red moscow

Chapter 2883 Lost Tank

"Well, I think the chief of staff's suggestion is good." Belkin agreed, "We don't know whether the enemy will use heavy weapons against the Fourth Battalion's position after the artillery or air strike ends. If we hastily recruit new troops to the Fourth Battalion, many soldiers will be killed under the enemy's artillery fire before they even see the shadow of the enemy."

Sokov thought about the two's proposal for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "You are right. The Fourth Battalion's position does not have any solid permanent fortifications. If too many troops are deployed there, they will suffer heavy losses in the enemy's artillery and bombing. Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, wait until the enemy launches an attack on the Fourth Battalion's position before sending reinforcements to the Fourth Battalion's position."

After Belkin left, Karsokov hesitated for a while, and finally asked: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you think the counterattack organized by the headquarters can be successful?"

"No." Sokov said without hesitation: "First, the army group can deploy very few troops to counterattack, and even in a local area, it cannot form a manpower advantage; second, our counterattack cannot get air support. Even if there are artillery and tank units participating in the counterattack, I am afraid the number is very limited. Facing the huge number of German armored clusters, they have no chance of winning; third, war is all about supplies. I don't think the army group has the ammunition and supplies to continue fighting..."

After listening to Sokov's analysis, Karsokov could not help but nod his head repeatedly, and then asked a question that puzzled him: "Comrade Brigade Commander, since you can see the problems in this counterattack, I believe the commander can also see it. Then why did he organize such a meaningless counterattack?"

Sokov looked up at Karsokov and said word by word: "Chief of Staff, Comrade Commander actually doesn't want to organize such a counterattack. It can only cause some minor confusion to the Germans, but it will not have any effect at all. On the contrary, it will consume the precious manpower of the army group in such a meaningless counterattack. But there is no other way. This is an order issued by the Supreme Command, and Comrade Commander can only obey unconditionally."

"Fortunately, the counterattack will not be carried out in our area, otherwise our brigade might be completely wiped out in this counterattack." After Karsokov expressed his thoughts, he continued to ask: "Comrade Brigade Commander, according to your analysis, where will the upcoming counterattack be carried out?"

"Chief of Staff, according to my analysis, the counterattack organized by the army group will definitely not be in the defense zone of our brigade, nor in the defense zone of the 316th Infantry Division. Instead, it will be launched in the north, close to the position of the friendly forces on the right wing."

"why?"

"Take a look." Sokov pointed to the map and said to Karsokov, "Our brigade is now in the salient of the entire army's defense line. It is meaningless to launch a counterattack from the salient, and it is easy to be surrounded by the German army. The Volokolamsk defended by the 316th Infantry Division has become muddy due to the continuous heavy rain in the past few days. Not only are the German tanks stuck in the mud and unable to move, but we are afraid that our tanks in this direction will not be able to play any role. Now there is only the northern defense zone left. If the army launches a counterattack from there, even if it cannot completely disrupt the German offensive rhythm, it can help friendly forces stabilize the defense line."

"Since the counterattack that is about to begin is of little use." Karsokov's expression became serious: "Then do you think we can hold our position?"

Hearing Karsokov's question, Sokov did not speak, but stared at the map on the table. In the movie "The Battle of Moscow", Rokossovsky saw that the situation was unfavorable to him, and took the initiative to ask Zhukov to withdraw the troops to the Istrian Reservoir area and rebuild a new defense, but his proposal was rejected. He bypassed Zhukov and directly asked the Chief of General Staff Shaposhnikov for instructions. After consulting Stalin himself, the latter agreed to the 16th Army to withdraw to the Istrian Reservoir area and build a new defense to resist.

Unexpectedly, when Rokossovsky's troops began to abandon their existing positions and retreat on a large scale, Zhukov learned of this and immediately sent a harsh telegram to Rokossovsky, ordering him to command his troops to return to their original garrison areas. These two diametrically opposed orders threw the retreating 16th Army into chaos, and many troops abandoned the fortifications they were building and hurried back to their original positions. When they arrived at the place, they found that it had been occupied by the German army. After several battles, they failed to regain their original positions and were forced to retreat to positions where fortifications had not yet been completed. As a result, the defense line of the 16th Army became uneven.

