red moscow

Chapter 3037

The major counter-offensive under the walls of Moscow began as scheduled.

Faced with the Soviet offensive, both the German frontline commanders and the High Command in Berlin assumed it was another Soviet counterattack to disrupt their offensive rhythm, and therefore did not give it the necessary attention.

By the time the German High Command realized this was a long-prepared Soviet counter-offensive, it was too late. Their lines had already been breached in several places by the counter-offensive forces. The German troops, who had initially held the advantage on the battlefield, were forced to retreat repeatedly under the Soviet onslaught.

Despite a significant manpower shortage, the 16th Army launched a counter-offensive against the German forces in the Krasnopoliana, Lyalovo, and Klyukovo regions.

After a day of fierce fighting, Rokossovsky saw that his troops were unable to make any progress, especially the enemy outside Klyukovo, who even launched a counterattack after the Soviet offensive was thwarted, and seemed poised to retake Klyukovo.

Faced with the increasingly fierce German offensive, Malinin's face was filled with anxiety. He asked Rokossovsky, "Comrade Commander, the enemy's offensive outside the city is fierce. With the current forces in the city, it will be difficult to stop them from taking the city again. Do you think we should transfer troops from other areas to strengthen the city's defenses?"

As soon as Malinin finished speaking, Lobachev interrupted, saying, "Commander, Chief of Staff, things are calm at Lenino now, and there are no signs of an enemy attack. How about we transfer Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's infantry brigade to assist in the defense?"

“I agree with Comrade Military Commissioner’s proposal.” Malinin readily agreed to Lobachev’s suggestion, then tentatively asked Rokossovsky, “Comrade Commander, what is your opinion?”

Rokossovsky frowned and thought for a while, then agreed to Malinin and Lobachev's suggestion: "Alright, the enemy's defenses are under attack from our full-scale counter-offensive. The enemy in the Leninno direction should not launch another attack. We can transfer the infantry brigade to strengthen the defense of Klyukovo and prevent the city from falling into German hands again."

He paused for a moment to observe the expressions of Malinin and Lobachev. Seeing that they did not object, he continued, "Although it is unlikely that the enemy in the Leninno direction will launch another attack, we cannot transfer all our forces there. I think that drawing one or two battalions from the infantry brigade would be enough to deal with the enemy outside Klyukovo."

"Comrade Commander, shall you make the call, or shall I?" Ma Lining asked.

“I’ll play,” Rokossovsky said. “I also wanted to ask Misha if he has any good ideas.”

The call was answered quickly.

“Misha, this is Rokossovsky.” When Rokossovsky heard that the person on the phone was Sokov, he didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point: “The enemy is attacking Klyukovo again, and it might be difficult for the city’s defenders to hold them off. Do you think it’s possible to spare one or two battalions from your forces to reinforce the city’s defenses?”

Sokov had already read in Rokossovsky's memoirs that the German army would continue its attack on Klyukovo even after the Soviet counter-offensive began. Therefore, he was not at all surprised to hear Rokossovsky plead for help.

“Comrade Commander!” Sokov said calmly, “The situation in the Leninno region is now stable, and the enemy is unlikely to launch another attack. I plan to leave three battalions for defense, and the rest of the troops will proceed to Klyukovo immediately.”

"Will it be enough to leave only one battalion at Leninno?" Rokossovsky asked.

“No problem, Comrade Commander.” Sokov replied confidently, “I have faith in the fighting capacity of the Third Battalion. With them holding Lenino, even if the Germans send a regiment, they will not be able to break through our defenses in a short time.”

After hearing Sokov's words, Rokossovsky felt much more at ease: "In that case, your troops should get here as soon as possible."

After ending his call with Rokossovsky, Sokov instructed Karsokov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately notify the battalion commanders and have them come over for a meeting."

Upon receiving the notification, the battalion commanders rushed over as quickly as possible.

The first to enter the command post was Battalion Commander Nazorov. Upon seeing Sokov, he eagerly asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, did you call us here for a meeting to prepare for a counter-offensive against the enemy in front of us?"

“No, Captain.” But Sokov shook his head and said, “Given the current situation, we will not launch a counterattack in the Leninno region.”

"What? You won't launch a counterattack in the Leninno region?" Sokov's answer confused Nazorov. "If you're not planning a counterattack, then why did you call this meeting?"

