Unexpectedly, the communications soldier only took the microphone and listened, then reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, there is no problem with our lines. There should be a problem with the communication system at the headquarters."
When Sokov just heard the explosion from the receiver, he had a vague feeling of uneasiness in his heart, thinking that something might have happened at the headquarters. Now that he heard the reply from the communications soldier, this suspicion was strengthened in his heart.
"Lieutenant Colonel Ponedelin!" Sokov shouted to the side without looking back.
Unexpectedly, no one agreed to him. Sokov's heart was filled with anger and he shouted again: "Lieutenant Colonel Ponejelin!"
This time there was finally a response: "Comrade Commander, didn't Lieutenant Colonel Ponedelin take Colonel Yakov and Victor to the defense area of the 15th Regiment?"
Sokov turned around and saw that the person who answered his question was Lieutenant Colonel Mujichenko, a member of the advisory team. He laughed twice and said with some embarrassment: "Sorry, Lieutenant Colonel Mujchenko, I forgot in a moment of urgency.
Already."
"Comrade Commander," because Muzichenko's station was a little far away from Sokov, he didn't hear who Sokov was talking to. At this moment, seeing Sokov acting so rude, he asked curiously.
One sentence: "Can I ask, what happened?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Muzichenko," except for Shtemenko, the rest of the people in the command post are his subordinates, and they are trustworthy. Naturally, Sokov will not hide anything from Muzichenko:
"When I was talking to Chief of Staff Smirnov just now, there was a sudden violent explosion, and then the communication was interrupted. The communications soldier checked our line here and there was no problem. This means that there is no problem at the headquarters.
Something happened."
"Is there no way to contact you?" Muzichenko turned to look at the communication area and said to himself: "Even if I can't contact you by phone, I can contact you through the radio station."
The words awakened the dreamer, and Muzichenko's words reminded Sokov, "Yes, although the phone line is disconnected, we can contact him through the radio."
After saying this, Sokov quickly ordered the staff officer in charge of communications: "Call the radio station of the headquarters immediately to find out what happened there as soon as possible."
Although he had given instructions to his staff, Sokov was still worried. He walked directly behind the operator and listened to the other party calling the headquarters' radio station, but he could never get in touch.
I don't know how much time passed, but Sokov saw that the radio operator had not yet contacted the headquarters, and he couldn't help but became a little anxious: "What's going on? It's been such a long time, why haven't I been contacted yet?"
"Comrade Sokov, don't be anxious." Shtemenko saw that Sokov seemed a little gloomy because he could not contact the headquarters for a long time, so he quickly came out to comfort him and said: "I believe he will be contacted soon.
Yes, wait a little longer.”
Sokov, who was originally worried, could only take a few deep breaths after hearing what Shtemenko said, trying to calm down his restless mood: "Okay, Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, I will wait a little longer.
.”
"Comrade Commander," Muzichenko suddenly spoke again: "I have an idea, I don't know whether I should say it or not?"
"Just say what you have to say." Sokov knew that after Muzichenko entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he always spoke before and after, so he comforted him and said: "Even if I say something wrong, I won't blame you.
"
Since Sokov made such a guarantee, Muzichenko said with confidence: "We assume the worst case scenario is that the army headquarters is attacked by the Germans, causing communication interruption. If we just wait blindly,
We still don’t know when we can get back in touch with them. So, we have to think of other ways.”
"Other way?" Sokov looked at the other party and asked, "What way?"
"I can get in touch with the troops stationed near the headquarters and ask them to check what happened." Muzichenko said: "The closest one is Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov's 252nd Infantry Division.
I can ask him to send someone over to check."
When Sokov heard that this was a good idea, he nodded in agreement: "Okay, Lieutenant Colonel Muzichenko, then you should immediately contact Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov and ask him to send someone to check the headquarters.
See what happened."
Kirillov was surprised when he received a call from Muzichenko: "General Muzichenko, why did you think of calling me? Did the headquarters order our division to move out overnight?"
"No, Kirillov." Muzichenko said very quickly: "Something happened and I need your help."
