red moscow

Chapter 2992

Sokov's scouts found Zakharov near Klin.

Upon seeing the reconnaissance personnel carrying a radio, Zakharov was overjoyed and immediately asked, "Can your radio contact the army group headquarters?"

The radio operator replied respectfully, "Comrade General, as long as we have the contact code for the headquarters radio station, we can send messages directly to them."

Zakharov turned to his adjutant and said, "Comrade adjutant, give the contact code to this radio operator. Make sure to get in touch with headquarters as quickly as possible."

Soon, a telegram that had been drafted long ago was sent to the headquarters of the 16th Army Group via radio waves.

Upon receiving the telegram, Malinin read its contents and immediately reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, I have just received a telegram from General Zakharov. He is currently gathering troops near Klin."

Upon learning that the telegram was from Zakharov, Rokossovsky was overjoyed, but then asked a question that had been bothering him: "Since he is in the Klin region, why has he not contacted us for so long?"

"Comrade Deputy Commander said in the telegram that their radio had malfunctioned, and the other scattered units that had made contact did not have radios either," Malinin explained to Rokossovsky. "It wasn't until the reconnaissance team sent by Lieutenant Colonel Sokov made contact with us using their radio."

Rokossovsky nodded and continued, "What's the situation in the Klin direction?"

“The enemy is amassing troops in the direction of Klin, and is most likely preparing to launch an attack on the city,” Malinin said. “There are less than two battalions of defenders in the city, and the deputy commander is leading men around the city to gather the defeated troops.”

"The defeated troops?" Rokossovsky raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and asked, "Weren't our troops constantly fighting? Which unit was defeated?"

"It's not troops from my army group, but troops from the 30th Army Group on the right flank."

"What kind of troops are in the Klin direction?" Rokossovsky asked.

“This morning, the city’s garrison clashed with German reconnaissance troops, killing more than a dozen enemies and capturing two,” Malinin said. “After interrogation, it was learned that a German infantry division was approaching Klin. In addition, the prisoners confessed that their allies, an armored division, would arrive in the Klin area within two days.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, the situation is very unfavorable for our army." After listening to Malinin's report, Rokossovsky's expression became serious: "We have already committed a large number of troops to the Volokolamsk direction to stop the German advance, and we really cannot spare any troops to reinforce the Klin area. It seems that we need to hurry up with the withdrawal of the defensive line. Only by shortening the width of the defensive front can we free up more troops for flexible use."

After Rokossovsky finished speaking, Malinin hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "How about we call General Zhukov again and ask him to send more reserves to strengthen our defenses?"

Rokossovsky knew Zhukov's character well and knew how difficult it would be to get reserves from him. After all, Zhukov was the commander of the Western Front, and his perspective on issues differed from Rokossovsky's. Even knowing that the 16th Army's defensive capabilities were severely inadequate, he would still consider whether other units needed the reserves more than they did before agreeing to send them.

Taking this factor into account, Rokossovsky sounded somewhat hesitant when he spoke: "I'll call Zhukov and ask him what he thinks."

Just as Rokossovsky began speaking with Zhukov, Malinin received devastating news.

A commander in charge of the defense of the left flank of the army group called Malinin and reported: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I have some bad news to report to you. Due to the fierce German attack, our 5th Army on the left flank has been forced to retreat eastward. Now, a large number of German troops are rapidly advancing along the gap formed between the two armies towards the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway."

Upon hearing this, Malinin was immediately alarmed and quickly interrupted Rokossovsky, who was on the phone with Zhukov: "Comrade Commander, something terrible has happened. Our 5th Army on the left flank has been forced to abandon its current positions and retreat eastward under the enemy's powerful offensive. The enemy has broken into the defensive gap between us and our allies and is rapidly advancing towards the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway."

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky asked sternly after listening to Malinin's report, "Is the information reliable?"

“Reliable, of course reliable.” Malinin nodded and said, “I just received the call.” After saying this, he lowered his voice and muttered, “If Lieutenant Colonel Sokov’s infantry brigade were still in its original position, then the enemy probably wouldn’t dare to rush towards the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway with impunity.”

