red moscow

Chapter 2980

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" After discussing with Rokossovsky, Malinin released his hand from the microphone and said in an unquestionable tone, "Comrade Commander and I have discussed it. Your unit is closest to Duboshekovo Station, so we must send troops to reinforce it."

After ending his call with Malinin, Sokov held the receiver for a moment, then asked a communications soldier to connect him to Belkin. Belkin was currently in the town closest to the rendezvous point, and he was tasked with deciding how many troops to send as reinforcements.

After the call connected, Sokov got straight to the point: "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, how's the situation there?"

"Comrade Brigade Commander, our scouts have returned and reported that German armored units have appeared to the west of the town. It seems they intend to attack." Belkin knew that Sokov wouldn't call him without a reason; there must be some important mission. Therefore, after reporting the situation in the town, he tentatively asked, "Did you call me because of something important?"

"That's right, Deputy Brigade Commander." Although German troops had already appeared near the town, the order to send reinforcements to the Duboshkovo Pass had to be carried out unconditionally, even if the number of reinforcements sent was reduced: "Chief of Staff Colonel Malinin just called me and said that the Duboshkovo Pass, which is being held by the 316th Infantry Division, is under heavy attack by the Germans and is about to fall. He hopes that we can send troops to reinforce it."

"What? Sending troops to reinforce Duboshekovo Station?" Belkin said in surprise. "Don't the higher-ups know that we are also very likely to be attacked by the enemy? If we divert troops to reinforce now and weaken our defenses, how will we hold off the enemy when they attack?"

“This is an order from headquarters, and it must be carried out unconditionally.” After saying this, Sokov softened his tone and said, “Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, you are the forward commander. It is up to you how many men to send as reinforcements.”

Belkin looked very troubled. He muttered, "Comrade Brigade Commander, this is not a good situation. The number of troops we send will definitely affect the defense of the town; but if we send too few troops, they will not be of any use. You know, light infantry without anti-tank weapons are lambs to the slaughter in front of enemy tanks."

“Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander,” Sokov thought for a moment and came up with a compromise: “You should send one company each from the Third and Fourth Battalions to Duboshekovo Pass as quickly as possible to reinforce the garrison there. As for the remaining troops, I think they should be able to hold the town.”

“Alright,” Belkin said. “I’ll call Captain Nazorov and Major Vasya over immediately and give them instructions.”

After Sokov hung up the phone, Karsokov asked with a worried look, "Comrade Brigade Commander, I just heard you tell Colonel Malinin that the distance from the town to the passing station is all open ground with no cover. If our troops are discovered by the Germans while passing through this area, they are very likely to be shelled or bombed. Although only two companies have been sent to reinforce this time, I think the casualties will be very heavy."

Sokov remained silent, thinking that sending two companies to rescue Duboshkovo Station was merely doing his best. Perhaps the station would already be occupied by the Germans before the troops even reached their destination.

As he was thinking this, he heard Karsokov next to him cautiously ask, "Comrade Brigade Commander, I heard that Duboshekovo only has less than 30 soldiers left at the post. Can they hold the position against the fierce German attack?"

Sokov turned to look at Karsokov, a bitter expression on his face. Twenty-odd light infantrymen, relying on rudimentary field fortifications and lacking effective anti-tank weapons, were facing an attack from a single German armored vehicle. It was simply a pipe dream to hold their position.

He said in a hoarse voice, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think it's only a matter of time before the position falls. I only hope that the troops sent by Lieutenant Colonel Belkin can reach their destination before the enemy occupies the rendezvous point, which would at least prolong the time before the rendezvous point falls."

“Even if we march at top speed from the town, it would take about an hour to get there,” Karsokov said, shaking his head. “No matter how tenacious our commanders and soldiers are, they might not be able to hold out for an hour.”

Sokov stared at the map in front of him without speaking, but his mind was racing through information about the battle from later generations.

According to the known details of the battle, First Political Instructor Klochkov led 28 soldiers in a fierce resistance against the attack of a German armored battalion. After destroying 18 enemy tanks and more than 100 enemy soldiers, all the officers and soldiers holding the position were killed in action.

