Red Moscow

Sokov was eager to report the news of the German army's mobilization to Rokossovsky, but he had no contact information, and he seemed extremely anxious. After finally waiting for Yeremenko and Khrushchev to finish speaking, he couldn't wait to say: "Comrade Commander, Comrade Military Commissioner, I have important information and I want to report it to you."

"Colonel Sokov, we are no longer your superiors." Hearing what Sokov said, Yeremenko waved his hand and said, "If you need to report anything, you should report directly to Chuikov. "

"Comrade Commander," Sokov straightened his body and raised his voice, "I have already reported this information to Commander Chuikov, but he is powerless..."

"He can't solve it, and there's Rokossovsky." Before Sokov finished speaking, Khrushchev interjected, "If you encounter problems that the army group can't solve, you can report them to the front army headquarters." .”

"We want to report, but there is no way to get in touch with the new Front Army Command." Sokov looked at Khrushchev and said embarrassedly: "Therefore, we hope that through the two chiefs, we can help us contact the new Front Army Commander .”

"Nikita Sergeyevich," Yeremenko asked Khrushchev, "when we handed over all the troops to the Don Front Army, did you send all the contact codes?" To Malinen?"

Khrushchev turned his head to look at an officer standing at the door. Before he could speak, the officer came over, took out a piece of paper from his briefcase, and handed it to Khrushchev: "Comrade Military Commissar, this It is the unit contact code handed over to the Don Front Army."

Khrushchev took the piece of paper, and after quickly browsing through the content, he frowned and asked the officer, "Why is there no 62nd Army on it?"

The officer didn't know how to answer Khrushchev's question, and an embarrassed expression appeared on his face. Fortunately, Yeremenko rescued him in time: "Nikita Sergeyevich, don't blame the comrades below. It should be our negligence in work that missed the 62nd Army. I think so Let Colonel Sokov call Chuikov and ask him to come here, and we will apologize to him in person."

"Commander Chuikov is coming here." Sokov reported to the two, "It is estimated that he will arrive soon."

After waiting for about ten minutes, Cuikov, who was in a hurry, came to the division headquarters. After raising his hand to salute Yeremenko and Khrushchev, he said anxiously, "Both chiefs, I finally see you. I have something important..."

"Comrade Chuikov, you don't need to say anything." Yeremenko raised his hand and interrupted Chuikov, explaining to him, "Colonel Sokov has already told us what happened." He turned to an officer standing behind him He pouted and said, "This is the communications staff officer of the Front Army. He will help you get in touch with Rokossovsky. If there is any situation, let him help you report it."

With the help of the communications staff, urgent information was sent out through the radio. While waiting for the other party's call back, Yeremenko asked Chuikov: "Comrade Chuikov, how long do you think it will take us to destroy the besieged enemies."

"It's hard to say," Chuikov replied with a wry smile, "Due to the serious shortage of troops, it is difficult for our troops in the city to launch a large-scale attack. Now the factory area in the north is fighting the enemy on a small scale. The distance advanced each day is measured in meters."

Hearing what Chuikov said, Sokov couldn't help thinking to himself: "When the German army rushed into the city, they were forced to start street fighting with the Soviet army. The speed at which they advanced every day was calculated in meters. No Now that the Soviet army has launched a counter-offensive, it will encounter the same problem."

"Colonel Sokov," Yeremenko inadvertently caught a glimpse of a half-smile on Sokov's face, and asked curiously; "what are you laughing at?"

"I'm thinking, if the higher-ups replenish the troops of the 62nd Army." Sokov quickly replied: "Then our offensive speed can be accelerated, and the time to eliminate the enemy can be shortened then."

"Now the enemy is gathering to the west, ready to break out." Khrushchev had seen many times in which the German army was besieged by the Soviet army and successfully escaped in the end. Didn't have high hopes: "I'm afraid that the Germans will break out before our final assault begins."

