Red Moscow

"Comrade Commander of the Front Army," Sokov called out to Konev, "please wait a moment."

Konev, who had just taken two steps, stopped and looked at Sokov with strange eyes: "Comrade Sokov, what do you want?"

"That's right, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." Sokov felt in his heart that in order to break through the German defenses, he must put all his troops into battle. Weaken the power of the attack. "I think that in order to break through the German defenses and fulfill the superior's operational intentions, all the troops of the group army must be put into battle. Therefore, the defense of the landing field on the right bank needs to be handed over to friendly troops."

"Comrade Sokov," Konev said with a smile after listening to Sokov's request, "You are giving me a problem. Where can I find troops to take over your defense at the landing site? You know , The area of ​​the landing site is so large, if only one or two divisions are sent over, it will not be effective at all."

Because during this period of time, Sokov was commanding the battle in the Qijilin area, and he didn't know the mobilization of friendly forces at all. Hearing what Konev said, he was speechless for a while.

"Comrade Commander," Sameko stood up and said to Konev at this moment: "As far as I know, General Gargan's 57th Army entered the Potoki area yesterday, not far from Klemenchug. Even with a distance of 25 kilometers, they can reach us within half a day even if they march on foot."

Hearing what Sameko said, Sokov suddenly gained confidence, and hurriedly said: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, since General Gargan's troops are nearby, they can completely take over the defense of the landing site on the right bank." He deeply Fearing that Konev would find a reason to shirk, he also specifically emphasized, "As long as we launch a full-scale attack on the enemy, the enemy will not be able to make a move at all, posing any threat to the 57th Army."

After hearing Sokov's words, Konev couldn't help but shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Comrade Sokov, you must know that the 57th Army is the reserve force of the Front Army. I plan to send them into battle when things don't go well. Yes. I didn’t expect you to have their idea.”

Seeing that Konev did not immediately deny his proposal, Sokov knew that there was something to be done about it, and quickly said with a playful smile: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, as I have just said, as long as the 57th Army takes over the defense of our department, We will immediately launch an attack on the enemy in the south. They will have no chance to go into battle at that time, which means that your reserve team has not been used at all, but just changed to another place to stand by."

"Yes, yes, General Konev." Lunev will definitely not continue to remain silent at this time, but will take the initiative to chime in: "If there are not enough troops to take over the defense of the landing field on the right bank, when we attack, we will I will be worried that there will be dangers to my side and rear, and I am afraid that the strength of the attack will be greatly reduced."

Konev glanced at the three of them one by one, and said with a smile: "It seems that if I don't agree to let the 57th Army take over your defense today, you are not going to let me go."

"How is that possible, Comrade Front Army Commander, we have no right to detain you." Sokov said with a smile, "In fact, I still have a little relationship with the 57th Army. During the Stalingrad defense war, I once He fought side by side with some units under the group army.

It is a great honor to be able to fight against this heroic unit again today in the battle for the liberation of the right bank of the Dnieper. So I hope you will grant our request that General Gargan's 57th Army take over the defense of the right bank landing field. "

Now that Sokov has already said this, it is obviously inappropriate for Konev to refuse. He bowed his head in thought for a long time, finally nodded slowly, and said: "Well, Comrade Sokov, since you have made such a request, I don't think I can find any reason to refuse it. Well, I'll go back and talk to the chief of staff. General Zakharov will discuss to see when it is more appropriate to send the 57th Army to take over your defense."

Sokov originally wanted Konev to send troops overnight, but then he thought, General Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army is retreating, if a large army comes from the left bank, it will definitely cause congestion on the bridge And chaos, it will be counterproductive at that time.

After thinking about this, he nodded and said, "This is what it should be, Comrade Commander of the Front Army. After all, the 57th Army is your reserve force. If you want to transfer them to other places, you will naturally need to cooperate with other members of the headquarters. Let's discuss it."

After sending Konev away, Sameko asked Sokov with some puzzlement: "Comrade Commander, why didn't you ask Commander Konev to send the 57th Army over overnight? You know, they entered the landing field on the right bank. The sooner it is, the sooner we can move south of the landing field."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, have you forgotten that General Solomatin's troops are withdrawing from their positions in an orderly manner and retreating to the left bank of the Dnieper River?" Sukov saw that Sameko did not take into account the retreating mechanized 1st The army reminded him: "Although there are as many as three bridges and floating bridges on the Dnieper River today, it is far from enough to accommodate two troops marching in opposite directions at the same time.

If Lian Ye'er, a unit of the 57th Army, was allowed to rush over, maybe when they arrived at the river to cross the river at dawn, they would just meet the mechanized army preparing to return to the left bank. If the two sides are congested on the bridge, things will be delayed. "

"That's right, Comrade Commander is right." Lunev agreed with Sokov's statement. He said to Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, if tens of thousands of troops are congested on the banks of the Dnieper River and unable to move, once they are attacked by enemy planes, they will definitely cause huge losses. At that time, it will affect the morale and morale of our army." , will have serious repercussions."

Sameko hummed, expressing his approval of what the two said, and then he asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, since we are going to attack to the south of the landing site, should the commanders of the various units be called together? How about assigning them the next combat mission so that they can know what they are doing?"

"This is what it should be, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov nodded and said, "We will hold such a meeting after confirming the departure of the 57th Army. factors, disrupting our entire combat plan."

…………

Konev returned to his headquarters, called Zakharov in front of him, told him about Sokov's proposal, and then asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think we can send General Gargan's No. How about sending the 57th Army to the landing field on the right bank of the Dnieper River to take over the defense of Sokov's troops?"

