After dawn, it suddenly started to snow in the sky.
Snow powder, like white sugar, fell from the sky. In a moment, Sokov's hat and shoulders were covered with a layer of snow.
Seeing this scene, Shtemenko shouted: "God bless Russia!"
Following his shout, the surrounding officers and soldiers also shouted: "God bless Russia!"
Sokov knew that this was a custom passed down from the Tsarist era, and he would say this when it snowed, similar to how we say "Auspicious snow heralds a good harvest."
"Yes, Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff." After getting into the jeep, Sokov said with a smile: "Although it's snowing so heavily, our planes can't take off, and the march of the troops will also be affected, but it will affect our
Attacking is very beneficial."
"That's right, that's right." Shtemenko agreed very much with this point: "There is powdery snow floating in the sky, not heavy snow, which will seriously affect the defenders' vision. When they discover our attacking troops
By then, our commanders and fighters had already rushed in front of them."
"But such heavy snow will also have an impact on our offensive troops." Smirnov, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, half-turned around and said, "I'm worried that the offensive troops will lose their way in the heavy snow."
"There is no need to worry about this," Sokov said: "The attacking troops can rely on the compass to identify the direction and quietly approach the enemy's position. When the sound of gunfire sounds, the nearby troops will know where to move.
"
"What about the artillery preparations before the attack?" Smirnov asked tentatively: "Does it need to be cancelled?"
While Sokov was thinking about it, Shtemenko beside him said: "Comrade Sokov, I think General Smirnov's proposal is worth considering. If the visibility of both sides has been affected by this snowstorm, then why not
How about launching a sneak attack on their position without the enemy noticing?"
Sokov tapped his knees lightly with his fingers, thinking quickly in his mind on how to adjust the combat plan. After a while, he raised his head and said to Smirnov, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat: "Staff
Comrade Chang, if the artillery preparations are cancelled, then many of our combat plans will need to be adjusted."
"The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. As commanders, we must make timely adjustments to the original combat plan according to changes in the situation."
After listening to Sokov's statement, Smirnov felt confident. He asked tentatively: "How about ordering the two airborne regiments close to Uman to attack the enemy's position in advance."
"Okay." Sokov nodded and added: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please inform General Afnin and ask him to order the other two divisions to consider the area as quickly as possible to prevent the leading troops from seizing the enemy's territory.
There is not enough force behind the position to defend. If the captured position is gained and lost again, it will have an adverse impact on the morale of our army."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Smirnov opened the door and said to Sokov: "I will contact General Afnin." After saying that, he got out of the car and walked quickly to the communication vehicle behind him.
.
The driver leaned over and closed the door to keep out the cold air. Then he turned and asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, shall we wait for the Chief of Staff to leave together?"
"Yes." Sokov said in a positive tone: "We will continue on our way after the chief of staff contacts General Afnin."
After waiting for five minutes, the car door was opened by Smirnov from the outside. However, he did not get in the car immediately. Instead, he patted the snow off his shoulders with his hands before getting into the car. After closing the car door, he said
Sokov said: "Comrade Commander, I have already contacted General Afnin."
Sokov knew that such a temporary change in the plan would definitely have some impact on the 18th Guards Corps, so he asked with some urgency: "What did he say?"
"He said that the troops of the 3rd and 4th Guards Airborne Divisions have now reached the starting point of the offensive." Smirnov replied: "Since the original order we gave him was to serve as the second echelon, I contacted him
At that time, he was making arrangements to build fortifications."
"Now that the situation has changed, there is no need to build defensive fortifications anymore." Sokov asked: "After the 18th Guards Corps advances, can the other two corps fill the defensive gap left by them in time?"
"It's hard to say, Comrade Commander." Smirnov shook his head and said, "Look, how heavy the snow is outside. It will definitely slow down the marching speed of our troops. Also, today's
The temperature is relatively high, and after the snow powder falls to the ground, it will melt quickly, making the road muddy again, making it even more difficult for our armored vehicles to move."
"In our original plan, the armored units did not participate in the attack." Sokov said: "Now the infantry can be accelerated to march faster, rush to the starting point of the attack as soon as possible, and cooperate with the 18th Guards Army to launch the attack on Uman.
