Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Five Ask Timoshen for Supplies
Timoshenko, the newly appointed commander of the Southwest Front, served as the People's Commissar of Defense since May 194o, and realized that Germany would inevitably invade the Soviet Union. He vigorously promoted the construction of the army, established a wartime system, and updated ordnance.
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Before the war broke out, he had suggested to Stalin that the border troops should be put on a state of combat readiness, but it was not adopted.
These actions proved that he was a highly qualified military strategist. Faced with the dilemma of the Southwest Front Army, someone must stand up and turn the tide. Stalin gave him a task - to save the Southwest Front Army and fight the Soviet army in the southwest.
Therefore, after Timoshenko took office, the first thing he did was to conduct a thorough investigation of his troops. He found that 700,000 Soviet troops were surrounded by the German army. Many troops had been divided by the enemy, and even worse, many troops had been forced to
Surrender, there are still some troops fighting hard.
His predecessor died on the way to break out. At this point in time, in southern Belarus, not far north of Kiev, the German army encountered a very serious attack.
According to the staff report of the headquarters of the small number of front troops that successfully broke through, the remnants of the 284th Guards Infantry Division are located in the Pripet Swamp in the north of Kiev. Although they have been dispersed, the division headquarters still exist, and this force is spreading widely.
Absorb some armed forces and respond to the call for guerrilla warfare.
According to the latest intelligence, in the territory of Belarus in northern Ukraine, around the road from Mozyr to Lechica, two occupied towns suffered devastating blows, and the enemy suffered heavy losses. Worst of all, the enemy's 7o7 Division
The division headquarters was destroyed and the division commander was killed.
"The only possibility that can produce such results is that unit. Ordinary guerrillas simply cannot achieve such results, but if it is the 284th Guards Division, maybe it can."
The staff officer's words aroused Timoshenko's alarm, and he immediately asked the Military Commission about the situation of this unit, and received even more shocking information. Beria, then Minister of the NKVD, even had the opportunity to meet Timoshenko.
An order: "You must find a way to assist the 284th Guards Division. We appointed Yevlov, who recognized them, as the division commander, and Belekov as the deputy division commander. Now the 284th Guards Division is under the command of the Southwest Front. You must kill this man.
Inform them and provide military assistance to them."
Beria and the Military Council gave Timoshenko a lot of orders. This force was already legally under his command, but as you can see on the map, the enemy-occupied area was deep in the swamps. To support them, they could only risk aerial operations.
At the same time, Timoshenko also learned that the deputy division commander Berekov was not a Soviet citizen.
He briefly compiled the information at the new headquarters. "A Chinese and a weapons master annihilated the German 14th Armored Division, defeated the German 20th Motorized Division, and almost annihilated an infantry division of the Romanian Third Army.
They once liberated the city of Mozyr and defeated the German 707th Infantry Division. This unit is simply a monster. It is clearly the trump card among trump cards." He thought of Beria's rhetoric. If conditions allowed, that Beria would be the best.
Kov must be forcibly brought back to Moscow. Not because he is a foreigner, but because he invented new weapons that allow ordinary soldiers to easily blow up enemy tanks at medium and short ranges.
But the reality is that the 284th Guards Division was surrounded by German troops. The Soviet troops suffered heavy losses and could not be rescued at all.
Timoshenko knew that providing them with air assistance was the only feasible way at present. As the commander of the front army, he was responsible for the entire army. The troops outside the encirclement were forced to strategically shrink, while the surrounded troops were given orders to fight to the end.
one person.
He had no other choice but to cruelly abandon his troops to protect his troops and reorganize his troops to prevent the enemy from continuing to attack. The German offensive never stopped. As long as the Soviet army continued to bomb Romanian oil fields, the German army must occupy all of Ukraine.
Especially Crimea.
But Timoshenko did not expect that the 284th Guards Division would take the initiative to contact him.
Yevlov intermittently ordered the radio operator to send many messages, so that Timoshenko got a clear understanding of this unit.
Yevlov continued to wait and received new information. This information was a bit surprising. Yang Mingzhi, who was recovering from his injuries, hurried back to the meeting. He called Fuming and Yelentina over and wrote the translated code.
The note was placed on the table. "Comrades, the superiors have organized our troops into the Southwest Front Army. From now on, we will be commanded by the new Commander of the Southwest Front Army, Timoshenko. He even hopes that since we have the ability to send the signal to so
You can communicate in plain language even if you are far away."
Yang Mingzhi looked at everyone. Now the number of the troops remains unchanged, but the ownership has changed.
