red moscow

Chapter 3009

Rokossovsky sighed softly and said, "It seems that General Carmela has not yet returned to headquarters and has not reported the actual situation here to Zhukov. As a result, Zhukov issued this unrealistic order based on incorrect intelligence."

Malinin looked at Rokossovsky and asked, "Comrade Commander, what should we do? Should we carry out the order, or should we object to Zhukov and ask him to cancel it?"

“Comrade Chief of Staff, we’ve been in the army for over twenty years. We should understand that no matter how absurd an order from our superiors may be, we, as their subordinates, can only execute it unconditionally.” Rokossovsky said helplessly, “Look around, are there any troops that can be transferred to Sun Mountain City?”

While Malinin was making phone calls to inquire about the situation of various units, Rokossovsky called Sokov, who was far away in Sun Mountain: "Misha, how's the situation there?"

“Not good, Comrade Commander.” Sokov’s voice was hoarse on the other end of the phone. “After we repelled the enemy’s attack from the north of the city, they changed their direction of attack. As you know, my troops are mainly deployed in the north of the city, so they were caught off guard by the enemy who outflanked us. As of ten minutes ago, the three settlements of Sverchkovo, Serisevo, and Maltenovo in the southwest and southeast of the city have fallen into German hands.”

Sokov's words reminded Rokossovsky of the village of Peshki, where he had been in danger, not far from these settlements. Therefore, it was the enemy who had attacked the village; seeing that he and his companions had escaped, they had turned around and attacked the settlements, successfully capturing them.

"What are your plans?" Rokossovsky asked bluntly. "Are you planning to send men to retake the settlement?"

“I don’t have enough troops at my disposal, so even if I wanted to retake the settlements, it probably wouldn’t be easy,” Sokov replied truthfully. “Moreover, if I move my troops to attack the settlements, it will inevitably weaken the defenses on other sides, and then the Germans will have an opportunity to take advantage of it and may be able to rush directly into the city.”

"I understand. The very idea of ​​holding the city is a remarkable victory." Upon learning of the precarious situation in Sun Mountain City, Rokossovsky did not relay Zhukov's order to him. Instead, he offered a few words of comfort before hanging up the phone.

Seeing Rokossovsky put down the microphone, Malinin came over and reported to him, "Comrade Commander, according to my understanding, the cavalry unit is currently passing south of Sun Mountain City. Do you think we should have them join up with Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and launch a counterattack against the enemy outside the city?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, a minor incident has occurred." Rokossovsky shook his head and said, "I just spoke with Misha on the phone. He said that the three settlements in the southwest and southeast of the city—Sverchkovo, Seliesevo, and Maltenovo—have all fallen into German hands. In other words, the city is now surrounded by the German army. What we need to do now is not to launch a counterattack and drive the enemy away from the vicinity of the city, but to find a way to recapture the lost settlements and break the German encirclement."

Malinin quickly looked down at the map on the table, found the location of Sun Mountain City, carefully examined the locations of the three settlements, and slowly nodded, saying, "Comrade Commander, you are right. After the German army occupied the three settlements, they completely cut off Sun Mountain City's connection with the outside world. If we cannot help them break through the enemy's encirclement as soon as possible, they will soon face the predicament of running out of ammunition and food."

"You just said there are our cavalry units nearby?" Rokossovsky asked. "Which cavalry unit?"

“General Puliev’s cavalry division,” Malinin said. “Now, in addition to more than 5,000 cavalrymen, the division also has several tanks and more than a dozen anti-tank guns. If they are to retake the lost settlements, I think there is still a great chance.”

"Where is Dovator?" Rokossovsky asked. "Is he with General Puliev as well?"

“Yes.” Malinin nodded, giving Rokossovsky an affirmative answer: “He also has two cavalry divisions with him, one of which is from Central Asia.”

After hearing Malinin's report, Rokossovsky immediately felt more confident. Even though Dovator's two cavalry divisions only numbered two or three thousand men, the total cavalry force was still close to ten thousand. They should have no problem recapturing the settlements outside Sun Mountain City.

He strode up to Maximenko, the communications officer, and said politely, "Comrade Maximenko, could you please contact Dovator for me? I have something important to discuss with him."

“Yes, Commander.” Maximenko nodded and said, “Give me five minutes, and I will definitely be able to get in touch with General Dovator.”

After waiting patiently for a while, Rokossovsky finally spoke directly with Dovator: "Dovator, where are your troops now?"

“Comrade Commander,” Dovator replied, “we are moving towards the Istra Reservoir area as you ordered. However, we encountered the enemy near the city of Sun Mountain, and General Puliev’s troops are engaged in battle with them. Do you have any instructions?”

Upon learning that the cavalry was engaged in battle with the German forces, it meant their retreat would temporarily halt. Rokossovsky saw this as a rare opportunity and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Dovator, I recently received orders from Zhukov to launch a counter-offensive against the enemy near Sun Mountain. Since your cavalry is there now, I intend to entrust the task of the counter-offensive to you."

Dovator readily agreed: "Comrade Commander, please give the order. I assure you, the cavalry corps will complete the mission successfully."

"Let me give you a brief overview of the situation," Rokossovsky said clearly. "Sun Mountain is still in our hands, and the city's defense commander is Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the brigade commander. His troops crushed the enemy's attacks from the north. So the enemy changed tactics, sending troops to outflank the city from the south and capturing three settlements to the southwest and southeast: Sverchkovo, Serisevo, and Maltenovo. Your cavalry's mission is to retake these settlements from the Germans. So, Dovator, are you confident?"

