When Poskrebeshev heard that the original attack had been postponed, he did not dare to neglect it. He quickly said to the microphone: "Comrade General, please wait a moment. I will invite Comrade Stalin to answer the phone." After that, he put down the microphone, pushed open the office door and walked in.
He walked into the empty office and quickly walked to a closed door. After hesitating for a moment, he gently pushed the door and walked in. Although his movements were very light, he still woke up Stalin who was sleeping on the sofa.
Stalin knew that there was nothing important, and Poskrebeshev would not disturb him at this time, so he closed his eyes and asked, "What's the matter?"
"The call from Zhukov," Poskrebeshev quickly replied in a low voice: "There are important things to report to you."
Stalin opened his eyes, stared at Poskrebeshev for a moment, trying to judge the importance of things from the expression on his face. But the other party was still as usual, looking calm and unlucky, so he sat up straight, picked up the phone on the coffee table, put the receiver in his ear, and said, "I am Stalin!"
"Hello, Comrade Stalin." Zhukov said hurriedly after hearing Stalin's voice coming from the receiver: "I want to report to you about the preparations for counterattack against the German army in northern Stalingrad."
Seeing that Stalin had already started talking to Zhukov, Poskrebeshev hurriedly exited the room and closed the door casually. Stalin asked, "Comrade Zhukov, according to the counterattack plan formulated in advance, the battle will start in a few hours. What, is there another change?"
"Yes," Zhukov replied awkwardly: "Due to the 1st Guards Army, who was in the first offensive mission, has not reached the offensive starting position so far due to insufficient fuel and delays along the way. Therefore, I have cancelled the offensive that was originally scheduled to be launched today."
Stalin asked angrily: "Have you not considered these issues when you deploy?"
"Comrade Stalin," Zhukov replied: "The assembly and mobilization of troops and the delivery of weapons, ammunition and materials all require a lot of time. The preparation time left by the base camp for us is too short, and some delays are inevitable."
"Comrade Zhukov," Stalin raised his voice: "When are you going to launch an attack?"
"Tomorrow, I plan to postpone the attack time by 24 hours, and wait for the same time tomorrow before launching an attack on the enemy."
"Comrade Zhukov, I remind you that your mobilization must have been noticed by the Germans." Stalin said with a very fast speech: "Your postponement of one day's attack is equivalent to giving the enemy one more day of preparation time, which will give us the counterattacks we have carried out and add a lot of unnecessary casualties."
Zhukov had already thought of a solution to Stalin's concerns: "Comrade Stalin, due to the active actions of the 62nd Army a few days ago, it has caused great casualties to the 16th Armored Division of the German Army. According to the situation we have, they are re-adjusting their troops. Even if our offense is delayed until tomorrow, they can launch an attack before they complete their new deployment."
"What, the 62nd Army troops caused a severe blow to the 16th Armored Division of the German Army?" Stalin asked unexpectedly when he heard Zhukov's report: "When did this happen? Why don't I know?"
"As far as I know, General Cui Khov was ordered to launch a counterattack on the frontal enemy on August 29 to save the main force of the army that was cut off from retreat." Zhukhov guessed that it might be that the General Staff focused all his energy on the counterattack organized by him, so he ignored the victory of the 62nd Army. He quickly explained to Stalin: "The northern cluster composed of the 124th and 149th Brigade of the Infantry, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, launched a counterattack against the 16th Panzer Division of the German Army, defeating the 2nd Panzer Division, the 16th Artillery Regiment and the 79th Infantry Regiment, and successfully opened a gap in the German encirclement, thus allowing most of the surrounded troops to retreat smoothly into the city."
"This Lieutenant Colonel Sokov performed really well." Stalin asked back after praising Sokov: "What army is he in the past?"
"Comrade Stalin, the Lieutenant Colonel Sokov I mentioned is Misha's son Xiao Misha." Seeing that Stalin did not remember who Sokov was, Zhukov reminded him: "The 73rd Infantry Brigade under his command is now stationed in Mamayev's hill under the order of the Supreme Command."
After Zhukov stopped like this, Stalin finally remembered that something seemed to be true, and he also remembered more content: "Comrade Zhukov, I remember that Xiaomisha mentioned more than once that the German army might rush into Stalingrad. At that time, I thought he was alarmist, but now it seems that his judgment is completely correct."
Zhukov and Stalin chatted for a while and finally reached a fortification for postponing the attack. Stalin finally said: "At 5:00 am on September 3, the attack on the German army was my deadline, and it must not be postponed any more. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Comrade Stalin." Seeing that Stalin was not angry, Zhukov felt relieved: "At 5:00 tomorrow, even if only one soldier arrives at the starting position of the offensive, we will launch an attack on time."
…………
In the early morning of the 3rd, half an hour before the attack, the troops of the 1st Guards Army, who were slow to move, finally arrived at the designated position. Seeing that the officers and soldiers were exhausted, the tanks and armored vehicles accompanying him also needed maintenance because they had passed a long distance march and asked in a deliberate tone: "Comrade General, my troops have reached the starting position of the offensive. However, the soldiers were already very tired after the long distance march. I hope to postpone the attack for a few more hours?"
"General Moskarenko," Zhukov asked calmly about this request from Moskarenko: "How long do you plan to postpone it?"
"Four hours." Moskarenko said firmly: "This is the shortest period. If the soldiers are not allowed to have a good rest, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced in the next battle."
"No, General Moskarenko." Zhukov said in an unquestionable tone: "Your attack has been postponed by the original time for one day. If it is delayed, the enemy's preparation will be more fully prepared and will cause great obstacles to your attack."
