"Since the enemy has begun to move south, will we retreat at this time turn into a defeat?" Khrushchev saw that Cuikov insisted on letting the troops retreat, and expressed his concerns: "If the enemy takes the opportunity to follow and pursue, then our troops may be driven into the Volga River by the enemy."
Although Cuikov agreed with Khrushchev's concerns, he could not watch the troops fall into the siege and then be eaten by the enemy bit by bit. He said anxiously: "Now we can stop the attack and let the troops retreat, and we can still preserve most of our strength. If it is too late, it will be too late. Comrade Military Commissioner, please make up your mind quickly!"
Khrushchev did not continue to stand firm on his retreat and expressed any opinion. Instead, he took out a cigarette box from his pocket, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He took out a match and scratched a few without ignition. He was so angry that he threw the matches and cigarettes on the ground, and stepped on them hard.
Seeing Khrushchev's disobedience, Cui Kov understood in his heart that the other party was still indecisive about whether to fight or withdraw, so he said tactfully: "Comrades of the Military Commission, it is not difficult to avoid the troops from retreating to defeat. Just leave a cover for a unit to successfully withdraw the Gurdiev and the Gorishne Division."
"Tuekov, which unit are you going to cut off the rear?" Khrushchev looked up at Tuekov and asked, "Isn't you going to be trying to attack Misha again?"
Cui Kov, who was originally calm, couldn't help but blush after being guessed by Khrushchev, and said with embarrassment: "Yes, comrade of the military committee. Colonel Sokov's troops are very good at fighting defensive wars. This can be seen from the fact that the enemy can never break through the Mamayev club. If his troops are cut off, we can withdraw more troops to the Red October factory."
"I'm afraid this won't work." Khrushchev looked down at the map on the table and continued, "Look, Misha's 41st Guard Division is now on the left wing, and is a few kilometers away from blocking the enemy's positions. In broad daylight, the troops will be mobilized under the enemy's nose to replace the defense. There will definitely be air force bombing and artillery intercepting along the way. When they arrive at their destination, there will probably be no more people left."
Cuikov heard Khrushchev's favoritism towards Sokov, but now he had to reverse the unfavorable situation, he could only dispatch the reserve team under Sokov. He quickly pointed his finger at the direction of Mamayevgang and explained to Khrushchev: "Comrade Military Commissioner, what I am talking about is not the two regiments occupying the enemy's positions, but the regiment that stayed in Mamayevgang."
"The group that stayed in Mamayev's Gundo?" Khrushchev looked at Cui Kov with a blank look on his face, "Comrade Cui Kov, you have confused me."
"Comrade Military Commissioner, I'll report to you." Krelov felt that he should have appeared at this moment, so he took the initiative to say to Khrushchev: "According to the combat plan reported by Sokov, after he successively seized the first and second lines of defense of the enemy, he will put the second echelon, that is, the 125th Guards Regiment, into the battle. But somehow, after he completed his original combat intention, the second echelon was always at Mamayev's hill without any action."
"So that's the case." Khrushchev nodded and asked back, "General Krelov, are you planning to let Misha put this army into battle?"
"It's totally correct, comrade of the military committee." Krelov replied in a positive tone: "The defensive position of the 351st Regiment from Beigang in Mamayevgang is less than two kilometers away. If Sokov is given an order now, they should be able to reach the designated combat area within twenty minutes."
Khrushchev did not speak, but took out a cigarette from the cigarette box and held it in his mouth. This time, Krelov took the initiative to ignite the match, lit the cigarette for him, and then asked carefully: "Comrade Military Commissioner, do you think this is OK?"
After taking a few sips of cigarettes, Khrushchev nodded slowly and said, "Well, General Krelov, call Misha now and ask him to send the 125th Guards Regiment immediately, but replace the defense of the 351st Regiment to cover the retreat of the Gurdiev and Gorishne Division."
Seeing that Khrushchev agreed to send Sokov's troops to fight, Trikov and Krelov couldn't help but smile. With the assistance of this new force, they could save more vitality for the city. Trikov said to Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, after you call Colonel Sokov, then notify Gurdiev and Gorishne, and let their two divisions alternately cover the evacuation of the battlefield."
