Red Moscow

"Comrade Sokov," Seeing that Sokov was agitated, Shtemenko tactfully persuaded him, "I think we should go back to the Army Group Headquarters, where you can command the troops better."

Sokov looked up at Shtemenko, wondering why the other party asked him to go back to the army headquarters. Is there any important matter that needs to be discussed with him in private?

"Okay, Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, let's go back to the headquarters."

On the way back to the headquarters, Shtemenko suddenly asked, "Comrade Sokov, do you know why I asked you to return to the army headquarters?"

Sokov was not a roundworm in Shtemenko's stomach. How could he guess the other party's intentions, so he shook his head and replied truthfully, "I don't know."

"That Colonel Yesenin was indecisive and he knew that friendly forces were fighting the enemy in the town, but he didn't move." Shtemenko said solemnly: "We must not tolerate this kind of behavior that deliberately delays the opportunity of the war, and must be dealt with seriously. .”

"Well, I think so too." Sokov thought of Victor's assault battalion, which was fighting the Germans in the town, while the 233rd Division outside the town stood still, which made him very angry. He was considering how to deal with Yesenin. Hearing that Shtemenko mentioned the matter first, he asked calmly, "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, how do you think Colonel Yesenin should be dealt with?"

"Large corps are fighting, and military discipline must be strict. I think Colonel Yesenin is no longer suitable for the post of division commander." Shtemenko knew very well that although he was a representative of the headquarters, he only had the right to make suggestions but not the right to make decisions, so how would he deal with it? Let Sokov solve the problem: "Since he is your subordinate, how to deal with him is up to you."

Seeing Sokov appearing, Smirnov showed a surprised expression on his face: "Comrade Commander, why are you back? I thought you would stay in the 41st Guards Division tonight."

"Now our army's battle line has moved forward. If you stay with the 41st Guards Division, you won't be able to see the situation on the battlefield." After briefly explaining the reason for his return, Sokov asked rhetorically, "Succeed our army. When will the defense troops arrive?"

"Tomorrow at noon." Smirnov replied: "The two divisions of the friendly army will take over our defense in the Safran and Velishanka areas respectively."

Sokov nodded, and then asked: "Is there any latest news from the 57th Army?"

Smirnov quickly turned his head and asked a staff officer not far away: "Comrade staff, is there any report about the 57th Army?"

"No, Comrade Chief of Staff." The staff officer replied simply: "I haven't received any report about the 57th Army yet."

"I'm sorry, Comrade Commander." After listening to the staff officer's report, Smirnov apologized to Sokov and said, "We haven't got the latest information from the 57th Army yet."

Considering that Sokov sent an assault battalion to sneak attack the German town, Smirnov asked curiously: "Comrade commander, how is the battle in the town going?"

"The Assault Battalion fought very hard." On the way back, Sokov received another report from Victor, knowing that the Assault Battalion was now besieged by the German army in the church and nearby streets, and was under fierce German attack. "They have fallen into the siege of the enemy and are struggling to support themselves."

Smirnov couldn't help being taken aback after hearing this: "But according to the original plan, once the assault battalion started in the town, the 233rd Division outside the town should launch an attack, and attack with them inside and outside to capture the town of Golovanivsik. ?”

"A plan is a plan," Sokov said with a sigh, "but in execution, there are often deviations."

"What exactly is going on?"

"After the battle started, Victor's troops immediately launched an attack in the direction of the German command headquarters. After paying a lot of casualties, they finally succeeded in capturing the German command headquarters and trapped the enemy's command system. into the basement." Sokov gritted his molars and said, "When they were fighting hard, the 233rd Division, which was supposed to attack from the front, stayed still and let the assault battalion surrounded by the enemy be consumed little by little. .”

"Ah, there is such a thing?" Smirnov was stunned by Sokov's words: "Is this all true?"

"Of course it is true," Sokov said. "I called General Chumakov and gave him a reprimand before he agreed to inform the 233rd Division to launch an attack. But since then, I have not communicated with him again." The 57th Army contacted, and it is not known whether they have launched an attack on the town of Golovanivsik at this moment."

