After the two arrived at the front headquarters, they met Rokossovsky.
Rokossovsky stepped forward and shook hands with the two of them one by one, and said apologetically: "I'm really sorry that I asked you two to come all the way to my place. How about it? Did everything go smoothly along the way?"
When Sokov heard Rokossovsky's question, he couldn't help but laugh secretly, thinking that if things had not gone smoothly along the way, the plane might have crashed long ago, so he smiled and said: "It went very well, Comrade Marshal."
"Do you know the reason why I summoned you urgently?" Rokossovsky asked.
Sokov looked at Popov, who happened to be looking at him as well, so he winked at him, indicating that he would answer Rokossovsky's question.
After Popov understood what Sokov meant, he nodded slightly, then turned to Rokossovsky and said seriously: "Comrade Marshal, according to our analysis, you must be so eager to recruit us.
I want to take action against the enemies in the triangle area at the confluence of the Vistula and Narev rivers."
Rokossovsky thought that after he asked this question, the first person to answer must be Sokov, but he didn't expect it to be Popov. He couldn't help showing an expression of astonishment on his face. But he quickly returned to normal and rushed
Popov raised his chin and said: "General Popov, you are right. According to the order from the base camp, this triangle area occupied by the German army must be eradicated."
"Comrade Marshal, how do you plan to arrange our offensive operations?" After saying this, Popov took the initiative to bring up the difficulties faced by his troops: "The troops of the 70th Group Army once launched an attack on this triangle area.
But in the end, they only suffered heavy losses, consumed a lot of ammunition, and failed to drive the enemy out of this area."
"Come here, General Popov." Malinin, standing by the wall, greeted Popov: "Let me introduce to you the operational intentions of the front army headquarters in detail."
Malinin spent five minutes telling Sokov and Popov the plan he had discussed with Rokossovsky, and finally said: "How about, you can capture the area occupied by the enemy?"
?"
"It's hard to say, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." Sokov said solemnly: "All the roads we use to attack this area are covered by German artillery fire. If we launch an attack forcefully, we may suffer heavy casualties.
, but in the end nothing was gained.”
"Misha, when the attack starts tomorrow, I will go to the front line to watch the battle in person." Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Rokossovsky unexpectedly said: "I will adjust the combat plan in time according to the changes in the battlefield situation.
"
"Go to the front line to watch the battle?" Sokov couldn't help but be stunned: "Which area do you plan to go to watch the battle?" When he said this, he secretly prayed in his heart that Rokossovsky had better not go to his own defense area. You know,
In addition to the area currently controlled, going further out is the German shelling area. With Rokossovsky's character, he will definitely choose a position closer to the front. If something happens, he cannot afford it.
Responsibility: "I wonder where you plan to watch the battle?"
"I think the village of Lurzhan two days ago was good." Rokossovsky said: "I plan to watch the progress of our troops at the observation post there."
Sokov scratched the back of his head and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, if you feel that the attack is not going well and if you want to adjust the battle plan, how will you inform us?"
"I think about it this way." Rokossovsky said: "When I go to your defense area tomorrow, I will take a radio and a signal gun with me. If after the bombardment, you see a red signal flare rising in the sky -
It means launching an impact; what rises into the sky is a green flare - the impact is cancelled. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" the two group army commanders stood up and replied.
The roar of more than 500 artillery pieces of various calibers broke the early morning silence. The Soviet artillery bombarded the German positions at the confluence of the Vistula and Narew rivers for an hour and a half.
When the shelling stopped, there was no movement in the triangular area occupied by the Germans, and there was silence in the direction of the Modlin Fortress. Through the telescope, Sokov looked at the German positions shrouded in gunpowder smoke, and thought to himself, the Germans on the positions
What are the people doing? Are they lying on the bottom of trenches and trenches? Or are they dizzy from the shelling just now and hiding in the concrete permanent fire points?
Not long after the battlefield returned to silence, rocket launchers in the distance opened fire. The rockets drew arcs over the Vistula River and disappeared in the middle of the enemy's position, followed by a terrifying rumbling sound.
