red moscow

Chapter 2966

The number of enemy troops attacking the settlements was already small, and after being subjected to heavy artillery fire from the Soviet army, they suffered even greater casualties.

The German commander had just regrouped his remaining troops, intending to find a place to rest and wait for reinforcements to arrive before launching an attack on the settlement. But the Soviet army did not give him that chance, taking advantage of their retreat to charge directly out of the settlement.

The troops, already demoralized, put up a fight against the advancing enemy, but their efforts were minimal. Lacking any defensive positions, they collapsed after only a few minutes.

However, just as these stragglers were preparing to flee back to their own territory along the dirt road they had come from, another unit charged towards them. Seeing that this unit outnumbered the Soviet troops who had emerged from the settlement, the German commander knew that continuing to resist would only lead to the annihilation of his entire army. So he decisively ordered the remaining dozen or so soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender.

Nazorov had expected his troops to fight a fierce battle to annihilate the enemy forces that had invaded the settlement. However, to his surprise, the moment he ordered his troops to charge, some soldiers didn't even have a chance to pull the trigger before the enemy laid down their weapons and surrendered. The victory came far too quickly.

Sokov learned that the enemy attacking the settlement had been completely annihilated by the 1st and 3rd Battalions. While pleased, he still instructed Yefim and Nazorov: "Comrades Captains, although you have wiped out the enemy attacking the settlement, the enemy is definitely not willing to accept their defeat and will definitely send new troops to continue attacking the settlement. You must not let your guard down. You need to seize the time to build fortifications and strengthen the reconnaissance around the area to ensure that you can detect the enemy's whereabouts in time when they appear."

Upon receiving Sokov's orders, Yefim and Nazorov indeed commanded their men to hasten the repair of fortifications and prepare for a defensive battle. Although the recent victory had come easily, it meant the upcoming battle would likely be just as easy. The area might be subjected to heavy artillery and bombardment, and without adequate defenses, the troops would certainly suffer heavy casualties.

When Yefim sent people to scout near the settlement, he remembered the old man who had been killed by the German army and quickly instructed the scouts: "There is an old man's body by the roadside a few kilometers away from here. If you see him during your scouts, remember to find a place to bury him."

The scouts, utterly bewildered, asked, "Comrade Battalion Commander, how do you know that an old man was murdered by the Germans a few kilometers from here?"

“Because I saw it with my own eyes.” Yefim recounted to the scout how he had left the settlement to look for someone and inadvertently witnessed the Germans murdering the old man who was gathering firewood. He concluded by saying, “There should be a horse-drawn cart full of firewood near his body. Remember to deliver these things to the old man’s village.”

The scout initially considered asking Yefim which village the old man was from, but then thought that Yefim might not know either, so asking would be pointless. He could only hope that he would encounter someone from the old man's village when they collected his body, so that they could successfully return the old man's cart and firewood. So he replied, "Yes, comrade battalion commander, I've got it."

While the First and Third Battalions were intensively reinforcing the defenses of the settlements, the Second and Fourth Battalions, under the command of Major Vasya, recaptured the settlements occupied by the German army.

After clearing the enemy from the settlement, Vasya reported this to Sokov via telegram.

Sokov was very pleased after reading the telegram.

After putting down the telegram, he said to Karsokov, "Comrade Chief of Staff, our brigade has recaptured two settlements from the Germans. This is a remarkable victory and needs to be reported to headquarters immediately."

Before the Soviet army was largely annihilated by the German army, capturing one or two settlements, let alone one or two obscure small cities, would have been a negligible victory. But now, with the Soviet army retreating step by step under the German attacks, recapturing one or two settlements or villages occupied by the Germans had become a victory worth boasting about.

After receiving the battle report from the infantry brigade, Malinin immediately reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, the infantry brigade has sent a battle report. While repelling the enemy's counterattack on the settlement, they also successfully captured a settlement near Skirmanovo."