…………
Sokov was discussing with Ivanov, Cydolin and others in the command center how to get the troops to retreat to Mamayev's hill. After receiving the call from Krelov, he was stunned.
Seeing Sokov's look in a daze, Ivanov asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, has something happened?"
"The superiors are preparing to terminate this counterattack." Sokov held the microphone and did not put it down. He smiled bitterly and said to everyone: "Order us to send the 125th Guards Regiment immediately to the north to replace the 351st Regiment's defense and cover the retreat of the Gurdiev and Gorishne Divisions."
"Why is this?" After hearing Sokov's words, Ivanov became angry: "What power do they have to mobilize our troops to cover their retreat?"
Anisimov, the political commissar of the division who has always had no sense of existence in the division, stood up abnormally and said, "Two division commanders, don't you think this order is a bit abnormal?"
"Of course it's abnormal." Sokov said casually: "We actually sent a reserve team to rescue friendly troops on the right wing. You must know that the defense zone of the 39th Guards Division is less than one kilometer away. Although they suffered heavy losses in the early battles, there is no problem to respond to the retreat of the Gurdiev Division and the Gorishne Division."
"Comrade Commander, you don't understand what I mean." Seeing that Sokov misinterpreted his meaning, Anisimov quickly explained: "As far as I know, Comrade Khrushchev, the military committee member of the Front Army, is at the Army Headquarters at this moment. I think the superiors issued this order, which must have been approved by him."
Anisimov only mentioned Khrushchev briefly and did not continue to say it, but Sokov understood what he meant: if Cuikov and his friends wanted to issue such an order, it was obviously Khrushchev's permission. In this case, no matter how much dissatisfied, they could only force themselves to execute the order and send the 125th Guard Regiment left in Mamayev's Gate to cover the retreat of friendly forces.
"Comrade Chief of Staff, call Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov." Sokov knew that he could not escape the fate of the firefighting team, so he could only indignately command Cidolin: "Let him come here immediately to accept the combat mission."
"What about the 122nd Regiment and the 124th Regiment?" Sidolin looked at Sokov and asked, "Would they continue to hold their positions or alternately cover the withdrawal of Mamayev hills."
"Let them retreat." Although Sokov did not receive a retreat order from his superiors, he made a decisive decision: "We need more troops to protect the Mamayev club, and there is no need to consume the commanders and fighters in insignificant places."
If Sokov had said this before receiving Krelov's call, Ivanov might have argued with him for a few more words, but at this moment he had realized that the two regiments on the counterattack mission would be the main force in the future to defend Mamayev. Therefore, after Sokov finished speaking, he just nodded slightly and expressed no objection.
Yershakov, who was staying in the tunnel, felt uneasy because Sokov had been delaying from sending his troops to attack. After receiving the call from Cidolin, he immediately smiled. He said to the Chief of Staff of the regiment: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that he is preparing to send our regiment to the field. I will go to the command center to accept the order. You gather the troops first and prepare for attack."
Yershakov trotted to the command center. After raising his hand to salute Sokov and the others, he asked breathlessly: "Comrade Commander, is it our turn to go on the field?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov." Sokov nodded and asked back, "If I order you to attack now, how long will the troops take to leave the tunnel?"
"No more than five minutes, Comrade Commander." Yershakov said with an excited look: "Before I came here, I had ordered the Chief of Staff to gather the troops. After receiving the order to attack, the troops could set off immediately."
"Then in a quarter of an hour, you can lead the troops to attack." Sokov knew very well that many uncertain factors would cause the troops to be unable to attack at the specified time, so he gave Yershakov ten more minutes: "Come here on the map, I'll briefly introduce the situation to you."
Yershakov had been staying in the tunnel and had no idea what the situation outside was going on. When he heard Sokov ask him to go to the map, he walked over happily and waited for Sokov to assign a task to him.
"Ltd Colonel Yershakov," Sokov pointed to the map on the table and said to Yershakov: "After you take your men out of the tunnel in Beigang, you will immediately move to the northwest."
"Move northwest?" Yershakov asked in confusion: "Comrade Commander, isn't our regiment's mission going to attack the west and let the station stand?"
Chapter completed!