Seeing that Moskarenko could not tell Zhukov, he had to bite the bullet and agree. Although he didn't say anything else, he had complaints about Zhukov in his heart.
At the time of five o'clock, the Soviet artillery opened fire on the enemy's position.
However, the shelling was interrupted by the German bombing after only more than ten minutes, but Moskarenko decisively ordered the troops to launch an attack.
The soldiers knew very well that if they wanted to avoid being bombed by enemy planes, they could only rush up and get involved with the enemy, so that the enemy planes could throw weapons and dare not drop bombs easily.
Although the German army noticed that the Soviet army was mobilizing troops, they did not expect that they took the initiative to attack themselves less than an hour after entering the starting position. The enemies who avoided Soviet artillery were all hiding in the second trench five hundred meters away. When they found that the Soviet army launched an attack and rushed to the first trench along the traffic trench, it was too late. After occupying the first trench and clearing the remaining enemies inside, the Soviet army commanders and soldiers rushed towards the enemy's second line of defense in one go.
In less than an hour, the troops of the 1st Guards Army advanced three kilometers forward. However, their good luck seemed to come to an abrupt end everywhere. After the enemy planes completed the bombing of the artillery positions, they turned around to bomb the attacking troops. The enemy on the front also covered the tanks and infantry in artillery fire and carried out counterattacks on the Soviet army.
After learning that his troops' offense was frustrated, Moskarenko was so angry that he stamped his feet in the command center. He immediately called Zhukov and said with a bitter face: "Comrade General, our attacking troops were not only bombed by enemy planes, but their tanks and infantry also carried out counter-charges to us with the support of artillery. I ask for support from the air force and the air force."
"Comrade Moskarenko," Zhukov dared not neglect the request of Moskarenko, because he knew that if air support was not provided to the offensive forces, they would be defeated by the three-dimensional defense of the German army. Therefore, he said decisively: "I will call the Air Force Commander immediately and ask him to send planes to the battlefield to provide you with necessary air support."
After receiving Zhukov's order, the air force commander immediately ordered all the aircraft of the aviation division to take off and rush to the combat site to support the 1st Guards Army, which was fighting with the enemy. After arriving at the battlefield, the fighter jets chased the enemy aircraft in the air, while the bombers strafed the German tanks and infantry on the ground.
For a time, hundreds of Soviet and German fighter planes launched fierce battles over the north of Stalingrad. From time to time, planes were hit, dragged a long black smoke belt and fell downwards, and even exploded in the air.
After being bombed and fired by Soviet bombers, the German tanks and infantry had to stop attacking the 1st Guards Army, but turned around and retreated. The commanders and fighters who had been suppressed by German planes, cannons and tanks for a long time were willing to give up such a good opportunity easily? They all got up from the ground and started pursuing the enemy.
After the counterattack in the north of Stalingrad began, Sokov came to the observation room at the top of the Mamayev Gang, raised his telescope and looked into the distance, thinking to himself: Since the German 2nd Armored Regiment, the 16th Artillery Regiment and the 79th Infantry Regiment were severely damaged by himself, the strength of the 16th Armored Division should not be as strong as in history. Perhaps the attack of the Moska Lianko unit could achieve a better record.
Then, because Mamayev's hill is too far away from the battle site, Sokov can only see the rolling black smoke rising from afar in his telescope. In order to figure out the situation in the battle area, Sokov returned to his command center and asked Cui Kov through a wired phone: "Comrade Commander, you should see the counterattack launched in the north, right?"
Cui Kefu was currently staying on the chimney of the cement factory. When he heard the question Sokov asked, he replied: "Yes, I can see the battlefield of war here. At present, our army is attacking the defensive area of ​​the 3rd Mofan Division."
"Comrade Commander," Sokov asked quickly: "Then do you think our counterattack can achieve the battle goal?"
"This is hard to say." Cui Kefu said with some embarrassment: "There are German planes in the sky and tanks and cannons on the ground, but our army does not have any heavy weapons. Such a counterattack may not achieve great results. Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, what do you do to do, do you think our army cannot win?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Sokov answered this question very simply: "When our army attacks, without the support of the air force and artillery, it will inevitably pay a heavy price to break through the German army's three-dimensional defense. When our army's troops are consumed to a certain extent, their offensive will completely stagnate, and then the German army may launch a counterattack and completely defeat our offensive forces."
After finishing the call with Cuikov, Sokov realized a serious problem and saw that the series of achievements he had achieved had not had much impact on the current situation in Stalingrad. The corridor area established by the 16th Armored Division and the 3rd and 60th Moskarenko's troops still could not break through.
Although the counter-assault carried out in the north of Stalingrad ended in failure, it attracted a large number of German troops, giving Cui Kov a valuable respite, giving him plenty of time to reorganize the chaotic troops in the city and deploy them in their respective combat positions.
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Sidolin and others asked curiously after putting down the phone: "I heard that our counterattack troops in the north of Stalingrad have three armies, and they are personally commanded by General Zhukov. Why do you think this counterattack will not be successful?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, the reason is very simple." Seeing that Sidolin was full of doubts about his judgment, Sokov said expressionlessly: "Although there will be as many as three armies to be put into counterattack this time, the battle preparation time is too hasty, and there is not enough force to gather, nor enough heavy equipment is collected, especially the number of artillery is very limited, so it is difficult to break through the corridors established by the German army."
"So, this counterattack organized by our army is completely unnecessary?" Cidolin asked.
Chapter completed!