Khrushchev's words reminded everyone that everyone remembered that from the outbreak of the war to the present, the German army had been surrounded by the Soviet army many times, but in the end they were not only not wiped out, but severely damaged the attacking troops. Thinking of this, everyone except Sukov couldn't help but feel heavy.

After receiving the telegram from Chuikov, Rokossovsky quickly called Malinin and asked, "Chief of Staff, how credible do you think the telegram from Chuikov is?"

Malinin had read the telegram a long time ago, and when he heard Rokossovsky's question, he only thought for a moment, and then replied truthfully: "Comrade Commander, I think this telegram from General Chuikov is very accurate. It seems that the German army is gathering troops in the southwest direction of the encirclement, and it is indeed preparing to break out of the encirclement and join Huot's troops."

"Then tell me, can the troops in the southwest stop the enemy from breaking out?"

"Comrade Commander, please forgive me." Ma Linin replied with a wry smile: "According to intelligence, during Huot's attack a few days ago, the 57th Army, which was in charge of defending this area, was beaten back steadily. If not Huot's troops are limited, and I'm afraid the line of defense has already been breached. If the German army launches an attack on the 57th Army's defense area from two directions at the same time, then our encirclement will be opened by the enemy."

"Once the gap is opened, Paulus's troops will have to jump out of our encirclement." Rokossovsky pointed to the map and said in a stern tone: "In this case, neither we nor the Supreme Command We would like to see it. Therefore, we must find a way as soon as possible to crush the Germans' attempt to break out."

"But what should we do?" Malinin asked in embarrassment: "General Batov's 65th Army is hundreds of kilometers away from the 57th Army, and there are many German defense lines in the middle. In a week's time, the two troops may not be able to join forces."

"Yes," Rokossovsky drew a line in the middle of the two armies with red and blue pencils, and said with emotion: "With the combat effectiveness of our army, we must continuously break through multiple German defense lines and rush over to strengthen our friendly forces." defense force, it is very difficult."

"Comrade Commander, I have an idea." Seeing Rokossovsky's at a loss, Malinin said tentatively: "I just asked the communications staff officer who received the telegram, and he said that it was the radio station of the 41st Guards Division. dispatched……"

Rokossovsky knew Sokov's current position, and when he heard Malinin say that the telegram was sent through the radio station of the 41st Guards Division, his eyes lit up: "Chief of Staff, you mean, ask Sokov's See if he has any good suggestions?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander." After expressing his approval, Ma Linin said with great concern: "But he is only a division commander. Is it appropriate for him to advise the head of the front army?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky said sternly in the face of Malinin's concerns, "as long as the enemy can be defeated, no matter what the identity of the person who advises us is, I think it is appropriate."

"Well, since you agree, Comrade Commander, I will immediately call back the 41st Guards Division."

After receiving Malinin's call back, the communications staff quickly handed over the copied telegram to Cuikov. After reading it, Chuikov showed a surprised expression on his face. He handed the telegram to Yeremenko and Khrushchev, and said in surprise: "Two chiefs, take a look. General Rokossovsky will call back. He said that judging from the current situation, the possibility of the 65th Army and the 57th Army joining forces is slim, so he wanted Sokov to come up with an idea to slow down the speed of the German armored forces moving southwest."

"Ask for my opinion?" Sokov saw that Rokossovsky left the problem to himself, and couldn't help being dumbfounded: "Several chiefs, I'm just a division commander. I'm afraid I didn't speak at the front level. Right."

After reading the telegram, Khrushchev smiled and said to Sokov: "Misha, since General Rokossovsky values ​​you so much, if you have any thoughts, just say it, don't have any scruples."

Now that Khrushchev said so, Sokov realized that it would be too hypocritical to refuse, so he nodded and said: "Although it is difficult for the two armies to join forces, then we can use the power of the air force to come. Solve this problem. In order to deliver supplies to the besieged troops, the enemy has converted a large number of bombers into transport planes, so that the air superiority over Stalingrad has been firmly controlled by our air force. I suggest sending out a bomber fleet , to bomb the German armored units during the transfer."

