red moscow

Chapter 2967

After Dovator shook hands with each of the four cavalry division commanders, Rokossovsky explained in detail the difficulties faced by the newly arrived cavalry divisions, and finally asked, "Comrade Dovator, do you have a way to help them solve these problems?"

Dovator thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Our army has a good stockpile of horseshoes, and we can allocate some to the newly arrived cavalry divisions so that they can operate normally in the frozen swamps."

Upon hearing this, Malinin reminded Dovator, "General Dovator, won't replenishing your stockpiled horseshoes for the newly arrived cavalry division negatively impact your troops?"

"No, Comrade Chief of Staff," Dovator said, shaking his head. "Our army has lost nearly half of its horses in the last two weeks of fighting. That means we now only have half the number of horseshoes we used before. Therefore, allocating some to the newly arrived cavalry divisions will not have a significant impact on us."

After saying this, Dovator turned to Gaidukov and asked, "Colonel Gaidukov, can you tell me how many men your cavalry division has?"

"3000 men, Comrade General!"

Upon hearing this number, Dovator frowned slightly: "Since there are only three thousand men, I can order the quartermaster to get your division new horseshoes as soon as possible."

Just as Dovator and Gaidukov were discussing the replacement of horseshoes, Malinin received a phone call, and his expression changed drastically.

Upon seeing this, Rokossovsky quickly asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, what happened?"

Malinin didn't speak, but only glanced at Dovator, who was standing next to Gaidukov talking to him.

Rokossovsky noticed that Malinin's gaze was fixed on Dovator and immediately realized that the phone call he had just received was related to Dovator's cavalry corps. He quickly asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, is it related to the cavalry corps?"

Dovator, who was talking to Gaidukov, stopped talking as soon as Rokossovsky mentioned his cavalry corps. He looked at Rokossovsky and Malinin and asked, "Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, is there a problem with my cavalry corps?"

“Yes, Comrade Dovator.” Marinin did not hide the truth from him, but said truthfully: “I just received a call from the front. The 50th Cavalry Division, which had outflanked Skirmanovo, has been surrounded by the German 10th Panzer Division.”

"What? Puliev's cavalry division is surrounded by the Germans?" Upon hearing the news from Malinin, Dovator's eyes widened in surprise: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is what you said true?"

“Of course it’s true.” Malinin said with a frown, “We will find a way to rescue the cavalry division as soon as possible.”

When Dovator and Rokossovsky discussed how to rescue the 50th Cavalry Division from the enemy's encirclement, Rokossovsky unexpectedly said, "Don't rush, I think we should wait a bit." Seeing the murderous glare from Dovator, Rokossovsky continued, "We should first contact General Priev, find out the situation there, and then formulate a rescue plan."

After hearing Rokossovsky's words, Dovator's anger disappeared. He nodded and said, "Comrade Commander, you are right. We should first contact Priyev to find out the situation there, and then formulate a corresponding rescue plan."

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, Comrade Corps Commander," Gaidukov stepped forward and said to the three men, "I wonder if it would be permissible for my troops to get their horseshoes changed now?"

Upon hearing Gaidukov's request, Malinin said somewhat impatiently, "Comrade Colonel, our primary task now is to rescue General Pliev's 50th Cavalry Division from the German encirclement. As for your division getting horseshoes replaced, we can discuss that after this battle is over."

“Comrade Chief of Staff, I think you haven’t understood what I mean.” Gaidukov quickly explained when he saw that Malinin had misunderstood him: “I want to participate in this rescue operation. If my troops can replace the horseshoes as soon as possible, then in the next battle, they won’t have to worry about the existing horseshoes slipping on the frozen ground and making them hesitant.”

After hearing Gaidukov's words, Malinin realized he had misunderstood the other party and quickly turned to look at Dovator: "General Dovator, what are your thoughts?"

Dovator stared at Gaidukov for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "Colonel Gaidukov, thank you! I will arrange for men to replace the horseshoes for your cavalrymen as soon as possible."

