Red Moscow

Sokov's words resonated with Sameko: "Comrade Military Commissar, the commander is right. After Paulus's Sixth Army fell into our encirclement, our army continued to launch attacks to compress the German army's strength." Living space. When there is only a long and narrow area left in the place they occupy, most of the supplies airdropped by the Luftwaffe will fall into our defense zone."

Reminded by Sameko, Lunev realized that he had made a low-level mistake, and quickly confessed to Sokov: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, I made a mistake. It seems that we must leave our own on the left bank. Troops. And it must be the kind of troops with strong combat effectiveness, lest our main force be encircled by the German army."

"Then which troops are you going to use to defend Klemenchug?" Sameko asked.

"Since the city was captured by the 98th Guards Division, let them defend it." After staring at the map for a while, Sokov told Sameko: "Since General Fomenko's troops have reached Klein Menchug, ordered them to immediately enter the defensive position of the landing field on the right bank and prepare to resist the German attack. As for the 98th Guards Division, they paid a price when they captured the city, and we need to replenish them as soon as possible.”

"But we don't have a reserve team in hand?" Sameko reminded Sokov: "How to supplement them?"

"You are wrong, Comrade Chief of Staff. Actually we have a reserve team."

"We have a reserve team?" Sameko repeated Sukov's words with a shocked expression on his face: "Comrade Commander, do you plan to supplement the second lieutenant training company and the junior commander's teaching company to the nearest The 98th Guards Division?"

"Is there something wrong?" Sokov said to Sameko: "Half the members of the 98th Guards Division are sailors, and they are the most effective troops. If we combine the second lieutenant training company and the junior commander The 270 commanders and fighters of the teaching company are all assigned to the 98th Guards Division, which is very beneficial to their future growth."

When these two companies were assigned to the 27th Army, Sokov planned to assign all the soldiers in the company to the grassroots as company and platoon-level officers, but he had to give up due to opposition from everyone. At this moment, the 98th Guards Division needs to replenish its troops, and it is most appropriate to add these two companies.

At the beginning, Sameko resolutely opposed the dispersal of soldiers from these two companies to the grassroots companies to serve as officers. But after listening to Sokov's arrangement at this moment, Sameko did not insist on his point of view. Instead, he immediately called the commanders of the two companies and informed them to gather troops and prepare for departure at any time.

As the order was issued, the 98th Guards Division continued to clear out the remaining enemies in the city, while the 84th Infantry Division, which had just arrived in Klemenchug, was ordered to set off to the landing field on the right bank, preparing to stop the German army from there. attack. As for the tanks and artillery that arrived in the early stage, they all stayed on the left bank and were ready to provide artillery cover for the troops on the right bank at any time.

The troops of the third echelon began to march towards Kremenchug on foot without waiting for the train to return. If they meet a returning train on the way, they will continue to Klemenchug by train. Along with the third echelon, there are also the second lieutenant training company and the junior commander teaching company.

Two hours after the third echelon set off, a staff officer entered the door and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the deputy chief of staff of the 53rd Army is outside to see you."

"The deputy chief of staff of the 53rd Army?!" Sokov remembered that Konev had promised himself that he would send troops from the 53rd Army to help him consolidate and expand the landing field on the right bank. The deputy chief of staff should be the representative sent by the other party, and quickly ordered: "Hurry up and ask him to come in."

Not long after the staff officer left, he brought in an old general with gray hair.

After the old general entered the door, he glanced at Sokov, Lunev, and Sameko, but he didn't recognize who was Sokov, so he asked politely: "I am the deputy chief of staff of the 53rd Army, Mr. Major General Mirnov, who is General Sokov?"

Hearing the other party call his name, Sokov hurriedly stepped forward, stretched out his hand to the other party, and said friendlyly: "Hello, General Smirnov. I am Sokov. Nice to meet you."

