red moscow

Chapter 2970 The Missions That Follow

The German troops that had divided and encircled the 50th Cavalry Division in several settlements and villages were the 10th Panzer Division, which belonged to the 19th Army. Upon learning that the encircled Soviet cavalry had actually broken out of their encirclement, the German division commander was furious and was preparing to draw troops from nearby areas to pursue the retreating cavalry division when his chief of staff rushed into the office with a telegram.

"Commander!" The chief of staff placed the newly received telegram in front of the division commander: "The troops holding out in Skirmanovo have sent an urgent message: After several failed attacks on the settlements, the Russian forces have deployed tank units..."

Before the chief of staff could finish speaking, the division commander slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Chief of staff, the Russians have tanks, but don't we have tanks too? Don't forget, our tanks have traversed the entire continent of Europe without encountering any formidable opponents. Do you really think that those few outdated Russian tanks can help their infantry break through our lines?"

Just as the division commander was about to order an armored battalion to reinforce Stilmanovo, the chief of staff said, "Your Excellency, this Russian armored unit is different from other units. The brigade commander is named Katukov, who once commanded this unit and caused great losses to our armored units in the Mtsensk region."

The division commander's expression froze. Although they had always looked down on Soviet tank crews, believing their tank tactics to be rigid and outdated, and that even with numerical superiority, they were still routed by German armored forces, he hesitated upon hearing Katukov's name.

Seeing that the division commander remained silent, the chief of staff continued, "Your Excellency, after this period of fighting, our division has suffered nearly a third of its casualties. It is really not suitable to continue to wear down the Russians. I think it would be better to temporarily abandon the Skirmanovo area and launch a new offensive after we have completed our rest and replenishment."

After listening to the chief of staff's advice, the German division commander paced back and forth in the room several times with his hands behind his back, and finally made a difficult decision.

"Chief of Staff, immediately issue orders to the troops holding Skirmanovo to withdraw from the area under alternating cover and retreat to the second line of defense for rest." The division commander said with a bitter face, "You're right. Our division has suffered too many casualties in the recent battles, and the officers and soldiers are also very tired. We should withdraw and rest for a while."

Thus, the German troops occupying the Skirmanovo region, after receiving orders to retreat, used alternating cover to withdraw, breaking contact with the Soviet forces and successfully entering their second line of defense. Meanwhile, the attacking Soviet troops, having completely occupied and controlled the Skirmanovo region, ceased fighting.

Rokossovsky was overjoyed when he received the battle report from the front and learned that his counter-offensive forces had successfully recaptured Skirmanovo. He shouted to Lobachev and Malinin, "Comrade Military Commissar, Comrade Chief of Staff, our commanders and soldiers have performed very well in the battles of the past two days. I think they should be awarded medals so that they can receive honors commensurate with their achievements."

“That’s as it should be, Comrade Commander.” Lobachev nodded in agreement with Rokossovsky’s suggestion and continued, “Although Lieutenant Colonel Sokov’s troops were not in charge of the main direction in this counterattack, their performance was still outstanding. In particular, they helped General Priev’s troops successfully break through the German encirclement.”

“That’s right, Misha’s infantry brigade performed very well in this battle.” Rokossovsky nodded in affirmation. “Comrade Military Commissioner, please contact the brigade’s deputy commander, Lieutenant Colonel Belkin, later and have him submit the commendation application as soon as possible.”

"Okay, I'll call Lieutenant Colonel Belkin in a bit."

“Comrade Commander,” Malinin reminded Rokossovsky from the side, “our counter-offensive in the Skyrmanovo region has now come to a successful conclusion. Do you think we should report this achievement to the Front Headquarters immediately?”

“You’re right. I’ll report this victory to Zhukov immediately.”

After Rokossovsky finished speaking, he picked up the high-frequency telephone on the table, dialed a number, and said, "This is Rokossovsky. Please connect me to Zhukov's command post."

Not long after, Zhukov's voice came through the receiver: "I am Zhukov. Is this Rokossovsky?"

"Yes, it's me."

"How's the counterattack going over there?" Zhukov didn't bother with pleasantries, but asked directly, "When will you be able to drive the Germans out of Skirmanovo?"

"Comrade General, I'm calling you because I have some good news to tell you," Rokossovsky said with great pride. "After three days of fighting, we have driven out the enemy entrenched in the Skirmanovo region, and the settlements and villages in this area have returned to our hands."

“Well done, Koschka,” Zhukov said on the phone. “If the other units could do the same, we could probably drive the Germans out of our country in less than two months.”

Rokossovsky sensed something was amiss from Zhukov's tone and tentatively asked, "George Konstantinovich, what's wrong?"

Zhukov was silent for a moment before speaking: "Koschka, the situation on the battlefield is very unfavorable for our army. Although you have achieved a victory in the counterattack in the Skyrmanovo area, you must not be complacent. I will give you a day to rest. The day after tomorrow morning, you will launch a counterattack in a new area and thwart the enemy's plot to rush towards Moscow."

Rokossovsky was shocked: "What? Another counterattack is planned for the day after tomorrow?"

"Why, do you have any problem?"

“Of course.” Although he knew the other person couldn’t see him, Rokossovsky nodded and said, “George Konstantinovich! After three days of fighting, my troops have suffered heavy casualties, and the officers and soldiers are exhausted. Under these circumstances, I think it would be unwise to hastily launch a new counterattack against the enemy.”

"Comrade Rokossovsky!" Zhukov's tone turned stern upon hearing Rokossovsky's words: "Our troops have suffered heavy losses and our commanders and soldiers are exhausted, but isn't the enemy the same? We are tired, and so are the enemy; we are short of manpower, and the Germans are not much better off. If we do not take advantage of this time to launch a decisive counterattack, and wait for the Germans to recover before attacking, we will suffer even greater losses."

