red moscow

Chapter 3092 Special Spoils
After entering the dense forest, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and Deputy Brigade Commander Belkin proceeded slowly. They saw many soldiers diligently and systematically clearing the battlefield. The soldiers not only collected usable weapons and ammunition but also carefully examined the German corpses, removing valuable trophies such as watches, rings, and pens—almost an unspoken rule on the battlefield.

When Sokov and Belkin appeared in the woods, the busy soldiers seemed flustered, stopping what they were doing and standing up anxiously to look at their two commanders. Their eyes darted away, seemingly prepared to face Sokov's harsh reprimand. However, to their surprise, Sokov did not get angry. He knew that while collecting spoils on the battlefield was not explicitly permitted, it was an unwritten rule among armies of various countries—whether Soviet, American, German, or British, they all looted valuables from enemy corpses when clearing the battlefield.

Sokov waved to the tense soldiers and said calmly, "Continue your work. Just pretend I was never here." Then he turned to Belkin and nodded slightly, "Let's go, Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, let's go see the captured German division commander."

Belkin was already used to the scene before him and wasn't surprised at all. Hearing Sokov's call, he immediately quickened his pace to catch up with the brigade commander. Watching the two commanders gradually disappear into the distance, the soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief and squatted down again to continue their interrupted work.

The two men walked a few dozen meters further when they suddenly saw Captain Bobrikov approaching with a dozen or so guards. A stretcher was being carefully carried by four soldiers among them. Lying on the stretcher was a high-ranking German officer; the bright red rank insignia on his uniform collar and shoulder straps clearly identified him as a general. Two German officers followed on either side of the stretcher: on the left was a colonel with a bandage around his neck and his wounded arm, wrapped in bandages, dangling in front of his chest; on the right was a major, who watched the general on the stretcher with a grave expression as they walked.

Upon seeing Sokov and Belkin, Bobrikov immediately quickened his pace, saluted, and excitedly reported: "Comrade Brigade Commander, our company has successfully captured a German general, a colonel, and a major in the battle!"

“Well done, Captain Bobrikov!” Sokov nodded approvingly. “If it is confirmed that the person on the stretcher is indeed the German division commander, you will receive the medal you deserve.” After saying this, Sokov walked to the stretcher, looked at the German general with his eyes closed, and said coldly in German, “I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the infantry brigade. State your identity.”

“Colonel!” No sooner had Sokov finished speaking than the German major standing on the right side of the stretcher lunged forward, his eyes filled with anxiety and pleading, only to be quickly stopped by the Soviet soldiers on guard. Despite this, the major struggled on, his voice choked with sobs, “I am Major Bramer, adjutant to the commander of the 267th Infantry Division! Our commander, General Martinek, was seriously wounded in the shelling just now… Please, let the medics save him! If we delay any longer, the general will die!”

Upon hearing the German word "medic," Sokov was momentarily confused, before realizing what the other person meant. He said calmly, but with a hint of correction, "Here, we usually call them 'medics.'" He then immediately turned to Captain Bobrikov beside him and solemnly ordered, "Captain, immediately send a medic to treat this German general's wounds. Remember, if he dies, you'll lose your medal."

Upon hearing that the German general's life or death was directly related to his own honor and reward, Bobrikov dared not delay in the slightest. He quickly beckoned to two soldiers and urgently ordered them to split up and find a medic or medical officer nearby to come and treat the seriously wounded German general as soon as possible.

"Major, I've already sent someone to find a medic," Sokov continued in fluent German to Bramer. "Don't worry, they'll be there soon to provide first aid to your division commander."

Just as Major Bramer was expressing his gratitude, Sokov's gaze shifted to another wounded officer beside the stretcher—a German colonel. He asked calmly, yet with an undeniable air of authority, "Colonel, may I ask your identity? What is your rank in the 267th Infantry Division?"

The wounded colonel, enduring the pain, answered in a low voice: "I am Colonel Raul, Chief of Staff of the 267th Infantry Division."

After listening to Sokov's translation, Belkin, who was standing to the side, immediately showed excitement and surprise on his face. He lowered his voice and said to Sokov, "Comrade Brigade Commander, we've really caught a big fish! Not only have we captured the German division commander alive, but we've also captured the chief of staff. This is an extremely important victory! Don't you think we should report to the army group headquarters immediately?"

