Red Moscow

"It's not necessary." Sokov simply rejected Weisbach's proposal: "Now there are only a few hundred enemies on the high ground. If you can't eat them with 3,000 people, then don't be a teacher, or Go back and be your deputy brigade commander honestly."

Sokov's words stimulated Weisbach, and he said aggrievedly: "I just asked Colonel Atakuz, and he said that one-third of the commanders and fighters in the army are unarmed. That is to say, they are ready to participate in the battle." Of the 3,000 people, I am afraid that one-third or more of the commanders and fighters are unarmed. The more people we have in the battle, the greater the chance of victory."

What Weisbach said was beyond Sokov's expectations. He asked Atakuz with a sideways face: "Comrade Colonel, is that so?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Atakuz replied truthfully: "My division was reorganized after the Battle of Kursk. Although it has as many as 8,000 people, one-third The commanders and fighters had no weapons."

"There are so many people without weapons, so what should we do in battle?" Lunev was used to the excellent equipment of Sokov's troops, and suddenly heard that the 300th Division would be short of weapons. When our soldiers fight, do they charge the enemy with bare hands?"

"Comrade Military Commissar, the situation is similar to what you said." Atakuz looked at Lunev and replied with some embarrassment: "Due to the lack of weapons, our grassroots companies are all configured according to the standard of three men and two guns. , that is, two veterans lead a recruit. When one of the two veterans dies, the recruit is eligible to pick up the weapon of the sacrificed comrade and continue fighting."

"Nonsense, this is simply nonsense." Lunev said angrily after hearing the other party's words: "If the two veterans never die in the battle, it doesn't mean that the recruits can only squat in the trenches." , helplessly watching your comrades fight against the enemy?"

"That's more or less the case."

"Colonel Atakuz, let me ask you a question." Sokov felt that the lack of weapons in the troops was not a problem, and he could completely solve the problem by capturing them or asking his superiors to allocate them. What needs to be clarified now is whether the commanders and fighters of the 300th Division will use weapons: "Will all soldiers use our army's weapons?"

"That's for sure, Comrade Commander." Atakuz replied: "Although the number of weapons allocated to us by the superior is insufficient, every soldier has undergone military training and knows how to use weapons."

"Since the soldiers know how to use weapons, it's easy to handle." After Sokov said this, he ordered Weisbach: "Colonel Weisbach, immediately order someone to collect the weapons of those drunk commanders, and put these The weapons are handed over to the commanders and fighters who are ready to fight."

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Weissbach replied loudly: "I will arrange the manpower to carry out this matter."

"Go back and make preparations. When the time comes, you can set off."

After sending the two division commanders away, Sokov asked Samoilov to move the radio station into the room, and then said to the radio operator: "Comrade radio operator, immediately send a telegram to the Army Group Headquarters, saying that we are at the Fesky collective farm. On the high ground to the west of the city, we found the enemy who was building fortifications, let them monitor this area immediately to see if they can figure out the enemy's number."

The radio operator promised, and immediately began to send a telegram to the army headquarters.

Taking advantage of the time when the radio operator sent the report, Lunev walked up to Sokov and asked, "Comrade Commander, what do you think is the number of this enemy?"

"I don't know, Comrade Military Commissioner." Sokov said blankly, "Although I haven't figured out their numbers yet, I think they are not simple, and they must not be taken lightly."

"Why not simple?"

Sokov saw a map on the table, looked down for a while, and found the location of the Fesky collective farm, then pointed to the map and explained to Lunev: "Comrade military commissar, look, The location of the enemy's fortifications is to the west of the Fesky collective farm. That is to say, their connection with the Kharkov defenders has been cut off by us.

In this case, instead of retreating, they are still building fortifications to the west of our army. They did this for two purposes: first, when our army launched an attack on Kharkov, they could attack our flanks and rear, preventing us from attacking the city with all our strength; When the defenders are desperate, they can also support the defenders to break through..."

After listening to Sokov's analysis, Lunev couldn't help nodding, and said, "That's right, Comrade Commander, what you said is very reasonable. It seems that it is absolutely necessary to eliminate this group of enemies."