Then there was silence again.
Just when Sokov looked at the sky to see if there was a signal flare rising, the German artillery, which had been silent for a long time, finally fired back. The area they bombarded was exactly where the Soviet offensive troops were gathering.
Even though Sokov was not an artilleryman, after spending several years on the battlefield, he had long been able to tell what kind of artillery the Germans were using from the sound of artillery. He heard the sound of the fortress's heavy artillery in the sound of artillery.
He couldn't help but worry about the troops about to attack. He quickly grabbed the phone and said loudly: "This is Sokov, let General Nikitin answer the phone."
The call was quickly connected, and Sokov said into the microphone: "General Nikitin, the enemy is bombarding the area where your division is gathering with fierce artillery fire. Let the commanders and soldiers take cover and never be exposed to the enemy's artillery fire.
Understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Nikitin said on the other end of the phone: "I will pass on your order."
"By the way," just as Nikitin was about to hang up the phone, Sokov asked, "How is Comrade Marshal?"
"He has been staying in the observation post. It is safe there." In order to reassure Sokov, Nikitin reported again: "I specially sent a company to alert the surrounding area, even if there are small groups of German troops
If they get in, they won't even be able to get close to Comrade Marshal."
"Very good, General Nikitin." Sokov was very satisfied with Nikitin's arrangement. He nodded and said approvingly: "Well done!"
Rokossovsky, who was staying in the observation post at the moment, turned to the two staff officers he called and said: "Comrade staff officers, look, the enemy fired artillery of various calibers, from fortress heavy artillery to ordinary artillery.
There are mortars and six-barreled rocket launchers. The fact that the enemy is so generous with artillery shells shows that it is still powerful. How can we attack in the face of such fierce enemy artillery fire? Isn’t that just letting the soldiers die in vain?”
"Comrade Marshal," a staff officer asked tentatively: "Then what should we do?"
"As long as the enemy's artillery manpower is not suppressed, there is no way to eliminate the triangle area controlled by the enemy. We currently do not have enough means at hand to suppress such fierce enemy artillery fire. It is obviously not obvious to launch an attack again, and
It’s not worth wasting our precious manpower.” Rokossovsky said to the chief of staff: “Comrade staff, go outside and fire a green flare to tell the attacking troops to cancel the attack.”
The staff officer agreed and walked out of the observation post with a signal gun, preparing to send a signal to the troops on standby to cancel the attack.
After the staff left, Rokossovsky ordered people to connect to the headquarters of Sokov and Popov respectively. Hearing the voices of the two people coming from the radio, Rokossovsky said:
"Two comrades, commanders, I now declare to stop the offensive operations in the triangle area."
Upon hearing that the attack was to be cancelled, both Sokov and Popov breathed a sigh of relief and replied in unison: "I understand, Comrade Marshal! The original attack order has been cancelled, and our troops will still be on standby.
"
"That's right, your respective troops are staying in the original defense zones and holding on to the existing positions." Rokossovsky said into the microphone: "What to do next, whether to attack or defend, I will tell you in the shortest possible time.
You will be notified soon.”
Rokossovsky returned to the front headquarters. After greeting Malinin, he called the director of the communications corps and told the other person: "Help me pick up Moscow immediately. I have important information to report."
While the director of the communications corps was on the phone, Malinin tentatively asked Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, so our attack on the triangle area has to be cancelled?"
"Yes, my comrade chief of staff." Rokossovsky agreed with Malinin's statement and explained his reasons: "The German artillery fire was too fierce, and our offensive troops were unable to leave the trenches.
From that moment on, we were within the range of the German artillery fire. This means that if we cannot suppress the German artillery fire, then our commanders will continue to fall under the intensive German artillery fire during the attack.
.”
"Comrade Commander, your decision is right," Malinen said: "We cannot waste our precious troops on this meaningless attack."
"Comrade Marshal," the director of the communications corps came over and reported to Rokossovsky: "The Supreme Commander himself is on the phone, and his phone cannot be connected for the time being. However, Comrade Boskrebyshev said that he will wait until the Supreme Commander himself
After making the call, the matter will be reported."
