Red Moscow

After finishing the conversation with Sokov, Krylov called his chief of staff and said with a serious expression: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the enemy has already occupied the town of Bilie. Colonel Sokov plans to command the troops at two o'clock in the afternoon. Counterattack the enemy occupying the town. I would like to ask, which of our troops is closest to the town of Bilie?"

"The 379th Infantry Division stationed in Lutohorn," the chief of staff reported to Krylov pointing to the map: "Their defense zone is 20 kilometers away from Lugansk and 18 kilometers away from the town of Bije."

"How long will it take for the division to assemble and go into battle?"

"I estimate about three hours."

After listening to the time given by the chief of staff, Krylov secretly calculated in his mind: It would take three hours for the troops to assemble, and another hour to rush there. Cooperate with the troops of the 41st Guards Division.

"No, Comrade Chief of Staff, we can't wait that long." Krylov said to the Chief of Staff: "I will give the troops an hour to assemble, so that they must arrive at the designated combat area around two o'clock. "

"Comrade Commander," the Chief of Staff had a troubled expression on his face after hearing this order: "The division's troops are scattered, and it will take a long time to assemble. Three hours is already the most conservative estimate. "

"Now that the Germans have occupied the town of Bilie, the longer we delay, the more German troops will be in the town, and the defense will become stronger." Krylov said: "If it is true If we wait four hours before putting our troops into battle, I'm afraid we will pay a heavier price."

"Then what should we do?" The chief of staff asked at a loss: "You know, it is absolutely impossible to complete the assembly of troops in an hour."

"Chief of staff, I know that it is unrealistic for a division to be assembled within an hour." Seeing the helpless look on the face of the chief of staff, Krylov said to him: "But we can continue to work as a unit. Assemble, regiment by regiment, drive to the combat area."

"Only invest in one regiment at a time?" The chief of staff asked in surprise, "Will our troops become too weak in this way?"

"No, you know, we are not fighting alone." Krylov continued: "Sokov's guards will attack the town of Bilie at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Even if we only spend an hour to complete the assembly, It will take another hour to rush to the battlefield. By the time we reach our destination, I am afraid it will exceed the agreed time."

After Krylov's explanation, the chief of staff immediately understood: "Comrade commander, if Colonel Sokov's troops have already launched an attack on the German army before our troops go into battle, then the enemy's attention will definitely be drawn." Put it on their side. In this way, even if we invest less troops, I am afraid that we will not become the focus of the German attack."

"You're right." Seeing that the chief of staff understood his intentions, Krylov nodded in satisfaction, "I have dealt with Colonel Sokov for a long time, and I know his troops are very powerful. If we entered the battlefield later than them, I am afraid that the German army has already been defeated by them, and our troops may be able to pick up a ready-made one and completely wipe out or drive away the enemies occupying the town."

…………

After putting down the phone, Sokov excitedly said to his colleagues standing around: "Comrades, I have some good news for you. General Krylov has agreed to send an infantry division to assist our offensive."

"Comrade Commander," Sidolin was naturally happy when he learned that the 21st Army would send a division to join the battle, but he also raised his concerns: "The two divisions should have a unified command for joint operations. Otherwise, each If it is for war, it may be difficult to repel the enemy in a short time."

"Chief of Staff, what you said is very reasonable." Sokov had already thought of the problem that Sidolin was worried about: "If you want to drive the enemy out as soon as possible, two troops fighting in coordination must have a unified command." .Otherwise, if there is a fight, it will be a mess, and the enemy will take advantage of it. Therefore, I plan to personally command this battle."

"Comrade Commander, the frontier is too dangerous." Hearing that Sokov wanted to go to the frontier again, Sidolin quickly dissuaded him, saying, "You should stay at the division headquarters."

"That's right, Misha." Beley continued, "The front is too dangerous. As the commander of the first division, you should stay at the division headquarters to direct the battle." I plan to personally lead the two tank battalions into battle, so I think I should be in command."

"Comrade deputy division commander, stop arguing with me." Sokov waved his hands and said, "The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. How can you command the overall situation while you are in the tank? I think I will command this battle. "

"But, Comrade Division Commander," Sidolin reminded Sokov again: "Maybe the division commander who will come is a general, and his rank will be higher than yours by then, so you will have to follow his orders."

"Even if you are a general, there is nothing to worry about." Sokov waved his hand and said confidently: "You must know that there were several generals in the combat group established in the later period of the Stalingrad Defense War, and they were not old. Listen to my command honestly. Don't worry, General Krylov will make arrangements in advance, and we will not let our coordinated operations become separate battles."

Sokov spoke confidently, but he had no confidence in his heart. He knew that command chaos and fighting independently on the battlefield were the shortcomings of the Soviet army. But in order not to affect the morale of the troops, he could only bite the bullet and say these words. He raised his hand and looked at his watch, and said, "It's getting late, get ready to go."

At 1:55 p.m., Sokov received a call from Bely from the tank: "Misha, my two tank battalions have all entered attack positions."

"When you see three red flares rising in the sky, the tank unit under your command will launch a charge and lead the infantry towards the town of Bile." Sokov worried that Bely would charge too hard, so he rushed to the front of all the tanks, and specifically ordered He said: "Comrade deputy division commander, you are the commander, don't rush to the front like ordinary tank soldiers, understand? If something happens to you, the entire tank unit will fall into chaos because of the loss of unified command."

If Sokov didn't say it, Bely really wanted to be the first to rush into the town of Bilie. But after hearing what Sokov said, he changed his mind: "Understood, Misha, I will pay attention to safety. You should also pay attention to safety, and don't just go to the front line to avoid any accidents."