Chapter 1387 Going South (Part 1)

Sokov sat up with difficulty, stared at the map brought by Sameko for a while, understood Zhukov's intentions, raised his head and said: "Comrade Marshal, according to my reconnaissance, the German army has not established any countermeasures in the town." The tank position, the tank troops we participated in the battle, can quickly pass through the town, rush forward along the road, meet with the troops that have detoured to the enemy's rear, and meet the German troops from the source. The rented Germans charged and forced them back to their point of departure so that our troops could follow behind them and rush into the next town occupied by the enemy."

  After listening to Sokov's plan, Zhukov nodded slightly, and said repeatedly: "Not bad, it coincides with my thoughts. It seems that after a few more years of experience, we old guys will have nothing to teach you."

  After a brief pause, Zhukov asked with concern: "Misha, how is your injury? Do you need me to send a high-level military doctor to check it for you?"

   "Thank you, Comrade Marshal, for your concern." For Zhukov's kindness, Sokov immediately expressed his gratitude: "My injury is not serious, I will be fine after two days of rest, and I don't need to call in any more military doctors."

   Seeing that Sokov really had nothing to do, the boulder hanging in Zhukov's mind finally fell to the ground. He looked around and asked curiously, "By the way, why isn't Asiya here?"

"Report to Comrade Marshal," before Sokov could speak, Lunev said first, "Comrade Asiya is not in the defense zone now. I think it is too dangerous for her to stay at the front, so I took it upon myself to transfer her to the weaponry station." department."

   "Weapons and Equipment Department?" Zhukov asked with some puzzlement: "She is an assistant military doctor, what does she go there for?"

   "Comrade Marshal," Lunev continued, "The Armament Department is also a military unit, so military doctors are naturally indispensable. I think it is most appropriate for Comrade Assia to go there."

Out of concern for Sokov, Zhukov also felt that it was inappropriate for Assia, as his wife, to stay on the most dangerous front line. Now that she had been transferred to the safe weapons and equipment department, he smiled and nodded. Head, said: "General Lunev, your arrangement is very good, so that your commander has no worries and can command operations with peace of mind."

After saying this, Zhukov stood up, raised his hand and patted Sokov on the shoulder twice, and said to him with a smile: "Shortly after the start of the Battle of Stalingrad last year, when Chuikov took a plane to inspect the troops, he was also with you. Similarly, he was shot down by a German fighter jet attack. Before the plane crashed, the pilot tried his best to pull up the nose of the plane and avoided the end of the plane crash. Take care of your wounds, and I will go back to the Voronezh Front Army.”

After sending Zhukov away, Susekov found a chance to speak: "Comrade Sokov, I have reported your situation to Commander Konev. He asked me to ask you if you can continue to command Fighting? If not, I will take command on your behalf."

"Comrade Military Commissar, my injury is fine, I can continue to command the battle." The attack on October Town is related to the success or failure of the next attack on Kharkov. Sokov is not willing to pretend to others and quickly said: "You Feel free to go back to the Front Army Command and wait for my good news."

   "Is it really not necessary?"

"No need." Susekov is just a political cadre. Even if Sokov is unconscious at the moment, he dare not entrust such a major matter to the other party. He said anxiously: "Comrade Military Commissioner, I It's really all right, you can go back and report to Commander Konev."

  Finally persuaded Susekov to leave after talking all kinds of things. Seeing that it was his own decision again, Sokov suddenly felt refreshed, and the pain on his body seemed not to be so severe.

  He put on his boots, walked to the table with difficulty and sat down, and asked Sameko who was standing aside: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is there any news about the interspersed troops?"

  Sameko shook his head, "Not yet."

"Comrade Commander, don't worry." Seeing that Sokov frowned slightly after hearing this answer, Lunev quickly comforted her and said, "I know you are worried about Colonel Yakov, but it doesn't matter, according to According to the report from the observation post, there is no movement in the enemy's defense zone, and it seems that our penetrating troops should not have been noticed."