"Hmm, the infantry brigade performed well." Rokossovsky nodded after reading the battle report. "They have completed their mission ahead of schedule. As long as they can hold these two settlements firmly, they can tie down a portion of the enemy's forces, making our operations in other areas much easier."

After a brief pause, Rokossovsky looked at Malinin and asked, "By the way, how is the battle at Skirmanovo progressing? When will we be able to take this largest settlement?"

"Chernyshov's 18th Militia Division has occupied most of Skyrmanovo, with fighting still ongoing in only a few areas," Malinin reported. "The enemy's flank, which was reinforcing Skyrmanovo, was attacked by General Puliev's cavalry division and is in retreat."

Malinin, recalling that Rokossovsky's focus today was the 316th Infantry Division's counterattack against Volokolamsk, tentatively asked, "Comrade Commander, how is Panfilov's division progressing today?"

"Their 1075th Regiment has successfully recaptured the station occupied by the German army and is preparing to use it as a starting point to launch a full-scale counterattack against the city."

"If General Panfilov can recapture Volokolamsk, then we will gain a foothold and ensure that the existing defenses are not breached by the Germans."

“Theoretically, that’s true,” Rokossovsky said, staring at the map in front of him. “But with our current forces, even if we recapture Volokolamsk, are we capable of holding the city against the German onslaught?”

“Yes, Commander, you’re right.” Malinin’s expression turned serious. “Volokoramsk fell because the 316th Infantry Division, which was defending the city, was severely weakened in the battle. Even if they recapture the city, it will be very difficult for them to hold it.”

The telephone on the table rang, and Malinin picked up the receiver: "This is Colonel Malinin!"

After listening to the person on the other end of the phone say a few words, Ma Lining's face lit up with joy: "Really? Is everything you said true? That's wonderful! Immediately send someone to act as their guide and lead them to the army group headquarters."

Rokossovsky glanced at Malinin, and seeing his expression, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Comrade Chief of Staff, you seem so happy, is there something good?"

“Yes, Comrade Commander, that is indeed good news.” Malinin reported to Rokossovsky: “The 17th, 20th, 24th and 44th Cavalry Divisions from Central Asia are about to arrive in our defense zone. With the reinforcement of these forces, we are more confident in holding off the enemy.”

Rokossovsky's face lit up with surprise: "Is this true?"

“Of course it’s true,” Malining said with certainty.

“That’s wonderful.” After confirming the news, Rokossovsky became somewhat excited. “Even if each of these cavalry divisions only has eight thousand men, four divisions would be thirty-two thousand. With so many troops, we can not only better reinforce the first line of defense, but also form our second echelon behind these lines, and provide support to the first line of defense if necessary.” A dozen minutes later, a staff officer led four colonels into the command post. He went straight to Rokossovsky and reported, “Comrade Commander, the commanders of the cavalry divisions from Central Asia have arrived!”

Rokossovsky was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly stepped forward to shake hands with the division commanders.

After shaking hands, Rokossovsky smiled and asked a colonel in front of him, "Comrade Colonel, which division are you from?"

“Reporting to the Commander,” the middle-aged colonel with a toothbrush mustache replied respectfully, “I am Colonel Gaidukov, commander of the 17th Cavalry Division.”

"Colonel Gaidukov!" Rokossovsky called out to the man in front of him, asking in a friendly manner, "How many soldiers does your division have?"

"3000 people!"

"What, 3000 men?!" Upon hearing Gaidukov's number, Rokossovsky's smile froze on his face. He muttered, "How can people say that? Aren't cavalry divisions supposed to be 10,000 men?"

Gaidukov's face showed a complicated expression: "Comrade Commander, you don't know this, but my cavalry division was only recently formed, and it was organized with a strength of 3000 men. At the time, I asked my superiors why the people in our division said that. They said..."

"What did they say?" Ma Lining couldn't help but ask.

Gaidukov did not answer immediately, but instead gave Malinin a strange look, thinking to himself, "Who is this colonel? Why did he speak well of the commander before the commander did, and why didn't the commander blame him?"

