red moscow

Chapter 2961

Not long after Belkin and Stavsky left, Romanov approached Sokov with a newly received telegram: "Comrade Brigade Commander, this is a telegram from the two battalion commanders of the Second and Fourth Battalions."

Sokov arranged for the 2nd and 4th Battalions to lie in ambush near the settlement of Skirmanovo, preparing to launch a surprise attack and capture the settlement once the enemy in the settlement went to reinforce Skirmanovo. Since the two men had sent a telegram at this moment, the troops must have already reached their designated positions.

As Sokov had predicted, the telegram stated that the two battalions had reached the forest near the settlement and concealed themselves. Most of the German troops in the settlement had boarded their vehicles, but for some reason, the vehicles full of soldiers remained parked in the settlement and had not yet set off.

After reading the telegram, Sokov frowned. He couldn't understand why the German troops in the settlement, who had already boarded the vehicles, were not going to reinforce the attacked Skirmanovo, but instead remained in the settlement. It seemed too strange.
Karsokov took the telegram from Sokov and, after reading it, raised the same question: "Comrade Brigade Commander, what exactly is going on? The enemy in the settlement is ready to set off, so why is they delaying their actions?"

"Yes, the enemy's actions are very strange," Sokov said, scratching the back of his head. "Our army is currently attacking Skirmanovo. According to common sense, the nearest settlement should be the first place to receive reinforcements. But although the officers and soldiers have boarded the vehicles, the convoy is still stuck in the settlement. What are the Germans up to?"

After staring at the map for a while, Karsokov made a bold guess: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I think that although the German soldiers in the settlement boarded the vehicles, their target was not Skirmanovo, but somewhere else."

"Other places?" Sokov stared at Karsokov, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I wonder where you mean by 'other places'?"

“Maybe it’s here.” After stating his judgment, Karsokov explained before Sokov could ask, “Although the settlement we’ve occupied is seven or eight kilometers away from the settlements that the Second and Fourth Battalions are preparing to capture, if the Germans retake our settlement, then even if our allies capture Skirmanovo, they will become an isolated force.”

After listening to Karsokov's analysis, Sokov began to ponder. Looking at the map, it was clear that simply occupying the settlement of Skyrmanovo was far from enough to establish a foothold in the region; control of several settlements centered around it was essential. His chief of staff's analysis did indeed have some merit.

Sokov nodded and said, “Comrade Chief of Staff, you are very right. The enemy definitely wants to take back the settlements from us, and they may be waiting for their chance. They should act when the enemy launches a counterattack on our settlements.”

"Comrade Brigade Commander, I have an idea."

"what idea?"

"Now that most of the enemy in the settlement has boarded the vehicles, if we order the Second and Fourth Battalions to launch an attack at this time, we might be able to catch them off guard."

It must be said that Karsokov's proposal did indeed tempt Sokov for a moment. But he quickly abandoned this seemingly enticing but actually very risky plan: "Comrade Chief of Staff, although most of the enemy is in the vehicles, there are still German firing positions in the settlements. If we launch an attack now, we will probably be suppressed by those firing positions, and the Germans in the vehicles can use this time to get off and enter their respective defensive positions. At that time, our attack may fail after suffering heavy losses."

"Then what should we do?"

"Wait!" Sokov said briefly. "After we have a clear understanding of the enemy's next move, we will formulate a corresponding plan to counter it."

The telephone on the table rang; it was Rokossovsky calling.

“Misha!” Rokossovsky asked gently on the other end of the phone, “Has Comrade Stavsky arrived with you?”

"Yes, Comrade Commander, we have arrived." Sokov reported to Rokossovsky: "After a brief interview at the brigade headquarters, Stavsky has entered the settlement and is interviewing the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle."

"What? He entered the settlement?" Rokossovsky asked sharply. "Who gave you permission to let him take such a risk? Have all the enemies inside been eliminated? Can Comrade Stavsky's safety be guaranteed?"

“Comrade Commander.” Upon hearing Rokossovsky’s rebuke, Sokov quickly explained, “It was Comrade Stavsky who volunteered to go to the settlement for interviews. As for the enemy in the settlement, they were all wiped out shortly after we occupied it.”

Upon learning that the enemy in the settlement had been eliminated, Rokossovsky's tone softened considerably: "Misha, Comrade Stavsky is an important figure. You must ensure his safety while he is with you."

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander," Sokov assured Rokossovsky. "Besides, he's not going into the settlement alone. My deputy brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Belkin, personally escorted him into the settlement. There will be absolutely no accidents."

“I hope so,” Rokossovsky continued. “Once he finishes his interviews in the settlement, send him back to headquarters immediately. Understand?”

“Understood, Comrade Commander,” Sokov replied loudly.

"How's the situation there?" Rokossovsky asked.

"The settlements we have captured are now peaceful, and there are no signs of a German counterattack," Sokov reported to Rokossovsky. "In addition, I have dispatched the 2nd and 4th Battalions to the vicinity of the settlement on the right flank to secure Skirmanovo."

Rokossovsky quickly glanced at the map, nodded, and said, "Misha, you've thought this through very well. If you capture the settlements on the right flank of Skirmanovo, you can protect the flank of your allies from attacks from the side. When do you plan to launch the attack?"

“According to my initial plan, the enemy in the settlement would rush to reinforce us as soon as they learned that Skirmanovo had been attacked by our army,” Sokov said. “But according to my subordinates’ reports, although most of the enemy has boarded the vehicles, the vehicles full of soldiers are still stuck in the settlement.”

"Damn it, how could this be?" Rokossovsky questioned. "If they're unwilling to reinforce Skirmanovo, what's the point of sending soldiers onto the trucks?"

"Comrade Commander, this is also what puzzles us."

