I contacted Rokossovsky via the radio, and I learned that hard fighting was still going on in the Lialovo area where he was located, and that the offensive launched by our troops had not made much progress for the time being due to the superiority of the German mechanized forces. Knowing that his condition was not good, I immediately ordered the tank brigade to attack and quickly move closer to the 16th Army.

The 1075 and 1077 regiments, led by political commissar Yegorov and chief of staff Serebryakov, finally arrived in the evening. Before their arrival, the fighters of the 1073 regiment had already entered the repaired defensive positions, and even in the trenches of the second line of defense, a command post was built for us out of logs.

At the command post, I met with the political commissar, chief of staff, and two other regiment commanders who had arrived in a hurry, shook hands with them one by one, and after a brief chat, sat down to discuss the next step of the operational deployment.

Let me first brief you on the current armament situation. The first line of defense was defended by the 1073rd Regiment, and although the tank brigade had been sent to support the 16th Army, the anti-tank force on the position was still sufficient because a large number of bazookas, anti-tank guns, and anti-tank grenades were found in the trenches; In addition, artillery positions of cannon regiments were arranged in the second line of defense of our army, which provided fire cover for the infantry from the rear.

After the introduction, the political commissar asked curiously: "How can the German army have so much anti-tank equipment?" ”

Chistyakov replied: "It is not surprising that nine times out of ten it was captured by our troops when the Germans occupied the Kryukovo region. And now we've taken the equipment out of their hands, and it's been returned to their rightful owners. Next, it's time for us to teach them a good lesson. ”

I picked up the topic and continued: "I just learned from Commander Rokossovsky that they are currently fighting fiercely with the mechanized units of the German army in the area of Lialovo. Among them, the 9th Guards Division of Colonel Beloborodov and the 11th Guards Division of Colonel Chernyshov had already routed the German infantry and were making a detour to the enemy's flank, preparing to encircle the enemy, who had broken through the depth of our lines. Speaking of this, I picked up the teacup in front of me, took a sip of tea, and then said in an envious tone: "Actually, the most remarkable thing is Colonel Chernyshov's 11th Guards Division, you must know that they were originally only a militia division. What is the combat effectiveness of the militia, I am sure that everyone knows in their hearts, it is such a unit that repeatedly repelled the enemy's attack on Moscow during the battle, and because of their repeated military exploits, it was awarded the glorious title of Guards Division by the highest base camp. ”

Hearing me say this, Major Schedurin, who had been sitting there without speaking, stood up suddenly, blushed, and asked loudly: "Comrade division commander, the 11th Guards Division is a hero, and our 8th Guards Division is not a vegetarian. I would like to ask what is the next task of our 1075 regiment? ”

"yes!" Major Panishev, the commander of the 1077th Regiment, also stood up and echoed: "Major Shedurin is right, our Eighth Guards Division is also good. I don't know what task Comrade Lu Dao will give us next? We promise that it will be done successfully. ”

Only then did I realize that when I praised the 11th Guards Division, I had inadvertently hurt the self-esteem of these commanders, and besides, because the two regiments were on foot, they did not catch up with the battle to recover the Kryukovo region. I understood their eagerness to fight, but no matter how anxious they were, they could only wait until tomorrow daylight, so I stood up and beckoned the two to sit down, and reassured them, saying, "Don't be anxious, the two regiment commanders should not be anxious, the great counteroffensive has just begun, and you will fight the battle." Your troops will be placed in the second line of defense, and then adjust their deployment after dawn according to the changing situation of the enemy. ”

…………

The sound of gunfire in the distance rang out all night, showing how fierce the battle between the 16th Army and the enemy was.

At eight o'clock in the morning, I received a call from Rokossovsky. As soon as the phone called, he couldn't wait to say: "Lida, after a night of fierce fighting, the enemy forces in the Lialovo area have been routed by us. According to intelligence, they are fleeing towards your area, and I have sent the tank brigade and Dovator's 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps to follow them, so you must intercept them. Create conditions for the total annihilation of this enemy force. ”

"Rest assured, Comrade Commander." I said confidently: "As long as the 8th Guards Division is there, not a single soldier of the enemy will try to pass through the Lialovo area." ”

When I called, the commissar and several of them stared at me intently. As soon as I put down the phone, Chief of Staff Serebryakov immediately asked: "Comrade division commander, Commander Rokossovsky, did they win?" ”

I nodded, and replied: "Yes, the enemy forces that routed the invasion have been defeated, and at the moment the fighters of the 16th Army are pursuing the Germans fleeing towards us. Now I order that all men be ready for battle, and that not a single German soldier be allowed to pass through our positions. ”

A few hours later, the first tanks appeared in my binoculars. It started with a few black ideas, and soon they got bigger and bigger. I counted carefully, and the Germans had eleven tanks, and behind them more than thirty armored transports full of infantry.

I immediately called Lieutenant Colonel Chernyugov, the commander of the 1073 regiment, who remained at the front command post, and told him to immediately prepare for all battles.

Lieutenant Colonel Cherniugov confidently told me: "The infantry has entered the trenches, the machine gunners have also entered positions, and the anti-tank crews have entered bunkers and various ambush sites. As long as the enemy approaches, he will already be taught a hard lesson by us. ”

I didn't say much, but calmly told him: "Not even a single German soldier must be allowed to set foot on the positions of our troops." ”

"Yes! Comrade division commander. He assured me loudly: "I promise to complete the task." Except for those German soldiers who were captured by our troops, I will never let an enemy set foot on our positions. ”

I then called the commander of the cannon regiment and ordered him: "Comrade commander, the German tanks are coming towards our positions. As soon as they are in range, they will immediately open fire, trying not to get the tanks close to our positions. ”

"Yes!" The regiment commander agreed very simply, and then said with some embarrassment: "Comrade Chief of Staff of the Group Army, now that we have only half of the base number of shells left, it is difficult to destroy all the enemy's tanks." ”

Then I remembered that in yesterday's battle, I had ordered them not to skimp on shelling the enemy, and to shoot as many as they wanted. I didn't expect to catch up with the current shortage of shells, and it seems that the remaining tanks can only be dealt with by infantry with anti-tank weapons. I controlled my emotions and said clearly: "Comrade Regiment Commander, then shoot all the shells, and let the infantry of the 8th Guards Division deal with the remaining enemy." ”