Red Moscow

Soon, facts proved that Sokov's worries were not groundless.

Zakharov, the chief of staff who had been staying at the Front Army Command, unexpectedly appeared at Sokov's combat group headquarters. After the two exchanged simple greetings, Zakharov asked straight to the point: "Comrade Sokov, Have your troops entered Romanian territory?"

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front." Sokov replied: "The 41st Guards Division of Lieutenant Colonel Ponegerin has entered Romania and has taken over from the country's 27th Border Guard Regiment. Defense of defense positions."

"Oh, you have already occupied a defense position in Romania?" Hearing what Sokov said, Zakharov asked in surprise: "Then why didn't you report to the Front Army Command in time?" As soon as the words came out Soon, Zakharov realized that he had said something wrong. After all, Sokov is now commanding a combat group, which is about the same level as the Front Army Command, and there is no need for real-time reports.

"Comrade Sokov," Zakharov said in a slow tone: "For such a big matter, when you should communicate with us, you should communicate with us so that we can know what we know."

"Sorry, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, this is my negligence. Next time something like this happens, I will definitely communicate with you in time." Sukov knew that Zakharov would go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, and did not He would not casually come to his headquarters and ask tentatively, "Is there any important matter for you to come here today?"

Zakharov came to the wall, picked up the explaining stick, pointed to the map hanging on it and said: "Comrade Sokov, I came here today to tell you something. According to our spies lurking behind the enemy According to the report, the German army has transferred an armored division and two infantry divisions from the direction of Lviv, and they are rushing here day and night."

Knowing that three German divisions were coming from the direction of Lviv, Sokov stared at the map for a while, and quickly came to a conclusion: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, the German intention is to recapture Chernobyl." Futzer?"

"That's right, that should be their goal." Zakharov nodded and said, "Marshal Konev sent me here to inform you after he knew about it. If you underestimate the enemy, let the Germans recapture Chel." Novtsi, and then carry out a counterattack from Romania, and the troops entering Romania may be encircled by then."

Gorokhov, who was standing next to him, couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat when he heard this. He just tried to persuade Sokov that, except for a small number of troops left in the Chernivtsi area, the rest of the troops were sent to Romania. Strive to liberate the whole territory in the shortest possible time.

But now it seems that if this is really done, then it just fell into the trap of the Germans. If Chernivtsi is lost, the connection between the troops entering Romania and the rear will be completely cut off. When that time really comes, it is still unknown whether the encircled troops will be able to escape unscathed, not to mention making great achievements.

I only heard Zakharov asking: "Comrade Sokov, what are your plans?"

"The Germans are not good at coming." Sokov looked up at the map and said: "Their intention is obvious, that is to recapture Chernivtsi, encircle our troops entering Romania, and cut off our supplies. "

"Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army," Sokov looked away from the map and said to Zakharov, "Once they achieve their intention and cut off our army's logistical supplies, the encircled troops will face two endings." The first is to be wiped out by the Germans; the second is to rely on the air supplies provided by the superiors, struggling in the encirclement of the German army, and waiting for the arrival of reinforcements."

"Comrade Sokov, which situation do you think is more likely to happen in the end?" Zakharov asked.

"I don't want it to happen in any situation." Sokov said without hesitation: "First, the situation of being wiped out by the enemy, I will definitely not let it happen.

Second, the situation of being surrounded by the German army and waiting for rescue cannot be allowed to happen. "

Sokov's words aroused Zakharov's curiosity, and he asked tentatively: "Comrade Sokov, tell me why you don't allow the second situation to happen? You know, the German army wants to encircle such a huge force like ours." , will inevitably use a large number of troops, forcing them to draw troops from other fronts, which is equivalent to reducing the pressure on friendly forces in disguise."

"If our troops in Romania are encircled by the German army." Sokov explained to Zakharov and everyone in the headquarters: "Then the enemy participating in the attack is not only the Germans, but also the Germans." There will be Romanians. I do not deny that there are many Romanian troops who are unwilling to fight our army, but if they are under the watch and coercion of the Germans, they will have to fight.

If the battle between us and the Romanian army is in Ukraine or Moldavia, then the Romanian people may have less resistance to us. But if they fight their army on their soil, they will have to choose to stand against us. In this way, we are not only fighting the German and Romanian coalition forces, but also fighting the local people.

In addition, after the troops are encircled, the power of the German army will be infinitely magnified. Some Romanian troops who originally wanted to remain neutral and even planned to cooperate with us had to choose to stand again. "

After waiting for Sokov to finish speaking, Zakharov thought for a long time, finally understood what the other party meant, nodded and said: "Comrade Sokov, you have really considered everything thoroughly. If our troops are attacked in Romania When it comes to encirclement, what you said may become a reality."

"Comrade Commander," interrupted Gorokhov, "then what shall we do?"

"What else can we do? Of course, the soldiers came to cover up the water and the earth." Sokov continued after dragging an idiom: "Immediately notify General Bogdanov and let his 2nd Tank Army attack in Chernov. Plan to spread out and prepare for battle, ready to meet the German attack."

Seeing Sameko pick up a pen and paper, and while recording his order, Sokov said while the iron was hot: "In addition, the 98th Guards Division and the 254th Infantry Division of the Ponejerin battle group immediately entered Romania. Strengthen the strength of the Bonejelin Ministry."

"What?" Sameko asked in surprise: "Comrade Commander, you clearly know that the Germans' attack target is Chernivtsi, why did you send the two divisions stationed in Chernivtsi, How about transferring to Romania?"

"The reason is very simple." Seeing Sameko's puzzled look, Sokov explained to him: "These two divisions belong to the battle group Ponederin, and Bogdanov's tank 2nd There is no affiliation between the armies. Even if they stay in the city of Chernivtsi, the role they can play is very limited.

