Red Moscow

The situation on the battlefield was considered more optimistic than Suokov.

After two o'clock in the afternoon, not only the troops of the 48th Army advanced rapidly, but even the 3rd Army and the 2nd Assault Army on the left and right flanks advanced far faster than yesterday. In less than five hours, they had advanced twelve kilometers. Such a result made the two army commanders laugh from ear to ear.

In particular, Fejuninsky's 2nd Assault Army encountered the 7th Armored Division of the German Army during the assault. After a fierce battle, it severely damaged the 25th Armored Regiment of the division. The defense line of the 35th Infantry Division.

After Rokossovsky received the report of the assault on the 2nd Army, he called Fejuninsky himself: "Dear Ivan Ivanovich, your troops are fighting well, it's a good job You not only severely damaged the 25th Armored Regiment of the German Army, but also successfully broke through the defense line of the 35th Infantry Division, making the enemy's defense system riddled with holes, which will be very helpful for our next battle progress."

Fejuninsky was not complacent just because he had achieved a little victory. He said modestly: "Comrade Marshal, our progress can be so smooth, as long as the 48th Army on the left wing and the 65th Army on the right wing have just entered the battle. If it weren't for the group army's powerful offensive that broke down the enemy's resistance, it wouldn't be easy for us to achieve such great results."

Seeing that Fejuninsky had a clear understanding of the current situation, Rokossovsky nodded with a smile, and then said: "Very well, Ivan Ivanovich, I found that you have not been injured because of the troops. You became proud of these achievements. On the contrary, you also acted very humble, knowing that it was only with the assistance of friendly forces that such a major victory could be achieved."

"What shall we do next?" asked Fejuninsky.

"Ivan," Rokossovsky felt that the commanders and fighters would become exhausted within two days of Fejuninsky's style of play, so he said to him tactfully, "I know you have Break through the German defenses as soon as possible and put all the troops into battle. I don’t think it’s good to do this. People’s physical strength is limited. If all the troops are kept fighting non-stop, it will take less than two days. The commanders and fighters will become exhausted, which will affect the combat effectiveness of the troops, and how will you fight the rest of the battle?"

The problem that Rokossovsky mentioned was actually thought of by Fejuninsky a long time ago, but he couldn't think of a suitable way to solve this problem. But he thought that Rokossovsky would not mention this matter for no reason, and there must be a good solution, so he asked tentatively: "Comrade Marshal, do you have any good solution?"

"Since yesterday's offensive battle, Misha's 48th Army has put most of its troops into battle." Rokossovsky felt that Sokov's approach could be promoted in other troops, and from Starting with his old friend's troops is undoubtedly the best choice: "He divided the troops into two echelons. When the first echelon attacked, the second echelon was resting; Continue to fight; when the second echelon can't move, the first echelon has almost rested and can re-enter the battle. Don't look at his troops, like you, have fought the Germans for two days, but the enthusiasm of the commanders and fighters Still high, no fatigue at all."

The method mentioned by Rokossovsky, Fejuninsky thinks it is feasible, but he is a little reluctant to withdraw half of the troops from the front, fearing that such a withdrawal will weaken the troops attacking ability.

But he quickly made up his mind: "Okay, Comrade Marshal, I will immediately discuss with the chief of staff to see how to divide the combat troops into the first and second echelons, and alternately enter the battlefield to fight the enemy."

"We must hurry up on this matter." Rokossovsky reminded the other party: "Remove the commanders and fighters early, and they will be able to recover their strength earlier."

In the headquarters of the 48th Army, due to the smooth progress of the troops, Sokov and others seemed relatively leisurely, sitting at the table drinking tea and chatting.

Lunev looked at Sokov and asked, "Misha, tell me, how far can we advance the German defense in this round of attack?"

"So far, our army group has the fastest advancing speed, and it is only 50 kilometers." Sukov said: "The results seem to be good, but it is still insignificant for the entire battle of liberating East Prussia. If you want to To achieve the predetermined goal, I think that by the end of this week, we should at least wedge into the German defense for about 100 kilometers in depth."

After hearing this, Lunev said in surprise: "Misha, you mean that in the next three days, our army can still advance about 50 kilometers into the enemy's defense?"

"It's not just us, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov replied: "The one hundred kilometers I said didn't just refer to our army group. With our strength, if we let the troops open their arms, maybe by noon the day after tomorrow, we will be able to It penetrated a hundred kilometers behind the enemy."

Hearing what Sokov said, Lunev's eyes widened in surprise, "Misha, if I'm not mistaken, you mean that the entire front army has advanced a hundred kilometers?" Sokov nodded in affirmation Finally, he added, "How is this possible? I think it may be difficult for some troops to advance a few kilometers."

"Comrade Military Commissar, what you said was just a few days ago, the situation is different now." Sokov continued: "Because Comrade Marshal followed my persuasion, he dispatched the air force to carry out continuous intensive bombing of German positions. , to a great extent destroyed the defensive positions that the German army relied on. The Germans did not have a solid defensive position. Facing our powerful offensive, how could they stand it? Besides, Comrade Field Marshal is still holding A trump card, never used."

"A trump card?" Sidolin next to him frowned and thought hard. What trump card did Rokossovsky not use? After thinking for a while, he said with a look of shock: "Comrade Commander, you are talking about the 5th Guards Tank Army?"

"That's right." Seeing that Sidolin had guessed what he wanted to say, Sokov nodded without going around in circles and said, "Because the area we are fighting now has hills and rivers, it is not conducive to the formation of large-scale armored forces." So far, Comrade Field Marshal has not put the most elite armored troops into use for the time being. When our army controls the old border of East Prussia and advances towards their hinterland, the 5th Guards Tank Army can be dispatched Useful."

