Red Moscow

The division headquarters of the 84th Division became Sukov's temporary headquarters. In order to facilitate his command operations, the chief of staff of the division personally led the communication troops to arrange the communication lines.

While the communication lines were still being laid, Fomenko sat in front of Sokov, who was chatting with Belkin, and asked with concern: "Comrade Commander, I would like to ask, the 7th Guards Army is planning to deploy on the right bank Where to land, and establish a landing field?"

Sokov wanted to test Fomenko's ability, so he didn't give the answer directly, but asked instead: "General Fomenko, if you were General Shumilov, where would you choose the landing site for your troops?"

Fomenko pointed to the map without hesitation, and said to Sokov: "Comrade commander, if I were General Shumilov, I would definitely send troops to cross the Dnieper River and occupy the two small towns of Ratsve and Jingji by the river. , and on this basis, establish a solid landing field."

Seeing that Fomenko's thoughts coincided with his own, Sokov was not only secretly surprised, but he still asked calmly, "Why? Tell me your reason."

"The reason is simple," Fomenko replied truthfully, not knowing that Sokov was testing his abilities: "These two towns next to the Dnieper River are only eight to twelve kilometers away from our camp. If it doesn’t go well, I can send you a telegram for help. If our reinforcements ride bicycles, it will take less than an hour to reach Ratsve, attack from the German flank, and completely defeat them.”

"Go on." Sokov said with a smile.

"According to our prior reconnaissance, the German army in these two towns combined is no more than two companies, with three artillery pieces and several machine guns and other heavy weapons." Fomenko continued: "Even if the 7th Guards Army does not plan to attack in these two areas Crossing the river, we can also dispatch troops to capture Ratswe and Jingji and expand the area we occupy.

Moreover, after we occupied Ratesve and Jingji, we could block the river with artillery, cut off the German army's transport line on the river from Kirovgrad to Cherkassy, ​​and gradually isolate them until they were finally wiped out. "

"Yes, Misha, I think what Comrade Commander said is very reasonable." As soon as Fomenko had finished speaking, Belkin went on to say: "If we have captured Ratsve and Kinki, and the upcoming Attacking Qijilin, we have a second landing field on the right bank."

"General Fomenko, your idea is very good." Sokov nodded and said: "When I was in the 7th Guards Army, I found that they lacked enough equipment for crossing the river, and it was difficult to even collect wood in the area. , which makes it more difficult to erect the pontoon bridge.”

Hearing what Sokov said, Fomenko suddenly had a bold idea in his heart, and quickly asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, from your tone of voice, is it difficult for you to send troops to capture both Ratsve and Jingji?" a town?"

"That's right, that's what I thought about it." Now that Fomenko had already guessed his intention, Sokov no longer concealed it, and besides, he needed Fomenko to cooperate with him in the next battle: "I see you A regiment can be dispatched to capture these two towns by surprise before the enemy is ready for defense, and to cross the river with the troops of the 7th Guards Army."

"Comrade Commander," Belkin heard that Sokov intends to occupy the two towns of Ratsve and Jingji, and came out first to recommend himself: "I think this glorious task can be entrusted to our regiment to complete."

But Fomenko, after listening to Belgin, glanced at Sokov, shook his head and said: "I'm sorry, no, comrade deputy division commander. The 258th regiment under your command suffered casualties in the battle that ended yesterday. More than half of them should stay and rest instead of taking on any combat missions."

Belkin said unwillingly: "Comrade Commander, there are still nearly a thousand commanders and fighters left in our regiment. It should not be a big problem to capture the two towns of the Germans."

"No, Comrade Deputy Division Commander." Seeing that Sokov did not express his position on this matter, Fomenko felt more confident, and continued: "The rest of your commanders and fighters are the backbone of future combat. If your regiment is lost, when the superiors replenish your regiment with new recruits, your regiment's combat effectiveness will be severely diluted. At that time, on the battlefield, I am afraid that your regiment will not be able to participate in the main attack mission, and you can only serve as the reserve team of the entire division."

