Red Moscow

  Chapter 2072

  Sokov heard Sidolin say this, and couldn't help sneering: "If it were really so easy to capture Warsaw, it would be fine."

  Sidorin couldn't help being taken aback after hearing this, and then asked: "Why? In the information obtained some time ago, didn't it say that the German army will withdraw from Warsaw on the 3rd of this month?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, the plan can't keep up with the changes." It was Ponejelin who interjected: "If there were no uprisings in the city, it is entirely possible for the Germans to withdraw from Warsaw as planned. But now there are uprisings in the city, and the Germans If people still retreat according to the original plan, it means that they will suffer huge losses. Therefore, according to my judgment, the Germans will not only not retreat, but will instead send more troops to Warsaw. After the uprising in the city is quelled, they will do The next step."

"But the troops of our 2nd Tank Army and the 1st Polish Army have rushed into the east of Warsaw." Sidolin said unconvinced: "And General Chuikov's 8th Guards Army also successfully crossed the river from the south of Warsaw." , and established a landing field, as long as they can launch an attack to the north as soon as possible and cooperate with the troops in the east of the city, I believe that the liberation of Warsaw is only a matter of time."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are really too optimistic." Sokov shook his head and said: "Although our army has already rushed into the east of Warsaw City, if we want to occupy the entire Warsaw City, we must first cross the Vistula River, build a landing field in the west of the city, so that our army can gather troops and launch a larger-scale attack on the enemy in the west of the city. But..."

Speaking of this, Sokov pointed to the map of Warsaw on the table and said to Sidolin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, look, there are only four bridges on the Vistula River. There is still a glimmer of hope for capturing Warsaw in time. But if the Germans jump over the wall in a hurry and blow up these four bridges on the Vistula River, do you think our troops can liberate Warsaw smoothly?"

   Regarding Sokov's statement, Sidolin was speechless. But he still said unwillingly: "Even if the Germans blew up the bridge over the Vistula River, so that the troops from the east of the city could not reach the west of the city, what about General Chuikov's troops? They have already crossed the Vistula River now. It is probably much easier to enter Warsaw City due to natural barriers."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are wrong again." This time, it was Ponegerin who refuted Sidolin: "The reason why General Chuikov's troops were able to force the crossing was mainly because the German army's defenses in these sections of the river were weak. This situation is entirely due to the fact that the rivers in these places are crisscrossed, which is not conducive to the deployment of mechanized troops. The German army felt that even if our army crossed the river from this area, it would be difficult to deploy large troops, and the threat to them was not great.”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov waited for Ponegerin to finish speaking, and added: "When Comrade Marshal called me just now, he mentioned General Chuikov's troops, saying that the landing site they established is currently under attack. It was attacked by four divisions of the German army. In order to prevent the troops holding on to the landing site from being driven into the Vistula River by the Germans, the Front Army Command sent a pontoon bridge force, and it is racing against time to erect a pontoon bridge so that the troops and various equipment assembled on the right bank Ship it."

   Knowing that Chuikov's troops were in a difficult situation, Sidolin was silent. He didn't expect the situation to become so severe in a short period of time. If the current trend continues, not only will it be impossible to win Warsaw as soon as possible, but the offensive troops may even suffer heavy losses.

   "Comrade Commander, I don't understand why the Germans gave the order to evacuate Warsaw?"

Sokov organized the vocabulary in his mind, and then said: "According to the gossip, Mustache was assassinated by an officer under him ten days ago. Although this assassination ended in failure, it is still more or less It affects the morale and morale of the troops. In addition, the German army has suffered disastrous defeats in Belarus and Poland. In order to stabilize the situation, it is necessary to appropriately abandon some cities and gather heavy troops to defend important areas. I think this is probably the Germans I originally planned to give up the original intention of Warsaw."

After listening to Sokov's analysis, Ponegerin nodded and said in a positive tone: "Comrade Commander, you are right. The reason why the Germans want to abandon Warsaw should be the reason you said. If Warsaw There was no uprising in the city. I think our army will be able to enter the city smoothly in two days. But with the outbreak of the uprising, the situation in the city has changed unexpectedly. I think we will enter Warsaw in a short time. It's already unrealistic."

  Sidorin stared at the map for a while, then raised his head and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, if we still have hovercraft to use, now is the best time to enter Warsaw."

Regarding Sidolin's statement, Sokov agreed: "Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, you are right. Relying on the powerful maneuverability of the hovercraft, we can choose any place to cross the Vistula River , and quickly assembled a certain size of troops. Taking advantage of the Germans fighting the insurgents in the west of the city, we launched an attack in the west of the city by surprise, and we may be able to successfully occupy the city within a day or two. maybe."