However, many marketing accounts in later generations have vehemently denied the battle that took place at Duboshkovo Station, claiming it was a fabricated propaganda piece by the Soviets.

To prove their point, they even presented a great deal of "evidence."

The earliest report on the Battle of Huichang appeared in the newspaper Izvestia on November 19. A frontline correspondent named Ivanov mentioned in an article entitled "The 8th Guards Division in Battle" (because the 316th Division was awarded the Guards title on November 18, becoming the 8th Guards Infantry Division) that a company of the division defending the left flank of the 1075th Infantry Regiment destroyed nine tanks and set another three on fire when surrounded by German forces. After fighting bravely, they repelled the German attack and held their position. However, interestingly, the article did not mention the heroic sacrifice of Klochkov and others.

On November 27 of the same year, the Red Star newspaper, the official newspaper of the People's Commissariat of Defense, published a report entitled "Guards Soldiers in the Battle of Moscow". In this article, the "great feat" of 28 soldiers of the 8th Guards Division destroying 18 German tanks and sacrificing themselves was mentioned for the first time. This became one of the earliest prototypes of the story of "Panfilov's 28 Heroes".

The following day, the newspaper published another report entitled "The Last Wish of 28 Heroes," written by Alexander Krivitsky, a well-known editor and writer at the newspaper. It provided the first "detailed and specific description" of the battle and claimed that the remains of all the fallen officers and soldiers were buried in the mass cemetery in the village of Duboshkovo.

On January 22, 1942, Krivitsky mentioned Klochkov's last words in an essay entitled "For 28 Fallen Heroes": "Russia is vast, but there is nowhere to retreat; behind us is Moscow." He also mentioned Ivan Natalov, the last survivor of this "heroic story," who, before dying from his wounds in a field hospital, recounted their battle and published the detailed list of these "28 heroes" for the first time.

Thus, the story of the "28 Panfilov Warriors," which became known to the world, came to light.

In addition to news reports, they also specifically mentioned that, according to Soviet battle reports, the 1075th Regiment destroyed a total of 9 German tanks on November 16. This number was only half of the number of tanks destroyed by the "28 Panfilov Warriors" in later reports, and it was the result of the entire regiment.

Marketing accounts have used various so-called "evidence" to try to deny that a battle took place at Duboshkovo Station, and have even questioned the existence of the Panfilov 28 Warriors.

Their posts, while seemingly reasonable at first glance, reveal numerous problems upon closer inspection. For instance, they mention Klochkov, who, as a political officer, held the rank of First-Class Political Instructor, equivalent to an instructor. However, these ignorant marketing accounts fail to grasp the fact that Soviet military officers and political officers wore completely different ranks at the time, thus incorrectly classifying Klochkov's rank as Captain and his position as Trainee Instructor.

They also claimed that after the war, a certain general was in charge of investigating the matter and found that even Kaprov, the commander of the 1075th Regiment at the time, did not know that a battle had taken place at the Duboshekovo Station, let alone the 28 heroes of Panfilov. Therefore, it can be concluded that this event was fabricated.

However, they make no mention of the fact that Rokossovsky's war memoirs specifically mention the world-renowned feat achieved by Klochkov and 28 heroes of Panfilov's troops near the village of Duboshekovo. As the commander of the 16th Army at the time, directly commanding Panfilov's 316th Infantry Division, how could Rokossovsky not know whether fighting had occurred at the Duboshekovo border crossing?
Furthermore, the marketing account also claimed that since the commanders and soldiers on the front lines had all sacrificed their lives, how did others come to know Klochkov's words, "Russia is vast, but we have nowhere to retreat; Moscow is right behind us!"

As they spoke these words, they seemed to have forgotten that in the movie "The Battle of Moscow," when Klochkov shouted this line, there was a telephone receiver with half of its casing blown off nearby. Although Klochkov couldn't hear what Panfilov was saying on the other end of the line, Panfilov could hear what Klochkov was saying.

