red moscow

Chapter 2924

Before the troops set out, Belkin specifically asked Sokov: "Before the counterattack begins, is it necessary to prepare the enemy's positions with artillery fire?"

"That's not necessary." Sokov rejected Belkin's proposal without hesitation.

"Why?" Belkin asked in confusion.

"Isn't carrying out artillery preparation equivalent to telling the enemy that we are preparing to attack their positions?" Sokov explained to Belkin: "Although the enemy has built a lot of fortifications in the defense zone, they are now on the offensive and have an advantage on the battlefield. They can't imagine that we will suddenly launch a counterattack against them, so their vigilance is not high. I plan to lead the troops to lurk not far from the enemy's position and launch a surprise attack before dawn, breaking through their defense positions in one fell swoop while the enemy is unprepared."

Seeing that Sokov had considered all the issues that needed to be considered, Belkin could not say anything more. He could only nod and remind Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, please pay more attention to your safety. We are waiting for your triumphant return."

"Don't worry, Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander." Sokov responded with a smile: "I will definitely come back alive."

When the troops were leaving for the battle, Belkin stopped Lieutenant Zhukovin, Sergeant Zub and Chulsin and told them: "I am giving you a difficult task. You must protect the safety of the brigade commander as you would protect your own eyes. You must bring him back alive. Remember?"

Zhu Kewen glanced at the two soldiers beside him and replied in a firm tone: "Please rest assured, Deputy Brigade Commander, we will do our best to protect your safety."

Just as Sokov was about to get into the jeep, Khabarov jumped out and blocked the car.

"Anton, what are you doing?" Sokov asked.

"Misha, let me go with you," Khabarov requested.

"No, you can't go with me." But Sokov rejected Khabarov's request, "You'd better stay at the base."

Khabarov came up to Sokov and whispered, "Misha, why don't you let me go with you?"

"Anton, listen to me." Sokov lowered his voice and replied, "This counterattack is tantamount to suicide. If I take you with me, I cannot guarantee your safety."

"It's okay," Khabarov said carelessly, "You forgot what I said yesterday. Maybe on the battlefield full of gunfire, we have a chance to return to our own era. Don't you want to try it with me?"

Khabarov's words made Sokov ponder. He didn't know whether he should agree to the other party's request and take him to the battlefield.

At this time, an officer ran over and saluted Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, the troops have boarded the vehicle. Can we set off? Please give instructions!"

"Let's go!" Sokov waved his hand, signaling that the troops could set off. Then he said to Khabarov, "Since you want to participate in this counterattack, get in the car. For your safety, you must stay by my side."

"No problem." Khabarov replied loudly.

Although Zhukov gave the attack time as 8 a.m., before 6 a.m., the counterattack troops arrived in the forest only 500 meters away from the enemy position.

After getting off the car, Sokov said to the several commanders who gathered around him: "Tell the soldiers to move more quietly, and not to talk or smoke, so as not to be discovered by the enemy."

The commanders agreed and went back to convey Sokov's orders to their subordinates.

"Misha!" Khabarov came up to Sokov and asked in a low voice, "Where are you going next?"

"Go to the edge of the forest and observe the terrain to see if the enemy has noticed our movements."

Surrounded by Zhukov, Khabarov and others, Sokov came to the edge of the forest and raised his telescope to look at the German positions a few hundred meters away.

Through the telescope, Sokov saw an oil barrel in the trench with flames coming out of it. Two German soldiers in military coats stood around the barrel, with their hands stretched over the barrel, using the burning flames to keep warm.

Seeing that the enemy had not noticed the arrival of his troops at all, Sokov's mouth curled up slightly, thinking that after the soldiers had rested for a while, he would send someone to scout. If necessary, he would kill the two German soldiers who were warming themselves by the fire, and then let the troops rush forward, maybe they could capture the German position without bloodshed.

"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Captain Olga, the commander of the third company of the second battalion, came to Sokov and asked in a low voice: "When should we launch the attack?" "Don't be in a hurry." Sokov waved his hand at Olga and said, "Send someone to scout first and find out the German troop deployment. It won't be too late for us to launch the attack later."

"I'll arrange it right away." Olga said, then turned and walked away from Sokov.

A few minutes later, Sokov saw several dark figures leaving the scene and running towards the German positions with their backs crouched.

