red moscow

Chapter 3058 It was still a step too late.

The next morning, before dawn, Sokov, accompanied by several guards, hurriedly headed to the area where the First Battalion was stationed.

Even from a distance, he could see troops assembling in the open space between the wooden houses; it must be the First Battalion that was about to participate in the battle.

Before Sokov could get close, a sentry suddenly emerged from behind the wooden fence, seemingly preparing to block Sokov's path. But after seeing Sokov's face clearly, he quietly retreated.

Sokov quickly arrived near the ranks. Yefim, who was watching the officers and soldiers assemble, hurried over to him, saluted, and reported, "Comrade Brigade Commander, the First Battalion is assembling according to orders. 358 men were expected, and 358 men are present. Report complete, please give instructions!"

"Only three hundred or so?" Sokov frowned. "What can such a small force do on the battlefield?"

Yefim grinned and replied, “Comrade Brigade Commander, have you forgotten? This morning’s operation included not only our First Battalion but also Alex’s Second Battalion, which has nearly 500 men. The two battalions together have more than 800 men, which should be enough for a small-scale battle.”

Hearing Yefim say this, Sokov couldn't help but mutter to himself that it was a pity that the more than 3,000 prisoners of war brought by Vasya had no weapons. Otherwise, at least a thousand men would have been transferred to reinforce the first and second battalions, so that there would be enough troops to be put into the battle.

“Since we have no transport vehicles, we have to march on foot,” Sokov told Yefim. “It’s more than ten kilometers from here to the combat zone, and it will take more than three hours to walk. Once the troops are assembled, let’s set off immediately.”

Yefim agreed, turned and ran to the front of the line, shouting, "Attention, everyone! On my command: Stand at attention! Right turn, form three columns, and march!"

Watching the battalion march out of the village in three columns along the village path, Sokov specifically asked Yefim, "Comrade Captain, what about the two 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft guns you captured? Did you take them with you?"

“Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander.” Yefim pointed to the dozen or so soldiers moving slowly not far away and said with a bitter face, “Because there are no towing vehicles, we can only transport these two 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft guns by manpower. I estimate it will take at least a third longer to get to the combat area.”

“Comrade Captain, I can tell you with certainty,” Sokov said to Yefim with a serious expression, “Although it is troublesome to move these two 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft guns, you will find their benefits once you get to the battlefield.”

“Comrade Brigade Commander, I understand what you mean. You are planning to use the anti-aircraft guns for direct fire on the battlefield to destroy the enemy's firing positions.” Yefim chuckled and said, “I was just venting casually. I didn’t mean to question you. Please don’t misunderstand.”

"Alright, stop dawdling and let's get going," Sokov said sternly. "There's snow everywhere along the way that hasn't been cleared, and there are landmines planted by the enemy. If we don't speed up our march, we won't be able to reach the combat zone before the cavalry launches their attack."

During the journey, Yefim couldn't help but ask Sokov curiously, "Comrade Brigade Commander, although headquarters has ordered us to cooperate with the cavalry corps, there's no need to rush. We just withdrew from Sun Mountain City, and our officers and soldiers are very exhausted. We need a short rest to recover our strength. In addition, the Fourth Battalion brought back more than 3,000 prisoners of war. If we have two more days to rest, our soldiers can complete the integration with these prisoners, which will help us to better cooperate in the upcoming battles."

Sokov was now in a difficult position, unable to express his grievances. He couldn't very well tell Yefim that his eagerness to throw his troops into battle was to minimize the cavalry's casualties in today's fighting. If possible, he even wanted to save Dovator and the cavalry's main commander. But these words had to remain unspoken, causing him immense frustration.

"Comrade Captain, the enemy is fleeing westward under our attack," Sokov said. "Only by keeping close behind them, preventing them from catching their breath, reorganizing their troops, and organizing new defenses, can we achieve greater success in this counter-offensive."

After saying this, Sokov turned his head to look behind him, wanting to see if the Second Battalion had caught up.

Seeing Sokov turn to look behind him, Yefim immediately understood his meaning and quickly explained, "Although our battalion and the second battalion are both in the first echelon, according to convention, the departure times of the two units should be staggered, and they should be about one kilometer apart. This way, no matter which unit is attacked, the other unit can rush to its aid."

Yefim's statement was quite novel, and Sokov was taken aback upon hearing it: "There's such a thing? You're not lying to me, are you?"