The area defended by Sokov's infantry brigade may not have seemed as important as Volokolamsk, but as long as a unit was present there, the enemy would hesitate to attack. However, with the brigade's departure, the enemy no longer had to worry about its rear, and thus could confidently launch a full-scale offensive against the 16th Army's defense zone.

Zhukov, on the other end of the phone, also heard Malinin's words and frowned upon learning that the enemy was advancing towards Volokolamsk-Moscow. He knew very well that once the Germans occupied part of the highway, they could advance towards Moscow at an even faster pace. He had been hesitant about providing Rokossovsky with reserves, but given the critical situation, he made a decisive decision.

"Comrade Rokossovsky!" Zhukov said into the microphone, "I know about the situation there. Colonel Beloborodov's 78th Infantry Division is only two or three kilometers from the highway. I am now placing this unit under your command. You must thwart the Germans' attempt to occupy the main highway."

Upon learning that Zhukov was about to hand over a complete infantry division to him, Rokossovsky was overjoyed and exclaimed repeatedly, "Excellent, Zhukov, this is truly excellent! With such a force, we can thwart the German attempt to control the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway."

Zhukov snorted coldly, then said, "I hope you won't disappoint me." Without giving Rokossovsky a chance to speak, he hung up the phone.

After Rokossovsky put down the microphone, he said to Malinin with an excited look: "Comrade Chief of Staff, Zhukov said that Colonel Beloborodov's 78th Infantry Division is near the main road. You should send men to find them immediately and have them prepare for battle."

“Okay.” Malining nodded. “I’ll send someone to contact them immediately.”

Fortunately, the 78th Infantry Division is located within the defense zone of the 16th Army Group.

In less than ten minutes, a phone call came into the army group headquarters.

Malinin picked up the phone and identified himself: "This is Malinin!" "Comrade Chief of Staff," the person on the other end of the line said excitedly, "We found the 78th Infantry Division, and I even met with its commander, Colonel Beloborodov."

"What? We've found Colonel Beloborodov! That's wonderful!" Malinin exclaimed excitedly. "Let him answer the phone; the commander wants to assign him an important combat mission."

“Comrade Chief of Staff,” but the man said somewhat awkwardly, “he is not with me at the moment.”

"He's not with you, where did he go?" Malining asked, somewhat annoyed.

"He borrowed a jeep from me, saying he wanted to come to headquarters in person to receive his mission."

"Well, I see."

After hanging up the phone, Malinin said to Rokossovsky, "Comrade Commander, Colonel Beloborodov has already come by car and I believe he will arrive here soon."

A dozen minutes later, a staff officer came in and reported to Rokossovsky and Malinin: "Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, a colonel has come in. He says he is Beloborodov, the commander of the 78th Infantry Division, and wants to come in to see you."

"Hurry up and let him in," Malining said hastily. "We're waiting for him."

"Commander, the entire 78th Infantry Division has arrived!" A moment later, Colonel Beloborodov followed his staff officer into the command post. His overcoat was covered in ice, indicating he had traveled a long distance. He saluted Rokossovsky and said in a crisp Siberian accent, "Please give the orders!"

Rokossovsky stepped forward, shook his hand, then pulled him to the table, emphatically pointing to a spot on the map: “The main German force is advancing along the road, their flanks are weak. You will infiltrate through this forest, cut off their supply lines as quickly as possible, and then launch an assault on the road.” He looked up at the weathered colonel. “The gateway to Moscow cannot be lost. Understand?”

"Understood!" Beloborodov replied loudly, saluted again, turned and rushed out of the command post, opened the door of the jeep parked by the roadside, and bent down to get in. Before the door closed, he said to the driver in a loud voice, "Drive back to the unit's encampment."

The jeep sped along the dirt road back to the 78th Infantry Division's encampment.

