red moscow

Chapter 2979

Seeing that Yevremenko had used Rokossovsky as a shield, Stavsky could say nothing more. He could only sigh, tell Blinov to pack his things, and then, escorted by the arranged guards, return to the army group headquarters.

Upon returning to the army group headquarters, Stavsky immediately sought out Rokossovsky and Lobachev, urgently stating, "Commander, Military Commissar, the area I'm in is under fierce attack by the German army. For a journalist, this is the best news subject; even if I were to write a novel in the future, it would be excellent material. But you've given Major Yevremenko a death order, insisting that I return without hesitation."

After Stavsky finished speaking, Lobachev said with a smile, "Comrade Stavsky, the reason we asked you to return to the army group headquarters is entirely for your safety. You know, you are a very important person, and if something were to happen to you, it would be a huge loss for us."

“Comrade Military Commissioner, you flatter me. I am no great man at all,” Stavsky said modestly. “The real heroes are the commanders and soldiers who are fighting the enemy on the front lines. It is because of their presence that the enemy has not been able to break into Moscow.”

Seeing that Stavsky seemed a bit down, Lobachev chatted with him for a while before shifting the topic to something the other man was interested in: "Comrade Stavsky, there's actually a battle in a certain place that's more newsworthy than the one fought by Major Yevremenko and his men."

Lobachev's words indeed piqued Stavsky's interest, and he immediately asked impatiently, "Comrade Military Commissar, where is the place you mentioned? How many of our troops are fighting the enemy there?"

Lobachev glanced at Rokossovsky, who was busy beside him, and said, "The place I'm talking about is the Duboshekovo crossing, but we don't have many troops there. According to our intelligence, there's only one commander and 28 soldiers under his command."

Stavsky was somewhat disappointed to hear that Dubosekovo, whom Lobachev had praised, had only 29 officers and soldiers fighting at the post. He gave a wry smile and said to Lobachev, "Comrade Military Commissar, what kind of battle can take place in a position held by only twenty or thirty soldiers? It's not worth reporting at all."

Despite Stavsky's disdain, Lobachev patiently explained to him, "Comrade Stavsky, you cannot underestimate their achievements in battle just because they are outnumbered."

Stavsky pulled out his notebook and pencil and asked Lobachev in a businesslike tone, "Comrade Military Commissar, tell me, how did they fight?"

"Two hours ago, the German army launched an attack on the Duboshkovo rendezvous point with an armored battalion reinforced with artillery and infantry," Lobachev said. "The commander at the rendezvous point was Comrade Klochkov, a first-class political instructor, who calmly directed his soldiers to repel the enemy's attack, while their own casualties were almost negligible."

Having been at the front for so many days, Stavsky naturally knew what an armored battalion was. After recording Lobachev's account in his notebook, he asked with great interest, "Comrade Military Commissioner, I wonder how many tanks this German armored battalion has?"

“54 tanks!” Lobachev had barely uttered the number of German tanks when he saw Stavsky’s eyes widen in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief. He quickly asked, “What, Comrade Stavsky, don’t you believe me?”

“This is simply unbelievable,” Stavsky said, expressing his doubts. “29 infantrymen, relying solely on field fortifications and a small number of anti-tank weapons, withstood the attack of 54 German tanks and a large number of infantry, and even managed to repel them. This is simply incredible.”

"This victory was reported personally by General Panfilov, commander of the 316th Infantry Division. I think he probably lied about the situation." Lobachev was probably worried that Stavsky wouldn't understand the relationship between the troops that held the pass and Panfilov, so he emphasized, "The troops that held the pass were Panfilov's subordinates."

After Lobachev finished speaking, Stavsky grabbed his hand and asked excitedly, "Comrade Military Commissioner, may I go to the rendezvous point for an interview?"

But his request was rejected without hesitation by Lobachev: "No, Comrade Stavsky, we have no right to let you take such a risk."