These words of Fomenko silenced Belkin. He knew very well in his heart that what the other party said was very reasonable. The combat effectiveness of an army depends entirely on how many combat backbones there are in the army. If the remaining commanders and fighters of his regiment were all wiped out in the battle, then after recruiting new recruits, the combat effectiveness would be severely reduced.

Thinking of this, he asked, "Comrade commander, I wonder which regiment you plan to send to carry out this mission?" Perhaps because he was worried that Fomenko would keep his secret, he also specially emphasized, "As the deputy commander of the 84th Division , I have the right to know."

"Yes, yes, Comrade Deputy Commander, you have such a right." Fomenko did not deny Belkin's statement, but replied straightforwardly: "I plan to send Rusuv's 254th regiment to carry out this honorable and difficult task."

Colonel Rusuf was quickly recruited to the division headquarters. When he learned that he was going to lead the troops to capture two small towns on the banks of the Dnieper River, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up slightly. As soon as Fomenko finished assigning the task, he immediately assured the other party: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander, our regiment will never let you down."

"How many bicycles does your regiment have?"

"More than 1,300 vehicles."

After Fomenko withdrew from the city last night, he checked the strength of the regiments and knew how many troops the 254th regiment still had: "In other words, you are short of nearly 700 bicycles."

"That's right, Comrade Master."

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander," Fomenko turned to Belkin, "now the 254th regiment is dispatched with seven hundred bicycles. Can you support some of them?"

"That's no problem," Belkin replied straightforwardly: "Colonel Rusuf can go directly to my regiment later and ask the chief of staff for bicycles. He will provide you with enough bicycles."

"Then when will we attack?" Rusuf asked.

"Don't worry, Comrade Colonel." Sokov said: "When the 188th Division launches an attack on Chijilin and attracts the attention of the enemy, then you start to Ratswe and Jingji, and take advantage of the Germans. I didn’t come back to my senses, took these two towns by surprise, and cooperated with the friendly army to cross the river.”

After Rusuf left, Belkin reminded Sokov: "Misha, if we occupy Ratsve and Jingji and establish a new landing field, the Germans will definitely launch a fierce offensive to achieve the goal of keeping our army from the enemy. The purpose of expulsion here. Look, do you need to deploy more troops to strengthen the defense here?"

It has to be said that Belkin's proposal really moved Sokov. If the main force of the group army is gathered on the second landing ground, then when an attack is launched on Cherkasy in the future, the troops under his command will be able to take over the main offensive task. But after thinking about it, it was not enough. The troops of the German 1st Army were launching a fierce attack on the south side of the landing field, and the troops stationed there were fighting tenaciously with the Germans.

Since it was impossible to transfer troops from the earliest landing field to strengthen the defense here, Sokov could only settle for the next best thing, and handed over the task of establishing the second landing field to Shumilov's 7th Guards Army. Thinking of this, he asked Fomenko: "General Fomenko, can you get in touch with the Front Army Command here?"

Fomenko did not answer immediately, but turned to ask the chief of staff who had just come in from outside: "Chief of staff, Comrade Commander would like to know if we can get in touch with the headquarters of the Front Army?"

"I'm afraid it will be very difficult, Comrade Division Commander." The division chief of staff explained to Fomenko: "We are only a divisional unit, and unless the command of the front army takes the initiative to contact us, we must use the radio station of the command of the army to get in touch with our superiors. .”

Knowing that he couldn't get in touch with the Front Army Command, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he asked unwillingly, "Can I get in touch with the 7th Guards Army?"

"It is theoretically possible, Comrade Commander." The division chief of staff replied: "As long as we know the contact number of the 7th Guards Army, then our radio can communicate with them directly."

"Then immediately contact the headquarters of the 7th Guards Army," Fomenko told the other party: "Comrade Commander has important matters and needs to get in touch with the commander of the friendly army."

Although Sokov could get in touch with the 7th Guards Army through Sameko, considering that there might be some inconvenience in the middle of a transfer, he decided to choose to talk directly to Shumilov, which would be more beneficial to both sides. Army cooperation.