Sokov turned and looked around, quickly spotting a radio operator carrying a walkie-talkie not far away. He immediately beckoned the operator over. The operator strode forward, saluted, and asked, "Comrade Brigade Commander, what are your instructions?"

"Send a telegram to the army group headquarters immediately." Sokov said decisively, "The telegram is as follows: Our operation to annihilate the German 267th Infantry Division has ended, and we have successfully captured Major General Martinek, the division commander, and Colonel Raul, the chief of staff."

After the radio operator finished recording, he asked hesitantly, "Comrade Brigade Commander, is this all the information in the telegram?"

"The results are still being tallied; let me report these key points first," Sokov replied firmly. "The commander and chief of staff must be waiting for this news."

When the medic that Bobrikov found came to treat Martinek's wound, Malinin received a telegram from the infantry brigade.

Upon reading the telegram, Malinin beamed with joy. He waved the telegram and ran towards Rokossovsky, excitedly shouting, "Comrade Commander, the infantry brigade's attack on the German 267th Infantry Division has ended! We have successfully captured Major General Martinek, the division commander, and Colonel Raul, the chief of staff. This is a remarkable victory!" Rokossovsky took the telegram from Malinin and eagerly began to read it. When he saw that the contents perfectly matched Malinin's report, a satisfied smile appeared on his face: "Misha did a fantastic job! Since the outbreak of the war, we have never annihilated even a single German divisional command, let alone captured a high-ranking officer like a division commander."

"Should we report to the Supreme Command immediately?" Malinin asked.

Rokossovsky thought for a moment and then rejected Malinin's suggestion: "No rush. After all, so far we have only received the infantry brigade's telegram and have not seen the captured German division commander and chief of staff. If we rush to report, it will be troublesome to explain if something goes wrong."

“Alright then.” Malinin nodded and said, “Lieutenant Colonel Sokov said in the telegram that the German division commander, General Martinek, has been wounded. The infantry brigade’s field hospital is still in Khimki, so it’s certainly not able to perform surgery on the wounded. Having him bring the prisoners to the army group headquarters is undoubtedly the most appropriate option.”

When the infantry brigade received Malinin's reply, the medic who had already treated Martinek's wound was reporting to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, I have treated the German's wound. However, due to limitations in the conditions, it is impossible to remove the shrapnel from his body. I suggest that he be sent to the field hospital for surgery immediately, otherwise his life will be in danger."

"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Belkin handed the telegram he had just finished reading to Sokov: "A telegram just sent from headquarters, instructing us to send the prisoners to the army group headquarters, where they will arrange for medics to treat the wounded."

"Then arrange for men to be sent to the army group headquarters as soon as possible." Sokov instructed Bobrikov: "Comrade Captain, this matter is in your hands."

"What about the other prisoners?" Bobrikov asked Sokov. "Should they be brought to the army group headquarters as well?"

“Let them stay here for now,” Sokov said. “I’ll arrange for them to be sent over after the results are tallied.”

Sokov and Belkin returned to the newly established brigade headquarters, where they met with Chief of Staff Karsokov.

When Karsokov saw the two men return, he immediately went up to them, shook hands with them one by one, and then asked Sokov curiously, "Comrade Brigade Commander, is it true that you captured Major General Martinek, commander of the German 267th Infantry Division?"

“Of course it’s true.” Sokov nodded and said, “Since Martinek was wounded and we don’t have any medics here to operate on him, I’ve arranged for him to be taken to the army group headquarters. The commander and the others will arrange surgery for him.”

“Comrades, brigade commanders!” Karsokov continued, “While you were away, the troops sent over some spoils of war. You two might as well take a look and see if there’s anything you like.”

"What spoils of war?" Sokov said dismissively, "It's not just some watches, is it?"

“You guessed right, Comrade Brigade Commander.” Karsokov took out a small wooden box and handed it to Sokov: “This is a nice watch. See if you like it.”

Sokov reluctantly took the box and slowly opened it. But when he saw the watch inside, his eyes widened like saucers.

Because this is a watch that clearly doesn't belong to this era; to be precise, it's a Rolex Submariner "Hulk" from later times. Sokov remembered that on the eve of Victory Day during his first time travel, Khabarov had asked him to accompany him to buy a similar watch, saying it was a birthday gift for a friend. This watch was very similar to the one Khabarov had bought.

(End of this chapter)