red moscow

Chapter 3005

Rokossovsky's jeep stopped next to the group of commanders.

As soon as the car came to a stop, the back door was opened.

When Rokossovsky saw that the person who opened the door for him was Sokov, a smile appeared on his face: "Misha, it's you?"

"Hello, Comrade Commander!" Sokov took a step back and saluted Rokossovsky, who had just gotten out of the car: "Welcome to Sun Mountain City."

Rokossovsky reached out and shook hands with Sokov, repeating his previous question: "Misha, you're here with a group of people, are you waiting for someone?"

“Comrade Commander,” Sokov explained, “my observation post told me that a convoy was being spotted heading towards the city. After careful observation, he confirmed it was your convoy. As soon as I received the news, I immediately came out with the men from the brigade headquarters to meet you.”

"So you're all lined up here to welcome me." Rokossovsky chuckled twice, then said to Sokov, "Misha, now go to your command post, I have something to say to you."

Upon hearing Rokossovsky's words, Sokov immediately realized that the other party might be about to assign him a combat mission, and quickly nodded in agreement: "Okay, Comrade Commander, my car will lead the way for your convoy."

Before getting into the vehicle, Sokov couldn't help but ask, "Comrade Commander, where did you get these quadruple 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine guns?"

"It was specially arranged for me by the General Staff for my safety."

Sokov was very interested in the 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun, so he tentatively asked, "Comrade Commander, I wonder if you could leave us a few?"

Rokossovsky raised his eyebrows: "The anti-aircraft machine gun company I'm leading only has nine machine guns in total. Even if you leave two or three behind, they probably won't do much to defend your city against air attacks."

"Comrade Commander, anti-aircraft machine guns can be used not only for air defense but also for ground targets," Sokov said quickly. "Level the muzzle and sweep the attacking enemy. The bullets from the anti-aircraft machine gun can not only shred infantry, but they might even penetrate the armor of armored vehicles and eliminate the enemies inside."

Rokossovsky was somewhat surprised by Sokov's statement: "Misha, you want to use the anti-aircraft machine gun as a regular machine gun?"

"Comrade Commander, I once heard a story."

"What is it?" Rokossovsky asked curiously.

"It is said that when General Zhukov was commander of the Leningrad Front, he ordered anti-aircraft guns to be transferred from the cities and deployed to the front lines as anti-tank guns." Sokov finished speaking, and seeing the astonished look on Rokossovsky's face, he smiled slightly and continued, "At that time, a commander suggested to him that if the anti-aircraft guns were transferred from the cities, then the city's air defenses could not be guaranteed. Guess what General Zhukov said?"

"What did General Zhukov say?" Rokossovs asked, as if he could.

“He said,” Sokov said with a hint of smugness, “that if the German tanks were to storm the city, what would be the point of the city’s air defenses?”

“General Zhukov is right. If the German tanks really storm Leningrad, then the anti-aircraft guns used for air defense in the city will be completely useless.” After saying this, Rokossovsky suddenly thought of a question and quickly asked Sokov, “Misha, you asked me for anti-aircraft machine guns, could it be inspired by this?”

“That’s right, Comrade Commander.” Sokov nodded vigorously, giving Rokossovsky an affirmative answer: “Since General Zhukov can use anti-aircraft guns as anti-tank guns, I also want to fire anti-aircraft machine guns like ordinary machine guns, but anti-aircraft machine guns are much more powerful when firing.”

After figuring out what was going on, Rokossovsky immediately made a decision: "Misha, the anti-aircraft machine gun company I was assigned to has a total of nine machine guns. I can leave three for you. What do you think?"

"That's wonderful, Comrade Commander." Sokov had thought that even if Rokossovsky agreed, he would probably only give him a symbolic anti-aircraft machine gun, but he didn't expect the other party to be so generous, directly giving him one-third of the machine guns from the anti-aircraft machine gun company. He quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Comrade Commander, I thank you on behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the brigade."

