red moscow

Chapter 2873

After listening to Artyom's report, both Sokov and Karsokov were silent.

Karsokov picked up the cigarette box on the table and handed it to him: "Comrade Brigade Commander, have one!"

Seeing Sokov waving his hand to refuse, he put the cigarette box back on the table and muttered, "What's wrong with the Germans? They have made such a big fuss, why haven't they launched an attack yet?"

"Perhaps the enemy feels that the time is not yet ripe. If they launch an attack rashly, they will probably end in failure." Sokov listened attentively to the explosions coming from outside the tent. It should be the enemy planes bombing the positions of the Fourth Battalion. "Listen, the enemy is bombing the positions of the Fourth Battalion. I think they will wait until our defensive positions are completely destroyed before launching a new attack."

Karsokov frowned. "The positions of the Fourth Battalion are all simple field fortifications. There are no solid permanent fortifications at all. After the fierce bombardment and bombing by the German army, I am afraid that the soldiers have no fortifications to rely on for fighting."

"After the German artillery and bombing, not only were the fortifications gone, but I'm afraid the troops also suffered heavy casualties."

Hearing what Sokov said, Karsokov immediately reached out to grab the phone, ready to call Vasya to find out the situation on the front line, but was stopped by Sokov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, don't call yet. The position is being bombed by the enemy at the moment. Even if you contact Major Vasya, he will not be able to verify the casualties of the troops under such circumstances."

"What should we do?" Karsokov was a little anxious. "If the enemy breaks through the Fourth Battalion's position, they can march straight in and rush directly to the location of the Army Group Headquarters."

Karsokov's words reminded Sokov. He remembered that Lobachev told him that in order to dispel the rumors spread by the Germans, Stalin would visit the army headquarters in the next two days. If the German tanks really rushed to the vicinity of the headquarters, even if no losses were caused, his position as brigade commander would probably be over.

Thinking of this, he picked up the phone and contacted Belkin in the forest behind the Fourth Battalion's position: "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, this is Sokov."

"Comrade Brigade Commander, what are your instructions?"

"Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, judging from the current situation, after the enemy's fierce artillery and bombing, I'm afraid that the fortifications on the Fourth Battalion's position will be destroyed. Without fortifications to rely on, the Fourth Battalion may not be able to hold its position." Sokov said, "So whether we can stop the enemy's advance, we can only place our hopes on the reserve troops under your command."

"What are you going to have us do?" Belkin asked.

"Hurry up and repair the fortifications." Sokov said, "Dig a few trenches in the forest. Even if the Fourth Battalion's position is breached by the enemy, it will be able to hold out for a while."

"I see, Comrade Brigade Commander," Belkin replied, "I will immediately organize people to repair fortifications in the forest."

As soon as the work was done, Romanov handed a telegram he had just received to Sokov: "Brigade Commander, this is a telegram just sent from the headquarters."

Sokov took the telegram and saw that it was from Malinin asking whether any trace of the enemy had been found near the infantry brigade's defense zone.

Karsokov, who was standing next to him, came over to read the contents of the telegram, then looked at Sokov and asked, "Comrade Commander, how should we report this?"

Sokov looked at him strangely and said, "Of course, report it to your superiors truthfully. Just say that the Fourth Battalion's position was hit by heavy artillery and bombing by the enemy, and no enemy ground forces have been found for the time being."

A few minutes later, Malinin, who received a reply from the infantry brigade, came to Rokossovsky with the telegram and reported to him: "Comrade Commander, Major Sokov reported that the enemy only carried out fierce artillery and bombardment on the positions of the Fourth Battalion, but never deployed ground troops."

After listening to him, Rokossovsky nodded and walked to an old man sitting not far away. He was wearing a gray military coat, had gray hair, a big mustache, and held a pipe in his hand. He said respectfully: "Comrade Stalin, the infantry brigade reports that the enemy has only carried out artillery and bombing on a certain section of their defense zone, and there is no sign of launching a ground offensive for the time being."