Rokossovsky noticed Gaidukov's strange look and explained to him, "Colonel Gaidukov, let me introduce you. This is Colonel Malinin, the army group's chief of staff. You can answer his questions with confidence."

After figuring out Malinin's identity, Gaidukov continued, "The higher-ups said that for easier command, cavalry divisions will henceforth be organized into small divisions of 3000 men. The large cavalry divisions of tens of thousands of men that used to be will become increasingly rare."

After Gaidukov finished speaking, Malinin turned to the other three division commanders and asked, "Is your situation the same?"

“Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff.” The three division commanders replied in unison, “We are all small divisions of 3000 men.”

Rokossovsky was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. He had thought that the four newly dispatched cavalry divisions would have more than 30,000 men, even if they were short-handed. However, he now discovered that the total strength of the four divisions was only 12000 men at most.

"Comrades, four division commanders," Rokossovsky said, composing himself. "You are now members of our 16th Army. If you encounter any difficulties, please let us know, and we will do our best to help you."

“Comrade Commander, we are indeed facing a very serious problem right now,” Gaidukov said.

"What serious problem?" Rokossovsky asked Gaidukov. "Why don't you tell me?"

“That’s right, Comrade Commander,” Gaidukov said. “The horses our soldiers are riding haven’t been shod with winter horseshoes yet. On our way here, we found that the land near Moscow was frozen over, and many swampy areas even had ice crystals, which made it difficult for the horses to move. Moreover, our cavalry commanders and soldiers lack experience in operating in ravine-filled and forest-swampy areas.”

Upon hearing this, Rokossovsky realized that what Gaidukov was saying was indeed a serious matter. After a moment's thought, he picked up the telephone on the table and asked the operator to connect him to the headquarters of the 3rd Cavalry Corps.

When that familiar voice came through the receiver, Rokossovsky chuckled and said, "Dovator, are you free now?"

Instead of giving Rokossovsky an immediate answer, Dovator asked in return, "Is there something you need?"

Rokossovsky said into the microphone, "My superiors have just sent me four cavalry divisions, and I intend to hand them over to you to command..." He wanted to add, "Please also help them resolve the difficulties they are facing."

But Dovator didn't listen to what he was going to say next, and said urgently, "Comrade Commander, I'm only a few kilometers away from your command post. I can get there in twenty minutes at most." After saying that, he hung up the phone without giving Rokossovsky a chance to speak.

Rokossovsky put down the phone, shook his head with a wry smile, and then said to the four cavalry division commanders in front of him: "Comrades, I intend to assign you to General Dovator's 1st Cavalry Corps. The horseshoe problem you just mentioned, and your lack of experience in fighting in forests and swamps, are not problems. General Dovator will take care of them for you."

The four men were pleasantly surprised to hear Rokossovsky's words. However, they didn't whisper among themselves, but exchanged glances. They had initially worried that communication problems might arise if they were commanded by an infantry commander. But if their commander was an experienced cavalry commander, their current problems would soon be easily resolved.

Half an hour later, Dovator burst into the command post and saw Rokossovsky and four colonel-level commanders sitting in a corner drinking tea. He quickly went over, saluted, and reported according to regulations: "Comrade Commander, I, Dovator, the commander of the Cavalry Corps, have come here on orders. I obey your orders and await your instructions!"

When Dovator saluted Rokossovsky, the four cavalry division commanders, including Gaidukov, could no longer remain seated and all stood up to salute Dovator.

Rokossovsky shook hands with Dovator, then pointed to the cavalry division commanders beside him and said, "Dovtor, let me introduce you. These four are cavalry division commanders from Central Asia. This is Colonel Gaidukov, commander of the 17th Cavalry Division, and that is the commander of the 20th Cavalry Division..."

Dovator's face was beaming with smiles. Every time Rokossovsky introduced a cavalry division commander to him, he would step forward and shake hands with him, repeatedly saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Gaidukov! It's a pleasure to meet you..."

(End of this chapter)