Burning Moscow

phone-reading

"No, Comrade Marshal.?" Hearing Zhukov's skeptical tone of asking such a question, Chernyakhovsky quickly replied in an affirmative tone: "I am also worried that the captive provided a false confession. , But after interrogating several prisoners, they all got the same answer. After understanding this situation, I feel it is necessary to report to you immediately to determine whether we need to modify our original offensive plan."

After Chernyakhovsky's words were finished, Zhukov did not speak, but frowned while holding the microphone, and seemed to be engaged in a fierce ideological struggle. Everyone present, including me, kept silent so as not to disturb Zhukov's thinking. It should be known that in the first two years, the Soviets were ready for all attacks, but they were preempted by the Germans to attack, which led to the failure of all preparations. Facing the same problem this time, how can we keep Zhukov from worrying?

Seeing Zhukov's delay in speaking, Chernyakhovsky on the other end of the phone was a little uncomfortable. He asked carefully: "Comrade Marshal, are you still there?"

"I'm still here!" Zhukov's urn said angrily.

"What should we do?" Chernyakhovsky asked him: "Should we stop the offensive and turn around and eliminate the German troops trying to break through the direction of our army?"

"Lida, you told me a few days ago that the German army might protrude from our defense zone. At that time, I was dissatisfied with your speculation. Now it proves that your judgment is correct." Zhukov did not immediately answer. The other party’s question, instead of covering the microphone with his hand, looked at me and asked: "You tell me, what should we do now?"

Hearing Zhukov asking for my opinion, I did not feel flattered. Based on my understanding of Zhukov, he may have found some countermeasures long ago. The reason for asking me was just to find a supporter. Therefore, I said in a calm tone: "Comrade Marshal, it is now in the spring thaw that there are hard-to-pass fields and swamps in the season defense zone. I believe that the German army's mobility will be greatly affected. The 6th Army and the Guards can be greatly affected. The troops of the 1st group army each sent a division to delay the transfer of the German army. At the same time, our air force was dispatched to carry out air strikes on the German column that was breaking through."

"Yes, I think so too." Zhukov expressed his support for this proposal. Then he released his hand covering the microphone and said to Chernyakhovsky: "Comrade General, you immediately send a division. , Go to areas where the Germans may pass, and build defenses to delay the Germans’ breakthrough, and then I will send the air force to attack them."

"Only send one division?" Chernyakhovsky heard Zhukov say this, hesitated for a moment, and then asked: "Does our offensive continue?"

"Yes, Comrade General," Zhukov said to Chernyakhovsky in a positive tone: "Your troops will still attack the enemy at six o'clock in the morning in accordance with the combat plan."

After Zhukov finished the call to Grechko, commander of the 1st Guards Army, I took the initiative to ask him: "Comrade Marshal, since our offensive is about to begin in full swing, then you can let me be your representative and move to the forefront. Does a certain group army go to work together?"

Zhukov didn’t seem to be surprised by the proposal of the person I would propose. On the contrary, he asked with a flat expression: "Which army group are you going to go to?"

I thought about the situation of the two armies and the three tank armies in the main attack direction, and felt that I should act more conveniently based on the tank armies, so I replied decisively: "Comrade Marshal, I plan to go to the tank armies."

"Tank Army?" Zhukov heard me say this, gave me a meaningful look, walked back and forth in the room with his hands on his back, and kept chanting: "What a coincidence, Lelyushenko, Lei The three commanders of the tank army, Barko and Katukov, have all fought side by side with you. Let’s talk about it, which tank army are you going to go to?"

I thought about it for a moment, and felt that among the three commanders, the one I was most familiar with was Katukov, and more importantly, his troops have not been put into battle since the beginning of the offensive campaign. If Zhukov puts them on the battlefield at this moment, they will definitely shine in the next battle. Thinking of this, I said in a certain tone: "Comrade Marshal, please send me to the 1st Army Group of Tanks of General Katukov."

"Katukov's tank army?" Zhukov stopped and thought, then nodded, and said readily: "Well, Lida, you and Katukov not only cooperated in the defense of Moscow, but During the Battle of Kursk, he also fought side by side, so go to him."

After getting Zhukov's permission, I took a guard company and drove to the station of the 1st Tank Army. Two hours after the start of our offensive battle, I finally came to Katukov’s headquarters.

Katukov, who was looking at the map, was stunned when he saw me appear at his command post. He stared at me for a long time, then hesitated and said, "Isn't this Lida, what brought you here today?"

I shook hands with him and replied with a smile: "Comrade General, I am ordered to come to you to establish contact and coordinate the cooperation between your group army and friendly forces."

Katukov smiled and shook my hand with me. He suddenly caught a glimpse of my epaulettes and said unexpectedly: "Lida, please accept my congratulations. Congratulations on your attainment of a higher rank."

I smiled and said modestly: "Comrade General, I also just got this rank a few days ago." After finishing speaking, I looked at the epaulettes of his tank soldier lieutenant general, and promptly changed the subject: "Your group army will take over. The one who is going to attack is the German Tank 1st Army. How about it, are you confident to defeat them?"

"Does this still need to be said?" Katukov replied with a relaxed expression: "Our officers and soldiers have been reserving for so long, and they have long been jealous at the results of the brothers' troops. I believe that they will be put into battle now. If you do, you can definitely wield the strongest combat effectiveness of your troops."