Stalin nodded, pointed his pipe at Rokossovsky, and asked, "Comrade Rokossovsky, please tell me, will the enemy choose to break through from this direction?"

"Comrade Stalin, I cannot give you a definite answer." Rokossovsky organized his words in his mind and then answered cautiously: "But if the enemy wants to break through the defense line of our army, they will definitely take the area under the responsibility of the infantry brigade as their first choice."

"why?"

"The reason is very simple," Rokossovsky said. "This unit is newly formed, with an incomplete structure and lacks heavy weapons. The commanders and soldiers are not familiar with each other yet. Compared with friendly forces, their combat effectiveness should be slightly weaker. More importantly, there are no troops from our army behind them. Once the German army succeeds in breaking through, they can rush to the vicinity of the headquarters in a very short time."

"What about Volokolamsk?" Stalin asked. "According to the battle report I saw, the enemy has assembled a large force here, trying to break through the defense line of the 316th Infantry Division and open the road to Moscow."

"Although the troops defending Volokolamsk nominally only had one division, they were able to get support from the city's militia, police, and several guerrilla groups near the city during the battle. In addition, they had strong fortifications, so they could hold out for a while even if the German offensive was fierce."

Stalin nodded and continued, "Then in three days, will you be able to launch a counterattack against the enemy and drive them further away from Moscow?"

Hearing the other party's question, Rokossovsky's mouth twitched, and he replied awkwardly: "I'm sorry, Comrade Stalin, with our current manpower, equipment and material reserves, we simply do not have the ability to fight back."

Stalin was obviously dissatisfied with Rokossovsky's answer. His face darkened. "Comrade Rokossovsky, do you know that if we don't launch a counterattack as soon as possible and disrupt the German offensive, the situation in Moscow will become more serious."

Rokossovsky knew what Stalin said, but he was now in a situation where he had no resources. Except for the 316th Infantry Division and the Cavalry Army, the rest of the troops were picked up by him on the road. Not only were they incomplete, but their equipment was also very poor.

After weighing the pros and cons, he said cautiously: "Comrade Stalin, if the Supreme Command can provide me with new troops, especially tanks and artillery, as well as a considerable amount of combat supplies, I will be able to launch a counterattack against the current enemy in three days." After Rokossovsky finished speaking, Stalin did not speak, but stood up and said: "Comrade Rokossovsky, I already know your request. After returning, I will discuss this matter with members of the Supreme Command and strive to replenish you with the necessary troops and weapons and equipment. In the meantime, you still have to prepare for a counterattack in advance."

As Stalin's motorcade left, Lobachev, who was standing next to Rokossovsky, asked in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, do you think this person is real or fake?"

Rokossovsky had obviously heard about the body double, and after hearing Lobachev's question, a bitter smile appeared on his face: "Whether it is true or not, we have to start preparing for the counterattack he mentioned."

Several people returned to the command center and began to discuss the three-day counterattack plan.

"Comrade Commander," Malinin asked, looking at Rokossovsky, "from what position do you think we should launch our counterattack?"

Lobachev was stunned, and then asked: "Isn't it possible to launch a full-scale counterattack?"

"No." Malinin answered very straightforwardly: "The defensive front of our army is 100 kilometers wide, and our troops are already stretched to the limit. If we want to launch a full-scale counterattack, our superiors must at least provide us with three infantry divisions, the same number of tank brigades, and a large number of artillery, etc. Otherwise, the counterattack will not be effective."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, the supplies you mentioned are impossible." Fortunately, Rokossovsky was sober and did not indulge in unrealistic fantasies. He said to Malinin and Lobachev: "After the outbreak of the war, our army lost a large number of troops, and it takes time to form new troops. Therefore, under the current circumstances, the Supreme Command is simply unable to provide us with much additional troops."

"If our superiors don't give us reinforcements, what will we do with the counterattack in three days?" Malinin asked worriedly, "We can't just put all our current forces into the counterattack, right? If the counterattack fails and we lose all our current forces, then the positions without troops to defend them will become useless, and the door to Moscow will be completely opened to the Germans."

