But before I could leave, the phone rang in Command. I picked up the headphones and heard Zhukov's voice, he didn't say anything about it, and said straight to the point: "Please report on the fighting in the city of Tomarovka." ”

Listening to the sound of him flipping through the telegram coming from the earpiece, I knew that he was now anxious to know what was going on here in Tomarovka, so I began to report to him with the usual composure: "Comrade Marshal. At present, the German 676th regimental headquarters in Tomarovka has been terminated by the 71st and 51st Guards Divisions under the command of Colonel Sivakov, and the regimental commander has also been killed. Attacking in the eastern direction of the city was Colonel Nekrasov's 52nd Guards Division, which, due to the stubborn resistance of the Germans and the constant counterattacks, prevented their division from advancing from the section where so much blood had been shed. In addition......"

"How's the direction to the south of the city?" Zhukov suddenly interrupted me and asked: "You know, the headquarters of the 332nd Infantry Division of the German army is stationed there. ”

"Colonel Govorinenko's 375th Infantry Division is fighting south of the city," I quickly replied, "they were already close to the German division headquarters, but the situation there was aggravated by the German 19th Panzer Division's 73rd and 74th Panzer Regiments being thrown into the area." ”

"Did you find the German tanks?" Zhukov then asked.

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." To Zhukov's question, I immediately and unequivocally answered: "According to the report of Colonel Govorinenko, they found out that German tanks were massing and preparing for a counterattack. ”

"What steps did you take?" Zhukov asked in a deep voice.

"I ordered Colonel Bere to lead two tank brigades from the west of the city and detour back to the south of the city, so that he and the 375th Infantry Division could carry out a flank attack on the 19th Panzer Division." I'm after the briefing. He also explained his intentions to Zhukov: "If our tank forces can succeed in a roundabout, then we can cut off the retreat of the 19th Panzer Division and the 332nd Infantry Division and annihilate them all." ”

"That's good." After hearing this, Zhukov said thoughtfully: "The tactics of the German armored divisions have increasingly deviated from the original idea of infiltration and sabotage of the cluster tactics, and they no longer seek breakthroughs, but instead seek encirclement. Now that they have completely lost the ability to launch a cluster breakthrough, it is time to teach them a lesson. ”

Hearing Zhukov's praise, I could not help but feel a little complacent, and as soon as he finished speaking, I added: "Comrade Marshal, I intend to go to the section of the 375th Infantry Division with the commander of the artillery of the army group, Colonel Povsky, to guide the artillery outside the city in the direction of artillery and strive to use powerful artillery fire. Crippled the 19th Panzer Division. ”

Zhukov was silent for a while, and after weighing what I said, he said: "Okay, Leda, I agree with your plan to let Colonel Bere lead the tank troops to attack as soon as possible." By the way, let me remind you not to take hundreds of tanks in the future. Placed in a city that could not be formed in battle formation, if the Germans had air supremacy in Tomarovka at this moment. This tank unit of yours has long since been wiped out in the bombardment. Remember? ”

"Remember, Comrade Marshal." I replied with a blushing face, and then asked carefully, "Do you have any other instructions for us?" ”

"It's simple, just one word: destroy the enemy army." Zhukov said in a flat tone: "Okay, report to me tomorrow on the results of the battle." Good luck! ”

Although there were bursts of blind sounds coming from the earpiece, I still kept holding the headphones. At the same time, my mind kept thinking: "destroy the enemy army", as for what method of destruction, Zhukov did not say a word, I can only rely on myself to understand.

"Comrade Commander, what are you thinking?" Suddenly, the voice of General Tawaltkiradze rang in his ears.

