red moscow

Chapter 2909

"Damn it!" Sokov muttered after listening to the report: "The Germans have endless shells, but they have to waste them on the second battalion's position."

Karsokov heard Sokov's words and asked in surprise: "Comrade Brigade Commander, what do you seem to be worried about?"

"Yes, I am worried." Sokov explained to the other party: "As the front moves eastward, the German supply lines are getting longer and longer, and the speed at which they get supplies will inevitably be affected. This means that the supply speed of their combat materials in some areas is far less than the consumption on the battlefield. Tell me, in this case, how could they waste artillery shells on the second battalion's position?"

"Well, what you said makes sense." Karsokov agreed with Sokov's statement, and then raised his own question: "Do you suspect that the German army only bombarded the second battalion's position but did not launch a ground attack. Is this a conspiracy on their part?"

"I can only say that this possibility is very high," Sokov said. "So we must remain highly vigilant so as not to be caught off guard by the Germans."

"Even if the Germans really intend to launch a new round of attacks from the Second Battalion, we don't have to worry." Karsokov said, "You know, behind them are more than 315 officers and soldiers of the th Infantry Division. Even if the worst happens and the enemy breaks through the Second Battalion's position, our friendly comrades can stop them from advancing."

"I hope so." Sokov looked at the time and said uneasily, "I wonder if Popov has prepared combat supplies for our friendly comrades?"

"It's been such a long time since we left. I guess our friendly forces are probably moving supplies now."

As they were talking, Romanov walked in from outside the tent.

"Romanov!" Karsokov asked Romanov, "How is the situation? Are the combat supplies allocated to the friendly forces ready?"

"When I went there with Comrade Colonel, Captain Popov had already prepared the supplies." Romanov replied: "When I left, the friendly troops who came to collect the supplies had already arrived at the place where we stored the supplies."

"Comrade Brigade Commander, our supplies are all stored in the forest. The only way to hide them is to cover the piles of wooden boxes with canvas." Karsokov reminded Sokov, "And our troops protecting the supplies only have one company. The manpower is far from enough. If the enemy paratroopers land nearby one day, our supplies will be in danger."

"Then send more people to Captain Popov to ensure the safety of the supplies." Hearing Karsokov mention the German airborne troops, he immediately thought of the transport plane fleet he saw last time and couldn't help asking, "By the way, what happened to the transport plane formation that flew over our heads some time ago?"

Karsokov remembered that shortly after discovering the German transport plane, Sokov went out to perform a mission, and he certainly didn't know what happened next. When he was asked about it, he replied: "The German paratroopers jumped near the front headquarters..."

Although Sokov already knew that Zhukov was safe, he couldn't help but interrupt and ask, "Is General Zhukov okay?"

"Nothing, of course nothing." Karsokov replied, "When the German transport planes passed over our army group, the front headquarters received an early warning. General Zhukov ordered the chief of staff, General Sokolovsky, to mobilize nearby troops to encircle and suppress the paratroopers. When the enemy paratroopers were still in the air, the hastily organized troops were already firing into the air. When the enemy paratroopers landed, there were not many survivors. Sokolovsky personally led the headquarters' guard troops to rush up and immediately eliminated the remaining paratroopers."

"So that's how it is." Sokov nodded slightly. "That day I received an order to go behind enemy lines to bring back the 315th Division, but I was always thinking about the German paratroopers. But after I came back, I had too many things to do and temporarily forgot about it."

As the two were talking, the phone on the table rang again. Karsokov grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear: "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Karsokov, Chief of Staff!"

Sokov stared closely at the expression on Karsokov's face, fearing that the call might bring bad news.

Soon, Karsokov put down the phone and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, Colonel Malinin, the Army Chief of Staff, called and asked you to go to the Army Headquarters after dark. There is something important."

"Important matter?!" Sokov said in surprise, "If it is an important matter, why can't you just tell me over the phone? Why do you have to ask me to go to the army headquarters?"

