Smirnov's suggestion made Sokov murmur. He thought that he had contacted Yakov a few days ago and asked him to find a way to provide weapons and equipment for his troops, but it took so long.
But there is no news at all. Have you forgotten it?
"Comrade Commander, Comrade Commander!" Seeing Sokov looking distracted, Smirnov quickly called him twice and asked tentatively: "Are you listening to me?"
"Of course, Comrade Chief of Staff, of course I am listening to you." In order to make the other party believe that he had indeed heard what he said, Sokov specifically added: "You asked me to contact Yakov and ask him to help us get a batch of
Weaponry."
"Yes, I did say that." Smirnov asked: "Comrade Commander, I wonder when you plan to contact him."
Sokov thought that he would have to contact Yakov sooner or later. Since he mentioned this matter today, he would strike while the iron is hot and call him immediately to ask how the situation was.
Seeing that Sokov wanted to contact Yakov as soon as possible, Smirnov did not dare to neglect, and quickly called the director of the communications corps and told the other party: "Comrade director of the communications corps, the commander wants to have a phone call with the weapons and equipment department in Moscow.
You connect the line immediately."
"Yes." The director of the communications corps agreed, and then began to arrange for his subordinates to connect the line.
After a few minutes of waiting, the director of the communications corps said to Sokov respectfully: "Comrade Commander, the phone number of the Weapons and Equipment Department has been connected."
Sokov took the phone and heard a woman's voice coming from the receiver: "This is the switchboard of the Weapons and Equipment Department. Where do you want it?"
"Hello!" Sokov said politely to the female operator: "I am Lieutenant General Sokov, commander of the 53rd Army. Please help me get through to Colonel Yakov's office."
When Sokov was recuperating in Moscow, he often called Yakov. Many operators at the switchboard knew him. When he heard him announcing his home address, the female operator quickly said politely: "Hello, Comrade General, please wait a moment."
Wait a moment and I will connect you to Colonel Yakov's office right away."
Soon, Sokov heard Yakov's voice: "I am Yakov, where are you?"
"Yasha, I'm Sokov!" Sokov asked with a smile: "How are you doing lately?"
"I'm not good." Yakov said in a complaining tone: "After the Battle of Cherkasy, we received applications from the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts to replenish the weapons and ammunition they lost in the battle...
"
"Yasha," Sokov couldn't help but interrupt after hearing this: "If you want to replenish weapons and ammunition, you shouldn't contact the logistics department. Why are you looking for me?"
"I heard a news that the troops under your command were able to achieve a series of victories entirely because the weapons they were equipped with were superior to other friendly forces." The anxious Yakov said: "Therefore, they used
For this reason, we directly asked our weapons and equipment department for weapons and ammunition. I had to patiently explain to these commanders every day that the reason why your troops are equipped with some equipment that other troops do not have is entirely because you are the one who equipped them.
What I invented is only for you to use to test the performance of the weapon on the battlefield."
Yakov's words suddenly made Sokov feel a sense of crisis. Although the requests of these commanders were all rejected by Yakov, if they put pressure through the Supreme Command, let alone Yakov, even the Uzbekistan
I'm afraid that Stinov couldn't withstand it, so Sokov planned to strike first: "Yasha, I called you today just to ask how the weapons you prepared for us are going."
"Misha, although I also want to help you." Yakov said in embarrassment: "But I just rejected other troops. Now I am providing you with weapons and ammunition. I am afraid it will attract criticism from others."
Sokov felt that if he just begged blindly, I was afraid that Yakov would not agree to his request, so he said with a straight face and a tough attitude: "Yasha, to tell you the truth, my troops just finished the battle.
We suffered huge casualties. Soon we will add a group of new soldiers, but so far, their weapons and equipment have not been available. I don’t know when we will fight the Germans again, but if there are not enough
Weapons, you can't let my subordinates fight the enemy with sticks, right?"
Hearing what Sokov said, Yakov realized that it would be somewhat unfair if he refused again. He thought for a long time, and then said to Sokov: "Misha, I'm going to see Comrade Ustinov now.
