Chapter 1038 Get together again (middle)

   "The 75th Guards Division?!" Merkulov thought for a while, and felt that he really didn't know what the original designation of the Guards Division was. He shook his head slightly, turned around and asked his political commissar, "Comrade political commissar, do you know?"

   Sheiko shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and said with a wry smile: "I don't know either. I only know that General Lyudnikov's 138th Division was reorganized into the 70th Guards Division."

   "Comrade Commander," Sidolin saw Sokov thinking hard, and quickly persuaded him, "Don't worry, you will know which army it is after they come over in two days."

   "Comrade Division Commander," a staff officer came to report to Sokov: "A plane has landed near the division headquarters."

   "Airplane, what airplane?" Sokov asked in surprise.

  The staff officer quickly replied: "The soldiers there reported that it seemed to be a commander from the group army headquarters. But he didn't know who it was."

   "Who will be the commander of the group army?" Sokov knew that he couldn't get any more useful information from the staff officer, so he waved at him and sent him away.

"Misha," Bely reminded Sokov: "Didn't the order of the Front Army Command say that Colonel Witkov, the deputy chief of staff of the 62nd Army, would be the chief of staff of the combat group? Could it be that he came? "

   "Come here!" Sukov heard what Bely said, and felt that there was such a possibility, so he hurriedly yelled out the door.

   Soon, Samoilov trotted in and asked Sokov respectfully, "Comrade commander, do you have any instructions?"

"It's like this, Comrade Lieutenant." Sokov told Samoilov: "Just now a plane from Stalingrad landed near the division headquarters. There was a commander on board, probably the deputy commander of the 62nd Army. Chief of Staff Colonel Vitkov, you bring him here immediately."

   "Yes!" Samoilov agreed, then turned and ran out.

   A few minutes later, Samoilov walked in with Witkov from the outside.

After the two parties saluted, Vitkov gave Sokov a bear hug. His eyes were shining, he was extremely excited, and he said incoherently: "Colonel Sokov, I really didn't expect that we met again. .” Said while slapping Sokov on the back vigorously.

  Sokov knows that this is a Russian etiquette. The more power the opponent uses, the more enthusiasm it represents. So even though he grinned his teeth in pain, he still gritted his teeth and persisted.

When Sokov broke free from Vitkov's clutches, he immediately greeted him to sit down at the table, poured him a cup of hot tea, and asked tentatively: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I want to ask, do you know the Was the 75th Division changed by which unit?"

Hearing Sokov's question, Witkov grinned: "Colonel Sokov, I guessed that you were going to ask this question a long time ago. Originally, the Front Army Command planned to transfer the 321st Infantry Division, but The superior considered that if this ordinary infantry division is replaced by a guard division, then in the future, your combat group can be directly changed into a guard army, or even a guard group army."

  Knowing that the combat group he commanded might become the Guards or the Guards Army, Sokov couldn't help but shine his eyes. But he quickly returned to normal, and continued to ask: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please tell me, which unit is this Guards Division adapted from?"

"The 75th Guards Division was reorganized from the 95th Infantry Division." Witkov knew the situation of this unit very well. Colonel, Commissar Vlasenko, the division was established in Tula Region on the basis of the 13th Motorized Rifle Division of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs in September 1942. They entered Stalingrad at the end of September and fought until 10 On April 16, the remnants of the division were combined into the 161st Regiment and stayed in the city to continue fighting. The division headquarters and the other two regiments under it were ordered to retreat and rest.

   Now that they have completed their replenishment, the troops are fully loaded and can undertake combat missions of any intensity, so the superior will assign the division to you. "

  If someone else hears the word "full staff", I don't know how happy they are. But Sokov was worried. He knew that the division was disabled in the battle to defend Stalingrad. Even if it was supplemented, it would probably be all recruits. The number of troops has increased, but the combat effectiveness has been diluted. I am afraid that they cannot be counted on at critical moments.

"It turned out to be this division." Although Sokov's troops did not fight side by side with the 95th Infantry in the Battle of Stalingrad, they still had to say what should be said in front of everyone: "They were In the battle to defend the city, they were very brave and tenacious. I believe that in the next battle, they will be able to achieve greater feats."

   Witkov didn't notice that Sokov said this in a perfunctory tone. He also took the initiative to introduce to Sokov: "The three infantry divisions assigned to you all have their own artillery regiments, plus the artillery division and two guard rocket battalions given by the Front Army Command, that is to say , we will not be at a disadvantage in terms of artillery fire."

"In addition to the artillery, there are three tank brigades, which are also a force that should not be underestimated." Sokov added: "But the superiors seem to have not considered providing us with air cover. If the enemy dispatches the air force in the next battle , to cover their ground attack force, no matter how many tanks and artillery we have, it is useless, as soon as these things appear, they will become the targets of attack by German aircraft."

   "What?" When Witkov heard Sokov complaining about the lack of air cover, he said in surprise, "Can't we fight without an air force?"

"It's not that we can't fight." Sokov said bitterly: "Our tanks and artillery have no air defense capability. If they are attacked by enemy planes, they can only be beaten passively. If the tanks and artillery are destroyed in battle Destroy, then in the next battle, what kind of firepower will we use to suppress the German offensive troops?"

Belei found that the two of them, Sokov and Witkov, seemed to have a dispute, and hurried out to smooth things over: "You two, now that the superior has suddenly given us so many troops, I think the original defensive deployment should be adjusted. Only by placing troops reasonably can we cooperate with each other when attacked by the enemy."

   "Colonel Bely is right." Bely's words really diverted the attention of the two, and Witkov asked curiously, "How do you think our troops should be arranged?"

  (end of this chapter)