Hearing what Sokov said, Karsokov hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I think the reason why this matter was not discussed over the phone is probably because you were worried that the phone line would be tapped by German scouts, so you were asked to go to the army headquarters."

Sokov thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true, so he nodded and said, "Well, it is possible. After dark, I will go to the headquarters to find out what happened and why I was urgently summoned back."

By the afternoon, the German army's three consecutive attacks on the 4th Battalion's position were repelled and they stopped completely.

Just when Sokov was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the second battalion commander Alexa called and reported an important intelligence to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, the scouts I sent came back to report to me that a large number of German troops are gathering in the forest in front of our battalion's position, and it seems that they are preparing to launch a surprise attack on us."

Sokov was shocked when he heard this and asked quickly: "How many troops does the enemy have and what kind of technical equipment do they have?"

"There are about two battalions of infantry and more than twenty tanks."

"Have you figured out the exact location?"

"Find out."

After hearing Alexa's answer, Sokov made a decisive decision and said into the microphone: "Comrade Captain, I have to make an important call now. I will call you back in a few minutes."

"Okay, Comrade Brigade Commander." Alexa said and hung up the phone.

Karsokov saw Sokov put down the phone and was about to ask something, but he saw the other party pick up the phone again: "This is Sokov, connect me to the artillery staff."

"Lieutenant Artyom." When a voice came out of the receiver, Sokov did not beat around the bush and asked directly: "How much ammunition do the two artillery battalions have left?" "The first artillery battalion is equipped with 76.2mm cannons, and the ammunition situation is better, with almost two bases for each gun. The second artillery battalion is equipped with 122mm howitzers, and each gun has less than ten shells on average." Artyom knew very well that Sokov would not ask about the number of shells for no reason, and there must be some important combat mission, so he asked tentatively: "Comrade Brigade Commander, are you planning to bombard an enemy target?"

"That's right, Lieutenant Artyom." Sokov did not hide his true purpose: "There are a large number of enemies gathered in the forest in front of the Second Battalion's position. I plan to let you use artillery fire to teach these enemies a lesson."

Artyom was silent for a moment, then asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, can the comrades from the Second Battalion provide detailed coordinates? You know, the Second Artillery Battalion's heavy artillery has a limited number of shells. If we only rely on the artillery of the First Artillery Battalion to carry out artillery bombardment without knowing the enemy's specific position, I'm afraid the damage we can cause to the enemy will be limited."

"Don't worry, Lieutenant Artyom." Sokov said confidently, "Captain Alexa, the commander of the Second Battalion, told me that their scouts know the exact location of the enemy's assembly. Send two artillery observers to the Second Battalion's position later and have them indicate the direction of the artillery fire."

"Okay, Comrade Brigade Commander," Artyom replied, "I'll call the second battalion commander first and then send the artillery observer over."

Sokov raised his hand to check the time, then said, "I'll call the second battalion commander first to talk things over. Please call back in five minutes to discuss bombarding the enemy's assembly point."

"Ok."

Sokov called the Second Battalion Command again: "Captain Alexa, I have already agreed with the artillery staff to bombard the enemy gathered in the forest ahead of you. He will call you in a while, and you should discuss the matters of coordinated operations."

This time, Karsokov waited until Sokov put down the phone before finally interrupting: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I'm afraid that simply bombarding the area where the German troops are assembled will not cause enough damage to them. It would be better if we sent troops to attack them."

Karsokov's words reminded Sokov: Yes, the enemies hiding in the forest will definitely run around after being bombarded. If we send troops to attack, it will definitely cause greater losses to the German army.

Seeing that Sokov was deep in thought, Karsokov asked cautiously: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you think we should wait until our bombardment begins and then let the Second Battalion attack? Maybe they can cause greater damage to the enemy?"

But his opinion was rejected by Sokov: "No, there are only 400 to 500 people left in the Second Battalion. I'm afraid that we can't kill many enemies with this amount of troops. Moreover, if they attack on all fronts, the enemy may rush into the Second Battalion's position and rely on the fortifications to resist stubbornly, which will cause us huge losses."