Sidolin quite agrees with Sokov's statement. Today's combat areas are all in riverside or swampy areas. Although the weather is cold and the river and swampy areas are frozen, the high temperature generated by the bombardment of cannons and planes will melt the ice and snow, making these places muddy. Unbearable, making it difficult for the armored troops to move. But if you go deep into the hinterland of East Prussia, the terrain will become flat, and the use of armored forces will be of great use.

At this moment, Ponedelin suddenly interrupted and said: "But as far as I know, General Cherniakhovsky's Third Front Army has not fought well. So far, even a city like Memel has not been able to take it down." , could not open the way to Danzig and Königsberg."

"Comrade Deputy Commander, you don't have to worry about this." Sokov comforted the other party and said, "Don't look at the mediocre results of the Third Front Army, but according to my analysis, the German army in Memel won't last long. In half a month at most, we will be able to liberate the city."

At this time, Sidolin suddenly spoke to Lunev and said, "Comrade Military Commissar, I have inquired about something for you. There are some clues, but there is no accurate information yet."

When Lunev heard what Sidolin said, his eyes lit up, and he asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, tell me about the clues you have learned."

Hearing the conversation between the two, Sokov couldn't help interjecting and asked, "Chief of Staff, Military Commissar, what are you talking about, can you tell us?"

Lunev nodded, and then asked, "Misha, do you know Zoya?"

"I know, of course I know." The most famous heroine Zoya during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, how could Sokov not know, he nodded vigorously, and replied in an affirmative tone: "When Comrade Stalin learned that Zoya was After the news of the brutal killing by the German army, an order was directly issued to all the troops of the Western Front that all officers and soldiers of the 332nd Regiment of the German Army will be shot on the spot after capture, and we will not accept their surrender.”

"It seems that you know Zoya quite well." Lunev continued: "Before I came here, a friend chatted with me and said that after Zoya died, her younger brother also joined the army and became a He is a tank soldier. Now he is fighting on the East Prussian battlefield, but he is not sure which unit he is in. I remembered this yesterday, so I asked the chief of staff to help me find out about it. Chief of staff," he said to Sidolin , "Tell me about the clues you know."

"You also know that there are too many people named Shula, and hundreds of them can be found casually in the army. It is not easy to find the Shula we are looking for among these people who do not belong to the same army. An easy thing." Sidolin said: "After I asked a few friends, they all said that there was a young tank soldier named Shura in their army. In order to find him more accurately, I zoomed out again. In terms of scope, they said that they only looked for Shula from Moscow, and Shula from other places could be excluded. They said they would give me an answer as soon as possible.”

After waiting for Sidolin to finish speaking, Sokov asked Lunev curiously: "Comrade Military Commissar, what are you doing with Shura?"

"Misha, it's like this." Lunev explained to Sokov: "Comrade Beria once told me that Zoya is our heroine, and there are only her and her brother in her family. Now Zoya Ya has already sacrificed, and her younger brother is missing the battlefield. If I meet him on the front line, I must give him due care and let him live to win the day."

Sokov once read the book "The Story of Zoya and Shula", which was written by the two mothers. The sacrifices are also recorded in the book. If I remember correctly, Shura died in the battle to liberate Königsberg. The date of sacrifice should be April 14th.

If his life was to be saved, he had to be found before the attack on Königsberg began. But now the troops fighting in East Prussia include not only the Second Belarusian Front of Rokossovsky, but also the Third Belarusian Front of General Cherniakhovsky, and the Baltic Front. Finding a small person among a million people is an impossible task no matter how you look at it.

"Comrade Military Commissar, this matter is not easy to handle." Sokov sighed and said, "There are one or two million troops of our army fighting in East Prussia. And you only know the name of Shura and the type of troops." , Whether he is in the Second Front, the Third Front, or the Baltic Front, we don’t know. So finding him is undoubtedly a needle in a haystack.”

"Misha, I understand what you mean." Lunev said with a serious expression: "Comrade Beria has repeatedly told me to ensure Shura's personal safety and ensure that he can live to see the day of victory. So the first thing I did when I arrived here was to look for his whereabouts, but unfortunately, I still don't have any clues yet."

"Comrade Military Commissar, if you want to find Shula, you should ask Comrade Marshal for help." Sokov reminded Lunev: "As long as he says hello to the commanders of the group army below, let them look for Shula in their troops." Lah, isn’t it more efficient than you looking for people to ask around?”

"That's right, that's right. Misha, you're right." Lunev slapped the table with his hand and said excitedly, "If you don't remind me, I'd forget that you can contact Rokoso directly." With their assistance, General Cherniakhovsky and General Cherniakhovsky, it should not be difficult to find Shura."

Seeing that Lunev was about to make a call, Sokov stopped him again and asked tentatively: "Comrade Military Commissar, you have found Shura, and how are you going to arrange him? Should he stay at the headquarters, or Go back to the back?"

Sokov's words stopped Lunev. He just wanted to find Shula as soon as possible, and according to Beria's arrangement, let the hero's younger brother live until the day of victory. But he didn't think about it at all, if he really found Shula, how would he arrange for him? It is obviously unrealistic to send it to the rear. Even if he is willing, that Shula will not agree, otherwise he would not have signed up to join the army not long after his sister died. But it's obviously inappropriate to keep him at the army headquarters. He probably doesn't want to stay here all day doing nothing, but wants to go to the front with his comrades.

For a moment, Lunev fell into confusion. He looked up at Sokov and said in embarrassment: "Misha, tell me, if I really found Shula, how should I arrange him?"

Sokov didn't know how to arrange Shula, so he could only say with a sloppy eye: "Comrade Military Commissioner, neither you nor I can decide on this matter. After we find Comrade Shula, we will ask him what he thinks in person. What is his next plan. Do you think this will work?"