red moscow

Chapter 3043

"Comrade General!" Unlike Sokov, who was from the future, Belkin was unaware that the renowned general before him would be captured by the Germans and become a shameful traitor just a few months later. He was still very enthusiastic towards him: "I would like to ask how many troops you plan to use in the attack on Sun Mountain City?"

Perhaps worried that the other party would not understand what he was trying to say, Belkin went out of his way to explain: "Comrade General, it is like this, although Sun Mountain City is a medium-sized city, it is located in a very dangerous place and the enemy has deployed a considerable number of troops to defend it. If our forces are too small, it will probably not be an easy task to recapture the city."

After understanding what Berkin was trying to say, Vlasov smiled and said, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, so that's what you were worried about? Don't worry, my 20th Army was reorganized based on the operational group commanded by Colonel Lidyukov. It consists of the 331st and 352nd Infantry Divisions, the 28th, 35th and 64th Infantry Brigades, and the 134th and 135th Independent Tank Battalions. I plan to assign the mission of attacking Sun Mountain to the 28th and 35th Infantry Brigades."

Sokov frowned slightly when he heard Vlasov say that he was preparing to send two infantry brigades to recapture Sun Mountain. Including his own brigade, that meant three brigades would be involved in the battle. Since everyone was a brigade commander, who would take unified command?
With this question in mind, Sokov cautiously asked Vlasov, "Comrade General! I would like to ask, you plan to send two brigades to participate in the war, which, together with our brigade, will make three infantry brigades. I wonder who will be in unified command?"

Vlasov glanced at Sokov, but instead of answering the question immediately, he asked in return, "How many men are left in your brigade?"

Sokov turned to look at Karsokov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you answer the General's question."

Karsokov nodded, stood up and replied, "Reporting, Comrade General! Our brigade now has approximately four thousand men."

"Four thousand men?!" Vlasov was somewhat surprised when he heard the number reported by Karsokov: "Isn't your brigade always in combat? How come you still have so many men?"

“The reason is simple,” Sokov explained with a smile, “because we will do everything we can to replenish our forces, so that any shortages caused by fighting can be quickly filled.”

"Looks like you have a plan," Vlasov said. "The 28th and 35th Infantry Brigades combined only have 6500 men. With your brigade, the total strength exceeds 10,000. Taking back Sun Mountain shouldn't be a big problem. As for who will command the assault troops, I think I'll have you three brigade commanders meet tomorrow and then we can discuss that."

“Alright, Comrade General.” Sokov knew that the recapture of Sun Mountain was mainly carried out by Vlasov’s 20th Army, so he did not object to his suggestion: “You decide on this matter.”

After seeing Vlasov off, Berkin asked with some curiosity, "Comrade Brigade Commander, were you really General Vlasov's subordinate before?"

“Yes, I was indeed under General Vlasov’s command. After the fall of Kiev, we fled the city together and returned to Moscow,” Sokov explained. “Later, I was assigned to General Rokossovsky’s 16th Army.”

After listening to Sokov's account, Belkin stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "But I noticed that your attitude towards him was polite yet distant, as if you were trying your best to keep your distance. What's going on?"

Although Sokov was eager to distance himself from Vlasov, he couldn't show it too obviously before the latter became a traitor, otherwise he would be seen as ungrateful. Hearing Berkin's words, he immediately laughed it off, saying, "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, you must be mistaken. I'm overjoyed to see my old superior; how could I possibly be polite and distant towards him?"

"Is that really the case?" Belkin asked hesitantly. "Could it be that I'm being paranoid and have misunderstood things?"

"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Fortunately, Karsokov changed the subject: "The troops attacking Sun Mountain City this time consist of three brigades, and the highest commander of each brigade is a brigade commander. If the higher command does not send someone else to take command, then the candidate for the overall commander of the forward operation will be selected from among you three brigade commanders."

Karsokov's words reminded Belkin, who asked Sokov with some concern, "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you think you are capable of serving as the commander-in-chief of the front?"

“That’s hard to say,” Sokov said, shaking his head. “I know nothing about who the commanders of the other two infantry brigades are or what their command experience is like, so I can’t answer your question.”

