red moscow

Chapter 3001

The news that the 107th Infantry Division had broken through the German defensive positions and was heading towards Klin was quickly learned by Rokossovsky and Zakharov.

Zakharov was eager to know how many friendly troops had come to Klin and wanted to go up to the church bell tower in the city center to see for himself, but Rokossovsky stopped him: "Comrade Deputy Commander, I don't think it's necessary. You'll know the answer in a few more minutes."

Half an hour later, Colonel Milonov, commander of the 107th Infantry Division, led by a staff officer, entered the command post and came to the two men.

When he saw two generals standing before him, Mironov was momentarily stunned. Although he had exchanged telegrams with Zakharov many times, he had never seen what the other looked like, and for a moment, he didn't know who to salute.

Seeing Milonov's predicament, Rokossovsky took the initiative to speak, saying, "I am Lieutenant General Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army. This man next to me is Major General Zakharov, the deputy commander. He is the one who established contact with you these past two days. You will be under his command in the future, and you can report to him."

After confirming the identities of the two men in front of him, Mironov raised his hand to salute Zakharov: "Hello, Comrade Deputy Commander! I am the commander of the 107th Infantry Division. With the assistance of your troops, my unit and I have successfully broken through the German defenses and reached Klin."

"Comrade Colonel, how many men have you brought?"

“I don’t know the exact number yet, because there is a rear guard regiment of over a thousand men that has not yet returned to its unit,” Mironov replied. “Currently, there are about two thousand one hundred officers and soldiers who have followed me to Klin.”

Upon hearing the numbers Mironov mentioned, Zakharov instinctively turned to look at Rokossovsky, his eyes filled with joy. Even though the 107th Infantry Division only had a force of just over 2100 men in Klin, it still increased the garrison's numbers by 50%.

“Although the number is small, the troops you brought will be very helpful in strengthening Klin’s defenses,” Rokossovsky said.

Neither Rokossovsky, Zakharov, nor Mironov knew the answer. In actual history, this infantry division, which had more than 5,000 troops when it withdrew from Greentown, only had a little over 300 officers and soldiers who survived to reach Klin due to being surrounded and intercepted by the German army.

"Comrade Colonel!" Rokossovsky gestured for Mironov to sit down, poured him a glass of water, and tentatively asked, "I'd like to ask, why is it that only your infantry withdrew from Green City, while the tank division remains stationary?"

Upon hearing Rokossovsky's question, Mironov sighed deeply and said regretfully, "Comrade Commander, you may not know this, but we had a heated debate about persuading the tank division commander to lead his troops to withdraw from Green City. Unfortunately, neither of us could convince the other, so I had no choice but to lead my troops away from Green City alone."

Rokossovsky patted Mironov on the shoulder and said, “Comrade Colonel, I can tell you very clearly. Leading your troops out of Green City to join us in Klin was the best decision you ever made.”

Before Mironov could respond, Zakharov added, "According to the latest intelligence we have, after the German army completes the encirclement of Green City, it will launch a full-scale attack on the city tonight." He paused for a moment and continued, "Unfortunately, even though the tank division has more than two hundred tanks, it probably won't be able to hold out for more than a few days against the powerful German offensive."

"Comrades Commanders!" Mironov picked up his teacup, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and tentatively asked, "What are your plans for settling us in?"

Before Mironov's arrival, Rokossovsky had considered incorporating the remnants of this division into the 126th Infantry Division, but now that he saw their strength exceeded that of the 126th, it was clearly inappropriate to place them under enemy command. Therefore, he promptly changed his mind, pointing to the map and assigning tasks to the enemy: "Currently, our forces holding Klin are relatively weak, so we can only place our main forces north of the city..."

At this point, Rokossovsky paused slightly, thinking that Klin's deployment was similar to that of Sunhill, with the main force stationed on the north side of the city. Sunhill had managed to hold off the German attack; he wondered if Klin could do the same.

