The reserves replenished by the Front entered our defense area at noon the next day, and they had to march on foot because the vehicles were busy transporting supplies to the troops.

As one unit followed one unit into the defense area, the Operations Division, which was responsible for receiving and accommodating the new troops, became busy. Akhromeyev's operational office, as a special dispatch post, all documents related to the operation and state of the troops were sent directly to them, because the operational office became the busiest unit in the entire army group.

At noon, when Danilov and Bezikov and I were studying the best offensive route after the offensive battle began, Akhromeyev walked in with a tired face, raised his hand and saluted, and said to me weakly: "Comrade commander, there are too few people in the combat department now, and I have been a little too busy for the past two days. You see, can you seconded me some more people, and then I can get them back to their old department after this period of time? ”

Before I could speak, Danilov rushed to say: "Comrade Major, it's very difficult. The Germans have just been repulsed by us, and there are many aftermaths to deal with, and the departments are strained to meet your request. ”

After waiting for Danilov to finish speaking, Bezikov also smiled at Akhromeyev and said apologetically: "That's right, Comrade Major, the situation is just like what Comrade Deputy Commander said, the manpower of all departments is very tight, and it is impossible to allocate manpower to help you, I think you may have to think of other ways." ”

Seeing Akhromeyev's disappointed expression, I quickly stood up and said to him: "Major, don't be in a hurry. Recently, the work of the Operations Division has been very intense, and this is what everyone has seen. We can't have people from within the Army Group Headquarters, but we can do so from somewhere else. ”

"Somewhere else?" Akhromeyev wondered: "Where else can you find the right person besides the command?" ”

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on me. Can't wait to see what I can do. I deliberately laughed and did not answer, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed the headquarters of the 23rd Guards Army.

When I heard the voice of General Tavart Kiradze, I smiled and said to him: "Comrade General, how do you feel when you become the commander of the army?" ”

Tavart Kiradze laughed twice. Then he replied, "I feel like I'm tired, and I have something to do every day." He was a smart man, and he understood that when I called him, I would definitely not just ask him how he felt when he became a military commander, so he immediately asked, "Comrade Commander, do you have any instructions?" ”

"How many people are in your army's newly established combat department?" I asked briefly.

Tawalt Kiradze didn't expect me to ask this question suddenly, and opened his mouth to say the data I wanted to know: "There are nineteen people in the combat department. Among them, there is one director, two deputy directors, and one assistant to the director, and they are all very capable commanders. ”

"Good." Hearing him say this, I saved a lot of words, and said straight to the point: "Except for the section chief, deputy director, and assistant director, you immediately send the remaining fifteen people to the headquarters, I have a shortage of manpower here." To borrow them for a few days. ”

"Comrade Commander, you can't do this!" Tawart Kiradze heard me speak loudly. He was about to transfer all the manpower of the combat department of the other army, and he suddenly panicked: "If you want to draw so many people from us at once, how can the work in the army be carried out?" ”

"Huh?!" His answer was already expected by me, so I deliberately pretended to be confused and asked: "Comrade General, you said that if I transfer people from you, it will affect your normal work. Is that right? ”

"Yes, that's right. That's it. Tavart Kiradze said busily. Comrade commander, as you know, our Guards shelf was just erected yesterday, and we have a lot of things to deal with. If it weren't for the fact that the group army didn't have too many people, I would like to borrow you a few capable commanders. ”

I cursed in my heart "old fox". What a lord who doesn't see a rabbit and doesn't scatter an eagle. So I deliberately pretended to be sorry and said, "Alas, Comrade General, since you don't have enough manpower there, I won't force you. I'd better call the commander of the 22nd Army, Colonel Sivakov, and borrow some people from him. ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Tawart Kiradze breathed a sigh of relief and said lightly: "The 22nd Army suffered much smaller casualties than us in this battle, and its manpower must be richer than ours. ”

"Well, since you say so, Comrade General, I'll call Sivakov and draw people from him." I pretended to follow him and said, "It's nothing, I'll just hang up." ”

With that, I still put the microphone to my ear, trying to hear if Tavart Kiradze would react. If he doesn't respond, it's not too late for me to hang up.

My attitude aroused the curiosity of Tawart Kiradze, and when he heard that I was going to hang up the phone, he asked curiously: "Comrade commander, I would like to ask, what are so many staff officers seconded to the headquarters?" ”

"That's what happened, Comrade General." I deliberately pretended to be careless and said, "The reserve troops that were replenished to us by our superiors have now arrived one after another. Major Akhromeyev's Operations Department, which was responsible for the reception and placement of troops. Because they had to count the casualties of each division before they could calculate the corresponding number of additional troops, and finally arrange for special personnel to lead the assigned troops to those divisions where they should go. This work is easy to say, but quite tedious to do. They have been so busy from morning to now that they haven't even taken a sip of water. Well, without telling you, I'm going to call Colonel Sivakov again. ”

"Comrade Commander, don't hang up the phone yet." Tavart Kiradze suddenly shouted anxiously, "You called me to ask for manpower, just to cooperate with the division of new recruits in the combat department of the army group?" ”

"That's right, Comrade General, it's for this." Seeing Tavart Kiradze unknowingly entering the urn, I secretly felt funny in my heart, but I still had to pretend to be anxious, "Anyway, you definitely can't spare people there, I'd better call Sivakov and ask him to send someone to help." After that, they will directly bring back the additional troops. ”

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Commander." When Tavartkiradze heard me say this, he became anxious and pleaded with me: "Please, it is better to transfer men from our army." ”

