Sokov didn't expect that Cuikov would call his name and was stunned. Vetkov, who was next to him, quickly pushed him and said to him: "Hey, comrade comrade, don't be idle, the commander asks you to speak, stand up quickly."
Sokov stood up and saw that everyone's eyes were focused on him, he couldn't help but become nervous. At this moment, his mind was blank, and he didn't know how he should express his opinion in this situation.
Cuikov saw that Sokov was very nervous, so he said in a teasing tone: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, when you face the Germans, you always act so calmly; why did you become nervous in front of your own people? Do you think we are more terrifying than the Germans?"
Cui Kefu's words immediately caused a kind-hearted laughter.
Sokov grinned. He did not say anything clichéd or empty words, but said straight to the point: "Comrades Commander, the mission of my 73rd Infantry Brigade is to stick to the Mamayev hill and not allow the Germans to occupy it. In two months, the German army had hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles, as well as more than 7,000 soldiers, and were wiped out by us..."
Sokov's words made many commanders present take a breath, and everyone calculated silently in their hearts: more than 7,000 soldiers and hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles were equivalent to destroying an enemy division, which was amazing.
Some people were also suspicious that he was not bragging, the results achieved by a brigade were even greater than those of the joint operations of several divisions? But when they saw Cuikov, Gurov and others listened to Sokov with a smile on their faces, they realized that such a record might be true. Such a commander and the troops he commanded were simply terrifying.
"In addition to Mamayev's hill, I also led a battalion to hold the assembly workshop of the Red October Tractor Factory. During the two days of battle, I also eliminated many enemies and tanks that cooperated with their attacks." Sokov was an honest man. Considering that some of the results achieved in the battle to defend the factory were from the fight against the factory, some of the results were from the destroyer battalions and militia units, so I did not mention the specific number of German tanks and infantry that had been eliminated: "I here assure everyone that if the enemy wants to occupy the assembly workshop, I can only step on our bodies. As long as we have one person alive, I feel that the enemy cannot gain a foothold in the factory. Our slogan is to rather expose the bones to the wilderness than take a step back."
After Sokov finished his speech, he looked at Cuikov and asked, "Comrade Commander, can I sit down?"
"Please sit down, lieutenant colonel." Cuikov smiled and said to Sokov: "Stay after the meeting, I want to talk to you alone." Hearing Cuikov say this, many people cast envious eyes at Sokov.
Next, everyone began to ask questions to Cuikov and Krelov, asking whether their troops were prepared for artillery before the attack; whether they could get cooperation from the air force during the attack; and how many tanks would be provided by the superiors to participate in this counterattack, etc. Cuikov and Krelov both patiently answered the questions raised by everyone one by one.
When no one asked another question, Cuikov turned his head and asked Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you have anything else to say?" Seeing that the other party shook his head and said that there was nothing to say, Cuikov stood up and announced: "Comrades, the meeting is over. You can go back to your own troops. Remember to hurry up and prepare, we will launch a counterattack against the enemy in three days."
Everyone waiting for the room was almost gone, Sokov turned his head to Vetkov standing beside him and said, "Comrade Colonel, please wait for me outside. After I talk to the commander, I want to know about the situation in the brigade."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," said Witkov with a laugh, "I think you have forgotten my identity again. I think I am qualified to participate in such a small-scale talk."
After Vitkov reminded him, Sokov immediately remembered the other party's identity as the deputy chief of staff, and couldn't help but say a little embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, comrade Colonel, please forgive my recklessness..."
"Lt. Col. Sokov, come to me." Cuikov, who was sitting at the other end of the conference table, suddenly saw Sokov who was talking to Vitkov in a low voice, and hurriedly called the two of them over, "And you, Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, come together."
Sokov and Vitkov came to Cuikov side by side. Cuikov pointed to the empty seat next to them and said to them: "Don't be polite, please sit down."
After the two of them sat down, Cuikov looked at Sokov and asked, "I heard that you sent the Air Force to perform a mission today. Is this true?"
"Yes, comrade Commander, I did send the air force to carry out a bombing mission." Sokov quickly replied: "A few kilometers away from the airport, there is a German artillery position that will shell the airport every other day, causing many inconveniences to the 437th Fighter Flight Regiment. After I learned about this situation, I immediately ordered Lieutenant Grissa, who was operating behind the enemy, to let him figure out the position of the enemy's artillery position as soon as possible. After mastering the exact position of the German artillery position, I ordered the air force to dispatch and directly destroy the enemy's artillery and eliminate the hidden dangers of the airport."
"Good job, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov." After hearing Sokov finished speaking, Cuikov nodded with a smile and continued: "From the results you have achieved, the decision of the superior to allocate the 437th Fighter Flight Regiment to your brigade is completely correct."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Vitkov had no idea that Sokov was commanding a fighter jet regiment at all. He raised his hand and patted Sokov on the shoulder twice, and said excitedly: "I really didn't expect that you can even command the Air Force. In this way, when we are bombarded by enemy planes, we can directly notify the Air Force to come and drive the enemy away."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," Krelov sat down opposite Sokov and asked curiously: "I want to ask you, how do you plan to use this fighter regiment in the future?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, this is how I think about it." Sokov has been thinking about how to put the role of the flight regiment to the limit since the fighter regiment was assigned to his own command. At this moment, he heard Krelov ask, and he said carefully: "If the communication between us and the fighter regiment can be improved, I can use the role of the regiment to the extreme, not only in defense, but also in attack."
"I understand this when using it when defending." Cui Kefu asked thoughtfully: "But how should we use the fighter regiment when attacking? You can't let them attack targets directly on the ground, right?"
"Comrade Commander, you guessed right." Sokov replied with a smile: "I just plan to let fighters attack the German ground targets directly."
"Tell me more." Cui Kefu ordered briefly.
"In the past, our air force directly bombed the enemy's defensive positions, which not only consumed ammunition, but also achieved limited results." Sokov explained to Cuikov: "I plan to let the commander of the attack carry a radio station that can directly contact the fighter jets, and guide the attack targets on the ground for the fighter jets.
For example, when we launch an attack, the ground commander uses radio stations to guide unguided rockets carried by fighter jets, attack enemy tanks or solid fortifications, and use machine guns to strafuse the enemy's dense areas, so that our offense will be smoother and our propulsion will be faster."
Regarding the idea of ​​this kind of air-ground coordinated combat proposed by Sokov, Cuikov thought for a long time, and finally nodded and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I can solve the communication equipment you need for you. Take the time to practice this kind of air-ground coordinated combat to see if it can reach the state we envision."
Chapter completed!