…………

While Rokossovsky was in Sunhill, giving instructions on defense to Sokov, Zhukov was in his office, calling Marshal Shaposhnikov in Kuibyshev to inquire about the reserve team.

"Comrade Marshal, according to the initial agreement, the General Staff should have provided me with 20 divisions in November." Zhukov said with a serious expression, "But two-thirds of November has passed, and I have only received a mere nine divisions, less than half of what was agreed upon."

Hearing Zhukov's complaint, Shaposhnikov sighed softly and then explained, "General Zhukov, according to the original agreement, the General Staff did indeed prepare 20 divisions for your troops, but now some unexpected things have happened. These infantry divisions that were originally intended to be provided to you have been sent to other regions."

Upon hearing this, Zhukov was furious: "What? You've been sent somewhere else? Comrade Marshal, do you know that due to a shortage of troops, our army's defenses have been forced to retreat repeatedly under the German attack? Some battles are now taking place fifty or sixty kilometers away from Moscow."

"General Zhukov, there's a reason why these infantry divisions weren't assigned to you." Shaposhnikov remained silent for a while before deciding to tell Zhukov the truth: "Since you left Leningrad, the situation there has deteriorated further?"

Zhukov paused for a moment, wondering if Fedyuninsky, who succeeded him after his transfer from Leningrad, had mismanaged the situation, allowing the Germans to storm the city. To find out what had happened, he asked in return, "Was it because of Fedyuninsky's mismanagement that the Germans broke through the outer defenses and stormed into the city?"

“No, not at all,” Shaposhnikov said. “Although the enemy tried to rush into the city several times, our commanders and soldiers held them off. Because the entire city is surrounded by the German army, land and water transportation to the outside world has been cut off. The city is already experiencing famine due to food shortages. In order to increase the city’s food reserves, we must concentrate our troops to open a gap in the German encirclement and transport the city’s urgently needed food and various supplies in.”

After saying all that in one breath, Shaposhnikov picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and continued, "By the way, the current commander of the Leningrad Front is no longer Major General Fedyuninsky, but Lieutenant General Khozin, who went to Leningrad with you back then!"

"Why?" Zhukov asked, puzzled. "I returned to Moscow in early October to assume command of the Western Front. In other words, Fedyuninsky, whom I appointed as commander of the Leningrad Front, was dismissed from his post after less than two months. What exactly happened?"

“There were many reasons for the change of command,” Shaposhnikov said. “First, Fedzuninsky felt that his rank was lower than Khozin’s, and it was obviously inappropriate for a major general to command so many lieutenant generals; second, in order to break the German siege of Leningrad, a strong force was needed outside the encirclement to coordinate with the defenders inside the city. Therefore, after Fedzuninsky was relieved of his post as commander of the front, he took on the position of commander of the 54th Army, leading his troops to launch an attack on the enemy from outside the encirclement.”

After listening to Shaposhnikov's account, Zhukov realized the predicament Leningrad was facing. He sighed and then asked, "Comrade Marshal, when will the new troops be replenished to us?"

Shaposhnikov thought for a moment and then said, "We are currently drawing troops from the Far East, and by early December, we will be able to reorganize several army groups and replenish them to you."

But Zhukov was clearly uninterested in Shaposhnikov's empty promises. He frowned and asked, "What? We have to wait until early December? You know, the 16th Army, the most formidable fighting force in the Western Front, is on the verge of collapse. Although I canceled their order to retreat to the Istra Reservoir a couple of days ago, based on the current situation, they will be forced to cross the Istra River and retreat to the Istra Reservoir area within a week at most, under the German army's frenzied offensive."

“General Zhukov, I understand the predicament you face, but the help I can offer is limited,” Shaposhnikov said helplessly. “I’ll call Comrade Stalin later and discuss with him whether we can spare some troops from other fronts.” “Very well, Comrade Marshal,” Zhukov nodded and said, “I await your reply.”

