But out of politeness, Sokov did not expose the other party. On the contrary, he said very cooperatively: "Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, I'm really sorry. Because the appointment from my superiors came so suddenly, I didn't have time to inform my friends in Moscow."
At this point, he still looked at Yakov intentionally, "Even my old friend Yasha didn't know about my appointment as the commander of the 53rd Army until I arrived at the front."
"That's right." Yakov heard Sokov mentioning himself and quickly testified for the other party: "The first day he called me, I called his home several times, but no one answered.
He was still mumbling that he had gone somewhere and there was no one at home. Later I found out that he was urgently appointed as the commander of the 53rd Army by the Supreme Command and rushed to the front line in the shortest possible time."
"Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff." Sokov asked jokingly: "You came to the front today, didn't you want me to report to the General Staff Headquarters and continue to be your deputy?"
Shtemenko laughed and said: "Comrade Sokov, when I sent you the invitation, you were still a major general. In just a few months, you have become a general. If you go to the General Staff, there is nothing you can do.
Compared with the front line, your position and military rank may remain unchanged, so for the sake of your future, I will not make such a futile attempt again."
Since Shtemenko was not trying to persuade him to go to the General Staff Headquarters, Sokov felt much more at ease. He asked tentatively: "Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, what are you doing in Safran?"
"The Battle of Uman is about to begin," Shtemenko said with a serious expression while suppressing the smile on his face: "The Supreme Command appointed me as the representative of the base camp, and I will come to you to conclude and understand the progress of the battle in a timely manner.
"
After hearing this, Sokov couldn't help being stunned: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, since you are the representative of the base camp, you should go to the front headquarters, not me. You must know that my forward headquarters is no more than 100 meters away from the German positions.
Three kilometers, if you continue to stay here, I cannot protect your life."
"Comrade Sokov, you are not afraid of danger and insist on establishing the headquarters so close to the front. What do I have to worry about?" Shtemenko said: "Besides, one of the purposes of my visit this time is
Observe how you direct operations and report what you see truthfully."
Hearing this, the word "supervisor" suddenly popped into Sokov's mind. Yes, Shtemenko who appeared in his forward headquarters today is the supervisor sent by his superiors to monitor and understand
Direct the entire process of combat by yourself.
Thinking that Shtemenko would stay in his headquarters in the coming days, observing and recording every order he gave in detail, Sokov felt on pins and needles.
Shtemenko noticed Sokov's nervousness, smiled and comforted him and said: "Comrade Sokov, don't worry. Although I am a representative of the base camp, don't worry, I only brought
Eyes, no mouth. In other words, I will not express any opinions on any decisions you make or orders you give. The only thing I can do is to express what I see and hear.
Report truthfully to the Supreme Command."
Knowing that Shtemenko would not interfere with his command, Sokov felt much more at ease. You must know that in the next battle, he may change his deployment in time based on the history he knows. If
If someone is gesticulating around you, it will have a negative impact on your command.
After the two chatted for a while, Sokov accidentally saw Yakov sitting next to him drinking tea, and quickly asked: "By the way, Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, have you and Yasha had dinner?"
"Misha!" Yakov said, somewhat dumbfounded: "I've been sitting here for a long time, and you didn't think of me until now."
"Yasha, I'm so sorry." Sokov quickly apologized to the other party and said, "I was just talking to Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, and I forgot that you are still here."
Fortunately, Ponedelin had already noticed that Yakov and Shtemenko had not eaten dinner, so he privately arranged for someone to go outside to prepare dinner. When he heard the conversation between the two, he smiled and said: "Don't worry, I will prepare dinner for you."
It has been arranged and will be brought to you right away."
A few minutes later, Shtemenko and Yakov had a hot dinner.
Shtemenko asked Sokov while eating: "Comrade Sokov, does your army plan to launch an attack from here?"
"Yes, Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff." Sokov replied: "This is the closest place to the Germans. Once the attack starts, we can break through the German defense lines in the shortest time."