Tell him what you mean."
The corners of Sokov's mouth raised slightly, and he said repeatedly: "Thank you, Yasha, thank you so much."
"Misha, don't be too happy too soon." Yakov reminded Sokov: "I can convey your intention to Comrade Ustinov, but I won't tell you whether he can agree to provide you with weapons.
I can guarantee it.”
"Yasha, you go and talk to Comrade Ustinov first." Sokov said with a smile: "If we talk, at least there is a glimmer of hope. If we don't talk, then we have no hope at all."
"Okay then." Now that Sokov has said this, Yakov can only catch up: "I will go see Comrade Ustinov now, and I will go back to him after the results are obtained.
call you."
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for your call."
After putting down the phone, Sokov said to Smirnov and Gorokhov sitting opposite: "Colonel Yakov will go to see Comrade Ustinov soon and convey our request to him.
"
"Comrade Commander," Gorokhov asked cautiously, "do you think we can succeed?"
"I think there should be no problem." Sokov said carefully: "In any case, the troops under my command have achieved good results after being equipped with the weapons they provided."
"Comrade Commander, I have a question I have been wanting to ask you." Gorokhov said, "I wonder if I can ask you?"
"Of course, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov said with a smile: "Since we are partners, if you have any questions, just ask them. As long as I know the answer, I will definitely tell you everything."
"According to your information, during the Battle of Stalingrad, you commanded the 73rd Infantry Brigade and the 41st Guards Division; and later commanded the 21st and 27th Army Groups," Gorokhov asked.
: "I said that right, right?"
"No," Sokov shook his head and said, "You are very accurate."
"During the Battle of Stalingrad, before you obtained the weapons provided by the Weapons and Equipment Department, where did the weapons you used to equip your troops come from?"
"Seizure is the main way." Sokov recalled the raid in which he obtained the weapons, and replied: "Some of them came from our army's hidden ammunition depots near the city."
"Mainly from seizures?" Gorokhov raised his own doubts about Sokov's statement: "Comrade Commander, as far as I know, many of the weapons on the enemy's corpses on the battlefield after the battle were damaged.
When the damage reaches different levels, the number of weapons that can still be used is very limited. How can you ensure that every soldier has a weapon that can be used?"
"Comrade Military Commissar, I think you have misunderstood the concept of 'capture' I said." Seeing that the other party had misunderstood what he meant, Sokov explained to him: "The capture I am talking about does not mean the capture on the battlefield.
How much use could the few weapons collected by cleaning up the battlefield be put to? Instead, I sent troops to disguise themselves as Germans and directly evacuated several of their arms warehouses, so that I could have enough weapons to equip mine.
force."
"So that's it." Gorokhov, who figured out what was going on, nodded first, then turned to Smirnov and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that our commander has a way to escape from Germany.
people’s warehouses to obtain enough weapons and ammunition.”
"I really didn't expect that Comrade Commander could actually come up with such a good idea." After the outbreak of the Patriotic War, Smirnov participated in the battle for the first time, taking the cadets of the Podolsk Infantry Academy to block the attack on Moscow.
The enemy. However, due to their backward equipment, although they successfully blocked the enemy for several days, they suffered huge casualties. Even the political commissar of the college died for his country.
He said with emotion: "If I could have thought of such a good way during the defense of Moscow, I would have been able to obtain more weapons. In this way, our defense line might have been able to hold on longer and the casualties would have been smaller.
."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, the cadets under your command are all good." When mentioning the cadets of the Podolsk Infantry Academy, Sokov was in awe: "They used inferior weapons and equipment and successfully completed the delay.
The mission of the German advance. If they had been better equipped at the time, they might have been able to hold off the Germans for a longer time."
While several people were recalling the performance of the Podolsk Infantry Academy in the Battle of Moscow, Yakov's phone call came in. He asked straight to the point: "Misha, I am in Comrade Ustinov's office at the moment. Are you
Tell me what kind of weapons you want."
After Sokov waited for Yakov to finish speaking, he said without thinking: "I want fifty thousand assault rifles, two thousand new rockets, T-34/85 tanks equipped with telephones, thirty of them..."