However, upon closer examination, the situation becomes clear. These marketing accounts, driven by ulterior motives, not only vehemently denied the existence of the 28 Panfilov's heroes but also maliciously smeared the heroine Zoya, claiming she never attacked Germans but instead set fire to villagers' houses, and that she wasn't killed by Germans but by angry villagers. Even the photos of Zoya's heroic sacrifice were fabricated, completely tarnishing and subverting her heroic image.

Zoya's tragedy has not yet occurred, so we can leave it aside for now. But the battle in which Klochkov and his soldiers hold the line at Duboshekovo is currently underway. To say that this battle never happened would be a blatant lie.

Sokov was so angry that he gritted his teeth, thinking about how later marketing accounts had smeared Panfilov's 28 warriors and Zoya.

"Comrade Brigade Commander, Comrade Brigade Commander!" Karsokov, who was standing next to him, suddenly noticed that Sokov's face was full of anger, as if he had been provoked by something. He quickly grabbed Sokov's arm and shook it hard twice.

Sokov turned to look at Karsokov, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, is there something you need?"

"Comrade Brigade Commander, what's wrong?" Karsokov pointed at Sokov's face and said cautiously, "You look very frightening."

Hearing Karsokov say this, Sokov's expression became quite unnatural. He certainly wouldn't tell the other person that he was angry because he was thinking of those articles from later marketing accounts that smeared the Great Patriotic War, but instead said to cover it up, "The thought of the Germans who are preparing to attack us makes me furious, and I'm thinking of ways to eliminate them."

“Oh, I see.” Karsokov believed him and continued, “We have two artillery pieces in each of the two towns we occupy. Even if the Germans launch an attack on the towns, with tanks and armored vehicles covering the infantry charge, our commanders are confident that they can repel them.”

"You're right, our commanders and soldiers will definitely be able to repel them."

After exchanging a few words with Karsokov, Sokov approached Romanov and asked him in a low voice, "Comrade Romanov, how many artillery pieces are left in that hidden armory?"

"I'm not sure of the exact number, but there are at least 20 more."

Karsokov happened to overhear Romanov's words and quickly came over to ask, "Comrade Romanov, didn't you go to that hidden armory a few times? How come you don't know the number of artillery pieces stored inside?"

Romanov quickly and respectfully replied, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I have indeed been to the armory several times, but many of the cannons are still in wooden crates and have not been assembled at all, so I cannot ascertain the exact number of cannons."

“I see, I understand.” Karsokov turned to Sokov and asked cautiously, “Comrade Brigade Commander, we only have one artillery battery with four cannons, which is a bit too few. Do you think we should send someone to fetch a few more cannons to expand our artillery force?”

Karsokov's proposal momentarily tempted Sokov, but he quickly abandoned the idea.

He had seen a TV series where, whenever Lao Li's unit acquired some good equipment, the brigade commander would call directly, chuckling, "Lao Li, congratulations on your fortune!" Then he would order Lao Li to send most of the equipment to the brigade headquarters.

If he were to send men to retrieve even more artillery pieces from the hidden armory at this moment, the army group headquarters would likely find out through special channels as soon as the artillery was brought back to the infantry brigade's defense zone. Rokossovsky wouldn't call to congratulate him on his windfall; instead, he would directly issue an order assigning the artillery unit he had assembled to General Kazakov, the army group's artillery chief. In that case, he would have gained nothing.

"No, Chief of Staff, we cannot add more artillery pieces now."

"Why?" Karsokov asked, puzzled. "With more artillery, our brigade's anti-tank capabilities will be greatly enhanced. We are confident that we can repel even an armored regiment, let alone an armored battalion."

Seeing that the chief of staff did not understand his intention, Sokov simply smiled and then said in a light tone, "Comrade Chief of Staff, have you forgotten how our two artillery battalions disappeared?"

These words were like a wake-up call. Karsokov's expression froze. He couldn't help but recall that the brigade commander had just been sent to Moscow when the order to transfer two artillery battalions was issued. If a new artillery battalion were formed now, it would probably be transferred by higher-ups in no time.

(End of this chapter)