As soon as the call with Zhukov ended, I asked Bezikov to call the three division commanders who participated in the sneak attack plan, as well as General Kravchenko, to the headquarters.

Seeing the four commanders standing in front of me, I nodded, and then announced to them: "Comrade commanders, Marshal Zhukov and the commander of the Front agreed on our plan for a sneak attack and asked us to implement it as soon as possible. ”

Hearing me say this, the four commanders looked at each other with joyful expressions on their faces. Colonel Babachin, commander of the 71st Guards Division, said excitedly: "Comrade commander, when we heard that the friendly forces in the north were storming Kyiv, our commanders and fighters were already eager to try it, and they all wished that they could rush forward and compete with the Germans. Our division is now ready to go at any time, so you can give the order! ”

After I waited for Babashin to finish, I turned my eyes to the other commanders and asked in a steady tone, "Are you all ready?" ”

Hearing my question, the other three said in unison: "Our troops have been assembled and are ready to enter the battle at any time, please give the commander an order!" ”

"Okay, now that everyone is ready, then I'll officially give the battle order!" I first said to Babahim: "Colonel, your 71st Guards Division, as the vanguard, will set off as soon as it gets dark. It is necessary to travel day and night to the destination, and to Korostviv within 48 hours. ”

"What, in two days to Korostviv?" After Babakhin waited for me to finish speaking, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide in surprise, and it took a long time before he said, "Comrade commander, it turns out ...... It turns out that it didn't say four ...... Four days, why did it change to two days all at once? ”

"Why, Comrade Colonel." In response to Babakhin's answer, Chistyakov, who was standing behind me, asked dissatisfiedly: "Aren't you able to complete this task?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." "Although it is only a little more than 100 kilometers from Korostviv, the fighters have to carry light machine guns, heavy machine guns, 50 mm and 82 mm mortars and ammunition in addition to their personal equipment, and the roads are so difficult to walk at most, they can only walk twenty or thirty kilometers a day," Babakhin explained to us nervously. According to the original plan, it was almost our limit to arrive in four days. ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander," Kravchenko opened his mouth to defend Babachin, "if it is on a flat road, more than 100 kilometers is nothing, and our tank corps can let the infantry advance in tanks, so that in a maximum of four hours, they can reach their destination." But in an area full of forests, swamps, and many rivers, I feel that traveling twenty or thirty kilometers a day is almost the limit of our commanders and fighters. It is not impossible to forcibly increase the speed of the march, but in that case, by the time the soldiers reach their destination, they will become exhausted and unable to form effective combat effectiveness in the short term. ”

Kravchenko's words plunged the room into silence.

Just as I was thinking about how to reply to Kravchenko, Kirillov walked over with a smile and broke the silence in the room: "General Kravchenko, what you said is very reasonable, but you seem to have forgotten that our commanders and fighters have a tenacious and hard-working character, and a spirit of self-sacrifice that other soldiers do not have. ”

Kirillov's words made the other two division commanders who wanted to speak obediently shut their mouths. At this time, Chistyakov wasted no time in adding: "Comrade commanders, the troops we used in this sneak attack on Korostviv are three Guards Divisions plus one tank corps, and even if our whereabouts are hidden, as long as the Germans are not blind and deaf, it is impossible for our troops not to be discovered by them." In this way, a well-planned sneak attack will turn into an undesirable assault and positional warfare, which will lead to the failure of our plan to cut off the Kiev-Zhytomyr line of communication. ”

Chistyakov's words silenced the room again.

After a moment of hesitation, Kravchenko cautiously asked: "Comrade commander, what should I do with my tank troops?" You know, on that road, tanks move slower than infantry. ”

"Comrade General," although I racked my brains for a long time to think about the problems that exist in the tank army, I have not come up with any good solutions, and when I heard Kravchenko raise this question, I could only bite the bullet and say: "Fortunately, the tanks will not be of any great use in the early battle, and your army can march to Korostviv according to the original plan." ”

"I have a suggestion, Comrade Commander." Kravchenko waited for me to finish and suddenly asked, "Can I bring it up to you?" ”

I didn't know what he would say, so I nodded and said politely: "Comrade General, if you have any good suggestions, just say it." ”

"I don't think it's necessary to involve all three tank brigades in this battle!" Kravchenko said unexpectedly: "And you have just said that if the troops move slowly, they will be detected by the Germans." If our tank corps had been attacked by German air strikes during the march, the tanks that had been crowded together would have suffered huge losses. So I suggest that in this battle, only one tank brigade needs to be thrown into battle. ”

"What, put only one tank brigade into it?!" Hearing Kravchenko say this, not only I was stunned, but even Chistyakov and them were stunned. In the end, it was Bezikov who first asked: "In this way, when our tank units are facing the enemy's armored divisions, don't they have no advantage at all?" ”

"No, Comrade Chief of Staff." Kravchenko smiled and said to Bezikov: "I will send the 21st Tank Brigade equipped with new tanks, although they only have fifty tanks, but they can also maintain a complete victory record against the most elite Tiger tanks of the German army." ”

Since the end of the Battle of Kursk, I haven't heard anyone mention that new tank in front of me for a long time, so much so that I thought that this T-54/55 tank, which was ahead of its time, had completely withdrawn from the stage of history after a flash in the pan because of the lack of ammunition production capacity, but I didn't expect to hear Kravchenko mention it again today. I immediately asked him with great interest: "Comrade General, as far as I know, the shells of this new tank have never been able to supply the troops openly, because of their production capacity. The new tanks of the 21st Tank Brigade, equipped with ample ammunition? ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Kravchenko nodded vigorously and replied: "In addition to the one base ammunition that the tank brings, the accompanying logistics convoy also transports one base amount of ammunition and fuel, which is enough for a medium-sized battle." ”