"That's a good idea." After hearing this, Cuikov nodded slightly, and said, "I don't believe that the Germans would dare to mobilize their troops to move southwestward when they were being bombed heavily by our army."

Therefore, the plan proposed by Sokov was drafted as a telegram and sent to the Front Army Command. After Malinin received the telegram, he immediately reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, Sokov's call back has arrived. He suggested that we dispatch the air force to carry out air strikes on the German armored units during the transfer process."

"Send out the bomber fleet to bomb the enemy's armored forces." Rokossovsky said thoughtfully, "Why didn't we think of such a simple method?"

Ma Linin smiled and smoothed things over for Rokossovsky: "Comrade Commander, not only did you not expect it, but even I, the chief of staff, did not. It's a sudden change, and it will take us a while to get used to it."

"Get in touch with the commander of the Air Force Group Army immediately." Rokossovsky said to Malinin: "Let them dispatch the planes of no less than one aviation division to bomb the German armored forces during the transfer process. Those in our encirclement The german armored forces, maybe get supplies of fuel and ammo, but they can't get supplies for any tanks, just blow up one, and they have one less tank. A few more bombings like this, I guess the Germans don't have any What a tank."

As the order was issued, more than a hundred bombers roared into the sky from seven or eight field airports at the same time, rushing towards the transfer route of the German armored forces. The first to be bombed was Lensky's 24th Armored Division. Bombs fell from the sky and exploded in the marching ranks of tanks. From time to time, the tanks were blown into fireballs, and it was the explosion that overturned the tanks. The remaining surviving tanks quickly left the road and drove towards the nearby forest, trying to avoid the bombing of Soviet aircraft.

Lensky, who was sitting in the armored car, immediately ordered the driver to increase the accelerator and rushed towards the nearest forest as soon as the bombing started. As for the fate of his troops, he didn't care at all. Hope it's as far away from the bombing zone as possible.

The news of the bombing of the armored units was quickly known to Paulus. He asked Schmidt in a panic: "How is it? Is Lensky also in the marching queue? Will he be in danger?"

The reason why he asked this question was because the commander of the infantry division was seriously injured by the bombing of the Soviet army when he transferred without authorization last time. As a result, the troops who lost command fell into panic, otherwise Sokov's troops would not would easily overwhelm their third line of defense.

"Don't worry, Commander." Although Schmidt didn't know the details of the bombing, he still comforted Paulus: "General Lensky is very smart. If he finds that the situation is not right, he will retreat in time. You Don't worry about it."

As soon as Schmidt finished speaking, a communications officer came in from outside. After saluting him, he handed him a question and said in a businesslike manner: "Chief of Staff, this is a telegram just sent from Berlin."

Telegram from Berlin? Both Schmidt and Paulus were taken aback by the word Berlin. Paulus snatched the telegram from Schmidt's hand and read it quickly. After reading the above content, Paulus's face was ashen, and he said to Schmidt with a dejected expression: "Chief of Staff, the telegram was sent by the Fuhrer, and he ordered us not to obey the orders of Marshal Manstein, and to continue to stay." Defend existing areas."

"What, continue to stay and defend?" Schmidt was taken aback: "But, Commander, we are now facing a shortage of supplies, and staying in the Russian encirclement can only barely delay the time to be wiped out. .”

"There is no way, this is an order issued by the Fuhrer himself." Although Paulus was an excellent general in the German army, his shortcoming was stupid loyalty. Since Hitler ordered him to stay and stick to it, he immediately made a decision in his heart. After making a decision, he resolutely obeyed the order of the head of state, led the troops to stay here, and waited for the situation to change. "Chief of Staff, give an order to all the troops. The original breakout plan is cancelled, and they will continue to stay in the current position for defense."