Sokov knew that Cuikov was joking, and smiled slightly, then asked the important thing: "Comrade Commander, after the superiors supplemented us with these four battalions, should we formulate a counterattack plan or proceed as scheduled?"
"Is this a matter of saying?" Cui Kefu replied unambiguously: "If the superiors did not intend to let you fight back, how could they add four battalions to you for the first time? You know, we have been notified that we would not get any soldiers to supplement before the situation of the major counterattack was clear."
Seeing that his superiors handed over such an important task to him, Sokov felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. He was silent for a moment and asked, "Comrade Commander, can we get the support of artillery fire and air force before the attack?"
"I think there should be no problem," said Cui Kev. "The artillery of the group army is deployed on the east coast. They have artillery observers at Mamayev Hill. They can indicate the artillery on the other side before you attack. As for the Air Force, this is not easy to say, after all, I have no right to command the Air Force."
Before Sokov asked Cui Kov, he had no hope of getting support from the Air Force. After all, for the sake of overall situation, the base camp will definitely use the Air Force in the most intense area of ​​fighting against the enemy. However, it doesn't matter if there is no Air Force at that time. I believe the enemy will not be able to draw out the Air Force to stop his attack. "I understand, comrade Commander, I will launch an attack on the enemy on time."
Seeing Sokov put down the phone, Ivanov asked with some concern: "Comrade Commander, you are too rash and did not ask whether the newly transferred reserve team was a recruit or a veteran, and what kind of technical equipment do you have, so he rashly agreed to the commander to launch a counterattack as planned. I was worried..."
"What are you worried about? My deputy division commander?" Sokov interrupted Ivanov without waiting for him to finish his words. "Does we add that we are all recruits, and we can't beat the Germans? Without sufficient technical equipment, we cannot break through the enemy's defense?"
"Do you have no confidence in our commanders and fighters?" Sokov said this and before Ivanov could answer, he asked and answered: "Anyway, I have confidence in them. I believe they will be able to successfully break through the German defense and complete the tasks assigned to us by our superiors."
"Comrade Commander, since you are so confident, we might as well study the counterattack plan." Sidolin suggested to Sokov: "Look at what else needs to be improved."
"Learn more." Sokov agreed with Sidolin's proposal. After all, the enemy situation has changed now, and the next thing to accept his command will be an unfamiliar force, and all possible adverse factors must be taken into account.
While the three were studying the counterattack plan, Selyosha walked in from outside and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, there is a Lieutenant Colonel Yakubow outside to see you."
"Ltd. Colonel Yakubov?" Sokov turned his head and asked Sidolin and Ivanov: "Do you know which unit this commander belongs to?"
Both Sidolin and Ivanov heard this name for the first time. Naturally, they didn't know which unit the other party came from, so they shook their heads neatly: "I don't know, I heard of this name for the first time."
"Lt. Seryosha," Sokov looked back at Seryosha and asked, "Have he said what unit he belonged to?"
Seryosha frowned and thought for a while, and replied, "He said he was the leader of the Preparatory Corps under the Front Army and was ordered to come to reinforce Mamayevgang."
As soon as he heard Selyosha say the number of the reserve team, Sidorin immediately reminded Sokov: "Comrade Commander, can it be reinforcements from the east coast?"
"Didn't the commander say that the troops on the other side can come after the bridge on the ice are laid?" Sokov said to himself: "Why did they come so quickly?"
"Comrade Lieutenant," Ivanov was impatient, and he couldn't wait to ask Selyosha: "Where is the lieutenant colonel, and how many people did he bring?"
"I just received a call from the soldiers on duty outside, saying that a Lieutenant Colonel Yakubov from the Preparatory Regiment wanted to see you." Selyosha looked at Sokov and said, "He is now outside Mamayev's hill, with only one guard beside him."
In order to figure out what was going on, Sokov quickly instructed Selyosha: "Shelyosha, immediately call the soldiers on duty outside and ask them to let Lieutenant Colonel Yakubow in... No, don't call, you go out and invite them in in person."
Selyosha agreed and ran out of the command center quickly. Ivanov asked curiously: "Strange, why did the commander of the reserve team come so quickly? Has the bridge on the ice been built?"
"It shouldn't be there yet," Sokov shook his head and said, "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you didn't hear Lieutenant Selyosha say that Lieutenant Colonel Yakubow only had a guard beside him. I guess they must have used some special means of transportation to get here smoothly from the East Coast."
A few minutes later, Selyosha walked into the command center with a lieutenant colonel wearing a round fur military cap and a mortar short fur coat. The lieutenant colonel saw Sokov standing by the table and hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Report to the division commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Yakubov, the leader of the preparatory regiment, reported to you that I came to establish contact with you."
"Lieutenant Colonel Yakubow!" Sokov raised his hand and returned a salute, reached out and held the other party's hand, and said friendly with a smile: "Welcome to Mamayev Hill!" Then he introduced Sidolin and Ivanov to the other party.
After Ivanov and Yakubov shook hands, they accidentally stood at the door. The warrior brought by Yakubov glanced at it, and then a surprised expression appeared on their faces: "My God, isn't this Captain Zumingte? What I see is your ghost or your person."
The soldier standing at the door, standing straight, was stunned when he heard someone calling his name. When he saw clearly the person he was talking to, he exclaimed suddenly: "It's Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov,... No, I should call you Colonel Ivanov. I really didn't expect to see you here."
Ivanov stepped forward and hugged the other party with a warm hug, patted the other party's back with his hands, and said excitedly: "Captain Zumingte, I really didn't expect that I would have died here." When Ivanov said this, he suddenly realized something was wrong, so he quickly let go of the other party, took two steps back, looked Zumingte carefully, and asked in confusion, "Captain Zumingte, why are you wearing a soldier's uniform?"
