Seeing that Sokov suddenly became silent, Samyko thought that he was still upset about the matter he was arguing with Nedelin, so he quickly comforted him and said: "Comrade Commander, I think General Nedelin's character is like that. He
It’s just that you don’t have to worry too much about the matter and not the person.”
Sokov raised his head with a confused expression on his face. He had not yet woken up from his meditation, so he did not understand what his chief of staff had just said?
"What were you talking about just now, Comrade Chief of Staff?" Sokov asked.
Samyko did not expect that Sokov would be distracted while he was speaking, and quickly repeated what he had just said.
After figuring out what Samyko was talking about, Sokov waved his hand and said magnanimously: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what you said makes sense. In any case, General Nedelin, as an artillery commander,
From his perspective, the points he made are correct."
Seeing that Sokov was so open-minded, Samyko asked tentatively: "Then do you really agree to hand over the artillery to his command?"
"Yes, the artillery units transferred from the 7th Guards Army will be handed over to him one by one. He has the final say on how to use these artillery units." After Sokov said this, he specifically added:
"However, the two artillery divisions in our hands cannot be handed over to his command."
"Comrade Commander, isn't this not good?" Samyko heard what Sokov said. Although he didn't understand the reason for what he said, he still reminded him: "No matter what, he is the artillery commander of our group army.
Comrade, how can we not let him command the artillery within the army group?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, there is a reason why I did this." Now that he remembered who Nedelin was, Sokov naturally knew where the other party would go next: "He will only temporarily serve as the artillery commander of the group army until our army breaks through the German army.
After the Dnieper River Defense Line, he will be transferred to other fronts."
"Transferred to other fronts?" Samyko was suspicious of Sokov's words. Just a few hours ago, Sokov didn't even know the name of the new artillery commander. How could he know that he would be transferred soon?
What? This is obviously illogical. Thinking of this, he asked: "Comrade Commander, where did you hear this news?"
Sokov was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had been to the Front Army Headquarters two days ago, so he took the opportunity to blame Konev: "When I went to the Front Army Headquarters two days ago, I heard that Commander Konev
I said it myself.”
"Oh, it turns out it was Commander Konev who said that." Now that Sokov moved out of Konev, it was enough to eliminate Samyko's doubts. Samyko nodded and asked curiously: "You know he was
Which unit will you be transferred to?"
"Soon, he will be transferred to the Southwest Front Army as the artillery commander."
"Really?"
"Of course it is true." Sokov replied affirmatively: "He only holds a temporary position with us and will be transferred soon. Therefore, there will be nothing if we do not give him command of the artillery of the group army."
Influence."
After listening to Sokov's explanation, Samyko no longer struggled, but nodded and said: "You are right, Comrade Commander. The most taboo thing for the army is to frequently change commanders. If we really change commanders,
The group army's artillery was given command to him, and after a few days he left, the superiors sent a new artillery commander. By then, the artillery commanders would need to adapt to the new commander's style again."
Due to heavy artillery fire, the attack on Merefa Fortress was delayed for two hours.
Nedelin used these two hours of precious time to set up artillery positions on both sides of the Muza River, and convened a meeting with artillery commanders to let them clarify the target of their attack.
When everything was ready, Nedelin called Sokov and asked politely: "Comrade Commander, my artillery is ready. Can we start the bombardment?"
"Let's begin, General Nedelin!"
Less than a minute after Sokov put down the phone, he heard the rumble of artillery outside. Although he could not see the situation outside from the headquarters, Sokov knew very well in his heart that it was the 7th Guards Army.
The artillery is bombarding Merefa Fortress.
As soon as the artillery fire started here, Konev's phone came over.
"Comrade Sokov," Konev asked directly: "Are your artillery shelling the fortress?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front Army."
"The fortifications of Merefa Fortress are very strong. Among the artillery you have, there are no heavy artillery. Are there any difficulties?"
"Comrade Commander of the Front Army, there are definitely difficulties, but we will find ways to overcome them." Sokov replied: "Our artillery fire is mainly focused on bombarding the walls of the fortress. As long as we can blast a gap in the wall, our troops will
Able to quickly rush into the fortress and start a battle with the enemy."
