Red Moscow

As soon as Sokov put down the phone, he said to Smirnov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, Marshal Konev has promised to provide us with a batch of new rockets for use by the squadron behind the enemy's rear. Arrange your manpower immediately and go to the headquarters of the Front Army Go and receive these weapons."

Hearing what Sokov said, Smirnov said with some surprise: "Comrade Commander, since the superiors promised to give it to us, they will definitely send someone to deliver it. Why should we bother and send someone to get it?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, our superiors have ordered us to dispatch a small team as soon as possible to attack the German army's new weapon launch point." Sokov explained to Smirnov: "Now the superiors' capacity is tight, if we wait blindly, we may have to wait. In a day or two, there may be mistakes."

Smirnov asked with some confusion: "We have several reconnaissance teams near Uman. Even if we want to send new teams, there is no need to be so anxious, right?"

"I don't want to be so anxious, but the current situation makes us have to send a new team as soon as possible, otherwise we will suffer more losses."

What Sokov said was not alarmist, but because in real history, it took Germany less than a year to launch 10,000 bombs to the British Peninsula. Although the accuracy of this kind of missile is not good, it is superior in its large number. Launching dozens of missiles at a time will still cause great losses to the city and residents.

When Smirnov started calling his subordinates to assign tasks, Sokov suddenly thought of a key question. The German army launched a V1 missile from Uman, more than 100 kilometers away, and it was able to accurately hit the village they wanted to attack. This accuracy is too high.

If you don't think about this question, it's okay to think about it. According to Sokov's understanding, the cost of this V1 missile is not high, and the output is also extremely high. As long as the German army arranges a few more military factories, at least three or four thousand V1 missiles can be produced every month.

Thinking of this, Sokov walked to the door of the headquarters and said to a soldier standing guard at the door: "Comrade soldier, please go and ask the chief of the reconnaissance department to come over and tell him that I have something to look for him."

The soldier agreed and ran away along the corridor.

When Sokov limped back to the desk, Smirnov, who had finished the phone call, asked curiously, "Comrade Commander, what are you doing at the door?"

"I asked the soldiers to call the Director of Reconnaissance. I have something to discuss with him."

"Since you want to call the chief of the reconnaissance department, you can just make a phone call." Smirnov said a little bit dumbfoundingly: "Why do you need soldiers to call him?"

"Sitting for a long time, I feel a little uncomfortable, I want to move around."

After the reconnaissance director came over, Sokov called him to the table and said to him: "Comrade director, I want to ask you, have our scouts taken pictures of the enemy's new weapons?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander." The reconnaissance director nodded and said, "In order to find out the enemy's defensive deployment, the reconnaissance teams we send usually carry cameras."

"So, did they take pictures of the new weapons they saw last night and today?"

"Theoretically, Comrade Commander." The director of reconnaissance said in an uncertain tone: "But if an accident occurs, the matter of taking pictures may fall through."

Sokov couldn't help being a little angry when he heard the reconnaissance director say this: "Comrade director, as a scout, he carried a camera to the enemy's rear to carry out reconnaissance, but he didn't take pictures. Does this mean that all the scouts you sent Is it inappropriate?"

"No, Comrade Commander, you misunderstood." Seeing Sokov getting angry, the chief of the reconnaissance department quickly explained: "I just said that there is such a possibility, and I didn't say that there must be no pictures. Several reconnaissance teams I sent The detachments are all experienced old scouts, I think they will be able to get the information we need."

"Comrade Director, what I hope is an affirmative answer, not your speculation." Sokov slapped the table hard, and said sharply: "Comrade Director, please inform the comrades on duty and let them immediately Get in touch with the forward scouts and find out how they're doing with their scouting."

The director of reconnaissance promised, and was about to return to his office to find out what useful information the scouts at the front had detected. Unexpectedly, before he left, he was stopped by Sokov, who pointed to the phone on the table and said to him: "Comrade Director, use this phone to call your subordinates and ask them to contact the front line as soon as possible." scouts to establish contact."