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Sokov got straight to the point: "Comrades, I called you here not because we are about to launch a counterattack against the Germans in the Leninno region. Rather, it's because the city of Kryukovo, where the army group headquarters is located, has been attacked by the Germans again and is in danger of falling at any moment. The commander called me not long ago, asking for reinforcements and whether I could send one or two battalions to help."

"So, did you agree?" asked Alexa, the second battalion commander. "Of course I agreed." After saying this, Sokov began to observe the expressions of the other battalion commanders present. Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, eagerly waiting for his answer, he continued, "I plan to leave the third battalion to hold Leninno, while the other three infantry battalions and artillery battalions will rush to Klyukovo as quickly as possible to assist the troops in the city in repelling the enemy."

“Comrade Brigade Commander, you can’t do this!” Upon learning that his 3rd Battalion was to stay behind to defend Leninno, Nazorov’s face immediately fell. “You said that you would give our 3rd Battalion a chance to make a name for ourselves. But since we arrived in Leninno, apart from fighting the Germans fairly on the first day, our commanders and soldiers have been on the front lines the rest of the time, without even seeing a shadow of the enemy. Now you’re going to Klyukovo to provide relief, but you’re leaving our battalion to hold this place.”

"Comrade Third Battalion Commander!" Sokov deliberately addressed Nazorov by his rank: "Since the entire brigade entered Lenino, your Third Battalion has been responsible for the defense. If other battalions were to take over your defense now, it would take time for them to familiarize themselves with the positions. It was for this reason that I decided to leave your battalion to continue holding Lenino, while the rest of the troops went to Klyukovo to carry out the rescue mission."

Hearing Sokov say this, even if Nazorov was dissatisfied, he could only accept the reality with a heavy heart.

"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Karsokov asked tentatively, "Since we are going to reinforce Klyukovo, could you tell everyone what the battle plan is?"

“This is what I’m thinking,” Sokov said to everyone present. “If we go directly into Klyukovo and participate in the city’s defense, we might end up in a stalemate with the Germans. If we’re deadlocked, it could take a long time to drive the enemy away from the vicinity of the city.”

Belkin understood the implication in Sokov's words and couldn't help but interject, "So what are your plans?"

Sokov pointed to the map on the table and said to everyone, "I plan to go directly to the southwest of Klyukovo, and from there launch an attack on the flank of the enemy attacking the city, disrupt their attack formation, and find a way to completely defeat them."

Berkin's gaze quickly swept across the area southwest of Klyukovo, then he tentatively asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, if I'm not mistaken, you intend to capture Kamenka village first, and then launch an attack on the enemy from there?"

Sokov looked at Belkin, thinking to himself, "I only said to launch an attack on the enemy from the southwest of Klyukovo, how did you immediately think of the village of Kamenka?" With this question in mind, he tentatively asked, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, how did you guess that I would choose to capture the village of Kamenka first?"

“The reason is simple,” Belkin replied. “There is a railway crossing near the village of Kamengka where the Germans temporarily store supplies brought from the rear before transporting them to their respective combat units by road. If we capture Kamengka ahead of time, it will be equivalent to cutting off the Germans’ logistical supply.”

If Belkin hadn't mentioned it, Sokov wouldn't have known that the village of Kamenka, southwest of Klyukovo, was actually a German stockpile of supplies. If he had known the importance of Kamenka, he should have seized that village along with the recapture of Klyukovo some time ago.

"I will now begin assigning tasks!"

Upon hearing Sokov's words, the battalion commanders immediately stopped their hushed conversation, sat up straight, and looked at Sokov, waiting for him to assign them combat tasks.

"First battalion commander!"

Yefim, whose name was called, immediately stood up and answered loudly, "Here!"

"Your battalion will be the first wave to launch an attack on Kamianka village!"

"Yes!" Yefim replied and sat down directly.

"Second Battalion Commander!"

Captain Alexei stood up, staring intently at Sokov, awaiting his orders.

"As the second echelon, once the first battalion breaks through the enemy's defenses, your battalion's mission is to immediately enter the battlefield through the breach and expand the occupied area."

"The Fourth Battalion will serve as the third echelon, acting as a reserve force, to be deployed into battle when the time is right." After saying this, Sokov turned to Vasya and asked, "Major Vasya, you have no objections, do you?"

“No,” Vasya replied readily. “I will obey your orders without question.”

"The artillery battalion will follow the 1st battalion," Sokov continued. "It will be responsible for providing artillery support when the 1st battalion attacks the village of Kamenka, clearing enemy firing points, and paving the way for the infantry to advance."

(End of this chapter)