"But when I came here, I carefully observed the nearby terrain." Shtemenko said with a melancholy expression: "Because it is now the spring thaw season, the vast Ukrainian plains have turned into a big quagmire. Our armor
As the troops advance along the highway, the situation is slightly better. Anyone who wants to take a detour may get stuck in the quagmire."
"You are right, Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff." Sokov replied truthfully: "If we launch an attack from our army's position to the German Uman Group, there will definitely be many tanks that clear the way for the infantry.
Because the road was muddy, I was stuck in the quagmire and couldn't move, and became the target of German anti-tank fighters. Therefore, except for the initial artillery preparation, I did not plan to use armored units at all."
"However, if there are no armored units in front to clear the way for the infantry, the infantry attacking the enemy's position will become the target of the enemy's shooting." The reason why Shtemenko said this was because in the early days of the Soviet-German war, the battlefields often
There will be a situation where, in order to retake a position occupied by the German army, the superior commander will order the commanders and soldiers to launch a counterattack against the enemy without any cover. As a result, in the end, the position was not retaken, but it was still because of
The troops suffered heavy casualties and lost even more land.
Sokov was not a roundworm in Shtemenko's belly, so he naturally could not guess what the opponent was thinking, and patiently explained: "Although there are no armored units accompanying the infantry charge during the attack, they are not without cover.
For example, the new rockets sent by Yasha will come in handy and can be used to attack the firepower points on the German positions and clear a channel for our offensive troops."
Hearing Sokov mention the new rockets, Yakov quickly interjected: "Yes, the reason why Misha has been able to perform extraordinary feats on the battlefield in the past two years is related to their use of new rockets to attack effective targets of the German army.
."
Although Shtemenko had seen every victory achieved by Sokov, he did not know how these results were achieved. At this moment, hearing what Yakov said, he asked with interest: "Yakov
Colonel Koff, have you seen the power of the new rockets?"
"Of course." Yakov replied affirmatively: "In the battles of Kursk and Kharkov, the troops commanded by Mischa skillfully used new rockets to destroy the resistance of several elite German divisions and created a good foundation for our army.
The final victory laid the foundation.”
Shtemenko pondered for a long time after listening, and then asked Yakov: "Colonel Yakov, I have a question. Since the power of the new rocket is so powerful, whether it can be equipped with any army will improve which one
What about the combat effectiveness of the troops?”
"Equipping other troops with new rockets can indeed increase their combat effectiveness." Yakov shook his head and said, "But if we want these troops to exert superior combat effectiveness to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, I'm afraid it's not possible.
too easy."
Shtemenko asked in confusion: "Why?"
Yakov looked at Sokov and said to Shtemenko: "Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, you should still remember that after Mischa was injured last year, someone took over his position as commander of the 27th Group Army.
?”
"Remember." Shtemenko, who is known as a living file, is naturally aware of this matter: "After Comrade Sokov was injured, his superiors appointed Lieutenant General Trofimenko to replace him and serve as the commander of the 27th Army
One position."
"The 27th Army's performance was extremely eye-catching in both the Battle of Kursk and the Battle of Kharkov. Before Misha was injured, he even planned to command the troops to attack Cherkasy." Yakov said here,
He couldn't help but shook his head: "But as he was injured, everything changed. Although the 27th Army still achieved some results in the following battles, the entire Army was weakened rapidly. So much so.
By the time the battle in Kiev began, the group army was no longer able to undertake offensive tasks and could only stay in the rear to take charge of security tasks for the second-line positions and wait for supplements from superiors."
"That's right." Shtemenko nodded when he heard this and said: "I was still discussing this matter with Antonov at the time. Why did the 27th Army not even have a chance to play after the Kiev battle began?
, can only stay in the second-line position, responsible for vigilance and waiting for supplements from superiors."
"Comrade Deputy Chief of General Staff, this illustrates a problem." Yakov said to Shtemenko: "Whether a unit has combat effectiveness, in addition to their soldiers and equipment, it must have an excellent commander. I believe
Misha is a person who is good at creating miracles. Whichever unit he stays in will be able to exert great potential in the following battles."
