Chapter 1118 Annihilating the Enemy in Motion (1)

  Although the German army controlled this area, they did not have any decent fortifications. After being attacked by rockets for a while, they were killed or injured immediately, and the rest of them either ran away or raised their hands in surrender.

   After learning that more than 20 prisoners had been captured, Sokov couldn't help feeling a headache. My own troops are now operating behind enemy lines. If they bring prisoners, it will definitely affect the marching speed of the troops. The division leaders had two different opinions on how to deal with these captives. One was to execute them on the spot to avoid future troubles; the other was to take them to act together.

   The opinions of the two sides were in dispute, and finally the conflict was handed over to Sokov. Now that the Germans have surrendered, it seems a bit too inhumane to shoot them; but it is impossible to let them go. How to deal with these captives has become a problem that plagues Sokov.

  After some thought, Sokov said to everyone: "I think it's not too late to take these captives with us and wait for the situation to be critical."

  After Sokov spoke, the other leaders in the division stopped arguing and said they would obey Sokov's orders. Sidolin asked: "Comrade commander, what should we do next?"

"Since the stance of advancing towards Ijum has been set, the enemy has misjudged that we are going to attack Ijum." Sokov said to Sidolin: "In this way, the German troops who are worried about the fall of Ijum will be withdrawn. troops to strengthen the defense there."

"Comrade commander, I have an idea." Sidolin waited for Sokov to finish speaking, and said to him: "In the northeast of Igyum, there are troops from the defeated Southwestern Front Army. Should we send someone to fight with them?" Get in touch. As long as they feint in that direction, it will make the enemy even more aware that our target is Iyyum."

"Chief of staff, what you said is very reasonable. But we can't command friendly troops." After thinking for a while, Sokov continued: "I will immediately send a report to Commander Rokossovsky and send us The plan told him to ask him to contact the friendly army and make some movement in the east of Iyum to confuse the enemy."

  Sokov's telegram was soon placed in front of Rokossovsky.

   After reading the telegram, Rokossovsky asked Malinin who was standing next to him: "Comrade Malinin, tell me, can Misha's plan work?"

   "Comrade Commander," Malinin replied: "The question today is not whether Major General Sokov's plan will work. It is whether the remnants of the Southwest Front Army are willing to cooperate with our actions."

   "Go on."

"Since the troops of the Southwest Front Army were defeated by the Germans, the remaining commanders and fighters have been in a state of panic." Ma Linin analyzed to Rokossovsky: "They have been frightened by the Germans. If the enemy does not attack, they will But if they are asked to attack, even in name, they will become timid."

   "So, for a long time, the Southwest Front Army can't count on it at all?"

   "I think so, at least they will turn a deaf ear to our advice."

   "It seems that we can only ask Antonov for help in this matter." Rokossovsky said, picked up the high-frequency phone on the table, and connected to the General Staff in Moscow.

  Hearing Antonov's voice coming from the receiver, Rokossovsky said quickly: "Hello, General Antonov, I am Rokossovsky."

   "Hello, General Rokossovsky." Antonov didn't know what Rokossovsky was calling to find himself at the moment, so he asked tentatively, "What important business do you have?"

"It's like this. Major General Sokov has already penetrated deep into the enemy's rear with a division of troops. He intends to launch a feint attack on Izyum in order to attract the enemy's attention and force the enemy to transfer the main force back from the direction of Kharkov." Rokossovsky told Antonov on the phone: "According to the information we have, the Southwestern Front has assembled a large number of troops in the northeast of Igyum. Misjudgment, thinking that our army is preparing to recover Ijum, which has just been lost. In this way, the main force of the enemy will be continuously transferred from the direction of Kharkov, so that the friendly forces who stick to that area will have more time Rest and replenish."

"General Rokossovsky, I'm afraid I need to immediately ask Comrade Stalin for instructions on this matter. Only after obtaining his permission can I issue orders to the troops of the Southwest Front Army. For this reason, he was dismissed from his post."

   Knowing that Vatutin has been dismissed from his post, Rokossovsky couldn't help being surprised, and then asked: "Then I can ask, who is the headquarters planning to order to take over his post?"

   "Admiral Malinovsky." Antonov said: "He will officially take over the post of General Vatutin in a week."

"Hell, General Antonov, I don't have a week." Rokossovsky was a little anxious when he learned that he would have to wait for a week: "Now Sokov's troops are surrounded by the German army. In the middle, if the friendly forces fail to provide cooperation in time, I am afraid they may be wiped out. I beg you..."

   "What are you begging for, Konstantin Konstantinovich?" Unexpectedly, at this time, Stalin's voice unexpectedly came from the receiver.

  The person who heard the call to himself became Stalin. Rokossovsky quickly stood up from his seat, straightened his body and said, "Hello, Comrade Stalin."

   "Tell me, what happened?"

"That's right, Comrade Stalin." Rokossovsky quickly reported to Stalin: "Major General Sokov led the 41st Guards Division, pretending to be the enemy and going deep into the enemy's rear, and launched an attack on the enemy. According to his original plan , preparing to recapture Izyum so that the Voronezh Front could gain a foothold there.

  But their whereabouts have been discovered by the enemy at this moment, so the plan to capture Iyum had to be adjusted. In order to consume the vital forces of the German army more effectively, Sokov proposed that the remnants of the Southwest Front Army located northeast of Igyum should make some appropriate movements to attract the attention of the enemy and make the enemy mistakenly think that our attack target, It's Iyum. "

"Comrade Rokossovsky," Stalin said solemnly after Rokossovsky had finished speaking, "I remember that not long after the war broke out, our army retreated step by step under the attack of the Germans on all fronts. At this time, Petrovsky, commander of the 63rd Infantry Army, commanded the troops to launch a counterattack against the enemy, liberating the cities of Rogachev and Zhilobin one after another, wedged into the enemy's front for 30 kilometers. In recognition of his bravery and the great victories he has achieved, I ordered him to be promoted to lieutenant general."