After ending his call with Shaposhnikov, Zhukov picked up the VHF radio next to him, dialed a number, and said into the receiver, "This is Zhukov. Connect me to the 16th Army Headquarters and speak to Rokossovsky."

The call was connected quickly, but the person who answered was Ma Lining.

"Hello, Comrade General!" Ma Lining asked respectfully, "What instructions do you have?"

Where is Rokossovsky?

"He went to Moscow yesterday..."

"What? He went to Moscow yesterday?" Zhukov asked, somewhat surprised. "What did he go there for?"

"It's said he's going to the General Staff Headquarters to report on his work."

"Oh, where is he now?" Zhukov asked. "Is he in Moscow, or at the army group headquarters?"

“He called me a little over an hour ago and said he was in Clinton.”

"Inside Klin?" Zhukov frowned again upon hearing this. "Doesn't he know that the enemy is preparing to attack the city?"

“He knew,” Malinin continued. “He learned that the German army had amassed six divisions near Klin and was worried that the troops under the command of Deputy Commander General Zakharov would not be able to hold the position, so he went there personally to assess the situation and make corresponding defensive deployments.”

Is he still in Klin City?

"I don't know about this."

After hanging up the phone, Zhukov pressed the bell on the table.

Soon, an adjutant walked in from outside and asked respectfully, "Comrade General, what are your instructions?"

"Call Chief of Staff Sokolovsky over here and tell him I need to speak with him."

The adjutant dared not delay, turned around and left the office to find Sokolovsky.

A few minutes later, the army's chief of staff, Sokolovsky, appeared in the office.

He strode to Zhukov's desk and asked, "Comrade Commander, what are your instructions?"

"I've lost contact with Rokossovsky for the time being. I'm waiting for an important phone call, so I haven't had time to call him." Zhukov instructed the other party, "See if you can find him and find out how the situation is there?"

"Where did Rokossovsky last appear?"

“In Klin,” Zhukov said. “His chief of staff told me that the enemy had amassed six divisions in the Klin region, and Rokossovsky, worried that his deputy commander Zakharov would not be able to hold it, went there to direct the defense.”

“I understand,” Sokolovsky nodded. “I’ll call Klin right now and ask if Rokolovsky is still there.”

Sokolovsky returned to his office and immediately dialed the post office: "Hello, post office? This is General Sokolovsky, Chief of Staff of the Western Front. I urgently need to contact Klin. Is your line open?"

"Yes, Comrade General." The post office clerk who answered the phone replied respectfully, "I will connect you to Clinton's phone immediately. You will only need to wait a few minutes."

“Alright,” Sokolovsky said understandingly, “but please hurry, I have important matters to discuss with the commander over there.” With that, he put down the receiver.

The post office staff immediately contacted the Klin Post Office as quickly as possible: "Hello, is this the Klin Post Office? This is the post office where the Western Front Command is located. The command has an urgent matter to discuss with the commander in the city."

Thus, with the help of the post office staff, Sokolovsky quickly made contact with Zakharov in Klin.

"I am Sokolovsky, and who are you?"

"I am Zakharov, Deputy Commander of the 16th Army." Zakharov asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"

"Yes, General Zakharov," Sokolovsky asked politely, "General Zhukov has urgent business with General Rokossovsky. Is he with you?"

"I'm sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front." Upon hearing Sokolovsky's question, Zakharov said apologetically, "Comrade Commander left Klin an hour ago and went to Sun Mountain to instruct on the defense deployment there."

"What? Rokossovsky went to Sunhill City?" Sokolovsky couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He began to consider whether he should call Sunhill City again to ask if Rokossovsky was there.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea, because he was unsure whether the post office in Sun Mountain City was still operating normally. If he couldn't get through, it would only delay his business. So he said into the microphone, "General Zakharov, please contact General Rokossovsky and have him call General Zhukov or me."

(End of this chapter)