Konev's words aroused good-natured laughter from all around.
"Comrade Commander," Shumilov knew that Konev was joking with him, so he quickly pulled the other man's hand from his forehead and said seriously: "I am not joking with you, everything I said is true.
"
"Is everything true?" Konev did not hear the call between Shumilov and Sokov, so he expressed serious doubts about his statement. He sat at the table carelessly, raising his head.
Looking at Shumilov, he asked: "Then tell me, how can you complete the task of forcibly crossing the Dnieper River under the fire blockade of the Germans, even if you can barely transport a battalion of river crossing equipment?"
Shumilov had already guessed that Konev would ask this question, smiled slightly, and replied: "Comrade Commander, if we rely solely on our troops to forcefully cross the Dnieper River, the troops transported by this river crossing equipment will not be enough. But if
Are there friendly forces on the other side to assist?"
Konev is a smart man. After hearing what Shumilov said, he immediately realized what agreement he might have reached with Sokov on the right bank, and quickly asked: "Did Comrade Sokov just contact you?"
"Comrade Commander, I really can't hide anything from you." Shumilov grinned and said, "That's right, I just ended the call with General Sokov not long before you came in."
"How does he plan to help you?"
"When General Sokov just talked to me on the phone, he said that he was about to send troops to surprise the two riverside towns of Ratseve and Kinki, where they would meet our troops to cross the river."
"Here comes the map!"
When the chief of staff heard what Konev said, he quickly put the map in front of him, pointed at the map and introduced it to Konev: "Comrade Commander, you see, these two small towns are in Dni."
On the banks of the Be River. As long as we occupy this place, we can block the communication lines on the river and cut off the German army's transportation lines from Kirovgrad to Cherkasy."
After Konev saw the location of the two small towns, he nodded slightly: "Yes, once Sokov's troops occupy these two small towns, they can help your troops cross the river. And after your leading troops cross the river,
, in addition to seizing the time to establish a complete defense system in the town, at the same time, we also need to send people to conduct reconnaissance in the surrounding areas to understand the deployment of nearby German troops and prepare for the next battle."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Shumilov replied: "I will arrange this immediately."
Just when Shumilov was about to tell the chief of staff to arrange the crossing of the river, Konev asked: "Comrade Shumilov, which division do you plan to send to cross the river first?"
"Major General Vasilenko's 15th Guards Division will serve as the vanguard of the group army and take the lead in crossing the Dnieper River and establish a reliable landing site on the right bank to create favorable conditions for large forces to cross the river."
After listening to Shumilov's cliches, Konev suddenly remembered something and asked casually: "By the way, it seemed that it was Major General Vasilenko who said that he appeared near his division headquarters last night.
He killed German snipers and caused a lot of casualties to them. How was this matter resolved in the end?"
"Comrade Commander, don't tell me, General Sokov's method is really effective." When he mentioned this, Shumilov immediately became energetic: "The soldiers from the division's security battalion fired guns everywhere, disrupting the German snipers.
He then lit a bonfire at a location where he was likely to be sniped, distorting the air in the scope, making it impossible for the sniper to accurately hit the target in the first place."
"So, the German snipers have been eliminated?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander, we have all been dealt with." Speaking of the German snipers who were killed, Shumilov felt proud and proud: "After post-mortem inspection, there were four snipers in total, and none of them ran away.
They were all killed by our soldiers."
While Shumilov's men were preparing to cross the river, Colonel Koida's 188th Division began its attack on Chigilin. Following Sokov's instructions, the troops rushed towards the reconnoitred targets in platoon units.
Sokov's instructions were made on the spur of the moment. The commanders and fighters of the 188th Division, including those in Koida, were confused and didn't know why he suddenly made such a result. But as the battle progressed, everyone understood
Sokov gave a wry smile.
After the Viking Division drove the 84th Division out of Chijilin last night, it established a defensive position outside the city. The commander knew very well that it was impossible to build a position that could withstand Soviet artillery fire overnight.
Possible. Therefore, he made full use of the unfinished fortifications and placed an assault gun at each position, along with an infantry squad, to resist possible Soviet attacks.