Karsokov sighed and said with regret: "We have a limited number of artillery pieces. Even with precise shelling parameters, we can only cause two to three hundred casualties to the enemy at best. But if we send ground troops to attack when the enemy is running around, we might be able to kill a few hundred more of them."

Unexpectedly, Sokov smiled faintly after hearing this: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I only said not to let the Second Battalion attack, but I didn't say not to send troops to attack."

Karsokov was stunned when he heard this, and then asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, which battalion do you plan to send? Although the first and third battalions are adjacent to the second battalion, their manpower is also limited. If they attack from the flank, I am afraid that the existing defenses will also be left empty, giving the Germans an opportunity to take advantage."

"Who said I wanted the first and third battalions to attack?" Seeing that the chief of staff did not understand what he meant, Sokov quickly reminded him, "Comrade Chief of Staff, don't forget which unit is behind the second battalion's position?"

After Sokov's reminder, Karsokov suddenly realized: "Comrade Brigade Commander, are you asking the officers and soldiers of the 315th Division to attack and eliminate those Germans who are running around because of the shelling?"

"Yes, that's what I thought." Sokov nodded to confirm Karsokov's speculation. "Besides, we have just replenished them with weapons, ammunition and supplies. I think Colonel Politic should have no objection to asking them to help us eliminate the chaotic enemy."

"I think Colonel Politic won't object." Karsokov pushed the phone on the table in front of Sokov and continued, "But to be on the safe side, you'd better call him in person."

Seeing the phone pushed in front of him, it was Sokov's turn to be confused: "Is there a phone where the 315th Division is stationed?"

"Of course." Karsokov smiled and nodded, explaining to Sokov: "That was originally where the reserve team stayed. In order to facilitate contact with the reserve team, I arranged for someone to install a telephone. Although the reserve team has been transferred to the rear of the Fourth Battalion's position, the telephone has been left behind, which is convenient for us to contact the 315th Division headquarters."

Through the pre-set phone number, Sokov quickly got in touch with Colonel Politik: "Comrade Colonel, this is Sokov!"

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" After learning that the person looking for him was Sokov, Politic was very enthusiastic: "My troops have been replenished. On behalf of all the officers and soldiers, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you!"

"Comrade Colonel, you're welcome. We are comrades fighting side by side. Providing you with combat supplies is also helping us."

Politic heard some hidden meaning in Sokov's words, and asked tentatively: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, do you need any help?"

"That's right, Comrade Colonel." Sokov was still thinking about how to talk to Politic. Since the other party took the initiative to bring it up, he just went with the flow and said, "My Second Battalion, which is the unit deployed in front of you, discovered through reconnaissance that a large number of German infantry and technical equipment were assembled in the forest one kilometer in front of the position."

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, if you need any help, just let us know." Politic asked solemnly, "Do you need us to cooperate with your troops to launch a full-scale counterattack against the enemy?"

"That's not the case." Seeing that Politic had misunderstood his intention, Sokov quickly explained to him, "I will soon concentrate my artillery fire to bombard the enemies gathered in the forest. The enemies hit by the artillery fire will surely flee in all directions. I would like to ask your troops to attack and eliminate as many of the fleeing enemies as possible."

After figuring out Sokov's intention, Politic showed a relaxed expression on his face: "So that's what's going on. Don't worry, once your bombardment begins, I will order the troops to move to the position of the second battalion. When I find that the enemy is in chaos, I will attack them."

Seeing that Politic agreed to his request so easily, Sokov was very happy: "Comrade Colonel, thank you so much, you really helped me a lot."

"Look at what you said, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov." Politic said with a smile: "Not only did you help us bring it back from behind enemy lines, you even replenished our weapons, ammunition and various supplies. You are a great benefactor to our entire division. Helping you do such a small thing is nothing."

(End of this chapter)