Sokov's words opened up an idea for Konev: "Comrade Sokov, what you said makes perfect sense. Now I have an idea. I plan to contact the National Defense Committee to see if there are any original establishments in the area where we are fighting now.
How many arms warehouses are there? As long as these arms warehouses are not discovered by the Germans and the materials inside are seized or destroyed, they can be used to arm our troops, thereby reducing the transportation pressure on the logistics department."
"This is a good idea, Comrade Marshal." Sokov thought about sending people out to search for hidden arsenals, which felt a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. If Konev could really obtain a detailed distribution map from the National Defense Committee, he would be able to find
Once you get up, you can get twice the result with half the effort. "With enough ammunition, we can ensure the continuity of our army's attack."
"That's right." Konev also agreed very much with Sokov's statement. After all, no matter how much it is replenished, the ammunition possessed by the troops cannot be infinite. After a battle, the logistics must wait until the supplies are completed.
, can we launch a new round of offensive against the German army. Sometimes we miss a lot of good opportunities while waiting: "If our troops can find more arsenals, I think we can maintain our position before May."
Offensive posture."
Just when Sokov was about to put down the phone, he suddenly heard Konev say again: "Comrade Sokov, there is one more thing. I want to hear your opinion."
Hearing Konev say that he wanted his advice on something, Sokov couldn't help but be startled, wondering if there was anything he could do to advise Konev? However, out of politeness, he still said respectfully: "Marshal
Comrade, please tell me, and I'll see if I can give you some useful ideas."
"The situation is like this, Comrade Sokov." Konev said carefully: "I received a call from the Supreme Commander himself. He said that he planned to gather all the transport aircraft of our army and launch a powerful attack behind the enemy's rear.
Airborne operation.”
"What, airborne operation?" Sokov was shocked by this unexpected news. He never dreamed that Stalin would come up with such a combat plan on a whim. He asked tentatively: "Comrade Marshal, I think
Ask Comrade Stalin where he plans to drop our paratroopers?"
"In the Lublin area of Poland." Konev explained: "According to the Supreme Commander's own ideas, once our army airborne in this area, occupied the city and built a defensive line, it would be able to cut off the German army's retreat in Ukraine."
Konev's words made a term pop up in Sokov's mind: "Operation Market Garden."
This was a special form of attack launched by the Allies after the successful landing in Normandy. Its main purpose was to use the largest surprise attack by airborne troops in history and cooperate with the fast-moving coordinated operations of ground armored forces to capture the remaining areas on the main rivers in the Netherlands.
A series of bridges controlled by the German army. The strategic goal is to seize control of these bridges so that the Allied forces can cross the Rhine River, the last natural barrier on the German border, and take advantage of the fact that the German army has not yet gained a firm foothold.
ended World War II within time.
This operation was initially considered a success. The Allies captured the Waal Bridge in Nijmegen on September 20, but ultimately failed because infantry reinforcements could not reach the last bridge in Arnhem and fully capture it.
.Although the British 1st Airborne Division stayed on the ground longer than originally expected, until March 1945, the Rhine River remained an insurmountable barrier between the Allied forces and the German mainland. Regrettably, this
The bridge that cost the lives of countless Allied and German troops was destroyed by a squadron of B-26 bombers to prevent a German counterattack.
"Comrade Marshal," Sokov did not ask Konev how many transport aircraft the Soviet Air Force had. You must know that this kind of data is absolutely confidential. Let alone himself, I am afraid that even people at Konev's level are not qualified to know.
So he changed the question: "I wonder how many troops the superiors plan to send to participate in this attack?"
"As far as I know, it's probably an airborne brigade, with a total number of about three thousand people." Konev replied: "However, due to the limited load capacity of the aircraft, they cannot carry heavy weapons."
When Sokov heard this, his head suddenly got big, and he thought that this must be Stalin's decision to drop three thousand paratroopers to the enemy's heavily guarded rear, and let them seize the city and cut off the territory of Ukraine.
The German army's retreat, doesn't it mean they are going to die?
But there are some things that he can understand in his heart, but he can't say them casually. If he rashly says that these airborne troops will not be able to cut off the German army's retreat in Ukraine after they land in Lublin, they will be eaten up by the German army.