A few minutes later, the chief of staff of the division reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, you have contacted the headquarters of the 7th Guards Army. You can communicate with them by telegram or directly by wireless."

Sokov felt that wireless communication, no matter what, was more convenient than sending a telegram, and he could explain the problem clearly at the first time, so he said decisively: "I want to have a wireless communication with General Shumilov."

Soon, Shumilov's voice came from the headset Sokov was wearing: "I am Shumilov, is this General Sokov?"

"Yes, it is I, General Shumilov."

Shumilov on the other end was very busy at the moment, and asked a little fast: "What's the matter?"

"That's right, General Shumilov." Sokov knew in his heart that his troops would have no problem at all in order to take those two towns. The most frightening thing is that shortly after the town was taken, the enemy launched a counterattack. The troops scattered in the two towns might be divided and surrounded by the enemy. Therefore, he said to Shumilov straight to the point: "I plan to send Troops to capture the small towns of Ratsve and Kinki on the banks of the Dnieper River to support your crossing."

After Sokov finished speaking, he heard Shumilov order a nearby staff officer: "Bring a map."

It was Shumilov's chief of staff who brought the map. He wanted to find out why Shumilov used the map.

"Rateve and Jingji?" Seeing the map in front of him, Shumilov muttered, pointing on the map with his fingers, trying to find the place Sokov said.

"Here, Comrade Commander." After hearing the two place names clearly, the chief of staff immediately pointed to their locations and said to Shumilov: "These two towns are on the banks of the Dnieper River. these two towns, then we can easily cross the Dnieper without any fighting."

Hearing what his chief of staff said, Shumilov couldn't help but brighten his eyes: "Comrade Sokov, when are you going to attack the two towns?"

Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch, and replied: "We have already arranged the offensive troops. If everything goes well, they will attack the two small towns occupied by the enemy in two hours."

"Two hours later?" After listening to the time, Shumilov turned to his chief of staff and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, how long will it take for our troops to be ready to cross the river?"

"At present, there are very few equipments that can cross the river." The chief of staff replied: "If we want to cross the infantry, machine guns, artillery, and engineers to the other side, I am afraid that we will have to wait until tonight at the earliest."

Sokov frowned when he heard the chief of staff's report through the earphones. If the troops of the 7th Guards Army really waited until dark to start crossing the river, it would mean that the troops occupying the two towns themselves might be attacked by the German army frantically and pay a huge price.

Thinking of this, he quickly said: "General Shumilov, I don't think you need to wait until dark. As long as my troops occupy the two towns of Ratsve and Jingji, you can use the existing river crossing equipment. As many troops and equipment as can be crossed across the river, they will be crossed first. After the personnel and equipment are unloaded on the right bank, the crossing equipment will return to the left bank to transport more troops and equipment.”

When Shumilov heard that it seemed to be the case, he quickly turned around and told the chief of staff: "Chief of staff, you immediately call the troops below to prepare the troops with the equipment for crossing the river. Once the friendly forces seize the right bank Two towns, and they started to cross the river and rushed to the other side to take over the defense of the friendly army. Got it?"

"Understood, Comrade Commander." The division chief of staff agreed loudly, "I'll call the troops right away and get them ready to cross the river."

After walking around the river with people, Konev walked into the command post and found that it was a busy scene. He couldn't help asking Shumilov curiously: "Comrade Shumilov, what happened?" Things, I feel like your troops are about to go into battle."

"You guessed right, Comrade Commander." Shumilov was very excited when he thought that his troops would cross the Dnieper River safely without any loss: "Our troops will be in two or three Hours later, the operation to cross the river will be carried out, and the landing site on the right bank will be established in the shortest possible time."

Konev was confused by Shumilov's words. He had just returned from the river, so he naturally knew that the number of equipment for crossing the river was very small. At best, only one or two battalions of troops and equipment could be crossed at a time. Although there are not many German troops on the other side, there are no strong fortifications and strong firepower, but to successfully cross the river, more ships and rafts must be assembled.

He reached out and touched Shumilov's forehead, and said to himself, "If you don't have a fever, why are you talking to yourself?"