I replied to him in a bit of a panic, "Oh. I was thinking about the last words of Comrade Marshal. ”

My words aroused his curiosity and asked, "What did the marshal say?" ”

"He made us destroy the enemy army." After repeating this, I shrugged my shoulders, put down the microphone, and said helplessly, "To be honest, I didn't understand his true intentions. ”

Tavart Kiradze thought for a moment, and then said to me: "Comrade commander, it's actually quite simple. The marshal meant: to destroy the enemy's army, to destroy the opponent, whether it is a frontal attack or a rear surprise attack, should be decided by the front-line commander, and he, as a high-level commander, does not care about the process, only cares about the result. ”

"I see," after listening to Tavart Kiradze's explanation, it dawned on me that Zhukov said this in the hope that I would use my own way to deal with the enemy forces in Tomarovka. As for how to fight, it is completely up to me to say, and he will never interfere with my command, as long as he can complete the task.

Thinking of this, I picked up the phone and made a call to the headquarters. As soon as I heard Bezikov's voice coming out of the earpiece, I immediately said to him: "Chief of Staff, please record my order: in addition to the 67th Guards Division, the 89th and 90th Guards Divisions, which are on standby, as well as the 77th Guards Division, which has just completed its reorganization, will move to the northwest of Belgorod overnight. ”

Bezikov did not express any objection to my sudden order, but reminded me: "Comrade commander, three guards divisions at the same time may need a unified command, right?" Otherwise, in the event of a fight, the troops fighting separately will not be able to achieve effective coordination. ”

He doesn't say, I haven't paid attention to this issue yet. After he reminded me of this, I immediately remembered that the commander of the 71st Guards Division, Sivakov, was also the commander of the 22nd Guards Army. However, at this moment his troops were entering the stage of attacking the fortifications, and if he were to be withdrawn to Belgorod to command the other three divisions, the two units in the west of the city at the moment might be in unnecessary confusion due to the adjustment of the command personnel. So after thinking for a while, I said into the microphone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please give the phone to Comrade Deputy Commander, I have something to say to him." ”

"Comrade Commander." Danilov, who was talking to me, was the first to say: "If I'm not mistaken, you're going to let me command these three Guards Divisions, right?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Deputy Commander." Since Danilov guessed my intentions, I didn't go around in circles with him, and simply talked about it. "Bezikov has no experience in commanding large corps in battle, and if he is asked to command three divisions at once, he will not be able to do this job. So after much consideration, I decided that you were the only person to command the troops. I don't know what you mean, would you like to accept my appointment? ”

Danilov did not answer me right away, but asked tentatively: "Comrade commander." How could half of the troops of our army group, who were not attacking Tomarovka, think of launching an offensive against Belgorod at the same time? You must know that when attacking fortified positions, such a division of troops is a taboo for soldiers. ”

After organizing the vocabulary in my head, I said to Danilov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, judging by the current situation, initially tomorrow morning our troops will be able to capture Tomarovka. Next, the main forces of our army group will take part in the offensive operations in Belgorod and Kharkov. Therefore, it is not a bad thing to place troops at the starting point of the offensive in advance. ”

Danilov was taken by surprise by my words: "Why, comrade commander, did you receive a new offensive order from your superiors?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander." I went on my own line of thought and said: "Long before the start of the counterattack in the south of Kursk, our army group received an order to liberate Belgorod and Kharkov. So far, the order has not been canceled. So we have to be ready to attack at all times. ”

"However, with the current strength of our group army. Can these two cities be captured? Danilov asked worriedly: "Have you thought about the consequences you will have to bear if the offensive fails?" ”

"Don't worry, my deputy commander." I smiled and said to him: "In this offensive, not only one of our army groups participated, but also General Konev's steppe front. You have to understand that under the blow of such a powerful force of our army. The defenders of the city could not hold it at all. ”

At last these words made the big stone in Danilov's heart fall to the ground, so he said cheerfully: "Since this is the case, Comrade Commander, then I agree to take over the command of these three divisions." I assure you that our troops will be the first to storm Belgorod. ”

After ending the call with Danilov. I called Govorinenko again. On the phone, I ordered him: "Comrade Colonel, don't be busy with the offensive for the time being, first gather your troops and build a strong line of defense to prevent the surprise attack of the German armored forces." Remember, be sure to lay mines and set up barbed wire so that enemy infantry will not be able to rush up so easily. ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Govorunenko sighed on the phone, and continued: "Although most of our positions are within the range of German machine-gun fire and mortars, it is necessary to place minefields, and they should be as close as possible to the positions of the Germans, we have no choice......"