, if it's better, your superiors will criticize it as nonsense; if it's more serious, someone will immediately say that this is obviously a defeatist argument. At that time, you will get burned.
In order to avoid a similar tragedy from happening to him, Sokov cautiously asked: "Comrade Marshal, have you ever thought that an airborne troop without heavy weapons landed in the rear of the heavily defended German army?
Can we seize the city from the enemy and build a defensive line to cut off the enemy's retreat?"
Konev thought for a while and then replied: "I don't think they can stop the attack of the German armored forces at all."
"That's right." Seeing that Konev's thoughts were consistent with his own, Sokov nodded and said: "In other words, if the airborne brigade is parachuted into Lublin behind enemy lines, it is equivalent to letting them die."
"Comrade Sokov, what you said makes sense." Konev is also a smart man. From Sokov's simple words, he realized the seriousness of the problem. He said solemnly: "I will
Please give your feedback to the Supreme Commander himself, hoping that he can change his mind and cancel this unrealistic plan."
"No, Comrade Marshal, please don't come forward." Sokov knew that Konev was in Stalin's heart and had just reestablished goodwill. If he made him angry because of this matter, I'm afraid Konev would have a hard time in the future.
So he advised me kindly: "I think it would be more appropriate to ask others to come forward in this kind of matter."
"Please ask someone else to come forward?" Konev asked with some confusion: "Then tell me, who is more suitable to come forward?"
Sokov recalled carefully in his mind for a while, and vaguely remembered that in Shtemenko's memoirs, he had seen Stalin preparing to send paratroopers to airdrop in Lublin, so he said cautiously: "I think Marshal Zhukov and
General Shtemenko of the General Staff came forward to persuade the Supreme Commander himself to abandon this unrealistic battle plan."
Konev listened to the two names proposed by Sokov and thought about it carefully. Although Zhukov is now the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front, he still has the title of deputy commander, so he is more powerful in this matter.
Persuasiveness. As for the Deputy Chief of General Staff, General Shtemenko, who is also the Minister of Operations, if they both go to see Stalin at the same time, they are indeed sure to persuade him to cancel this unrealistic combat plan.
"Comrade Sokov, what you said makes sense." Konev nodded and said: "I will get in touch with Zhukov and Shtemenko to see what method can be used to persuade the Supreme Commander himself to change his mind.
Cancel this unrealistic battle plan."
When Sokov put down the phone, Trofimenko asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, what combat operations have you and Comrade Marshal discussed canceling?"
Sokov looked around. In addition to Trofimenko, there were also Samyko and Smirnov. Then he waved to everyone and said: "You all come here, I will tell you what happened."
Something happened."
When the three of them gathered around the table and stared at the map on the table, Sokov began to tell them about Stalin's unrealistic plan: "...our army will use all transport aircraft to parachute an airborne brigade to
In the Lublin area, let them seize the time to build defensive positions after occupying the city to cut off the retreat route of the German troops in Ukraine."
"This plan is too unrealistic." After hearing this, Sameko immediately shook his head and said, "If we really do this, it will be like letting the commanders and fighters of this airborne brigade die..." Just after saying this, Sameko suddenly
His whole body was shaken, and he immediately stopped talking.
Seeing that Samyko stopped talking, Trofimenko urged with some curiosity: "Speak, Comrade Chief of Staff, why don't you stop talking?"
"Comrade Deputy Commander," Sameko smiled awkwardly and said, "I was too reckless. This is an order personally issued by Comrade Stalin. How can we discuss it? Naturally, we must obey it unconditionally."
Seeing that Samyko's words were accurate, Trofimenko did not ask any more questions. Instead, he turned to look at Sokov and asked: "Comrade Commander, do you think our airborne brigade can complete the mission after airborne in the Lublin area?"
Is it a task assigned to them by their superiors?"
"It can't be done." Sokov shook his head and replied in a positive tone: "No matter how elite the troops are, if they are airdropped into this area, they will definitely be attacked by German troops from all directions. They do not have any heavy weapons.
Under the strong attack of the German army, it is a question of how many days it can hold out, let alone cut off the movement of the German army in Ukraine."
