Sokov knew very well in his heart that the reason why Chuikov sent little Sidorin here to deliver the order was just to find a reason to reunite the father and son so that both parties would not have lifelong regrets. He said that he would only give Sidorin and his son half an hour.
Reminiscing about old times, but when the time came, no one was sent to urge it.
Sidorin is also a sensible person. Seeing that no one came to urge him, he guessed that everyone was planning to leave more time for his father and son to talk. But even if no one urged him, he always kept his responsibilities in mind and could not
His official duties were delayed due to personal matters. Therefore, when the time came, he returned to the headquarters with his son Xiao Xidorin and said to Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, it's getting late. You and Xiao Xidorin go to the headquarters."
Come on, don't keep Comrade Commander waiting."
After Sokov and Little Sidorin left, Belgin asked Sidorin in a reproachful tone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it's not like you don't know the current situation. Maybe today is the last time that your father and son will meet, why not
How about we chat a little longer?"
"Comrade Political Commissar, I appreciate the kindness of you and the brigade commander." Sidorin looked at Belgin and said gratefully: "I am a soldier, and I have long been prepared to shed blood and sacrifice for the motherland. But the only thing
My only regret is that I am worried about the safety of my child. I am satisfied to see that he is safe and sound today. How could I delay my work due to personal matters?"
Hearing what Sidorin said, Belkin nodded slightly and said, "The commander called the brigade commander to the headquarters. I don't know when he will come back. You will be fully responsible for the work here."
"Don't worry, Comrade Political Commissar." Sidorin regained his usual confidence, "I believe our soldiers will hold their position. But before that, we should follow the brigade commander's order and build a ring on the top of the hillside of Nangang.
of fortifications.”
…………
Sokov followed Sidorin to the location of the new headquarters. He originally thought that Chuikov's headquarters was most likely to be located on the ground. But when he arrived at the location, he realized that he had guessed wrong. The new commander
The headquarters dug several holes on the steep river bank. Since there could not be too many people inside, many staff members stayed on barges parked by the river.
Sidorin led Sokov into a cave and said to the people inside: "Comrade Commander, I have been ordered to bring Lieutenant Colonel Sokov over."
With the help of the indoor lantern lighting, Sokov could clearly see Chuikov and Krylov standing at a table. He quickly stepped forward, raised his hand to salute the two, and reported respectfully: "Comrade Commander, Infantry
Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Brigade, has been ordered to come, I am waiting for your orders, please give instructions!"
"It's Sokov here," Chuikov stepped forward and held Sokov's hand, greeting him warmly: "Please sit down quickly."
After Sokov sat down, he looked around the cave and saw that there was no one else except Chuikov, Krylov, Gurov and a few communication soldiers, so he asked curiously: "Comrade Commander,
Where did General Rodimtsev go?"
"He went to the 42nd Guards Regiment." Krylov put a cup of hot tea in front of Sokov and continued: "He just left not long ago. Why, you didn't meet him on the road?"
"No." Sokov shook his head and replied: "Some of them were missed somewhere on the way." He paused for a moment, and then asked, "Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't know why you asked me to come here.
Important mission?"
Chuikov raised his chin at Krylov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, show the combat order to Lieutenant Colonel Sokov."
Krylov nodded, pulled out a piece of paper from a document bag hanging on the wall, walked to Sokov, and said to him: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, take a look at this paper first.
Order, and then we will assign tasks to you."
Sokov took the combat order from Krylov's hand and saw that it read: "...In order to crush the enemy group attacking Stalingrad, I order you to coordinate with the Stalingrad Front: Order the Commander of the 62nd Army
members, organize an assault group of at least 3 infantry divisions and a tank brigade in the Mamayev Ridge area to attack the enemies in the northwest suburbs of Stalingrad and annihilate them in this area. The mission of the day: Behind the effective guarantee
Destroy the enemies in the city on the premise of the Renok and Orlovka areas, 128 and 98.9 heights, and the northwest and western suburbs of Stalingrad.
The artillery director of the front army was ordered to use a powerful artillery attack to ensure that the 62nd Army carried out an assault in the area starting from Gorodishe and Gumlak on the right and reaching the Tsaritsa River on the right.
