Red Moscow

"Report to Comrade Stalin," Rokossovsky said on the phone: "My troops are in the process of advancing towards Warsaw. The 2nd Tank Army, the most advanced, is now no more than 30 kilometers away from Warsaw."

"Oh, your troops are less than thirty kilometers away from Warsaw?!" Hearing what Rokossovsky said, Stalin's face showed a surprised expression: "So, if everything goes well, Bo General Gdanov's tank army may become the first unit of our army to enter Warsaw."

"Comrade Stalin, the situation is not as simple as you imagine." Rokossovsky said cautiously: "Nowadays, unexpected changes have taken place in Warsaw. I am afraid that the time for our army to enter Warsaw will be blocked indefinitely." delayed."

Stalin asked blankly, "Why?"

In order for Stalin to understand what happened, Rokossovsky decided to tell him the whole story: "Comrade Stalin, the situation is like this. We rescued an intelligence officer who escaped from Warsaw yesterday. , From her, we obtained an order from the German High Command to let all the defenders in Warsaw withdraw from Warsaw on August 3, the day after tomorrow.”

"Dear Konstantin Konstantinovich!" Stalin called Rokossovsky's real name and father's name, reminding him: "Perhaps the intelligence agent you rescued was a spy sent by the German army. I want to use this kind of false information to confuse your audience and mislead you to make wrong judgments."

"Comrade Stalin, I think this information should be true." If Sokov hadn't personally sent Adelina to the headquarters of the Front Army and vouched for her identity, Rokossovsky would have responded to this He was skeptical about the authenticity of this information, but at the moment he heard what Stalin said, he quickly explained: "This intelligence agent was rescued by Misha's subordinates, and Misha also knew the intelligence agent, and he assured me that this person is Infallible."

"Since it was Misha who made the guarantee." Hearing that the intelligence officer who provided the information was someone Misha knew and guaranteed, Stalin let go of his doubts and continued to ask: "Konstantin Konstantinovich, Did you call me just to report this information?"

"No, Comrade Stalin." Unexpectedly, Rokossovsky said unexpectedly: "I called you because of another important matter."

"Is there anything more important than the Germans voluntarily withdrawing from Warsaw?"

"Comrade Stalin, judging from the current situation, the Germans may have to cancel their order to evacuate Warsaw."

After hearing this, Stalin couldn't help being surprised, and then asked back, "Why?"

"An uprising may have broken out in Warsaw today," Rokossowski said cautiously. "Once the news is confirmed, the Germans will definitely cancel the order to evacuate Warsaw and concentrate their efforts to eliminate the insurgents in the city first."

"Why do you say it is possible?" Stalin asked puzzledly, "Could it be that you don't know whether there was an uprising in the city?" Because he was angry, he involuntarily raised his voice when he spoke.

"Comrade Stalin, please listen to my explanation." Rokossovsky said: "Yesterday I had a meeting with representatives of the Krajov Army in Poland. After all, our next actions in Poland cannot do without The Poles cooperated. But unfortunately, the other party showed hostility to us. They even said that although they would not regard us as enemies, they would not regard them as friends, let alone have any situation with us. cooperation on

Stalin took the pipe from his mouth, knocked the ash off the ashtray, and asked somewhat angrily, "Did they really say that?"

"Yes, Comrade Stalin."

"So the Warsaw Uprising has any connection with them?"

"From all indications, it should be the Krajov army loyal to the Polish government-in-exile in London who is now dominant in the Warsaw Uprising." Rokossowski explained: "Because they are strict with us All information was suppressed so thoroughly that we still don't know whether an uprising really broke out in the city."

"Then did you send a reconnaissance plane to conduct reconnaissance over Warsaw?" Stalin picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out two cigarettes, crushed them, and said slowly while filling the pipe with shredded tobacco: "Even if the ground cannot Obtain effective intelligence, and the air force's reconnaissance can also provide you with useful information."

"The reason why we judged that an uprising broke out in Warsaw is because the three reconnaissance planes sent to Warsaw for reconnaissance were shot down by German fighter jets that suddenly appeared." Rokossowski said: "After we discovered this problem, Immediately order the air force to dispatch again to carry out reconnaissance in Warsaw."