After Smirnov finished listening, his expression became serious. He looked at Sokov and asked, "Comrade Commander, what do you plan to do with Colonel Yesenin?"

"I don't think he is suitable for the position of division commander anymore," Sokov said blankly, "We need to find a suitable person to replace him."

"Do you have a suitable candidate?"

Sokov glanced around the room, and he directly excluded the students who followed him from the Frunze Military Academy. After all, it was only an intermediate training class at that time, and all the trainees were regiment-level commanders. If these students without much command experience are allowed to directly serve as division commanders, it may be counterproductive.

In the end, his eyes stayed on Ponedelin and Muzichenko, wondering who should take over Yesenin's position.

"Comrade Commander," Ponedelin saw Sokov's eyes constantly scanning himself and Muzichenko, and guessed that the other party wanted him or Muzychenko to take over Yesenin's position. Served as the commander of the 233rd Division, but he is still undecided for the time being. He hurriedly stepped forward and said, "If you trust me, let me be the commander of the 233rd Division."

Unexpectedly, Sokov shook his head slightly: "You are not suitable for the position of teacher."

Although the voice was soft, most people in the headquarters could hear it very clearly. Hearing this, one could hear gasps, and the staff officers, especially the students from the Frunze Military Academy, all looked extremely ugly. In any case, Ponegerin was Sukov's right-hand man, so why didn't Sokov agree to the other party's request to be the division commander?

Before Ponegerin could speak, Sokov said with a smile: "Lieutenant Colonel Pornegerin, with your ability, you are more than enough to be an army commander. Isn't it a waste of talent to let you be a division commander? I think, You should continue to stay at my headquarters, maybe there will be a more suitable position waiting for you. As for the position of acting commander of the 233rd Division, I think Lieutenant Colonel Muzichenko will take it."

Muzichenko never dreamed that he would be appointed as the acting division commander again. He hurriedly took two steps forward, straightened his body and said, "Comrade commander, I resolutely obey your orders!"

Sokov nodded, and said to Muzichenko: "After dawn, I will send someone to take you to the 233rd Division." He glanced at the familiar students again, and added, "Intermediate commander training The students in the class, whoever you like, you can take with you to the post. Having a few capable regiment-level commanders to assist you will also be very helpful for your future work."

"Comrade Commander," Smirnov asked Sokov tentatively, "how do you plan to deal with Colonel Yesenin?"

According to Sukov's personality, he wanted to push Yesenin to the end and let him become a soldier in the company. But after thinking about it, just two days after the battle of Uman, I removed a division commander and sent him to the company as a soldier. I am afraid that it will have a negative impact on the morale and morale of the troops.

So after some thinking, he finally made a decision: "I think Colonel Yesenin will be demoted to deputy division commander, and he will stay in the 233rd Division to assist Lieutenant Colonel Muzichenko in his work."

Seeing that Sokov had made new personnel arrangements, Smirnov felt that it was necessary to inform the 57th Army, so he picked up the phone to find Chumakov and conveyed Sokov's meaning to him.

Chumakov learned that Sokov was going to dismiss Yesenin, and quickly said good things to him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I think it is very inappropriate to dismiss a division commander in the current situation, and it will affect the troops. Detrimental effect on morale and morale. And he's commanding troops to attack the town, which may be taken soon."

"General Chumakov," Smirnov said in a stern tone when he heard that the other party was still helping Yesenin, "Don't you forget that a few hours ago, Yesenin's division was talking to the town. The attack ended in failure. Comrade Commander, in order to capture the town as quickly as possible, mobilized elite troops from the 41st Guards Division, broke into the town from the north, attacked the enemy's command center, and disrupted the enemy's defensive deployment. Create favorable conditions for the attack of friendly forces.

