"Okay." Sokov himself has been to Highland 239 and is quite familiar with the terrain there. Kirillov's deployment can indeed solve the current problems, so he said readily: "Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov,
Now that I have appointed you as the commander of the 252nd Division, you have the final say on how the troops defend themselves. I just hope that the high ground will not be lost in your hands."
Hearing what Sokov said, Kirillov replied solemnly: "Comrade Commander, please rest assured that I will do my best to hold Hill 239 and will never let a German pass."
Sokov nodded slightly, then waved to the other party and said: "Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov, time is pressing. You should lead people to Highland 239 as soon as possible. If you have any difficulties, just call me."
After Kirillov left, Sokov said to Smirnov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think something is wrong."
Smirnov was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Comrade Commander, what's wrong?"
"Before I left the front army headquarters, General Konev told me that a general attack would be launched against the German army." Sokov frowned and said: "If the German army in the encirclement circle is attacked from all directions, they can concentrate now
Will the powerful artillery firepower be used to bombard Highland 239?"
"Comrade Commander, what do you mean...?" Smirnov did not finish his words. He guessed that Sokov would understand what he meant.
Sokov did know what Smirnov wanted to express, so he nodded and said: "Yes, I think it may be that General Konev's attack order was not implemented by other troops, so that the German army could confidently and boldly
Concentrate superior artillery fire and bombard Highland 239."
Smirnov thought about his suggestion to Sokov to use tank troops last night, and then brought up the old matter again: "Comrade Commander, it is daytime now, I think the tank troops can be put into battle."
"I think it's okay." Sokov felt that it was completely okay to use tank troops to launch an assault on the German army during the day, so he agreed with Smirnov's suggestion: "But we need to send infantry to cooperate, and we can't let our tank troops go deep alone.
"
"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Smirnov knew that a tank unit without infantry support would easily become the target of German anti-tank fighters on the battlefield, so he replied: "I will arrange enough infantry to accompany the tank unit.
action."
The German army's first attack on Highland 239 failed. After re-adjusting the position of the artillery, they launched a violent bombardment on the high ground again. After the bombardment began, the defenders on the high ground except for a few observation posts, the remaining
In accordance with the orders of the new division commander Kirillov, all the people moved to both sides of the position to avoid the German artillery fire.
The German troops participating in the attack repeated their old tactics, taking advantage of the high ground being shelled to quietly advance towards the Soviet position. Last time they stayed two hundred meters away, but this time they boldly advanced to a position one hundred meters away from the position.
Because it was too close to the position, some of the deflected artillery shells fell into the moving German ranks and exploded, causing them a certain amount of casualties.
As soon as the shelling stopped, the German officers and soldiers lying on the ground jumped up and rushed towards the Soviet position with their weapons in hand. They wanted to take advantage of the time when the defenders had not woken up from the shelling to cover their ears with lightning speed.
Seize the position with force.
The German soldiers rushed into the smoke-filled position and found the Soviet shelter along the trench. They first threw a grenade into it, and after the explosion was over, they immediately rushed in and fired based on their feelings. After finishing one
After adjusting to the light in the shelter, he found that there was no one here.
Just when they were wondering, they heard the firing of machine guns and submachine guns, as well as the sound of "Ula" mixed in. Soon, the Soviet commanders and soldiers who had disappeared for a time came from both sides of the position along the trenches.
He rushed over and started a close combat with them.
The German troops who were caught off guard were unable to gain a foothold and could only withdraw from the position in embarrassment, preparing to withdraw to their starting position. Unexpectedly, they had just retreated to the foot of the mountain, but were unexpectedly attacked by Soviet tanks, causing numerous casualties.
After a fierce battle, less than one-third of the German officers and soldiers returned to the starting point of their attack.
After repelling the German attack, Kirillov immediately couldn't wait to report the results to Sokov. This was the first time he had commanded the troops alone since he was rescued from the German prisoner-of-war camp, so he seemed particularly excited: "
Comrade Commander, I am honored to report to you that the German attack on Hill 239 has been successfully repelled by us."