"Something happened?" Kirillov did not understand what Muzichenko meant and thought he was in trouble. After a moment of silence, he said: "General Muzichenko, where are you now? If you really encounter
If you encounter trouble that cannot be solved, come to my division as soon as possible and I will provide you with a hiding place."
When Muzichenko heard this, he knew that his words had caused ambiguity in Kirillov. His old face suddenly turned red and he quickly explained: "Kirilov, you are mistaken. I didn't encounter any trouble. It's the commander."
While the comrade was on the phone with Chief of Staff Smirnov, he heard an explosion near the headquarters, and then the communication was interrupted."
"Didn't you try to contact me again?"
Muzichenko glanced at the operator who was calling non-stop, shook his head slightly, and said: "I tried it, but it didn't work. The phone lines were different, and I didn't hear any answer when I called the radio. I guess something happened to the headquarters.
Already."
Kirillov realized the seriousness of the problem and quickly asked: "General Muzichenko, I was awakened by the explosion. I was about to send someone to conduct reconnaissance when your call came. Tell me, then
What can I do now?"
"The location of your division is the closest to the group army headquarters." Muzichenko said into the microphone: "Immediately send someone to the headquarters to check. After you figure out what is going on, report to the forward headquarters as soon as possible."
He was worried that Kirillov would not pay attention to this matter, so he emphasized, "Comrade Commander is waiting for your reconnaissance results."
"I understand." Kirillov said firmly: "I will personally lead people to conduct reconnaissance, so that I can report to the forward headquarters immediately after figuring out what happened."
As soon as Kirillov put down the phone, he called a staff officer over and told him: "Comrade staff officer, take the guard platoon, bring the radio, and come with me."
The staff officer also asked curiously: "Comrade division commander, where are we going?"
"Go to the group army headquarters." Kirillov was worried that the news of the attack on the headquarters would shake the morale of the army and affect morale, so he did not tell the staff truthfully, but simply said: "I want to find out one thing."
The staff officer saw that Kirillov did not want to tell him anything, so he did not ask any more questions. Instead, he followed the other party's instructions and began to assemble the guard platoon and prepare the radio station, intending to follow Kirillov to the army headquarters.
Unexpectedly, Kirillov's convoy was stopped by a temporarily added checkpoint as soon as it arrived near the headquarters.
Kirillov quickly opened the car door and said to the soldiers blocking the road: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov, commander of the 252nd Division. I need to go to the headquarters in an emergency. Please pull up the crossbar on the road."
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the soldier said in a calm and humble manner: "I have received an order and no one is allowed to enter the headquarters. Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, please go back. If you have anything to do, come back after dawn."
Kirillov looked towards the location of the headquarters and saw several fires burning in that direction. Under the light of the fires, many commanders and soldiers could be seen running back and forth. In the smoke of gunpowder in the air, mixed with
There is a lingering smell of blood.
He realized that something was wrong and became more determined to go in and take a look. Facing the soldiers who blocked him, he mentioned Sokov's name: "Comrade soldier, I have told you that I am here under the command of the commander."
Comrade Comrade Comrade ordered us to come here to see what happened. If you stop us again, you will be fully responsible for the consequences."
The order the soldiers received was not to let anyone pass through the checkpoint. But the lieutenant colonel in front of him said that he was following the commander's order and came here to see what happened. Should he let anyone pass or not?
The warrior became indecisive.
Fortunately, an officer came over in a hurry. When he saw several cars parked on the road and more than thirty commanders and soldiers, he asked loudly: "What's going on? What's going on? These people are all here."
Where did it come from?"
When the soldiers saw the officer's appearance, they felt as if they had seen a savior. They rushed to meet him and reported to him: "Comrade company commander, this commander of the 252nd Division is going to the headquarters. I told him that access is prohibited here."
"Yes, you are right. The order given to us by our superiors is to prohibit anyone from passing through." The officer asked displeasedly: "Is there something wrong?"
"But," the soldier continued, "this comrade, the lieutenant colonel, said that he was ordered by the commander to come here to see what happened."