Sokov's words made Sidolin's eyes brighten: "Comrade Commander, how about we ask Comrade Marshal to ask the Weapons and Equipment Department to re-equip the hovercraft to us, so that we can cross Vistula unexpectedly?" River, and took advantage of the chaotic German defense to take Warsaw."

Sidolin's proposal was indeed very tempting, but Sokov thought for a while before rejecting his proposal: "Comrade Chief of Staff, your idea is good, but I think the superior may not agree. You think, we When the Raiders in Belarus were completed, there must be many places to use the hovercraft in the following battles, but the superiors still transferred the hovercraft without hesitation, proving that they intend to use these equipment in other more important places, Even if we make a request, I’m afraid we won’t agree to it.”

Although Sokov's words are very reasonable, but this time Ponejielin also echoed Sidolin: "Comrade Commander, I think you can try it. Even if you are rejected, it's not a big deal. Anyway, our It was also ordered to rest for a while. But if the superior agrees to hand over the hovercraft to us for use, it may become a key to change the current battle situation."

"Yes, Comrade Commander, let's try it." Sidolin also said smoothly: "Even if the superior rejects it, it's not a big deal. But if we agree, it will be a big deal for us Good thing."

What the two said shook Sokov's heart. He knew very well that with the cooperation of the hovercraft, he could cross an infantry division and a tank brigade across the river overnight, and take advantage of the German troops in the west of Warsaw. When the rebel army was fighting in full swing, they launched a surprise attack, and they might actually take down the entire city.

   "Okay," Sokov hesitated, and finally decided to give it a try. He picked up the phone on the table and connected to the Front Army Command. As soon as he heard Malinin's voice, he tentatively asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army, this is Sokov, I have an urgent matter to find Comrade Marshal, is he there?"

"Yes, yes. Wait a minute, I'll call him for you right away." Soon, Sokov heard Malinin's voice calling Rokossovsky from the receiver: "Comrade Commander, Soko General Fu said that he needed to find you urgently."

When Rokossovsky heard that Sokov was looking for him in a hurry, he also felt quite strange. When he was on the phone with him just now, why didn’t he say something, but now he called and said, “Hey, Misha, What do you want from me?"

"Hello, Comrade Marshal!" Sokov said carefully: "I feel that the current battle in the east of Warsaw and the landing field established in the south of Warsaw may not achieve our ultimate goal, so I plan to ask you for permission to let my troops Join the fight."

   "What, let your troops join the battle?" Rokossovsky asked in surprise, "Why?"

Sokov knew very well that if he wanted to convince Rokossovsky, he must first analyze the current situation to him: "Comrade Marshal, although our army has rushed into the eastern part of Warsaw, the city has been defended. The Swa River is divided into east and west parts. Once the German army blows up the bridges on the Vistula River, even if our troops occupy the east of the city, it may be difficult for our troops to cross the river and enter the west of the city.”

"As for the troops commanded by General Chuikov, although they have established a landing field on the left bank of the Vistula River, the Germans will certainly not allow them to consolidate the landing field under their noses. Eliminate or drive back to the right bank area."

   "I have considered these two points, so I plan to open up a new offensive line, and I hope to get your support!"

   "New offensive line?!" Rokossovsky asked in surprise, "Where is it?"

"The location between Warsaw City and the Magnusev landing site." After Sokov said the location where he planned to make a breakthrough, he explained in detail: "The reason why I chose this location is because it is far away from Warsaw. The city is relatively close, which is conducive to launching an attack; the second is to rely on the Magnusev landing field, which can help them contain part of the German army now, and in the future when we are short of troops, we can also get support from General Chuikov’s troops.”

   "Then why didn't you choose to attack from the north of Warsaw?" Rokossowski asked.

   "The reason is very simple, Comrade Marshal." Sokov replied: "Because there is the Modlin Fortress in the north of Warsaw, and the long-range artillery fire it possesses will cause huge casualties to our attacking troops."

After waiting for Sokov to finish speaking, Rokossovsky asked another key question: "Didn't your army's crossing equipment be handed over to Chuikov's troops? What equipment do you plan to use to send your troops to the river?" Delivered to the left bank of the Vistula?"

   "Hovercraft!" Sokov said: "This kind of transportation equipment can transport a large number of troops and equipment to the left bank area in a very short period of time."

   "But isn't the hovercraft taken away by the Weapons and Equipment Department?" Rokossovsky asked with some surprise: "Is there a way for Comrade Ustinov to give these equipments to you again?"

"Comrade Marshal, that's why I called you." Sokov said, "I hope you can come forward and discuss with Comrade Ustinov to see if he can hand over these hovercraft to the us."

Regarding Sokov's request, Rokossovsky was a little embarrassed. Although he is now a marshal, his rank is still not comparable to that of Ustinov, a young people's commissar. Even if he makes a request to the other party , Whether the other party can agree is still unknown.