From 19:00 on September 18, 1942, the Gorishny Infantry Division was included in the establishment of the 62nd Army.
Ordered the commander of the 62nd Army to cross the Volga River to Stalingrad from the northern ferry near the village of "Red October" before 5:00 on September 19, 1942, and use this force to move from
102 Highland to launch an assault on the northwest suburbs of the city..." The order ended with the signatures of Yeremenko and Khrushchev.
After reading the combat order, Sokov handed it back to Krylov, looked at Chuikov and asked: "Comrade Commander, our brigade has suffered more than 3,000 casualties in the past few days of fighting. I'm afraid we won't be able to spare any troops."
To participate in such a counterattack." The reason why he said first that his troops suffered more than 3,000 casualties was to prevent Chuikov and others from forcibly transferring troops from him to carry out these counterattacks that were destined to fail in order to complete the mission of their superiors.
But the facts soon proved that Sokov was overly worried. Chuikov had no intention of dispatching large troops from Mamayev Heights to participate in the counterattack. He said to Sokov: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I called you here today."
Are you here not for your troops to participate in such a counterattack, but for other tasks?"
Knowing that his troops did not need to participate in the counterattack that was doomed to fail, Sokov's anxious heart returned to his stomach. He quickly asked: "Comrade Commander, can I ask what the mission is?"
"You should have seen in the combat order just now that we are about to launch an attack on the enemy in the north of Stalingrad to cope with the Stalingrad Front commanded by General Rokossovsky." Chuikov pointed to the map and asked.
Kokov said: "When our troops were engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy, you led an elite unit to pass through the gaps in the enemy's defense lines and go north to meet the Stalingrad Front troops moving south."
Hearing Chuikov repeatedly mention the Stalingrad Front, Sokov felt dumbfounded in his heart. The troops known as the Stalingrad Front are still dozens of kilometers outside the city; while they are stuck inside the city of Stalingrad.
The troops belong to the Southeast Front Army.
"Comrade Commander," Sokov thought that if he wanted to pass through the gap between the German defense lines, the size of the unit he led would not be too large, so he asked Chuikov for instructions: "I don't know if the size of the unit I lead must be too large.
How many people should be controlled to form an army?"
Chuikov thought for a while and replied: "If the number is too large, it will be easily exposed when passing through the enemy's defense line; if the number is too small, it will not play the necessary role. I think it will only be three hundred people."
As for which unit to lead north, Sokov's first consideration was the Third Battalion. But on second thought, the Third Battalion's combat effectiveness was not weak, and they should be reserved for the most difficult moments. In addition, the most suitable candidate was
The 192nd Battalion, the commander and combat backbone of the battalion, are all former 192nd Infantry Division. They are full of hatred for the Germans. In addition, they have not been allowed to participate in the war recently. They must be holding a fire in their hearts.
, leading them north will definitely bring their combat effectiveness to the limit.
Just when Sokov saw that the task had been assigned and was about to stand up to leave, the phone on the table suddenly rang. Krylov picked up the receiver and put it to his ear for a moment, then covered the phone and said to Chuikov: "
Comrade Commander, this is Major General Matveyev, Commander of the Front Artillery."
After hearing Krylov's name, Chuikov asked impatiently: "What is he going to say this time?"
When Sokov heard what Chuikov said, he couldn't help but wonder: Is there any conflict between the commander and the artillery commander of the front army? In order to understand all this, he did not leave immediately, but stood where he was.
, prick up your ears and listen carefully to the conversation between the two.
"What else can be said?" Krylov shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly: "It's not just those words. In order to better attack the enemy, the artillery of the group army should be deployed in Stalingrad, not in the east.
shore."
"Didn't the Army Military Committee make a decision long ago," Chuikov continued: "Leave the artillery on the left bank of the Volga River. You only need to deploy an artillery observation post on the right bank. The artillery observer can defend the wide front and command the artillery on the left bank.
The firepower is mobile. The only artillery that can be left in the city is mortars and anti-tank guns."