"What was the result of the battle? How many enemies were eliminated?" Sokov asked repeatedly: "What were the casualties of the troops?"
"In the battle that just ended, we killed at least more than 300 soldiers." Kirillov said: "As for the casualties of the troops, they were not large. Only nearly 100 soldiers died and less than 200 were injured."
When Sokov heard that the battle loss ratio between the two sides was basically one to one. Although it was a defensive battle, he was still very satisfied with such a result, and then asked: "Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov
, do you have any difficulties?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Kirillov asked tentatively: "Can you replenish us with a batch of ammunition?"
"What, replenishing ammunition for you?" Sokov asked in surprise: "You don't have enough ammunition?"
"There is still a part of the inventory, but it will be exhausted soon." Perhaps because he was worried that Sokov would not understand, Kirillov also specifically explained: "Comrade Commander, you also know that the number of new recruits in our division is
The proportion is very high. During the battle, in order to be brave, they kept their fingers on the trigger and often fired all the bullets in the magazine in less than a minute."
Sokov is very clear about Kirillov's statement. For example, with the same base number of bullets, veterans can basically last a day of fighting, but if they are replaced by recruits, they may not be able to use them for an hour, and they will shoot them all.
Empty.
Sokov said into the microphone: "Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov, I will arrange for someone to send you ammunition as soon as possible."
After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Smirnov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please notify the Group Army Logistics Department to immediately deliver ammunition to the defenders at Highland 239. Make sure they have sufficient ammunition."
"Okay, Comrade Commander, I will arrange this immediately."
After notifying the logistics to deliver ammunition to Highland 239, Smirnov said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, I am still not reassured. In any case, it is difficult to block the German attack with the combat effectiveness of the 252nd Division.
.Look, should we mobilize more troops to reinforce them?"
"There is no need." Sokov waved his hand after hearing this and said, "I believe Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov. Since he said he can hold it, he can definitely hold it." He pushed the map in front of Smirnov.
, "The place where I met with Stemerman last night is at this location. The next thing we have to consider is which troop to send to eliminate the German headquarters. If possible, it would be best to capture Shi alive.
Temerman.”
Hearing what Sokov said, Smirnov couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. You must know that it is still unknown whether he can hold the 239 Heights at this moment, and Sokov is actually thinking about Stemerman.
If other commanders thought so, Smirnov would think that the other party was fanciful, but since it was Sokov who said it, it might be possible to realize it. But before expressing his opinion, he first raised his doubts: "This is
Isn’t it a little too early to propose the elimination of the German command system? You know, the enemy is still launching an attack on our 239 Highlands at this moment."
"The enemy's attack will not last long." Sokov said confidently: "Don't look at them crazy at the moment, but as long as the main force of the front army launches attacks from multiple places at the same time, they will have to deploy troops to resist. Then we will face
The pressure will be greatly reduced. When the final general offensive begins, although we are not the closest unit to the German command headquarters, I hope that such an honor belongs to us."
As a veteran soldier, Smirnov naturally understood that destroying the enemy's headquarters would be a great achievement. Since it is so easy to get now, why should he give it to others? Thinking of this, he looked at Sokov and asked: "
Comrade Commander, do you have any plans?"
Sokov stared at the map and said thoughtfully: "When to send the troops is a key. If you send the troops too early, it is easy to alert the enemy. If Stemerman is scared away, it will be very difficult to catch him.
But if it is dispatched too late, it is easy for friendly forces to take the credit."
"Yes, when to dispatch the troops is indeed a very important issue."
Sokov took the initiative to mention this matter to Smirnov because he wanted to hear good advice from the chief of staff. But the facts disappointed him. The old general was used to position against position, attack against attack, and combat ideas.
It is difficult to break out of this fixed circle, and it is impossible to provide yourself with useful suggestions.
