The call was quickly connected. Guchakov was his old subordinate, and Sokov was not in any circle with him. He asked straight to the point: "Major Guchakov, this is Sokov. I want to ask,
Was the defense area of the 300th Division broken through by the Germans in many places?"
Guchakov did not dare to neglect and hurriedly replied: "Yes, Comrade Commander. According to the report from the Forward Observation Post, the defense area of the 300th Division was breached by the Germans in many places."
"The defense zone of the 300th Division was breached by the Germans. What measures did you take?"
"Comrade Commander," upon hearing Sokov's puzzling question, Guchakov replied with some confusion: "The defense line that was broken through by the Germans was within the defense area of the 300th Division. After learning about this situation, I have already
Order the troops at the front to prepare for battle to prevent the German army from taking the opportunity to attack our defense area."
After Guchakov finished answering, Sokov immediately said: "Why not send troops to reinforce?"
"What?" Guchakov was stunned, and then said a little embarrassedly: "Comrade Commander, can you say it again? The call effect was a bit bad. I didn't hear what you said clearly."
"Major Guchakov," Sokov slowed down and repeated what he just said: "I'm asking you, why didn't you send reinforcements after the 300th Division's defense area was breached by the Germans?"
This time Guchakov finally confirmed that he had heard correctly and quickly explained: "Comrade Commander, I just said that the German army broke through the 300th Division's defense area, not our brigade's defense area, so I only let
The forward troops are ready for battle to prevent the Germans from taking the opportunity to rush towards our positions."
"All the troops in the group army are a whole, but when a certain unit is in danger, nearby friendly forces should provide timely assistance instead of sitting back and watching like now." Sokov said in a stern tone: "Do you know?
, what is cold lips and teeth?"
Guchakov was silent for a long time and then said: "Comrade Commander, I don't understand what it means. Can you explain it?"
After listening to what Guchakov said, Sokov realized that because of his excitement, he accidentally said an Eastern idiom. It was strange that the other party could understand it. After laughing twice, he explained to the other party: "The lips are dead and the teeth are cold.
An old Eastern idiom means that if your lips are gone, your teeth will feel cold. Have you ever thought that once the 300th Division’s positions are completely breached by the Germans, your brigade’s defense area will be attacked next?”
"Yes, it is indeed like this."
"As long as you understand." Sokov said in a slow tone: "The 300th Division was a unit that was just incorporated into our group army during the Battle of Kharkov. It has very little cooperation with other divisions. Everyone has little respect for them.
I’m not familiar with them either, and I haven’t considered them all as my own yet.”
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Seeing Sokov telling his true thoughts, Guchakov replied truthfully: "After all, they have only joined for a short time and have not yet established any relationship with us.
That deep sense of comradeship..."
"Major Guchakov," before Guchakov could finish speaking, Sokov interrupted him and said rather unhappily: "If another division and brigade commander said this, I would
It's still acceptable. But you seem to have forgotten that Colonel Weisbach, the current commander of the 300th Division, was your deputy brigade commander before taking over the position of division commander. Even if there is no personal friendship between you and him, after all, we have fought side by side for so long.
, seeing that he is in danger in the future, shouldn’t we reach out and help him?”
"Comrade Commander, our brigade suffered a lot of losses in the early battles." After thinking for a while, Guchakov cautiously replied: "If we want to support the 300th Division, I'm afraid our strength does not allow it."
"Nothing is allowed." Sokov knew that Guchakov was worried that sending troops rashly would destroy all the troops, so he decided to give him reassurance, "I will inform Chief of Staff Samyko and ask him to get the troops out as soon as possible.
A batch of troops will be replenished for you."
The soldiers Sokov mentioned were the group of commanders and fighters who were rescued from the prisoner-of-war camp outside the city when Kremenchug was captured. After recuperating for a period of time in the field hospital, most of the people's health improved.
They have improved greatly, and adding them to the army at this time should not be a big problem.
With Sokov's guarantee, Guchakov felt confident: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander." He patted his chest and assured Sokov, "Since the defense area of the 300th Division is now very dangerous, we
It is completely necessary to support them. As you said, what is dead is what is cold..."