A few days later, all the troops of the 16th Army had to withdraw to the Istra Reservoir and build fortifications on a large scale to stop the German advance. However, in the face of the powerful offensive of the German army, the defense line had to retreat again, all the way to a position just a few kilometers away from Moscow. A reconnaissance team of the German Infantry Division even broke into the town of Khimki in the northern suburbs of Moscow. If the militia of the instrument factory in the town had not been dispatched in time to eliminate this enemy, the enemy might have established an offensive starting point in the town.

Seeing that Sokov remained silent, Karsokov asked again: "Comrade Brigade Commander, you haven't answered me yet. Do you think we can hold our position?"

"Hold the position, that's for sure." Sokov organized the words in his head and said tactfully: "After all, Russia is big, but we have nowhere to retreat. Moscow is behind us." Although these words were said by Klochkov, the first-level instructor of the 316th Infantry Division, since he said them first, the other party should not ask him for copyright fees.

"So, we can hold our position?" Karsokov's mood was affected by Sokov and he seemed a little excited. "That is to say, no matter how fierce the enemy's offensive is, they will never be able to break through our defense line and enter Moscow?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, that's not the case." Sokov waited for Karsokov to finish speaking, then shook his head and said, "Some Germans were still able to enter Moscow."

Hearing what Sokov said, Karsokov's expression turned angry: "What, some Germans can enter Moscow? Comrade Brigade Commander, what are the identities of the Germans who can enter Moscow?"

"Of course they are prisoners of war!" Sokov couldn't help but recall the scene of tens of thousands of German prisoners parading through the streets of Moscow after the Battle of Belarus, and he smiled and said: These Germans will pass through this city in humiliation under the bayonets of our soldiers. "

Sokov's words made Karsokov smile: "Comrade Brigade Commander, so the Germans you said were able to enter Moscow were prisoners of war captured by us. I was shocked. I really thought that the Germans could break through our defenses and enter Moscow so brazenly."

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Belkin called. On the other end of the line, he said excitedly: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I have good news for you. The German attack on the Fourth Battalion's position has been completely defeated."

"Well done." Sokov was very pleased to learn that the enemy attacking the Fourth Battalion's position had been repelled. If the enemy hits a wall here twice more, they might turn their attack direction to other areas. "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, please congratulate Major Vasya on my behalf and congratulate them for successfully crushing the enemy's attack again."

Before he finished the call, a man suddenly rushed into the tent and shouted at Sokov, "Comrade Brigade Commander, tanks! German tanks are heading towards us."

After seeing clearly that the person rushing in was Bobrikov, Sokov could not help but frown and asked unhappily: "Comrade Captain, the enemy attacking the Fourth Battalion's position has been repelled, where did the tank come from?"

"I don't know, I really don't know." Bobrikov shook his head vigorously and said in panic: "I saw a German tank coming towards us."

Hearing what Bobrikov said, Sokov hung up the phone and rushed out of the tent with Karsokov, asking, "Where are the German tanks?"

"Over there, Comrade Brigade Commander." Bobrikov pointed to the six o'clock direction and said loudly to Sokov, "It's about one kilometer away from here." "Damn it, how could a German tank appear here?" Karsokov gritted his teeth and said, "Did it fall from the sky?"

After staring at the distant German tank for a while, Sokov said uncertainly, "Maybe it bypassed our defense line by mistake and got here unintentionally."

"What should we do?" Karsokov seemed very flustered. He suggested to Sokov: "How about I call the artillery battalion and ask them to concentrate their fire to destroy this tank?"

But Karsokov's proposal was rejected by Sokov: "Chief of Staff, it's useless. There are no artillery observers here to provide firing parameters for the artillery. If we rashly let the artillery fire to intercept the German tanks, I'm worried that in the end the enemy tanks will not be hit, and the shells will fall on our heads instead."