I glanced at the map lying on the table, the dense red arrows on it, and saw that I was almost suffering from intensive phobia, so I only glanced at it, quickly moved my eyes away, and looked at Kathu. Cove asked, "I don't know which unit will be the vanguard?"

"The main offensive is the 11th Army of the Guards Tanks of General Guttmann." After Katukov said the number of the vanguard, seeing me with a dazed expression, he quickly explained: "They are in Kursk. After the battle, they joined our group army."

Thinking of the enemy that Katukov will deal with next is the German Tank 1st Army, the key to victory lies in the number of tanks, so I went on to ask: "Are we still in the number of tanks?"

Katukov shook his head and said with some regret: "After a long battle, the entire group army currently has 478 tanks. Compared with the German army, there is not much advantage." He finished his sentence. After a pause, I suddenly asked me, "By the way, I just received information that the German 48th Panzer Corps broke through from our main attack direction. Is this true?"

"Yes, General Katukov, this is true." I nodded and told him briefly about the German breakthrough, and finally said lightly: "Don't worry, the Germans are under the attack of our air force. , Not many troops can successfully escape our encirclement."

"Oh, what a pity, what a pity." Hearing what I said, Katukov did not speak, but his chief of staff said regretfully: "I have missed the opportunity to fight the German 48th Panzer Corps for nothing. It looks like we have no chance of revenge."

The military commissioner’s words left me confused. I looked at Katukoff and asked, "Comrade General, what is going on? When did your group and the German 48th Panzer Corps forge a grudge?"

"In December last year, we had a tank encounter with the 48th Army." Katukov said bitterly: "The result of the battle was that we lost and lost nearly two hundred tanks. ."

"Ah, the loss is so great?" I didn't know at all about the battle between Katukov's troops and the 48th Panzer Army because I had already been transferred to the Belarusian Front. Hearing what Katukov said at this moment, I immediately ordered why he has less than 500 tanks in a tank army.

I was silent for a while, and then comforted them and said, "Don’t worry, although you have no chance to compete with the 48th Panzer Corps anymore, as long as you destroy or maimed the German Tank 1st Army in the next battle, It's equivalent to revenge."

...

As Katukov's Tank 1st Army entered the battle, the situation on the battlefield became more favorable to our army. On the day when the main attack direction resumed, the German resistance was shattered by our fierce attack. Our troops that broke through the German position quickly moved south.

While General Katukov's tank army marched southward, the remaining front army groups attacking from the east, northeast, and north were also advancing triumphantly.

That night, I received a call from Zhukov from the headquarters. He said happily on the phone: "Lida, please tell General Katukov, because his troops successfully broke through the German defense, so that our army has achieved great results in the main attack direction..."

After Zhukov finished complimenting Katukov, I asked carefully: "Comrade Marshal, I wonder what happened to the 48th Panzer Corps of the Moral Army? Did our troops block them?"

Hearing this question from me, Zhukov was silent for a long time before he said: "Lida, the German armored unit suffered heavy losses after being attacked by our air force. At present, the German army has discarded a large amount of technical equipment and converted it into Zero implementation of the decentralized breakthrough, I have ordered Chernyakhovsky and Grechko to send a reserve team to eliminate these scattered and breakthrough enemies."

I didn't expect that Barker would make such a decisive decision after his army was attacked by our air force. I couldn't help but admire him a little bit. Under the current circumstances, it is almost impossible for German tanks to successfully pass through the muddy fields and swamps under the bombardment of our air force. But he actually knows how strong men can get rid of their wrists, so that the troops abandon the inconvenient technical equipment and take the means of scattered and breakthrough to get rid of our troops.

When Katukov saw me put down the phone, he looked sullen and asked me curiously: "Lida, your face is so ugly, what happened?"

I nodded and said with great frustration: "During the breakout of the 48th Army of Barker, due to airstrikes by our aviation forces, it discarded all its technical equipment and dispersed the troops to break through."

"It turned out to be this. UU reading www.uukanshu.com" Katukov said to me disapprovingly after listening: "Lida, if the German army really takes a decentralized breakout method, then they will leave the whole army. Annihilation is not far away."

"Why?" I was very interested in what he said, so I looked at him and asked curiously: "Why are they in danger of annihilation?"

"Isn't it simple?" Katukov analyzed to me: "After the Germans discarded heavy equipment, they adopted the method of decentralized breakthrough. In this way, the combat effectiveness of their troops will be greatly reduced, and our troops can easily To destroy them."

"It's not that simple, General Katukov." I am not as optimistic as Katukov. I shook my head and said to him: In the defense zone, only two divisions were sent to intercept them. In such a wide area, with only a few thousand people, it is very difficult to block an enemy who desperately wants to rush out of our encirclement. "

Katukov listened to me, frowned and thought for a while, and finally nodded in agreement: "Lida, you have a certain truth in what you said. In order to quickly break through the German defense line, we can say that we will deploy in the main attack direction. All of the troops in the army went into battle, and the rear became relatively empty. This Balk is really not easy. He can actually seize this gap of our army and carry out a bold and risky breakout operation."

Everything in the world has been arranged by heaven. It seems that the 48th Armored Division should not be killed. As early as a week ago, I had reminded Zhukov many times that the German army might use the gap between the two armies in the main attack direction to break through, but he did not take it at all. Although we tried our best to take remedial measures after the German breakthrough, we were unable to encircle and wipe out the enemy that broke through. In any case, a considerable number of enemies will succeed in breaking through the encirclement. (.) 8～～7k～～

(Sikushu)