Zhukov's words left Rokossovsky speechless for a moment.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Understood, Comrade General. I will convey your message to the commanders and tell them to prepare for battle." Seeing Rokossovsky's grave expression as he hung up the phone, Malinin tentatively asked, "Comrade Commander, what is General Zhukov's attitude upon hearing of our victory?"

"Zhukov would certainly be pleased to have repelled the enemy entrenched in Skyrmanovo and recaptured the settlements and villages in the region."

Malinin looked at Rokossovsky and asked suspiciously, "But, Comrade Commander, the expression on your face doesn't look like you've been praised. Has something happened?"

Rokossovsky nodded and said in a heavy tone, "Zhukov told me that we would only have one day to rest, and the day after tomorrow we must launch a counterattack against the Germans in a new area."

"What? We're going to launch another counterattack the day after tomorrow?" Ma Lining began to complain incessantly. "We just finished a three-day battle. Although we achieved a final victory, all the participating units suffered considerable losses. Even if we're going to participate in a new counterattack, we should at least have some time to replenish the troops and ammunition we've lost in the battle. Launching an attack the day after tomorrow without any preparation, and with the commanders and soldiers exhausted, I'm afraid we won't achieve any results."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, this is an order from Zhukov, and there is absolutely no room for negotiation," Rokossovsky said helplessly. "You should think carefully about which units should participate in the counterattack operation the day after tomorrow, and inform the commanders of these units in advance."

An hour later, Sokov, who had just regrouped his troops, suddenly received a phone call from Malinin.

On the phone, Malinin asked in a friendly tone, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, our counter-offensive operation in the Skirmanovo region has ended in victory. Your brigade performed well in the battle, and you will be commended by your superiors."

Hearing that his superiors would be awarding his unit, Sokov was naturally very pleased. For soldiers, what could be better than receiving honors commensurate with their achievements? He cautiously asked, "How many officers and soldiers do the higher-ups plan to award medals to?"

"The exact number hasn't been tallied yet," Ma Lining said casually on the phone. "After all, these morale-boosting efforts are handled by the Military Commissioner, so I'm not entirely sure about the exact number of medals. But I can assure you that there are at least 20 Red Flag Medals alone."

Thinking that at least 20 men in his brigade would receive the Order of the Red Banner, Sokov was overjoyed: "That's wonderful. I'll share this good news with the officers and soldiers so everyone can be happy."

After exchanging a few casual words with Sokov, Malinin got down to business: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I'd like to ask, if there are new combat missions, how many days do your units need to prepare before they can be deployed?"

Sokov pondered for a moment, then decided to speak his mind: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please forgive my bluntness. In the past few days of fighting, my troops have suffered considerable casualties and will need at least a week of rest before they can return to the battlefield."

"What, you need a week to rest?" Malining asked, somewhat puzzled. "Your troops have participated in many battles before without any rest. Why do they need a whole week to rest after this counterattack?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, the situation is like this," Sokov continued, "Our brigade originally had two artillery battalions attached. If the enemy resistance was strong, a barrage of artillery fire followed by an infantry charge would be enough to break through their resistance. But since the higher command transferred our artillery battalions away, we've been finding it difficult to defend or attack. For example, in today's rescue of the cavalry division, according to Major Vasya, the commander in charge of the operation, they reached the vicinity of the settlement but were blocked by enemy tank fire and machine gun positions. If General Priev hadn't led the cavalry out of the settlement in time, they probably would have had to abandon the rescue mission and retreat when there was no hope of breaking through."

Upon hearing Sokov's words, Malinin's lips twitched, and he asked awkwardly, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, other units can defeat the enemy even without artillery. Don't you know how to fight without artillery?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, since our brigade was formed, whether in offense or defense, we have always emphasized infantry-artillery coordination." Sokov explained to Malinin, "The officers and soldiers were already used to this style of fighting, but we did not expect that the artillery battalion would be suddenly transferred. Now that we are without direct artillery support, it will probably take some time for us to learn new tactics."

From Sokov's words, Malinin realized the seriousness of the problem. He gripped the microphone and asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, if you were ordered to launch an attack on a German-occupied area in two days, would you be able to participate in the battle?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, there's definitely no problem with my troops participating in the battle," Sokov replied truthfully. "But what kind of results we can achieve is another matter."

"What do you mean? I don't quite understand."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I have already explained this to you," Sokov continued. "Our brigade was originally assigned two artillery battalions, which could intercept enemy attacks on the positions when the troops were on the defensive; and during offensive operations, these artillery pieces could directly destroy enemy fortifications, opening up a path for the infantry to advance. But now the artillery battalions are gone, and we lack heavy weapons. To break through the enemy's lines, we can only rely on the flesh and blood of our officers and soldiers. As a result, heavy casualties are inevitable."

Sokov's words made Malinin ponder: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, according to you, if you don't get direct artillery support, it will be a very difficult thing to capture the enemy's position?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it,” Sokov added. “If we were to force a breakthrough into the enemy’s lines, it would be possible, but the casualties would be extremely heavy.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I understand what you mean,” Malinin said hesitantly. “I will relay your idea to the commander and see if he will return your artillery battalion to your brigade.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, if the Commander really agrees to let the two artillery battalions return to their original units, that would be wonderful." Upon hearing that Malinin had objected to the return of the artillery battalions that had been transferred, Sokov immediately perked up and assured him, "With these two artillery battalions, we can complete counter-offensive operations like the capture of the Skirmanovo region with just one brigade."

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, you seem quite confident about the upcoming operations," Malinin said with a smile. "Hopefully, your performance won't disappoint us after the artillery battalion returns to its unit."

(End of this chapter)