red moscow

Chapter 2986

After returning to his temporary command post from the hospital, Sokov walked up to Morozova and asked her, "Is there a telegram from the deputy brigade commander?"

“No,” Morozova said, shaking her head. “So far, no telegrams have been received.”

"Send a telegram to the deputy brigade commander, asking about the current situation and when they can proceed to Taiyangshan City as originally planned."

Morozova agreed and then sent a telegram to Belkin, inquiring about the current situation.

A dozen minutes later, Belkin's reply arrived.

The telegram was brief: “So far, the troops have not received any orders and must remain on standby.”

After reading the telegram, Sokov's eyebrows furrowed. He said to Morozova with a serious expression, "Comrade Morozova, immediately send a telegram to the army group headquarters to inquire when the main force of the infantry brigade can move into Sun Mountain City?"

The telegram from the army group headquarters arrived quickly, stating: "The situation in the Volokolamsk direction is currently unfavorable to our forces. The main force of the infantry brigade may return at any time, and the original plan to garrison Sunhill is cancelled. In addition, you should use the forces at your disposal to strengthen the defense of Sunhill to prevent a possible German surprise attack."

After reading the telegram from the army group headquarters, Sokov was utterly speechless. He only had less than three hundred men at his disposal, and even if he transferred some of the less seriously wounded to help, his total strength probably wouldn't exceed eight hundred. Although Sun Mountain City wasn't large, trying to defend the city with such a small force was simply a pipe dream.

Therefore, Sokov sent another telegram to the army group headquarters, reporting that Sun Mountain was now essentially a ghost town. He also implored his superiors to allow the main force of the infantry brigade to proceed with the original plan to garrison Sun Mountain.

At the army group headquarters, Malinin was taken aback when he received the telegram from Sokov. He immediately came over to report to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, I just received a telegram from Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. He said that apart from 3 policemen and 200 militiamen who have not received any military training, there is no garrison regiment in Sun Mountain City."

Rokossovsky was equally surprised upon hearing this, as he had encountered a similar situation the previous month. Army Front Commander General Konev had ordered him and members of the 16th Army headquarters to Vyazma to receive new troops. However, upon arrival, he discovered there were no troops there at all. Shortly after, the Germans even stormed the city, forcing him and his men to flee in disarray.

Upon learning that Sun Mountain City was an empty city, he immediately changed his mind and decided to send the main force of the infantry brigade to Sun Mountain City as soon as possible to strengthen its defenses and prevent the army group's rear from being threatened if the city was occupied by the German army.

Thinking of this, Rokossovsky instructed Malinin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately send a telegram to the infantry brigade, instructing them to proceed to Sun Mountain City as quickly as possible according to the original plan, and under Misha's command, to expedite the construction of defenses."

"However, the situation in the Volokolamsk direction is very unfavorable to our army. If we are to deploy reserves, infantry brigades are the best choice."

“Comrade Chief of Staff!” Rokossovsky stared into Malinin’s eyes and said, “Before understanding the situation in Sun Mountain City, I did intend to use the infantry brigade as a reserve force, to be deployed in a critical moment. But now it seems that the plan must be adjusted. Sun Mountain City is practically an empty city now. If the Germans bypass our defenses and rush directly to Sun Mountain City, Misha’s few hundred soldiers simply cannot hold it. Once Sun Mountain City falls, the enemy can threaten our supply lines. Therefore, we must now do everything we can to hold Sun Mountain City.”

"Alright, then I'll send a telegram to the infantry brigade and tell them to proceed to Taiyangshan City as soon as possible according to the original plan."

Just as Malinin sent out the telegram he had drafted, a staff officer walked in and reported to Rokossovsky, "Comrade Commander, there is a general outside who wants to see you!"

"A general wants to see me?" Rokossovsky asked, somewhat surprised. "Who is it?"

The staff officer shook his head and answered truthfully, "I don't know him, but he said he's your friend."

"Then bring him in."

A few minutes later, the staff officer led a major general into the command post.