Malinin strode up to Maximenko and ordered him to personally send a telegram to the 50th Cavalry Division, making sure to find out the division's current situation.

After giving his instructions, Malinin returned to Rokossovsky's side and shared his thoughts: "Comrade Commander, doesn't the infantry brigade have two battalions that have occupied a settlement near Szilmanovo? I think we can send that force to rescue the cavalry division first. With the addition of the infantry, the mission to relieve the siege can be completed more quickly."

Rokossovsky did not immediately respond to Malinin's suggestion, but said, "Comrade Chief of Staff, it would be inappropriate to send troops to reinforce Pliev without knowing the situation there. At the very least, we should wait until we have a clear understanding of the enemy's strength and equipment surrounding the cavalry division before sending infantry brigades to their aid."

“Alright then, we’ll do as you say.” Malinin nodded and said, “It won’t be too late to send an infantry brigade to the rescue after General Puliev’s telegram arrives.”

Rokossovsky thought for a moment and then said, "Although the infantry brigade will wait until we have a clear understanding of the situation in Priev before sending them to the rescue, I need to speak with Misha beforehand so that he is aware of the situation."

“That’s only right, Comrade Commander.” Malinin agreed with Rokossovsky’s statement and offered, “I’ll get you on the phone with the infantry brigade.”

A few minutes later, Sokov, who was chatting with Belkin, received a telegram from Malinin.

Upon recognizing Malinin's voice, Sokov asked with some curiosity, "Comrade Chief of Staff, my troops are preparing for battle in the newly captured settlement. May I ask what important instructions you have for me by calling?"

“That’s right, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov.” Since Sokov’s troops were to be sent to rescue the besieged cavalry, Malinin naturally had to tell the truth: “General Puliev’s 50th Cavalry Division was unfortunately surrounded by the German 10th Panzer Division during a counterattack. To prevent them from being annihilated by the enemy, we plan to send troops to rescue them.” Although Malinin hadn’t finished speaking, Sokov had already guessed his intention: “Comrade Chief of Staff, I understand what you mean. I have two battalions near Skirmanovo; if we need to rescue the 50th Cavalry Division, they are the most suitable candidates. Am I right?”

Upon hearing this, Malinin's face lit up with joy. It was so much easier to talk to a smart person; he had only said half of what he wanted to say when the other person guessed his intention: "That's right, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, that's why I called you."

"So when do you plan for us to depart?"

“Don’t rush,” Malinin said. “I just sent a telegram to General Priev. It’s not too late to send your troops to reinforce them after we find out the strength and equipment of the German troops that have been in contact with them.”

“That will do.” Although Sokov had read in Rokossovsky’s war memoirs about the encirclement of Major General Pliev’s 50th Cavalry Division, there was no mention of the location of the encirclement, the size of the enemy forces, or their equipment. It only stated that under General Pliev’s leadership, the troops successfully broke through the German encirclement and returned to their own lines of defense. Therefore, he readily replied, “I await your orders.”

When Sokov hung up the phone, Belkin, who had just returned to the command post, asked curiously, "Comrade Brigade Commander, what did Colonel Malinin say on the phone?"

Seeing Belkin's curiosity, Sokov pointed to the map on the table and said to him and Karsokov, "Comrade Chief of Staff said on the phone that General Pliev's 50th Cavalry Division, while cooperating with the infantry to capture Skyrmanovo, unfortunately got surrounded by the German army. He hopes that I can send the 2nd and 4th Battalions to reinforce and rescue the trapped cavalry."

“On the battlefield today, cavalry are too big of a target; they are practically sitting ducks for the enemy.” Sokov had barely finished speaking when Belkin shook his head and said, “Pessimistically speaking, this unit is finished.”

“No way, Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander.” Karsokov expressed skepticism about Belkin’s statement: “I remember the Brigade Commander saying some time ago that the cavalry division had a strength of more than 5,000 men. How could it have been annihilated by the enemy in such a short time?”