If the Soviet army carried out artillery preparations before attacking, the damage caused to these scattered firepower points would be limited. But once the Soviet army launched a full-scale attack, the crossfire formed by these scattered firepower points could cause huge casualties to the attacking troops.
Sokov ordered the 188th Division to break up the troops into parts and use platoons as units to attack the scattered fire points of the German army, forcing the German army to disperse their firepower in order to intercept the Soviet attack.
Once these firepower points are exposed, the artillery regiment following the infantry can use direct fire to destroy the German assault guns one by one, opening a path for the attacking troops to advance.
Koida, who was standing in the observation post with Sokov, couldn't help saying with emotion when he saw the German firepower points being destroyed one by one and his soldiers quickly advancing towards the city without paying much price.
: "Comrade Commander, this tactic of yours is really great. It easily broke through the German defense. However, I think the artillery fire is still too weak. It would be great if the rocket launcher could also adopt this bayonet-mounted tactic."
"What did you say?" Sokov, who was holding a telescope to observe the battle in the distance, suddenly put down the telescope in his hand and turned to ask Koida: "Colonel Koida, what did you just say?"
Koida was stunned and muttered to himself, did I say something wrong just now? He said cautiously: "I said, your tactics are really great. It easily broke through the German defense..."
"Not this sentence." Sokov shook his head and said, "The last sentence."
"I said the firepower is still a bit weak. It would be nice if the rocket launcher could also adopt bayonet tactics."
"Yes, that's it." Sokov made a fist with his right hand, smashed it hard on the palm of his left hand, and said with some emotion: "Next time we encounter a strong German defense fortification, we will use rocket launchers to deal with them."
Koida opened his mouth in surprise and asked in confusion: "Comrade Commander, how do you put a bayonet on the rocket launcher?" He kindly reminded Sokov, "Comrade Commander, the launcher of the rocket launcher is tilted, but there is no
It can't fire flatly like other artillery pieces."
"Actually, it is not impossible to make the rocket launcher shoot flatly." Sokov grabbed the telescope hanging around his neck and explained to Koida with gestures: "You see, the launcher of the rocket launcher is tilted, but we
As long as we use something to increase the height at the back, wouldn't the launcher be parallel? In this way, we can launch horizontal fire at the enemy's target."
After listening to Sokov's explanation, Koida's eyes were as wide as copper bells. He didn't expect that he just said a word casually, and Sokov actually thought of a countermeasure. After taking several deep breaths, he calmed down.
He calmed down a little and said: "Comrade Commander, if the back of the rocket launcher is raised so that the launcher is parallel, then we can use it to deal with the solid walls of the German fortress. No matter how thick the wall is, as long as one salvo fires, it will basically be
It can blast a gap."
The phone rang not far away, and a staff officer immediately picked up the phone to listen. After he put down the phone, he came over and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, General Fomenko reported that the 254th Regiment has set off.
It is estimated that we will reach the attack target in half an hour."
After hearing this, Sokov just nodded slightly and said calmly: "I understand."
Koida came over and said: "Comrade Commander, as long as the 254th Regiment can capture the towns of Ratsewe and Kinki, the 7th Guards Army on the left bank can quickly cross the river and establish a new landing site on the right bank."
"Yes," Sokov said casually: "With the landing site they established, the possibility of the Germans trying to drive us into the Dnieper River is greatly reduced."
But what Koida said next made Sokov's heart sink suddenly: "Comrade Commander, have you ever considered that once the 7th Guards Army uses Ratsewe and Kinki?
They have built a landing site based on the town, so the superiors will probably leave it to them to complete the task of attacking Cherkasy in the future."
The combat map he had seen not long ago immediately appeared in Sokov's mind. From a geographical point of view, once the 7th Guards Army established a huge landing site based on the towns of Ratsewe and Kinki, then
They will be the closest troops to Cherkasy.
In his memory, the Soviet army encircled the German army near Cherkasy in early 1944. This was also the most brutal breakout battle for the German army. Not only did many German troops, including the Viking Division, suffer heavy casualties, but also the German army suffered heavy casualties.