When he paused for a moment, he tentatively asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, if the 300th Division has just been rebuilt, their combat effectiveness must not be flattering. You see, whether to transfer other troops from Dergach to eliminate this An enemy?"

"Comrade Military Commissar, since I have issued a combat order to the 300th Division, how can I transfer other troops to take over their attack?" Sokov said to Lunev with a serious expression: "The consequences of doing so , Not only will it damage the prestige of the commander; at the same time, it will also make the commanders and fighters of the 300th Division feel chilling."

Sokov's words made Lunev realize that his lack of consideration of the issue would bring about a series of adverse consequences. He quickly changed the subject and said, "By the way, what should we do with the weapons that the 300th Division lacks? It's a request. Will the superior dispatch some weapons and ammunition?"

"Now our army and the German army are fighting fiercely, and the consumption of weapons and ammunition in each unit is an astronomical figure." Hearing this question from Lunev, Sokov couldn't help but start to worry: "Even if we apply to our superiors, in the current Under normal circumstances, it may take a month or two before we can provide us with the weapons we need."

"What, after one or two months?" Lunev was stunned by the time Sokov told. He knew Sokov's ability very well. No matter how difficult the battle was, as long as Sokov's troops participated, The time will definitely not exceed a month: "At that time, maybe our army has liberated Kharkov and drove the enemy away from the edge of the city."

"It seems that we can only replenish weapons and ammunition for the 300th Division by capturing them..."

Before Sokov finished speaking, he heard a rush of footsteps outside the door, and then a soldier with branches tied to his head and body rushed in from outside. After he entered the door, he came directly to Captain Mikhaiev, and said excitedly: "Comrade Captain, good news, we found a German ammunition warehouse in the south..."

"Ammunition warehouse?!" Before Mikhaiev could speak, Sokov, who was worrying about equipping the 300th Division, heard the soldier's report, rushed over at a brisk pace, grabbed the opponent's lapel and asked loudly, "What do you mean?" Where is the German ammunition depot?"

The soldier was caught by a stranger rushing out from the side. He was startled at first, and when he saw that the person who caught him was actually Sokov, he replied in a panic: "Comrade commander, it is south of the farm. It's about five kilometers from here."

Sokov let go of the opponent's skirt, took a step back, and then asked: "What weapons are there in the warehouse? How many are there? Are there any enemies nearby?..."

After listening to Sokov's series of questions, the soldier paused for a moment, and then began to report: "Comrade Commander, the warehouse mainly contains submachine guns, rifles and a certain number of MG42 general-purpose machine guns used by infantry. Although there is no statistics on the number, according to According to my judgment, there should be no problem in equipping two divisions... As for the enemies, none of them have been found."

Lunev couldn't help being overjoyed when he heard this, and said to Sokov repeatedly: "Comrade Commander, did you hear that? Our scouts found a German arsenal in the south of the farm, which can equip two divisions." equipment. In this way, the problems we face can be solved.”

But Sokov was not only not happy, but frowned. He stared at the soldiers and asked, "Comrade soldiers, do you mean the divisions of our army, or the divisional system of the German army?" The formation division of the Soviet Army has 8,000 people, while a division of the German Army has 15,000 people, so Sokov asked this question.

"Of course it is the system of the German Army Division!"

"you sure?!"

"Sure!" The soldier explained: "After we entered the warehouse, we took a rough look at the area where the ammunition was placed, and we were able to calculate roughly how many weapons there were. Comrade commander, this is the basic skill of our scouts, and we will never do it. Incorrect."

Hearing the soldier's answer so convincingly, Sokov smiled on his face. He raised his hand and patted the soldier's shoulder twice, and said with a smile: "Comrade soldier, you are doing well. Wait for this time After the battle is over, I will definitely award you honors."

After Sokov finished speaking, he shouted towards the door: "Samoilov."

Following the shout, Samoilov ran in from outside, straightened his back and asked, "Comrade Commander, what instructions do you have?"

"Comrade Lieutenant." Sokov told him, "Go out and invite Colonel Weisbach and Colonel Atakuz over, and tell them that I have something important to inform them."