"Alright, Comrade Colonel." I heard him start nagging again, and quickly interrupted him later, "Now that the task is clear, what are you procrastinating?" The Germans are preparing a counteroffensive in front of you, immediately gather your troops, move quickly! Whether we succeed in annihilating the German 19th Panzer Division will depend entirely on the performance of your divisions. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Govorinenko replied excitedly, "Allow me to immediately assign tasks to the regimental commanders below. ”

After I finished the call, I saw Povsky walk into the temporary headquarters with a few people. Except for the two officers who looked like staff officers, the rest of these people were ordinary communication soldiers holding all kinds of communication equipment. Pointing to the commanders and fighters, I asked Povsky curiously: "Comrade Colonel, what do they do?" ”

After listening to my question, Povsky was surprised and said: "Comrade commander, didn't you say that you want to go to the south of the city?" These two officers are artillery observers, as well as these communications men, who will go with us and set up artillery observation points there to provide firing parameters for the artillery outside the city and guide our artillery to destroy the enemy. ”

Figuring out that the person who appeared with Povsky was actually an artillery observer, I nodded with satisfaction, and then said to Povsky: "Comrade Colonel, since you are ready, then let's go." When it gets dark, the road will not be easy. ”

As soon as I walked out of the headquarters, Basmanov came over with a couple of fighters and reported to me: "Comrade commander, I have assembled the guard company and is ready to set off at any time, please instruct!" ”

Just as I turned my head to look at the soldiers of the guard company gathered in front of the ruins, Povsky, who was probably afraid that I would be able to do it, and wanted to go to the front line lightly, hurriedly persuaded me: "Comrade commander, from the temporary command headquarters to the headquarters of Colonel Govorunenko, it is about four kilometers away. Although the German troops in this area have basically been wiped out by our army, it is inevitable that there are still a few fish that have slipped through the net. In order to prevent a possible attack, I recommend that you bring the guards with you. ”

In fact, even if Povsky doesn't say it, I plan to bring a guard company, in addition to protecting my safety on the road, and when I reach the defense area of the 375th Infantry Division, I can also use it as an ordinary infantry company at a critical moment. Since he had raised the matter first, I said, "Well, since that's the case, let's bring the guards with you." ”

As our small army was advancing along the streets covered with bricks and rubble towards the south of the city, Povsky, who was walking side by side with me, suddenly asked: "Comrade commander, when I heard your call, do you need the artillery of the army group to provide them with artillery cover for the transfer of troops to participate in the attack on Belgorod?" ”

"Comrade Colonel, no need." Without thinking, I gave him a negative answer: "The main forces attacking Belgorod are General Konev's steppe front and General Shumilov's Seventh Guards Army, and they have more than enough artillery fire." ”

"Comrade commander, I don't understand, why not wait until we have captured Tomarovka before launching an offensive on Belgorod?" Somewhat puzzled, Povsky asked me: "Isn't it faster to defeat the enemy by concentrating superior forces?" ”

To his doubts, I patiently explained: "Comrade Colonel, the Tomarovka Line of the German army is not just the city where we are now. Even if we take this city, we will only wedge a nail in the enemy's defenses, and it will take a long time to completely destroy them. (To be continued.) )

PS: snock, Cangzhi Meteor EX, Guangming Tao Ge, Kunming Lao Hao children's shoes two votes support! Thank you book friends: johnwinter, Luoyunyan, Yuan: -D-point, Sparrow 1, aya198106, jxb3, Battle Song in the Wind, and Nameless Children's Shoes for your valuable vote! Thanks to book friends: HYPP1014, Three-skin Boy 0258, L599XL, Mu Sirou Children's Shoes Tips!