Chapter 1139 The new troops have arrived

  The time has entered April in a blink of an eye. Due to the lack of troops and the unsatisfactory road conditions, the German army did not launch an attack in any direction.

Under the urging of Manstein, Hausser ordered the troops of the Imperial Division, the Skeleton Division and the 17th Armored Division to choose a suitable location five kilometers away from the Red Army Village, and began to build fortifications, preparing for a confrontation with the Soviet army. .

  Seeing that Kharkov and Belgorod, which should have fallen half a month ago, are still firmly in the hands of the Soviet army, Sokov feels very relieved. He knew very well in his heart that as long as this situation continued, there would be no battle of Kursk in July. Maybe it will be the fourth Battle of Kharkov, which will come earlier. As long as the decision makers of the Soviet army do not make fatal mistakes, they will surely drive the German army across the Dnieper River a few months in advance in the next battle.

  Of course, what makes Sokov even more happy is that the troops that his superiors promised to replenish him began to arrive one after another. Originally it was said that three infantry divisions would be sent to him, but in fact four divisions came.

  The first unit was the 45th Infantry Division, which was reorganized into the 74th Guards Division because of its great feats in the battle to defend Stalingrad. The division commander, Sokolov, was also promoted from colonel to major general.

  The second unit is the original 99th Infantry Division, which has just been reorganized into the 88th Guards Division, and the division commander is Major General Vladimirov.

  The third unit is the 226th Division of the original infantry, which was reorganized into the 95th Guards Division, and the division commander is Colonel Nikitchenko.

  The fourth unit is the 212th Infantry Division, which is the most complete unit in the original Sixth Army.

  Sokov received these newly arrived division commanders in his headquarters.

   Sokov first held Major General Sokolov's hand and said with a smile: "Comrade General, I am very glad to see you. I am relieved to see that you are safe and sound."

"Hello, Comrade Commander." Sokolov's troops and Sokov's troops once defended the Dzerzhinsky factory in Stalingrad. The two troops formed a deep battle in the battle friendship. He shook Sokov's hand and said excitedly: "When I learned that my troops will fight the enemy under your command, all officers and soldiers of our division felt joyful and encouraged. Let’s get more victories.”

   Regarding Sokolov's army, Sokov is still very optimistic about it. The opponent was able to hold on to the Dzerzhinsky factory for so long under the onslaught of the German army, which proved that the division was also a force capable of fighting tough battles. Regardless of the current designation of the division, it is the 74th Guards Division, but it is estimated that there are only a handful of Guards Divisions that can compete with them.

   Then, Sokov shook hands with the other three division commanders one by one, and said hello to him.

After the simple greetings, Sokov began to arrange defenses for these division commanders: "Comrades, due to our lack of troops in the early stage, we placed three guard divisions outside the city and one guard division inside the city. , ready to use this formation to deal with the German attack.

   But now that you are here, we have enough troops. Therefore, I intend to establish a second echelon, and all four of your divisions will be incorporated into the second echelon. When the troops in the first echelon can't hold up under the attack of the German army, you will be transferred to the front line. "

Hearing what Sokov said, Sokolov immediately stood up and said to him: "Comrade commander, you should know that our division has very rich defensive experience in the battle to defend Stalingrad. Therefore, I I beg you, can you transfer our division to the first echelon?"

  Seeing that Sokolov proposed to Sokov that he wanted to go to the first echelon, the commanders of the other three divisions were not to be outdone. Although they just came to the Red Army Village, the results of Sokov's troops have already been spread in the rear. Everyone finally came here, and naturally they will not let go of various opportunities to make contributions. Cove calls for a fight.

   "Comrades, commanders, please be quiet!" Seeing that all the mayors wanted to put their troops on the front line, Sokov was satisfied with their reactions. But now that the line of defense has basically stabilized, there is no need to change defenses at all, so they rejected their demands. He said to everyone: "The troops of the first echelon have been on the front line for almost a month. I think it is inappropriate to replace them at this time."

   Seeing the disappointed looks on everyone's faces, he added: "But please rest assured, you will have a chance to be on the front line sooner or later."

   "Then what is our task now?" Colonel Anisimov, commander of the 212th Infantry Division, asked.

"The task of your four divisions now is to build fortifications in their respective defense zones." In order to prevent them from ignoring the significance of building fortifications, Sokov specially emphasized: "With strong fortifications and a complete defense system , even if the enemy breaks through our first line of defense, you can still use your own fortifications to block the enemy's attack."

Seeing that the four division commanders were no longer as excited as before, Sokov continued: "The snow has almost melted now. Although there may be some severe cooling and heavy snowfall in the next few days, the weather will It's getting warmer and warmer. On the way you came, you should have found that there is mud everywhere, and it is not an easy task to build fortifications under such circumstances."

"You are right, Comrade Commander." Sokolov echoed: "If we want to prevent water from accumulating in the trenches, then we must use a lot of wood when building fortifications. But the fortifications that our four divisions will build There are a lot of wood, and there should be a lot of wood, where should we go to find these wood?"

  Hearing Sokolov's question, Sokov was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "Your defense zone is surrounded by forests. You can arrange soldiers to enter the forest to cut down trees, and use the cuts to build fortifications."

Colonel Nikitchenko questioned Sokov's plan: "Comrade Commander, if we want to cut down forests, it seems that we need to obtain the approval of the forestry department, and the soldiers can cut down trees only after they have the cutting certificate provided by them. "

  Sokov did not expect that there would be such a staid commander in his army. Now it is a time of war, not a time of peace. To cut down trees and build fortifications, you still need to ask the forestry department for approval. I am afraid that when the enemy's attack begins, the fortifications will still not be completed.