"We must not let the Germans rush into Moscow," Rokossovsky said, gritting his teeth. "So we must do everything we can to stop the enemy's advance."

Malinin was silent for a moment, then asked in a muffled voice: "Comrade Commander, where do you think we should choose to launch the counterattack?"

"What is the current position of the infantry brigade?" Rokossovsky said, "The superior's counterattack plan was to launch a counterattack from there, but due to some unexpected events, the counterattack had to be declared over before it even started."

"The defense area of ​​the infantry brigade was hit by heavy artillery and bombing by the Germans today. Although we have not launched a ground offensive yet, based on my experience, it will be very difficult for our army to resist once the Germans launch an attack." Malinin reminded Rokossovsky: "In this case, do you still plan to launch a counterattack in this area?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, take a look at the terrain here." Rokossovsky pointed to the map in front of him and said to Malinin: "Except for the forest in front of their defense zone, the rest of the area is flat and open, which is very conducive to the deployment of armored forces. In other words, as long as we can break through the enemy's front line during the counterattack, we can then use the breakthrough point to send tanks into the battlefield in large numbers."

Malinin stared at the position of the infantry brigade, scratched the back of his head and said, "Comrade Commander, the area where the infantry brigade is located is being bombarded and bombed by the German army. It may be attacked by infantry covered by tanks next. I am skeptical about whether the infantry brigade can hold its position. Otherwise, let's change to another area."

"Other locations?" Rokossovsky laughed and retorted, "Comrade Chief of Staff, where do you think is more ideal than the location of the infantry brigade? Even though there is continuous artillery fire there today, you have to know that the enemy's strength is only one regiment, plus a certain number of tanks. I don't think they can break through the defense line of the infantry brigade."

"I think we should wait a little longer." After saying this, Malinin, perhaps worried that Rokossovsky might misunderstand him, explained, "At present, the infantry brigade's position has only been bombarded and bombed by the enemy, and no ground offensive has been launched yet. I think we should have an answer to their purpose before dark, so I suggest waiting a little longer, and formulating a corresponding combat plan after the situation over there becomes clear."

After listening to Malinin's suggestion, Rokossovsky said readily: "Well, let's not discuss the counterattack three days later for the time being. It won't be too late to formulate a combat plan after asking about the situation of the infantry brigade in the evening."

Seeing that Rokossovsky postponed the discussion, Malinin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then said: "I just talked to General Panfilov on the phone. He said that with his current strength, he can at least hold off the Germans for three to five days, buying precious time for the arrival of follow-up troops. Comrade Commander, I would like to ask, when will our reinforcements arrive?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I cannot answer your question for the time being." Rokossovsky said helplessly, "But according to my analysis, Zhukov does not have any reserve troops at all. How can he strengthen our troops? If we want to alleviate the shortage of troops, we must transfer troops from other battlefields or send new troops that have just been formed. Only by doing this can we replenish our missing troops."

"Comrade Commander, do you think we need to report the counterattack to the commander of the front?"

Rokossovsky thought for a moment, then said, "I'll call Zhukov myself."

After that, he picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said to the operator: "Operator, this is Rokossovsky, connect me to the front headquarters, looking for Zhukov."

The call was answered quickly.

When Zhukov realized that the person who called him was Rokossovsky, he couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Koschka, why are you calling me?"

"Comrade General," Rokossovsky said solemnly, "I just saw off Comrade Stalin who came to inspect a few minutes ago."

"What? Comrade Stalin went to your place?" Zhukov asked in surprise, "Why did he go to your place?"

"Two days ago, the enemy dropped leaflets on the battlefield, saying that Comrade Stalin had been assassinated by them," Rokossovsky explained. "He came to inspect the 16th Army today to dispel this rumor and make it self-defeating."

"Strange!" Zhukov said in confusion, "Since he wanted to come to the frontier for inspection, why didn't he come to my headquarters but went directly to yours?"

(End of this chapter)