"Have you thought of something?"

Sokov glanced at Karsokov beside him and continued, "My chief of staff and I discussed it and we think these German soldiers boarding the trucks might not be heading to Skirmanovo to reinforce, but rather to participate in an attack on our area." "What, participate in an attack on your area?" Rokossovsky raised his voice, "How many enemies are in that settlement? A battalion or a regiment?"

Upon hearing Rokossovsky's question, Sokov's face showed an embarrassed expression: "There is only one company of soldiers in the settlement, and the troops that have boarded the vehicles now are only two platoons. Even if they were to participate in the attack on our side, they would probably only be supporting the attack."

"Where are the German troops that took the initiative now?" Rokossovsky continued. "Do you know?"

"I don't know yet, Comrade Commander." After saying this, Sokov, fearing a reprimand from Rokossovsky, quickly added, "However, we have already sent out scouts to the surrounding areas, and we should be able to find out the Germans' movements soon."

"You need to move faster." Perhaps considering that Sokov and his men had recently won a victory, Rokossovsky did not reprimand him, but instead reminded him: "As a commander, if you don't even know where the enemy is, how can you fight this battle?"

Sokov, feeling ashamed, quickly replied, "Comrade Commander, please rest assured, we will find out the German movements as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, Sokov said to Karsokov, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think the Commander is right. If we, as commanders, don't even know where the enemy is, we can't fight this battle."

“But our scouts haven’t returned yet,” Karsokov said with difficulty. “Without accurate intelligence, we have no way of knowing where the Germans are.”

Sokov couldn't help but miss the drones of later generations. With that equipment, no matter where the Germans hid, they would have nowhere to hide, and there would be no need to use the wasteful and inefficient method of sending out scouts.

However, drones didn't exist at this time, so to figure out the enemy's movements, they had to resort to the most primitive methods of reconnaissance. He tapped his fingers lightly, pondered for a moment, and looked at Karsokov, asking, "Comrade Chief of Staff, when will the scouts return?"

“It’s hard to say, Comrade Brigade Commander,” Karsokov replied somewhat awkwardly. “It may take an hour or two, or even longer, before we get the report from the scouts.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, we cannot wait passively any longer. We must take the initiative and find out the enemy's movements as soon as possible." Sokov pointed to the north and west of the settlements on the map: "I think we should send scouts in these two directions on tricycles to scout. That way we might be able to find out the enemy's movements faster."

"I immediately contacted the 1st and 3rd Battalions," Karsokov said. "The scouts can save a lot of time by setting out from the settlements compared to when they set out from here."

“Okay.” Sokov nodded in agreement with Karsokov’s suggestion and added, “It would be best to leave this to Battalion Commander Yefim. His men are better at reconnaissance.”

After assigning the task to Captain Yefim, the battalion commander, Karsokov asked, "Comrade Captain, is Comrade Stavsky, who went to interview people in the settlement, still with your battalion or the 3rd battalion?"

“I heard from my soldiers that two reporters came to the settlement to conduct interviews,” Yefim said. “However, they are currently interviewing the Third Battalion, since the first unit to storm the settlement was Captain Nazorov’s Third Battalion.”

"Yes, I understand." Karsokov instructed the other party, "If Comrade Stavsky comes to your battalion for an interview, try to get him back to the brigade headquarters as soon as possible. After all, the enemy could launch an attack on the settlement at any time, and I have no right to let him risk his life in a dangerous place."

"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff," Yefim assured Karsokov. "As soon as I see Comrade Stavsky, I will find a way to get him back to the brigade headquarters as soon as possible."

After handing over the tasks, Karsokov discussed with Sokov the problems the troops might encounter next.

As they were talking, the phone on the table rang again.

Upon hearing the sudden ring of the telephone, Sokov's heart tightened, and he had a vague sense of foreboding.

Just as Karsokov brought the microphone to his ear, he heard Yefim's anxious voice: "Comrade Chief of Staff, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

"Comrade Captain, don't worry." Although Karsokov was uneasy, he still pretended to be calm and said, "Tell me what happened on your end slowly."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, it's about Stavsky and the other journalist," Yefim said quickly. "One of my men just reported to me that they left the settlement with the scouts I sent out."

Even if a thunderbolt were to explode beside Sokov at this moment, it probably wouldn't have a more powerful impact than Yefim's words. Sokov snatched the microphone, held it to his ear, and demanded sharply, "Captain Yefim, who gave permission for these two journalists to take such a risk?"

Hearing Sokov's rebuke, Yefim said aggrievedly, "Comrade Brigade Commander, no one asked the two reporters to take such a risk."

"Since you didn't let the two reporters take any risks, why did they leave the settlement with the scouts?"

Yefim defended himself, saying, "Comrade Brigade Commander, the soldiers reported to me that when the two reporters finished their interviews at the Third Battalion and came to my camp, they saw the reconnaissance soldiers about to set off on a sidecar motorcycle. One of the older reporters volunteered to experience how the reconnaissance soldiers conduct their work, so he sat in the sidecar of the motorcycle and followed the reconnaissance soldiers away from the settlement."

Sokov's breathing became rapid. He thought to himself that this was no child's play. When scouts went out on reconnaissance missions, their lives were always in danger. For Stavsky and his companion to follow the scouts was no less than walking through a shell-stricken position.

"Bring them back! Captain, send men to bring them back immediately!" Sokov roared into the microphone. "I'm giving you ten minutes to send men to bring them both back immediately. If anything happens to either of them, even if they lose a single hair, you will lose your position as battalion commander."

Yefim probably didn't expect Sokov to react so strongly to this matter, so he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly replied, "I understand, Comrade Brigade Commander. I will personally lead men to find them and will definitely bring them back."

(End of this chapter)