Weissbach and Atakuz, who were busy gathering troops, were still very puzzled when they heard Samoilov say that Sokov wanted to see them, and whispered to each other: "Comrade Commander will find us. What's the matter?"

"Will we cancel the early morning military operation?"

"It's impossible." Weissbach, who knew Sokov well, immediately retorted: "Comrade Commander has always followed his words and deeds, and his orders will never be canceled for no reason."

"But we just came out of there, in just ten minutes, what big things can happen?"

"Comrade my deputy division commander, stop guessing." Weissbach dragged Atakuz towards the headquarters and said to him, "After you meet Comrade Commander, you'll know what's going on. gone."

The two walked into the headquarters and saw Sokov standing at the table, chatting and laughing with the military commissar Lunev. They hurried forward a few steps and saluted Sokov.

"Two colonels, you are here." Sokov nodded at the two with a smile, and said, "I called you two back because I have good news for you."

"Good news?" Hearing what Sokov said, the two couldn't help but look at each other, and they both saw a trace of doubt in each other's eyes. In the end, Weissbach stepped forward and asked, "Comrade Commander, what good news is it?"

"This soldier is a scout sent by Captain Mikhaiev to conduct reconnaissance in the south." Sokov introduced the identity of the scout to the two, and then got down to business: "They found a place five kilometers away from here. An ammunition depot of the German army contains a large amount of weapons and ammunition. I called you here because I want you to send someone to retrieve the weapons and equip the troops."

"I don't know how many weapons are in this batch?" Weissbach asked cautiously.

"Don't worry, Colonel Weisbach." Sokov said, "The equipment in the warehouse is more than enough for all of you to change."

"Great, this is really great, Comrade Commander." After hearing what Sokov said, Weisbach immediately became excited: "With this batch of weapons, all the commanders and fighters in the division can be fully armed. stand up."

"Colonel Weissbach, I have a suggestion for you. After these weapons are retrieved, they will be equipped for the veterans, and the weapons of the veterans will be handed over to the recruits. Do you understand?"

"Comrade Commander, I don't quite understand what you mean." Weisbach asked in a daze, "Why is the weapon distributed like this?"

"The reason is very simple. The recruits will feel very nervous when they go to the battlefield for the first time." Sokov explained to Weisbach and Atakuz: "If they are equipped with submachine guns, when they charge, in order to eliminate the battlefield In fear, their fingers will keep pulling the trigger. In this way, the bullets in the stretcher will run out in a few seconds. No matter how much ammunition they carry, according to their style of play, they can’t support much long time.

And if they are equipped with Mosin Nagant rifles, the situation is different. This rifle has only five rounds of ammunition, and every time a round is fired, the bolt must be pulled. Although the shooting speed is slowed down, it can minimize the ammunition consumption of the recruits.

Also, there is still a difference between the use of German weapons and the use of our military weapons. If you rashly change the new recruits to a weapon they are not familiar with, I am afraid that it will be difficult to display any power in combat. "

After Sokov's explanation, Weisbach finally understood what was going on, and quickly straightened his body and replied: "Comrade Commander, I understand everything now. Don't worry, after the weapons in the warehouse are brought back, I will definitely order the soldiers to give their original weapons to the recruits who have no weapons."

"Colonel Weissbach, this soldier knows where the warehouse is. Later, the troops you send will follow to the warehouse area and bring back all the weapons and ammunition in the warehouse as soon as possible."

After sending off the two colonels, the radio operator handed over a recently received telegram to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, this is a call from the Chief of Staff from the headquarters. Please take a look!"

Sokov took the telegram from Sameko and quickly browsed the contents.

There are many contents in the telegram: 1. Major General Gritsenko's 384th Division has launched an offensive to the east bank of the Ud River. The vanguard successfully occupied the German position along the river and established a small landing field. Colonel Yakov's hovercraft is transporting troops from the west bank to the east bank without stopping.

2. The telegram sent by the German army on the high ground west of Fesky collective farm has been intercepted and is currently being deciphered. Once the result is available, it will be notified in the shortest possible time.