"Comrade General," Krylov waited for Chuikov to finish and then released his hand covering the microphone, "in the city, our artillery group has neither horse-power traction nor mechanical traction. As a result, our artillery
Mobility was almost lost. If you think about it, it would be impossible for our artillerymen to push the cannons and howitzers with both hands on the bumpy streets and through the ruins of the urban area.
Moreover, starting from late August, it has become very difficult to transport artillery shells from the left bank of the Volga River and then into the city, and sometimes it is completely impossible. Because during the day, the enemy monitors all roads leading to the Volga River from the east. The enemy's
The air force and artillery have blocked our crossing area. It is more difficult for us to transport ammunition across the water that is only one kilometer wide than to transport ammunition to the bank of the Volga River from a hundred kilometers away..."
When Krylov was explaining to Matveyev the benefits of leaving the artillery on the left bank, an idea suddenly came to Sokov's mind. He walked to Chuikov and whispered: "Commander
Comrade, I think we can deploy several rocket launcher battalions in the right bank area."
"Deploy a rocket launcher battalion in the city?" After hearing Sokov's suggestion, Chuikov frowned and said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I want to ask you, if there are really several rocket launcher battalions in the city, what do you plan to do?
How to use them?"
"Comrade Commander, the layout of your new headquarters gave me a new idea." Sokov pulled Chuikov to the entrance of the cave and said to him: "We can dig some caves on the steep river embankment.
, conceal the rocket launcher truck. Once we discover that the enemy has launched a large-scale attack on our position, our rocket launcher battalion will drive out of the hiding cave to cover the enemy with firepower. After completing the shooting mission, we will return to the hiding cave.
.Do you think this is okay?”
Sokov did not express his position immediately, but stood by the river and carefully observed the nearby embankment. After a long time, he finally nodded and said: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, your proposal is completely feasible. I am
Just contact General Matveyev and ask him to send us several rocket launcher battalions as soon as possible."
Chuikov returned to the cave, quickly came to Krylov's side, took the phone from his hand, and said into the receiver: "Hello, General Matveyev, I am Chuikov. I am now
With a new idea, you can send us two or three rocket launcher battalions, and we will deploy them in the city to hit the Germans hard."
Krylov became anxious when he heard what Chuikov said. He lowered his voice and reminded Chuikov: "Comrade Commander, if we really deploy the rocket launcher battalion in the city, within two days, they will be destroyed by German artillery and aircraft.
If they are destroyed, I suggest you leave them on the other side."
Chuikov did not even raise his eyelids, but continued to speak into the microphone: "Comrade General, you also know that our counterattack is about to begin. Please be sure to bring the rocket launchers we need to the city tonight and tomorrow."
"
Krylov waited for Chuikov to put down the phone, and then said anxiously: "Comrade Commander, have you forgotten the situation in the city? Under the current circumstances, if the artillery is deployed in the city, we will not be able to carry out fire maneuvers at all.
It can only make them a target for the enemy."
"Comrade Chief of Staff." Chuikov waited for Krylov to finish and said with a smile: "Didn't you hear clearly just now that what I asked for is a rocket launcher battalion, not a cannon or a howitzer. You should know very well that rocket launchers
The battalion's mobility is very high."
"But the roads in the city have been severely damaged." Krylov said impatiently: "Even a highly maneuverable rocket launcher will become difficult to move once it reaches the city."
Chuikov turned to look at Sokov, and then said to Krylov: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov suggested to me that we can build caves for rocket launchers to hide on the river embankment. Normally, we hide the rocket launchers in the caves.
, when the enemy launches a large-scale attack on our army, the rocket launcher battalion will move out of the cave, establish a position on the river embankment, and implement fire coverage on the enemy who enters the range. After completing the combat mission, they will return to the hiding cave.
"
After figuring out what was going on, Krylov showed an expression of surprise on his face: "Comrade Commander, if this is the case, it is completely feasible to transfer some rocket launchers back from the east coast. I believe they use this kind of attack.
The tactic of running away will definitely cause heavy casualties to the enemy."
Seeing that Krylov agreed with his opinion, Chuikov continued: "Chief of Staff, you immediately arrange for engineers to choose a suitable location to dig caves and still build slopes for rocket launchers to launch attacks."
