Red Moscow

  Chapter 1659

  The German army in the city of Pavlish was temporarily unable to attack the warehouse area occupied by the Soviet army due to insufficient troops, thus buying precious time for the Mikhaiev Battalion.

  Although the warehouse area will not be in great danger until the main force of the German army arrives, Sokov, as the commander of the group army, is very anxious. He walked back and forth in the command post with his hands behind his back, thinking whether he should launch an attack in advance and join the Mikhaiev battalion in Pavlish City as soon as possible?

  Sameko knew that Sokov was thinking about the problem, so he didn't bother him. Instead, he patiently checked the preparations reported by the divisions below, so that he could accurately tell the latest situation when Sokov asked.

  After walking back and forth a dozen times in the command post, Sokov suddenly stopped and turned to Sameko and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, how is the offensive preparation of the forward troops?"

Hearing Sokov's inquiry, Sameko quickly put down the battle report in his hand, walked over and reported to him: "The current 254th and 300th divisions are ready to attack and can attack the enemy's defense line at any time. But I want to ask, where do you plan to choose the direction of attack?"

  Sokov didn't answer, but walked back to the table quickly, looked down at the map, and then pointed to a location and said, "Chief of Staff, I plan to use this as the main direction of our army's attack."

  Sameko came over to take a look, and immediately showed a surprised expression on his face: "Comrade Commander, this is the defense line where the German armored division is stationed. If you choose to break through from this direction, I am afraid that the chance of success will be very low."

After listening to Sameko's words, Sokov stared at him for a while, and then asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I want to ask you, if we break through from the direction of the German infantry division, what will happen to their armored division?" reaction?"

"It goes without saying," Sameko replied without hesitation: "Once the defense zone of the German infantry division is attacked by our army, the nearby armored divisions will immediately provide support, dispatch tanks or directly use artillery fire to attack our attacking troops." .”

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff, you are quite right." Sokov agreed with Sameko's statement, and continued: "As long as we choose the infantry division's defense zone as the breakthrough direction, the German armored division will actively But now we have changed the direction of the main attack and used the area where the German armored divisions are located as the breakthrough direction, the Germans will be confused, thinking that we are making fake moves, and their commanders will order the infantry divisions to stay where they are. Stand by on the ground instead of supporting the armored division. In this way, it creates an excellent opportunity for our army."

Sokov picked up the red and blue pencils and tapped the map lightly: "Besides, the troops we deployed in front of the German armored division are Colonel Shechtman's 1st Division. I am very relieved about their combat effectiveness. Launching an offensive will definitely break through the German defenses in the shortest possible time."

  Sameko firmly believes in Sokov's statement, but what he is most worried about right now is the Mikhaiev camp currently staying in the city of Pavlish. After waiting for Sokov to finish speaking, he asked cautiously: "Comrade commander, what about the Mikhaiev battalion in Pavlish? Their strength is limited. If they are attacked by the German army, they may not last long." Time, when will we rush to support them?"

"The German army's troops in Pavlish were limited, and the Mikhaiev Battalion used the weapons and ammunition in the warehouse to arm the workers and their families." Regarding the Mikhaiev Battalion in Pavlish, Sokov Not worried: "I believe that within a day or two, they will not be in any danger."

   "Comrade Commander," Sameko asked tentatively, "does the 73rd Infantry Brigade not need to participate in the upcoming offensive?"

   Sokov raised his eyebrows, and asked with some surprise: "Isn't the task of the Guchakov brigade to break through the German defense line in front of them as soon as possible, rush to the city of Pavlish, and join the Mikhaiev battalion?"

After saying this, Sokov suddenly realized that he had not explained clearly to Sameko. No wonder the other party misunderstood, he quickly explained: "I am not not letting the Guchakov Brigade participate in the attack, but I intend to let the 254th Brigade and the 300th Division launched an attack first to attract the attention of the German army. When our troops break through the German defense line, the Guchakov brigade will attack the enemy from their defense area. I believe it will not take long before they can break through the defense , rushed into the city of Pavlish, and joined forces with the Mikhaiev battalion that was standing in the Kurdish area."

   Seeing the issues that should be considered, Sokov has considered them all. Sameko paused for a moment, and then asked: "Comrade Commander, when will we start our offensive?"