   Rokossovsky heard Stalin mention Petrovsky, and immediately understood the other party's intentions in his heart, and quickly said: "Comrade Stalin, the situation today is very different from that at that time."

   "The difference?" Stalin asked: "What is the difference?"

"At that time, the enemy was advancing deep into our country, and their forces were very scattered. This time, as long as a combat-capable force is concentrated and an effective counterattack is carried out against them, huge results can be achieved. But now, Sokov The division is surrounded by three of the most elite German SS divisions. In the direction of Igyum, there are two German infantry divisions and the armored army that can arrive within a day. If Sokov's troops are ordered to attack directly Iyum, I'm afraid they will all be wiped out."

   Rokossovsky's words made Stalin fall into silence. After a long time, he said: "Comrade Rokossovsky, what is Sokov's intention in this area?"

   "According to his report," Rokossovsky reported, "he intends to annihilate as much of the German army as possible during the campaign, so as to reduce the pressure on our army."

"Annihilating the enemy in motion," Stalin mentioned this statement, and said dubiously: "Is Sokov really capable of doing this? If the enemy is not wiped out by then, his troops will be wiped out by the Germans instead. "

"Comrade Stalin, Sokov is very good at fighting." Seeing that Stalin did not trust Sokov, Rokossovsky helped him explain: "Since he proposed the tactic of annihilating the enemy in motion, then I I believe he will not let me down."

"You should already know from Antonov that I have dismissed Vatutin and appointed General Malinovsky to replace him." Stalin said on the phone: "But he will soon It will take a week to get acquainted with your troops. I think you will be able to ask him to assist you in combat then."

"Comrade Stalin, we can't wait for a week." Rokossovsky was a little anxious: "Sokov's troops are fighting the Germans to the death. If the troops of the Southwest Front Army don't fight in the direction of Igyum If you make some feints, I am afraid that you will not be able to attract the attention of the enemy."

   "Can't they wait a week?"

   "Can't wait, Comrade Stalin." Rokossovsky said with emphasis: "Every minute on the battlefield is precious. Our troops simply don't have time to wait another week."

"Okay then." Stalin said into the microphone: "I will immediately discuss this matter with Comrade Zhukov and ask him to temporarily take over the command of the Southwest Front Army. I believe that based on his friendship with Misha, he will do his best to help. "

After getting an affirmative answer, Rokossovsky asked Malinin to send Sokov a telegram, saying that the base camp was going to send Zhukov to act as the commander of the front army immediately. If the Sokov division was going to attack Igyum , The troops of the Southwest Front Army will cooperate fully. Even if they cannot attack for the time being, they will make some noise to attract the attention of the Germans so that they will not be besieged by more German troops.

   After reading Rokossovsky's telegram, Sokov seemed to have taken a reassurance. He was worried that when his troops got too close to Ijum, not only would the enemy's resistance become stronger and stronger, but at the same time, he might receive orders from his superiors to take Ijumu desperately. If that is the case, he must prepare for the sacrifice of all members in advance.

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov said, handing the telegram to Sidolin, "order the 122nd Regiment to continue advancing westward, while the 124th Regiment stays in place and lays an ambush, ready to attack the enemy who has heard the news. "

"What, let the 124th regiment stay in an ambush?" Hearing Sokov's order, Sidolin asked in surprise: "Comrade commander, do you really think that the enemy's large troops will rush here? "

"We first destroyed a regiment headquarters of the German army, and now we have captured their defense zone." Sokov said with a smile: "The German commander will definitely send troops to check in order to find out who attacked them. When the time comes, we will take advantage of their inattention and attack decisively to destroy or severely injure this group of enemies."

   "Well, it makes sense." Sidolin thought about Sukov's words, and felt that the ambush near the area just captured was indeed beyond the enemy's expectations, and he would be able to catch the enemy by surprise. He quickly nodded vigorously and said, "Comrade Commander, your method is really good. As long as the enemy's troops do not exceed a thousand, once they enter our ambush circle, there may be no hope of surviving."

   "By the way, Chief of Staff, there is a discipline that I want to emphasize."

   Seeing Sokov saying this with a blank face, Sidolin couldn't help but thumped in his heart, and asked quickly: "Comrade commander, please explain what discipline is?"

   "From now on, we will never keep any prisoners in every battle. Do you understand?"

Sidolin naturally understood that the reason why Sokov issued this order was that if the troops operating behind the enemy line carried a large number of prisoners, their movements would become slow and they might be exposed at any time. He quickly replied: " Understood, Comrade Commander, I will convey your order to each regiment, so that everyone will not leave any prisoners during the battle."

Sokov nodded, and continued: "The ammunition we carry is limited and cannot be replenished. It is destined to not be too long in the enemy's rear. Therefore, we must adopt a quick-fix tactic to attack a certain place After the German army is defeated, we will immediately transfer to attack new targets. We must continuously consume the active strength of the German army in mobile warfare. In this way, when we retreat to the Red Army Village, the enemy will not have enough strength to attack the city.”

Hearing Sokov mentioning the Red Army Village, Sidolin couldn't help looking to the east, and he murmured: "I hope that the troops defending the city can use the time we harassed to buy them to strengthen the city's fortifications." Otherwise, when the enraged enemy launches a crazy attack on the city, without a complete defense system, we will not be able to stop it at all."

  (end of this chapter)