"I think it's okay." Before Konev went to Kremenchug, he had studied with Zakharov the plan for the development of Sokov's troops to the south, so upon hearing this, Zakharov replied without hesitation. : "With the 57th Army taking over the defense of the landing field on the right bank, it will not only ensure the safety of the rear of Sokov's troops, but also ensure the smooth flow of transportation lines. At the same time, Sokov will not have to worry about the future, and he will be able to launch an offensive against the German army with all his strength. So as to successfully complete our combat intent."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, when do you think the 57th Army can be deployed?"

"They just arrived in the Potok area today, and most of the commanders and fighters have become exhausted." Zakharov replied: "If they are asked to transfer immediately, I am afraid that the physical strength of the soldiers may not be able to keep up."

"The sooner the Sokov troops attack the German defense line, the better, so that the enemy will not have enough time to strengthen their defense." Konev asked Zakharov again after expressing his opinion: "Chief of Staff, when do you think the latest should the 57th Army be deployed?"

"I think we should wait at least two to three days." Zakharov said here, seeing Konev frowning, he quickly explained: "The reason why we have to wait two or three days before setting off is to allow the commanders and fighters to recover. Excessive physical consumption, and the second is to allow them to obtain the necessary supplements of ammunition and supplies so that they can continue to fight."

"I agree." Konev nodded and said, "Anyway, General Gargan's troops are our reserve troops. They are placed on the landing field on the right bank of Klemenchug. If Sokov's troops are not going well, they can provide nearby support. them."

Just when the two reached an agreement, a staff officer hurried over and reported to them: "Commander, Chief of Staff, I just received a call from General Shumilov."

"What did Shumilov say on the phone?" Konev asked.

"He said that the defense area of ​​the 24th Guards Army is currently undergoing fierce counterattacks by German tanks and continuous assaults by aviation. The army is suffering huge losses and may not be able to withstand the German onslaught. , retreat from the landing site to the left bank of the Dnieper River."

The words of the staff officer surprised both Konev and Zakharov.

Konev asked the staff nervously, "Did you hang up the phone?"

"Not yet."

"Take me there immediately."

Konev followed the staff to the place where the phone was placed, picked up the receiver and stuck it to his ear, and said loudly, "Is this General Shumilov? I'm Konev. Tell me, what happened to you there?" ?”

"Report to Comrade Commander," Shumilov yelled loudly as the dense gunfire could be heard in the earphones: "The enemy has dispatched a large number of tanks today. The defense area launched a fierce attack. Although my subordinates carried out a tenacious defense, some lines of defense were still breached by the Germans one after another."

Konev originally thought that the German army would choose the landing field on the right bank where Sokov's troops were located, but he did not expect that the landing field just established by Shumilov would once again become the main direction of the German army's offensive.

When Shumilov heard that Konev did not speak, he took the initiative to express his intention: "Comrade Commander, judging from the current situation, our weapons and equipment are not as good as the Germans. It is very difficult to block their attack." Difficult. In order to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, I beg you to allow me to retreat to the left bank of the Dnieper."

"No, this is absolutely not possible." How could Konev give up the second landing field on the right bank with great difficulty? He yelled into the microphone: "I order, stand firm on the landing field, and don't retreat! You are not allowed to retreat even a single step!"

After saying this, he suddenly realized that his tone was too harsh, so he quickly slowed down and said: "General Shumilov, I will fly to you immediately, and we will study and decide what to do next."

Seeing Konev put down the phone, Zakharov, who had already heard the conversation, frowned and said, "Comrade Commander, what's going on? The landing field we finally established on the right bank, why did General Shumilov Wanting to give up so easily, is he frightened by the enemy?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you can't say that about General Shumilov." Seeing that Zakharov showed strong dissatisfaction with Shumilov, Konev quickly defended the latter, saying: "Shumilov is a A brave, fighting spirit and experienced army commander. He is a seasoned soldier who has repeatedly proved his courage and determination in the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk. Now he proposes to withdraw from the landing field The army's request made me feel very uneasy, it seems that he is facing an unprecedented crisis."

When Zakharov heard this, he sneered and said, "Most of the area controlled by the landing site on the right bank was captured by Sokov's troops. How could they block the crazy German attack?"

Konev pretended not to hear Zakharov's report, and deliberately changed the topic: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I will go to General Shumilov's headquarters immediately, and the work here will be entrusted to you. If there is any If you can’t handle anything, you can call the 7th Guards Army headquarters, and even if I’m not there, you can still leave a message for the officer on duty.”

"Okay, Comrade Commander, I will keep in touch with you at any time." After Zakharov finished speaking, he told Konev with concern: "The situation in Shumilov is very critical now, and you need more Watch out for your own safety."

"Don't worry, my chief of staff." Konev knew that since Apanashenko died in the latter part of the Kursk battle, the Supreme Command had issued an order that the head of the front army was not allowed to appear in the most intense area of ​​the battle, so as not to Causing unnecessary casualties and bringing huge losses to the troops. Facing Zakharov's concern at this moment, he still said gratefully: "I will be careful."

Zakharov picked up the phone on the table and connected Goryunov: "Comrade General, Comrade Commander is going to fly to the defense area of ​​the 7th Guards Army. The situation there is very bad for our army. The air may Enemy planes will appear, you'd better send some fighter planes to escort to ensure the safety of Comrade Commander."

"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff." Knowing that Konev was going to the most dangerous place by plane, Goryunov quickly replied, "I will send the best fighter pilots to escort Comrade Commander."