Sokov raised his hand to look at his watch and said, "I see that half an hour later, the artillery division will shell the German armored division first. After the shelling lasts forty minutes, the infantry will attack and should be able to break through the German defense. "

  For half an hour, more than 200 artillery pieces of various calibers from the First Artillery Division and the Second Artillery Division received the order, and launched a fierce shelling towards the defense area of ​​the German Armored Division. All of a sudden, the guns were rumbling, and the German defense area was full of flames and smoke billowing.

Although the commander of the German armored division has long noticed that the Soviet army on the opposite side has changed, but according to his experience, every time the Soviet army attacks, it will attack the weakest troops first. Troops with strong combat effectiveness like his own are usually avoided by the opponent. Object.

When he received a report from the front that the Soviet army had signs of launching an attack, he called several regiment commanders disapprovingly and asked them to prepare to send troops to reinforce the flanking neighbors, because he felt that the infantry division must be the Soviet army. The primary target of the attack.

   As soon as the guns sounded, the armored division commander didn't take it seriously when he learned that the shells had landed on his own defensive position. He believed that this was a deliberate suppression of artillery fire by the Soviet army in order to prevent himself from reinforcing friendly forces that were under attack. But with the more and more violent artillery fire, he was suddenly confused. Didn't he choose to attack the weak enemy first every time he attacked? Why did he greet himself when the shelling started?

  He took a chance and called the commander of the infantry division to find out about the shelling of the opponent's defense area. But the other party's answer surprised him: "We have not been attacked by any artillery fire here."

"What, you were not attacked by artillery fire?" Hearing the other party's reply, the armored division commander was a little crazy: "It's impossible, you are the weakest in the eyes of the Russians. And according to their tradition, every time It is to choose the weakest target to attack, how can it be reversed today? Your Excellency, your subordinates may have deceived you."

  But what the infantry division commander said next made him feel like he was in an ice cellar: "No, Your Excellency General. After I heard the sound of artillery outside, I went to the commanding heights to observe it myself. There is no sign of our defense area being bombarded by the Russians."

   "Impossible, it is absolutely impossible." Although the armored division commander understood that the infantry division commander was telling the truth, he still said unwillingly: "How could the Russians suddenly change their style of play? There must be some kind of conspiracy!"

  After putting down the phone, the commander of the armored division stared at the map on the wall in a daze. He didn't understand why the Soviet army, which always liked to attack weak enemies, would be uncharacteristically and take the lead in shelling its own defense zone this time? Is there really some conspiracy?

  The chief of staff of the division saw the division commander staring at the map in a daze, so he hurriedly came to his side, and asked tentatively, "Your Excellency, do you think it is necessary to report this situation to the superior?"

  The words of the division chief of staff reminded the division commander. He nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, we should report. We should immediately report the situation of our attack to the superior."

  Whether it is an armored division or an infantry division, they all belong to the 1st Army of General Blaskowitz. When Blaskowitz received a call from the commander of the armored division, his first reaction was whether there was something wrong. When his defense line was bombarded by the Soviet army, he first reported to himself and asked for reinforcements. Should it be the infantry division commander? Why is it replaced by the armor division commander today?

   "What's going on?" Blaskowitz asked in a deep voice: "Why did the Russians bombard your armored division's defense zone?" The words were full of doubts about the armored division commander.

The commander of the armored division is also a smart man. From Blaskowitz's tone of voice, he heard dissatisfaction and doubts about himself, so he could only reply aggrievedly: "Your Excellency, I don't know what's going on. It stands to reason that even if the Russians want to attack our defense line, the breakthrough they choose may be a relatively weak infantry division defense area, so why would they launch a heavy shelling of my defense area? This is not normal."

   Blaskowitz, who originally had a contemptuous attitude towards Sokov, finally realized that Sokov is a difficult opponent after this period of confrontation. This time I transferred troops northward to reinforce the friendly forces in the Qijilin area. I had specially sent someone to monitor the movement of the Soviet 27th Army, but the other side was building a large-scale construction project and assumed a posture of only defending and not attacking. In this situation, three divisions were decisively transferred northward to reinforce the friendly troops who were in a bad situation.

  But what I didn't expect was that just after my main force was transferred, the Soviet army launched a sudden attack in the area where my defense was weakest, and I was caught off guard. What is even more puzzling is that the opponent's primary attack target this time is the armored division that he thinks has the strongest combat effectiveness.