"Then do we still need support from the air force?"
"Of course." Sokov continued: "The enemy also has artillery units in the fortress. I am worried that when our infantry launches an attack, the enemy will use intensive artillery fire to block them. At this time, the air force will be needed to attack the enemy's artillery.
The position was bombarded to completely destroy the heavy weapons the defenders relied on."
After Konev said "hmm", he continued: "I wonder when the air force should be dispatched?"
Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch and replied: "Our artillery has just started shelling the enemy, and it will last for at least an hour. As soon as the shelling ends, our ground troops will launch an attack on the fortress. I hope
Then we can get support from the air."
"Understood," Konev said: "After your bombardment is over, the air force will go to the sky above the fortress to provide you with the necessary air cover."
After saying this, Konev paused for a moment, and then asked tentatively: "Have you met General Nedelin?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front Army. I had an argument with him not long ago."
"There was an argument?" Konev asked nervously, "What did you argue about?"
"That's right, Comrade Commander of the Front Army. You also know that my troops generally don't need any artillery preparations before attacking. General Nedelin's opinion is exactly the opposite to mine. He thinks that artillery preparations before attacking are necessary.
.This is what we were arguing about."
After listening to Sokov's explanation, he learned that there was no major conflict between him and Nedelin, and Konev felt more at ease. Nedelin was about to be transferred to the Southwestern Front as the artillery commander.
, he had received the news from the Supreme Command, and naturally did not want Sokov to have a grudge with Nedelin over a trivial matter, so he specifically told Sokov: "Comrade Sokov, no matter what, General Nedelin's
He is older than you and has more seniority in the army than you. You must respect him and ask him for advice if you don't understand anything. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." From Konev's words, Sokov judged that the other party also knew the news that Nedelin was about to be promoted. His information came from the history books of later generations, and Konev's source of information should be
Supreme Command. In order to reassure Konev, Sokov assured him: "I will definitely have a good relationship with General Nedelin. If there is anything I don't understand, I will humbly ask him for advice."
"Very good, very good." After hearing Sokov's answer, Konev nodded with satisfaction and said repeatedly: "Since you have such an awareness, I am relieved."
When Samyko saw Sokov put down the phone, he quickly asked with concern: "Comrade Commander, what did General Konev say?"
Sokov felt that the conversation with Konev was not confidential, so he told Samyko truthfully: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army told me that I must have a good relationship with General Nedelin. If there is anything I don't understand,
If you are in a different place, you should humbly ask him for advice."
"Comrade Commander, it seems that that incident is true."
"what's up?"
"That's what you just said." Samek looked left and right. Although the staff officers closest to them were more than ten steps away and couldn't hear their conversation clearly, he still lowered his voice and said:
"It seems that the superiors are really planning to let General Nedelin go to the Southwestern Front as the artillery commander. Otherwise, General Konev would not have specifically told you on the phone to have a good relationship with General Nedelin. He is probably worried that you will suffer in the future.
"
Sokov felt that what Samyko said made sense, but he did not continue to dwell on this issue. Instead, he ordered Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, call the division commanders at the front and ask them where they are.
How is it going?"
The call first went to the division headquarters of the 182nd Division. As soon as he heard Khokhlov's voice coming from the earphone, Sokov asked directly: "Comrade Colonel, how is the situation there?"
Khokhlov recognized Sokov's voice and quickly replied: "Comrade Commander, the artillery shelling is very fierce. Now the direction of the fortress has been covered by artillery fire. We can't see anything except the smoke that blocks the sky."
arrive."
Sokov didn't get the answer he wanted from Khokhlov, and he felt a little disappointed, but he still told him: "Pay close attention to the direction of the fortress, and report to me in time if there is any latest news."
Seeing Sokov put down the phone, Samyko quickly asked: "Comrade Commander, how is the situation in the 182nd Division?"
"There is too much smoke and I can't see anything clearly. Colonel Khokhlov can't provide me with any useful information."
"How about I call other divisions and ask them how the situation is there?"
