red moscow

Chapter 3055

After the infantry brigade entered the village, Sokov specifically instructed Karsokov to send a telegram to the 4th Battalion, informing them of the unit's exact location so that they could come and join them as soon as possible.

After doing all this, Sokov left the brigade headquarters and went alone to the army group headquarters to have dinner with Rokossovsky and others.

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!" During dinner, Malinin asked with a smile, "I heard that you took Sun Mountain City in just a few hours, is that true?"

“Of course it’s true, Comrade Chief of Staff.” Since the infantry brigade was cooperating with the 20th Army in capturing Sun Mountain, all battle reports were submitted to Vlasov immediately, so it was understandable that Malinin was unaware of the specific details. Sokov told Malinin, “Because the enemy deployed most of their forces in the settlements outside the city to block our advance, the city’s defenses were extremely weak. It was for this reason that our troops, who entered the city through secret passages, easily wiped out the enemy inside.”

Rokossovsky chimed in, "Misha's troops were able to easily recapture Sun Mountain in such a short time, which shows that in war, you can't just rely on brute force; you also need to use your brain to achieve the greatest victory with the least casualties."

“That’s right, Commander is right.” Lobachev echoed, “A commander who only knows how to charge into battle, no matter how brave he is, can at best be a battalion commander or company commander. If he is put in charge of more troops, it may have the opposite effect.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I heard that while you were changing shifts with friendly forces, the enemy launched a heavy artillery barrage against you.” Malinin then asked, “Did you take any countermeasures to deal with the enemy’s shelling?”

Malinin's words reminded Sokov of how, when the northern positions of the city were engulfed in flames by German artillery fire, it was only thanks to Vlasov's use of the railway guns that the German bombardment was halted. Thinking of this, he said gravely, "My deputy brigade commander was on the northern positions at the time. According to him, the northern city wall had almost completely collapsed under the German bombardment, and many soldiers hiding near the wall were buried under the fallen bricks and stones. Due to the intense artillery fire, it was impossible to rescue them."

I worried that if the German bombardment continued, the commanders and soldiers holding the positions north of the city would suffer heavy casualties. Therefore, I appealed to General Vlasov for help, hoping he could provide artillery support to counter the German artillery positions and reduce the amount of artillery fire we suffered.

"So how did he do it?" Lobachev asked.

"He used the railway guns we captured and fired two shots at the enemy's artillery positions, silencing half of the German artillery in one of their groups," Sokov said. "If he had fired a few more shots, he might have wiped out the entire group."

"It seems that the railway guns are quite powerful," Malining said with emotion. "If our artillery is equipped with a certain number of railway guns, we will have no problem dealing with the enemy's strong fortifications in the future."

"While the railway guns were incredibly powerful, they also had many drawbacks. Not only was their rate of fire slow, but they were also difficult to move. If we had used them frequently on the battlefield, they would have become targets for enemy bombardment once German scouts located them." Rokossovsky finished speaking in one breath, then added with emotion, "Fortunately, we captured them before the enemy used them; otherwise, if two railway guns had been used to bombard the city of Moscow, it would have caused enormous casualties and material losses."

"Hello, comrades!" A familiar voice suddenly came from the doorway.

Sokov turned his head and saw Dovator, the commander of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, striding towards him.

"Dovator, you've arrived!" Rokossovsky greeted him warmly. "Have you had dinner?"

“Not yet.” Dovator walked quickly to Rokossovsky, shook hands with him, then sat down at the conference table, grabbed a slice of bread, stuffed it directly into his mouth, and muttered, “Looks like I’ve come at a pretty good time, just in time for your dinner.”

Sokov stared at Dovator, who was eating, and his facial muscles twitched. According to his memory, Dovator's life was nearing its end. In ten or twenty hours, he would tragically die in battle beside the Ruza River. Sokov was conflicted, unsure whether he should warn Dovator not to participate in any fighting for the next two days to avoid endangering his life.

"Dovator!" Before Sokov could figure out how to remind Dovator, Rokossovsky spoke first, asking, "I've heard that you've been charging at the very front of the column in every battle lately. Don't forget, you're the commander of a cavalry corps. Your duty is to lead the entire force to defeat the enemy, not to charge into battle like a company or battalion commander." Hearing Rokossovsky's well-intentioned criticism, Dovator chuckled dryly twice and then said, "Comrade Commander, you should know that my motto is 'The commander must lead by example.' If the soldiers see me charging at the front, it will definitely boost morale and unite the troops."