The commander of the 11th Army, William Stemmermann, was also killed in the battle. This battle was worthy of being recorded in history. If his troops were just cooperating from the side, Sokov was obviously not willing to see it.
Seeing that Sokov suddenly fell into silence, Koida seemed a little flustered. He asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, did I say the wrong thing?"
"No, no," Sokov, who was thinking about how to achieve more meritorious deeds in the Battle of Cherkasy, heard Koida say this, quickly waved his hand and changed the subject: "By the way, what is the current situation of the battle?
,Have your troops entered the city?"
After hearing what Sokov said, Koida hurriedly raised his telescope and looked at the battlefield in the distance: "Some commanders and fighters have rushed into the city and are trying to seize the buildings occupied by the Germans..."
"Colonel Koida," now that the troops have rushed into the city, Sokov felt that there was little point in staying here anymore, so he said to Koida: "Order the troops entering the city to do so in the shortest possible time.
Control as many buildings as possible to effectively crush the enemy's attack when they counterattack."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." After hearing what Sokov said, Koida realized that he might have to leave, and quickly asked: "Where are you going? I will send someone to escort you there."
"Of course we go back to the division headquarters of the 84th Division," Sokov said: "Only there can we learn the latest results of the 254th Regiment at the first time."
Ten minutes later, Sokov returned to the division headquarters of the 84th Division, escorted by a guard platoon.
Seeing Sokov entering, Fomenko hurriedly greeted him: "Comrade Commander, you are back!"
Sokov nodded and then asked: "Where has the 254th Regiment reached? Has it launched an attack on the target?"
"I just learned that they are still advancing towards the towns of Ratseve and Kinki. If they want to launch an attack, I'm afraid it will take some time." After Fomenko reported to Sokov, he asked about the attack again.
Situation in the city: "Comrade Commander, I wonder what the current progress of the 188th Division is?"
"Some commanders and fighters have already rushed into the city and are seizing buildings occupied by the enemy." Sokov said lightly: "I have told Colonel Koida to let the troops seize more buildings as soon as possible and find ways to seize more buildings in the city."
We must establish a foothold here to prevent possible German counterattacks."
Knowing that the 188th Division had entered the city, Fomenko immediately felt relieved. He then asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, is it necessary to put General Gritsenko's 384th Division into battle to shorten the time to capture the city?
?”
"No, Major General Gritsenko's 384th Division cannot move." Sokov shook his head and said: "The Germans will never sit back and watch Chigilin being lost. I think it won't be long before their reinforcements arrive."
When the time comes, the 384th Division will be put into battle to deal with the enemy reinforcements."
"Comrade Commander," Fomenko recalled what Sokov said when assigning the mission, and couldn't help but ask: "If we capture Chigilin and the towns of Ratseve and Kinki, can we
Transfer more troops from the original landing site?"
"If all the troops are mobilized, who will hold the landing site?" Sokov asked rhetorically: "Do you want to hand over the landing site to the Germans?"
"No, Comrade Commander, that's not what I meant." Fomenko quickly defended, "I just thought that if there were more troops here, we would be more certain of winning."
"General Fomenko," Sokov thought about this issue carefully on his way back here. Since the 7th Guards Army successfully crossed the river and established a landing site on the right bank, it would be a bit awkward for his troops to stay here.
Redundant. The best way is to withdraw to the original landing site, otherwise the superiors may temporarily place a division under his command under the command of the 7th Guards Army, and then he will suffer a big loss. Therefore, here he first
We need to explain to Fomenko so that he knows what he knows: "If the 7th Guards Army has established a landing site on the right bank, it will be redundant for us to stay here. The best option is to return to the original landing site and open from that direction.
New passage, rushing into the depth of the German defenses."
"What should we do here, Comrade Commander?" Fomenko asked reluctantly after hearing this.
"Naturally, it will be handed over to the 7th Guards Army." Sokov said: "Next, our army's offensive target may be Cherkasy. And the superiors will definitely hand over this task to the troops closest to the target.
At best, we can only serve as a reserve team, and when the attack does not go smoothly, we can be thrown into battle to deal with those enemies who are still resisting."
This chapter has been completed!