Red Moscow

  Chapter 2133

   "How is the situation there?" Zhukov was not polite to Sokov, and asked bluntly, "When will the triangle be won?"

   Facing this question from Zhukov, Sokov was silent. He wanted to win the triangle quickly, but the current situation made this battle full of uncertainty.

   "Misha, are you still there?"

   "Yes, Comrade Marshal, I'm still here!"

   "Since you are still there, why don't you speak?" Zhukov said in a reproachful tone: "I asked you a question, why didn't you answer it?"

"Comrade Marshal, the situation here has become very complicated." After organizing the vocabulary in his mind, Sokov reported to Zhukov: "Although the German army lost the artillery support of the Fortress of Modlin, the artillery they had It is still strong. So much so that the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, who was in charge of the left attack, unfortunately died under the enemy's artillery fire while leading the division headquarters forward..."

   "Wait a minute," Zhukov heard this, and interrupted Sokov: "You said that the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division died under the enemy's artillery fire?"

   "That's right, Comrade Marshal, he was shot and died."

   "Then who is taking over his position now and commanding the 3rd Infantry Division?" Zhukov asked.

"It is his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Miyakov, who is in command of the troops." Sokov worried that Zhukov would be dissatisfied with his appointment, and explained to him specifically: "Miyakov is the commander of the 3rd Division. The chief of staff of the division is undoubtedly the person who is most familiar with the army, and it is obviously appropriate for me to appoint him to act as the division commander."

   "I didn't say there was a problem with your appointment." Zhukov asked in a low voice: "What about the right-wing attacking troops? How are they progressing?"

   "I have ordered the 109th Division on the right to stop the offensive and turn to the defensive where it is."

When Zhukov heard this, he immediately became angry: "Comrade Sokov, the order I gave you is to take down the triangle area controlled by the German army in the shortest possible time. Fortunately, you actually made your own claim and ordered the troops on the offensive mission Stop attacking, and turn to defense on the spot. Can you explain to me, what is going on here?"

"Comrade Marshal, please listen to my explanation." Sokov knew that the attack on the Modlin Fortress was not going well, and Zhukov was furious. If he didn't explain clearly to him, it was inevitable that he would be scolded, so he quickly explained : "According to the information we have, the Germans have stockpiled a large amount of explosives on the reservoir dam of the Narew River. If our army's offensive is fierce, they will blow up the dam and use the flood to block our army The way forward. It is for this reason that I temporarily ordered the troops to stop attacking and put on a defensive posture."

"Temporarily suspend the attack and put on a defensive posture?" Zhukov keenly captured the key words in Sokov's words: "So, you plan to launch a new attack on the German defense line at the right time." attack?"

"You guessed right, Comrade Marshal." Seeing that Zhukov had guessed the answer, Sokov explained to him further: "The commander of the 109th Division, Braginsky, sent a small force to lurk near the German reservoir. Prepare to take the opportunity to seize the reservoir. As long as they control the reservoir and defeat the enemy's plot to block our army with floods, the division can launch a new offensive again."

   "Well, Misha, you have considered everything thoroughly." After listening to Sokov's explanation, Zhukov had a smile on his face: "I hope that after the offensive on the right wing resumes, we can break through the enemy's defense line as soon as possible."

   "Comrade Marshal, you can rest assured about this." Sokov assured Zhukov: "As long as the troops on the right start to attack, they will definitely be able to capture the enemy's position in the shortest possible time."

   "Are you so confident?"

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov nodded and continued: "According to my analysis, once the Germans find that our right-wing troops have stopped attacking and put on a defensive posture, they will definitely attack in order to consolidate the overall defense line." Transfer the main force of the right wing to the left wing to resist the attack of the 3rd Division. On the original position, only a small number of troops will be left for surveillance. When our right wing troops attack again, this force is not enough to stop the attack. Our attack."

Zhukov laughed after hearing this: "Misha, I really didn't expect that you have prepared a backhand. I look forward to seeing you complete the scheduled combat missions and eliminate the enemies in the triangle area as soon as possible. If you need any help, you Just call me, I will give you my full support."