After they were transferred into Romania, the entire Chernivtsi became the defense zone of the 2nd Tank Army. Bogdanov could mobilize any troops in the defense zone at will, and no one would contradict him, making the He can perform better in the next battle. "

"So that's the case." Sameko said after figuring out what was going on, "Then I'll call right away and convey your order to him."

"Wait a minute, Comrade Chief of Staff." Just as Sameko was about to leave, Sokov stopped him and continued: "Also, remember to inform Lieutenant Colonel Pornejelin that he is commanding another The two divisions will also enter Romania, so let him arrange the defense area reasonably."

After Sameko went to call, Zakharov tentatively asked Sokov: "Comrade Sokov, you divide the troops into two parts, do you want them to support each other after the battle starts? "

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army." Seeing that Zakharov saw his intentions, Sokov nodded and said: "If I concentrate all the troops in one place, the Germans will definitely use a large and deep detour." Tactics, to encircle our troops. But now that the troops are divided into two parts that can support each other, the difficulty will increase exponentially if the Germans want to encircle them."

Sokov took the explaining stick in Zakharov's hand, and knocked heavily on the positions of Chernivtsi and Ponedelin's troops on the map: "Our troops are divided into two parts. It means that if the Germans want to encircle them, they have to prepare two encirclement circles.

After several years of fighting, the Germans have almost exhausted their previous elites; however, our army has grown up in the war, and is now much stronger than it was at the beginning of the war. If the Germans really use two encirclement circles to deal with us, they will be in danger of being surrounded by us. "

Regarding Sokov's statement, Zakharov was thinking in his heart: You Sokov are the nemesis of the Germans. Just hearing your name, many German commanders were worried when they commanded the battle. And become constrained. If the German army uses two encirclement circles to deal with your troops, it is indeed possible to be surrounded by anti-encirclement.

But not all troops have the strength of your Sokov. If they fall into the encirclement of the German army, no matter whether the enemy uses one encirclement, two or three, they will either be annihilated by the Germans, or they will be rescued by the friendly forces after struggling, but the troops will also suffer losses due to losses. Serious and lose combat effectiveness in a short time.

"Comrade Commander," Trofimenko asked Sokov, pointing to the map, "Since the deployment of our right wing has undergone major adjustments, what about the troops on the left wing? Does it also need to be adjusted?"

"The troops on the left?" Before Sokov could speak, Zakharov asked in surprise, "What troops on the left?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front, General Trofimenko is talking about the 18th Guards Corps, which is now in the south, and General Kravchenko's 6th Tank Army." Sokov explained to Zakharov: " The task of these two troops is to move forward from the position north of Wengeny to the old national border, cross the Prut River by force, and transfer the war to Romania."

Zakharov nodded after hearing this, and then said with a smile: "Comrade Sokov, some time ago, after we saw your combat deployment, we all felt that the troops going south to Wengeny would definitely reach the border first. And from that position into Romanian territory. But now it seems that someone moved faster than them."

After taking the tea that Smirnov handed over, Zakharov took a big sip, and continued: "By the way, how is their progress today?"

"I have ordered them to stop and to camp where they are."

"What, you have ordered them to stop?" Zakharov asked in surprise, "Why?"

"The weather conditions in the north are not bad. The places where Chernivtsi and Ponedelin's divisions are stationed are sunny and clear." Sokov tapped on the location of Chernivtsi with his explaining stick. Then he pointed to Wen Genei: "But in this direction, it is snowing now. For the sake of safety, I ordered the troops to stop advancing."

Knowing that the troops in the south had to temporarily stop advancing because of the weather, Zakharov said with some regret: "In this way, their entry into Romania will be postponed indefinitely. "

"Chief of Staff of the Front Army, that's not necessarily true." Sokov said with a smile, "I know that while the blizzard is falling in the south, there is also a strong cooling weather. When the blizzard stops tomorrow, the ground will also be frozen due to the severe cold." Solid, that is very beneficial for us to use tanks on a large scale. I believe that General Kravchenko will take advantage of the geographical advantage to increase the speed of the troops."

"To win on the battlefield, the weather is also a decisive factor." Sokov's words reminded Zakharov of the hardest days in the early days of the war: "Comrade Sokov, I think of the early days of the Moscow Defense War." Some things. At that time, the Germans used their powerful armored forces to push quickly in the direction of Moscow. We had neither anti-tank weapons nor enough experience in anti-tank, so facing the torrent of steel from the Germans, we paid a huge sacrifice , still unable to block their way forward.

But fortunately, the arrival of the rainy season has helped us a lot. Because the roads were washed out by the heavy rain, the tanks and armored vehicles that the Germans relied on were mired in the quagmire, and they could no longer support the infantry at any time as before. We took advantage of this rare opportunity to re-build and consolidate the line of defense, blocking the German attack. "

Sokov only traveled to this era a few days before the start of the great counter-offensive under the city of Moscow. He knew all about what happened in the early period through books. And some details will not be recorded in the book, so he naturally doesn't know. At this moment, Zakharov took the initiative to talk about some previous experiences, which made him very interested.

Zakharov was worried that Sokov would not want to listen to what he said, but seeing that the other party listened with gusto, he picked up the teacup and took another sip of tea, and continued: "This situation lasted until the end of October, With the advent of winter, the temperature dropped day by day, and the ground was frozen hard, so that the German armored forces, which had been silent for more than a month, were able to put more tanks and armored vehicles into battle again.

Fortunately, our troops have replenished a large number of anti-tank weapons during this period, and the soldiers also have anti-tank experience. Although our army is still retreating to Moscow step by step in the face of the powerful offensive of the German army, the Germans have to pay a greater price than before for every step forward. "