When he heard Ivanov's question, Yakubov, who was talking to Sokov, replied with an awkward look: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, please listen to my explanation. Zumingte was once captured by the Germans. After escaping from the enemy's prisoner-of-war camp, he was sent to the punishment camp. This time, he was going to launch a counterattack against the enemy. His superiors drew some troops from the punishment camp and replenished them into my reserve regiment. And Comrade Zumingte became my subordinate in this way."
"Comrade Deputy Commander," Sokov saw that Ivanov seemed to be very familiar with Zumingte, so he walked forward and asked curiously: "Do you know this Comrade Zumingte?"
"Yes, comrade commander." Ivanov nodded at Sokov and replied, "Before the war, Captain Zumingte was the best battalion commander in my regiment. Later, his superiors transferred him to General Romanov's 172nd Infantry Division and served as deputy regiment commander. Unexpectedly, two years later, he is no longer an officer, but an ordinary soldier, which makes me too difficult to accept."
Sokov had a rough understanding of the matter from the few words of the people, but in order to understand the whole story, he first called everyone to sit down, and then asked Zumingte with a kind look: "Comrade Zumingte, can you tell us your experience?"
Zumingte was quite worried when he saw that he had been a prisoner of war and was known by the new division leaders. But seeing Sokov's attitude was so kind, he felt much more at ease, so he told everyone his experience with confidence: "After the outbreak of the war, the 172nd Infantry Division of my country was transferred to Mogilev in Belarus to be responsible for the city's defense...Faced with the fierce attack of the enemy, we persisted for fourteen days until the ammunition and food were exhausted and we were forced to give up the city's retreat...On the way to retreat, we encountered an advantageous German armored unit. After fierce fighting, the troops were disbanded, and I was captured because of my injuries..."
"Where is General Romanov?" Sokov suddenly remembered that he seemed to have heard of some of the deeds of the Soviet Army Commander, and hurriedly asked: "Has he been captured by the Germans too?"
"This is impossible." Before Zumint answered, Ivanov rushed to say: "I understand General Romanov. Even if he sacrificed himself, he would never be a prisoner of the Germans."
"Comrade Commander, you guessed it right." Unexpectedly, as soon as Ivanov finished speaking, he saw Zumingt nodding hard at Sokov, and continued: "When I was taken into the prisoner of war camp, I found that Commander Romanov was also captured because of injuries."
When Ivanov heard this, he muttered dissatisfiedly: "Are you mistaken? I heard a comrade-in-arms mention it some time ago that General Romanov is now commanding guerrillas in Belarus and fighting tenaciously with the enemy. If he is captured, how could he command guerrillas to fight behind enemy lines?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov, I didn't say nonsense. General Romanov was indeed captured by the enemy." Seeing Ivanov's confused look, Zumingt explained to him: "After the general's injuries improved, he organized prisoners of war to take advantage of the enemy's lack of supervision and rushed out of the prisoner war camp. After we escaped from the prisoner war camp, the enemy immediately chased after me. I was separated from General Romanov on the way to escape..."
"So that's how it is." After figuring out the capture and escape from Zumingte, Sokov turned his head and said to Yakubow: "Lt. Colonel, let's put the matter of Zumingte for the time being. Let's talk about your troops first. Let me ask you, how many people are there in your reserve regiment now?"
"Report to the division commander." Yakubow replied respectfully: "There are four battalions in the entire regiment, all of which are strengthened battalions, each with eight hundred people. In addition to some direct troops of the regiment, the total strength is 3,500."
Hearing the number of 3,500 people, Sokov couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He thought that the so-called full-fledged infantry battalion would be good if there were 400 people in one battalion, but he didn't expect that Yeliaumko's work was so big that he gave himself a super-edited reinforcement battalion, so that his chance of successful counterattack seemed to have increased again.
After pausing for a moment, Sokov continued to ask: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are your regiment veterans or new recruits?"
"The Fourth Battalion is a newly recruited recruit." Yakubow continued to answer: "As for the other three regiments, they are basically composed of veterans and soldiers from the punishment camp, and their combat effectiveness is pretty good."
After asking a few more questions that he was interested in, Sokov smiled and nodded, and said to Yakubow: "Lt. Colonel, for the sake of easy command, I will break them apart and organize them into the four existing regiments. Do you have any different opinions?"
Yakubov was unwilling to think of Sokov's plan to break up his group, but when faced with his new leader, he could only grit his teeth and smile and answer: "Comrade instructor, I have no different opinions, I firmly obey your orders."
"By the way, comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I have another important thing to ask you." Sokov asked Yakubov with some curiosity: "How did you cross the river?"
"The superiors gave us three automatic sleds," Yakubow replied quickly, "We just crossed the river by taking the automatic sled."
"Automatic sleds, each can take two people, three is six people." Sokov remembered that when Selyosha was reporting, he said that there was only one guard beside Yakubov, and asked in surprise: "Where are the remaining people?"
"Comrade, you don't know that the ice on the river is thick and thin, and not everywhere can pass." Hearing Sokov's question, Yakubov replied with a wry smile: "When the other two sleds crossed the river, they unfortunately fell into the water because the ice cracked."
"Where are the soldiers above?" Sokov hurriedly asked, "Are they okay?"
"Comrade Commander, thank you for your concern. They are all fine." Seeing that Sokov was so concerned about his subordinates, Yakubov was quite moved. He quickly replied: "They all climbed onto the ice in time and returned to the other side."
Chapter completed!