Red Moscow

The heavy snowfall restricted the vision of the German sentinels on the position, and they did not find the Soviet troops approaching them at all.

But no matter how lightly the movement of thousands of people moves, there will inevitably be some movement. After the German sentinel heard it, he climbed out of the trench and walked slowly towards the direction of the sound, trying to figure out what sound he heard.

A Soviet soldier appeared in front of him without warning, and before the sentry could shout, he was stabbed with a bayonet by the other side. The gun fell from the sentry's hand, and he grabbed the bayonet with both hands, trying to pull it out. But he didn't succeed, and all the strength in his body seemed to be released into the air along the bayonet. Soon, he failed the attempt and fell limply to the ground.

Seeing that the German sentry was killed, a commander wearing the rank of lieutenant called out to the soldiers around in a low voice: "Comrades, hurry up before the enemy finds us."

The Soviet commanders quickened their pace, rushed to the front of the trench quickly, jumped down, and then split into two groups, rushing forward along the trench to eliminate the unaware German troops.

Gunshots soon rang out everywhere in the trenches, but because the Germans did not expect the Soviet army to attack under the heavy snow, they were not prepared at all, and they were caught off guard, and the battle on the ground became one-sided. In less than twenty minutes, the German line of defense was occupied.

Lieutenant Colonel Fritzmann came to the position, and the two battalion commanders of the first and second battalions stepped forward to report: "Comrade commander, we have successfully occupied the German position."

Knowing that the position was completely occupied, Fritzman couldn't help feeling ecstatic. He quickly turned around and ordered the radio operator who followed him: "Help me contact the division headquarters immediately. I have good news to report to the division commander."

Taking advantage of the time when the radio operator called the division headquarters, he turned around and asked the two battalion commanders: "How are the casualties of your two battalions?"

"The first battalion sacrificed 27 people and wounded 73 people."

"The second battalion sacrificed 11 people and injured 25 people."

After reporting the number of casualties, the commander of the second battalion added: "Comrade commander, when our battalion entered the position, the battle was already coming to an end, so our casualties were much smaller than those of the first battalion."

Fritzman knew that the second battalion took less time to enter the position than the first battalion, and the casualties must be smaller, but he didn't expect the gap to be so big. He said to the two battalion commanders: "The second battalion commander, the next line of defense for the German army, and your battalion will be the main offensive. The third battalion will be the second echelon and will follow closely behind."

Seeing that Fritzman did not mention his own battalion, the commander of the first battalion quickly asked, "What about our battalion?"

Fritzman glanced at him and said, "First Battalion Commander, your battalion acts as the third echelon and acts together with the regiment headquarters."

"Comrade commander," the first battalion commander was anxious when he heard that his troops had become the third echelon: "Our battalion's morale is high, and we can continue to attack."

"Commander of the first battalion, I know what you said." Fritzman explained to the other party: "The first battalion has just gone through a fierce battle, and the commanders and fighters are very tired. I let you serve as the third echelon. Take a good rest."

Seeing the unwilling expression on the other party's face, he added: "First Battalion Commander, the offensive operation has just begun, and there will be many more battles to be fought in the future. If you keep your battalion as the vanguard battalion, go to attack the city and pull it out." Village, it won’t be long before you lose your combat effectiveness due to heavy casualties. If the troops lose their combat effectiveness, then the next battle will have nothing to do with you. Are you willing to let such a thing happen?”

"I don't want to." The first battalion commander blurted out.

"Since you don't want to, let's stay in the back as the third echelon." Fritzman said to the three battalion commanders: "After the next line of defense breaks through, the second battalion will be transferred to the back to serve as the third echelon. The third battalion will become the new main attack battalion. As for the first battalion, it will become the second echelon and be ready to support the third battalion at any time. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" The three battalion commanders shouted in unison.

"Comrade Commander," the radio operator walked up to Fritzman with the microphone and earphone of the walkie-talkie, and said to him, "The division has been connected."

