Red Moscow

After discussing the matter of honoring Udrea, Sameko asked Sokov another serious question: "Comrade Commander, after a long period of fighting, the troops have lost a lot of troops, and the superiors have received more supplies. It's very slow, and very few. Look, is there any way we can quickly replenish the troops in the army?"

"It's simple." Victor knew that within a certain period of time, he would not be able to get supplements from his superiors or from prisoner-of-war camps for the time being. made a bold decision.

Sokov told Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you will give orders to the commanders of the divisions later, and let them organize a containment team to contain the scattered squads." On the street, I saw that there were still many young and strong men in the city, and added, "If the soldiers replenished in this way are enough, we can issue a conscription announcement to the residents who have been withdrawn to the station, calling on them to join our army. Take up arms and fight tenaciously with the Germans."

Regarding Sokov's arrangement, Sameko said with some embarrassment: "Comrade Commander, is it appropriate to recruit a large number of recruits without going through the Military Service Bureau?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, there is nothing inappropriate. You know, this is a time of war." Victor said confidently: "Let these residents who have been oppressed by the Germans take up arms and join us in the German invasion." I believe they are still willing to do their best.”

Hearing what Sokov said, Sameko guessed that the other party must have already had a plan in mind, so he nodded, and then asked: "Comrade Commander, how many recruits do you think we should recruit?"

"You can recruit as many as you can. Anyway, the weapons and ammunition given to us by the superiors can fully meet the needs of the new troops." Victor remembered that he had read a document before. During the Great Patriotic War, there were more women in the army. They specifically emphasized: "In addition to adult men, if there are young women of the right age who are willing to join our team, they can also be recruited into the army."

"What, recruiting female soldiers?" Hearing what Sokov said, Sameko almost threw out the pen and paper in his hand. He said in astonishment: "Comrade commander, we originally recruited recruits without authorization. The superior blamed us, and we have sufficient reasons to perfunctory. But if you are recruiting female soldiers..."

Sokov didn't wait for Sameko to speak, and interrupted him: "Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff, in the war to defend the motherland, there has always been only the difference between soldiers and non-soldiers, and there is no distinction between men and women. Feel free to convey my orders boldly. If the superiors really blame me in the future, then all the responsibilities will be borne by me."

Seeing that Sokov was so confident, Sameko couldn't say anything more. He quickly picked up the phone on the table and prepared to call the division commanders to convey Sokov's latest orders.

"Comrade Commander," Trofimenko said when Sameko called, "Have you considered that the new local recruits have not received any training at all because they have been under German rule for a long time?" Military training. In other words, although their joining has increased the number of soldiers in the army, it has diluted the combat effectiveness of the army, which is very detrimental to us."

"Comrade Deputy Commander," Sokov said to Trofimenko: "No one is born to fight. These recruits only need a short period of training before they can be formally incorporated into the army. Then each recruit The squad is equipped with two combat backbones, and let them teach the recruits hand in hand. I believe that the troops replenished with recruits will soon be able to form combat effectiveness."

"Okay, Comrade Commander." Seeing that Sokov said so much in one breath, Trofimenko couldn't refute, so he could only say helplessly, "Then do as you say."

Two hours later, Melekhov called and told Sokov: "Good news, Comrade Commander, good news!"

Sokov heard the other party's voice and knew that the agreement with the Romanian 20th Division had been signed, so he tentatively asked, "Have you negotiated with General Octave's troops?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Melekhov's voice was full of uncontrollable joy: "Not only have the negotiations been completed, but the 116th and 130th Infantry Divisions have already entered the defense zone of the Romanian 20th Infantry Division. When the 52nd Army launches an attack on the German positions, our troops can attack the enemy from the rear and catch them by surprise."

"Good job, General Melekhov." Sokov said into the microphone: "When this battle is over, all those who have made meritorious service will be rewarded."