.”
When the car started, Shtemenko suddenly asked: "Comrade Sokov, you have adjusted the time of the attack. Do you need to report to the front army headquarters?"
"There is no need for this at the moment." Sokov replied: "After all, we don't have to cooperate with friendly forces today. When we launch an attack can be decided based on the specific situation. There is no need to report to the front army headquarters at any time."
Sokov's words made Shtemenko think more highly of him. After the war broke out, as a representative of the base camp, he went to many fronts, but found that most commanders lacked initiative and did not receive the support from their superiors.
Before receiving the order, he dared not do anything, and even watched helplessly as he missed the opportunity to fight.
"Comrade Sokov, I want to ask you a question."
"Excuse me, Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff."
"What if, I'm talking about what if." Shtemenko asked cautiously: "If you order a force to station in a certain place to confront the enemy, no one is allowed to attack without authorization before getting a new order from you.
But one day, the commander of the garrison discovered that a huge fighter plane appeared in front of him, and he was unable to contact you for the time being. In desperation, he took the initiative to attack the enemy and won. How will you deal with him?
"
"Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, I have just said that the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly." Sokov explained: "If you want to win, you must adjust your deployment in a timely manner according to the specific situation. If you see fighter planes
Even if there is no order from superiors, it is okay to take offensive actions without permission."
After listening to this, Shtemenko said with emotion: "Comrade Sokov, only now do I understand why the troops you commanded before achieved more results than other troops. It was because of the commanders under your command.
, know how to adjust combat deployments according to changes in the battlefield situation, instead of blindly executing untimely orders."
Besides, in the suburbs of Uman, Afnin, who received Smirnov's order, immediately sent people to summon the three commanders of the 3rd and 4th Guards Airborne Divisions and the 41st Guards Division to his corps commander.
department and prepare to assign the next tasks to them.
"Comrades, division commanders, I am now starting to arrange combat tasks." Seeing his subordinates all arriving, Afunin said: "I just received a call from the chief of staff, General Smirnov, saying that some adjustments need to be made in the offensive operations.
.”
Hearing that the battle plan was to be adjusted, the three division commanders immediately realized that their troops might not need to be in reserve, but would directly participate in the attack. So everyone focused their attention on Afuning, hoping to hear from him
The news you want to hear.
"Due to heavy snowfall, the original attack plan needs to be adjusted accordingly." Afuning said: "Originally, our army was the second echelon, but now the snowfall outside has limited visibility, so the superiors decided to use the original strong attack
It turned into a sneak attack.”
"Sneak attacks are good. This is the strength of our airborne troops. It is guaranteed to catch the Germans by surprise." Major General Rumyantsev said with a smile: "Comrade Commander, just tell me which unit you plan to use as the main attack force."
After issuing the order, Afuning wanted to ask: "How is your ammunition supply situation?"
"The ammunition brought by superiors is being distributed at the moment." Colonel Konev replied first: "It will definitely not delay the offensive operation later."
After hearing this, Afunin nodded slightly and continued: "Today's attack will be led by Colonel Konev's 3rd Airborne Division, and Major General Rumyantsev's 4th Airborne Division will be the second echelon. The two divisions of yours will
The mission was to take advantage of the heavy snow outside and the limited visibility of the defenders outside Uman to quietly approach the enemy's positions and launch a surprise attack on them. Once the breakthrough was completed, the 3rd Division continued to rush forward, and the 4th Division was in time
Follow up on the ground, fill the gap left by the 3rd Division, and prevent the Germans from taking advantage of the gap. How about it, do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Konev and Rumyantsev replied as they stood up.
"Comrade Commander," Kurishenko became a little anxious when he saw Afunin ignoring his presence: "What about us? What is the mission of our 41st Guards Division?"
Afunin walked up to Kurishenko, looked into his eyes and said: "General Kurishenko, the task of your division is to serve as the reserve force of the entire army. You and your men can stay in the warm shelter.
Here, you can also seize the time to build the unfinished fortifications."