When I heard that the 21st Tank Brigade had sufficient ammunition and that I was much more confident, I then asked: "Comrade General, I wonder when your remaining two tank brigades will leave for Korostviv?" ”

"It will be after our troops occupy Korostviv at the earliest." After Kravchenko said this, seeing my dazed look, he quickly explained: "The terrain there is too complicated for the deployment of large-scale armored forces. Since not a single tank brigade can solve the enemy, no matter how many tanks are sent over, we can only use the tactic of refueling in the battle, and put the tanks into battle in turn. ”

"But with only one tank brigade, your army's strength is too weak." Looking at Kravchenko's nonchalant look, I said with some concern: "If you are attacked by German anti-tank men on the way, then you will suffer huge losses." ”

"Comrade commander, you don't have to worry about this." However, I was obviously unfounded, and Kravchenko said confidently: "With the tank brigade is the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment. Although they had only one regiment, their combat effectiveness was about the same as that of an ordinary division. As long as they are there, the German sneak attack will pose no threat to our moving tanks. ”

"Well, since you're so confident, do as you say." After talking to Kravchenko, I turned to the other two division commanders and said, "Colonel Sederikov, Major General Askarepov!" ”

"Here!" The two replied neatly.

"The 51st Guards Division, as the second echelon, set off an hour after the departure of the 71st Guards Division." I took into account that Shedelikov had been with me the longest and knew a lot about my strategies and tactics, so that his troops were in the middle, and if anything, he could handle both the front and rear forces at the same time.

"Understood!" Sederikov replied briefly.

"And you, Major General Askarepov." I then said to the commander of the 77th Guards Division: "Your troops will leave an hour after the departure of the 51st Guards Division. Remember, it was necessary to leave a regiment that was responsible for cutting down trees and paving the way for General Kravchenko's tanks. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Major General Askarepov replied with a flat expression: "Please rest assured that I will conscientiously complete the task you have entrusted to me." ”

"Okay, now that the tasks are clear, let's all go back and prepare." I waved my hand at the four commanders and said, "Remember to keep in touch with us, and report to the army headquarters in time if there is any situation." ”

After the others had left, Akhromeyev placed a copy of the telegram he had just received on my desk. I quickly skimmed through the above orders, and then asked coldly, "Major, who sent this telegram?" ”

"It was sent by Captain Travkin, and several of our reconnaissance squads are operating near Uman." Akhromeyev said clearly: "I believe that the intelligence they reported is accurate. ”

"What's wrong?" Seeing my serious look, Chistyakov hurriedly asked, "Captain Travkin, what did they find?" ”

"Take a look!" I pushed the telegram on the table in front of Chistyakov and said: "Captain, they found the troops of the 'Skeleton Division' near Uman being loaded, presumably preparing to march east. ”

"To the east?!" Chistyakov frowned and asked, "Where are they going to drive to the east?" As soon as the words came out, he was stunned, and after a moment, he exclaimed, "Oh my God, the Germans are ready to drive to Kirovgrad!" ”

"That's right, Comrade Deputy Commander." After I waited for him to finish, I nodded bitterly and said: "According to my judgment, the destination of the German army is to drive to the vicinity of Kirovgrad and launch a fierce attack on the flank of the 53rd Army, which is attacking Alexandria. ”

"So what are we going to do?" Chistyakov asked nervously.

"First of all, immediately inform General Managarov of this information, so that they can take the necessary precautions." "At the same time, we will use no less than one division of troops to launch a surprise attack on the flank and rear of the 'Skeleton Division', disrupt their offensive steps, and ensure the safety of friendly flanks. ”

"Although the 'Skeleton Division' suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Kursk, as the ace unit of the German army, they must have been adequately replenished in these two months." "If we don't have enough tanks, it's almost impossible to inflict heavy damage on them," Chistyakov worried. ”

"Didn't Kravchenko leave the 20th and 22nd tank brigades behind?" Bezikov interjected: "We will use these two tank brigades to carry out a surprise attack on the flank and rear of the 'skeleton division', and I believe that we will definitely be able to inflict heavy losses on them." ”

I was just about to say that these two tank brigades are to be used in the Korostviv direction to cut off the Kiev-Zhytomyr line of communication. But on second thought, if the Skeleton Division did crush the 53rd Army, then we would have to face a strong German force, and the entire defensive deployment would be disrupted. In order to ensure the security of the defense area, these two tank brigades could only be called in on a temporary basis. Thinking of this, I immediately ordered Bezikov: "Chief of Staff, you immediately call General Kravchenko and ask him to first assign the 20th and 22nd tank brigades to the command of the army group. ”

"Yes!" When Bezikov heard my order, he did not disagree and immediately turned around and carried out the order.

"And you, Comrade Major." I pointed with my hand to Akhromeyev, who was standing next to me: "You immediately send a telegram to General Managarov of the 53rd Army, inform him of this information, and make the necessary defensive arrangements." ”

After the telegram to Managarov was sent, it was not until an hour later that a reply was received. It briefly reads: "Got it, thank you!" ”

After reading the telegram, my heart sank, and I said that perhaps the attack of the 53rd Army was so smooth that General Managarov's warning to us seemed a little unimpressed. After I handed the telegram to Chistyakov and Bezikov for circulation, I decisively gave the order: "Let the 375th Infantry Division strengthen the fortifications in the direction of the friendly forces overnight and prevent the German units that have routed the friendly forces from rushing along the road to Cherkasy." (To be continued.) )