Fritzman took the earphones and put them on, and then said loudly with the microphone: "Comrade commander? I'm Lieutenant Colonel Fritzman. I have great news for you."

"What great news?" Surprisingly, Colonel Konev on the other end of the phone snorted coldly: "Tell me, how much did your regiment pay in the process of seizing the enemy's position?"

Seeing that Colonel Konev had already guessed the result, Fritzman smiled, and then reported the casualties of the two battalions to the other side, and finally asked: "Comrade commander, can we continue to move forward?"

"Yes, absolutely." Konev said to Fritzman on the phone: "Behind you are the 8th and 10th regiments. They will soon reach your current position. You only need to leave one company, Used to hold positions and guard prisoners, and then the rest of the force moved on."

Now that the enemy's position has been captured, Konev felt that he should report to Afunin immediately. After he ordered someone to connect to the army headquarters, he reported emotionally: "Comrade commander, I Good news for you, the 2nd Airborne Regiment has successfully captured the enemy's position."

"Really? Has the enemy's position been captured?" Afuning couldn't help but smile when he heard the news. He hurriedly asked, "How about the casualties of the troops? What measures has the regiment taken now?"

"Report to Comrade Commander," Konev went on to say, "Because of the concealment of our attack, the enemy didn't notice it until the commanders and fighters rushed into the trenches. But at this time, even if the enemy finds out, it cannot be reversed." What, so in less than twenty minutes, our troops wiped out all the German troops on the ground."

"Then continue to attack." Afunin waited for Konev to finish speaking, and said without hesitation: "Before the enemy recovers, we must rush to the depths of the German defense as soon as possible. Break into the city and occupy a favorable terrain before you get too far."

As soon as the phone was put down here, Sokov, whose body was covered with snow, came in from the outside, followed by Stemenko and Smirnov.

"Comrade Commander," Sokov asked as he walked towards Afunin, "How is the situation? Have you captured the enemy's position?"

Looking at the three people who came in, Afunin was a little hesitant. He didn't know whether he should report to the highest-ranking Stemenko according to the regulations, or he should report to his immediate boss Sokov.

Seeing his embarrassment in Stemenko, he said reasonably: "Report to your commander."

Afunin promised, and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, I am honored to report to you that the 2nd Regiment of the 3rd Airborne Division has successfully captured the German positions, and they are currently developing in depth."

"How are the casualties of the troops, and how much ammunition is left?" Sokov waited for Afunin to finish speaking, and immediately asked impatiently, "Are they going deep alone now? Have you sent troops to cooperate?"

Sokov's series of questions left Afunin at a loss as to how to answer them. Smirnov comforted him and said, "Comrade General, don't worry, just answer the commander's questions next to each other."

Afunin took a deep breath, reorganized the vocabulary in his mind, and then reported: "Comrade Commander, the 2nd Airborne Regiment easily captured the enemy's position and suffered more than 100 casualties, including 38 sacrificed. In addition, before the offensive began, we just added ammunition to the 3rd Airborne Division, which took the initiative. The ammunition they now hold is enough to support a medium-scale battle.

After capturing the enemy's position, the commanders and fighters of the 3rd Airborne Division continued to advance deep into the enemy. Behind them is the 3rd Airborne Division of Major General Rumyantsev. If the troops in front are unable to continue to advance due to excessive consumption of vitality, the division will automatically take over their attack. "

Sokov nodded slightly after listening, and said in agreement: "Good job, Comrade Commander. If your progress has been so smooth, I don't think it will take long before you can enter the city of Uman. "

After Afunin laughed dryly, he asked, "Comrade Commander, according to the previous battle plan, our army should break through the enemy's defense after climbing into the friendly army, and then enter the battlefield through the gap, and start a battle with the enemy in the city." Street fighting. But now the situation has changed, our reserve team has become the main offensive force, I would like to ask, when will the friendly army take over our offensive?"

"Hurry up," Smirnov interjected, "The units of the 49th and 57th armies are marching in this direction. However, due to the influence of the wind and snow, their marching speed has been affected. Only at three o'clock can you reach the designated location. In other words, if you occupy a foothold in Uman City and face the crazy counterattack of the German army, you must persist until two or three o'clock in the afternoon, or even later."

