Since Selivanov's 5th Guards Cavalry Corps was only temporarily placed under the command of Sokov and did not really belong to the 53rd Army, Stemermann committed suicide without reporting it to Smir, who remained at the headquarters.
Nov reported. After Sokov responded to the headquarters, he was eager to contact Konev and did not have time to inform Smirnov of the matter.
It wasn't until Sokov mentioned Stemmerman's death on the phone that Smirnov learned about it belatedly. After he waited for Sokov to end the call with Konev, he looked shocked.
Asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, is this all true?"
Naturally, Sokov did not understand Smirnov's meaningless words. He asked casually: "What?" But then he understood what the other party was asking: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you want to ask Shi
Did Temerman commit suicide by shooting himself?"
"That's right, that's right." Smirnov nodded vigorously and said, "Did he really commit suicide?"
"Yes, he committed suicide." Sokov gave the other party an affirmative answer: "I asked Koshkin to stay there to deal with the aftermath, and prepare to return his body to the Germans at the appropriate time."
Worried that Smirnov would not understand the purpose of doing this, he also specifically explained, "Although General Stermerman is our enemy, he is also a real soldier and an opponent worthy of our respect.
.”
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Unexpectedly, Smirnov not only understood Sokov, but also took the initiative: "Lieutenant Koshkin's rank is too low. Out of respect for this real soldier, I
I think this matter should be left to Comrade Military Commissar. Don't you think so?" His last words were directed at Gorokhov, who was sitting beside him.
Gorokhov, who had long been a transparent person in the headquarters, felt that he was doing his part in this matter, so he stood up and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the Chief of Staff is right, Lieutenant Koshkin's rank is too low.
, it seems inappropriate for him to handle this matter, so please leave it to me."
Since Gorokhov took the initiative to ask for military service, Sokov naturally wanted it. He nodded quickly and said: "Okay, Comrade Military Commissar, I will leave this matter to you."
After Gorokhov left, Smirnov said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, whether Stemerman commits suicide or is killed by our army, he is a great person to us.
Victory. You must know that German command organizations above the corps level are usually set up far away from the front line, so among the German officers killed by us, there were very few even school-level officers, let alone generals."
When he said this, Smirnov showed a painful expression on his face. He thought that in the early days of the war, the Soviet army, which was not ready for war, was defeated by the German army. Not only ordinary soldiers and grassroots officers were killed or injured
It was so heavy that even general-level commanders suffered heavy losses.
"Comrade Chief of Staff, what's wrong with you?" Sokov saw that Smirnov's expression was unnatural, and thought that he suddenly felt uncomfortable, so he asked tentatively: "I see that your face doesn't look good, is that right?
Not feeling well? Otherwise, I'll ask a military doctor to check you out."
"No, no, no, Comrade Commander." Smirnov hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I just thought of my fallen comrades. It would be great if they could live to see our victory."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, those commanders and soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend the motherland, no matter they are soldiers, officers, or even generals, our motherland and people will never forget them." Sokov said seriously: "Even after dozens of
Years or even hundreds of years, our descendants will still remember their achievements."
"Is it true?" Smirnov asked dubiously about Sokov's statement: "Can our descendants really remember those of us who shed our blood on the battlefield to defend the motherland?"
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov, who came from a later generation, clearly remembers the Victory Day every year. When the veterans with medals appeared in Victory Square, countless unknown people would always give them flowers, and he would
I once presented flowers to several veterans in this way. Because of Smirnov's doubts, he responded in a positive tone: "I guarantee you that our descendants will always remember those who sacrificed their lives to defend the motherland."
"Comrade Commander," Smirnov wiped away the tears on his cheeks with his fingers and changed the subject in time: "According to the intelligence I obtained, many troops under the front army launched an attack on the German army today. You said
Say, can we annihilate the besieged enemies?"