"Hello, General Sokov!" Seeing Sokov looking him up and down, Smirnov said in surprise, "Before I came here, I heard that the commander of the 27th Army was very young. You are a middle-aged officer in your thirties and forties, I didn't expect you to be so young."

After shaking hands, Sokov and Smirnov introduced their deputy to each other. Lunev was first introduced: "This is Lieutenant General Lunev. He comes from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is now my military commissar."

When Smirnov heard that Lunev was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the muscles on his face twitched violently, but he still said politely, "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar, nice to meet you."

Then, Sokov introduced Sameko to the other party: "This is my chief of staff, Major General Sameko."

When Sameko shook hands with Smirnov, his eyes were fixed on each other, and he refused to let go. Seeing that Sameko's behavior was a bit impolite, Sokov was about to remind him, but he heard him ask unexpectedly: "General Smirnov, if I guessed correctly, you have served as a Podolsk infantryman before. The headmaster of the college?"

Hearing Sameko's question, Smirnov couldn't help showing a surprised expression on his face: "General Sameko, how did you know? Did you know me before?"

"No, no, no, General Smirnov, I actually saw you for the first time today." Sameko shook his head and said, "The reason why I asked you if you have served as the principal of the Podolsk Infantry Academy is because I recently chatted with cadets of the Podolsk Infantry Academy and heard them mention you."

"What, you have students from the Podolsk Infantry Academy here?" Smirnov's eyes lit up when he heard Sameko's words. He reached out and grabbed Sameko's arms, and asked excitedly: " General Sameko, where are they, can you take me to meet them?"

"Unfortunately, General Smirnov." Hearing this, Sokov also understood that the elderly general in front of him was the former headmaster of the Podolsk Infantry Academy. He said regretfully, "You are late. If you had arrived an hour or two earlier, you would have been able to see the former students under your command."

"Then where are they now?"

"They have already moved towards Klemenchuk with the third echelon."

"Ah, they've already set out." When he heard that the troops had left, Smirnov showed a disappointed expression on his face: "It's been two years, I've been away from them for two full years, I thought I'd never leave them in this life." I have the opportunity to deal with these young students again, I did not expect to hear news about them here today."

"Comrade General, please sit down." After Lunev greeted Smirnov to sit down, he asked curiously: "I heard that during the defense of Moscow, a German armored column broke through our army's defense line and moved along the highway. Advance to Moscow. At that time, our troops were not in front of the enemy at all. It was you who commanded the students of the Podolsk Military Academy to resist the German attack on the Mozhaisk line of defense, and won valuable points for the assembly of our army. time."

Smirnov did not deny what Lunev said, and he went on to say: "At that time, we received an order from our superiors to go to the Mozhaisk defense line to resist the Germans, which is only more than 100 kilometers away from Moscow. Before the other troops have assembled, there are no troops behind us. It can be said that we are Moscow's last line of defense.

Our equipment is very poor, only non-brand rifles for teaching, a small number of Mosin Nagant rifles, and a dozen light and heavy machine guns with not very good performance.

Besides poor equipment, our biggest problem was the lack of commanders at all levels, and most of the cadets had only been trained for three or four months. Fortunately, when we deployed our defenses on the east bank of the Ugra River, we encountered 400 paratroopers led by Major Starchako of the Western Front. But with such strength, we blocked the enemy on the west bank of the Ugra River.

In the next five days, our small salient was attacked fiercely by the German army. In order to defend every inch of the country, we started a tug-of-war with the enemy. Both sides tried their best to fight for positions. My political commissar Poznov and more than 2,000 students died on the battlefield, but the Germans also paid a huge price. At the price, more than 100 armored vehicles were destroyed by us, and nearly 5,000 soldiers fell under the guns of our students..."

Sameko brought Smirnov a cup of hot tea and asked curiously, "Comrade General, when did you leave the Podolsk Infantry Academy?"

