This is not only because Shulka cannot tell the future situation, or it can be said that he does not know how to cover up the lie after telling it, but also because Khrushchev hopes that this battle will be a successful and wonderful encirclement and annihilation battle... He
He is a tough-minded person who will do whatever it takes to obtain the greatest benefit.
Therefore, if he had to choose between conservative and radical options, then Khrushchev would undoubtedly choose radical.
"Don't worry, Comrade Shulka!" Khrushchev comforted Shulka: "Although we did not use tanks as the main offensive force in the end, your suggestion was also of great help. We will let the tank troops seize the time to follow
Completely defeat the enemy's defense line!"
"Of course, Comrade Khrushchev!" Shulka replied.
Of course, he had no power to oppose Khrushchev's decision. Even if Khrushchev chose not to use cavalry but to use mechanized troops for the main attack, it was already a step backward.
Unfortunately, Shulka's 8th Infantry Regiment was also a mechanized force at this time, so of course it was one of the main attacking forces.
"I will go back to the Army Group Headquarters tonight, and I'm waiting for your good news!" Khrushchev patted Shulka on the shoulder. Only then did he seem to notice Shulka's rank, and then raised his eyebrows.
, said: "You should change it!"
As a result, Shulka got two new sets of military uniforms and the rank of major... Normally, he would have been promoted to captain first, but for Khrushchev, it was just a matter of words.
However, this military rank does not have much feeling for Shulka. It seems to be just a decoration... In fact, it is a decoration to a certain extent. As mentioned before, the lower military rank commands the higher military rank at this time.
It was very common among the Soviet army.
Even Mikhailovich and Andrianka didn't feel much after noticing Shulka's rank of major.
"Oh, we will call you major from now on, Comrade Shulka!" Andrianka said.
"It seems to suit you very well!" said Mikhailovich. "They should have given it to you a long time ago!"
Another meaning of this is that Shulka has long been a major or even higher in their hearts.
This was just a small episode. The next day Shulka received orders to prepare for battle.
The call was from brigade commander Grassilov.
"Get ready to fight, Comrade Shulka!" Grassilov said sarcastically: "I think you know more than me!"
"I don't know much, Comrade Grassilov!"
Grassilov only replied: "Waiting for orders!" and then hung up the phone.
This made Shulka feel a little wary, because he was not sure whether Grassilov thought Shulka "knew better" and therefore did not tell him the mission plan.
But after thinking about it, Shulka believed that this should be a normal process: for the sake of confidentiality, the mission and order were only issued at the last moment.
Therefore, Shulka only needs to prepare the troops for battle according to the order.
The troops are actually on standby all the time, except for the new barracks.
If there is any preparation, it is that the headquarters spent some time sorting out documents and burning waste papers... Correspondents or staff officers will use some manuscript papers when recording or analyzing certain information, and these manuscript papers do not need to be archived.
If you throw it away casually, it will probably be used by enemy spies, so you should either take it away or burn it on the spot every time you move your position.
Originally, Shurka thought that the attack would take two or three days, because judging from other troops, they were not ready yet, and some troops did not even have cars... As the main force of the offensive, the mechanized troops did not have cars, which was a big problem.
The reason is very simple. The absence of cars means that some people must walk, so an army will be divided into several parts, resulting in a greatly reduced combat effectiveness.
But that night Shulka received the battle order.
At one o'clock in the morning, Andrianka woke up Shulka who was sleeping soundly and said: "The order has come, the attack time is seven o'clock in the morning!"
Then Andrianka handed over a telegram.
Shulka turned over and sat up from the bed, took the telegram and read it by the light of the flashlight. When he walked towards the headquarters, he found that it was raining lightly outside... This made Shulka frown.
Light rain will inevitably produce heavy fog. Although this helps to hide, it will also make the attacking troops unable to see the target...
To be precise, rain and fog are more beneficial to the Romanian army.
The reason is that the Soviet army is the attacker, and they are attacking across the river. The river is flat and there is nowhere to hide. Even if there is rain and fog, they can still be found at a long distance, even though it is just a black shadow.
Of course, the black shadow is enough. To kill the target, you don't need to see the eyes and nose clearly or recognize who the target is.
However, the Romanian army was hiding in the trenches. When the rain and fog covered it, there was basically no trace. Even if they fired, they could not find their location.
In other words, the Soviet offensive troops were basically in a state of blind attack unless they could rush in front of the enemy.
Obviously, the Soviet army did not take the weather issue into consideration when formulating the battle plan, or the Meteorological Bureau gave the wrong answer... It is normal for the weather forecast to be inaccurate during this period.
Shurka stopped in front of the map, and Andrianka introduced according to the telegram: "In five hours, we will march covertly to position 11 of the Don River. We will launch the cross-river operation at seven o'clock on time. Our brigade's goal is Jinggu Tower!"
Jinguta is a small town north of the main city of Prodovitoje. It does make sense to use an independent brigade to attack this town, because there are Jinguta Station and 74km Station nearby, a railway and highway
transportation hub.
As long as we capture this place, we can cut off the connection between Stalingrad and the Romanian army, and at the same time cover the flanks of the main offensive force.
"The main goal of our regiment is the 74-kilometer station!" Andrianka said: "The mission of the 115th regiment is Jingguta Station!"
"The 115th Regiment has seized the main attack mission!" Mikhailovich said.
There is no doubt about this, because Jingguta Station is a large station, and several railways need to transfer there, while the 74km Station is just a concession station, and controlling it can only control part of the route.
"No problem!" Shulka said: "This is ideal!"
The Soviet Army has a tradition of seizing missions, that is, it is an honor to seize the main attack mission.
This is normal, because the troops are marching and fighting, and if it is used on the blade, it will be considered good steel, and it will also get more credit in the main direction of attack.
Shulka guessed that this might be brigade commander Grasilov's idea... The march was commanded by him, and he would not favor the 8th Regiment like the political commissar did.
But this is exactly what Shulka wants, and he is not willing to take any credit. (To be continued)