"This is impossible, Comrade Stalin." As soon as Stalin finished speaking, Zhukov retorted without hesitation: "It was through repeated calculations that it took a month and a half to prepare for our troops to obtain enough troops and technical equipment and be prepared to launch an offensive battle."
Seeing that Zhukov had denied his proposal, Stalin was not angry, but continued to ask: "If our counterattack was only carried out along the Don River from north to south and from south to north, can the preparation time be shortened?"
"Comrade Stalin," said Zhukov, "if we do this, the Germans can quickly transfer their armored divisions from near Stalingrad to fight the assault we carried out. At that time, our counterattack will be in danger of being in a stalemate."
Stalin stared at the plan in Vasilevsky's hand, but he was reluctant to accept it, because since the beginning of the Stalingrad defense battle, he had read several plans with similar content. The plan was quite detailed, but during the implementation process, all kinds of unexpected accidents always occurred, which resulted in repeated offensive operations that tried to clear Stalingrad, and ended in failure.
Thinking of this, Stalin turned his attention to Zhukov and asked, "Comrade Zhukov, tell me the details of your plan."
Seeing that Stalin had not reached out to receive the plan, Zhukov guessed that he might have lost confidence in the various counterattack plans made by the General Staff, he hurriedly said: "Comrade Stalin, according to our plan, this counterattack will be divided into two stages: first, the offensive troops must break through the German defense, meet with the defenders in the city, encircle the German Stalingrad Group, and establish a solid frontal defense to isolate the group from the external enemies; second, prevent the enemy's attempt to break through the blockade and completely annihilate them."
After Zhukov finished speaking about the content of the draft plan, Stalin reached out to take over the plan from Huaseylevsky. While browsing the contents on it quickly, he said to Zhukov: "Your plan is good, I'll see what else needs to be improved first. By the way, the most important task at present is to stop the Germans from continuing to move towards Stalingrad."
As soon as he finished speaking, the phone ringing on the desk rang. Stalin frowned and looked at the phone for a while, then quickly walked to the table, put the plan in his hand on the table, picked up the microphone and put it in his ear and said, "I am Stalin."
"Hello, Comrade Stalin." Yelemenko's voice came from the receiver: "I am Yelemenko. I have important situations and I want to report to you immediately."
When Stalin heard Yeliaumek say that there was an important situation to report, he couldn't help but skip a beat. He thought to himself: Yeliaumek called me, wouldn't he want to tell me that Stalingrad had been occupied by the Germans? Although he was panicked, he still tried his best to ask in a steady tone, "Comrade Yeliaumek, what happened?"
"That's right, Comrade Stalin." Yellemko said on the phone: "According to the air force's reconnaissance, the German army is transferring a large number of tank troops to the direction of the factory area. It seems that they are planning to launch a large-scale attack in this area."
"I understand." Stalin learned that the German army was mobilizing a large number of tank troops towards the factory area, so he said to the microphone: "Comrade Yelemenko, I will send air force to support you immediately."
After putting down the microphone, he began to assign tasks to Zhukov and Huasilevsky: "Comrade Zhukov, you immediately fly back to the Stalingrad Front and Rokosovsky to study the defense deployment in the Kretskaya area. And you, Comrade Huasilevsky, the day after tomorrow, flew to the Southeast Front Command of Yelemenko, and they studied the issue of how to defend the city."
Before Zhukov and Vasilevsky were about to leave the office, Stalin also specifically reminded the two: "I don't want a fourth person to know about the counterattack plan you have formulated and the issues we just discussed, besides the three of us, I don't want another fourth person to know. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Comrade Stalin." Zhukov and Vasilevsky replied in unison.
The situation in Stalingrad was critical. After Zhukov left Stalin's office, he said goodbye to Huasilevsky and rushed to the airport by car. After he returned to the front line, he discussed with Rokosovsky the necessary measures to relieve the pressure on the city defenders.
…………
Just when the plane Zhukov was on took off from the military airport in Moscow, Cuikov also received a call from Yelemenko and learned that the German army had assembled a large number of armored troops west of the factory area and tried to launch an assault on the factory area.
After learning the news, he immediately consulted with Chief of Staff Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the Front Command has just informed us that the German army had assembled a large number of armored troops and tried to carry out assaults on the factory area."
In the factory area north of Stalingrad, there are many factories such as the Red October Factory, the tractor factory, the barricade factory and the Derrensky factory. When the German army approached the city, these factories began to transform into tanks and cannons, and their products were continuously transported to the troops on various fronts through various channels.
Cuikov knew very well that once these factories were occupied by the German army, the troops on each front would lose a way to replenish tanks and cannons. Therefore, he had to find a way to defend here. He stared at the map and asked Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what is our defense in these factories?"
"Not really good, comrade Commander." Krelov shook his head and said, "The several divisions originally stationed in the factory have been exhausted in the battle. Nowadays, the defense missions are almost all carried out by the fighter battalions composed of militias from each factory."
"The main defensive forces in the factory are all militias?" Cui Kev couldn't help frowning when he heard this. He said to Krelov with concern: "The terrain of the factory area is flat, which is conducive to the development of the German armored forces. If the militias defending this area are all militias, I'm worried that they can't defend at all."
Krelov was also very worried about the current situation. Some time ago, several divisions had finally crossed the river and entered the factory area. Before they could take a breath, they all went into the counterattack, and they were completely lost in the battle. Krelov stared at the map for a while, sighed softly, and said, "It would be great if Lieutenant Colonel Bachik's 284th Infantry Division could enter the city as soon as possible."
