Before the troops led by Pavel arrived at the battlefield, the radio operator sitting beside him suddenly shouted excitedly: "Comrade Commander, I have received a strange telegram."
"Strange telegram?" Sokov couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard the operator say this, and asked back: "What strange telegram?"
"A clear telegram," the radio operator smiled bitterly: "It was sent from the same frequency and the same band as the telegram I received last month."
If the radio operator mentioned the strange telegram last month, maybe Sokov would not care about the telegram at all. But at this moment, he realized that the other party might have some important information that needs to be transmitted in time, so he used such an extremely dangerous method to send it.
Sokov reached out to the radio operator: "Take me the telegram."
The content on the telegram is simple: "The German Air Force, a motorized division and two infantry divisions, is about to rush to the battle area north of Bryansk."
Potukin stood beside Sokov, tilted his head and read the contents of the telegram together, and said in a suspicious tone: "Comrade, do you think this is a conspiracy of the Germans?"
"If the radio operator is right, the person who sent the telegram this time is the same person who invented the code of the telegram last time." Sokov sent the telegram in his hand to Potukinyang, "I need to report this matter to the commander immediately."
The radio stations of the division-level units can receive the radio stations, which can naturally be received by the Group Army Command. Therefore, after receiving Sokov's report, Rokosovsky said disapprovingly: "Major Sokov, your division's current mission is to break through the second line of defense of the German army. As for the matter of clear telegrams, you should forget it. Do you understand?"
"I understand, comrade commander." Sokov put down the phone and thought to himself: If the telegram said it was true, the attack launched by the Soviet army would collapse immediately when the large German troops arrived. In order to prevent the troops from being defeated, his division headquarters was also taken down. He immediately called Bindasov and decisively ordered the other party: "Comrade Colonel, immediately organize the soldiers and build fortifications in the existing area."
"Why is this, comrade commander." Bindasov was confused by Sokov's order. He did not order the troops that were constantly attacking to build fortifications. Therefore, he asked in confusion: "You must know that our division is attacking now, not defending. I don't think there is any need to build any fortifications."
"Comrade Colonel," Sokov could not see any hope of victory in the Soviet army. He was worried that once the German reinforcements came up, the Soviet attack would collapse, and the results achieved today would also be shattered. In order to prevent the possible counterattacks by the German army, he felt that it was necessary to take precautions in advance, so he said to Bindasov on the phone: "Do you understand that if our army's offense was frustrated and the Germans moved to counterattack in this area and launched an attack on our location, how should we resist their attack if we do not have any fortifications?"
Although Bindasov also saw the attacking troops being blocked in his observation center, he did not feel that the German army had the ability to counterattack. Building fortifications was simply unnecessary for him. However, for him, who was accustomed to obeying orders from superiors, since Sokov had already issued the order, even if he knew that the order was wrong, he would still execute it unconditionally.
Just as the 1135th Regiment began to build fortifications, the battle for the second position was developing in a direction conducive to the Soviet army. After receiving support from the 1137th Regiment, the morale was greatly boosted, and the soldiers successfully rushed into the enemy's position and launched a fire with the enemy in the trenches.
Not only did the 31st Guard Division make progress, but even Orlov's infantry army successfully broke into the German defensive positions and launched a cruel and fierce trench battle. When he saw this scene, Zhukov smiled and turned his head to Rokosovsky and said, "It seems that our approach to putting the follow-up troops into battle in time is completely correct." He pointed at the position of the 31st Guard Division with his hand and said with some displeasure, "Look at what Misha is doing? Our troops have won steadily, but he organized manpower to build fortifications in the rear, which is simply playing the piano randomly."
"Comrade General," although Rokosovsky also felt that Sokov's approach was a bit inappropriate, he was his own subordinate after all, and he still had to speak good things for him in front of Zhukov: "Anyway, the remaining troops of the 31st Guards Division will not be put into battle yet, so it is not a bad thing to ask them to repair fortifications." He looked up at the fighter jets hovering and diving in the air, and added with some concern, "The ammunition carried by our fighter jets should be almost consumed."
Zhukov disagreed with Rokosovsky's concerns. He raised his hand and looked at his watch and said confidently: "If the attack goes well, our troops will seize the enemy's second position within half an hour. At that time, the fighter planes can return to the airport to replenish fuel and ammunition, and our infantry can also take the opportunity to rest for a while and then launch an attack on the third position."
However, what happened next exceeded Zhukov's vision. A large group of German fighter jets suddenly appeared above the battlefield. The Soviet fighter jets, who were about to withdraw from the battlefield, saw the German fighter jets that suddenly appeared. Regardless of their lack of ammunition and fuel, they bravely met them.
The fighter planes of both sides fought fiercely over the battlefield. They circled at different altitudes, chasing and fighting. From time to time, planes hit by machine guns or cannons fell from the air with long black smoke belts and landed in the forest in the distance. After a stream of black smoke with flames rose, a dull explosion sounded.
Seeing the air battle on his head, Sokov couldn't help frowning. He knew very well that the Luftwaffe said in the clear telegram had arrived at the battlefield. If they had arrived half an hour earlier, it would be hard to say who would win or lose. But at this moment, the Soviet army's fighter ammunition had been almost exhausted, and the fuel was very limited. If he continued to stay on the battlefield, he would probably not have a chance to return to the airport.
