red moscow

Chapter 2959

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" As a stretcher team passed by, Sokov suddenly heard someone calling his name. He quickly looked around to find out where the voice was coming from.

The liaison officer standing next to Sokov noticed him looking around and quickly asked, "Lieutenant Colonel, what's wrong?"

"I think I heard someone calling me."

"No way," the liaison officer said. "I didn't hear that. You must have misheard."

“Impossible,” Sokov said firmly. “I definitely heard someone calling me; I couldn’t have been mistaken.”

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" No sooner had Sokov finished speaking than that weak voice rang out again: "I'm here!"

Sokov realized the sound was coming from a stretcher parked not far away. Thinking the wounded man might know him, he quickly walked over.

He approached the stretcher, and upon seeing the person lying on it, he was stunned: "Captain Rubzov, it's you!"

The wounded man lying on the stretcher was none other than Captain Rubzov, the commander of the militia annihilation battalion.

Sokov asked in surprise, "Comrade Captain, how did you get wounded? Is your injury serious?"

Upon hearing Sokov's question, the medic beside the stretcher quickly explained, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, during the attack on the enemy's first building, an enemy armored vehicle suddenly burst out and opened fire on the crowd. A bullet pierced a soldier's body and struck his rib. His injury is quite serious; he needs to be taken to the field hospital immediately for surgery to remove the bullet from his rib, otherwise his life will be in danger."

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov,” Captain Rubzov said with a weak voice, “all of my battalion’s company commanders have been killed in battle. In order to prevent the troops from falling into chaos due to the loss of unified command, I hope you can take my troops in.”

Sokov grasped Rubtsov's hand and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, Captain, you can rest and recover at the hospital. I'll take good care of your brothers." He then waved to the soldiers carrying the stretcher, signaling them to carry Rubtsov to the field hospital behind the hospital as soon as possible.

After the stretcher was removed, Sokov returned to his command post, picked up the transmitter on the radio, and began to shout: "Third Battalion, Third Battalion, Brigade Headquarters calling." He didn't use any code words, but called directly in plain language.

Soon, a reply came through the earpiece: "This is Captain Nazorov, the commander of the 3rd Battalion. Who is this?"

"I am Sokov!"

"Oh, it's you, Brigade Commander!" Nazorov asked politely, "What instructions do you have?"

What were the casualties like in your battalion when capturing other buildings in the settlement?

Nazorov paused for a moment, then replied, "It will cost about thirty to fifty men to be killed or wounded for each building we capture. I estimate that after we have captured all the buildings in the settlement, my third battalion will probably be more than half dead or wounded."

“Didn’t I send Captain Yefim’s battalion to reinforce you?” Sokov said. “I’m contacting you because I have something to tell you.”

"whats the matter?"

"The battalion commander and several company commanders of the militia annihilation battalion have all been forced to withdraw from the battlefield due to injuries," Sokov said into the microphone. "The annihilation battalion has now completely lost unified command. I now order you to immediately take over this unit and replenish the remaining soldiers into the various companies of your battalion."

"That's wonderful, that's really wonderful!" Nazorov was overjoyed to learn that Sokov was going to reinforce his troops. But after a moment, he asked with some concern, "Comrade Brigade Commander, is it appropriate for us to directly take over friendly forces and break them up to incorporate them into my own troops?"

“There’s nothing wrong with it. Even if my superiors ask about it in the future, I will take responsibility.” Sokov said impatiently, seeing that Nazorov seemed indecisive on this matter. “If you don’t want these men, I’ll give them to Captain Yefim’s battalion.”

"No, no, no, Comrade Brigade Commander!" Nazarov, seeing his sure goal slipping away, hurriedly said, "I'll arrange for men to take over the annihilation battalion immediately!"

Belkin and Karsokov in the command post overheard Sokov's conversation with Nazorov.

Seeing Sokov put down his headset and microphone, Belkin walked over and cautiously asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, if our superiors find out that we so openly took over friendly troops and then broke them up to reinforce the Third Battalion, will they blame us?"