After filling the tobacco, Stalin picked up the match again: "How about the reconnaissance situation?"

"There is gunpowder smoke everywhere in the city, and many buildings have collapsed. Based on the analysis of the air force's reconnaissance, a battle should be breaking out in Warsaw."

Stalin struck a match, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and asked: "Even if the Krajov army is unwilling to cooperate with our army, then you can ask General Bellinger to come forward. You know, he is a Polish. Just because the Iov army boycotted the Soviets doesn't mean they will also boycott the Poles."

Rokossovsky was silent for a moment, reorganized the vocabulary in his mind, and then said: "Comrade Stalin, I sent General Bellinger to contact the Krajov Army, but the representative sent by the other party did not communicate with the Polish 1st Army at all. Signs of Army Group cooperation. Even when General Bellinger asked if an uprising had broken out in Warsaw, these people pretended not to know anything, just to cover the matter."

Hearing this, Stalin was no longer interested in smoking. He put down his pipe, picked up the map on the table, and examined it carefully. After a while, he asked again: "Comrade Rokossowski, didn't the Polish comrades establish a new government in Lublin, do you think they should come forward to find out what happened in Warsaw?"

Rokossovsky turned his head and glanced at Malinen not far away. Seeing that the other party had put down the phone, he cast a questioning look at the other party, wondering if he had contacted the Polish comrades in Lublin and asked them to come forward to investigate The situation in Warsaw. Seeing Rokossovsky looking towards him, Ma Linin immediately understood, and quickly nodded slightly, indicating that he had contacted his comrades in Poland.

"Comrade Stalin, Chief of Staff Malinin has just contacted the Polish comrades in Lublin, and they are going to come forward to investigate what happened in Warsaw."

"Well, that's fine." Stalin put the pipe back on his lips and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"This is how I think about it, Comrade Stalin." Rokossovsky said: "Order the troops of the 2nd Tank Army to continue to advance towards Warsaw, and at the same time transfer one or two troops from the Army Group to strengthen them, and strive to enter Warsaw as soon as possible. Downtown."

But Rokossovsky's statement was denied by Stalin: "No, we can't do this."

This time it was Rokossovsky's turn to be at a loss, and he asked in bewilderment, "Why?"

"The reason is very simple." Stalin said: "You just said that the Krajov army who led the uprising in Warsaw was loyal to the Polish government-in-exile in London. If our army forcibly invaded Warsaw, they did not want to hand over the city Give us, and even join forces with the Germans to deal with us, what should you do?"

Rokossovsky also considered the situation Stalin mentioned. In all fairness, ever since he confirmed that the Krajov Army secretly staged an uprising in Warsaw without telling him, he had considered in his heart that he simply ordered the troops to stop attacking and rest in place, waiting for the insurgents and the German army in Warsaw to be exhausted. After exhaustion, attack the city again.

But the idea is the idea, before the permission of the Supreme Command, the attack still has to be attacked. Hearing Stalin ask himself this question at this moment, he hesitated for a moment and said: "Comrade Stalin, do you plan to order us to stop attacking and wait where we are?"

Seeing that Rokossovsky had guessed his own thoughts, Stalin nodded slightly and said: "Instead of putting the heavily damaged and exhausted troops into battle at this moment, and clashing with the Polish army after entering the city, it is better to fight the Polish army at this moment." Stop outside the city of Warsaw to rest, and it will not be too late to launch an attack on the city after you have replenished enough soldiers and weapons and ammunition.”

Rokossovsky, who understood, said quickly: "Comrade Stalin, since the beginning of Operation Bagration, the right-wing troops of our front have advanced more than 600 kilometers. This has cost us a lot of strength and blood. In order to capture the solid Warsaw, fortified and defended by a large number of enemy troops, needed time to replenish and train the troops so that the logistical apparatus could catch up. But even so, we did everything we could in those days to support the insurgents, combining our forces with theirs unite."

