Chapter 1342 Sokov's Promise

  As the battle intensified, Sokov, who was staying at the headquarters, became more and more busy. He kept in touch with the troops besieging the 255th Division of the German Army by phone or telegram to learn about the situation on the front line.

   After the military commissioner Lunev completed the replenishment of the two marine brigades, he immediately handed over the work of screening and review to his subordinates, and hurried back to the headquarters. He didn't want to miss the good show of encircling and annihilating the 255th Division of the German Army. This should be the last good show before the Soviet army attacked Belgorod.

  Sokov was not surprised to see Lunev appear in the headquarters. On the contrary, if the opponent hastily recruited a large number of unscreened commanders and fighters into the participating troops, but did not care about their combat situation, that would be a strange thing.

  Sokov called Major General Fomenko of the 84th Infantry Division. After knowing that the division's attack went well, he finally had time to stop for a drink and a cigarette. He took out a cigarette from the cigarette case, handed it to Lunev, and asked casually: "Comrade Military Commissar, how is your cooperation with General Apanashenko going? He didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"

"That's not true." Lunev took Sokov's cigarette, but did not light it immediately, but fiddled with it in his hand, and said in his mouth: "Comrade commander, to be honest, Apanashenko and I When I was about to cooperate, I was still very nervous. You know, he came to our army suddenly, saying that he was supervising the screening and review of the rescued commanders and fighters, but everyone knew that he was actually here to find fault. So before the screening and review started , I even considered specially selecting a group of reliable commanders and fighters, and conducting the review in front of him, lest he get in the way.

   But after our review work started, I found that he was really just here to supervise, and he just watched our review results without expressing any opinions easily. Judging from his performance, maybe we misunderstood him. "

  Sokov was thinking in his heart: Apanashenko didn't pick a bone in the egg. Could it be that Marshal Zhukov greeted him before coming here, so he behaved so friendly after he got here. But this idea flashed in Sokov's mind. After all, the current priority is to annihilate the German 255th Infantry Division, and other insignificant things can be temporarily put aside and ignored.

"Comrade Military Commissar, in the early morning battle, Lieutenant Paul, the commander of the Ninth Company under the Infantry Brigade, led his company to tenaciously block the first German attack, and the main force of the Infantry Brigade arrived, buying precious time " Sokov said to Lunev: "I suggest that Lieutenant Paul should be awarded after the battle is over."

"Comrade Commander," Lunev said with some surprise after Sokov finished speaking: "In our war with the Germans, there were many commanders and fighters who showed bravery and heroism. But today you alone and I mentioned this commander, is there anything special about him?"

"You guessed right, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Lunev: "Look, this is the report sent by the infantry brigade. "

   "Damn it, the battle isn't over yet, what report did they send?" Lunev opened the piece of paper Sokov handed him with doubts, and browsed carefully. After seeing it for a while, his expression became serious, and he was also attracted by the content of the report sent by the infantry brigade.

   "How about it, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov waited for Lunev to read the entire report, and asked with a smile, "What do you think of the report of the Infantry Brigade?"

"It's great, it's simply great." Lunev raised the report in his hand with some excitement, and said to Lunev: "Especially this description of the last battle of Paul Company, I will read it to you Listen:... Amidst the fierce gunfire, Lieutenant Paul led the remaining soldiers of his company to charge the enemy. They were all covered in dust and covered in gunpowder smoke. Although their faces were haggard, they were mighty and resolute. The eyes that were red by the gunpowder were staring at the enemy. Their appearance alone was enough to make the enemy daunting. When they shouted like thunder and shouted Ulla, they bravely rushed towards the enemy that was several times their size. The enemy launched a cruel and tenacious hand-to-hand combat, and the enemy fled in embarrassment."

  The paragraph Lunev read, Sokov and Sameko had read it several times. Sokov even thought in his heart: From the point of view of writing, could the infantry brigade commander who wrote this report be a great writer in the future? When the battle is over, you must ask Uzakov who wrote this report. If it is really a well-known writer, you must find a way to protect him. A huge loss.

