombardment would be advanced. He was a little surprised: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I see that the fighting in the town is still going on. Why should we bombard the German positions in the south of the town in advance?" Woolen cloth?"
"General Potapov, the situation on the battlefield has changed." Sidorin said to him: "The German army transferred troops from the 5th Chasseur Division into the town to strengthen the town's defense. Attack their positions in advance. The purpose of the artillery bombardment was to disrupt the deployment of the German troops so that they could no longer mobilize forces to reinforce the town of Puutusk."
"So that's it." After figuring out what was going on, Potapov said, "Then I immediately ordered the artillery to fire and bombard the defense area of the 5th Jäger Division to disrupt their combat deployment."
After Sidorin put down the phone, he reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the artillery director said that he immediately ordered the artillery to fire!"
"Very good." Sokov nodded and said: "If the 1st and 6th Guards Divisions are still unable to take the town of Puutusk, order the 3rd Infantry Division and the 120th Guards Division to pass through the town. Directly attack the positions of the 5th Jäger Division."
"No problem." Sidorin replied: "I will call the two division commanders immediately and ask them to prepare for the attack."
The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division is Major General Kirillov. Since he became the division commander, he has not fought a single battle. Although he knew that his troops might go into battle today, he still felt a little uneasy because he had not received the combat order for a long time. At this moment, he was walking back and forth in the headquarters with his hands behind his back, glancing at the phone on the table, hoping that the phone would ring soon.
When the phone rang, he immediately rushed to the table, grabbed the phone and put it to his ear: "I am Kirillov, what are your instructions?"
Seeing Kirillov's movements so swiftly, Lieutenant Colonel Miyakov, the chief of staff sitting at the table, couldn't help but be a little stunned. But he quickly came to his senses and listened intently to the conversation between Kirillov and the other end of the phone.
"What, be prepared to attack in advance?... This is great, Comrade Sidorin." Kirillov said with joy: "I immediately issued a combat alert to the troops and was ready to attack at any time... Got it, please tell Comrade Commander that our 3rd Infantry Division will never let him down."
After Kirillov put down the phone, he said to Miyakov excitedly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I just received a call from Sidorin. He said that due to changes in the situation on the battlefield, our division may Enter the battlefield earlier than expected. Now inform the commanders of each regiment and double-check to see if every soldier is ready for battle."
"Okay, comrade division commander." Miyakov was very happy to learn that the troops would be able to enter the battle soon. Since the previous division commander died in the battle, the mood of the commanders and soldiers has not been high. If this attack If you can perform well in battle, it will be very helpful for improving morale.
After Miyakov finished the call, Kirillov took the initiative to discuss with him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, in order to facilitate the command of the troops, do you think we should move the headquarters forward?"
Miyakov, who was still smiling at first, suddenly froze on his face when he heard Kirillov say this. He still remembers that when he was attacking the triangle zone, the previous division commander also took the initiative when he saw that the troops were making good progress. Propose to move troops forward. Unexpectedly, the division headquarters was bombarded by German artillery as it advanced, and almost the entire army was wiped out.
With this lesson learned, when he heard Kirillov's plan, Miyakov quickly reminded him: "Comrade division commander, I think the division headquarters should not be moved casually, otherwise if something unexpected happens during the transfer, there will be It may cause the troops to fall into chaos due to the loss of unified command, which is very detrimental to our next offensive."
Hearing what Miyakov said, Kirillov immediately remembered that the reason why he could hold the position of division commander was because the previous division commander moved forward with the headquarters during the battle, but was bombarded by the enemy and unfortunately died. Because all division commanders were killed in action and no one could take over the position of division commander, he was appointed as division commander by Sokov.
"Comrade Chief of Staff, I understand what you mean." Kirillov looked at Miyakov and asked: "Are you worried that the last tragedy will happen again when the division headquarters is transferred?"
"That's right." Seeing that Kirillov had already guessed the reason for his objection, Miyakov did not hide it, nodded, and replied truthfully: "Since the last time it suffered huge losses, the morale and morale of the troops have barely improved. It has recovered somewhat, but if another accident occurs during the transfer of the division headquarters, I am worried that it will be a fatal blow to the morale and morale of the troops."
"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff." Kirillov said: "Although there are various risks on the battlefield, the enemy's artillery and air force have been suppressed by our army. They have no ability to occupy the triangle zone like when our army attacked. Advantage, so even if we move the division forward, the chance of encountering danger is very low."
Seeing that Miyakov seemed to want to say something else, Kirillov raised his hand to stop him: "Stop talking, Comrade Chief of Staff. I promise you, at least wait until the troops of our division break through the enemy's defense line and stand firm. Heel and then move the division forward.”
(End of chapter)