Sokov heard that Rokossovsky hadn't spoken for a long time, so he guessed that he must be in trouble, and quickly added: "Comrade Marshal, time is running out. If the hovercraft can arrive earlier, we have a better chance of capturing Warsaw City." High. If we wait for the main force of the German army to arrive, no matter how many troops we have across the river, the difficulty of capturing this city will increase exponentially.”

   Rokossovsky didn't understand what Sokov said. After weighing things up, he said to Sokov: "Okay, Misha, I'll immediately call Comrade Ustinov and hope that he can hand over these hovercraft to us so that we can use them in the shortest possible time. Time to liberate Warsaw."

   After finishing the call with Sokov, Rokossovsky sat down and thought about it for a while, and felt that if he contacted Ustinov rashly, there was a high probability that he would be rejected by the other party. When he was in a dilemma, Ma Linin leaned over and asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, what are you thinking?"

Rokossovsky repeated the conversation he had just had with Sokov to Malinin, and finally said: "I have no friendship with comrades Ustinov. If I make this request to him, there is a high chance will be rejected."

"Maybe we can ask Marshal Zhukov for help." Ma Linin suggested to Rokossovsky: "In any case, both of them are members of the Supreme Command, and they can talk to each other. Let him come forward, maybe can solve this."

   "This is a good idea." Rokossovsky thought that Zhukov was now at the headquarters of the 65th Army, and quickly ordered someone to help him connect to the headquarters: "I will call Marshal Zhukov right away."

  After the call was connected, Batov, who answered the phone, thought that Rokossovsky had some combat missions for him, and asked, "Comrade commander, do you have any combat missions for us?"

  Unexpectedly, Rokossovsky asked: "Is Marshal Zhukov there?"

   "Yes, Comrade Marshal is in my headquarters." Batov said, "I'll call him right away."

   Soon, Zhukov's voice came from the receiver: "Koschka, how is the progress of Chuikov's troops?"

"They have established a landing field on the left bank, but the Germans are constantly counterattacking, trying to drive his troops back to the right bank of the Vistula River." After Rokossovsky briefly reported on Chuikov's situation , just bluntly stated the purpose of his call: "Comrade Marshal, I would like to ask you to do me a favor."

   Hearing what Rokossovsky said, Zhukov couldn't help laughing: "Koschka, with the friendship between the two of us, if you have anything to say, don't say anything about helping or not."

"That's right, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky hurriedly repeated to Zhukov what Sokov had said to him, and finally said: "Misha asked me to contact Ustinov. Comrade, I hope to get the hovercraft from the Armament Department to cross the Vistula with his troops."

   After Rokossovsky finished speaking, Zhukov fell silent. In all fairness, if he negotiates with Ustinov, the chances of getting the hovercraft are very high, but what he is considering is whether it is necessary to win Warsaw at present.

  Seeing Zhukov's delay in speaking, Rokossovsky couldn't help feeling a little anxious, and quickly asked: "Comrade Marshal, are you also unable to speak in front of Ustinov?"

"No, Koschka." Zhukov felt that it was necessary to explain the current situation to Rokossovsky and let him make his own decision: "I can come forward to ask Ustinov for a hovercraft. But what I'm thinking about now is, is it necessary for us to take Warsaw now?"

   Rokossovsky couldn't help being taken aback after hearing this: "Comrade Marshal, what do you mean?"

"According to unconfirmed information, the uprising in Warsaw was led by the Krajov Army." Zhukov said on the phone: "You also know that this army is not friendly to our army. You can see the news of the blockade uprising. I was thinking just now, even if our army really entered the west of Warsaw and had contact with them, tell me, at that time, will they welcome us or oppose us? Woolen cloth?"

Zhukov's words reminded Rokossovsky of the scene of contact with Krajov's army two days ago, and he couldn't help but feel that what Zhukov said was very reasonable. If he really helped Sokov find a hovercraft, let his troops take advantage of it. When the Germans were in chaos, they rushed into the west of Warsaw. At that time, what attitude would the insurgents in the city take towards the Soviet troops entering the city.

   "So, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky said cautiously: "It is inappropriate for us to enter Warsaw at the moment."

"That's right, that's what I mean." Zhukov nodded and said, "Although we haven't figured out the scale of the uprising in Warsaw, one thing is certain, that is, the main forces in the uprising army , is dominated by the Krajov army, if we help them defeat the German army, I am afraid they will not only not appreciate us, but even make us an enemy, and try every means to squeeze us out of Warsaw, waiting for the government in exile in London to take over city."

"I understand, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky also made a decision at this moment, and said to Zhukov: "Since the conditions for capturing Warsaw are not ripe, then we don't need to find Comrade Ustinov again." I'm going to observe for a while, and then decide what measures should be taken to capture Warsaw."

  (end of this chapter)