Yelentina asked: "Isn't it too dangerous for them to require us to communicate in plain language? We may be exposed, and the Germans are not fools."
"Actually, we have been exposed a long time ago." Yevlov said, "Whether it is plain language or code, we do have the ability to communicate directly with them. Moreover, they mentioned that Berekov must be contacted
.”
"Me?" Yang Mingzhi asked in surprise.
"Yes, that's you. This is Timoshenko's order, and I'm afraid you have to contact him directly."
That was a Soviet marshal, a historical figure! Yang Mingzhi never expected that he would have to talk to such a big shot in person. As a foreigner, Yang Mingzhi knew that he had already gained the interest of the top Soviet officials, and his destiny had already had a new beginning.
Change.
He calmed down his inner excitement, tried hard to suppress the trembling of his lips, and nodded in agreement.
The next day, after the preparations were completed, the army's radio station began to work at maximum power. The radio station also added some water-cooling devices to prevent damage due to overheating. Powerful electromagnetic waves reverberated in the sky, and the radio operator repeated the call, and soon he received
Came back.
Timoshenko was not prepared. He didn't expect those people to actually successfully contact him. In this case, let's talk directly!
Yang Mingzhi took the radio operator's headset and walkie-talkie, and said slowly: "I am Belekov of the 284th Guards Division. Please answer when I receive it. It's over..." He repeated the call until the other party heard a stab.
Lala's voice. "The message has been received. I am Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Front, Timoshenko."
The two sides talked a few more words and confirmed each other's identities. Yang Mingzhi knew that the top leaders of the Soviet Union clearly knew that he was a Chinese and a foreigner. Even so, they still based on their high position - 284th Guards Division
Deputy Division Commander.
"The leader has long known of your existence. You have been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Gold Star Medal will soon be worn on your chest. As for you, you will be brought back to Moscow if conditions permit. Your story has attracted the attention of the army.
The production of new weapons has begun. You have officially become the deputy commander of the 284th Division, with the rank of colonel. You will receive a large amount of urgently needed supplies in future airdrops."
Yang Mingzhi tried to calm down. He knew that the time allowed by the high load of the radio station was not long, so he had to seize the time.
Timoshenko continued: "The leader and the Minister of the NKVD have given you a new task, to organize defense in the Pripet Swamp from now on. You must try to collect all the people who can fight, arm them, train them, and
Waiting for an opportunity to launch an attack on the German army. You have become a role model for the guerrillas, and we will find ways to provide you with various assistance. Now many Communist Youth League members and patriots are marching into the occupied areas. You must search for them and expand your strength."
Yang Mingzhixun summarized the key points of these words, and he memorized them while listening. Because the Chinese characters were very concise, he wrote down the key words that Timoshenko said one after another. Yevlov on the side couldn't understand these at all, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused.
I'm unhappy, but I still can't disturb him.
Timoshenko mentioned military assistance, and Yang Mingzhi immediately made a request: "Let us collect some people who can fight and put them into battle. This is of course no problem. But we need a lot of guns and ammunition, and our military camps plus civilians include the population.
The number of people has exceeded 13,000, and we need a lot of food. Besides, winter is coming, and we need a lot of bedding, and we need a lot of brand-new military uniforms!"
"There is no problem with these." Timoshenko said, "Ammunition, food, medicine and all the necessities of life. We can completely carry out the first round of airdrops in a few days. You just need to make a good design. For example, light it again.
A ball of flame allows the fleet to be visually detected from a distance."
The conversation lasted only a short time, because the distance was far away, and the voice was garbled. But Yang Mingzhi still got what he needed, and he immediately translated the key things marked in Chinese on the paper. "Everyone has completely
Don’t worry, we have successfully contacted the new commander, and if nothing else happens, the new airdrop will arrive in a week at most.”
Everyone in the conference room was overjoyed because Timoshenko's promise was very comprehensive. He promised to provide all military supplies and dispatch some heavy-duty transport aircraft for airdrops.
Yevlov asked: "In that case, how do we contact them?"
Yang Mingzhi smiled: "They have the administrative map of the entire Soviet Union, and they know the location of our collective farms very well. In the past, we were forced to light smoke to determine the location, but now they know where we are just by looking at the map. For Catfish
There will definitely be airdrops to the village. But if we light another fire, we must ensure that they will not drop in the wrong place."
"Just do this and then just wait?" Yevlov asked.
"Of course not. We still have to be self-reliant after all. I remember we should have reached the potato harvest season."
Yevlov nodded, "Yes, a large amount of potatoes is enough to feed us until spring. With airdrop supplies, our winter will be better." (To be continued.) 8