"What? Lieutenant Colonel Bachik's 284th Infantry Division has not yet entered the city?" Cuikov heard Krelov say this and asked in surprise: "According to our combat plan, shouldn't they carry out counterattacks on the enemy with the 95th and 112th Infantry Divisions?"
"Comrade Commander, you don't know anything." Seeing that Trekov didn't understand the situation of Bachik's troops, Krelov quickly explained to him: "According to the plan, the 284th Infantry Division should have entered the city long ago, but just when they were about to cross the river, for some reason, the Front Command suddenly stopped and left them on the left bank. Therefore, no soldiers and soldiers have entered the city of Stalingrad yet."
"Damn, what's going on?" After hearing Krelov's words, Cuikov took off the military cap on his head, threw it hard on the table, and said angrily: "It's obviously the troops assigned to us, why don't you hold them?"
"Comrade Commander, I think my superiors may have their considerations if they do this..."
"What are the considerations?" Cuikov said angrily before Krelov finished speaking, "Don't they know that the defenders in the city are sacrificing every minute? The defenders in the city are seriously insufficient, and a fully-organized infantry division was detained on the left bank by the Front Command and refused to give them to us. What's the matter?"
Just as Cui Kov was not in a reserve team and went to strengthen the defense of the factory area, his adjutant Krimov hurriedly walked in from outside and reported to Cui Kov with some excitement: "Comrade Commander, our reinforcements have arrived!"
"The reinforcements have arrived?" Cuikov was stunned when he heard Krimov say this, and then asked back: "Where are reinforcements coming from?"
"Where else can you come from? Of course it is from the other side of the Volga River, Comrade Commander." Krimov said excitedly: "It is Lieutenant Colonel Batchik's 284th Infantry Division."
"What, the 284th Infantry Division has arrived?" After hearing the unit number that Krimov said, he hurriedly asked: "Where is their division commander?"
"I am here, Comrade Commander." Before Krimov answered, an officer with a medium figure and a little black face strode in from outside the door, raised his hand to salute Trikov and Krelov, and reported according to the regulations: "Comrade Commander, Baqiu, commander of the 284th Infantry Division, reports to you, our division is ordered to come to defend Stalingrad. I obey your order, please give instructions!"
"Welcome, Colonel Bachik." Cuikov stepped forward and held the other person's hand, and said excitedly; "You are here at this time, it's really timely."
When Bachik heard Cuikov call him his military rank, he said "colonel" rather than "little colonel", and quickly reminded him carefully: "Comrade Commander, I am a lieutenant colonel, not a colonel..."
Before he finished speaking, Cuikov waved his hand and interrupted his words, saying in an unquestionable tone: "Col. Bachik, I said you are the colonel, you are the colonel. Don't argue with me on these details. Remember to add a stick to the seal later. Do you understand?"
Hearing Cui Kov say this, even if Baqiu reacts slowly, he knows that the other party has temporarily promoted his military rank. He hurriedly replied: "I understand, Comrade Commander." When he said this, he did not realize that he was a little excited because of his emotions, and there was a hint of tremolo in his voice.
"Col. Batchik, come here." Since a full-scale division came, Cuikov suddenly became confident. He called Batchik to himself and pointed to the factory area on the map and said: "Based on the information we have, the German army will soon use armored troops to launch an assault on the factory area. The task of your division is to strengthen the defense of the Red October factory and the tractor factory, and the Germans must not allow the Germans to occupy our factory."
"I understand, Comrade Commander." Baqiu said that as soon as Cui Kov finished speaking, he quickly answered loudly, and then tentatively asked Cui Kov: "Comrade Commander, we are all the first time we have come to Stalingrad and are not familiar with the city. Look, can you send us a guide?"
"No problem." Cuikov said readily: "I will ask my adjutant Krimov to take you to the Red October factory and the tractor factory. Krimov," said Krimov, who was standing beside him, and he heard Cuikov call him, and quickly walked forward two steps, straightened his body and waited for Cuikov's orders. Cuikov pointed at him with his hand and said: "Krimov, you serve as a guide to Colonel Bachik and the others, immediately take them to the designated defense area, and seize the time to build fortifications to fight the attack launched by the German army after dawn."
After Krimov left with Bachik, Trekov breathed a sigh of relief and said to Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, with the joining of the 284th Infantry Division, we are more confident in defending the factory area."
"It's a pity that we can use now is only one infantry 284th Division." After Krelov finished speaking, he said with a serious expression: "The defense of the barricade factory and the Derrensky factory is still the Militia Anti-Japanese Battalion. We need to transfer some regular troops from other places to strengthen them."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, we have just discussed this issue." Cui Kefu asked with a stern face: "We can't even take out a platoon-level reserve team. Where can we draw regular troops from to strengthen the defense of the other two factories?"
"If it really doesn't work, do you think it can be mobilized to the 73rd Infantry Brigade?" Krelov is now a clever woman, so he could only take the idea of ​​Sokov's troops again: "No matter what, they still have more than 3,000 people. Just draw 1,000 to 1,500 people to the factory area, and we are sure to ensure that the defense line is not broken by the German army."
"No, no, we must not." Trikov only thought for a moment and rejected it: "If the troops of the 73rd Infantry Brigade were drawn, causing Mamayevgang to be occupied by the German army because of weak troops, the enemy can take the opportunity to occupy the ferry of the Volga River and cut off our contact with the other side. Comrade Chief of Staff, how long do you think we can last in this city after the supply was cut off by the Germans?"
Krelov was speechless when he asked Cuikov.
Chapter completed!