When the officer heard what the soldier said, the first thing he thought of was whether the other party was a liar under the guise of Sokov, so he came over to ask what happened.
After he saw Kirillov's face clearly, he quickly stood at attention, raised his hand in salute, and said in a panic: "I'm sorry, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I didn't know it was you. Please forgive me!"
Seeing that the officer's attitude towards him had changed 180 degrees, Kirillov asked tentatively: "Comrade Captain, do you know me?"
"Yes, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." The officer belongs to the security force of the Army Group Headquarters and naturally knows Kirillov, a member of the advisory group. At this moment, he has believed what Kirillov said. Maybe the other party is really
Sokov was sent to check on the situation. But to be on the safe side, he decided to cross-examine: "I want to ask, why are you here so late?"
He also glanced at the soldiers standing behind Kirillov and asked timidly: "You still have so many people with you?"
"Comrade Captain," Kirillov did not answer the other party's question, but asked: "Tell me, what exactly happened here?"
"Not long ago, two artillery shells fell on the headquarters station." The officer was only a captain, and his rank was too low. Naturally, he didn't know about the V1 missile. He was also shelled by the German army later: "One artillery shell fell on more than two hundred people."
It exploded meters away, while the other one landed more than 30 meters away from the headquarters and exploded, causing the house to collapse."
He pursed his lips toward the spot where there was fire and said, "Here, look, they are putting out fires and rescuing the wounded there."
Hearing that the wounded were being rescued, Kirillov couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat, and quickly asked: "What are the casualties at the headquarters?"
"I don't know." The officer shook his head and said, "I just saw two people being carried out on stretchers, but they were no longer breathing. I think other people in the headquarters may be in danger."
After Kirillov waited for the officer to finish speaking, he realized the seriousness of the problem and decided to report the matter to Sokov immediately so that the other party could be mentally prepared in advance.
"Operator!" Kirillov thought of this, turned around and shouted to the people behind him: "Come to me!"
Hearing Kirillov's shout, the radio operator carrying a walkie-talkie squeezed out of the crowd. He came to Kirillov and asked respectfully: "Comrade division commander, what are your instructions?"
"Immediately send a report to the forward headquarters and report what happened here to the comrade commander." After the operator was ready to send the report, he urgently dictated a message and reported in detail what happened here.
.
After the telegram was sent, Kirillov did not continue to move in the direction of the fire. He had to wait for Sokov's order before deciding what to do next.
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," the officer saw the radio operator sending the report, so he came over and asked Kirillov carefully: "Are you still going to the fire scene?"
"Wait a minute." Kirillov shook his head and said, "My radio operator is sending a report to the commander. What should I do next? I have to wait for the commander's order."
In this way, after waiting for almost a quarter of an hour, Kirillov received a call back from Sokov: "Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov, your mission is to find out the casualties in the headquarters, as well as the situation of Chief of Staff Smirno
General Husband and Military Commissar General Gorokhov are still alive. Once we have the latest information, we will report it to the forward command in a timely manner."
At the forward headquarters in Safran, after reading the telegram sent by Kirillov, Sokov said to Shtemenko with a heavy heart: "Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, I have bad news to tell you.
You, although my subordinate Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov reported that the attack on the Army Group Headquarters was caused by German artillery shells. But based on my experience, I judge that it was attacked by German missiles."
Shtemenko couldn't help being surprised after hearing this, and then asked: "What about the casualties in the headquarters?"
"It's not clear yet," Sokov said: "But I have called Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov back and asked him to find out the casualties of the headquarters in the shortest possible time, especially whether the chief of staff and political commissar are still alive.
.”
When he learned that the casualties at the headquarters were unknown, Shtemenko's expression became heavy. He seemed to be talking to himself and to Sokov: "If the worst happens,
This situation means that your superiors will assign you a new chief of staff and military commissar."
"Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, it is said that the missile did not directly hit the headquarters house, but exploded nearby, and the shock wave caused the house to collapse." Sokov said: "If the house collapsed, they happened to be hiding in a safe place.
Then the chance of survival is very high."
This chapter has been completed!