Burning Moscow

"Eighty tanks, if used for defense, is enough. If used for offense, it is too few." After I said these two sentences, I officially announced my appointment to Belei: "Bielei General, from now on, you will officially take over the position of commander of the Fifth Guards Tank Army. At the same time, I will assign the two tank brigades assigned to us by the superior and also assign you command."

"It's great, this is great." When Bie Lei heard that he had taken over the position of commander of the Fifth Guards Tank Army, he immediately stated to me excitedly: "As long as these two tank brigades join, No matter how many enemies come, we can crush them."

"No, no, General Bere, you misunderstood." Kistyakov walked over and said to him: "The reason why we have added two tank brigades to you is not to allow you to assist the infantry in the vicinity of Smyra and block the Germans. The attack. Our artillery can do this. We called you over today to send your troops to Korostviv."

"Go to Korostlev?" Bere was surprised when he heard the name. "Comrade Deputy Commander, it is a small city. Five tank brigades crowded in a narrow city. As long as they are bombed by German aircraft, Then there is the danger of the entire army being destroyed."

"General Bie Lei, don't worry about this." In order to dispel his doubts, I briefly introduced him the main force attacking Kiev from the north, and then said: "From the current situation, the Germans insisted on staying in Kiev. In a few days. When they can’t hold it back, they will break through to the west with all their strength to meet the defenders of Zhytomyr. At this time, the troops holding on to Krostwiv will be under tremendous pressure. I The purpose of sending the entire tank army over is not only for defense, but I also intend to let you organize tank troops to carry out counterattacks against the German troops that broke through when appropriate. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Bie Lei nodded and said proudly: "Comrade Commander, don't forget, when I commanded a tank brigade, I dared to counterattack the dominant German armored division, not to mention now There are five tank brigades. Don't worry, I must command the troops to beat the enemy to the ground."

When Bere left the headquarters, Bezikov said to me anxiously: "Comrade Commander, do you think General Berei is a bit confident? You know that in the face of the fierce German offensive, our tank army is Sometimes he has been defeated, not to mention that he has only one tank army?"

If Bezikov stayed in combat troops for a long time, perhaps he would not ask such layman questions. The old **** Kistyakov grinned when he heard him say this, and then said to Bezikov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you are too worried. I admit that the situation you just said is indeed true. Existing. However, in a specific analysis, our tank army was defeated by the enemy in the past because the enemy was stronger than us. But now, we have far surpassed the enemy in terms of military strength and weaponry. It is very difficult for the enemy to defeat us again."

"But just a few days ago, didn't the Germans also defeated General Konev's troops?" Bezikov retorted somewhat unconvinced: "In terms of military strength, General Konev's troops far surpassed the Germans. Kou, but in the end still did not escape the fate of being defeated."

"Chief of Staff, you don't know something." Seeing the two of them continue, there is a possibility of a quarrel, I hurried out to make a round: "It was the elite German troops who defeated General Konev. And General Bere they faced. The enemy of Russia is nothing but a defeated army that escaped from Kiev. The two are not the same. Therefore, I firmly believe that our troops in Koroslav can not only stop the enemy, but also give them a lifelong life. Unforgettable lesson."

The main forces of the front army have made great progress in their offensives on Kiev from the north and south. The 27th Army and the 40th Army, which had been unable to form an effective breakthrough in the south, finally broke through the seven defense lines of the German army after making great sacrifices, and occupied Obkoshiv, leaving only the last 15 kilometers from Kiev.

The troops from the north, after clearing out the German positions on the north side of Kiev, rushed into Kiev in several ways, and started street fighting with the German troops in the city. The German troops who stood by the city did not give way, relying on buildings and fortifications, and resisted so stubbornly that every step forward, our army would have to pay a few or even a dozen casualties. But even so, the commanders of the 38th Army and the 60th Army who rushed into the city seized buildings and streets from the Germans.

The fighting continued into the afternoon, and the enemy's resistance began to weaken. It was not that their casualties were so great that the defensive positions did not have enough troops to guard, but that they received Manstein's order. In order to avoid being encircled, the troops began to retreat westward in an orderly manner.

Soon after the retreat of the German army began, General Takirazze, the commander-in-chief of Korostlev, sent me a telegram. The content was simple: "The German army has begun to break through!"

After I saw the telegram, I immediately told Akhromeyev: "Major, record my order. General Tavart Kiradze, I order you, in any case, to resolutely block the enemy so that they cannot rush past Kok. Rostwiev, rush to Zhytomyr to join the garrison there. Tell the soldiers, in battle, don't show mercy to the enemy, because they will not show mercy to your men and must resolutely destroy the enemy."

When Akhromeyev sent a telegram, I picked up the high-frequency phone on the desk and dialed the front army headquarters. In order to avoid repeating the same mistakes this time, I immediately identified myself as soon as the call was made: "I am Oshanina, commander of the Sixth Guards Army. I have something to report to General Vatutin."

"It turned out to be Lida!" There was a cordial voice on the phone. After a few seconds of hesitation, I immediately recognized the person who spoke, Khrushchev, the military commissar of the Front Army. He only heard him continue to say: "Comrade Vatutin is talking with the front-line commander and is temporarily unable to answer your call. Please tell me if you have any important things."

"That's it, Comrade Military Commissioner." Although Khrushchev's tone was very easy-going, I still said in business: "I just received a report from the defenders of Korostwi, that the Germans in Kiev began to break through. ."

"What, the Germans have begun to break through?" Khrushchev was taken aback by this sudden news. After a moment of silence, he decisively said to me: "Lida, don't hang up the phone, I will immediately Report this important news to Comrade Vatutin."