"Comrade General, forget it." When I said this, Danilov and Kirillov, who were sitting around the table, were already laughing back and forth, but I still had to finish the play, so I pretended to be serious and said: "Your army's shelf has just been erected, and there will definitely not be enough manpower, so I will not force you." ”

"Not reluctantly, not reluctantly at all." Patting his chest, Tawalt Kiradze assured me: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander. No matter how many people are sent to the headquarters to help, my work here can be carried out normally. Fifteen people must be a little less. In this way, I will transfer a few more staff officers from the divisional command organs of each division to gather enough forty people for you, I don't know if it is enough? ”

I forced a smile and tried to say in a steady tone: "Well, Comrade General, since you insist on this, I will agree to your request. Those forty staff officers you are talking about. Can you get to the headquarters in an hour? ”

"No problem, no problem." Although I couldn't see Tawart Kiradze's expression. But I can guess that he must be nodding and bowing into the microphone at this moment, "Within an hour, they will be on time, you can rest assured." ”

When I put down the phone, Kirillov smiled and pointed his hand at me. said: "Lida, I've known you for so long, I didn't expect you to have such a humorous side, and a few words made General Tawalt Kiradze willingly send the most capable staff officers in his hands to the headquarters of the group army to help." ”

I grinned. Turning his head and asking, Akhromeyev: "Comrade Major, is it enough for so many manpower?" ”

"Enough is enough." Akhromeyev nodded again and again and said: "No matter how many people there are, the newly renovated house in the war department will not be able to squeeze in." After that, he restrained the smile on his face, straightened up and asked me, "Are you allowed to go back to work?" ”

"Go, Comrade Major." I waved my hand at him and advised: "Replenishing the troops of each unit is the top priority of your operations department in the near future, and other things can be put aside for the time being, or handed over to other departments to complete." ”

As soon as Akhromeyev was sent away, Vatutin's phone called. He said in a serious tone: "Comrade Oshanina, I have just received an order from the Supreme Command. ”

When I heard that he was going to convey to me the order of the Supreme Command, I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart, saying that it would not be Stalin who saw that the most dangerous stage of Kursk had passed, and wanted to sacrifice for General Apanashchenko. Thinking of this, my legs couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Only to hear him continue: "The Supreme High Command has decided to entrust the task of frontal assault on Belgorod and Kharkov to General Konev's steppe front, and your Sixth Guards Army is responsible for covering his right flank, and it is the Guards Seventh Army that covers his left flank. ”

When I heard that it wasn't for Apanashchenko, my heart suddenly became much more relieved. After Vatutin had simply conveyed the order from his superiors, I hurriedly asked, "Is there anything we have to do before the attack?" ”

"After my consultation with Marshal Vasilevsky, we intend to adjust the existing defense areas of your army group." Hearing that Vatukin was going to adjust our defense area, I quickly pulled the map in front of me, and picked up a red and blue pencil, ready to record the orders he had given. "The defense area of your army group is moving westward as a whole. With the exception of Yakovlevo, all of your troops were transferred to the steppe front, and you were transferred to the area west of the Belgorod-Kursk highway to prepare for the offensive in the area of formation. ”

After staring at the map for a while, I asked: "Comrade General, now that Butovo is still in the hands of the Germans, do we need to take action to drive the Germans there out before the offensive campaign begins?" ”

"Not to drive them away, but to destroy them." Vatutin said clearly: "Since the starting point of your army's offensive is in that area, it is necessary not only to recover Butovo as soon as possible, but also to capture Tomarovka and Kryukovo at the same time." Otherwise, you will have to deploy your forces and attack in a region full of swamps and forests. As far as I can tell, you will pay a great deal of casualties. ”

"I see." I know that Vatutin is not alarmist, I have been to that area several times, and it is impossible to deploy armored forces at all, so I can only rely on infantry to fill it with human lives, "I will take these three places in the shortest possible time." ”

"Comrade Oshanina, then you have to hurry." Vatutin told me: "It is better to take these three places within a week, and to build a solid defense in the area, so that the Germans do not take them back." In this way, at the beginning of the offensive campaign, you will have a reliable starting point for the offensive. ”

After the end of the call with Vatutin, I said to the few people gathered around the table with a serious expression: "Comrade commanders, there is a new instruction from the higher authorities for us to abandon all areas except Yakovlevo and hand them over to friendly units, and after handing them over to friendly troops, the main forces of the army group as a whole will move westward and, in the shortest possible time, regain the triangle of Butovo, Tomarovka and Kryukovo, and turn this place into the starting point of our offensive in the offensive campaign. ”

After I finished speaking, Bezkov looked up from the map, looked at me and said: "Comrade commander, I think that our move should be carried out step by step. Friendly troops arrive at one place, and we hand over the defense and move again. It is important to remember that you cannot move all the defenses at once, as this will easily cause confusion and create opportunities for the Germans to take advantage of. ”

"That's right," Danilov continued, "I think that the change of defense of the troops of the 52nd Guards Division should wait for the end of the change of defense in all areas of the rear. At the same time, Yakovlevo of the defense zone of the 51st Guards Division, we should send troops to reinforce. The Germans saw that we had strengthened our forces at the front, and even if they knew that we were in the process of changing our defenses, they did not dare to act rashly. ”

After listening to what Danilov and Bezikov were considering, I nodded and said: "You are very thoughtful, just do what you say." After completing the move, we will begin to prepare for the attack on Butovo. In order to find out the enemy's strength and defensive situation, it is necessary to start collecting intelligence from now on. (To be continued.) )

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