"Okay, Comrade Commander, I'll make a call right away." The reconnaissance director said, grabbed the phone on the desk, called the subordinates who stayed in the office, and told them to get in touch with the scouts at the front immediately. , Ask the other party if they have taken pictures of the new German weapons.

After the chief of the reconnaissance department finished making the phone call, Sokov told him to sit down, then called Smirnov and Gorokhov, and said to the three in a heavy tone: "comrades, commanders, I have some bad news for you. "

Hearing Sokov's announcement of bad news, everyone's faces showed expressions of astonishment. You know, in the Battle of Cherkasy that just ended not long ago, as many as 60,000 to 70,000 German troops were annihilated. bad news.

"The situation is like this..." Sokov told the three of them that Morenqi Village had been attacked by the new German weapons and suffered huge losses. Smirnov and Gorokhov had just learned something about the situation, and they didn't seem surprised when they heard what Sokov said. But it was the first time for the director of reconnaissance to hear this shocking news, and he was stunned.

After a while, the head of the reconnaissance department woke up from the shock. He looked at Sokov and asked tentatively: "Comrade commander, if I guessed correctly, you want to analyze the Germans through the photos taken by the scouts." This new type of weapon."

"That's right, that's exactly how it is." Sokov nodded and said, "The village of Morenzi, which was attacked, is more than a hundred kilometers away from Uman. The enemy's new weapons can fly so far, which is already enough to make us feel ashamed." People are surprised, but I didn't expect the accuracy to be so high. If Marshal Konev hadn't moved the headquarters a few days ago, maybe the headquarters at this moment would have been in ruins, and the people inside would have suffered heavy losses.

If our scouts can get a photo of this new weapon, we can use the photo to find the weakness of this weapon and come up with a way to deal with it. "

Sukov's words made the director of reconnaissance realize the great responsibility on his shoulders. He quickly got up and assured Sokov: "Comrade commander, please rest assured that if my subordinates contact the scouts and find that they did not take pictures, I will urge them to look for opportunities to take pictures again."

Even though Sokov knew the shape and various parameters of the V1 missile like the back of his hand, he couldn't introduce the new German missile to Konev and others before he got the photo of the scout. Because the advent of a new weapon is absolutely confidential, how can you, a Soviet general, get top-secret information from the German army? In this way, you will cause unnecessary trouble for yourself.

Hearing what the reconnaissance director said, Sokov couldn't help but sighed, and said, "Since it's a new weapon, I'm afraid the Germans don't use it frequently. If our scouts didn't take pictures today, after missing this opportunity, we still don't know When will I have the opportunity to take pictures again.”

"Why?" Smirnov asked puzzled.

"I think the Germans may have to test the results of the battle first, and then launch another attack after confirming that the results are good." Sokov explained: "According to what I know about Marshal Konev, he will definitely send people to blockade the entire area around the village. Get up and stop the German agents from approaching."

"It makes sense, it makes sense." Smirnov agreed with Sokov's statement: "After all, the rockets launched by the Germans traveled more than 100 kilometers, even if they deviated far from the target, It’s also justifiable.”

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the reconnaissance director's subordinates called to report: "Comrade director, I got in touch with the commander of the reconnaissance unit."

Hearing that he had contacted the scouts at the front, the director of the scouts asked impatiently: "Tell me quickly, did they take any pictures?" After asking this, he held his breath, like a student sitting Waiting for the teacher to announce the grades in the classroom is so tense.

"Yes, Comrade Director." The subordinate's voice came from the phone: "They took a lot of photos. But because the light was too dark at night, they didn't dare to use flashlights, so they took fewer photos at night. More."

"Great, this is really great." After listening to his subordinate's report, the chief of the reconnaissance department did not hang up the phone immediately, but reported to Sokov: "Comrade commander, I have understood clearly. The new weapons of the German army were photographed, but most of the photos were taken during the day. Because of the poor light at night, fewer photos were taken.”