   "Thank you, Comrade Marshal." Sokov said quickly, "I will call you if necessary."

  However, before putting down the phone, Sokov cautiously asked, "Comrade Marshal, I would like to ask, how is the situation at Fortress Modlin?"

  Zhukov asked vigilantly: "Why are you asking this?"

   "If the friendly forces can take the Fortress of Modlin early, we won't have to worry about being fired from the direction of the fortress, and we can reduce the casualties of some troops."

"The attack in the direction of the Modlin Fortress is not going well." After Zhukov said briefly, he emphasized to Sokov: "Misha, don't worry, even if the Modlin Fortress cannot be taken temporarily, the fortress is still useless." Artillery fire poses no threat to you, and you can concentrate on attacking the triangle."

After finishing the conversation with Zhukov, Sokov called Ponejielin and Sidolin to the front, and said to them: "Comrade Marshal said on the phone just now that the 65th and 70th Army's attack on Modlin Fortress It's not going well. You know, this is the first offensive campaign he commanded after taking office. If he can't achieve the desired results, it may have a negative impact on his prestige, so..."

  Pornegelin said: "So we must achieve results in the battle in the triangle, so that even if the Modlin Fortress cannot be taken down, Marshal Zhukov will not be shamed."

"Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander, you are right, it is indeed the case." After Sokov finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Sidolin: "Chief of Staff, you give Braginsky The colonel made a phone call and told him to speed up his efforts to seize the reservoir."

"Comrade Commander, I don't think this matter should be rushed." Unexpectedly, after listening to Sidolin, he shook his head and reminded Sokov: "If we seize the reservoir prematurely, the enemy in front of the 109th Division will not be able to adjust." Let’s go, the battle for fortifications will become extremely fierce. I suggest that the 109th Division carry out the operation to seize the reservoir when the enemy mobilizes troops to deal with our left wing troops.”

"I think the Chief of Staff is right." Ponejielin also said to Sokov: "We can't rush to seize the reservoir, otherwise our army's intentions will be exposed. If the Germans are prepared, the 109th Division's attack will be very difficult. It was extremely difficult.”

Seeing that Ponegerin and Sidolin had the same opinion, Sokov did not insist on his own opinion, but changed the order in time: "Then tell Colonel Braginsky that once the enemy's troops are found to be transferred, Take immediate action to seize the reservoir dam from the Germans, and the enemy must not let the dam be blown up."

   "Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Sidolin said with a smile: "I will explain this matter to Colonel Braginsky clearly."

When the battle lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon, Miyakov first called Sokov to report: "Comrade Commander, our troops have captured another line of defense from the Germans, but their artillery fire is so heavy that our troops cannot move forward. .”

  Sokov heard what Miakov said, and quickly turned his head to ask Sidolin: "Chief of Staff, what did the artillery director say, can our artillery counter the enemy's artillery positions?"

"Comrade Commander, our artillery is already doing this." Sidolin said with a serious expression: "But the enemy's artillery positions are scattered, and the artillery currently entering the front can only hit one or two places of the enemy at a time. There was simply no way to suppress their artillery effectively."

"I see." After Sokov said this, he said to the topic: "Lieutenant Colonel Miyakov, first consolidate the positions you have occupied, and put on a posture of attacking to attract the Germans. attention, and buy precious time for our artillery to move forward."

   "Understood, Comrade Commander." Miyakov said helplessly, "I obey your orders."

After putting down the phone, Sokov slapped his hands on the table several times angrily, and said angrily: "Damn German, why haven't the troops on the other side been transferred here until now, otherwise we can all let the 109th Division Action has been taken."

   As soon as the voice fell, the phone on the table rang.

  Picking up the microphone, it turned out that Braginsky was calling. Sokov asked urgently, "Comrade Colonel, how is the situation there? What's the matter with the Germans?"

   "Report to Comrade Commander," Braginsky's excited voice came from the receiver: "The enemy has moved, the enemy has moved!"

   "What, the enemy has begun to mobilize?" Sokov asked: "How many troops have been transferred away from the original defense zone?"