"I'm afraid this will be very difficult, my comrade chief of staff." Sokov knew about the historical Battle of Cherkasy. Although the Soviet army used more than one million troops from two fronts to besiege more than 60,000 German troops,
In the end, more than 40,000 German troops escaped. Although the number of German troops annihilated will increase due to his appearance, it is still impossible to annihilate them all: "I believe there will be a considerable number of German troops
Officers and soldiers can escape from our encirclement."
"This is impossible, Comrade Commander." Smirnov raised his own doubts about Sokov's statement: "You know, we have dispatched more than one million troops, and the Germans are just a mere
There are more than 60,000 people. It means that one hundred of us can defeat six of them. How can we still defeat him?"
"Yes, we do have an advantage in terms of military strength." Sokov had no doubt that the Soviet military strength was superior, but he still insisted on his point of view: "But the combat effectiveness of the participating troops is probably
It is not as powerful as we imagined. In defensive operations, the casualty ratio between us and the enemy was three to one; in offensive operations, the casualty ratio became seven to one. Our all-out attack could only cause huge damage to the German army.
There are casualties, but if we want to annihilate them all, I think it is basically an impossible task."
"Comrade Commander, you seem to have forgotten that in addition to the troops participating in the offensive, we have also set up five lines of defense on the way for the Germans to break through. No matter how powerful the Germans are in combat, it will definitely take a lot of money to break through these lines of defense.
A lot of time, and our attacking troops can take the opportunity to arrive and attack the Germans from front to back with the troops holding on to the defense line."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, when we as commanders analyze the battle situation, we must not only consider the strength and equipment, but also the will to fight." Sokov saw that Smirnov was getting into trouble, and quickly reminded him: "We must also consider
It depends on factors such as environment and climate, which may have adverse effects on our operations."
"Oh, Comrade Commander, do you mean that environmental and climatic factors will also affect our final victory?" Smirnov asked, "Am I understanding correctly?"
Seeing that Smirnov had unknowingly started to argue with him, Sokov did not want to continue arguing on this matter, so he could only say with laughter and laughter: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't think we have any more arguments."
It is necessary. Anyway, judging from the current situation, the battle may be over before dark, and we will just see the final result then."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." After hearing what Sokov said, Smirnov also realized that even if he continued to argue, there would be no results. It would be better to simply wait until the battle is over and look at the final statistics of the front army's results: "
Let’s just wait and see the final results.”
While the two were talking, a staff officer came over and reported: "Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, General Ryazanov, commander of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps, is here to visit."
Smirnov had obviously dealt with the air force general. When he heard what the staff officer said, he asked with surprise: "Where is General Ryazanov?"
"Right at the door."
"Invite him in quickly!"
Soon, a burly middle-aged general walked in from the door in high spirits.
Seeing Sokov and Smirnov, he took the lead in raising his hand and saluting, and said: "Hello, comrade generals! I am Major General Ryazanov, commander of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps."
"Hello, General Ryazanov!" Sokov quickly stepped forward, reached out his hand to the other party, and said in a friendly tone: "Nice to meet you."
Smirnov gave the other party a warm hug. It seemed that the two of them had a good relationship.
After the three of them sat down again, Ryazanov said apologetically to them: "Originally, our superiors arranged for our army to provide you with air support, but this damn weather made it impossible for my plane to take off."
For Sokov, it was indeed a pity that he did not receive air support for this battle. If he could receive support from the air force, he would be absolutely sure to achieve greater results.
"Ryazanov, don't blame yourself." Smirnov comforted his old friend and said: "No one expected that the weather during this period was so bad that the air force was unable to take off for combat. But it's okay, we
The planes could not take off, and the German planes could not be put to use, so we could concentrate our superior artillery fire and carry out fierce bombardment on the area where the German troops were assembled."
"Yes, the weather is bad, and the visibility in the air is limited." Ryazanov also said with emotion: "Even if our pilots force take off, I'm afraid they can't see the attack targets on the ground clearly. Hey, when can we develop one?"