Upon seeing this person, Rokossovsky's eyes lit up immediately. He then walked around the table and went to greet him, saying loudly, "It's you, dear Georgy Fedorovich! What brings you here?"

The visitor shook hands with Rokossovsky and then said, "After I broke out with a small force from the Bryansk Front, I rested in Moscow for a while, and then my superiors assigned me to your army group as deputy commander."

"General Zakharov!" Malinin exclaimed in surprise to the newcomer, "I heard that after General Yeremenko was wounded and withdrew from the battle, you took over as acting commander of the Bryansk Front. How come you're here as deputy commander of our army group?"

Hearing Malinin say this, Zakharov's face showed a bitter expression: "When I was acting as commander of the Bryansk Front, the troops were surrounded by the German army. After a fierce battle, I only managed to break out of the encirclement with a small number of troops. Most of the troops were either annihilated or captured. It was because of my poor performance that I was demoted."

"I see." After figuring out what had happened, Rokossovsky asked again, "What are your plans next?"

Zakharov looked at Rokossovsky and said solemnly, "You are the army group commander, and I will obey your orders without hesitation."

Rokossovsky was taken aback when his superiors assigned him a deputy commander without even a word. What kind of work to assign this person to was a real dilemma for Rokossovsky.

Seeing that Rokossovsky had not yet given a response, Zakharov grew impatient and spoke up, "Comrade Commander, I've heard that the fighting in the Volokolamsk region is quite fierce. Why don't you send me there to command the battle?" "No, no," Rokossovsky rejected Zakharov's request without hesitation. "The situation in the Volokolamsk region is too complex. You've just arrived here and are not yet familiar with the situation. It would be inappropriate for you to rashly go there to command troops."

When his request was rejected by Rokossovsky, Zakharov was not discouraged at all. He even generously said, "Comrade Commander, then you can arrange for me to go wherever you think is more suitable. I will not have any complaints."

Hearing Zakharov say this, Rokossovsky had a suitable place in mind and said, "Zakharov, I do have a place that I want you to take charge of."

"Where?" Zakharov asked.

“The cities of Sunhill and Klin.” Seeing Zakharov’s blank expression, Rokossovsky explained, “We’re old friends and now partners, so I’ll be frank with you. Volokolamsk is definitely not going to hold out, and our defensive line will inevitably shift eastward. The enemy might force a crossing of the Istrian River, bypass the Istrian Reservoir, and head directly for Sunhill. Once the city falls into enemy hands, our supply lines will be threatened. Therefore, I intend to entrust you with the defense of the Sunhill-Klin line.”

“No problem,” Zakharov asked casually. “I wonder how many troops are in these two cities?”

Rokossovsky thought for a moment, then said, "Currently, there are 30 police officers and 200 militiamen who have not received military training in Sun Mountain City, plus more than 100 soldiers brought by the new city defense commander."

"Ah, is that all the troops you have?" Zakharov broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. "Comrade Commander, please forgive my bluntness, but such a small force is far from sufficient for the defense of the city."

“That’s right, that’s exactly it,” Rokossovsky continued. “According to the information provided to us by our superiors, there was originally a garrison regiment of two thousand men in Sun Mountain City. Therefore, I only sent an infantry brigade there, intending for the two units to merge and jointly defend Sun Mountain City. However, on the way to Sun Mountain City, the situation in the Volokolamsk direction worsened. Therefore, I ordered the infantry brigade to halt its advance and remain in place, ready to move to Volokolamsk to provide reinforcements at any time.”

But not long ago, I received a telegram from Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the newly appointed garrison commander of Sun Mountain, informing me that there was practically no garrison regiment in Sun Mountain, only a little over two hundred poorly equipped police officers and militiamen. I promptly adjusted the deployment, ordering the infantry brigade to continue its advance towards Sun Mountain according to the original plan.

“I see, I understand now.” Zakharov continued, “Although Sun Mountain City is not large, using only one infantry brigade to defend it is far from enough. I wonder if you could provide me with some additional troops?”