"The lips are dead and the teeth are cold!"
"Yes, it means that our lips are dead and our teeth are cold." Guchakov then said with a smile: "The defense area of the 300th Division is now our lips. Once our lips are gone, our teeth will be exposed to the Germans."
After ending the call with Sokov, Guchakov asked his chief of staff Askel: "Comrade chief of staff, which battalion of our brigade has the most complete organization now?"
"Fourth Battalion." Askel replied without thinking: "This battalion serves as a reserve team most of the time and has not participated in any battles, so their organization is the most complete." After he answered the question, he tentatively said
Asked Guchakov, "Comrade Brigade Commander, why are you asking this?"
"Chief of Staff, you should know that the defense area of the 300th Division was breached by the Germans in many places, and even posed a certain degree of threat to our positions."
"Yes, I know." Askel nodded and said, "Have you not already ordered the frontline troops to prepare for battle, and just wait for the enemy to approach and then open fire immediately?"
"Chief of Staff, the situation has changed now. Immediately send the fourth battalion and machine gun company to the 300th Division's defense area to help them defeat the enemy who breaks through the defense line."
"Why is this, Comrade Brigade Commander?" Askel was very puzzled by Guchakov's order: "They are our last viable force. Once the 300th Division's defense collapses,
, without them, there would be no way to stop the enemy."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Guchakov knew that Askel had not heard the conversation between him and Sokov, and quickly explained to him: "This is what Comrade Commander meant. He said that the entire army group is
As a whole, if one of the troops is in danger and the rest of the troops do not support it, then once this troop is annihilated, the troops that do not want to save will face the German attack next, waiting for them.
It will be the same fate."
Although Guchakov had already said this, Askel still said with concern: "Comrade Brigade Commander, after a period of fighting at the landing site, our brigade has suffered a very serious troop attrition. If this final
Our reserves have also gone into the battle. Once they are lost, when the enemy rushes towards our position, what kind of force will we use to stop them?"
"You don't have to worry about this, Comrade Chief of Staff." Guchakov knew very well what Askel was worried about, and quickly explained to him: "Comrade Commander has promised me that the rescued commanders and fighters will be dispatched as soon as possible.
The large forces in the army will be enriched into our brigade."
After learning that Sokov had made a guarantee, Askel felt at ease. After being silent for a few seconds, he said to Guchakov: "Comrade Brigadier, I immediately informed the commanders of the fourth battalion and the machine gun company and ordered
They rushed as quickly as possible to support the 300th Division, which was under attack."
When Sokov and Guchakov were talking on the phone, Fomenko was standing not far away. He heard the entire conversation between the two. After Sokov put down the earphone and microphone, he carefully asked: "Commander
Comrade Comrade, do you still need to contact the 1st Mechanized Army?"
"First Mechanized Army?" Sokov repeated the number, shook his head, and asked, "Why should I contact them?"
"Aren't they behind the defense area of the 300th Division?" Fomenko reminded Sokov, "Once the defense line of the 300th Division is completely broken through by the Germans, the defense area of the 1st Mechanized Army will also be attacked."
"There is no need." Sokov waved his hand and explained to Fomenko: "The 1st Mechanized Army was only temporarily placed under our command. In the early battles, they had already suffered a lot of casualties. If it happens again.
If I ask them to support the 300th Division, I am worried that they will pay a higher price. Once this unit is wiped out, I will not be able to explain to Commander Konev."
Fomenko did not feel that Sokov's statement was an exaggeration at all. Judging from the defensive battles at the early landing site, the 73rd Infantry Brigade adjacent to them not only suffered far fewer casualties than them, but also achieved even greater results.
It is far superior to them. Even if they are forced to send troops to support the 300th Division, with the outdated tactics they use, they may pay huge casualties, and the gain will not be worth the loss.
Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch and found that only a few minutes had passed. No matter whether it was the troops attacking Chigilin or the troops seizing the towns of Ratseve and Kinki, there could be no substantial progress, so he
Instructed the radio operator: "Comrade radio operator, please put me through to the Army Group Headquarters. I want to see Chief of Staff Sameko."