After listening to Rokossovsky's words, Dovator chuckled and said, "Comrade Commander, it turns out to be such a simple task. Don't worry, I will immediately organize the troops and launch a simultaneous attack on the three settlements. I can recapture the lost settlements in two hours at most."

Seeing Dovator's confidence, Rokossovsky was naturally pleased: "Well done, Dovator! I'll be waiting to hear your good news." However, he still reminded him: "Before you attack the settlement, you must contact Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. If he can send someone to assist you, that would be best."

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander," Dovator said casually, "Just wait for our good news."

After ending his call with Rokossovsky, Dovator immediately ordered several division commanders to be summoned to discuss combat matters.

Once everyone had arrived, Dovator began, "Comrade Commander gave us orders to recapture the three lost settlements to the southwest and southeast of Sun Mountain City. Next, I will assign combat missions to the division commanders."

"General Priev!" The first person Dovator addressed was General Priev, commander of the 50th Cavalry Division. "Your division is the strongest, so the task of attacking the southwestern settlement of Sverchkovo will be entrusted to your division." "Don't worry, Comrade Commander!" Priev patted his chest and assured Dovator, "I will absolutely not let you down."

Next, Dovator assigned the settlements of Selisevo and Maltenovo to Colonel Melnik's 53rd Cavalry Division and a cavalry division from Central Asia.

After assigning tasks, Dovator raised his hand to check the timing, then waved to the group: "You all go back to your respective units. The attack on the settlement will begin in an hour, so be sure to prepare for battle as soon as possible."

Several division commanders responded loudly, then turned and returned to their respective units.

Dovator remembered Rokossovsky's instructions and immediately ordered his communications officer to try to contact Sokov in the city.

Telephone voice changing technology was very advanced in this era. When Sokov received a call from Dovator, he couldn't recognize the caller at all and tentatively asked, "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, who is this?"

Dovator paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov! I am Dovator, commander of the 3rd Cavalry Corps, and I am here on orders to make contact with you."

Sokov was taken aback, then asked in return, "Ordered to contact me? Comrade General, may I ask whose orders you are acting on?"

“Who else could it be but General Rokossovsky, the army group commander?” Dovator said. “He told me on the phone that the three settlements of Sverchkovo, Serisevo, and Maltenovo, southwest and southeast of Sun Mountain, have fallen into German hands. His order to us is to do everything we can to retake them. As you know, my men are new here and unfamiliar with the area. I wonder if you could send someone to assist us in our operation?”

Upon hearing Dovator's words, Sokov realized that the other party needed guides to direct his troops and maintain contact. He quickly replied, "Yes, Comrade General, I will immediately send someone to establish contact with your troops."

An hour later, the cavalry launched simultaneous attacks on the three settlements of Sverchkovo, Selishevo, and Maltenovo.

The German troops were focused on the north, preventing the defenders of Sun Mountain from rushing out to seize the settlement, but they didn't realize the real danger came from behind. Caught off guard by the cavalry, they were quickly driven out of the settlement after a chaotic battle.

Dovator never dreamed that the enemy holding out in the settlement would be so easily defeated. His troops successfully recaptured the settlement and drove the enemy out with just one charge.

After confirming that all three settlements had been recaptured, Dovator, after some deliberation, decided that he should first inform Sokov so that he could send people to take over the newly recaptured settlements. He could then report the results to Rokossovsky after the negotiations were completed.

Having made up his mind, he immediately called Sokov and got straight to the point: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, my troops have driven out the Germans and successfully recaptured the settlements they had occupied."

Sokov was astonished upon hearing the news: "What? You've already recaptured the settlements? Is that true?" His reaction stemmed from the fact that less than two hours had passed since he learned the cavalry would be attacking the settlements in his place. Recapturing three settlements in such a short time was simply unbelievable.

After a pause, he asked cautiously, "Comrade General, have your troops really recaptured all three settlements?"

“That’s right, we’ve taken them all back,” Dovator said with certainty. “I thought retaking the settlements would be a fierce battle. But the Germans are so weak; we only had one charge and they were completely driven out. By the way, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, my troops may have to move out soon. Can you send someone to take over the settlements?”

"I'm sorry, Comrade General! I'm afraid that won't work."

"Why?" Dovator asked, puzzled. "Why can't we send someone to take over the settlement?"

"I have limited troops at my disposal, and I simply don't have enough extra troops to defend the settlements outside the city." Sokov did not hide anything from Dovator, who had just recaptured the settlements, but told him the truth: "If we send too few people to defend the settlements, the settlements will be lost again soon if the Germans launch another attack; if we send too many people, it will weaken the defenses of other areas."

After understanding Sokov's predicament, Dovator pondered for a moment, then said understandingly, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I can send men to help you guard the settlement. But I need to report this to Comrade Commander and see what his opinion is."

"Of course, of course, Comrade General!" Sokov said repeatedly. "The recapture of the settlement needs to be reported to the army group headquarters immediately. As for who will defend the settlement, that's for the commander to decide."

Dovator then dialed Rokossovsky's number and reported the successful recapture of the settlement. He continued, "Comrade Commander, I originally intended to return the recaptured settlement to Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, but he said he had limited troops. If too few troops are sent to the settlement, they simply cannot withstand a new German offensive; but if too many troops are sent, it will weaken the defenses in other areas. What do you think we should do?"

"Dovator, I think the defense of the three settlements should be the responsibility of your cavalry, after all, you took them back from the Germans."

“But according to the original orders, we should have moved to the Istra Reservoir…”

“The situation has changed now, and your retreat order has been cancelled,” Rokossovsky said solemnly. “Zhukov plans to launch a counterattack against the German army near Sun Mountain. You will stay there for the time being and participate in the counterattack when the time is right.”

(End of this chapter)