But what did Colonel Yesenin do? His troops stayed outside the town and heard the fighting inside, but he remained on hold. This kind of behavior of his is to delay the battle opportunity, and he can be directly sent to a military court. Today, Comrade Commander just demoted him to deputy division commander and allowed him to stay in the 233 Division, which is already a great tolerance for him. "

Now that Smirnov had reached this point, Chumakov knew that it was useless to say anything else, so he could only bite the bullet and ask, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't know when I should announce this decision. "

"The battle to attack the town is still going on, so it's really inappropriate to announce this decision at this moment." Smirnov said reasonably, "I think it's better to wait until the town is captured before announcing this order to him."

Just when Smirnov was about to hang up the phone, Sokov stopped him in time: "Wait a minute, I have something to say to General Chumakov."

He put the receiver to his ear and asked, "General Chumakov, I would like to ask, besides the 233rd Division, which unit is closest to the town of Golovanivsik?"

"There is also the 252nd Division of Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov," Chumakov replied cautiously: "Comrade Commander, you know that this division was deployed in two areas a while ago and participated in many battles." , so there is a shortage of soldiers and ammunition. If you have any combat missions, I am afraid they will not be able to complete them."

"Get Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov immediately," Sokov said briefly, "I'll wait for him here."

Fortunately, Kirilov came to the army headquarters to report on work before dark, and did not leave. At the moment, he was resting in a wooden house tens of meters away from the army headquarters. Hearing that Chumakov was looking for him, he didn't dare to neglect, and hurried over.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked into the army headquarters, he saw Chumakov handing him the microphone in his hand, and said, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, your phone number. It's Comrade Commander!"

Hearing that it was Sokov, Kirillov quickly answered the phone: "Comrade Commander, this is Kirillov, do you have any instructions?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Kirilov," Sokov asked Kirillov in a rarely severe tone, "if I order your division to participate in the attack on the town of Golovanivsik, how many troops can you spare?" troops?"

Kirillov didn't expect Sokov to ask this question suddenly, and he didn't know how to answer for a while. After such a long period of fighting, only half of the troops were left in the whole division, and only one-third of the commanders and fighters who could participate in the battle were at full strength.

Just as Kirillov was thinking about how to answer Sokov's question. Sokov, who hadn't heard anything for a long time, couldn't help feeling a little anxious, and asked repeatedly: "Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov, are you still there? Hey, are you still there?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander, I'm still here." Knowing what question Sokov was about to ask himself, Kirillov answered first, "I'm counting the number of troops that can go into battle."

"How many troops can be put into battle?"

Kirilov counted silently with his fingers for a moment, then replied: "Only two battalions can be deployed, Comrade Commander."

"Two battalions?" Hearing this number, Sukov couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but after thinking about it, the division was divided into two places during this period, and both of them participated in the battle. The loss of soldiers is inevitable. matter. "Although the number is a little less, it should still be enough to attack the town of Golovanivsik."

Sokov paused for a moment, then asked, "When will you be able to go into battle?"

"It will take an hour at the earliest." Since Sokov assigned the task to himself, Kirillov naturally had the duty to do so, but it took time for the troops to assemble and enter the offensive area. After calculating the time needed, he explained to Sokov: "Comrade commander, our division is now about three kilometers away from the town of Golovanivsik. It will take about an hour to rush there."

"Now a regiment of the 233rd Division is launching an attack from the south of the town. Your division can choose the direction of attack to the east." Sokov began to assign tasks to Kirillov: "The task of your division is to quickly Break through the German defense line in the town of Golovanivsik, advance to the church in the center of the town, and rescue the assault battalion surrounded by the Germans."

"Assault battalion?" Sokov sent an assault battalion to the town of Golovanivsik. Few people know about it. Although Kirillov is now the acting division commander, he has no way to know about it at all, so When I heard Sokov's order, I was still at a loss: "Comrade Commander, what assault battalion?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Kirillov, the situation is like this." Sokov explained: "When the first attack of the 233rd Division failed, I sent an assault battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Victor to attack Ge The town of Lovanivsik entered the town from the north and rushed directly to the German command. Now they have occupied the German command and trapped the German commanders in the basement of the church. But unfortunately, the assault battalion Now surrounded by superior enemy forces, if reinforcements are not sent as soon as possible, they are in danger of being completely wiped out."