Rokossovsky couldn't bear to dampen the other's spirits, so he stopped trying to persuade him. However, he still gave him a final word of advice: "Dovator, you must be careful. After all, you have been wounded many times in the six months since the outbreak of the war. I hope that when the Germans are driven out of our country, I can still see you alive and well in front of me."

Dovator dismissed Rokossovsky's warning, saying nonchalantly, "Comrade Commander, don't worry. Although I've been wounded many times in previous battles, it also shows that I'm a lucky man. Enemy bullets can't kill me at all. I believe that good luck will always be with me until the day of victory."

Sokov sat beside Rokossovsky and Dovator, having already given up on the idea of ​​reminding Dovator. After all, the latter wouldn't even listen to Rokossovsky's advice, let alone him, a mere lieutenant colonel with little influence.

Rokossovsky said to Dovator, "Dovator, your army's main task is to clear the enemy from the Ruza to Volokolamsk road so that the main force of the army group can advance smoothly westward."

“No problem.” Dovator readily agreed to Rokossovsky’s arrangement, and then made his own request: “Comrade Commander, I currently only have the 50th Cavalry Division with me, which is severely insufficient. What do you think, could you transfer new troops to strengthen our forces?”

"What do you think of Lieutenant Colonel Sokov?" Rokossovsky pointed at Sokov and asked tentatively, "His infantry brigade is quite battle-hardened, and they have fought alongside you before, so you are acquaintances."

“I think so.” Dovator stood up and extended his hand to Sokov across the table: “Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, it’s a pleasure to see us fighting side by side again.”

Upon learning that Rokossovsky had arranged for him to fight alongside the cavalry, Sokov felt conflicted. He wasn't sure if he could save Dovator's life or simply watch him perish before his eyes. However, seeing Dovator extend his hand to him, he couldn't remain seated. He rose, grasped the man's hand, and forced a smile: "General Dovator, it's a pleasure to have the opportunity to fight alongside you again."

Dovator laughed heartily, shook Sokov's hand vigorously a few times, and said, "Leave the charging into battle to us cavalry; you just need to help us mop up the remaining enemies."

As Dovator sat back down, a crucial question came to mind, and he quickly asked, "By the way, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, how many men are left in your infantry brigade?"

"There are probably six or seven thousand people?"

Upon hearing Sokov's answer, Dovator was taken aback. "When we were defending Sun Mountain, your troops only had two or three thousand men left. How did they suddenly become six or seven thousand? What happened?" He then turned to Rokossovsky and asked, "Comrade Commander, did you replenish his troops?"

“How could that be? The army group’s subordinate units are all severely depleted and cannot be replenished. Where would I get extra troops to replenish him?” Rokossovsky explained: “Misha’s reinforcements usually come from two sources: first, to take in small units that have been scattered on the battlefield, and second, to liberate German POW camps, rescue the officers and soldiers imprisoned there, and then add them to the troops.”

"Oh, I see." Having figured out how Sokov replenished his forces, Dovator nodded slowly and said, "Comrade Commander, rescuing our officers and soldiers imprisoned in prisoner-of-war camps is also a good way to quickly replenish manpower. You see, these captured officers and soldiers have all undergone military training and possess certain combat experience. After being incorporated into the troops, they don't need further training; they only need a simple adjustment period to quickly form combat effectiveness. It seems I will have to liberate a few more prisoner-of-war camps in the future and use the officers and soldiers imprisoned there to replenish my troops."

“General Dovator!” Malinin interjected, “Lieutenant Colonel Sokov has just rescued more than 3,000 captured officers and soldiers, all of whom are unarmed. They will need to wait for supplies from the rear to arrive before they can be armed. Therefore, they will probably be unable to participate in combat in the short term.”

“It’s alright.” Dovator waved his hand and said confidently, “Let’s see how our cavalry performs during this time. We will make our Chashik scimitars leave the Germans with a nightmare that they will never forget.”

(End of this chapter)