Without much effort, I heard Vatutin's voice from the receiver: "Hey, Comrade Oshaninna, is everything you just said is true?"

"Yes, Comrade General." I respectfully reported: "It was a telegram sent to me by General Tavart Kiradze himself, saying that the German troops in Kiev have begun to break through to the west."

"Have you figured out the name of the German breakthrough?" Vatutin asked.

"I'm sorry, Comrade Commander. General Tawart Kiradze just reported to me that the Germans had started rushing towards Korostviv. Since fighting had not broken out yet, we were temporarily confused about the number of the retreating Germans. "

"Comrade Oshanina, please tell your commanders and warriors so that they will resolutely block the German soldiers fleeing west, and block them at all costs." Vatutin said firmly: "I will order the First Guards Cavalry Army. Fast through the city to chase down the German troops who withdrew from Kiev."

After finishing the call with Vatutin, I immediately walked up to Lopukhov and asked him: "Major, is there a way for your communications office to establish a telephone contact with Korostviv in the shortest possible time?"

"No, Comrade Commander." Lopukhov replied with a mournful face: "Because the road to Korostweiv is too complicated, we cannot lay such a long telephone line in a short period of time."

I pointed to the radio on the table, and then asked, "Where is this radio, can I talk directly to General Tavart Kiradze?"

Hearing my question, Lopukhov's tears almost fell. "Comrade Commander, we are more than a hundred kilometers away from Korostviv, which has exceeded the effective communication range."

"What should I do, can I only get in touch with General Tawart Kiradze by telegram?" I asked dissatisfiedly: "This way, the communication speed is too slow, and it might be a missed opportunity."

"No way, Comrade Commander." Lopukhov shrugged his shoulders, spreading his hands, and said helplessly: "Under the current circumstances, the telegram is the only way we can communicate with Korostlev. ."

"Well, since you can only contact by telegram, then you immediately record my order and immediately send it to General Tawart Kiradze." I saw that Lopukhov was ready and began to dictate the order "Order your ministry to be resolute." To stop the German forces attempting to flee to Zhytomyr. Commander Vatutin will dispatch the First Guard Cavalry Army to follow and pursue them in the shortest time possible. As long as you can block the enemy in the area east of Korostviv, etc. As soon as the cavalry army arrives, your two troops may wipe out the German army."

Not long after the telegram was sent here, Tavart Kiradze's call came back. He wrote in the telegram: "The German breakout forces are under the cover of tanks, launching a violent attack towards the position of the 71st Guards Division. Our officers and men are fighting the enemy to the death. Tank army and cavalry division. The troops from the division are gathering behind the division’s line of defense. After the enemy’s offensive fails, we will launch a full-scale counterattack."

"Comrade General, I agree with you." Regarding the counterattack mentioned by Tavart Kiradze, I did not hesitate to express my support for it. I also specially reminded him in the telegram: "I am concentrating the main forces to break through the east. While the Germans were defending, they still had to be vigilant in the west so that the Germans jumped over the wall and dispatched Zhitomir’s garrisons to respond to Kiev’s breakout operations against the Germans."

After the telegram was sent, there was no more movement than the sea. In the middle of the journey, Vatutin called several times to inquire about the situation of Krostweiv's direction, but I could only prevaricate on the grounds that I had not received the latest report for the time being. It wasn't until the evening when the telegram from General Tawart Kiradze arrived late.

Hearing that it was a telegram from Korostlev, Kistyakov rushed over, rushed ahead of Akhromeyev, and took the telegram from Lopukhov. After he watched for a while, his face bloomed with joy. When I saw his expression, I knew it must be good news, otherwise he wouldn’t be so gloomy, so I smiled and asked, "Comrade Deputy Commander, I see you are happy like this. The telegram must have said good news. Right?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Kistyakov said with a smile on his face: "Not only good news, but great news. Our troops won a battle."

"Okay, Comrade Deputy Commander, you don't want to sell it." Hearing that there is good news, even Kirilov, who has always been calm, can't hold his breath at this moment. He urged: "You just put the content of the telegram Read it to everyone."

"Well, let me read the telegram sent by General Tavart Kiradze." After that, Kistyakov read aloud: "After the German attack was repelled, All the tanks were destroyed. We counterattacked the Germans in this situation. In the battle, the tanks of the Fifth Guards Army lined up in a dense formation and did not fire at all~www.wuxiaspot.com ~ Instead, they smashed directly toward the German army. Our cavalry followed closely, and they were responsible for chasing and destroying the German soldiers who fled. Our tanks were overwhelmed by the enemy. The tanks drove the enemy trucks. Knocked over, crushed over trucks and carriages, like crushing matchboxes, crushing enemy officers and soldiers and flattery into mash."

After reading this paragraph, Kistyakov couldn’t help but said with emotion: “It’s great, this battle was really great. Seeing such a battle report, I couldn’t help but want to go to the front to command a force myself. Have a real fight with the Germans."

The report of General Tawartkilasze was gratifying, but I did not take it lightly. I then asked, "Comrade Deputy Commander, how is the situation on Zhytomyr? Is there any movement in the German army?"

"No, Comrade Commander." Kistyakov glanced at the tele-paper, then looked up at me and said: "General Tavart Kiradze reported that there was no movement at all from the enemy on the Western Front. Maybe it was. Our stubborn resistance a few days ago deterred the Germans, so that they could only lie on the ground and act as a tortoise with their heads down, and they did not dare to compete with our army at all."

"Although there is no movement from the German army, we cannot relax our vigilance." I said to Kistyakov with a serious expression: "Once the Germans rush to Krostwirt, then our defense line may completely collapse." to be continued.