   But Blaskowitz is a smart man, and he quickly figured out what the problem was. If the Soviet army followed its own judgment and first attacked the infantry division's defense zone, the armored division on the side could use artillery fire or dispatch tanks to attack the Soviet attacking troops, thereby achieving the purpose of repelling them.

  But now the Soviet army is fighting against the strongest troops first. Under the immediate situation, the infantry divisions with weak combat effectiveness can only choose to sit on the sidelines, and cannot send troops to reinforce the armored divisions. After trying to understand this truth, he told the armored division commander into the microphone: "Find a way to hold the position, and I will send troops to reinforce you as soon as possible."

That's what I said, but now Blaskowitz is a clever woman who can't cook without rice. Three of his five divisions have been transferred to the Qijilin area. Even if they are urgently transferred back to aid, I am afraid it will take a day at the earliest It is not possible to rush to the battle area until the time required. Whether the armored division will still exist at that time is still unknown.

   Blaskowitz sat down at the table, opened the drawer, and took out an exquisite box from it. The box opened, revealing the cigars inside. He took out one and cut off the tail with special scissors, and put it in his mouth. However, he did not ignite it immediately, but began to meditate.

His chief of staff walked in from the outside and saw Blaskowitz sitting in a chair with a cigar in his mouth, closing his eyes and resting his mind. Although he knew that the other party was closing his eyes and resting, but now the military situation is urgent, he can only stand hard Scalp interrupted him: "Your Excellency, Commander!"

  Hearing the voice of the chief of staff, Blaskowitz opened his eyes, took off the cigar in his mouth, put it on the ashtray, and asked, "Chief of staff, what's the matter?"

Although the chief of staff knew that Blaskowitz had received a call from the commander of the armored division not long ago and had a good understanding of the situation on the battlefield, he still reported according to the procedure: "According to the latest intelligence, the armored division we stayed in the original defense area is currently on the way Heavy shelling from the Russians. It appears the Russians intend to break through our lines from that direction."

   "Well, I know this." Blaskowitz asked weakly: "Chief of Staff, where do you think we can draw troops to reinforce the armored division?"

"The three divisions we transferred are now fighting the Russians in the Qijilin area and cannot be withdrawn for the time being." The chief of staff also felt a headache about which troops to send to reinforce the armored division, not to mention the three divisions transferred Already entangled by the Soviet army, even if they have not yet entered the battle, it may be too late if they want to be transferred back to reinforce the armored division. After repeated thinking, he felt that since the ground troops could not provide support, he could only pin his hopes on the air force: "Your Excellency, I think we should report the difficulties encountered here to Marshal Manstein and ask him to send the air force to come." Support us."

"Oh, report to Marshal Manstein?" Hearing the suggestion from the chief of staff, Blaskowitz seemed a little hesitant. Come, will you leave an incompetent performance for the other party. It was precisely because of such concerns that Blaskowitz snuffed out the idea as soon as it came up. He couldn't help but fell into deep thought when he heard the chief of staff mentioning Manstein.

Seeing Blaskowitz's delay in expressing his opinion, the chief of staff became a little anxious, and said in a anxious tone: "Your Excellency, the situation is urgent, you should make up your mind quickly, otherwise, wait until the Russian ground offensive begins, and then you will go back to the ground." Send the air force out, but it will be too late."

  The chief of staff was right to worry. Sokov's troops often approached the position secretly when the shelling was about to end, and launched an attack as soon as the shelling stopped. The defenders are usually not yet awake from the shelling at this time, and are often caught off guard. In order to avoid similar incidents from happening again, the chief of staff felt that the air force should be allowed to bomb their artillery positions and areas where the attacking troops were assembled before the Soviets attacked to ensure the safety of the defense line.

"Okay, Chief of Staff." The words of the Chief of Staff finally made Blaskowitz make up his mind: "Put me through Marshal Manstein's headquarters immediately, and I will report the situation here to him personally, and request He provided us with the necessary assistance."

  The call was quickly connected, and the chief of staff said respectfully to Blaskowitz: "Your Excellency, Commander, the Marshal's call has been connected."

Although he knew that Manstein couldn't see him, Blaskowitz stood up, tidied up his military appearance, and then reached out to take the microphone in the hands of the chief of staff, and said in his ear: "Hello, Your Excellency the Marshal!" , I'm Blaskowitz."

  (end of this chapter)