"Really? That's really great." For honor-loving Soviets, hearing the news that they are about to receive an award is more exciting than seeing a bottle of vodka: "Comrade Commander, I will send you Please tell the commanders and fighters of the two participating troops. I believe that your words will definitely boost morale."

Just as the phone was put down here, a new call came in. Before Sokov raised his hand, Sameko had already picked up the microphone and put it to his ear: "I'm Sameko, where are you?"

Soon, the expression on Sameko's face changed, as if he had heard something embarrassing him. Seeing this, Sokov quickly asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, what's the matter?"

"Comrade Commander," Sameko reported to Sokov after hanging up the phone: "The order you issued to recruit female soldiers has some opinions among the officers in charge of recruiting. After they saw this order, everyone's first When I reacted, the superior must have made a mistake. How could those delicate young girls charge into the battle with a rifle that was about the same height as them? So the troops below called to check whether you personally gave the order.

Unexpectedly, the phone on the table rang again, and this time it was an officer in charge of conscription, calling directly to inquire. At the beginning, Sameko explained patiently, but the phone ringing one after another made him very upset. The phone here just hung up, and before I could catch my breath, another phone rang again.

Sameko grabbed the earphones, pressed them tightly to his ears, and asked viciously, "Hey, who is it this time?"

The other party was silent for a moment, and then said: "What's the matter, Chief of Staff Sameko, who are you angry at?"

Hearing this voice, Sameko, who was originally sitting in his seat, immediately stood up, held the microphone with both hands, and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade Marshal, what instructions do you have?"

"That's right, Chief of Staff Sameko." Konev asked slowly on the phone: "I just heard a message that your 27th and 53rd armies have established recruiting stations to recruit recruits from local residents. , is there such a thing?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Hearing Konev's question, Sameko replied politely, "That's right, the command of the combat group did issue such an order that all division-level units should set up recruitment stations. , Recruit recruits on the spot.”

"Oh, so that's the case." Konev nodded after hearing this, and continued: "It is correct to set up a recruiting station and recruit recruits on the spot to supplement the troops. But I also heard that your In the order issued, in addition to recruiting local male soldiers, female soldiers of the right age who are willing to serve as soldiers can also be recruited into the army. What's going on here?"

Sameko turned his head and glanced at Sokov, and said cautiously: "This order to recruit female soldiers was issued by Comrade Commander himself."

After hearing this, Konev told Sameko directly: "Sokov is by your side, right? Let him answer the phone. I want to ask what's going on."

Sokov took the microphone from Sameko and whispered in his ear, "Hello, Comrade Marshal, I'm Sokov."

"Comrade Sokov, I want to hear your explanation why you advocated the recruitment of women into the army without consulting your superiors. It is simply too lawless." Konev said on the phone: "I hope You give me a reasonable explanation."

"Comrade Marshal," Sokov was not intimidated by Konev. On the contrary, he began to try to persuade him: "You should know that from the outbreak of the war to the present, tens of thousands of women have joined our army. They are almost Participated in all the battles, same as the male soldiers, served in various dangerous tasks, served as snipers, machine gunners, scouts, tankers and pilots, etc. My unit has been fighting for a long time, and the divisions have different degrees of attrition In the current situation, it is far from enough to rely on superiors or supplements from prisoner-of-war camps, so I came up with this method to recruit a group of female soldiers and let them share the work of some male soldiers."

After listening to Sokov's explanation, Konev's tone became more relaxed, and he asked slowly: "Then what kind of arms are you going to let these female soldiers do?"

"Snipers and pilots cannot be cultivated overnight." Sokov heard from Konev's tone that the other party's anger had dissipated a lot, so he explained to him: "So I plan to let these female soldiers Served as medic, signalman, anti-aircraft gunner, machine gunner, scout and tankman."

Konev heard this and interjected: "Comrade Sokov, don't forget that tank soldiers are also a technical branch. If you want to train a female tank driver, I'm afraid it won't take too long."