Upon seeing the division commander return, several regimental commanders who had been standing by the roadside stamping their feet to keep warm immediately surrounded him, asking all at once, "Comrade Division Commander, what is the mission our superiors have given us?"

The cold wind whipped snowflakes against Beloborodov's face. He looked toward the neatly lined-up troops in the distance and saw the white breath of these Siberian soldiers condensing into frost on their helmets, the bayonets on their rifles gleaming coldly in the dim light.

He nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the regimental commanders and said, “Comrades, the situation is very bad. The Germans are taking advantage of the air raids between us and our allies to rapidly advance on the Volokolamsk-Moscow highway. Our mission is to thwart the enemy’s attempt to occupy the highway. On the way back, I carefully considered the situation. Since we don’t yet know the enemy’s strength and equipment, launching an attack rashly would be very unwise. Therefore, I plan to ambush them on their way, disrupt their marching formation, and then launch a surprise attack to completely crush them.”

After listening to Beloborodov's words, the commander of the 231st Regiment chuckled and said, "So it's such a simple task. Comrade Division Commander, I think we don't need to fight any ambush. Our regiment will take on the main attack mission directly. I assure you, I can crush the German offensive in half an hour at most."

The commander of the 233rd Regiment was unhappy: "Why is it always your regiment that takes the lead in the attack? This time it should be our regiment's turn."

Beloborodov interrupted the argument between the two regimental commanders: "Stop arguing. The 231st Regiment is tasked with the ambush, while the 233rd and 235th Regiments will serve as reserves. We'll launch the attack once the enemy is in disarray." He then waved to the others, "Return to your units. We'll depart in five minutes!"

The 231st Regiment quickly broke away from the main force and advanced two or three kilometers before dispersing into the dense forests and hills on both sides of the road. They chose suitable positions, set up mortars and machine guns, and prepared to catch the approaching German troops off guard.

Just half an hour later, the German vanguard entered the ambush zone.

Perhaps because their advance was going too smoothly, the German officers and soldiers never expected that a Soviet unit would be lying in ambush in the forests and hills on both sides of the road. Therefore, they adopted a marching formation, with the infantry on both sides of the road and the armored vehicles and trucks in the middle.

The commander of the 23rd Regiment observed the enemy situation through his binoculars. Seeing how relaxed the Germans were, he was overjoyed. He then put down his binoculars, lowered his voice, and gave the order: "Mortar company and machine gun company, open fire! Once the enemy is in chaos, the whole regiment will charge."

As the order was given, the machine guns on the hill roared, tearing through the wind and snow, and mortar shells exploded in the German ranks, creating clouds of snow.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the German troops were thrown into chaos.

Upon seeing this, the commander of the 231st Regiment burst into laughter. He then drew his pistol from his waist, raised it high above his head, and turned halfway around to shout to the soldiers beside him, "Comrades, for the motherland! Forward!" Afterward, he quickened his pace and rushed towards the road below.

Upon seeing the Soviet soldiers rushing towards the road, many German officers and soldiers immediately snapped out of their daze and hurriedly sought cover, preparing to return fire. A machine gunner, with the assistance of his assistant gunner, frantically set up the machine gun on the bodies of two fallen German soldiers, but before he could fire, both were bayoneted and killed by the onrushing Soviet soldiers.

Standing on a hill in the distance, Beloborodov, through his binoculars, saw that a chaotic battle had broken out. He immediately ordered the other two regiments to join the fight.

The German troops, already struggling to hold on, became even more demoralized upon seeing the arrival of fresh Soviet reinforcements. After an hour of chaotic fighting, apart from a few quick-footed soldiers who managed to escape, the rest were either killed or taken prisoner.

Beloborodov arrived at the battlefield with several guards. He stood beside a destroyed German armored vehicle, watching the soldiers clear the battlefield and listening to the sporadic gunfire gradually subsiding in the distance. He glanced at his watch; the hour hand pointed to five in the afternoon—from receiving the order to defeating the enemy, they had only taken four hours. The 78th Infantry Division had achieved a brilliant start in its first battle.

(End of this chapter)