Lunev put down the report in his hand, looked at Sokov and said: "Comrade commander, I think I understand now why you mentioned this commander to me alone. With his performance, when we annihilate the German 255th After the Infantry Division, whether it is to award him an honor or conduct special publicity, it is absolutely necessary."

"Comrade Military Commissar, you don't understand what I mean." Seeing that Lunev had made such a guess without waiting for himself to explain the reason, Sokov said to him: "The reason why I mentioned this person to you alone is because Not just because of his bravery and achievements, but because of his identity."

"His identity?!" Hearing what Sokov said, Lunev was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood: "Comrade Commander, don't you want to tell me that this company commander is also a person rescued from a prisoner-of-war camp? Bar?"

"Comrade Military Commissar, you guessed right." Sokov nodded, and said in an affirmative tone: "Lieutenant Paul was rescued by the infantry brigade from the prisoner-of-war camp north of Yakovlevo town a few days ago. Yes. Uzakov was under a lot of pressure to appoint him as the company commander. Fortunately, Lieutenant Paul did not let him down. He used his actions to tell everyone that even a person who had just been rescued from a prisoner-of-war camp , and can also perform well in battle."

"No wonder, that's no wonder." Lunev hurried back to the headquarters for two reasons. One was to see his troops annihilate the German 255th Infantry Division with his own eyes; It is clear why Sokov, uncharacteristically, ordered himself to organize more than 5,000 prisoners of war into two marine brigades before completing the screening and review of prisoners of war. But now through Paul's incident, he finally understood Sokov's painstaking efforts: "No wonder you can't wait to order me to supplement the Marine Brigade. It turned out to be because of Lieutenant Paul."

"You're right, Comrade Military Commissioner." Sokov nodded and said, "Facts speak louder than words. Lieutenant Paul's performance on the battlefield shows that those commanders and fighters who have just been rescued from prisoner-of-war camps not only There is no problem in terms of loyalty, and their hearts are still full of hatred for the Germans. Put these commanders and fighters into battle, and they will show extraordinary combat effectiveness."

Sokov took a sip of water from his teacup, and then continued: "To be honest, after reading the report sent by Uzakov, I asked myself, if I were in Lieutenant Paul's Position, can you use a company of troops to block the German army that is several times or even ten times larger than yourself?"

He shook his head and said with a wry smile: "In that case, I would definitely not choose to fight recklessly, because the result of reckless fighting will definitely be annihilation of the entire army. The best choice is to temporarily abandon the position we hold on and retreat into the village. Use the terrain in the village to deal with the enemy, delay time, and wait for the arrival of the main force."

"Comrade Commander, I think Lieutenant Paul's approach should be the choice of most people." Hearing Sokov say that if he was in the position of Lieutenant Paul, he would choose to abandon his position and retreat into the village to deal with the enemy. Lunev smiled awkwardly, and then said tactfully: "After all, our soldiers have been educated that when facing an enemy attack, they are not allowed to take a step back as long as they do not receive orders from their superiors."

   "Comrade Military Commissar," Sokov and Lunev tentatively asked after finishing speaking, "Can you personally draft a report on awarding Lieutenant Paul and submit it to the Front Army Command?"

   "I think there should be no problem." Lunev said with a serious expression: "However, in order to prevent any accidents, I plan to go to the Front Army Command in person after finishing the report."

Regarding Lunev's suggestion, Sokov began to think: If the report is submitted directly, it may be ignored. After all, there are too many awards reports from various units, whether it is Vatutin or Zhukov, They can't have the energy to ask about the award of a small lieutenant, maybe the report will be handed in, and nothing will happen. But Lunev is willing to go out in person, the situation is completely different, at least the importance of the superior can be improved.

