red moscow

Chapter 2654

Trofimenko ordered his men to bring tea and snacks to Sokov and others, and they ate while chatting.

While chatting, Sokov kept looking at the time because he was worried about missing the train.

Trofimenko saw this and asked curiously, "General Sokov, I noticed you kept looking at your watch. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing." Sokov explained to Trofimenko, "I'm worried that if we stay here too long, we will miss the train. In this case, I can trouble you to find a car for us to take us to Vienna."

"Oh, so you are worried that the train will not wait for you and will leave directly. Don't worry, this is just a small matter, let me handle it." After saying that, Trofimenko stood up and walked to the table, picked up the phone and dialed a number, and said into the microphone: "This is Trofimenko, connect me to the train station. ... Train station? I want to ask, there is a train from Moscow, it is parked at platform number, and what time will it leave for Vienna today..."

When Sokov heard Trofimenko calling the train station, he felt more at ease. As long as Trofimenko informed the station, the train would definitely not depart unless he returned to the train.

Sure enough, after Trofimenko hung up the phone, he came over and said to Sokov, "General Sokov, I have already made an agreement with the railway station. As long as you don't return to the station, the train will not leave. You can rest assured and stay with me."

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. It's just a phone call." After saying this, Trofimenko suddenly got back to the point: "General Sokov, you must know that in the battle to liberate Kiev, our army only served as a reserve and did not participate in the attack on the city, so a lot of honor fell on our friendly forces."

When Sokov heard that the 27th Army, the most powerful force in the front, had been reduced to a reserve force in the Battle of Kiev, he was very dissatisfied. He even thought that if he had not been seriously injured and left the battlefield, perhaps the 27th Army would have become the first force to rush into Kiev.

But as time went by, his thoughts faded. He thought that if it was not destined, he should not force it. Since he was no longer the commander of the 27th Army, the performance of this unit on the battlefield had nothing to do with him. When he heard Trofimenko bring up the old matter again, he waved his hand and said, "General Trofimenko, I heard that it seems that because the troops suffered heavy casualties in the battle and lost the ability to take the lead, they were arranged by their superiors to serve as a reserve force."

"General Sokov, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. This may be related to my command level." Trofimenko said unexpectedly: "Since the army group became the reserve of the front, I have heard the commanders below say more than once that my command level is not as good as yours. If you were in charge, we would not only win a certain battle beautifully, but also significantly reduce the number of casualties in the troops."

Sokov laughed and said, "General Trofimenko, those commanders are talking nonsense. I am not that powerful."

"When I first heard them say that, I was also very unhappy," Trofimenko said, "but after I carefully reviewed the battles you commanded, I found that my command level is really not on the same level as yours."

Sokov did not say anything, but looked quietly into Trofimenko's eyes. He wanted to find out whether the other party really admired him or was deliberately speaking in a sarcastic way.

"For example, during the Battle of Kursk, due to Vatutin's poor command, our army's defense on the southern front had huge loopholes." Trofimenko said solemnly, "In order to stop the crazy attack of Manstein's troops, the Supreme Command transferred two armies from the Steppe Front, but still could not stop the fierce offensive of the German army. But with the entry of the 27th Army under your command into the battlefield, the situation on the battlefield developed in a direction that was favorable to our army, especially the several SS divisions of the German army. Under the attack of the troops under your command, they had no ability to fight back at all..."

Although Kopalova had seen Sokov's achievements in newspapers and magazines, many things could not be published in those publications facing the public, so the content she knew was very limited. At this moment, she heard Trofimenko praising Sokov in person and listing a series of Sokov's achievements one by one, and she was also proud of it.

Sokov listened patiently to Trofimenko's praise for him, and then said slowly: "General Trofimenko, you really flatter me. In fact, when it comes to command level, I can only be considered mediocre at best. The ones who really know how to command a war are Marshal Zhukov, Marshal Rokossovsky, Marshal Konev and others. If they had commanded the battles I fought, I might have achieved better results."

"General Sokov, you are so modest." Trofimenko said with a smile: "Since the end of the war, I have been doing research on the main commanders of various fronts. Through research, I found that even if three marshals commanded some battles, they could indeed win, but the casualties of the troops would definitely not be small.

What impressed me most was that in the Third Battle of Kharkov, other troops were defeated by the Germans, but your troops were able to win. Isn't this a manifestation of your superb tactical level?"

After hearing Trofimenko talk about the Third Battle of Kharkov, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little itchy, so he asked him: "Can you find me a map of Kharkov?"

"No problem." Trofimenko stood up again and walked to the desk, looking for the map spread out on the table. "I was studying this battle the other day, and the map is ready."

After Trofimenko placed the map on the coffee table in front of the sofa, Sokov first quickly looked at the map and then told him: "General Trofimenko, when the Third Battle of Kharkov broke out, our army had an absolute advantage in both manpower and equipment, and the Battle of Stalingrad that had just ended not long ago further stimulated our army's morale. In this situation, if anyone said that we might be defeated by the Germans, they would definitely be regarded as an enemy spy, don't you think?"

"Yes." Trofimenko nodded in agreement with Sokov's statement: "If I heard any of my subordinates dare to say such a thing, I would probably shoot him. General Sokov, please continue and tell me about the situation at that time."