"Colonel Yakov, I agree with your statement." Shtemenko also looked at Sokov and said: "I also believe that Comrade Sokov is a person who is good at creating miracles, and the enemies he fights against
, there is basically no possibility of winning.”
Facing the two people's compliments in turn, Sokov felt a little embarrassed. He coughed hard and said with embarrassment: "You guys really praise me too much. I'm just an ordinary commander. In the entire army,
There are many commanders who are more capable than me."
"I still remember it very clearly." Shtemenko said: "Before the Moscow counterattack began, you were just the garrison leader of Khimki Town, with the rank of corporal. Now, only two and a half years later, you have become
He's a general now. I don't think there's anyone in the military who can be promoted as fast as you."
Shtemenko's words made Sokov feel more and more embarrassed. He didn't want to dwell on this topic, so he changed the subject in time. He looked at Yakov and said: "Yasha, the new rocket you brought this time
How many bombs are there?" Without waiting for the other party to answer, he continued, "The number of five hundred new rockets shipped last time is a little less. I'm afraid my troops have already been consumed before they see Uman's city wall.
It’s all gone.”
"Don't worry, Misha." Yakov said with a smile: "I have brought 1,800 new rockets this time, which is enough for you to take down Uman. In addition, I have specially prepared 50 rockets for you.
A rocket launcher specially designed to deal with German tanks."
"Yasha, you are so thoughtful." After hearing the equipment Yakov mentioned, Sokov couldn't help but be overjoyed: "Rockets can not only effectively deal with German tanks and armored vehicles, but they can also be
The enemy's firepower points can also be destroyed with rockets."
Not only Sokov was happy, but even Ponedelin was extremely happy after hearing this. He was originally worried about entering the city of Uman because the troops lacked enough artillery and how they would fight the Germans in street battles. Now that there are new rockets and rockets, these
All the problems were solved: "Colonel Yakov, you are so thoughtful. With these weapons and equipment, we can capture the city at least twice as fast and reduce the casualties of our troops."
"However, there is still a process of adaptation to the use of rocket launchers and new rockets." Sokov asked Yakov: "I don't know when the transport hovercraft will arrive, so that I can familiarize the troops with these equipment as soon as possible."
"After dark, in order to avoid accidents, the hovercraft will not travel too fast." Yakov replied: "I'm afraid it will have to wait until tomorrow morning at the earliest."
"It's too slow." Sokov asked tentatively: "Can the hovercraft arrive within an hour?"
"This is impossible." Yakov said firmly: "It is very dangerous for the hovercraft to drive in complex areas at night. Once an accident occurs, the materials transported on the ship will basically be lost. So for the sake of safety, only
It allows them to drive slower."
Before Yakov could express his position, the phone on the table suddenly rang. Ponedelin grabbed the receiver, put it to his ear and said, "I am Ponedelin, where are you from?"
After listening for a moment, he handed the microphone to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, this is General Afnin calling. It seems that I have something urgent to call you."
Sokov put the microphone to his ear and asked: "General Afnin, this is Sokov! What happened?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Afnin replied respectfully: "The Germans are currently launching an attack on the defensive positions of the 41st Guards Division. I feel it is necessary to report this to you."
"Did you give any orders to General Kurishenko?"
"I ordered him to hold his position, never attack casually, and do his best to hold his position."
"The order you issued is correct. It is risky to attack rashly before knowing the enemy's strength." Sokov told the other party: "General Afnin, please tell Division Commander Kurishenko to think about it as soon as possible."
We must find out how to attack the enemy so that we can formulate a targeted battle plan."
"I understand, Comrade Commander." Afunin replied: "I will convey your intention to General Kurishenko and ask him to understand the enemy's strength as soon as possible."
"Also." Sokov thought of the weapons and equipment that would arrive in a few hours, and said to Afunin: "By the way, you can tell General Kurishenko that the weapons and equipment that the superiors will replenish for them will arrive at the latest."
We can arrive after dawn. Let him bring people to collect these weapons and equipment after the battle is over."
