red moscow

Chapter 3077

After successfully crossing the river, the infantry brigade immediately began a forced march along the main road, hoping to catch up with the remnants of the German army who had lost the will to resist, seize the opportunity to inflict heavy losses on them, and further weaken the enemy's overall combat capability. However, due to the relatively late start of the troops, coupled with the advance of the 9th and 11th Guards Divisions as the vanguard, despite the best efforts of the officers and soldiers of the 1st Battalion, the brigade's vanguard, all they saw along the way were the scattered corpses of German officers and soldiers, and various weapons and equipment hastily abandoned by them.

As the column marched, a young corporal noticed several wooden ammunition boxes neatly stacked by the roadside. Curious, he called a few soldiers over to check if any usable supplies remained. Just as he reached to lift the lid, Brigade Commander Sokov rushed over and shouted, "Stop! No one is allowed near those ammunition boxes!"

The corporal was quite annoyed that someone had suddenly blocked his way. Just as he was about to turn around and reprimand the other person for meddling, he suddenly realized that the person standing in front of him was none other than Brigade Commander Sokov himself. He immediately tensed up, quickly stood at attention, and instinctively raised his hand to salute.

Seeing this, Sokov quickly waved his hand to stop him and said seriously, "Corporal, don't salute your commander casually in a battlefield environment. You have no way of knowing whether there are German snipers lurking nearby. Such a salute could directly expose the commander's position, which is equivalent to pointing out a sniper target to the enemy."

"I'm so sorry, Comrade Brigade Commander!" The corporal realized he had almost made a big mistake and quickly apologized sincerely. "It was my negligence. I will never salute a commander casually on the battlefield again."

He paused briefly, then cautiously asked, "But Comrade Brigade Commander, I just wanted to see if there was any usable equipment in the ammunition boxes left by the Germans. Why are you stopping us?"

Sokov looked at him and explained in a serious tone, “Corporal, the Germans aren’t stupid. Do you really think they’d willingly discard so many weapons and ammunition so easily? If I’m not mistaken, these boxes are likely booby traps, and if anyone opens them rashly, they’ll explode immediately.”

The corporal was somewhat skeptical of the brigade commander's deduction, but dared not directly refute it. After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, could you allow me to inspect it carefully first? And open the box only after confirming there is no danger?" Perhaps fearing that Sokov would disagree, he quickly added, "Please don't misunderstand, I just want to see for myself what weapons are inside."

Sokov, seeing his curiosity and not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm, nodded in agreement. However, for safety's sake, he instinctively took a few steps back—in case the corporal accidentally triggered a booby trap during the inspection, standing at a distance would at least prevent him from being affected by the blast wave.

After a thorough inspection, they indeed discovered the booby traps meticulously laid by the Germans in the ammunition boxes. The corporal was immediately terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat and turning pale. He couldn't help but look at Sokov with gratitude, secretly thinking, "If the brigade commander hadn't intervened in time, I'd probably be blown to pieces by those German booby traps by now. I've truly escaped with my life!"

"First Battalion Commander!" Sokov turned around and solemnly instructed Yefim, who was standing beside him, "Immediately arrange for men to erect a conspicuous warning sign next to these dangerous ammunition boxes to remind and warn our men not to approach them easily, so as to avoid unnecessary casualties and losses."

“Understood, Comrade Brigade Commander. I’ll arrange for men to make and erect warning signs right away.” Yefim agreed and quickly got to work. As he was arranging the signs, his gaze suddenly fell upon soldiers in white camouflage uniforms skiing quickly past them on skis on both sides of the road, overtaking the First Battalion’s ranks and rushing to the front. Having completed his task, Yefim strode back to Sokov, his tone clearly showing resentment, and said, “Comrade Brigade Commander, did you notice that ski unit passing by on both sides?”

"Yes, I saw it," Sokov replied casually.

Seeing that Sokov's expression remained unchanged, Yefim grew anxious: "Comrade Brigade Commander, the ski unit's mobility far surpasses ours. They will definitely get ahead of us and wipe out those fleeing enemies. If we continue to follow them, we'll probably just be watching them feast while we don't even get a sip of soup!"

After listening patiently to Yefim's explanation, Sokov simply shook his head slightly and said calmly but firmly, "Comrade Captain, although the ski unit is indeed faster than us, their overall strength is too weak. They might be able to handle small-scale harassment operations against the enemy, but if we want to rely on them to hold off the enemy who are fleeing at full speed, they will be powerless and ultimately fail to achieve the desired combat effect."

Yefim, though still somewhat unwilling, understood the brigade commander's analysis after hearing Sokov's words. He nodded and said, "Comrade Brigade Commander, I understand. So what should we do now? Are we just going to watch the enemy slip away right under our noses?"

Sokov pondered for a moment, gazing into the distance, and slowly said, “Although our marching speed cannot match that of the ski troops, we have our advantages. Our firepower is stronger, and our manpower is more abundant. We can speed up our march and shorten the distance to the enemy as much as possible. At the same time, send someone to notify the follow-up troops to speed up as well, forming an encirclement and completely surrounding the enemy.”

Yefim's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Comrade Brigade Commander, your idea is brilliant! This way, those fleeing enemies will have nowhere to escape. I'll go and relay your orders right away." After saying that, he called over several signalmen and sent them to the Second and Third Battalions that were following behind to relay Sokov's instructions to them.

Sokov watched the communications soldier's retreating figure, silently pondering the upcoming battle plan. He knew that although the Soviet army currently held a certain advantage, as time went on, the Germans would construct new defensive lines in key areas to halt the Soviet advance. For example, Rzhev, north of Volokolamsk, would soon become a meat grinder for the Soviet army; he just hoped his troops wouldn't be transferred there.

"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Yefim saw Sokov standing there in a daze and quickly asked with concern, "I've seen you standing here in a daze. Are you alright? Should I call the army doctor to come and treat you?"

“It’s alright, I’m fine,” Sokov said, waving his hand. “I was just thinking about the next battle plan and got lost in thought for a moment. You immediately order the troops to speed up their march and try to catch up with the fleeing enemy before the 9th and 11th Guards Divisions annihilate them.”

(End of this chapter)