Afunin was thinking in his heart that his army had lost a lot of people during the battle. If it entered Uman City, it might not be able to control too many areas by relying on its own strength. The chances are greatly increased.

"No problem." He looked at Smirnov and said, "It may be a little bit difficult for our troops to occupy the entire city. But it shouldn't be a big problem to use it to defend the occupied areas."

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov waited for Afunin to finish speaking, and then told Smirnov, "Go and find a suitable place to set up the Army Group Command."

"Okay, Comrade Commander." Smirnov nodded and said, "I'll arrange it right away." After speaking, he turned and walked out of the army headquarters.

"Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff," Sokov waited for Smirnov to leave, and asked Shtemenko tentatively, "Are you interested in going to the forefront?"

Don't look at the fact that Stemenko, as a representative of the base camp, went to various fronts to guide the work many times. But he spent most of his time in the command post, learning about the situation on the battlefield through the intelligence from below. Although he always wanted to go to the frontier in person, he was blocked by other people in the headquarters. The reason was that they all said it was for his safety.

It was the first time for Stemenko that he and Sokov watched the battle through a telescope at the observation post of the 41st Guards Division yesterday. He was greatly shocked to see the bravery and tenacity of the commanders and fighters on the battlefield. At this moment, after hearing Sokov's proposal to go to the frontier, Stemenko, who was eager to learn about the latest battle situation, naturally wished for it.

"I think it's okay." Stemenko asked curiously, "Where do you plan to set up the observation post this time?"

"Of course it is as close to Uman City as possible, so that we can see our commanders rushing into Uman City in the observation post."

Afuning who was on the side heard the two said that they were going to the front, and was immediately frightened into a cold sweat. When the two said yesterday that they were going to the observation post of the 41st Guards Division, he repeatedly told Kurishenko to strengthen the security work near the observation post to ensure the safety of Sokov and his wife.

Now the place where the two are going is actually close to Uman City, so the situation is different. Yesterday's observation post was set up within the defense zone of the 41st Guards Division. If something happens, nearby troops can rush over to support it. But now considering that the area near Uman City is still in the hands of the Germans, the two of Sokov ran over recklessly, and they were likely to encounter unexpected dangers.

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff." Worried about the safety of the two superiors, Afunin persuaded: "The area near Uman is still in the hands of the Germans. If you run over now, you may be killed." in danger."

"It's okay, Comrade Commander." Knowing why Afunin persuaded him, Sokov said to him, "We will deploy enough forces near the observation post for defense."

Seeing that Afunin seemed to want to persuade him, he waved his hand at him and said, "Comrade Commander, you should continue to command the troops, assuming that I and the deputy chief of staff do not exist."

That's what I said, but who would dare to neglect big figures like Sokov and Shtemenko? In the next command, Afunin often answered the chief of staff's questions because of his absent-mindedness. Fortunately, the chief of staff remained calm and corrected his mistakes in time.

At the beginning, he made a mistake once or twice, and the chief of staff still felt that it was acceptable. But after more times, the chief of staff also felt that something was wrong, and hurriedly asked with concern: "Comrade commander, are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere, do you need me to call the military doctor?"

Where did Afuning dare to tell the chief of staff, he could only vaguely say: "I may not have had a good rest last night, so I am in a bit of a bad state. Comrade chief of staff, if I make any mistakes again, please remind me in time .”

After chatting with Shtemenko for a while, Sokov turned around inadvertently, only to find that Afunin was out of his mind, and was about to ask him what happened. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly thought that it was because he and Stemenko were here that Afunin could not concentrate on his work.

"Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, I think we should change places!"

"Changing another place, why?"

Sokov leaned closer to Shtemenko's ear and said in a low voice: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, I found that our stay here put a heavy psychological burden on General Afunin, and he was unable to concentrate on directing the battle. If we don't leave, we don't know what will happen."