"Is it really impossible to hold on, Comrade Commander?" Unexpectedly, after listening to this, Trofimenko still asked: "But I think people can unleash great potential in times of crisis. Maybe our airborne troops
Commanders and fighters can create such miracles."
"Comrade Deputy Commander," Sokov saw that Trofimenko was quarreling with him today, so he said to him: "I ask you to select the most elite division in the entire combat group, and then deploy you in
Lviv, let’s see how long you can last under siege from enemies on all sides?”
After hearing what Sokov said, Trofimenko immediately turned his attention to this city on the western border of Ukraine, thinking in his mind whether he could withstand the German troops coming from all directions if he really led a division to occupy this city.
Attack, and while holding on to the city, complete the task of cutting off the German army's retreat.
After rehearsing it in his mind countless times, Trofimenko found that no matter how he defended himself, he could not block the German army's attack from all sides, let alone the German army's attack in one direction, let alone cut off the German army's retreat in Ukraine.
Trofimenko stood up straight, shook his head at Sokov, and said with a wry smile: "Comrade Commander, I have tried many times. Not to mention that the enemies come from all directions, even if they attack from only one direction, I can't stop them.
As for cutting off the retreat route of the German troops in Ukraine, that is even more impossible."
"I don't know who instilled this idea into the Supreme Commander himself," Sokov knew very well that the Soviet generals were all unfamiliar with the tactics of airborne operations. It was impossible for anyone to make such a suggestion to Stalin. The only explanation was that
The Allied Forces' "Operation Market Garden" has begun to be deployed, and Stalin was notified of it, which gave him the idea. However, in front of outsiders, he still had to pretend to be ignorant: "Once it is implemented
In this airborne plan, the airborne brigade participating in the operation will definitely not escape the fate of being wiped out, and such a failure will also bring a huge blow to the morale of our army."
"That's right, that's right," Sameko, as a chief of staff, naturally understood what would happen to a unit that goes deep behind enemy lines alone and is besieged by the enemy's superior force, so he nodded and said, "Put one
Placing light troops in the middle of the enemy is tantamount to sending them to death, and I think this unrealistic combat plan should be cancelled."
The reason why Sameko said this is entirely because he considered that the 18th Guards Army has two Guards Airborne Divisions, and they are extremely combat-effective. If the superiors really want to implement this risky airborne plan, maybe
He would draw troops from these two airborne divisions. He couldn't bear to watch his men die.
Sokov knew very well that today's discussion here would definitely reach Stalin's ears through some way. In order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, he said: "Comrade commanders, in fact, the implementation of airborne operations is not
No, you have to choose the right time."
Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Sokov continued: "Let me give an analogy, for example, our army has entered Poland and is advancing towards Warsaw. When our army is still one day away from this city,
At 200 kilometers, in order to prevent the German army from blowing up the bridges on the Vistula River, we can carry out airborne operations and parachute some of the airborne troops near the Vistula River, allowing them to quickly attack the enemy before they recover.
Seize the bridge and defend it, and when our main force arrives, we can successfully cross the river and enter Warsaw."
"Comrade Commander," Trofimenko said, shaking his head after hearing this: "It's a pity that Warsaw is too far away from us, about the same distance as us from Bucharest."
"Comrade Deputy Commander, don't be pessimistic." Sokov smiled and said to Trofimenko: "Although we still have more than a thousand kilometers to get to Warsaw, we may be at the gate of Warsaw by the end of the year.
, and started a fierce battle with the German troops in the city."
"Will you be able to reach Warsaw by the end of the year?" If someone else had said this, Trofimenko would definitely have sneered at him, but it was Sokov who said this, and it had to attract Trofimenko's attention: "You really
Do you think our army will be able to reach outside Warsaw by the end of this year?"
"If our army maintains an offensive posture on the battlefield, I believe that by the end of the year, we will not rule out the possibility of reaching the outside of Warsaw." When Sokov said this, he saw Trofimenko's suspicious expression.
, did not argue with him, but said casually: "Comrade commanders, keep working hard. I believe that by the end of the year, the Germans will have been driven out of the country by us, and our army is marching towards Berlin. We will definitely be able to