   "My scouts reported to me that the enemy has used no less than two hundred trucks for the transportation of troops, weapons and ammunition, and they have already set off."

  Hearing this, Sokov began to think in his heart that two hundred trucks were enough to transport the officers and soldiers of a regiment, as well as the weapons and ammunition they carried. According to the information obtained before the battle started, the German army deployed five regiments in the triangle area. During the battle in the morning, at least two regiments were disabled, and the remaining three regiments were used in two directions. The defense is obviously not enough.

  But out of caution, he still asked tentatively: "How many enemies are left in that position?"

   "According to my estimate, there are no more than two battalions." Braginsky said: "If our division launches an attack at this moment, it will definitely break through the German defenses very quickly."

Although victory was right in front of us, Sokov did not act rashly. He said cautiously: "Comrade Colonel, what you need to do now is two things. One is to step up reconnaissance and find out how many enemies are still on the ground; Capture the reservoir dam in a timely manner to ensure that our army will not be blocked by the flood when we attack."

"The defenders of the two battalions have to defend such a wide front." After Sukov put down the phone, Sidolin said excitedly: "As long as the 109th Division launches another attack, it will definitely be able to successfully capture the enemy's position. .”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov worried that Sidolin underestimated the enemy, and quickly reminded him: "The defenders of the two battalions are just the inference of Colonel Braginsky. The specific number of enemies still needs to be further investigated by scouts." Verify. More importantly, if we cannot control the reservoir before the offensive resumes, there are still many uncertain factors about whether we can win the final victory."

   "Comrade Commander." Ponejielin reminded Sokov: "Now the 3rd Division is fighting very hard. Do you think you can transfer the 211th Infantry Division of the second echelon?"

"I think it's okay." Sokov agreed with Ponegerin's proposal, and added: "The 3rd Division fought for most of the day, and the commanders and fighters should be very tired. The 211th Division will take over their attack. It can give the commanders and fighters a breathing time. In addition, the 122nd Infantry Brigade has been pulled up as soon as possible. Although the 109th Division is not short of troops, no commander will dislike his troops too much in battle. too much."

   "Okay, Comrade Commander." Sidolin nodded and said, "I will immediately order the troops of the second echelon to rush to support the first echelon."

"The key to victory now is to see whether the small troops sent by Braginsky can successfully capture the reservoir dam from the Germans." Ponejielin said next to him: "If the Germans are in a hurry to jump over the wall, they will blow up the dam in advance. If the dam falls, our plan will be ruined."

"Yeah, that's exactly what gives me a headache." Sokov said: "The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and who doesn't know what will happen next. So we have to prepare for the worst. Kinski's forces were unsuccessful in capturing the reservoir dam, and as a result the Germans blew it up, flooding our way."

   "What should we do next?" asked Sidolin.

Sokov glanced at Sidolin and said quietly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, we can only wait for news from Colonel Braginsky now. If we succeed in capturing the reservoir dam, we will win the battle "If the dam is blown up by the Germans, it means that we have lost the battle, and what we can do is to withdraw the troops from the battle as soon as possible, and launch a new attack on the enemy when there is an opportunity in the future."

  Unexpectedly, Bornejelin suddenly interjected: "Comrade Commander, if today's offensive fails, I'm afraid we will never have another chance."

  When Sokov was about to ask the other party what he meant by this, Sidolin asked first: "Comrade Deputy Commander, why is this?"

"The reason is very simple." Ponejielin smiled lightly and said: "Today's battle is the last battle of our army in the sequence of the Belarusian First Front Army. We will leave when the battle is over. If we attack If it fails, then the task of eliminating the enemy in the triangle will be completed by other units of the First Front Army, and has nothing to do with us, after all, we will already be part of the Second Front Army by then."

"Comrade Deputy Commander is right, today is our last battle in the First Front Army sequence." Sokov nodded and said: "We have already had a good start, and now that we have reached the end, we will also Don't behave too badly, otherwise Marshal Zhukov will be disappointed."

   "Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Pornedelin comforted Sokov and said, "I have a hunch that we will definitely win this battle. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."

  (end of this chapter)