"Stop, stop, Misha, don't talk anymore." Unexpectedly, before Sokov could finish speaking, Yakov loudly stopped: "We can make an exception and provide you with some weapons and equipment, but you can't be as big as a lion.
Open your mouth. Look, these weapons and ammunition you requested can equip two infantry corps."
After Sokov laughed dryly twice, he asked: "Yasha, if you give me an accurate answer, how many weapons and equipment can you provide me?"
"Misha, listen, I'm going to read you the list I just made with Comrade Ustinov."
"Wait a minute, I'm looking for a pen." After Sokov prepared the paper and pen, he said into the microphone: "I'm ready. Tell me, what kind of weapons can you give us?"
Yakov on the other end of the phone began to read out a list of weapons: "Five thousand assault rifles and two hundred new rockets. As for tanks and artillery, we must give priority to supplying other troops, and we cannot give them to you for the time being..."
"Wait a minute, Yakov." Sokov felt something was wrong after hearing half of it. Yakov could only give him one-tenth of what he asked for. What use could such a small thing have on the battlefield?
He interrupted the other party and said with some dissatisfaction: "The things you gave me are too few, right?"
After Sokov finished speaking, he heard Yakov saying in embarrassment: "Because the front line requires too many weapons and ammunition, and our production capacity cannot keep up, the things we can provide you with are all from other sources."
intercepted by the troops."
"Five thousand assault rifles are not even enough to equip one division, let alone my entire army." Sokov raised his voice and said: "Two hundred new rockets, I am afraid, except for use in sneak attacks behind enemy lines, both offense and defense
No, because the number is too small to cover the enemy with suppressive firepower."
While he was complaining, he vaguely heard Ustinov's voice: "Colonel Yakov, let me come and talk to General Sokov." Soon, Ustinov's voice came from the receiver.
Voice: "Hello, General Sokov! I am Ustinov."
"Hello, Comrade People's Commissar."
"General Sokov, now all fronts are fighting the Germans, so the demand for weapons is very huge." Ustinov said pleasantly: "In view of your previous achievements, we will provide you with
Providing some weapons is already an exception. If you want more weapons, please forgive me because I can't do anything."
If this was said by Yakov, Sokov could have said something harsh to ask the other party to find a way to get more weapons and equipment for him. But now the person speaking is Ustinov, which means
There was no room for change in this matter. Even so, he still said reluctantly: "Comrade People's Commissar, you don't know that the army I took over is filled with a large number of new soldiers, and its combat effectiveness has been greatly diluted.
If we no longer have enough weapons to arm every warrior, I worry that our performance in the next battle will be very disappointing."
After hearing Sokov's difficulties, Ustinov also began to think deeply, considering whether he should give Sokov an additional batch of weapons and ammunition to increase the combat effectiveness of the unit.
Yakov, who knew Ustinov well, saw that the People's Commissar was beginning to think deeply. He knew that Sokov's words had some effect, so he quickly said: "Comrade People's Commissar, I think Misha is right. Otherwise,
Let’s try to think of a way to allocate some weapons and ammunition to him from where?”
Ustinov raised his head and looked at Yakov without saying a word. After a long time, when Yakov felt a little guilty and was about to look away, Ustinov spoke: "I see.
Just give him the weapons in the spare warehouse."
"Okay, Comrade People's Commissar." Hearing what Ustinov said, Yakov's eyes suddenly lit up. He took the microphone from the other party's hand, put it to his ear and said: "Misha, let me tell you something good."
According to the news, the People's Commissar is preparing to distribute to you the commonly used standard weapons stored in the reserve warehouse of the Arms and Equipment Department."
Although he did not get more assault rifles and new rockets, Yakov was willing to provide standard weapons, which was better than nothing. He quickly asked: "Yasha, what weapons do you have?"
"Twenty thousand Mosin Nagant rifles, six thousand Bobosha submachine guns, and five hundred Deggarev light machine guns." Yakov also specifically emphasized: "The ammunition of these guns is sufficient for you to carry out a battle."