With aircraft that can hover over targets and carry out precise strikes, our ground support will be more effective."
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Riazanov's words woke up the dreamer. Sokov coughed quickly, attracted the attention of both of them, and said: "I have an idea that can make our air
become more effective.”
Hearing what Sokov said, Ryazanov suddenly became interested and asked quickly: "General Sokov, tell me your idea. Is it feasible?"
"Do you have transport planes in your army?"
"Yes." Ryazanov nodded and gave Sokov a positive answer: "It's a C-47 assisted by the Allies, with a load of 11,800 kilograms, a top speed of 360 kilometers per hour, and a cruising speed of 260 kilometers per hour.
After reporting the basic parameters of the aircraft, he asked Sokov curiously, "General Sokov, do you plan to use the transport aircraft to transport any supplies?"
Not only Riazanov was curious, but Smirnov also cast a curious look at Sokov. He also wanted to know why Sokov wanted to ask about the transport plane.
"General Ryazanov, you misunderstood. When I asked about the transport plane, I didn't mean to transport any weapons." Sokov said with a smile: "But I planned to transform it into an aerial fortress that can support ground operations."
"Flying Fortress?!" Ryazanov glanced at Smirnov next to him with doubts on his face. He also saw doubts in his eyes, so he turned to look at Sokov and asked in confusion: "I don't understand.
did you mean."
"Our military's fighter or attack aircraft can only attack targets from the front. If you want to attack the target from different angles, you must constantly adjust the angle of the fuselage." When Sokov said this, he also specifically asked Ryazanov
One sentence: "General Riazanov, am I right?"
"Yes, it is indeed like this." Riazanov asked confused: "But what does it have to do with the flying fortress you mentioned?"
"I was thinking, if a machine gun is installed in a transport aircraft, and when it is circling around the target, it shoots downward from the side door or porthole, will it be possible to carry out effective precision strikes against targets on the ground?"
After hearing what Sokov said, Ryazanov did not immediately express his opinion, but frowned and thought.
Smirnov asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, how many machine guns do you think should be installed on the aircraft?"
"I think at least four machine guns must be installed in order to form enough attack firepower." Sokov said: "And you can't use 7.62 mm machine guns. The power of that gun is too small. It is best to use 12.7 mm high-level and flat guns.
Use a machine gun."
"We do not have a 12.7 mm machine gun. Among the weapons supported by the Allied forces, there is no machine gun of this specification." Ryazanov suddenly interrupted and said: "General Sokov, do you think a 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun should be installed in the cabin?
How about it?"
"All 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine guns are quadruple." Sokov said hesitantly: "If four are installed on the aircraft, I'm worried that the recoil during shooting will be too great and the aircraft will not be able to withstand it. And such a large-caliber machine gun,
It is not light in weight, which limits the amount of ammunition it can carry.”
"General Sokov, there is no need to install four." Ryazanov said: "A 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun is a four-link machine gun. We will disassemble it into two two-link guns and install them on both sides of the cabin.
.In this way, the load of the aircraft is greatly reduced, and it can also carry more ammunition."
"This is not bad." Sokov felt that Riazanov's idea was good. After expressing his agreement, he urged: "General Riazanov, I wonder when you can complete the transformation?"
Ryazanov stared at Sokov for a while, and then replied: "It will take at least two days to complete the installation of the machine gun in the cabin."
While Sokov and Ryazanov were discussing the details, the phone on the table rang. After Smirnov picked up the phone and listened for a while, his face became serious. After he put down the phone, Sokov was curious.
He asked politely: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what happened?"
"General Zakharov, the Chief of Staff of the Front, called," Smirnov replied expressionlessly: "Some of the German troops who implemented the breakout have already crossed the Gniloydikich River and are with the troops who came to meet them.
We merged and completely escaped our encirclement." After a pause, he continued, "Comrade Commander, you are right, it is indeed an unachievable task for us to completely annihilate the encircled enemies."
