red moscow

Chapter 3066

As soon as Sokov and Rokossovsky returned to the village of Dyakovo, Lobachev came out of the house to greet them and asked Rokossovsky with concern, "Comrade Commander, are you not wounded?"

"Comrade Military Commissioner, thank you for your concern, I'm perfectly fine." Rokossovsky replied with a smile, "This trip was worthwhile; I've finally managed to bring the disorganized cavalry together."

"Comrade Commander, General Dovator has been killed in action." Lobachev asked a serious question: "Whom do you intend to place this unit under your command?"

“I think Major General Priev, commander of the 50th Cavalry Division, should take over this position,” Rokossovsky said. After stating his decision, he continued, “I wonder if the radio in the command post can contact the army group headquarters?”

“Of course we can contact Chief of Staff Malinin,” Lobachev said as he accompanied Rokossovsky into the house. “But I don’t think it’s necessary to send her a telegram.”

Rokossovsky stopped and asked, somewhat surprised, "Comrade Military Commissioner, why?"

"Because the radios and telegraph operators used here are from the cavalry, if we want General Puliev to come over, we only need to send him a telegram."

After figuring out what was going on, Rokossovsky strode into the house, saying, "We need to send a telegram to General Priyev as soon as possible, urging him to come and take command of the cavalry corps. Otherwise, no one will be able to control the troops."

"Comrade Commander!" Sokov said quickly when he saw that Rokossovsky seemed to have forgotten his presence. "Actually, before you arrived, I sent a telegram to General Puliev saying that General Dovator had unfortunately died in battle and requested that he come and take over command of the troops."

Sokov's words piqued Rokossovsky's curiosity: "Misha, how did you come up with the idea of ​​sending a telegram to General Puliev?"

“Comrade Commander, this is my thinking.” Sokov knew very well that he had sent a telegram to a commander of a higher rank without consulting him, requesting that the commander take over the troops in the village of Dyakovo on the Ruza River. If he did not explain the situation, it would likely leave a bad impression on Rokossovsky: “With my abilities, I am simply incapable of uniting and controlling the cavalry corps. If I want this unit to maintain its original fighting capacity in the upcoming battles, I must have a commander familiar with the troops take over as corps commander. After much consideration, I think the most suitable candidate is General Priev, commander of the 50th Cavalry Division.”

"I wonder what Priev's reaction was after your telegram was sent?" Rokossovsky asked.

"Comrade Commander, General Puliev sent a reply shortly after receiving the telegram, saying he would arrive at the village of Dyakovo as soon as possible," Sokov said. "If there are no unforeseen circumstances on the road, he will arrive soon."

After listening to Sokov's explanation, Rokossovsky nodded slightly and then said to Sokov, "Misha, you did the right thing! In the absence of contact with headquarters, it was undoubtedly the most correct decision to send a telegram to General Puliev, asking him to come here and take over the troops."

As soon as Sokov entered, he quickly went to the radio operator and asked somewhat urgently, "Comrade radio operator, could you please send a telegram to the infantry brigade headquarters to inquire whether the enemy attacking our unit has been repelled?"

"Misha!" Rokossovsky overheard Sokov's conversation with the radio operator and came over curiously, asking, "Your brigade was attacked by the enemy. What happened?"

“Comrade Commander, the company that escorted you here was ambushed by the enemy on the way.” Sokov said anxiously, “My deputy brigade commander only told me that troops had been sent to rescue them, but he didn’t mention how many enemy troops there were or what the battle situation was. I sent him a telegram to get more detailed intelligence.”

"When did you receive the telegram? How come I didn't know?"

“It was the telegram I received when you were gathering the troops ahead.” Rokossovsky tried to recall the escorting force he had seen on the way here, and then slowly said, “Misha, don’t worry, that force has more than a hundred officers and soldiers. Unless the enemy ambushing them has superior numbers and equipment, it is basically impossible to eliminate them in a short time.”

Sokov wouldn't be so worried if it were the 2nd or 3rd Battalion that was attacked, but the 4th Battalion's attacked company was equipped with assault rifles. If the Germans captured the weapons and ammunition, they would certainly send people back to German military factories for research. At present, most factories in Europe were working for Germany. Once they could replicate the captured assault rifles, they could mass-produce them in a very short time and quickly equip the troops. This would be an unavoidable disaster for the Soviet army.

Fortunately, he received a reply from Belkin a few minutes later. The contents of the telegram reassured him: "The enemy that ambushed our army has been defeated. After clearing the battlefield, the Fourth Battalion will continue to advance towards the Ruza River."

Seeing Sokov's excited expression, Rokossovsky guessed that the enemy attacking the troops must have been repelled, and asked Sokov, "Well, Misha, did your troops escape?"

"You're right, Commander. The enemy near my unit has been repelled, and the Fourth Battalion is marching here at full speed."

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, since your troops were attacked on the way, General Puliev, who is on his way, will not encounter a similar situation?” Lobachev asked.

Sokov thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Comrade Military Commissioner, I don't think so. Right now, in our rear, apart from small groups of stragglers, there are probably no large, organized units to be found. General Puliev should be in no danger."

Lobachev wanted to say a few more words, but then he saw a general walking in from outside. It was Major General Puliev, whom everyone was talking about. He immediately swallowed the rest of his words.

Rokossovsky was overjoyed to see Puliev arrive. He stepped forward and shook hands with him, saying, "General Puliev, you've finally come!"

"Yes, Comrade Commander, I've arrived!" Puliev looked at Rokossovsky and asked respectfully, "What are your instructions?"

"You know about General Dovator's sacrifice, right?"

Puliev glanced quickly at Sokov, then nodded and replied, "I have already seen the bodies of the corps commander and political commissar in the riverside hut. Comrade Commander, I wonder who you intend to appoint to command the cavalry corps?"

"General Puliev, after careful consideration, I believe that in order to maintain the cavalry's current combat effectiveness in the upcoming battles, we must appoint a commander who is familiar with the troops and known by the officers and soldiers below." Rokossovsky looked at Puliev and said, "In the end, I have decided that you will take over as commander of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps."

Although Puliev had long suspected that his superiors might appoint him as the corps commander, he was still extremely excited to hear Rokossovsky say it himself. He quickly assured Rokossovsky, "Comrade Commander, please rest assured that the cavalry corps will achieve even more brilliant victories in the upcoming battles and will absolutely not let you down."

“I have just finished regrouping the cavalry corps, which had become a disorganized mess, with Lieutenant Colonel Sokov,” Rokossovsky reminded Puliev. “In today’s battle, the regimental commanders suffered heavy casualties. You need to select suitable candidates as soon as possible to fill the vacant positions. Understand?”

"Understood." Priev nodded and said, "I will select suitable candidates as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)