"Manstein knew very well that it was basically impossible to stop the fierce attack of our two fronts when we were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of manpower and equipment, so he adopted the tactic of luring the enemy deep into our territory." Sokov pointed to the map and said, "His troops basically began to retreat in large strides as soon as they engaged our army. Although our army apparently recovered a large amount of territory, in order to defend these places, we had to withdraw troops to deploy defenses. In this way, our battle line was lengthened, and the logistics supply points increased from the initial one or two hundred kilometers to thousands of kilometers; and the troops used for attack also became weak. Looking at the German army, as Manstein continued to shrink the defense line, their troops became concentrated, and even formed an advantage over our army in some local areas. When Manstein found that our offensive momentum was weakening, he decisively launched a counterattack, and because our army was dispersed and seriously insufficient in supplies, it was naturally caught off guard in the face of the German counterattack..."

"Oh, I see."

"Manstein was very smart. He knew that our army would occupy any land that he had given up. Although our army was constantly dividing its forces to weaken the strength of the attacking forces, the Supreme Command would commend the troops below when it saw that so much land had been recovered. The commanders of the troops who were commended would inevitably underestimate the enemy, thinking that the Germans were already vulnerable and that as long as their troops moved forward, the enemy's defense line would collapse without even fighting.

The dispersed forces and the commanders’ underestimation of the enemy, coupled with the unfavorable factors of logistical supplies not being delivered in time, made it impossible for our army to organize an effective defense when the German army launched a counterattack, resulting in the enemy breaking through the defense line one by one. "

"General Sokov, I have thought of what you said." Trofimenko continued, "But how did the troops under your command win victory after victory and turn the situation around when the situation was unfavorable?"

"General Trofimenko, I have just said that even if the total force is not comparable to the enemy, as long as you know how to concentrate your forces, you may be able to gain an advantage over the enemy locally." Sokov said: "As long as I have superior forces and equipment, can't I win the battle?"

After Sokov's patient explanation, Trofimenko understood many things that he had not understood before.

After Sokov finished his story, he asked tentatively: "General Sokov, do you have any good suggestions for me in the upcoming live-fire exercise?"

Sokov thought for a moment and replied, "The tactics of bombing with planes, bombing with artillery, and tanks covering infantry charges will still be feasible in the next ten or twenty years. But if such tactics are used in a large-scale war, it may turn into a war of attrition in the end. Whoever has more troops and more equipment will be the final winner."

Trofimenko keenly sensed from Sokov's words that Sokov might have come up with some new tactics, so he asked cautiously: "General Sokov, if you were in charge of such an offensive operation, what would you do?"

Sokov has always believed that the Soviet army's tactical thinking is outdated and too rigid, and that they rely on human wave tactics to win the war. However, with the development of the times, future wars will be fought with high technology, and the number of troops and equipment will no longer be the key to determining the outcome of a battle.

He didn't want to talk about the new tactics he knew, but he couldn't stand Trofimenko's pleading. After hesitating for a while, he said, "General Trofimenko, I have an immature idea. Before our army officially launches a ground offensive, we should find a way to use our long-range firepower to carry out uninterrupted strikes on the enemy's defensive positions and depth. After basically destroying their defensive forces, we can launch a full-scale offensive to minimize the casualties of our troops."

I thought my words would give Trofimenko some inspiration, but as soon as I finished speaking, the other party shook his head and said, "General Sokov, I think your idea is a bit unrealistic. Think about it, if we carry out uninterrupted attacks on the enemy's defensive positions and defense depth, will the enemy just sit there and wait for death? I think they will definitely counterattack, and by then, it may evolve into a positional battle similar to that during World War I."

Seeing that Trofimenko didn't listen to his advice, Sokov couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. After chatting absentmindedly for a few words, Sokov stood up and said goodbye: "General Trofimenko, it's getting late, I have to get back to the station as soon as possible."

"General Sokov, it's still early." Seeing Sokov was about to leave, Trofimenko tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "You've finally come here, you should have a meal before you leave."

Sokov spoke so many heartfelt words to Trofimenko simply because the troops he was in command of were the troops he had served as commander of. But now it seemed that he was talking to a deaf ear and there was no point in staying. Therefore, he politely rejected Trofimenko's request to stay and left here resolutely.

After coming out of the building, Seryosha noticed that Sokov looked a little strange. Taking advantage of the fact that there were no outsiders around, he asked in a low voice: "Misha, what's wrong with you? I saw that you looked unhappy when you left General Trofimenko's office. What happened?"

"Seryosha, I think you can see that Trofimenko invited me here just to ask me what he should do in the military exercises next month to achieve good results and attract the attention of his superiors."

"Yes, I did notice that." Seryosha nodded and asked in confusion, "But when did he ever say something wrong and make you unhappy?"

"Didn't I tell him in the end that I had an immature tactical idea and wanted to discuss it with him. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember." Seryosha and Sokov were old friends, so he naturally understood his speaking style. As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes and asked in an incredulous tone: "Misha, is the immature tactic you mentioned something you figured out in the past few months?"

The tactics that Sokov told Trofimenko were the new tactics that the United States would use against Iraq in the future, and he only made some minor modifications. However, Trofimenko denied the superiority of this tactic without hesitation. It was precisely because of this that Sokov was not interested in continuing the conversation and chose to leave impatiently.

"That's right." Anyway, this tactic would not appear until more than 40 years later, so Sokov regarded this tactic as his own creation without any psychological burden. "After returning to Moscow from the Far East, I stayed at home every day, and besides writing books, I was thinking about some tactics. The tactics I just mentioned to General Trofimenko are the new tactics I just figured out and planned to test in actual military exercises.

But now it seems that General Trofimenko is not a connoisseur, and I am too lazy to talk to him anymore. It is better to return to the station and wait for the train to take us to Vienna, so that I can meet General Malinin earlier. "