"In that case, let's wait patiently." Rokossovsky said: "While we are waiting for the call, we can discuss the next step."
"Comrade Commander, I happen to have some information, and I think it is necessary to report it to you."
"What information?" Rokossovsky asked.
"General Polainin of the Air Force reported that the reconnaissance plane he sent was attacked by German fighter jets while flying west of Warsaw. Two of them were shot down, and another reconnaissance plane that luckily flew back had bullet marks on its fuselage.
Tired." Malinen said: "The pilot reported to Polainin that all traffic lines from the west of Warsaw to the north were patrolled by German fighter planes, as if he wanted to cover up something."
Rokossovsky looked down at the map in front of him and found the location Malinin mentioned. After looking at it for a while, he raised his head and asked Malinin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what did you think about it?"
"According to my analysis, the Germans suddenly strengthened air patrols on all communication lines from the west of Warsaw to the north, probably to cover up something." Malinen said cautiously: "Due to the lack of favorable intelligence support, we cannot figure out who the enemy is.
Should we increase our troops to the north or move our troops from the north to the south?"
Regardless of whether the German army transfers troops from the south to the north, or from the north to the south, it means that they will take large-scale military operations in a certain direction. Unfortunately, there are no scouts going deep into the west of Warsaw and conducting reconnaissance in the air.
The reconnaissance plane on the mission was driven away by German fighter planes, so that the enemy's troop mobilization could only be analyzed.
Before Rokossovsky and Malinin could analyze the results, the high-frequency phone on the table rang.
The call was from Stalin. As soon as he heard Rokossovsky's voice, he smiled and asked: "Constantin Konstantinovich, how are you doing about the Vistula and Narew rivers?"
Has the attack on the junction begun?"
Hearing Stalin's question, Rokossovsky couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, and finally he mustered up the courage to say: "I'm sorry, Comrade Stalin, maybe I brought you bad news. I have ordered the termination of the attack on the Triangle."
Already."
"What, the attack has been terminated?" Stalin's smile froze on his face, and his tone became serious unknowingly: "Why? Why should it stop?"
"Comrade Stalin, please listen to my explanation." Rokossovsky knew very well that compared with before the war, Stalin's character had changed a lot. At least on many things, he was willing to listen to the parties involved.
explanation, so as to avoid making some stupid mistakes. In order to obtain Stalin's consent to stop the attack, Rokossovsky explained the situation in detail, and finally said: "Let our troops be under enemy artillery fire."
Attacking the covered area is equivalent to letting them die. I don't want to see these precious living forces wasted in vain, so I issued an order to stop the attack."
Stalin was silent for a long time after hearing this. Just when Rokossovsky was getting a little anxious, he finally spoke: "Konstantin Konstantinovich, you are right. If our army's artillery fire cannot develop
In the face of German artillery fire, it is completely correct to take the initiative to stop this futile attack."
Rokossovsky thought Stalin would be furious, but he was surprised that the other party actually said such reasonable words. He asked cautiously: "Comrade Stalin, what should we do next?"
"I agree with your arrangement to cancel the offensive of the troops and stick to the original defensive position to not give the Germans an opportunity." Stalin said on the phone: "Although this attack has been cancelled, it does not mean that
We will not launch a new offensive. Therefore, while holding on to the existing defense zone, the troops also need to actively prepare for war and prepare for new offensive campaigns."
"Yes, Comrade Stalin." Rokossovsky quickly replied: "I will implement your intentions to the grassroots units and let all commanders and fighters make preparations for a new offensive campaign while holding on to the existing positions.
"
"Yes, that's exactly what it should be." Stalin said slowly: "Constantin Konstantinovich, I wish you good luck and hope to hear news of your victory soon."
After Rokossovsky put down the phone, he said to Malinin with relief: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the Supreme Commander himself agrees with our decision to terminate the offensive, let the troops do defense work in the existing area, and start preparing for a new offensive