Karsokov asked nervously, "What should we do? Or should we move immediately?"

"It's useless, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov shook his head again and rejected Karsokov's proposal: "If the German tanks come over and don't find our trace, they will definitely continue to move forward. You know, the forest ahead is where the field hospital is located. If the German tanks really break through, I'm afraid the wounded and medical staff will suffer huge losses."

"What should we do?" Karsokov asked. "Should we just stand here and wait to be captured by the Germans?"

Sokov was thinking quickly about how to get out of the predicament. Seeing that Sokov was lost in thought, Karsokov and Bobrikov were very anxious, but they did not dare to speak casually for fear of disrupting Sokov's thoughts.

"Chief of Staff, let's go back to the tent immediately." After Sokov said this to Karsokov, he said to Bobrikov: "Comrade Captain, you also go back to your tent and let the soldiers inside wear German uniforms."

"Let the soldiers wear German uniforms?" Hearing Sokov's words, Bobrikov was stunned at first, and then he understood what Sokov meant: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I understand. You let the soldiers wear German uniforms to confuse the enemy tanks and make them dare not fire at us casually."

"Time is running out, act quickly."

A few minutes later, Sokov, wearing a German uniform, came out of the tent and joined Bobrikov and others who came out of another tent. He looked at the dozen soldiers standing behind Bobrikov and shouted, "Comrade Captain, take your men and follow me."

After that, Sokov carried an MP40 submachine gun and walked towards the position of the German tanks. Bobrikov hesitated for a moment, then waved to the soldiers, signaling them to follow Sokov's steps.

After Sokov and others walked a few hundred meters, they encountered oncoming tanks.

The German tank stopped, and the hatch above the turret was opened from the inside. A tank soldier wearing a tank cap and a black jumpsuit leaned out and asked, "Which unit are you from?"

Sokov did not answer the other party's question. Instead, he walked to the side of the tank, looked up at the tank soldier who leaned out, and said loudly: "We are the special forces of the Brandenburg Regiment. We have just occupied the Russian headquarters and captured a group of Russians. Where did you come from?"

After Sokov finished speaking, the tank soldier said respectfully: "Major, when we were attacking the Russian position, we were intercepted by their artillery fire. In the chaos, we lost our way and don't know how we got here."

"Oh, that's how it is." After listening to the tank soldier's explanation, Sokov finally understood why a German tank suddenly appeared here. It turned out that it lost its way while trying to avoid the artillery fire. He climbed onto the tank first, and then shouted to Bobrikov and others standing around the tank: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and get on the car. Let's take those Russian prisoners back."

When the tank soldiers heard the order given by Sokov, they really regarded the other party as their own people. Therefore, when they saw Bobrikov and others climbing onto the tank, they did not stop them.

Seeing that Bobrikov and three other soldiers had climbed onto the tank, Sokov winked at them, signaling them to take action.

Bobrikov understood what he meant and immediately raised his MP40 submachine gun and aimed at the tank soldier: "Don't move, put your hands up!"

Facing the gun pointed at him, the tank soldier was a little confused. He asked Sokov in confusion: "Major, what's going on? Why are your men pointing their guns at me?"

"We are the Soviet army!" Sokov said in fluent German, "Tell your companions to surrender immediately, otherwise we will throw grenades into the tanks."

After hearing what Sokov said and looking at the guns pointed at him, the tank soldier gave up the idea of ​​resistance. He lowered his head and shouted a few times into the tank, then climbed out of the turret, jumped off the tank, and stood aside with his hands raised high.

The other four members of the tank, seeing that their companions had gone out as prisoners, were worried that the Soviet army would throw grenades into the tank, so they naturally did not dare to put up a pointless resistance. They could only follow their companions' example, climb out of the tank obediently, and stand beside the tank with their hands raised.

(End of this chapter)