red moscow

Chapter 3053

Around noon, while the troops were resting in a small town, Sokov received a telegram from Vasya: "The prisoner-of-war camp has been liberated, and 3541 prisoners have been rescued. Our unit suffered no casualties."

After reading the contents of the telegram, Sokov was taken aback. He wondered what was going on. Wasn't there a platoon of German guards in the prisoner-of-war camp? Were they so incompetent that they didn't cause any casualties to Major Vasya's 4th Battalion?

After reading the telegram, Belkin and Karsokov shared the same question as Sokov: "What's going on? Major Vasya's troops liberated the POW camp, how could there be no casualties?"

“Yes, it’s quite strange.” Sokov thought for a moment and then instructed the radio operator standing beside him: “Send a telegram back to Major Vasya and have him report the details of the battle.”

Before the telegraph operator could send the message, Vasya's second telegram arrived.

In this telegram, Vasya detailed how, upon arriving near the POW camp, the 4th Battalion discovered that the guards had long since vanished, leaving only several thousand Soviet POWs foolishly remaining in an open area surrounded by barbed wire. A headcount revealed 3541 surviving prisoners, primarily from the 30th Army. Aside from 357 seriously wounded who were sent to a field hospital in Khimki, the rest would accompany the 4th Battalion to rejoin the main force.

After reading the telegram, Sokov and his men were extremely excited. With the addition of these prisoners of war, the infantry brigade's total strength would return to around six thousand, essentially equivalent to a regular infantry division. With such strength, they would no longer have to worry about insufficient manpower in the upcoming battles.

After a brief moment of excitement, Karsokov raised a serious question: "Comrades, with the addition of these prisoners of war, our brigade's strength has increased, but at the same time we face a serious problem: what about weapons? It's not easy to collect enough weapons for more than three thousand people at once."

Sokov and Belkin, upon hearing this, also felt a headache coming on. A month or two ago, the troops could find hidden armories in the nearby forests and arm themselves with the weapons and ammunition stored there. But now, finding such armories was practically impossible. They couldn't possibly send over three thousand men into battle unarmed, could they?
"How about we report this to headquarters?" Belkin tentatively asked Sokov, "to see if the higher-ups can provide us with the weapons and ammunition we need?"

“I think that’s a good idea. I’ll send a telegram to headquarters right away and see if they can provide us with weapons and ammunition.” Sokov turned to the radio operator who hadn’t left yet and instructed him: “Contact the army group headquarters immediately and tell them that our brigade is in dire need of a batch of weapons and ammunition. See if the higher command can provide them to us.”

However, the radio operator quickly returned and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, the Army Group Headquarters should be on the march and has not turned on the radio, so I cannot contact them."

"Marching?! Isn't the army group headquarters in Klyukovo? What kind of marching is this?" Belkin said, frowning.

Sokov strained to recall the contents of Rokossovsky's memoirs, and suddenly remembered that Rokossovsky had instructed the army group headquarters to move closer to the vanguard, so the entire headquarters was often ahead of the troops. The radio operator had been right when he said they might be on a march.

After figuring out what was going on, Sokov said, "Since we can't get in touch, let's not. Let's continue on our way and contact headquarters again tonight when we have time."

The troops finished their rest and continued westward along the road.

After marching six or seven kilometers, the column ahead suddenly slowed down. Sokov was about to send someone to check why the march had slowed down when he saw a soldier running back from the front.

The soldier approached Sokov and his men, saluted, and respectfully reported, "Comrade Brigade Commander, we have spotted a village ahead. The Battalion Commander sent me to ask you whether we should send troops to garrison the village."

"Comrade soldier, go back and tell Captain Yefim to send men in to scout and see if any villagers are still in the village," Sokov instructed the soldier. "Also, check the intact wooden houses to see if any landmines have been planted inside."

The soldier agreed and turned to run back to the front of the formation.

“We’ve walked for another two hours,” Belkin said, glancing at his watch. “If possible, I suggest setting up the troops’ encampment in the village.”

“I agree,” Sokov nodded. “Have Captain Yefim send men to scout the village. After clearing the enemy mines, we’ll camp there tonight.”

Upon receiving Sokov's order, Yefim immediately dispatched a platoon of soldiers to leave the main road and enter the village to conduct reconnaissance.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as the soldiers arrived at the village entrance, they were stopped by several soldiers who suddenly appeared: "Halt! What are you doing here?"

