red moscow

Chapter 3035

Upon arriving at the army group headquarters, Sokov saw that the once open space was now filled with various vehicles, clearly belonging to commanders who had come to attend the meeting.

Upon seeing this, Belkin couldn't help but whisper to Sokov, "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you see? There are so many vehicles here, and there are at least a hundred commanders attending the meeting."

Sokov nodded slightly at Belkin's speculation. After all, a full-scale counter-offensive was to be launched at dawn the next day, and the military conference convened by Rokossovsky was certainly not small in scale.

I thought there wouldn't be any room to stand with so many people crowding into the command post. But then a staff officer came out and informed the commanders attending the meeting that the meeting would be held in a small auditorium nearby.

After Sokov and Belkin entered the auditorium, they saw a large blackboard on the stage, covered with a map of the Western Front's location, filled with various symbols drawn in red and blue pencil. Behind the blackboard was a row of long tables covered with tablecloths, presumably for the people presiding over the meeting.

Once all the commanders attending the meeting had arrived, the duty officer at headquarters closed the auditorium doors from the outside.

As the gate closed, a dozen officers walked onto the platform from one side.

Sokov, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized Rokossovsky, Lobachev, and Malinin, who were walking in the middle.

Upon seeing Rokossovsky and his entourage, the commanders who had been sitting below the stage immediately stopped talking, stood up in unison, and paid their respects to the people on the stage.

After Rokossovsky and the others were seated behind the long table, Malinin shouted, "Everyone, listen to my command and sit down!"

As the order was given, the commanders present sat down in unison, their movements as synchronized as if they were one person.

"Comrades, I have called you all here today for a meeting because I have an important announcement to make." Malinin, holding a lectern, stood next to a large map and said in a loud voice, "After a long period of preparation, the Supreme Command plans to launch a full-scale counter-offensive against the enemy approaching Moscow at dawn tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted throughout the auditorium.

For the commanders present, the long-awaited counter-offensive after months of retreat was exhilarating news. Everyone expressed their joy through applause. As Sokov clapped, he noticed a lieutenant colonel in the front row occasionally pausing to wipe away tears streaming down his face.

Ma Lining did not rush to interrupt the applause in the auditorium. Instead, he held the lectern with both hands, stood there quietly, and waited for the applause to subside.

Fortunately, the applause didn't last long before it stopped completely. After the auditorium fell silent again, Malinin used his pointer to point to the map beside him and explained the Supreme Command's counter-offensive plan to everyone, while also assigning tasks to the various units under the army group from time to time.

Through Malinin's account, Sokov learned that the troops tasked with the counter-offensive in the 16th Army's defense zone were Vlasov's 20th Army and Kuznetsov's 1st Shock Army, which were formed with the Far Eastern forces as their core. The original 16th Army troops had suffered heavy losses in the early battles and were only performing auxiliary tasks in the initial stage of the counter-offensive.

However, after Malinin finished explaining the situation and assigning tasks, Sokov was taken aback, wondering why he hadn't assigned any tasks to his own troops.
"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Belkin had clearly noticed the problem as well. He asked Sokov in a low voice, "Why didn't the higher-ups assign any tasks to our brigade? Did the Chief of Staff accidentally let it slip?"

“I don’t think so.” Sokov had spent a considerable amount of time dealing with Malinin in his previous life and knew his character very well. He knew that Malinin was meticulous when assigning tasks and would never overlook anything. Something else must have happened to prevent the higher-ups from assigning tasks to their own infantry brigade. He whispered to Belkin, “Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, I’ll ask the Commander privately after the meeting.”

Hearing Sokov's words, Belkin, though unwilling, had no choice but to accept his fate. After all, his seat was too far from the platform where Rokossovsky and the others were sitting; even if he spoke loudly, they might not be able to hear him. It was better to do as Sokov suggested and inquire privately about what had happened after the meeting. The meeting lasted for an hour.

The commanders who came to attend the meeting got up and walked out of the small auditorium in high spirits.

Sokov and Belkin remained seated, waiting for most people to leave before going to find Rokossovsky.

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" a familiar voice rang out from the side: "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Sokov turned his head and saw that it was Yegorov, the political commissar of the 8th Guards Division. He quickly stood up, shook the other man's hand, and said politely, "Hello, Comrade Yegorov, it's a pleasure to meet you here."

Yegorov shook Sokov's hand and exchanged pleasantries with him: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I am also very happy to see you here. Since the recapture of Klyukovo and the transfer of your brigade, I thought I would not see you for a long time. I did not expect that we would meet again in just a few days."

Sokov asked tentatively, "Comrade Yegorov, do you know where the 8th Guards Division is located now?"

"North of Klyukovo," Yegorov said. "Our division's current mission is to assist our allies in recapturing Klin from the Germans once the major counter-offensive begins."

Sokov recalled that after the major counter-offensive began outside Moscow, the 16th Army amassed a large number of troops to attack the cities of Klin and Sunhill, which had been occupied by the Germans. It took more than half a month to finally take the two cities back from the Germans.

"Comrade Yegorov, Klin and Sun Mountain share a common characteristic: from north to south, the terrain is a gentle slope that gradually rises; but from south to north, all you see are steep peaks," Sokov said to Yegorov. "In other words, if the enemy attacks from the north while we are defending the city, our defense will be very difficult. And if someone attacks the city from the south, the steep terrain will cause considerable trouble for the attacking troops."

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, you’re right.” Yegorov agreed with Sokov’s statement: “I went to inspect the terrain with the division commander yesterday, and it is indeed similar to what you said. If we launch an attack from the south of the city, we will probably suffer huge casualties.”

As Sokov and Yegorov were discussing the difficulties of recapturing Klin, an officer ran up from the direction of Taizi. He approached Sokov, saluted, and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the commander requests your presence."

Upon hearing the officer's words, Yegorov quickly said to Sokov, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, since the Commander wants to see you, it must be something important. I'll take my leave now. If anything happens, remember to call me."

After Yegorov left, Sokov turned to Belkin and said, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, come with me to see the Commander and the others."

But Belkin shook his head and said, "Comrade Brigade Commander, the Commander only wants to see you, he didn't ask me to come too." He gently pushed Sokov's arm with his hand, "You go quickly, I'll wait for you in the car."

Sokov was about to call out to Belkin when the officer said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, this comrade is right. The commander only told me to call you over alone, not to have anyone else come with you."

After the officers, including Belkin, finished speaking, they said with a smile, "Well, Comrade Brigade Commander, I didn't tell you, did I? The Commander only wants to see you. I'll wait for you in the car. Good luck!" With that, they patted Sokov's arm and turned to leave the auditorium.

(End of this chapter)