Sokov couldn't help but miss Belkin and Samyko, who had been partners with him. Usually when he encountered any difficulties, both of them could more or less provide him with some suggestions to help him find a solution to the problem.
The method is much better than the Smirnov in front of me.
Just as Sokov was complaining about Smirnov's incompetence, the phone rang.
The call was from Zakharov. When he heard that the person who answered the phone was Sokov, he said straight to the point: "Comrade Sokov, there have been some changes in the situation. Because many troops failed to deliver the goods within the stipulated time,
Arrive at the designated position, resulting in the attack not being able to be carried out according to the original plan."
When Sokov heard this, he couldn't help but take a breath, and said to himself that it was no wonder that the Germans attacked Hill 239 so fiercely. He felt that many friendly forces did not hint at launching an attack. As a result, the Germans were able to calmly deploy superior forces to attack Hill 239.
After a pause, he asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, I would like to ask when the friendly forces' attack on the Germans will begin?"
Zakharov said with shame: "Unfortunately, Comrade Sokov, I can't tell you the exact time. After all, each army needs different time to prepare. Therefore, before the main force of the front army launches the final general attack on the German army,
, you must resolutely hold on to Hill 239 to ensure that the Germans cannot break out of the encirclement from you. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." After Sokov figured out the reason why the German army stormed the high ground, he assured Zakharov: "No matter how fierce the German attack is, we can find a way to stop them, and we will never
Let them break through the defense line and rush out to join the German troops coming to meet them."
Considering that the artillery of the front army could only intercept artillery fire against the attacking German troops and it was difficult to carry out precise strikes, Sokov planned to use the power of the air force to destroy the enemy's artillery troops, so he tentatively asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the front army, I want to
I want to ask, when can the air force be dispatched?"
"I'm afraid this won't work." As soon as Sokov finished speaking, he was immediately rejected by Zakharov: "The recent weather is too bad and our air force cannot take off. Otherwise, we would have launched the final attack on the Germans.
Already."
"That's such a pity." Sokov said regretfully: "The German artillery poses too great a threat to Highland 239. We originally wanted to suppress it with artillery fire, but according to our artillery commander's report, the enemy's artillery positions
After each bombardment, they would quickly move their positions, making it difficult to capture them. If the air force is dispatched, no matter how fast the enemy's artillery moves, they may not be able to escape destruction."
"Comrade Sokov," Zakharov said with a wry smile: "Although our army has long occupied the air superiority on the battlefield, in front of God, our air force has no use at all and can only stay at the airport.
, wait for the weather to improve before taking off. Therefore, you can only find a way to kill the German artillery positions."
Besides, after the failure of the German army's second attack on Hill 239, General Giller suggested to Strimmerman: "Your Excellency, General, we should immediately launch a third attack without giving the Russians a chance to breathe. Maybe we can
Breaking through their defenses."
"General Giller, if it were yesterday, I would have tried every means to seize Highland 239 from the Russians. But now, I am not very interested in this highland. If I can capture it, everyone will be happy; even if I capture it,
If it doesn’t go down, it doesn’t matter.”
Sturmermann's attitude made Giller puzzled: "Your Majesty General, why do you say that?"
"Because the new commander of the Russian 53rd Army is Sokov, who is giving us a headache." Stemerman said bluntly: "We will never be able to get rid of him where he is."
"What, the commander of the 53rd Army is Sokov?" Gille couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this: "General, is your information reliable?"
"Completely reliable." Strimmerman replied: "Last night, as a representative of the Russians, he came to me to negotiate with me and persuaded us to lay down our arms and surrender, but I did not agree to him."
Knowing that the troops blocking his front were actually commanded by Sokov, Gille felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He said in a panic: "Your Majesty General, what should we do next?"
"Next, send troops to launch a feint attack on Highland 239 to attract the attention of the Russians." Stemerman said: "The main force quietly turned to the northwest, broke through the Russian defense line there, and tried to find a way to relieve the siege troops.
Reunion."
This chapter has been completed!