“Zhakharov, I don’t have any extra troops to give you.” Rokossovsky said to Zakharov, “Once you arrive in Sun Mountain and Klin, you can use your position to apply to your superiors for reserves. I think General Zhukov might give you some reserves out of respect for you.”

“I have no influence with General Zhukov. I don’t think I can get any reserves from him,” Zakharov said hesitantly. “However, I can obtain some manpower and weapons through other channels.”

Rokossovsky knew very well that Zakharov's ability to serve as acting commander of the Bryansk Front as a major general demonstrated his strong connections, making him a good choice to be in charge of the defense of the Sun Mountain City-Klin line.

While Rokossovsky was assigning tasks to Zakharov, Belkin received a reply from the army group headquarters.

After reading the contents of the telegram, Belkin was overjoyed and wept: "Thank God, the headquarters has finally given us a new order, allowing our brigade to continue advancing toward Sun Mountain City according to the original plan."

Just as Belkin was about to order the troops to set off, Karsokov stopped him: "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, it's still more than 30 kilometers from here to Sun Mountain City. Why don't we send a telegram to the Brigade Commander and ask him to send a vehicle to pick us up? This will greatly increase the speed of the troops' march."

“Yes, Chief of Staff, your suggestion is good.” After agreeing with Karsokov’s proposal, Belkin instructed the radio operator, “Send a telegram to the brigade commander, saying that we have received a telegram from the army group headquarters, ordering us to proceed to Sun Mountain as planned. We hope he can send vehicles to pick us up and speed up our march.”

Upon receiving the telegram sent by Belkin, Sokov's face immediately broke into a long-absent smile. If the main force of the infantry brigade could occupy Sun Mountain, he would have the initiative. Even if he couldn't hold Sun Mountain, he could withdraw his troops from the city and wage guerrilla warfare nearby, engaging the German forces and tying down some of their strength, preventing them from launching a full-scale attack on the other units of the 16th Army.

"Comrade Romanov!" Sokov turned to Romanov, who was sitting beside him, and said, "The deputy brigade commander sent a telegram saying that his superiors have ordered them to continue their march toward Sun Mountain. Now, I'd like to trouble you to take those buses and make another trip to pick up all the officers and soldiers of our brigade."

Upon learning that the main force of the infantry brigade was coming, Romanov was naturally overjoyed and carried out Sokov's orders without hesitation: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I will immediately lead the convoy to meet our main force."

After Romanov left, Olga leaned close to Sokov and whispered, "Comrade Brigade Commander, even if the main force of the infantry brigade has entered the city, it will probably be very difficult for us to hold the city with our current strength."

Sokov nodded slightly and continued, "Of course I know that, so we need to be prepared for both possibilities. If the enemy attacking Sun Mountain City is not strong, we will do our best to defend the city; but if the enemy is too strong, we cannot confront them head-on. After depleting some of their manpower, we can temporarily abandon the city and maneuver around them in the vicinity."

“Abandon the city?” Olga stared in surprise at Sokov’s words. “Comrade Brigade Commander, if you really lead your troops to withdraw from Sun Mountain City, I’m afraid your superiors will punish you. I think we should rely on the terrain in the city and put up a tenacious defense.”

"Comrade Captain, our forces are limited, and we can only divide our troops to guard some important targets," Sokov said. "Even so, the number of troops available in each defensive zone is limited. If we stay in the city and fight the enemy at a loss, our troops may be defeated one by one. In the end, we may face total annihilation."

Olga fell silent after listening, and from his furrowed brow, one could tell that he was trying to process everything Sokov had said.

After an unknown amount of time, Olga finally spoke again: "Comrade Brigade Commander, if we really can't withstand the enemy's attack and have to abandon this city, won't your superiors punish you for losing the city?"

Sokov chuckled and said, "I am the military commander of the infantry brigade, and all decisions are made by me. If we are held accountable by our superiors for losing the city, I will take full responsibility. You don't need to worry."

(End of this chapter)