"Therefore, I intend to deploy your division within Klin," Rokossovsky continued. "As the second echelon, your mission is simple. When the defenders outside the city cannot withstand the German offensive, you should send men to support them; if the Germans break through our defenses outside the city and enter the city, you will be the ones to engage them in street fighting. So, Colonel, is the mission clear?"

“Yes, Comrade Commander, the mission has been defined.” Mironov straightened up and asked respectfully, “May I leave now?”

“Yes, of course.” Rokossovsky said, calling over the staff officer who had just brought Milonov in, pointing to the map and telling him the location of the 107th Infantry Division, and finally said, “Comrade Staff Officer, you can now take Colonel Milonov and his troops to their defense zone.”

Shortly after Mironov left, Lieutenant Colonel Abzov, who was in charge of picking up the 107th Infantry Division, arrived.

Upon seeing Abzov's arrival, Zakharov stepped forward and patted him heavily on the shoulder several times, saying in an approving tone, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are truly outstanding. If you hadn't arrived in time, even if the 107th Division had successfully broken through the enemy's defenses, the number of men who could have reached Klin would have been greatly reduced."

In response to Zakharov's praise, Abzov humbly replied, "Comrade Deputy Commander, you flatter me! I was merely fulfilling my duties."

"By the way, I heard from Colonel Milonov that besides the more than 2100 people he brought into Klin, there was also a rearguard regiment of over a thousand men providing cover." Zakharov asked Abzov with a smile, "So, Lieutenant Colonel, how many officers and soldiers from the rearguard regiment did you rescue?"

Upon hearing this question, Abzov lowered his head and replied somewhat awkwardly, "Comrade Deputy Commander, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. The rearguard regiment that is returning to the city with us consists of only two hundred men."

"What?! Only two hundred men?!" Upon hearing the number Abzov stated, Zakharov's face showed shock. "But Colonel Milonov said the rearguard regiment of that division had over a thousand men. How could only two hundred have returned to Klin with you?" Seeing Zakharov's questioning gaze, Abzov quickly explained, "Comrade Deputy Commander, I tore a hole in the German lines to cover the main force of the 107th Division as they escaped the enemy's entanglement. Then I led my troops to rescue the rearguard regiment, which was tasked with holding off the enemy. But by the time we arrived, the rearguard regiment had suffered heavy casualties; even their commander had been killed."

After figuring out what was going on, Zakharov turned to Rokossovsky and asked, "Comrade Commander, what are your plans for this rearguard regiment?"

According to the original plan, the 107th Division was to be placed under the command of the 126th Division, and the officers and soldiers who came with Lieutenant Colonel Abzov should naturally be assigned to the 126th Division. But now the situation has changed, and the 107th Division has not been placed under the command of the 126th Division. Therefore, Rokossovsky simply said, "Let this regiment return to its original unit. After all, they are all Colonel Mironov's subordinates."

Upon learning that Rokossovsky intended to send the rearguard regiment back to its original unit, Abzov appeared quite aggrieved: "Comrades Commanders, our regiment suffered more than half its personnel casualties in the rescue operation. Aren't you going to give us any reinforcements? You know, the few men I have left are only enough for me to be the commander of a reinforced company."

“There’s nothing I can do, Lieutenant Colonel Abzov.” Zakharov shrugged, spread his hands, and said helplessly, “We don’t have any extra troops at hand, so we can’t replenish your regiment for the time being. But don’t worry, in a week at most, as long as we get reinforcements from higher command, I will give priority to your regiment.”

Zakharov's words chilled Abzov to the bone. He knew very well that when the leader said something would be given priority, it was basically a no-go; it seemed that for a long time to come, he, as the regimental commander, would only be able to play the role of a reinforced company commander.

After Abzov left, the command post returned to silence.

After a long pause, Zakharov finally spoke: "Comrade Commander, I was thinking that if I had risked going to Green City a couple of days ago to meet that tank division commander, I might have been able to persuade him to withdraw his troops to Klin. With a sufficient number of tanks, we would have the confidence to confront the German armored forces."