   "Where's the tank unit?" Sokov then asked: "Have they entered the attack position?"

   "Yes, Comrade Commander." Sameko replied, "Following your instructions, they have entered the attack position five kilometers away from October Town."

"Comrade Commander," Lunev asked Sokov curiously after listening to Sameko's report, "Aren't you going to let the tanks cover the infantry to attack? Why did you put them so far behind the infantry? ?”

"The reason is simple, my Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov looked at Lunev and replied: "If our tanks are placed too close to the front, it will arouse the alert of the Germans, and our offensive will not be able to reach the enemy." The effect of surprise. The tanks advance faster than the infantry, and maybe our infantry has not rushed to the enemy's position, our tanks have crossed the enemy's line of defense and rushed into the town."

"So this is ah."

Sokov turned his head to Sameko and continued: "Comrade Chief of Staff, tell General Poluboyarov that once his troops break into the German defense line, they must quickly pass through the town and go south along the road to join us. The detoured troops join forces. As for the enemies in the town, let the infantry deal with them."

  When the hour hand pointed to four o'clock, the 84th Infantry Division launched an attack on October Town, which was occupied by the Germans.

A round of new rockets took off, and before it landed, the commanders and fighters who had already been ready to launch jumped out of their concealed fortifications, armed with weapons, and lined up in a long formation of skirmishers, striding towards the enemy. go to the position. At the same time, General Poluboyarov's tank troops also mobilized and rushed forward at full speed.

  As Sokov expected, the tanks moved much faster than the infantry. Before the infantry approached the enemy's position, the tanks had already rushed to the German trenches.

  The German army was stunned by the sudden bombing of the Soviet army. When they saw the Soviet skirmish line appearing in the distance, they realized that the Soviet army had begun to attack. The German commander ordered his soldiers to enter the fortifications to prepare for the attack of the Soviet army; at the same time, he dialed the telephone number of the division headquarters and reported the news of the Soviet army's attack on his defense zone to the division headquarters.

  The German officers and soldiers rushed into their positions in a panic. Seeing the galloping Soviet tanks, the German officers and soldiers without anti-tank weapons could only shoot wildly at the advancing tanks with machine guns. The fired bullets hit the armor plate of the tank like hailstones, making a series of noises, but it did not slow down the advancing speed of the Soviet tanks at all.

  The Soviet tanks on the move slowed down and stopped when they were less than fifty or sixty meters away from the position, aiming at the enemy's firepower point and firing. Destroy these firepower points one by one with artillery fire, clearing the way for the infantry behind.

   Seeing that the enemy's firepower point was almost destroyed, the tank started up again and rushed towards the front position. Although some German officers and soldiers rushed out holding explosive packs and tried to blow up the tanks rushing over, they were all knocked down by the machine guns on the tanks without exception.

  The Soviet tanks that crossed the German trenches did not slow down at all, and continued to rush forward. Soon, under the eyes of the defenders in the town, they quickly crossed the streets of the town and continued to rush south along the road.

  As for where the Soviet tanks are going to rush, this is not a question considered by the German army in the town, because the Soviet infantry is flooding the outer positions outside the town like a tide and rushing towards the town. The German commander must concentrate all his strength to resist the attack of the Soviet infantry. As for the Soviet tanks, he simply can't take care of them.

  The tanks passed through the town, formed a long snake formation along the road, and headed south. They were going to follow the orders of their superiors and rush to join the friendly forces that had rounded back to the south of the town as soon as possible, defeating the German troops who came to help, and further expand the results of the battle.

   Shortly after the attack on October Town began, the Guchakov Battalion on a hovercraft arrived at the designated location. The commanders and fighters who put on the uniforms of the German army got off the hovercraft in an orderly manner and formed a team on the road.

   "Comrade Battalion Commander," Seriosha found Guchakov and asked worriedly, "I heard gunshots and explosions in the direction of October Town. It seems that our offensive has already begun."