"According to the order of my superiors, I resigned on November 25, 1941, and Zalanbovsky replaced me. Then I was transferred to the 129th Infantry Division as the division commander." Smirnov said to Everyone said: "After the big counter-offensive under the city of Moscow started, the troops under my command chased the enemy's rear and fought until they were completely defeated."

Seeing that both Sameko and Lunev had interacted with Smirnov, Sokov seemed a bit inappropriate if he didn't make a statement, so he asked knowingly, "General Smirnov, what happened to the Podolsk Infantry Academy?" ?”

Smirnov thought that Sokov didn't know the situation of the Podolsk Infantry Academy, so he specifically introduced the fate recorded by the troops to him: "...the remaining more than a thousand people received an order to retreat from their superiors. An order was received to complete the training of the military academy in the city of Ivanov. Soon, the remaining cadets were sent to the city of Shuya, Ivanovo region, and a new school was reorganized, renamed Shus Base Infantry Academy."

"Then how did you become the deputy chief of staff of the 53rd Army?"

"I was wounded in a battle in October 1942. After I was discharged from the hospital, I served as the commander of the 116th Infantry Division." Smirnov said to the three: "When I went to the Kursk battle, I was promoted to the 53rd Army. Deputy Chief of Staff."

"So that's the case." Sokov looked at the gray-haired old general in front of him, feeling a little worthless for him. If he hadn't commanded the students of the Podolsk Infantry Academy to block the German attack along the Ugra River, the Germans would have rushed into Moscow long ago. After all, there were no Soviet troops in front of the German assault troops at that time. The troops established defensive positions.

But the war has been going on for two years. The former major general, Principal Smirnov, still carries the rank of major general on his shoulder straps. It can be said that he has been standing still for two years. And Rokossovsky, who was also a major general with him at the time, has now become a general, only one step away from the marshal.

During the Battle of Moscow, the performance of the Podolsk Infantry Academy is obvious to all, and this period of history is also proud of Smirnov. And Lunev and Sameko talked and laughed with Smirnov around this period of history.

Sokov sat by and listened for a while, raised his hand and looked at his watch, and then said to Smirnov: "General Smirnov, it's getting late, should you tell me the purpose of your visit?"

After being reminded by Sokov, Smirnov immediately remembered the purpose of his visit, and quickly said seriously: "I'm sorry, General Sokov, I was too involved in the chat for a while, and I forgot the purpose of my visit. Commander Mana General Garov asked me to tell you that our army group has received an order to fully cooperate with you in consolidating the landing field on the right bank of the Dnieper River, and you have the final say on how our troops will be deployed."

Sokov did not expect that General Managarov, the commander of the 53rd Army, would be so generous that he would hand over the command to himself and let him arrange the deployment of the two army units.

Sokov turned his head and looked at Sameko who was standing aside, and said to him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, show General Smirnov the plan we just studied, and let him give his opinion by the way. There is nothing to modify."

Sameko promised, picked up a document on the table, handed it to Smirnov, and said with a smile: "General Smirnov, this is the defense plan that Comrade Commander and I have studied. Look at it." Is there anything that needs to be modified?"

Smirnov took the document in Sameko's hand and began to browse it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more dignified his expression became. According to his thinking, the combat effectiveness of the 53rd Army is far inferior to that of the 27th Army. In the battle of consolidating the landing field, the troops of the 53rd Army will definitely be placed in the cruelest place of the battle and consumed as cannon fodder. The vital force of the German army.

But in this document, some of the troops of the two armies are deployed on the left bank, while the deployment of the landing field on the right bank is completely beneficial to the 53rd army. Once the Germans launched an attack on the landing site, the first unit to exchange fire with them was Sokov's 27th Army.

After reading the document, Smirnov looked up at Sokov and asked tentatively: "General Sokov, can I take this document back and let our commander have a look at it to see what he thinks? "

"Yes." Sokov replied readily, "This document was originally prepared for you. Since you are here, I would trouble you to bring the document back to General Managarov when you go back."