However, most Soviet pilots knew very well that once they set up their planes, the German planes could massacre the ground attacking troops. Therefore, even if there was little ammunition and fuel left, they still bravely fought with the German planes in this area.
After exhausting all the ammunition on board, several brave pilots bravely drove the plane toward the enemy plane in order to prevent the German plane from attacking the ground forces. After a loud bang, they both turned into a ball of fireballs, and the burning debris of the body fell from the air like a celestial woman scattered flowers.
"Our pilots are so brave!" Portojin looked at the Soviet fighter jets that were still fighting fiercely with enemy planes in the air, and said with emotion: "Even if the enemy has several times more aircraft than them, they are still fighting bravely."
"Chief of Staff, they did show their courage." Sokov looked at the fighter planes on both sides that were falling in the air and said with a serious expression: "But their approach is not advisable."
"Why?" Potukin asked curiously.
"Pilots cannot compare with infantry. A good pilot needs a lot of flight time to train," Sokov said. "In the current situation, all they have to do is save themselves first so that they have the opportunity to eliminate more enemies. A life-for-life style of playing will only cause us to lose a large number of excellent pilots, thereby weakening the strength of the air force."
Rokosovsky also realized the problem that Sokov was worried about. He said to Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, our army's ammunition and fuel are almost exhausted. If they are allowed to stay here and continue fighting with the Germans, there will be heavy casualties. I beg you to let them withdraw from the battlefield immediately."
Zhukov put down his telescope, turned his head to look at Rokosovsky, then nodded, and said with a solemn expression: "Comrade Rokosovsky, your statement is correct. We cannot let excellent pilots sacrifice worthlessly." Then he ordered the communications officer, "Send a telegram to the Air Force Command and order them to immediately withdraw the fighter jets above the battlefield. The ammunition and oil of these fighter jets are about to be exhausted, and it is no longer meaningful to continue to stay."
With the issuance of the order, the remaining Soviet fighter jets on the battlefield left one after another. However, even so, this air force that suffered huge losses would be difficult to recover for a long time.
Shortly after the German army took control of the air supremacy on the battlefield, a large number of infantry appeared in the distance. Under the cover of tanks, they rushed towards the second line of defense, which was still in a state of melee.
Seeing this, Zhukov couldn't help but feel a little slack in his heart, and he said that the explicit telegram was true, and the German reinforcements were really coming. But at this time, he could not order a retreat casually, otherwise it would likely turn into a defeat. Therefore, after thinking for a while, he ordered the infantry army to build fortifications in the existing area so that after the offensive troops were repelled by the German army, he could also rely on these positions to defend.
After Rokosovsky asked Malinin to convey the order, he looked at the direction of the 31st Division of the Guards and said with emotion: "When Misha was considering the problem, he always seemed to think further and more comprehensively than we did. We were just criticizing him for ordering the troops to build fortifications, which was a waste of time. Now it seems that he had long expected that the German army might carry out counterattacks on us."
"Comrade Rokosovsky," Zhukov and Rokosovsky said, and said, "The German army has already mastered the air superiority on the battlefield, and their reinforcements have also arrived. If we continue to fight at this time, it will be difficult for us to achieve our predetermined goals."
"What should we do?" Rokosovsky asked quickly.
"Order the troops to stop the attack and temporarily withdraw the first line of defense occupied by our army," Zhukov said with difficulty: "A new defense is organized there. Also, find a way to figure out who the person who invented the code telegram is. From some signs, he should be the intelligence personnel who invaded the German army, otherwise he would not be able to provide such accurate intelligence."
"Don't worry, comrade General." Rokosovsky assured Zhukov: "We will figure it out."
The 1137th and 1139th Regiments, which were responsible for the left-wing attack, were forced to withdraw from the German second line of defense and retreated to the first line of defense occupied by themselves, and prepared to rely on the fortifications there to resist the German army's next offensive.
With the retreat of the 31st Guards Division, the flanks of the right-wing infantry army were exposed to the German army. In order to prevent the troops from being cut off by the enemy rushing through the side door, Orlov decisively issued a retreat order to the troops. The commanders and fighters of the infantry army alternately covered the withdrawal from the second position and retreated back to the first line of defense.
Seeing the 31st Guards Division and the Infantry Army retreated one after another to the first line of defense they occupied, Zhukov's mood calmed down a lot. He pointed at the battlefield ahead with his fingers and said to Rokosovsky: "Comrade Rokosovsky, although we do not have enough troops to continue to attack the enemy, I hope you can stabilize the front line in the existing area."
Rokosovsky nodded vigorously and replied, "Don't worry, comrade General. We will do everything possible to stabilize the defense line in the existing area. However, you need to add weapons and ammunition to us, otherwise our cannon will be a decoration to provide necessary artillery support for these infantry comrades who are in the positional battle with the enemy."
"Don't worry, Comrade Rokosovsky." Zhukov knew very well that without the support of artillery, the 16th Army troops would be difficult for them to hold on to this occupied position, so he nodded in agreement: "You will get the supply you deserve in the shortest time."
After receiving Zhukov's promise, Rokosovsky said to Kazakov: "Article Commander, immediately choose the right location to deploy artillery and be ready to provide artillery support for infantry at any time."
Chapter completed!