After hearing Sokov's instructions, the radio operator dared not be negligent. He hurriedly contacted the group army headquarters and informed the radio operator there that the commander had something urgent to do and wanted to see the chief of staff.
When the radio operator at the headquarters learned that Sokov was looking for Samyko, he quickly notified the communications staff officer on duty and asked Samyko to come over and answer the phone. Samyko took the headset and microphone from the operator's hand: "Commander
Hello, comrade, I am Samek, do you have any latest instructions?"
"I have ordered Guchakov to send troops to reinforce the 300th Division," Sokov said bluntly to Samyko: "However, after the battle to defend the landing site some time ago, I estimate that the casualties of the 73rd Brigade are also very serious.
There is an urgent need to supplement the troops. Those rescued commanders and fighters have rested in the field hospital for such a long time, and their health conditions have been greatly improved. They can be fully integrated into the frontline combat troops."
As Sokov's right-hand man, Samyko naturally heard the hidden meaning in his words and replied: "I understand, Comrade Commander, I will immediately send all those in good health to the hospital."
The commanders and fighters were summoned to replenish the advanced brigade to ensure that their combat effectiveness would not be affected in any way in the coming battle."
"If there are not enough new weapons, let's equip the original old weapons first." Sokov thought that the assault rifles he shamelessly asked for from the weapons and equipment department have long been exhausted, and now he wants to get new ones from Yakov.
Assault rifles will be a very difficult thing. Sameko can only give these newly added commanders and fighters to use the Bobosha charge and Mosin Nagant rifles used by other troops: "They should use the original weapons.
You are more familiar with it, which saves training time.”
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Samek nodded and said: "Most of these commanders and fighters were captured in the early stages of the war. Not to mention using the assault rifles that our department has large-scale equipment, even Bobosa
I'm afraid many people have never used submachine guns. Equipping them with old weapons saves us the time of training them."
"But do we have so many old weapons?" Sokov usually did not ask about the reserve situation of weapons and ammunition. Now when he plans to issue weapons to the commanders and fighters who are preparing to enrich the advanced brigades, he is worried that the number of weapons is not enough: "Otherwise, I
Apply to Commander Konev again?"
"There is no need to apply." Samyko said: "Comrade Commander, you usually don't care about the reserve of weapons and ammunition. You don't know that we had sealed a batch of weapons and ammunition during the Battle of Kharkov. As long as you put this batch of weapons
After the lockdown is lifted, the commanders and fighters who will be added to the infantry brigade can be armed."
Sokov hummed a few times and ordered Samek: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I will give you full responsibility for this matter. You must arm all these commanders and fighters, do you understand?"
"Understood." After Samyko agreed, he remembered the battles taking place in Chigilin, Ratsewe, Jinki and other places, and couldn't help but asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I want to ask, where are you now?"
How is the war going?"
Hearing Samyko's question, Sokov looked to Fomenko on the side, trying to find out if the latest battle report had come. Fomenko saw the look in Sokov's eyes and immediately understood what the other party wanted.
He shook his head slightly and spread his hands to indicate that he had not received any battle reports for the time being.
After understanding what Fomenko meant, Sokov said into the microphone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, there are no recent results yet. But don't worry, once there is new progress, I will let them report it as soon as possible."
Reported to you."
Not long after the call with Samyko ended, Shumilov, who was far away on the left bank, called Sokov again and asked politely: "General Sokov, my subordinates reported to me that they heard news from the other side.
There is the sound of guns and gunfire, and you can see the rising smoke. It must be that your troops are fighting with the enemy."
"That's right, General Shumilov." Sokov remained polite enough to his former superior, "A regiment of our army group rushed into the town of Ratseve and is engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy. I believe it is impossible.
How long will it take for our army to seize the town and support your troops to successfully cross the Dnieper River?"
"That's great." After Shumilov confirmed the news he wanted to know from Sokov, he said with joy: "I have ordered the 15th Guards Division to prepare for crossing the river. Only your
Once the troops take the town, they can launch a large-scale river crossing operation."
