red moscow

Chapter 3113

After Yefim finished expressing his views, he hoped to gain Sokov's approval. He turned slightly to the side, his eyes filled with anticipation, only to find that Sokov wasn't listening at all—the man's gaze was fixed on the direction of the village where the battle was taking place, his brow slightly furrowed, as if assessing every detail of the battlefield. The wind ruffled the hem of his military overcoat, but he seemed oblivious, completely ignoring the conversation between Yefim and Nazorov.

Yefim felt a pang of embarrassment. He cleared his throat and raised his voice, asking, "Comrade Brigade Commander! How do you think we should fight the next battle?"

Sokov then came to his senses. He slowly turned his head and looked at Yefim. "Comrade Captain," his voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, "judging from the situation of the battle, the officers and soldiers of the First Battalion have performed very tenaciously, and their tactics have been applied very appropriately."

He raised his arm and pointed to a wooden house still smoking in the distance, and continued, "For example, when the soldiers faced the German firing positions set up in the wooden house, they did not just charge and fight recklessly, but made reasonable use of the weapons at their disposal." He paused slightly, as if to check the battlefield situation, "They used rocket launchers to accurately strike and directly destroy the enemy fortifications, clearing the way for the charge."

Just as he was speaking, two more explosions rang out at the village entrance ahead—the attacking troops had once again used rocket launchers to take out two German firing positions. Before the thick smoke had even cleared, the soldiers poured into the village like a flood bursting its banks. Gunfire, shouts of battle, and the explosions of grenades immediately filled the village as the soldiers engaged in fierce house-to-house battles with the enemy hiding in the buildings.

Seeing the fierce fighting in the village, with gunfire, explosions, and shouts mingling together, and smoke billowing over the village, Nazorov couldn't remain calm any longer. He strode over to Sokov and urgently volunteered: "Comrade Brigade Commander, the officers and soldiers of the First Battalion have already stormed into the village and are engaged in a house-to-house battle with the Germans. They are fighting bravely, but the enemy is putting up a fierce resistance, and their advance has clearly slowed down. If our battalion goes up to help them now, it will definitely speed up the battle and perhaps even shorten the time it takes to capture the village."

To be honest, Nazorov's words stirred something in Sokov. He raised his binoculars and carefully observed the battle situation in the village. He saw the First Battalion's soldiers, relying on the broken walls and ruins, fiercely engaging the German troops. Although progress was going well, the Germans were stubbornly holding their ground, using houses and basements. It would clearly take considerable time to completely eliminate the enemy and occupy the entire village. Sokov thought that injecting new reinforcements at this time could indeed change the battlefield situation, accelerate the pace of the battle, and perhaps even bring about victory sooner.

With this in mind, Sokov made a decisive decision. He put down his binoculars, turned to Nazarov, and said, "Captain Nazarov, since you are so eager for battle, I won't discourage you. Here's what we'll do: immediately send a company to outflank the village from the south and assist the First Battalion in capturing the village ahead. Remember, act swiftly and catch the enemy off guard."

When Nazorov heard Sokov agree to let him send troops to participate in the battle, his face lit up with joy, but then an embarrassed expression appeared on his face. He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "What, only one company to participate in the battle? Comrade Brigade Commander, isn't one company a bit too few? The enemy resistance in the village is very strong. How about I send all three companies? That way we can end the battle more quickly."

“No.” Sokov rejected Nazorov’s request without hesitation, his tone resolute. “On the battlefield, we cannot gamble everything. I cannot commit all my forces to the attack; I must leave a portion of the troops as reserves. They must not only be responsible for holding the existing positions and preventing possible enemy counterattacks, but also be ready to join the battle and change the course of the war if the attacking forces are stalled.”

After hearing Sokov's words, Nazorov, though still somewhat unwilling, no longer insisted on his own opinion. He replied, "Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander, I understand!" He then turned and quickly returned to his unit, immediately drawing up men to reinforce the First Battalion.

A dozen minutes later, the 2nd Company of the 3rd Battalion, under cover of fire, swiftly stormed into the village and joined forces with their comrades from the 1st Battalion to wipe out the enemy. The gunfire and grenade explosions suddenly intensified, and the battle entered a fierce phase.

Just then, the radio operator rushed to Sokov's side and loudly reported, "Comrade Brigade Commander, the Chief of Staff wants to speak with you." He handed Sokov the headset and microphone. Sokov took the headset, put it on, and said into the microphone, "Chief of Staff, this is Sokov! What can I do for you?"

"Comrade Brigade Commander!" Karsokov's voice came through the earpiece, tinged with urgency. "I'd like to ask you, when can the attack on the village begin? I'm all ready."

Sokov glanced at the village where fierce fighting was taking place, with gunfire and explosions ringing out incessantly. He couldn't help but ask, somewhat puzzled, "The battle has already begun. The officers and soldiers of the First Battalion have rushed into the village and are engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy entrenched there. Why are you asking this?"

“Comrade Brigade Commander, it’s like this,” Karsokov quickly explained. “Didn’t you tell me to contact the artillery and be ready to provide artillery support for the attacking troops at any time? So much time has passed, but you still haven’t given me the order to fire, so I’m asking here. The artillery comrades are all in position, just waiting for your order.”

After figuring out what had happened, Sokov said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff, it was my oversight. I saw that there didn't seem to be any strongholds in the village, and the Germans were mainly resisting with light weapons. The current equipment of the 1st Battalion was more than enough to handle them, so I didn't give you the order to fire the artillery. Besides, our troops are already entangled with the enemy, and artillery support would only cause friendly fire."

After waiting for Sokov to finish speaking, Karsokov remained silent for a moment before tentatively asking, "Comrade Brigade Commander, is it really not necessary to use artillery support? Perhaps we can use artillery fire to destroy some fortified positions and clear obstacles for our commanders and soldiers on their way to the attack."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you mentioned artillery units." Sokov said thoughtfully, "I think it's necessary to move the artillery battalion forward to follow the advance battalion in order to better support the infantry. In this way, even if the German positions are discovered, the artillery can provide fire support, thereby reducing casualties."

“I understand, Comrade Brigade Commander.” Karsokov and Sokov had been partners for a long time and had developed a tacit understanding. He didn’t question Sokov’s order at all, but replied decisively, “I will contact Captain Lomonsov, the artillery battalion commander, immediately and have him lead the artillery battalion to the front as soon as possible to join you.”

"Yes, let them get here as soon as possible," Sokov said expressionlessly. "I don't know how many enemy defensive positions are ahead. Without artillery support, relying solely on the troops to advance will likely result in huge casualties."

“Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander,” Karsokov replied quickly. “I will convey your message to Captain Lomonsov.”

(End of this chapter)