"Don't worry, Deputy Brigade Commander, the higher-ups won't concern themselves with such trivial matters," Sokov said casually. "I think the Commander and Chief of Staff are thinking about how to liberate all the settlements, including Skirmanovo, and eliminate the German threat to our right flank defenses."

“Our troops have stormed into the settlement.” Belkin glanced at his watch and continued, “If nothing unexpected happens, the battle will be over in half an hour.”

Sokov agreed with Belkin's statement. When he returned from outside, the officers and soldiers of the 1st and 3rd Battalions had already rushed into the settlement, and it would not take long to clear out the enemy hiding in the buildings.

Just as Belkin had predicted, half an hour later, Yefim and Nazorov returned to report to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, we have captured all the buildings in the settlement, cleared out the enemy inside, and completely taken control of the settlement. What should we do next?"

“Although we have captured the settlement, the enemy is unwilling to accept their defeat and may launch a counterattack soon. I suggest you dig a trench around the settlement and set up several firing positions to deal with any possible German counterattack.” “Comrade Brigade Commander!” Yefim tentatively asked Sokov, “The enemy has already retreated; shouldn’t we pursue them?”

“Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I think your subordinate is right.” Yefim had barely finished speaking when the liaison officer interjected, “Now that we have captured the settlement, we should press our advantage and continue to expand our gains. Before nightfall, we had already driven more than ten kilometers into the German defense zone.”

Sokov turned to the liaison officer and said seriously, “Comrade Major, if I order the troops to continue advancing, we could cover not just a dozen kilometers, but probably twenty or thirty kilometers before nightfall. But have you considered that if only our troops are advancing while our allies on the left and right are not making good progress, we could become an isolated force. The Germans could easily cut off our rear, sever our supply lines, and trap us in their encirclement?”

Belkin and Karsokov had both broken out of the German encirclement before being taken in by Sokov. They naturally understood the difficult situation they would face if they were surrounded by the Germans. Therefore, as soon as Sokov finished speaking, they both nodded in agreement: "Comrade Brigade Commander is right. Although we have successfully captured the settlement, if our friendly forces on the left and right flanks do not make good progress, and we rashly advance into the enemy's defensive depth, we will easily be surrounded by the Germans."

The liaison officer hadn't expected his words to be opposed by Sokov and the other two at the same time. After his facial muscles twitched a few times, he said reluctantly, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, even if you feel it's not suitable to launch another attack for the time being, shouldn't you immediately report the situation here to the army group headquarters so that the commander and chief of staff can have a clearer understanding of the situation on the battlefield?"

“Comrade Brigade Commander, I think the liaison officer is right.” After the liaison officer finished speaking, Karsokov turned to the army group headquarters and said, “I will immediately report our achievements to the army group headquarters.”

A dozen minutes later, Malinin received a battle report from Karsokov.

After quickly reviewing the above information, Malinin reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, the infantry brigade reports that they have successfully captured the designated settlement."

Upon hearing Malinin's words, Rokossovsky looked up at his chief of staff and asked, "Chief of staff, please elaborate. Was the settlement captured by an infantry brigade, or by a militia annihilation battalion that cooperated with them?"

"It was the infantry brigade that captured the settlement." Malinin reported the contents of the battle report to Rokossovsky: "The annihilation battalion that was fighting alongside them suffered heavy casualties in the first round of attacks because it was newly formed and had little combat experience. The commanders, including the battalion commander and several company commanders, have all withdrawn from the battle. Sokov ordered people to take over the remaining troops of the annihilation battalion and successfully captured the settlement."

“Well done!” Rokossovsky nodded and continued, “What are their next plans?”

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov reported that he intended to build defensive fortifications around the settlement to guard against a possible German counterattack."

After listening to Malinin's report, Rokossovsky did not immediately offer his opinion, but casually asked, "How is the 1st Militia Division making progress in Skirmanovo?"

"The attack is not going well," Malinin said, shaking his head. "When they attacked the settlements, they were bombarded and shelled by the Germans, and their troops suffered many casualties. Now their division commander has temporarily withdrawn the troops and regrouped in the forest, preparing to launch a new attack."