"Oh, right, I just remembered something," Karsokov continued. "When General Vlasov mentioned his troops, he didn't seem to mention artillery. Does the 20th Army not have artillery?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you're right. I also noticed that General Vlasov didn't mention artillery," Belkin added. "It seems the 20th Army really doesn't have artillery. When we launch our attack, we'll only get tank support at most." "General Vlasov didn't mention artillery, but I don't think an army-level organization would really be without artillery," Sokov said cautiously. "Perhaps when I meet with the other two brigade commanders tomorrow, I'll ask General Vlasov if his troops have artillery?"

……

The next morning, the infantry brigade set off for the attack starting point south of Taiyangshan City.

Here, Sokov met the two brigade commanders that Vlasov had mentioned.

Upon meeting, Sokov couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. The other two brigade commanders were both colonels, over forty years old, and by all accounts, their ranks and seniority far surpassed his own. If they were both members of the 16th Army, and he were to serve as the forward commander, leading their troops, perhaps they wouldn't object out of respect for Rokossovsky. But now they belonged to the 20th Army, and they probably didn't even respect Commander Vlasov, let alone him, an outsider. The position of forward commander was likely out of his reach.

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!” Vlasov addressed Sokov formally by his surname and rank, and introduced him to the other two brigade commanders: “Let me introduce you: this is Colonel Valev, commander of the 28th Brigade, and this next to him is Colonel Zhuravlev, commander of the 35th Brigade.”

Upon hearing the second name, Sokov paused for a moment. He remembered that the former deputy commander of the 16th Army was named Zhuravlev, who was then transferred to the 30th Army as deputy commander, and finally went to the Western Front as chief of staff.

"Hello, Colonel Valev!" After a brief hesitation, Sokov raised his hand to salute Colonel Valev. After the other returned the salute, he saluted Zhuravlev: "Hello, Colonel Zhuravlev!"

After everyone was seated, Vlasov spoke up: "Comrades, your troops will launch an attack on Sun Mountain City tomorrow. In order to better accomplish the mission assigned to us by our superiors, we first need to select one of you to serve as the forward commander-in-chief for the liberation of Sun Mountain City. Who would like to speak first?"

“Comrade Commander!” As soon as Vlasov finished speaking, Zhuravlev stood up and said, “I think I am the most suitable for the position of commander-in-chief of the front.” To make his point, he added, “I not only participated in the Spanish Civil War, but also in the Winter War before the war. I have rich command experience, and it is undoubtedly appropriate for me to command the battle to liberate Sun Mountain City.”

Sokov remained silent after hearing this, after all, he had only been in the army for a few months and could not compare with these senior commanders at all. He turned his gaze to Valev, wanting to hear what he would say.

Valev also stood up, but instead of volunteering, he echoed Zhuravlev: "I think it is very appropriate for Colonel Zhuravlev to serve as the commander-in-chief of the front. I want to state here that our brigade will resolutely obey his orders."

With both brigade commanders having expressed their opinions, everyone's attention turned to Sokov, waiting for him to give his own perspective.

Of the three brigade commanders, Sokov was the least senior and held the lowest rank, making him the type whose voice carried little weight. Moreover, the other two colonels had already reached a consensus that Colonel Zhuravlev should be in charge of the forward command. Even if he expressed a different opinion, it would not only be ineffective but would also offend the two, affecting coordination in subsequent battles. After weighing the options, he finally agreed: "I also think Colonel Zhuravlev is very suitable for the position of forward command."

Seeing that the commander-in-chief of the front had been chosen, Vlasov nodded and continued, "The commander-in-chief of the front for the liberation of Sun Mountain City will be Colonel Zhuravlev. Next, we need to formulate a complete offensive plan. Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, you once served as the city defense commander of Sun Mountain City. Tell me, how should we formulate this plan?"

Upon learning that Sokov had once served as the city's defense commander, Zhuravlev and Valev were filled with astonishment.

Zhuravlev asked Vlasov in a low voice, "Comrade Commander, when did this lieutenant colonel become the city defense commander?"

“About two weeks ago,” Vlasov said. “He led more than two thousand troops and held out against the enemy’s fierce attack for almost ten days before he had to abandon the city. The 16th Army sent him to assist us in liberating Sun Mountain City because he is more familiar with the city than we are.”

(End of this chapter)