“How could I possibly lie to you, Comrade Brigade Commander?” Yefim said earnestly, “Everything I said is true.”

……

As Sokov led his troops on a march, the main commanders of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps held a meeting in a large tent in a forest near the Ruza River.

“Comrades, commanders,” Dovator said sternly, “according to our intelligence, the plan to block their retreat near Lake Trostenskoye is no longer feasible because the German 252nd Division is moving faster than we anticipated.”

Colonel Tavliev, commander of the 20th Cavalry Division assisting the cavalry corps in combat, spoke up: "Comrade General, what should we do? Are we just going to watch the enemy escape from our sight?" "Colonel, I will not allow the enemy to escape from my sight," Dovator continued. "Don't forget, we are cavalry. No matter how fast the enemy runs, they only have two legs. They can never outrun the four legs of a warhorse."

"So what should we do next?" Tafliev asked.

"Due to troop losses and divisions during the earlier battles, our current forces are limited. Therefore, I intend to limit the battle to the area around the villages of Jakovo and Polashkino. Do you have any objections?"

"No!" the commanders inside the tent answered in unison.

“Very good.” After the tent quieted down again, Dovator continued, “Comrade Commander plans to send an infantry brigade to cooperate with our attack on the enemy. Now, everyone sit here and have some tea. After Lieutenant Colonel Sokov’s troops arrive, we will launch an attack on the enemy’s territory.”

"When will the infantry brigade arrive?" Tafliev continued to ask.

“It’s more than ten kilometers from the village to here.” Dovator raised his hand to check the time and continued, “There was a heavy snowfall last night, and the roads are difficult to travel. I think it will take at least two or three hours. Let’s stay here and wait patiently until the infantry brigade reaches its designated position before launching an attack on the enemy.”

No one had any objections to Dovator's arrangements, and they stayed in their tents to wait for the infantry brigade to arrive.

Time ticked by, and the commanders, who had initially been leisurely sipping tea, grew increasingly impatient as the infantry brigade failed to appear. More than one person glanced at their watch, wondering when the brigade would finally arrive.

The infantry brigade didn't receive the message they were looking for, but instead received the latest news from the scouts: "Outside the village of Dyakovo, there are the remnants of the 2nd Battalion of the German 472nd Infantry Regiment and the 9th Company of the 252nd Artillery Regiment. They are holding their ground on the high west bank of the Ruza River, trying to block the entire river with machine guns. To their right, in the village of Polashkino, is the 3rd Battalion of the German 7th Infantry Regiment."

When Tafriev heard the intelligence from the scouts, his mind began to race. He stood up and said to Dovator, "Comrade General, if the intelligence from the scouts is reliable, then the enemy forces opposite us are quite weak, and we should take the initiative to attack them."

"But Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's infantry brigade hasn't arrived yet," Political Commissar Karasov kindly reminded him. "Comrade Commander, why don't we wait until the infantry officers and soldiers arrive before we talk about it?"

“We can’t wait any longer.” But Dovator waved his hand and said, “The enemy’s forces are weak and not ready for battle. For me, this is the best time to strike. Now, all regimental commanders, go back and prepare for battle, ready to launch an attack on the enemy at any time.”

The cavalry commanders, who had been restless for some time, stood up in unison upon hearing Dovator's order, saluted him, and then turned and left the tent.

The cavalry units assembled and, in regiments, slowly advanced towards the Luza River.

Half an hour after the cavalry left, Sokov appeared near the camp with a battalion of officers and soldiers.

Seeing the densely packed tents in the forest, Sokov was quite pleased. The presence of so many tents meant he had arrived at the cavalry's encampment.

However, his joy did not last long. When he arrived near the tent, he saw no one and no warhorses, indicating that the tent was empty.

Seeing this, Yefim said with great dissatisfaction, "What's going on? Weren't you supposed to wait for us to come and attack together? Why is there no one here?"

Looking at the empty tent, Sokov felt like crying. He had rushed here desperately to save Dovator and the others, but he was too late; the cavalry had already marched to the battlefield. Even if he got there now, he could only collect their corpses.

"Comrade Captain!" Sokov said to Yefim, still unwilling to give up, "Immediately send men to search the tents here to see if anyone is still here. If anyone is found, make sure to find out where the cavalry corps went. Understand?"

"Understood!" Yefim replied loudly. "I will send men to search the tents immediately."

(End of this chapter)