"But I just came back from a fierce battle. Nothing happened to me there. Would standing there make it even more dangerous?"

“Comrade Stavsky,” Rokossovsky put down his work and said seriously to Stavsky, “Major Yevremenko has nearly a thousand men, plus a dedicated infantry battalion. They have enough strength to stop the enemy from quickly advancing into our positions. The situation at the rendezvous point is different. Their total strength is less than 30 men. Facing a powerful armored battalion, they might repel one attack, but they might not be able to repel a second. Sending you to the rendezvous point now would be tantamount to sending you to your death.”

Although Rokossovsky and Lobachev rejected his request, Stavsky said reluctantly, "Comrade Commander, Comrade Military Commissar, you all know that I am not only an editor, but also a journalist. The place you mentioned that you are giving way is the best interview location for me. I beg you to allow me to go there to conduct the interview."

"No, absolutely not." As a military commander, Rokossovsky naturally understood how absurd it was to expect twenty or thirty men to hold off a German armored battalion. If he were to allow Stavsky to go to the rendezvous point, it would be tantamount to sending him to his death, so he refused very decisively: "I cannot let you go to a dangerous place."

Stavsky remained persistent, continuing to plead with Rokossovsky and Lobachev, hoping they would change their minds and allow him to conduct interviews at the next station.

Lobachev, easily swayed, couldn't resist Stavsky's persistent pleading and could only turn to Rokossovsky for help, hoping he could dissuade Stavsky.

Seeing the look Lobachev was giving him, Rokossovsky remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Comrade Stavsky, let me call General Panfilov first to find out about the situation at the border crossing. If the enemy hasn't attacked yet, I can arrange for someone to escort you there to take a look."

After saying this, Rokossovsky asked the communications officer to connect him to the headquarters of the 316th Infantry Division.

After the call connected, Rokossovsky heard Panfilov's voice on the other end and quickly said, "General Panfilov, I'd like to ask about the situation at the rendezvous point."

To his surprise, the moment he uttered these words, Panfilov, who had been so spirited when he called him not long ago to report intelligence on the relay station, said in a somber tone, "Comrade Commander, the situation is very bad. The enemy has launched another attack on the relay station, but the situation doesn't seem to be looking good for us." Rokossovsky was startled. He thought to himself, "Just over half an hour ago, the soldiers at the relay station had repelled the German attack. How could the situation have become so critical in the blink of an eye?" He composed himself and asked, "General Panfilov, tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

"The enemy has launched another attack on the rendezvous point," Panfilov replied. "Klochkov called me, saying that with their strength, they probably can't hold out for long, so he hopes I can send troops to reinforce them. Comrade Commander, I implore you, could you please send nearby troops to rescue the rendezvous point?"

"General Panfilov, I have no men left. How can I send someone to rescue me and get the station ready?"

“But if we lose the outpost, it will threaten the safety of the second line of defense.” Panfilov continued to plead with Rokossovsky, “Comrade Commander, please be sure to send reinforcements to us.”

Rokossovsky ended his call with Panfilov, held the receiver for a moment, and then asked Malinin, "Comrade Chief of Staff, which unit is closest to the rendezvous point? Have them immediately send men to reinforce it."

Ma Lining glanced down at the troop distribution map on the table and then replied, "Comrade Commander, the closest unit to the rendezvous point is the 1077th Regiment, which is no more than one kilometer away."

However, Rokossovsky shook his head after hearing this and said, "The 1077th Regiment has been severely weakened in the fighting during this period. It is barely able to hold the existing positions, and there is no extra force to be spared to reinforce the rendezvous station."

Although Stavsky was just a guest at the headquarters of the 16th Army, he couldn't help but get anxious when he heard Rokossovsky say this: "Comrade Commander, it's dangerous to give way. You can't just stand by and watch it die and let the Germans occupy it, can you?"