"Comrade Commander," Kurishenko said anxiously when he learned that his unit had become a reserve force for no reason: "Our division can definitely perform more important tasks. If you let us stay here to dig fortifications or build, I'm afraid it will cost the commanders and soldiers
Their emotions fluctuate, which is very detrimental to the subsequent battle."
"General Kurishenko," Afunin said with a look of regret: "To be fair, I also want your division to participate in the battle. But now there are no other troops of ours near the area we control. If they all go into battle.
Once the attack fails and the Germans take the opportunity to launch a counterattack, what kind of force will we use to stop them?
Moreover, the organization of your division is not complete, and there is still a unit fighting the enemy in the town of Golovanivsik. I think it is better to wait until your unit is reorganized before considering whether to participate in the battle. In front of you,
The task is to rest and repair fortifications."
When Kurishenko heard Afunin say this, he felt disappointed, but he was helpless. An order was an order, and no matter whether it was right or wrong, he could only execute it unconditionally. Moreover, he did still have an army, which was in Golovani at the moment.
The town of Fusik fought with the Germans. It is still unknown when it will be rebuilt.
Colonel Konev returned to his division headquarters and immediately summoned the four commanders of the 2nd, 8th and 10th Guards Airborne Regiments, as well as the 2nd Guards Artillery Regiment, and began assigning tasks to them.
When Major Rubimov, commander of the artillery regiment, learned that he was about to launch an attack on the enemy's position, he took a step forward, straightened his back and said proudly: "Comrade division commander, our artillery regiment is ready and is just waiting for you."
With a single order, we can cover the German forward positions with artillery fire."
"The artillery is not needed for the time being." Konev waved his hand to Rubimov and said: "Our attack this time is to use the cover of heavy snow to carry out a sneak attack on the German positions. Even if they are accidentally exposed, the infantry will be with them.
The mortars, rockets and new rockets they carry can cause huge losses to the German army."
Hearing what Konev said, Rubimov looked disappointed: "I never imagined that our artillerymen would also be unemployed."
"Don't be anxious, Comrade Major, I haven't finished speaking yet." Konev continued: "According to the combat mission assigned by the army, after breaking through the German outer positions, we will continue to rush towards the city. According to me
It is estimated that the Germans may choose some solid buildings as their fire support points. At that time, your artillery will be put to use and use artillery to directly destroy the enemy's fire points from a distance."
After appeasing the artillery regiment commanders, Konev said to one of the regiment commanders: "Lieutenant Colonel Fritzmann, your 2nd regiment will be the vanguard of the division and will be the first to launch a sneak attack on the enemy's position. You should immediately
Return to the group, and the attack will officially begin in a quarter of an hour. I hope your performance will not disappoint me."
"Don't worry, comrade division commander." Fritzman learned that his regiment was responsible for the first offensive mission, and the corner of his mouth slightly raised: "I will go back to the regiment to arrange the offensive matters and ensure that we launch an attack on the enemy's position within the specified time.
.”
Seeing that the 2nd Regiment had seized the first offensive task, Lieutenant Colonel Pingkov, the commander of the 8th Regiment, and Lieutenant Colonel Tongjihe, the leader of the 10th Regiment, couldn't help but become a little anxious: "Comrade Division Commander, when will our regiment launch the attack?"
"Don't be anxious. Although the 2nd Regiment is responsible for the first offensive mission, after they break through the enemy's defense line, the troops will suffer certain casualties. At that time, I may transfer you to take over his offensive mission." Konev waved at the two men.
He waved his hand and said: "You will prepare your own troops. When you receive my order later, you must be able to attack in time."
"Yes!" the two lieutenant colonels answered resoundingly, raised their hands in salute, then turned and left.
A quarter of an hour later, the three battalions of the 2nd Regiment were divided into three echelons and lined up in a skirmish formation. Then, guided by the compass, the commander led the soldiers towards the enemy's position with striding strides.
Regiment commander Fritzman did not stay at his regiment command post. He wanted to go to the enemy's position in person and personally tell Colonel Konev who was staying at the division headquarters the good news that his troops had occupied the enemy's position.
.However, he did not foolishly follow the first battalion. Instead, he followed the troops at a distance with the third battalion, which served as the third echelon.
This chapter has been completed!