Sokov just wanted a photo so that he could justifiably introduce the V1 missile to Konev. At this moment, after listening to the reconnaissance director, he immediately asked: "Comrade director, if the scouts are ordered to return at this moment, what will they do?" When can you come back to us?"

"Comrade Commander," said the reconnaissance chief with a solemn expression, "it's more than a hundred kilometers from Uman to here. Since scouts can't walk on the road in an open manner, they can only operate in inconvenient forests. , so no matter how fast they are, I am afraid it will take three days."

"No, three days is too long." Sokov thought that the Germans would not be idle during these three days, and maybe one day they would launch a V1 towards an important target of the Soviet army. missile. Konev's tone was good today, and he had transferred the headquarters a few days earlier, otherwise he might have been blown up to ashes today. In order to implement his plan as soon as possible, Sokov said to the director of the reconnaissance in a stern tone: "Comrade director, I don't care what method you use. At noon tomorrow at the latest, the photos taken by the scouts must be placed on our display." in front of."

"Comrade Commander," upon hearing Sokov's order, the Chief of Reconnaissance's face was full of embarrassment: "The distance is more than 100 kilometers, and all of them are forest areas with limited mobility. , After walking such a long distance, this is simply an impossible task.”

"Comrade Director, you are right. If it is an ordinary person, it is indeed impossible to cover a distance of more than 100 roads in one day." Sokov said with a straight face: " But these people are scouts, they can use their specialties and find a way to return to our defense zone. If they are really qualified scouts, maybe they can show up in my headquarters in less than 24 hours .”

After figuring out Sokov's intentions, the chief of the reconnaissance department sighed, and then said into the microphone: "You send a telegram to the commander of the reconnaissance unit and send someone to send back the film. Remember, they only have time One day, Comrade Commander wishes to see them tomorrow at the headquarters at noon."

The subordinate on the other end of the phone did not express any opinion, but said respectfully: "I will immediately arrange for someone to send a telegram to the reconnaissance team, asking them to send the film back to the headquarters."

Sokov confirmed that the director of reconnaissance had conveyed his order truthfully, nodded and said with satisfaction: "Comrade director, you have done a good job. There is nothing wrong here, you should go back first. Remember, just now What I said to you can't be mentioned to anyone, so as not to cause unnecessary panic. Understand?"

"I fully understand, Comrade Commander." The reconnaissance chief said, "I will let him rot in his stomach."

After dismissing the reconnaissance chief, Smirnov's facial muscles twitched violently. He tentatively asked Sokov: "Comrade commander, let the scouts march more than 100 kilometers on foot in one day. Can it work?"

"Isn't it okay?"

"I think this is basically impossible." Smirnov retorted eloquently: "After the troops under my command completed the blocking task near Yukhnov, we were assigned to the command of the Western Front Command. Once , I met Comrade Rokossovsky, who said that on the first day of the war his troops marched from Zhytomyr to Kovel and Lutsk at the speed of a rapid march. Walked 50 kilometers."

Smirnov reminded Sokov: "Comrade Commander, at that time Rokossovsky's troops were still on the main road. With good road traffic, they only traveled 50 kilometers a day. But now you let The scouts have covered more than 100 kilometers of roads in 24 hours, which I think is an impossible task.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I think it is necessary to remind you," Sokov said, "I am giving this order to scouts, not to ordinary soldiers. I admit that if you want to walk a whole day on foot in one day It is simply impossible to drive more than 100 kilometers of roads.”

"Since you also feel that the task is difficult to complete, why did you issue such an order?"

Facing Smirnov's doubts, Sokov continued: "But since they are scouts, they should complete this order I issued as scouts."

Just when Smirnov wanted to debate a few words, Gorokhov, who was sitting next to him, tugged at his sleeve, and then said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think since the commander dares to issue such a task, he must You have already considered all the issues that should be considered, so you don't have to worry about it here."