   "Yes," Guchakov said with a wry smile, "If we hadn't lost our way in the forest and caught up with some hovercrafts that had problems and were waiting for repairs, we would have arrived at the designated location long ago."

   "Then what should we do?" Seryozha asked: "Or according to the original plan, disguised as German reinforcements and rushed to October Town to assist the friendly army to seize the town?"

"I don't think it's necessary." Guchakov shook his head and said, "How big is the town of October? Our army can attack with a division of troops. I don't think it will take even an hour to take down the entire town. .Our current location is half an hour away from October Town. By the time we arrive, the battle may be almost over."

"Major Guchakov," Yakov, who came out of a hovercraft, came to Guchakov and said to him apologetically, "I'm really sorry that we lost our way in the forest and delayed such a long time." Time. When I go back later, I will explain this to Misha myself, so that he won’t blame you for being confused.”

   The fact that the hovercraft got lost in the forest made Guchakov feel very uncomfortable, but since the commanders higher than him have apologized to him, no matter how dissatisfied he is, he can only hide it in his heart. He tried to force a smile there: "Then I thank you, Comrade Colonel."

"Major," Yakov saw that Guchakov didn't blame himself, and then asked, "Do you need us to stay and assist you? You know, some of our hovercraft are equipped with 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine guns. We are also capable of resisting the enemy's large force for a while."

"Comrade Colonel, I don't think it's necessary." Although Guchakov hoped that Yakov and others would stay and assist him, he thought that these hovercraft would be an indispensable weapon for attacking Kharkov after a while At that time, Guchakov could only bite the bullet and say: "Since you have sent us here safely, please go back. We are fully capable of handling the rest."

Hearing what Guchakov said, Yakov no longer insisted. After all, after all this trouble, many hovercraft had problems, and they needed maintenance after returning later, otherwise they would not be able to participate in the next round. stage of combat. He stretched out his hand towards the other party and said with a smile: "Comrade Major, since this is the case, then I wish you good luck!"

  But before Yakov left, the roar of a tank engine came from a distance. Since the road from the town had to pass through a forest area, everyone's sight was just blocked by the forest, so they couldn't tell whether it was their own tank or the German tank that came.

Seryozha couldn't tell which side of the tank it was from the roar of the tank engine, so he ran to Guchakov and asked: "Comrade Major, tell me, is it our tank or the enemy's tank?" tank?"

   "It goes without saying, it must be the enemy's tanks." When Guchakov set off with his troops, Sokov was still reconnoitering the German defense line on the ground from the air, and had not had time to arrange tank troops to participate in the battle. Therefore, the moment Guchakov heard the roar of the tank engine, he believed that the German tank was coming, and he quickly gave orders loudly: "Hidden, everyone hides. Put up the bazooka and prepare to kill the German tank. "

  As the order was issued, the commanders and fighters who had been crowded on the road immediately dodged to both sides of the road to hide, set up their weapons, aimed at the direction of the forest, and prepared to kill the German tanks as soon as they appeared.

  But soon, everyone realized that they were wrong. It was not the German tanks that came, but their own tanks. The familiar shape of the T-34, as well as the five stars on the body, all indicate that it is his own tank that appears in everyone's field of vision.

"Comrade Major, it's our tank." Seryozha couldn't help being overjoyed when he saw that it was a Soviet tank. After he said this to Guchakov, he was ready to stand up and fight the oncoming Soviet tank greet.

   But before he could stand up, he was grabbed by Guchakov. The latter stared at him and said, "Comrade Seryozha, look at what you are wearing. If you go out like this, you will definitely be killed by the tank crew as an enemy."

   After being reminded by Guchakov, Seryozha realized that he was wearing a German uniform. He smiled embarrassedly, and then took off the German uniform, revealing the Soviet uniform inside. "Comrade Major, it should be all right. No one should think of me as a German anymore."

  Guchakov nodded: "That's all right, Comrade Seryozha, you go to contact the tank soldiers and ask them to cooperate with us to stop the enemy who escaped from the town later."

  (end of this chapter)