"And the 5th Cavalry Division?" Rokossovsky asked. "How are they progressing?"

“One of the division’s cavalry regiments successfully destroyed an enemy supply convoy and captured a batch of combat supplies,” Malinin said. “With the support of these supplies, they will proceed with their planned attack on the enemy-held locations.”

“Their progress is far too slow.” Rokossovsky bent down to look at the map that had been newly marked by his staff and said to Malinin, “Comrade Chief of Staff, look, so far only Sokov’s troops have completed their objectives. But this makes them stand out a bit too much. If the troops on the left and right flanks don’t catch up in time, they may be cut off from their supply lines by the Germans because they are deep in enemy territory and thus be encircled.”

At this point, Rokossovsky threw the red and blue pencils in his hand onto the table, straightened up, and said, "Comrade Chief of Staff, although Misha's troops have not been formed for long, their combat effectiveness is very strong. If they are surrounded by the Germans or even annihilated, it will be a huge loss for us."

"So, does that mean we have no choice but to keep them in their current positions, hurry up and build fortifications to prevent a possible German counterattack?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it.” Rokossovsky nodded, confirming Malinin’s statement. “As long as this unit is still there, we have a chance to complete the planned operation and eliminate the German forces’ pressure on our right flank.” “Their progress is really too slow.” Rokossovsky bent down to look at the newly marked map by his staff officer and said to Malinin, “Comrade Chief of Staff, look, so far only Sokov’s unit has achieved its objectives. However, this makes them stand out too much. If the units on the left and right flanks cannot keep up in time, they may be cut off from their supply lines by the Germans due to their isolated position, and thus be encircled.”

"So, how do you plan to deal with their unauthorized recruitment of militia annihilation battalion commanders and soldiers?" Ma Lining then asked.

"Comrade Chief of Staff, didn't Misha say in his report that the reason the annihilation battalion suffered such heavy casualties was entirely because the officers and soldiers lacked combat experience?" Rokossovsky said solemnly, "For a unit to form combat capability in a very short time, it must be reinforced by combat veterans who can pass on their experience to the new recruits who know nothing. Now that the company and battalion commanders of the annihilation battalion have all withdrawn from combat due to injuries, the entire unit is leaderless. Dispersing them into the companies of the infantry brigade is undoubtedly the most correct decision."

“I understand.” Malinin nodded. “Comrade Commander, I will convey your message to Lieutenant Colonel Sokov.”

Sokov quickly received a reply from headquarters. After reading it, he handed the telegram to the liaison officer and then said to Belkin and Karsokov, "Comrades Deputy Brigade Commander and Chief of Staff, headquarters has agreed to our plan to temporarily halt our advance and build fortifications around the settlements to prevent a German counterattack."

Upon hearing Sokov's words, Belkin and Karsokov both breathed a sigh of relief and then turned their gaze to the liaison officer beside them.

After reading the telegram, the liaison officer could only manage a wry smile. He said to Sokov, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are right. It seems we can only halt our advance for now, build fortifications here, and guard against a possible German counterattack."

"Comrade Brigade Commander, what did the higher-ups say about our incorporation of the militia annihilation battalion?" Nazorov asked tremblingly.

“Don’t worry, Captain Nazorov,” Sokov said with a smile. “Headquarters thinks we’re right. If a unit loses an important commander, there’s no need to strengthen it. Instead, it should be split up and the officers and soldiers should be reassigned to other units.”

Sokov's words eased Nazorov's expression. He began to plan in his mind that when he returned to the camp, he should quickly assign the soldiers who had not yet been assigned to their posts to the companies with the most severe battle losses, so as to ensure that the combat effectiveness of the troops would not drop too much.

"Comrade Brigade Commander," Yefim stepped forward and said dryly as Nazorov was lost in thought, "Our battalion suffered more than a hundred casualties in the battle to capture the settlement. I wonder if the brigade headquarters could send us some reinforcements?"

(End of this chapter)