The platoon leader in charge was startled by the sudden appearance of the soldiers. He quickly raised his gun and aimed at them, but after seeing that they were also wearing Soviet military uniforms, he lowered his gun and asked, "Which unit are you from, and what are you doing here?"

To everyone's surprise, the soldier on the other side didn't respond at all and continued to ask, "You still haven't answered me, what do you do?"

"We're from an infantry brigade, ordered to come here for reconnaissance." The platoon leader, left with no other option, revealed his identity and then asked, "Which unit are you from?"

"An infantry brigade? Is it Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's infantry brigade?" the soldier opposite asked.

“That’s right, our brigade commander is Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!”

“We’re from the army group headquarters,” the soldier finally revealed their identity after hearing the platoon leader’s reply. “Comrade Commander is in the village right now. If you don’t have anything else to do, you don’t need to go in.” Upon learning that Rokossovsky was in the village, the platoon leader quickly smiled and said, “Alright, comrade soldier, then we won’t go in! Goodbye!”

The platoon leader led his men out of the village and back onto the main road to report to Yefim, who was waiting there.

Yefim glared at his men and asked with displeasure, "Didn't I order you to go into the village to scout, see if any villagers remained, and check the houses for landmines planted by the Germans? Why are you back so soon?"

"Reporting to the battalion commander!" the platoon leader said respectfully. "We had just reached the village entrance when we were stopped by the guards from the army group headquarters. They said that the commander was in the village at the moment and that we should not enter the village without permission."

"What? The Commander is in the village?" Yefim stared in surprise, his eyes widening. "Is what you're saying true?"

“Of course it’s true.” The platoon leader nodded and said, “That’s what the soldier who blocked our way said. I don’t think he would lie to me.”

Now that Yefim knew Rokossovsky was in the village by the roadside, he dared not delay and hurriedly ran to the back of the group to inform Sokov of the news.

When Sokov saw Yefim running up panting, he couldn't help but tease him, "Captain Yefim, what's wrong with you? Why are you running so fast? Are there wolves chasing you?"

“Comrade Brigade Commander!” Yefim said to Sokov, slightly out of breath, “I have something important to report to you immediately. The soldiers I sent to scout the village were stopped at the village entrance by sentries from the army group headquarters. They said that the commander was in the village and that we should not enter the village without permission.”

"Ah, the Commander is in the village?" Sokov was somewhat surprised. "Is everything you're saying true?"

“Of course it’s true.” Yefim nodded, giving Sokov a definite answer: “I don’t think my men would lie to me about something like this.”

After confirming that Rokossovsky and the members of the command should be in the village, Sokov first ordered the troops to rest on the spot, and then he himself, along with Belkin, Karsokov, and a guard squad, headed towards the village.

When they arrived at the village entrance, they were stopped again by the soldiers on duty: "Excuse me, three commanders, you cannot enter the village without permission."

Faced with the soldiers' obstruction, Sokov took two steps forward and, with a smile, said to the soldier closest to him, "Comrade soldier, I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the brigade commander of the infantry brigade. I have something important to report to the commander. Could you please help us relay this message?"

The soldier stared at Sokov for a moment, then said dryly, "Wait a minute, I'm going to make a phone call."

After saying that, the soldier walked towards a wooden house not far away.

After opening the door, the soldier stepped inside and then closed it behind him, blocking the view of those outside from looking into the room.

A few minutes later, the soldier came out of the room and approached Sokov. He said politely, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I have already called the head of the guard. He asked you to wait here for a while, and he will send someone to pick you up."

Not long after, Sokov saw an officer wearing the rank of captain jogging over.

When the soldier who made the call saw him, he immediately went up to him and whispered a few words to the other party.

The captain listened and nodded repeatedly, then quickly walked up to Sokov and politely asked, "Are you Lieutenant Colonel Sokov?"

“Yes, I am Sokov,” Sokov replied quickly.

"Please come with me, I will take you to see the Commander."

Sokov nodded, called Belkin and Karsokov, and prepared to enter the village with the guard platoon.

But when the captain saw his actions, he raised his hand to stop him and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, your guard platoon should stay outside the village. Only the three of you can come with me to see the commander."

“Alright then, I’ll leave the guard platoon at the village entrance.” Sokov didn’t argue with them, but cooperated by saying, “Just the three of us will go with you to see the commander.”

(End of this chapter)