“How could we so easily hand over the position to the enemy?” Malining interjected. “If we draw troops from the 1077th Regiment, their forces will be weakened. If our troops fail to hold the position and the enemy launches another attack, they might just break through the regiment’s defenses.”

Stavsky gleaned something from Malinin's words and quickly asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you mean that even if the 1077th Regiment isn't sent as reinforcement, other units will be sent? Am I right?"

“Yes, Comrade Stavsky.” This time, Malinin did not deny it, but nodded and said, “We can only try to draw troops from other places to provide reinforcements.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky asked with some curiosity after hearing Malinin's words, "what troops do you plan to transfer to reinforce the rendezvous point?"

“Comrade Commander, please look at the map.” Malinin pointed to the map on the table and said to Rokossovsky, “There is a small town about four or five kilometers away from the rendezvous point. It is currently occupied by Lieutenant Colonel Sokov’s infantry brigade. If we send reinforcements from the brigade, it should be possible.”

After listening to Malinin's suggestion, Rokossovsky stared at the map for a long time, and finally nodded slowly, saying, "That's right, sending Misha's troops to reinforce Huichang Station is probably the only way."

Seeing that Rokossovsky agreed to his proposal, Malinin did not dare to delay and quickly picked up the phone on the table to call the infantry brigade headquarters directly.

"Is this Lieutenant Colonel Sokov?" When Malinin heard the phone ringing in the receiver, he immediately identified himself: "I am Colonel Malinin, Chief of Staff of the Army Group."

"Oh, it's Chief of Staff, Comrade." Sokov asked, somewhat puzzled, "What brings you here?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, our troops holding the Duboshkovo pass are currently in an extremely dangerous situation," Malinin said in a consultative tone. "I see a small town occupied by your brigade, only four or five kilometers from the pass. I wonder if you could send troops to reinforce it?"

Malinin's words gave Sokov a headache. Although the distance from the town to the rendezvous point was only four or five kilometers, the area was all plains. The reinforcements would definitely be shelled by the Germans on their way there, and how many men would be left when they arrived was an unknown.

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov pondered for a long time before finally voicing his concerns: "Although it's only four or five kilometers from the town to the rendezvous point, the entire route is open ground with no cover whatsoever. If the reinforcements are discovered by the enemy, they will be met with artillery fire or even bombing. In the end, it's uncertain how many people will make it to the rendezvous point alive."

Seeing Malinin and Sokov arguing, Rokossovsky asked impatiently, "Comrade Chief of Staff, what did Misha say? Is he willing to send reinforcements?"

Malinin quickly covered the microphone with his hand and reported to Rokossovsky, "Comrade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov neither agreed nor refused. He only said that the distance from the town to the rendezvous point is all open ground. If the reinforcements are discovered by the enemy during their march, they will be shelled, and the troops will suffer heavy losses. In the end, I'm afraid few will be able to reach the rendezvous point alive."

From Sokov's perspective, Rokossovsky undoubtedly agreed with Sokov's statement. However, as commander of the 16th Army, he was considering the overall situation, not just the local one. Therefore, after Malinin finished speaking, he said sternly, "Chief of Staff, please inform Lieutenant Colonel Sokov to send reinforcements to the rendezvous point as soon as possible."

Malinin was taken aback by Rokossovsky's sudden order and hesitated. He stammered, "Comrade Commander, I think Lieutenant Colonel Sokov is right. If we really have to draw troops from the town to reinforce them, we will definitely suffer huge losses en route. But as the commanders of the army group, we have to consider the overall situation. If the post is lost, the enemy will launch a fierce attack on the 1077th Regiment's position. Once the position is lost, the enemy will break through the entire army group's defense line."

After listening to Rokossovsky's words, Malinin understood what he meant. He nodded slowly and said, "I understand, Comrade Commander. I will immediately convey your message to Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and have him send reinforcements as soon as possible. We must hold the crossing at all costs, so that we will have an important starting point for our counterattack tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)