"Comrade Chief of Staff!" Belkin's expression was very dissatisfied when he saw Karsokov contradict him: "When we were still surrounded by the German army, I personally witnessed a cavalry unit bravely charging the enemy's armored forces. But regrettably, although they acted very bravely, how could human flesh and blood withstand the enemy's dense bullets? I watched helplessly as that cavalry unit fell to the enemy's guns in less than ten minutes."

“Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, I admit that what you said is true,” Karsokov retorted. “But the use of cavalry still depends on the specific terrain. Some places are flat and there is no place to take cover at all. To launch an attack on the enemy in such terrain is tantamount to suicide. The MG34 general-purpose machine guns and mortars equipped by the Germans are enough to kill all these commanders and soldiers.”

"Alright, you don't need to argue anymore." Seeing that Belkin and Karsokov were about to have a heated argument about this, Sokov quickly raised his hand to interrupt their dispute and said calmly, "I have a feeling that even without our support, the besieged cavalry are capable of breaking through the German encirclement."

The two men, who were about to continue their debate, both showed expressions of surprise upon hearing Sokov's words.

"Comrade Brigade Commander," Karsokov asked tentatively, "even without our help, can the cavalry division escape from the German encirclement?"

“Why is it impossible?” Seeing that Karsokov was not optimistic about the cavalry division’s independent breakout, Sokov emphasized, “As early as when the 16th Army was reorganized in Mozhaisk, General Dovator’s cavalry corps was repeatedly surrounded by the Germans, but each time they successfully broke through the German encirclement and returned to our lines.”

Karsokov thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Comrade Brigade Commander, I think you make a lot of sense. Even if we don't send reinforcements, the besieged cavalry division can still escape from the enemy's encirclement."

“That may be true, but since we’ve been given a mission by our superiors, we should make the necessary preparations in advance.” Sokov instructed Karsokov: “Send a telegram to Major Vasya, tell him about this, and tell them to prepare for battle.”

"Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander, I'll send the telegram right away."

"Comrade Brigade Commander," Belkin whispered to Sokov while he was arranging for the telegraph operator to send a message, "If the higher command really orders the 2nd and 4th Battalions to reinforce the cavalry division, then they will have to abandon the settlements they just captured. What if they fail to relieve the siege and find that the settlements have already been occupied by the Germans when they try to retreat?"

Sokov looked at Belkin and said in a serious tone, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, the settlements occupied by the Second and Fourth Battalions are unlikely to be lost."

Perhaps to make his words more convincing, he emphasized again: "As I just said, even if we don't send reinforcements, the cavalry division is fully capable of breaking out of the German encirclement with its combat strength."

“What if, I mean what if,” Belkin persisted, “the higher-ups send two infantry battalions to rescue the cavalry division? If that happens, we’ll have to order Major Vasya to abandon the settlements they’ve occupied.”

“The settlement must never be abandoned.” Sokov said firmly after Belkin finished speaking, “Even if the higher command sends our troops to Skyrmanovo to rescue the cavalry division, we still need to leave troops in the settlement to keep watch. According to you, if the troops’ offensive is thwarted, they can retreat here and use the terrain to resist the German attack while waiting for reinforcements.”

Upon hearing this, Belkin stopped speaking and simply nodded slightly, indicating that he understood what Sokov had said.

Sokov turned to look at Karsokov, who was still standing behind the radio operator, and couldn't help but ask him, "Comrade Chief of Staff, how's the situation? Have you received Major Vasya's reply?"

"Not yet, Comrade Brigade Commander," Karsokov quickly replied. "I will report to you as soon as I have any news."

“That works too.” Sokov nodded and said, “Let me know as soon as you have any news.”

“Comrade Brigade Commander,” Belkin said somewhat nervously, “our brigade’s artillery battalion has been transferred away by the higher command. If the higher command really orders the Second and Fourth Battalions to reinforce, do you think they can defeat the enemy and rescue the besieged friendly forces with their light weapons?”

(End of this chapter)