"Misha," Khabarov couldn't help but ask curiously as he watched the dark figures gradually go away, "They are heading straight for the German positions. Aren't they worried that there are minefields laid by the Germans in front of the positions?"

"Comrade Soldier." Before Sokov could speak, the familiar voice of Captain Olga came from the side: "These scouts are the best in our battalion. They have rich reconnaissance experience. The situation you just described will never happen."

Sokov turned his head to look at Olga, then turned to face the front, raised the telescope, and carefully observed the whereabouts of the scouts.

The scout came to a place more than 200 meters away from the German position, went around to the side of the position, and cautiously moved towards the two German soldiers who were warming themselves by the fire.

Soon, Sokov saw two German soldiers standing next to the oil drum to keep warm fell down, and then several shadows jumped out of the fortifications and ran towards the forest. Sokov vaguely saw that two scouts seemed to be dragging something, but this did not affect their speed at all.

A few minutes later, the scouts returned to the forest.

The scout leader stepped forward and saluted Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, we have completed the reconnaissance mission and captured a German prisoner. Please give us your instructions!"

"Have you figured out the situation on the enemy's position?" Sokov asked the leading scout.

The scout scratched the back of his head and said a little embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, Comrade Brigade Commander, time was too tight. We were afraid of being discovered by the enemy, so we killed one sentry and captured another, and then hurried back."

"So, apart from killing a sentry and capturing a sentry, you didn't gain anything?" Sokov asked with a straight face.

"I'm sorry, Comrade Brigade Commander, it's all my fault." Seeing that the scouts she sent out were criticized by Sokov, Olga hurriedly came out to smooth things over for them: "I didn't explain it clearly when I assigned them the task, so this happened. Comrade Brigade Commander, I will send out new scouts immediately..."

"No need!" Sokov waved his hand at Olga and said, "It will take a lot of time to go back and forth. I think we should interrogate the prisoner first. If we can't get any useful information from him, it won't be too late to send someone to scout."

"But how can we conduct the interrogation if we don't have anyone here who knows German?"

After hearing this, Sokov smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, Comrade Captain, we have people who speak German here." After that, he ordered Zhu Kewen to come in front of him and told him, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, you will interrogate this German prisoner and ask them how many troops they have on the position, what kind of equipment they have, how many firepower points they have, whether there are minefields in front of the position, etc."

"Okay, Comrade Brigade Commander." Zhukov readily agreed to Sokov's order: "Give me a quarter of an hour, and I will definitely get some useful information."

Sokov nodded, called the scout over, and told him, "Take your men and the prisoners and follow the lieutenant."

The scout did not dare to delay and nodded vigorously. He took his subordinates and escorted the German prisoners to follow Zhu Kewen to the side for interrogation.

"Comrade Commander," Olga said to Sokov again, "the artillery is pulling the guns over. Do you need them to prepare the artillery fire before the attack?"

"Comrade Captain, we only have five guns this time. Even if we launch artillery fire preparations against the enemy's positions, it probably won't have much effect. Instead, it will expose our intentions." Sokov said, "I think after our attack begins, if there are enemy fire points that pose a danger to us, we can just use artillery to destroy them directly."

Ten minutes later, Zhukov returned to Sokov and reported excitedly: "Comrade Brigade Commander, we have figured it out. There is only an understaffed infantry company of the German Army on the position, with a total strength of only more than 70 people. Except for two sentries, the rest are sleeping in the shelter. In addition, since the enemy does not think that we will attack here, they have not arranged any firing points, and there are no minefields in front of the position. In a word, even if we walk over there in a swagger, I am afraid the enemy will not notice it."

Although this was the information Zhukov had obtained through interrogation, Sokov did not dare to believe it completely. He called Olga over and said, "Comrade Captain, you have heard it all. There are only more than 70 German soldiers in the position, and they are all asleep at the moment. Now you take your company to eliminate them. Remember, use bayonets as much as possible, and don't shoot if you can, so as not to expose our whereabouts too early. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Comrade Brigade Commander." Olga agreed, then turned around and whispered to the person beside her: "Comrades of the Third Company of the Second Battalion, listen to my command, everyone form a scattered formation, aim at the enemy's position, and follow me!"

(End of this chapter)