However, what happened next was different from what Sokov imagined. Just as he was sitting in the observation center, waiting for the offensive order from the division headquarters, a soldier broke in from outside. As soon as he entered the door, he asked loudly: "Where is the battalion commander?"
"I am the battalion commander." Sokov used the indoor candlelight to see clearly the rank on the other party's head seal. He was a sergeant and asked quickly: "Comrade Sergeant, are you doing anything?"
The sergeant narrowed his eyes and looked at Sokov. After he got used to the light in the room, he saw clearly the rank of the officer sitting by the table, he determined that this was the person he was looking for. He quickly raised his hand to salute and replied, "Hello, Comrade Major. I am the correspondent soldier of the division headquarters. I am ordered to invite you to the division headquarters."
"Are you going to accept a combat mission?" Sokov said this, subconsciously glanced at the phone in front of him, thinking that Chernesov had any instructions, and could notify him by phone, so why do you need to send a communications soldier in one fell swoop?
The sergeant shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, Comrade Major, I'm just ordered to invite you to the division headquarters. As for what is going on, I don't know." After saying this, he paused for a moment and added, "Comrade Major, let's set off now."
Sokov followed the sergeant away from the observation center, bent down and walked towards the direction of the division command. When he was still fifty or sixty meters away from the division headquarters, he suddenly saw several automatic sleds parked in the snow, and couldn't help asking the sergeant: "Comrade Sergeant, is there any big figure in the division headquarters?"
"I'm sorry, Comrade Major." Although the sergeant knew who was coming on the sled, he said vaguely for confidentiality reasons: "I don't know very well."
"Comrade Sergeant, I know that you don't answer me. You are keeping a secret to the whereabouts of the senior commander." Sokov pointed his hand at the automatic sled parked in the snow: "My army has used this sled and knows its performance. These vehicles cannot participate in the battle, and can only be used to transport senior commanders."
Seeing that Sokov guessed everything, the sergeant nodded and whispered a positive answer: "That's right, it's Comrade Commander of the Group Army that is here."
When Sokov walked into the division headquarters, he saw that there were already many people sitting in the room. The division commander Chernesov was sitting at the table, and on the other side were Rokosovsky and military commissioner Lobachev Sokov quickly stepped forward to salute several people and reported his arrival. Rokosovsky, who had a expressionless face, nodded to him, pointed to the side, and said, "Major Sokov, find a place to sit down, we are about to have a meeting."
Sokov found a seat in the corner and sat down, turned his head and asked a lieutenant colonel beside him in a low voice: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the division commander summoned us here, is there anything?"
The lieutenant colonel turned his head and looked at Sokov without saying anything. He just shook his head, then shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and signaled that he didn't know what was going on.
After waiting for a while, Sokov saw a lieutenant colonel hanging his left arm in plaster on his chest, and with the help of a health officer, he walked into the command center. He came to Rokosovsky, broke free from the health officer who was supporting him, and raised his injured right hand to his forehead and said with some difficulty: "Comrade Commander, Derepinsky, deputy political leader of the 291st Infantry Regiment, reports to you..."
Rokosovsky looked at the deputy political leader and asked coldly: "Where is your leader?"
"Sacrificed." After hearing Rokosovsky's question, Derepinsky lowered his head and replied in a heavy tone: "In the battle not long ago, the regiment commander was blown in half by the enemy's shells."
Derepinsky's words moved everyone, including Sokov. In particular, Sokov only knew that the regiment of the 97th Infantry Division had sacrificed six or seven hundred people during the attack, but unexpectedly, even the regiment commander was killed.
After listening to Terepinsky's answer, Rokosovsky remained silent for a moment and asked again: "Are there any other regiment-level commanders besides you?"
"No." Telepinsky shook his head and replied, "I am the only one left of the regiment-level commander. The deputy regiment commander rushed to the front of the team and was unfortunately killed by a German machine gun."
Rokosovsky sighed softly and said to him: "Comrade Telepinsky, I think your regiment should be retreated first and rested, and let other troops take over you to attack."
"Comrade Commander," Derepinsky heard Rokosovsky say he planned to send troops to replace the 291st Regiment's attack, and he couldn't help but be anxious: "Although our regiment suffered one-third of the officers and fighters in the offensive, the regiment's main force is still there, and we can continue to take on the main offensive mission. Please do not let other troops take over us, otherwise, how can we be worthy of those officers and fighters who died on the battlefield?"
"Comrade of the Deputy Political Commander," Chernesov, who was sitting aside, interrupted, "Although you are not under my command, the price you paid in the battle that just ended is too great. If the commanders and fighters are not allowed to retreat and rest, it may have a bad impact on morale."
"Comrade General." Telepinsky looked at Chernesov and said loudly: "Our regiment made great sacrifices in the battle to defend Smolensk, with less than 300 men left in the regiment. Even in this case, not only our soldiers did not retreat, but even the women who helped us dig trenches bravely stayed on the position. Although the women had never received any military training, they still bravely threw grenades at the German tanks that rushed up. After the grenades were thrown away, they threw stones until their final sacrifice. No one took a step back..."
Sokov, sitting in the corner, admired him very much when he heard that Telepinsky insisted on refusing to let other troops take over their attack. But when he heard that women who had not been trained in military throw grenades and stones at German tanks, his eyes were filled with anger: Facing German tanks, even well-trained soldiers could not be able to stop them. You actually let women who had not been trained in military training bomb the tanks. Isn’t you just taking human lives in your life?
Chapter completed!