Shortly after the German artillery positions were bombed, Sokov received a telegram from Grissa from behind the enemy, saying that after confirmation by the scouts, all the German artillery had been scrapped during the bombing, and less than thirty artillery soldiers survived.
After reading the telegram, Sokov frowned without any joy on his face. Brisky, who was sitting beside him, was startled by his expression. He thought something big had happened, so he hurriedly asked tentatively: "Comrade Brigade Commander, is something wrong?"
"Look at it." Sokov did not explain the reason, but handed the telegram in his hand to Brisky: "The flight regiment bombed the German artillery position not long ago."
After hearing Sokov say this, Brisky quickly browsed the contents of the telegram, he raised his head and asked in confusion: "Comrade Brigade Commander, this is good news. Why do you seem to be depressed?"
"Didn't you see what's behind?" Sokov pointed the telegram with his finger and said, "The Germans have thirty artillery left. Doesn't Grissa know how long it will take to train a good artillery? If they kill all the remaining artillery by the way, then the German artillery team can be revoked."
After saying that, before Brisky could speak, Sokov ordered the radio operator: "Call back to Lieutenant Grissa and tell him that since the Air Force has killed all the enemy's cannons, his mission, besides confirming the results of the battle, is to kill all the remaining artillery soldiers."
Brisky thought about what Sokov said and thought it was quite reasonable. It might only take a few days to replenish new ones when the German artillery was destroyed; but if the experienced artillery was killed, it would take at least one or two months to re-train qualified artillery.
When the radio operator started sending a message, Brisky nodded and said, "Comrade Brigade Commander, you are right. Eliminating the enemy's artillery is sometimes more meaningful than blowing up the enemy's artillery."
Sokov thought to himself: Since the flight regiment can attack the enemy's artillery positions today, it will bomb the enemy's marching column tomorrow. Even when the enemy launches a fierce attack on the assembly workshop, he can order the air force to attack and use three-dimensional defense to smash the enemy's attack.
While he was thinking about the problem, the phone ringing on the table rang. Seeing that Zinchenko and Cousto were neither there, he grabbed the microphone and asked directly: "This is the assembly workshop, where are you?"
"Hello!" A strange voice came from the receiver: "I am from the Army Command, please let Lieutenant Colonel Sokov answer the phone..."
"I am Sokov." When he learned that the phone was called by the Army Command, Sokov guessed that there must be something important, and quickly revealed his identity to the other party: "Is there anything wrong?"
"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov." The person who called also indicated his identity: "I am Colonel Belyavsky, the chief of the Army Operations Department. Please go to the Army Command for a meeting after dark."
"Tonight at the Army Headquarters?" Sokov was stunned and asked instinctively: "Comrade Director, can I ask, what's going on?"
But Belyavsky did not explain the topic of the meeting to him, but said dryly: "When it's evening, you will know naturally. Good luck!" After that, he hung up the phone directly.
"Strange, what meeting should I have at the Army Headquarters at this time?" Sokov put down the phone and couldn't help but say to himself: "It's so strange!"
After Sokov finished speaking, Brisky asked tentatively: "Comrade Brigade Commander, is it our army going to launch a counterattack?"
"Counterattack?!" Sokov widened his eyes and asked in surprise: "Comrade Captain, do you think our army has the strength to launch a counterattack against the enemy under the current situation?"
Sokov's words made Brisky silent for a long time before he spoke: "Comrade Brigade Commander, on the heart, I also feel that under the current circumstances, it is not suitable to launch a counterattack. After all, we are at a disadvantage compared to the Germans in terms of military strength and equipment. But now the city is at a risk of falling at any time. If the existing negative defensive situation is not changed, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Comrade Captain, what you said is a little bit reasonable." Sokov knew very well that if the Soviet army launched a counterattack at this time, it would be difficult to escape the fate of failure in the end. But since Cui Kefu notified himself to attend the meeting, it would indicate that he had received instructions from his superiors. Even if he knew that it would end in a crushing defeat, the counterattack would proceed as usual. He smiled wryly: "I guess the topic of the meeting tonight is that the counterattack is related to."
…………
After dark, Sokov led a few soldiers to leave the factory from the west factory gate along the traffic trench in the factory and headed to the Group Army Headquarters for a meeting.
When he walked into the semi-underground shelter, he unexpectedly found that his deputy brigade commander Witkov was also there. He couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Comrade Colonel, why have you come here?"
"The Army Command held an important military meeting, why can't I come?" Witkov specifically reminded Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, don't forget, I am still the deputy chief of staff of the Army."
If Vitkov did not remind him, Sokov would have forgotten his deputy brigade commander, but he was actually the deputy chief of staff of the army. In order to get rid of the embarrassment, he glanced inside with his eyes and found that there were still many people coming, almost all military leaders of various divisions and brigades. Seeing this, he said in his heart: Maybe Brisky's guess is true, tonight's meeting is about discussing the counterattack. He asked Vitkov in a low voice: "Comrade Colonel, do you know the topic of the meeting tonight?"
Unexpectedly, Witkov shrugged, spread his hands, and said helplessly: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I actually know as much as you. I also rushed over after receiving the call."
At this moment, Krelov walked out of the inner room. Seeing that almost everyone attending the meeting was here, he announced loudly: "Comrades Commander, the meeting is about to begin, please sit down."
The room for meetings is limited in size, and the long conference table placed in the middle is relatively short, so only the general is qualified to sit at the table, while the other commanders attending the meeting can only sit on benches beside the wall.