"That's right, my dear Konstantin Konstantinovich!" Seeing that Rokossovsky understood his intentions, Stalin nodded again and said with satisfaction: "Our troops have gone through more than a month. In this battle, soldiers, weapons and ammunition are consumed a lot, and they need to be replenished urgently. Moreover, we can also use the period of replenishment of soldiers and equipment to allow commanders and fighters to take a good rest for a period of time, so that they will have more energy to meet the next battle. phase of the battle."

After finishing the conversation with Stalin, Rokossovsky put down the phone and said to Malinin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, how did your friend from Poland reply to you?"

Ma Linin shrugged and said with a wry smile: "How else can I reply? Just tell me that they will send someone to Warsaw as soon as possible to investigate what happened."

"How many days can you give us a satisfactory answer?"

"I didn't say the specific time," Ma Linin said with some hesitation, "but I think it will not exceed a week at most. With this week, our troops can take a good rest and replenish soldiers and weapons in time. "

"By the way, Comrade Chief of Staff, I heard that Comrade Khrushchev directly gave Misha 50,000 recruits. Is that the case?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Malinin nodded and gave an affirmative answer: "General Bulganin took Khrushchev to the headquarters of the 48th Army, and then Comrade Khrushchev sent him The 50,000 recruits recruited were all added to General Sokov's troops. For this matter, several army commanders still have opinions."

"What's the use of them having opinions?" Rokossovsky said with a sneer, "If they have the ability, they also asked Comrade Khrushchev to recruit tens of thousands of recruits for them."

"Comrade Marshal," Malinin reminded Rokossovsky: "General Sokov's troops have added so many recruits at once, not only will the combat effectiveness of the troops be diluted, but also the front army's logistics department will not be able to produce so many weapons. Arm these newly recruited warriors."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I look at the weapons, so you don't have to worry about it." Rokossovsky said to Malinin: "I believe that with Misha's ability, he must have a way to get the weapons that the troops urgently need."

"I can't do it!" At the same time, in the headquarters of the 48th Army, Sokov was complaining to Ponejielin: "I'm not a god, how can I conjure up equipment that can arm 50,000 people? .”

"Comrade Commander, Colonel Belkin has returned to the Weapons and Equipment Department." Sidolin reminded Sokov: "You can get in touch with him to see if he has a way to provide weapons for our recruits."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I think this matter is very difficult." Sokov shook his head and said, "Belkin has not been in the Weapons and Equipment Department for a long time, and he has not grasped the heel at all. The weapons and equipment of tens of thousands of people is simply a fantasy. This matter will stop here, and it will not be mentioned again in the future."

"Then what should we do?" Ponegelin said with a wry smile: "There are not enough weapons to arm the soldiers. We can't let these recruits carry wooden sticks to attack the enemy's defense line? It makes no difference whether they go to die."

"Comrade Deputy Commander, I will never let my subordinates go to die." Sokov said: "So the three of us must actively use our brains to think of ways to arm the newly added soldiers."

The three of them frowned and pondered for a moment, then Sidolin clapped his hands on the table and said excitedly, "Comrade Commander, I have thought of a good idea."

"Oh, what's a good way? Tell me quickly."

"You just said that it is impossible for soldiers to carry wooden sticks to attack." Sidolin said quite proudly: "When we distribute weapons to the attacking recruits, we can adopt the method of separating people from guns."

"The method of separating people and guns?" Pornegelin asked in surprise, "Comrade Chief of Staff, what do you mean? Why can't I understand?"

Hearing what Sidolin said, Sokov immediately remembered the scene of Vasily and others receiving weapons by the river in the movie "Soldiers Coming to the City". When the weapons are distributed, one soldier takes the gun and the other takes the bullet. When they charge, the soldier in front falls down, and the soldier behind picks up his weapon and charges."

After saying this, he looked at Sidolin and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, am I right?"

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Sidolin nodded and said, "That's how I think about it."

"Nonsense, Comrade Chief of Staff, you are simply fooling around." Sokov said angrily: "There are guns but no bullets. When our soldiers charged, the guns in his hands were like wooden sticks, which did not pose a threat to the Germans at all." It does not pose any threat, but instead adds casualties to our army's offensive troops."