After staring at Colonel Nikchenko for a while, Sokov said, "Comrade Colonel, I once heard Commander Rokossovsky say that a week after the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, there were still many Trains loaded with agricultural machinery, food and various resources are constantly heading towards Germany. Do you know why?"

   Colonel Nikitchenko didn't understand why Sokov brought up something that had nothing to do with the moment, so he shook his head and replied truthfully, "I don't know."

"This is because our people are rigid and don't know how to be flexible." Sokov stared at the other party and said, "Obviously we have entered a state of war with the Germans, and these departments are still following the delivery time step by step, sending those The supplies that needed to be provided to Germany in the pre-war agreement continued to be shipped to Germany. However, these trains were attacked by the Germans without exception during the journey, and finally ended in a car crash.”

   After saying this, Sokov looked at the other party and asked: "Comrade Colonel, do you understand what I mean now?"

   "I understand, Comrade Commander." Colonel Nikitchenko blushed, and replied, "How much wood we need, we just go to the forest to cut it ourselves, and we don't need to ask the forestry department for instructions."

"That's right, Comrade Colonel." Seeing that Colonel Nikchenko understood his intentions, Sokov nodded and said with satisfaction: "As a commander, you need to know how to be flexible, so that you can have greater success on the battlefield." certainty of victory.”

   "Comrade Commander," Colonel Nikitchenko tentatively asked, "Can you explain it a little more clearly?"

"Let me give you an example. For example, your superior ordered you to attack a German position. The enemy's firepower is very fierce. If you attack from the front, you will definitely suffer huge losses. Even if you barely break through the enemy's defense, I am afraid that the troops will It will also be lost." Sokov asked Nikitchenko again: "Comrade Colonel, how will you command the troops at this time? Will you break through from the front regardless of all casualties, or use a frontal feint to attract the attention of the enemy? force, and then use the troops to turn around from the two wings to seize the position?"

  Nikichenko thought for a while and replied: "Since the superior ordered us to break through the enemy's position from the front, no matter how much we pay, I think we should break through the enemy's defense from the front."

  After listening to his answer, Sokov felt speechless. I had already given him a hint, but he still had to take the most wrong answer. He shook his head and said, "Comrade Colonel, you are wrong. Fighting on the battlefield requires not only bravery, but more importantly, brains. Only in this way can we win greater victories with the least casualties."

"Comrade Commander, the tactic you mentioned was criticized as early as after the end of the Soviet-Finnish War." Colonel Nikitchenko said eloquently: "This kind of precaution with less bloodshed will allow our soldiers to Cowardly in battle."

"Comrade Colonel," Sokov didn't expect the colonel to be so stubborn, and said a little speechlessly: "As a commander, you must know how to use tactics reasonably on the battlefield. You also know that today's troops in battle The casualties are too great, but the replenishment from the superiors is very little, and it comes very slowly. Think about it, if you wipe out your troops in the battle, then in the next battle, if you don't get replenishment, then What you can do is to stand aside and watch the excitement, or retreat to the rear to supplement."

"Colonel Nikchenko," Lunev couldn't bear to see Nikchenko being entangled all the time, he stood up and said to the other party: "It doesn't matter that you are older than Major General Sokov, but if you say When it comes to war, you are not even qualified to be his student. I will pay attention to you in the days to come. If I find that you are not qualified for the position of a teacher, I will use my authority to report to my superiors, so that They removed you from your post."

Nikchenko didn't know who he was talking to, but when he saw the blue hat on his head and the two stars on his epaulets, he knew that the other party was a big shot, and quickly replied loudly: "Understood, Comrade General, I will strictly implement the orders of Comrade Commander, and try my best to fulfill the duties of a division commander."

When Sokov heard Lunev speak, he realized that he had not introduced Lunev's identity to everyone so far, and quickly said to them: "Masters and comrades, let me introduce you. This is Lunev General Nev, he is not only the military commissar of the group army, but also the deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, serving as the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs stationed in the group army."

  Sukov's words startled the division commanders. They didn't expect that General Lunev, the military commissar of the group army, was actually the deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Colonel Nikitchenko, who had been contradicting Sokov just now, was trembling with fright. He thought to himself, if Lunev found out that he was incompetent, wouldn't he really ask his superiors to remove him?

"Everyone must be very tired after driving such a long distance." Seeing the frightened look of the crowd, Sokov hurried out to rescue them: "You all go back to your respective troops to rest. We will start tomorrow morning. Let's start building the fortification."

After everyone left, Lunev said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, your attitude towards them is too friendly. In this way, they will look down on you in their hearts, and they will discount you when performing your tasks." I think you should be stricter at times, so that you can establish prestige in the minds of the commanders and fighters this time."

  Sokov knew that Lunev said this for his own benefit, but because of his character, as long as the other party did not make any serious mistakes, he would not blow his beard and stare at the other party. Therefore, he just smiled slightly at Lunev's statement, but did not express his opinion.

   Lunev may have seen Sokov's embarrassment. He knew that Sokov's personality was a gentle boss. If one day he suddenly became strict, his subordinates might not be able to accept it. Therefore, he could only retreat and say: "Comrade commander, if you feel that you can't be strict with your subordinates, then leave all the offending matters to me. I believe that in my capacity, I will allow them to be strict with my subordinates." Creates a sense of fear."

  Sokov understands very well that in order to manage the troops well, as the highest-level commander, he must have the role of playing the red face and the bad face. Since Lunev took the initiative to undertake the work of offending people, he said smoothly: "Comrade Military Commissioner, I will trouble you more in the future."

Lunev grinned and replied: "Comrade commander, I don't understand military affairs. I won't take part in commanding and fighting. But helping you manage your subordinates is what I'm good at. You can trust me in that." Give me."

  (end of this chapter)