As soon as everyone sat down, they saw Trekov and Gurov walked out of the inner room. Everyone stood up and saluted them. "Comrades, please sit down, comrades in command." Trekov walked to his seat, raised his hand and pressed down, greeted everyone to sit down, and then nodded at Krelov: "Let's start, Comrade Chief of Staff."
"Comrades, the Supreme Commander has issued a counterattack order to us Stalingrad front, allowing us to break through the enemy's encirclement of Stalingrad at all costs." Krelov picked up a explanation stick, pointed to the map on the wall, and said to the commander present: "After research, the leader of the group army decided to concentrate his efforts to launch an attack in the northwest direction of the factory area, and strive to take Orlovka back from the enemy within one day. After achieving this goal, we will continue to attack the enemy's defense depth with this place, so as to join the friendly forces on the outside."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Guriev couldn't help but interrupt and asked, "I want to ask, what kind of troops should we use to launch this counterattack?"
Krelov held the explanation stick with both hands, looked at Guriev and said, "Tomorrow, two infantry brigades will cross the river and enter the area of ​​the factory area, and they will be the main force of the attack..." He said this, turned to face the map and raised the explanation stick again: "When they attacked the enemy, the commanders of each division and brigade should actively cooperate with their actions and launch a counterattack from the existing defensive positions to restrain their forces."
"Perhaps someone would ask, why did we launch a counterattack against the German army in this situation?" Krelov put down his explanation stick and said to the commander attending the meeting: "Because the situation in Stalingrad has reached its most critical moment. In the city south of the city, more than 70% of the blocks and buildings have been occupied by the enemy. Our remaining troops are divided into several small pieces and are still relying on buildings, fortifications and the enemy to conduct street fighting; and in the north of the city, the Yermann District, the Derzhinsky District, the Red October Factory Area, the barricade factory area, and the tractor factory area, although our commanders and soldiers are resisting tenaciously, under the crazy attack of the German army, the defense line is step by step back to the bank of the Volga River.
In short, if we continue to defend negatively, the city may fall into the hands of the Germans, so we must launch a counterattack as soon as possible to reverse this unfavorable situation.”
After Krelov finished speaking, the whole room fell into silence. Cuikov's eyes swept across the crowd one by one, observing the expressions of everyone, he stood up and said, "Comrades, you and I know very well that our army is far from being compared with the German army in terms of equipment and soldiers. In this case, launching a counterattack to the enemy is tantamount to seeking death. However, the reason for the counterattack is that the Chief of Staff has just said that I will not repeat it here. The attack will start in three days. Please hurry up and prepare after you go back so that you can cooperate with friendly forces to complete this counterattack mission."
After Cui Kefu finished speaking, he saw that the room was still silent. No one took the initiative to speak. After a moment of silence, he asked briefly: "Do you have any questions?"
All the commanders remained silent about the counterattack decided by the base camp. They were thinking in their hearts what kind of troops they should use to complete the tasks assigned to them by their superiors.
Seeing that everyone was not talking, Cui Kev could only name it: "General Guriyev, what do you think of this counterattack?"
"I will obey the orders firmly." Guriev looked up at Cuikov and said, "The superior ordered me to attack, and I will attack."
"General Guriyev," Grov, who had never spoken, asked, "As far as I know, your division has lost a lot of troops in recent battles, and is it capable of investing in counterattacks?"
"Comrade Military Commissioner," Guriyev replied with a serious expression: "Since the superiors have issued a counterattack order, we will execute it unconditionally. If the entire division fights the remaining regiment, I will be the regiment commander; if the remaining battalion is left, I will be the battalion commander. Even if there is only one person left, we will try our best to complete the orders of the superiors."
"General Guriyev, you said so well." Grov applauded Guriyev's words, and turned his head to face the other commanders and said, "Comrades, have you all heard what General Guriyev said? If all of us have this kind of courage and heroism, then there is no problem in breaking through the enemy's siege of Stalingrad."
Seeing that Guriyev's statement was praised by the military committee members, the other commanders knew what they should say, so they stood up and explained their attitude, saying that they would fight the vicious enemy until the last person.
Only Sokov sat in his seat without saying a word. He frowned and thought: If the entire factory area troops were consumed in this counterattack without hope of success, who should be responsible for the defense of these regions next?
Vetkov did not speak, and touched Sokov with his elbow and asked in a low voice: "Comrade Brigade Commander, aren't you going to say a few words?"
"Comrade Colonel, what can I say?" Sokov looked at Vitkov beside him and said in a low voice: "Do you launch a counterattack against the frontal enemy? How many troops are left in the brigade? I think you should be very clear that once these living forces are consumed in the lossless counterattack, once the German army regained the advantage and launched an attack on Mamayevgang, what kind of troops should we use to defend it?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Vitkov leaned close to Sokov's ear and said anxiously: "I don't think my superiors are planning to use the troops of Mamayevgang. They all know in their hearts that once this commanding height is occupied by the German army, the north-south connection between the city will be cut off. Even if we don't replenish our troops, the troops here will not be drawn away. I am talking about your fourth battalion in the factory area, and hand over the defense to the militia in the factory, and then you can launch a bold attack on the enemy with confidence."
Sokov knew that the attack on the German army was to hit the stone with an egg, so he said tactfully: "Comrade Colonel, you don't know that there are too many places to defend in the factory now, and even the fighter battalion that cooperates with our operations has been transferred. If only militia with weak combat power and small numbers are left in the assembly workshop, I am worried that the enemy will soon gain a foothold in the factory."
Chapter completed!