"There is no need, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov shook his head and said: "Now the artillery is covering the fortress with artillery fire. No matter which division's position, you can only see a piece of gunpowder smoke. Other than that, you can see everything.
Less than.”
"Then what do we do?"
"Wait, wait until the bombardment is over."
In this way, the two Sokovs sat down at the table and continued to study the details of capturing the fortress and railway terminal.
After the bombardment lasted for fifty minutes, the commanders of the divisions participating in the war called one after another.
The first caller was Major General Fomenko, commander of the 84th Division. He asked impatiently: "Comrade Commander, according to the prior agreement, the bombardment will stop in ten minutes. Do you think we can move in the direction of the fortress in advance?"
?”
There is a reason why Fomenko asked this. During the few attacks that were covered by artillery fire, Sokov ordered the participating troops to enter the battle a few minutes before the end of the shelling. As soon as the shelling stopped, the Germans did not wait for the second line of defense to attack.
Returning to the first line of defense, the leading troops of the Soviet army were already close to the German trenches. The advantage of using this tactic is that the cost paid by the troops is much smaller than that of conventional offensive methods.
But unexpectedly, Sokov waited for him to finish speaking, then shook his head and said: "Comrade General, our battle to capture the fortress is different from previous battles for position. There is no need to launch an attack in advance."
"Why?" Fomenko asked puzzled.
"The reason is very simple. During the artillery bombardment at the beginning of the position offensive battle, the German troops would retreat to their second line of defense to avoid our artillery fire." Sokov explained to the other party: "The enemies who were defending the fortress were attacked by our troops.
During the bombardment, a few people will be left to observe, while the rest will retreat to the basement to hide.
If we continue to follow the original offensive method and quickly advance towards the enemy's position while the shelling has not stopped. When the shelling stops, I am afraid that while our commanders and soldiers are still looking for a way through the smoke, the enemies hiding in the hidden fortifications will be
They will be massacred."
"Then what should we do?"
"It's better to wait until the shelling is over and the smoke dissipates before ordering the troops to attack." Sokov told Fomenko on the phone: "But before the attack begins, you must place the division's artillery regiment at the front so that it can use artillery fire at any time.
Destroy the exposed firepower points and cover the infantry's smooth rush into the fortress."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." After Sokov's explanation, Fomenko immediately understood how to fight the next battle, and quickly replied: "I will follow your instructions."
"Comrade General," Sokov told Fomenko, knowing that it was the first time for the troops to attack the fortress and they lacked the necessary experience in attacking fortresses, "Don't be too impatient when you attack. You must consolidate the points you capture and gradually conquer them."
Compress the Germans' living space and cooperate with friendly forces to completely eliminate them."
After Sokov finished calling Fomenko, he ordered Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you just heard the conversation between me and General Fomenko. Please call the commanders of each division."
, tell them the tactics I plan to use, lest they rush for success and cause unnecessary losses to the troops."
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Sameko agreed excitedly: "I will immediately convey your intention to all participating troops to prevent them from suffering unnecessary losses."
After the bombardment, the red brick wall of the fortress was blasted with seven or eight gaps that were 20 to 30 meters wide. The troops participating in the war chose to break through the gaps and tried to rush into the fortress through the gaps.
The Germans in the fortress were also confused by the Soviet shelling. According to their previous experience, the targets of the enemy's shelling were the firepower points and city gates of the fortress. As long as the firepower points were destroyed and the city gates were blown open, the Russians would
They will try to rush in along the gate of the fortress.
But this time, there was no shelling of the city gates at all. Even the solid fire fortifications were not hit by many shells. The opponent's artillery fire was concentrated on the city wall. Now that the city wall has been blown down in seven or eight places, if you want to hold on to the fortress
, forces must be mobilized to plug these blasted gaps. However, in this way, the defense strength of many areas will inevitably be weakened.
But it would not work without blocking the gap. In that case, the Soviet troops would continue to pour into the fortress like a tide. Therefore, after a fierce ideological struggle, the commander of the fortress decided to put all the reserves into the battle and go to the fortress to be bombed.
The opening in the city wall blocked the Soviet troops who were preparing to rush into the gap.