"Comrade Marshal, have you forgotten that the collective farms in our country use crawler tractors." Sokov explained with a smile: "The driving method of crawler tractors is similar to that of tanks. As long as you have driven crawler tractors in collective farms A female tractor driver of a Japanese-style tractor can skillfully drive a tank with only a very short period of training."

"That's right, that's right, you're right." Sokov's words reminded Konev. He thought that since the beginning of the war, the armored vehicles used by his side were all tracked vehicles, unlike the German armored vehicles, which were mostly Most are half-tracked. This is because tracked vehicles are driven with a joystick, while halftracks are driven with a steering wheel. The Soviets who used a large number of crawler tractors naturally far surpassed the Germans in driving tanks: "It is true that many tractor drivers who have driven crawler tractors can skillfully drive tanks after a very short period of training. "

"Comrade Marshal, when it comes to female tankers, do you think I should give the two generals Bogdanov and Kravchenko an order to recruit some female soldiers locally and serve as tank drivers?"

"It's better not." Sokov didn't expect that the plan he proposed was directly rejected by Konev: "You set up a conscription station without getting in touch with the Military Service Bureau. This is a violation of the regulations. And , your recruitment of female soldiers will definitely attract a lot of criticism. Everyone will say: Men in Russia... No, we are now in Ukraine. It should be said that before the Ukrainian men die, it is not the turn of those young girls Put on your uniform and go to war like a man."

Konev's remarks made Sokov realize that his approach might be a bit sloppy. Although we know that the army can recruit recruits locally, we should still go through the necessary procedures, such as getting in touch with the military service bureau of the relevant parties, and finally they will come forward to recruit recruits. At that time, no matter what goes wrong, someone will take responsibility, but you can stay out of it.

"Hey, let's forget about it." Sokov said a little disappointed: "I think the recruitment of female soldiers is carried out between the 27th and 53rd armies, and other troops will not participate, so as not to provoke some gossip. , affecting the mood of the officers in charge of recruiting."

"I think it's good." Konev comforted Sokov and said, "If someone wants to pursue this matter, I will come forward and explain it to you. Just say that you think that many arms in the army are only competent for female soldiers. It was only then that the widespread recruitment of female soldiers began.”

Seeing Konev give himself a ladder to step down, Sokov quickly seized this opportunity and said: "Comrade Marshal, although I am the commander of the combat group, the order I issued will inevitably cause many officers in charge of recruiting troops below to appear." Resisting emotions. In order to ensure that this recruitment work can be completed smoothly, do you think it is permissible for me to issue such an order again in your name?"

"I don't think it's necessary, Comrade Sokov." Konev said with a smile: "You know, the commander of the battle group is you, not me. If you give orders, these subordinates will not be able to If you obey unconditionally, then you are incompetent as a commander, I think it is better to replace it earlier."

"I see, Comrade Marshal, I know what to do." Although Konev did not expressly support Sokov, as long as he did not object, he expressed support: "I will tell those responsible for recruiting Officers, this matter was ordered by Marshal Konev, and the door of convenience must be opened to girls who are willing to join the army."

Hearing what Sokov said, Konev laughed a few times before hanging up the phone.

Sokov put down the important matter in his heart, hung up the phone, smiled and said to Sameko who was standing across the table: "Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff, I have already explained to Marshal Konev that he has made great contributions to us. He agreed with the practice and allowed us to use his name to tell the newly-built recruitment stations to let them carry out my orders unconditionally."

Since Marshal Konev nodded in agreement, Sameko felt more confident when he re-delivered the order. When encountering those commanders who complained, although he knew that the other party could not see them, he would still stare and say in a stern tone: "Marshal Konev approved the recruitment of female soldiers, don't you want to disobey? "

These officers originally wanted to complain, but when they heard that Sameko had invited Marshal Konev out, how could they dare to refute, they could only honestly follow Sokov's order and start the recruitment of new soldiers locally .