"Comrade Commander," Just as Sokov and Lunev were discussing the award of Lieutenant Paul, Sameko came over and reported to Sokov: "Two marine brigades have arrived in Yako. The town of Vlevo, joining forces with the infantry brigade, launched a counterattack against the attacking 255th Infantry Division."

"Do two marine brigades and one infantry brigade need a unified command?" After listening to Sameko, Lunev immediately put forward his own opinion: "If there is no unified command, the troops of the three brigades will It will quickly become fragmented."

"Don't worry, Comrade Military Commissioner." After hearing Sameko's worries, Sameko comforted him and said, "What you said has been considered by Comrade Commander a long time ago. He appointed the 84th Marine Brigade The brigade commander, Colonel Chuvashov, is in command of the three brigades."

"What about the weapons situation, Comrade Chief of Staff?" Sokov's focus is different from Lunev's. He is worried that these commanders and fighters who have just joined the army will lack enough weapons, and they may suffer heavy casualties on the battlefield by then: "Are all commanders armed?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander," Sameko explained to Sokov: "I asked Colonel Chuvashov, and he said that when two marine brigades were stationed in Kochetovka, they found one of us. He found a large number of sealed weapons and ammunition in the army's ammunition depot, and he used these ammunition to arm the recruits."

"Very good, Colonel Chuvashov did a good job." Sokov learned that all the commanders and fighters were equipped with weapons, and his heart suddenly became more at ease. At least there will be no unarmed commanders and fighters on the battlefield, so as to reduce unnecessary casualties. "Let Colonel Chuvashov keep us informed of progress."

   "Yes!" Sameko agreed, but did not leave, but looked at Sokov and asked, "Comrade Commander, Colonel Chuvashov has one more request."

   "What else does he ask for?"

"He hopes to get artillery support." Sameko worried that Sokov would reject such a request, and explained specifically: "Nowadays, whether it is a marine brigade or an infantry brigade, they lack enough heavy weapons. Those who resist stubbornly, I am afraid they will pay huge casualties."

"It's not a problem to provide them with artillery support." Sokov had already deployed artillery when he made up his mind to encircle and wipe out the 255th Infantry Division. At this moment, several troops are opening the door to the German army from different directions. If the artillery fails to hit the enemy, but instead accidentally injures its own people, it will inevitably affect morale. At this moment, when Sameko mentioned artillery, he expressed his concerns: "Our troops attack the enemy from different directions. If there is no accurate guidance, we will fire rashly. Maybe these shells will hit our own people. On the head, it will be a disservice at that time."

   "Comrade Commander, you are right. I will immediately contact the two artillery division commanders to see if they have sent artillery observers to the war zone."

"Comrade Commander," Lunev asked again after Sameko walked away: "Does the 4th Guards Tank Corps also need to be put into battle? I think with the help of tank troops, our army's offensive may be It's smoother."

"There is no need for this, Comrade Military Commissar." But after hearing this, Sokov waved his hands and said, "We will soon launch an attack on Belgorod. During the attack, we are counterattacked by the enemy's armored forces, what kind of strength should we use to block and crush them?"

"That's such a pity." Knowing that the 4th Guards Tank Corps could not be used in this battle, Lunev's face was full of disappointment: "I always heard that our troops who were surrounded Being defeated by the enemy's armored force, I had an idea at the time, wanting to see the enemy besieged by us completely smashed under the attack of our tanks. It seems that my wish will take a long time to come true. "

"Comrade Military Commissar," Sokov said to Lunev with a smile: "It won't be long before our army will launch a full-scale attack on Belgorod and Kharkov. Just wait, when the time comes." I will let you see for yourself how our tank troops captured the enemy headquarters, and that day will not be too far from now."

   "Comrade Commander, is this true?" Lunev was surprised when he heard Sokov say this: "Aren't you kidding me?"

   "How is this possible, Comrade Military Commissioner." Sokov said convincingly: "This is my promise to you, and I will fulfill this promise in a short time."

  (end of this chapter)