“Comrade Deputy Commander, you may be oversimplifying the issue.” Rokossovsky poured cold water on Zakharov’s words as soon as he finished speaking: “Even if you go to Green City in person, it will probably be difficult to persuade this division commander to agree to withdraw the tank division to Klin.”

"Why?" Zakharov asked, puzzled.

“The reason is simple,” Rokossovsky said incisively. “Two days ago, the main force of the 30th Army was near Green City. The tank division does not accept our command. Even if the division commander sees your arrival, he will not obey your orders, but will continue to make excuses and refuse to take the troops away from the city.”

"What a pity, what a pity." Zakharov shook his head, looking puzzled. "More than two hundred tanks! Even if most of them were old-fashioned tanks, it's such a waste to lose them like this."

Upon hearing Zakharov's words, Rokossovsky remained silent, but Lobachev couldn't sit still. He asked, puzzled, "Comrade Deputy Commander, I don't quite understand what you mean. Could you explain it in more detail?"

“Comrade Military Commissioner, the enemy has already surrounded Green City, and the tank divisions inside are unable to retreat.” Zakharov explained, “After dark, the German army will launch a full-scale attack on the city. As is customary, they will definitely conduct artillery preparation before the attack. The thin armor of our old tanks simply cannot withstand the bombardment of the German large-caliber artillery. After the enemy's artillery preparation ends, I'm afraid more than half of the tanks parked in the city will be lost.”

"Then the German armored forces stormed into the city and attacked the surviving tanks," Rokossovsky continued. "Technological equipment like tanks is best suited for the open plains outside the city. I don't know what this tank division commander was thinking, leaving so many tanks inside the city, making them easy targets for the German artillery and air force. Once the German attack begins, it probably won't be long before this tank division is disbanded."

After listening to the two men, Lobachev became even more anxious: "Comrade Commander, regardless of whether the tank division has the latest T-34 tanks or other older tanks, once incorporated into the troops defending Klin, it will be a formidable armored force. We should not stand by and watch it be annihilated by the Germans, but should send troops to rescue them and make them one of us."

“Comrade Military Commissioner, your idea is good, but it’s simply impossible to implement.” Rokossovsky shook his head and said, “Our forces are barely enough for defense, how could we possibly rescue a tank division that’s surrounded by the Germans? Even if our reinforcements reach Green City, who do you think could persuade that division commander to agree to withdraw from Green City?”

Although Lobachev did not speak, the look in his eyes as he looked at Rokossovsky clearly said, "Comrade Commander, if you personally intervene, you might be able to persuade that stubborn tank division commander to agree to withdraw his troops from Green City."

Rokossovsky understood Lobachev's look, and he quickly waved his hand, saying, "Comrade Military Commissar, you think too highly of me. Even if I went to see that division commander in person, I wouldn't be confident of persuading him. Even if his rank is much lower than mine, he would be polite to me in person, but he would still find all sorts of reasons to reject my proposal. After all, I am not his direct superior."

Lobachev fell completely silent. He knew Rokossovsky was right. Even if Rokossovsky held a higher rank, the other man wasn't his subordinate. Even if he gave the order to retreat, the other man would likely find various excuses to refuse to carry it out.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh to the heavens, knowing in his heart that this tank division was completely finished.

"Comrade Commander," Zakharov asked Rokossovsky beside him as Lobachev was worrying about the fate of the tank division, "The garrison in Klin is less than 10,000 men. With such a small force, we cannot possibly contend with six German divisions. Do you think we should prepare to abandon the city?"

Zakharov's words made Rokossovsky frown. He said unhappily, "Comrade Deputy Commander, the battle hasn't even started yet, and you're already considering abandoning the city. If the officers and soldiers find out about this, it will probably affect our morale and fighting spirit."

"Comrade Commander, you've misunderstood. Please let me explain." Seeing that Rokossovsky had misunderstood him, Zakharov quickly explained, "What I meant by abandoning the city is not retreating without a fight. Rather, it's about making some preparations in advance when, after a fierce battle, we find that our army simply cannot hold the city and we have no choice but to abandon it."

(End of this chapter)