As soon as the German mortar group was destroyed, the fighters who followed the tank ran out of their hideouts in a hurry, threw themselves directly into the anti-tank trenches in front, and fired at the enemy with the help of the fortifications.

The tanks that followed behind also stopped in front of the anti-tank trenches, suppressed the German firing points with artillery fire, covered the infantry hiding behind the bodies, and quickly entered the anti-tank trenches.

I can tell from the performance of the commanders and fighters which are veterans and which are new. As soon as the veteran ran out from behind the tank, he came up with a few rolls and entered the anti-tank trench; Recruits, on the other hand, climb awkwardly on their hands and feet, and when they reach the edge of the pit, they usually have to rely on veterans to pull them in.

Our tanks were lined up on this side of the anti-tank trench, and since there were our commanders and fighters in the trenches, they did not have to worry about the German anti-tank fighters, and they could calmly shell or strafe at exposed fire points.

I was watching the excitement when I suddenly heard someone at the door asking loudly: "Is Comrade Commander here?" ”

I heard Sivakov's voice, and quickly turned around and said outside, "Is it General Sivakov?" Come on in! ”

As soon as my words fell, Sivakov walked in with two division commanders, Babakhin and Chernov. After the three of them raised their hands and saluted, Sivakov reported to me: "Comrade commander, I have arrived with the 77th and 90th Guards Divisions, please assign combat missions." ”

"Don't be in a hurry, Comrade Commander." I brought him to the lookout, pointed to the battlefield in the distance, and said to him: "You see, General Baksov's troops are still clearing the outlying positions of Dergach. You let the commanders and fighters rest in place first, and I will assign you combat missions later. ”

"Comrade Commander." Colonel Babakhin suddenly said: "You better assign us the combat mission earlier, otherwise even if you let everyone rest, everyone will be unsteady......"

"Colonel Babahim, stop talking." Before the new commander of the 71st Guards Division could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Sivakov, after which the teacher commander said to me apologetically: "Comrade commander. He's a guy who can't sit still when he hears a gunshot, that's why he's so out of shape. ”

I saw that after Sivakov said this, he glanced at Babachin, who was standing next to him, and the latter nodded slightly, and with a look of chagrin on his face, he admitted his mistake to me: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, I was wrong. ”

I could see that the purpose of the two of them acting in front of me was to learn from me about the next combat deployment. I thought about it for a moment. Anyway, sooner or later, they were going to be assigned combat missions, and even if they were told the plan earlier, there would be no problem, so they called a few people to the table. Pointing to the map spread out on it, he said: "General Sivakov, the current task of capturing Durgach is mainly carried out by Baksov's 67th Guards Division. Next, the 71st Guards Division, led by Colonel Babachin, launched an attack on the forest area where the Germans were stationed. Drive them away from there. As for General Chernov's 90th Guards Division, "when I said this. He looked up at Chernov, who was standing opposite, "The task of your division is to quickly advance to the north bank of the Oud River after the friendly forces have cleared the German troops in the forest, occupy the strongholds of the German army in these places, and break through the Oud River as the main force." Advance to Kharkov to create conditions. ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." When Chernov heard that the task of forcibly crossing the Ud-River had been entrusted to their division, an expression of surprise appeared on his face, and he said to me with emotion: "Our division will definitely be the first to rush into Kharkov." ”

"According to our reconnaissance, there is only one iron bridge over the Oud River. If the Germans blow up the bridge, you will be able to force the crossing by boat. I looked at Chernov and said solemnly: "Therefore, when capturing the German stronghold on the north bank, you should collect a large amount of equipment for crossing the river, so that we can quickly break through the German defenses and rush to the opposite bank." ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Chernov stared into my eyes and said in a firm tone: "I promise not to disappoint your expectations." ”

No sooner had I finished my assignment than the phone rang on my desk. Baksov grabbed the headset in his hand, listened to it for a while, and then respectfully handed it to me, and at the same time whispered: "It was the call from the commander of the Front Army himself." ”

When I heard Baksov say this, I couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and I thought to myself, is there something big wrong, otherwise why did he call the front line? I asked, full of doubts: "Hello, Comrade General, do you have any new instructions?" ”

"Comrade Oshanina, do you know that the operations of the steppe front to attack Kharkov from both the north and the east have stopped?" Vatutin did not tell me directly about any new tasks, but first mentioned Konev's Front.

"Yes, Comrade General." I replied respectfully: "The reason why we moved towards Djergach yesterday was because the frontal attack of the steppe front had failed, and by detouring from the west of the city, it was possible to contain a part of the German forces and relieve the pressure on the main frontal attacking force. ”

"You're right." After complimenting me, Vatutin continued: "Just half an hour ago, Marshal Zhukov criticized General Konev for saying that he should not have dismantled the artillery corps without authorization and assigned it to the infantry divisions, with the result that the firepower of the offensive was so insufficient that it was difficult to break through the German defenses. He also asked the other side not to attack simply from the front against the fortified positions of the Germans, but to make as many detours as possible from the flanks. ……”

After I waited for Vatutin to finish speaking, I asked in confusion: "Comrade General, isn't our group army currently carrying out a roundabout mission?" Could it be that the higher authorities have a new arrangement for us? ”

"No, no, you still follow the original plan and continue to move closer to Kharkov." Vatutin was a little embarrassed and said, "But Marshal Zhukov, in order to ensure that you can break through the German defenses from the flank, intends to send General Managarov's 53rd Army to cooperate with you. ”

If others heard the news that the troops had been strengthened, they would have been excited, but I couldn't help laughing. Since there are many forests and swamps in Djergach, which is not conducive to the deployment of large forces, in order to prevent confusion in the movement of troops, my eight infantry divisions. It is done in a slow and sequential manner. Now, if another group army comes over, it will not be overcrowded, and even if the German army does not send out air force bombing, as long as it concentrates artillery fire on us for a while, it will cause us a lot of casualties.

"Comrade General," I was silent for a long time. Then he said tactfully: "Our current troops in the Djergach region are very rich, and there is no need to send troops over." ”

"Oshanina, what's the matter with you?" Vatujing said with some displeasure: "When others hear that they can add so many troops to themselves, it's too late to be happy, where will they be like you." ”

I can't complain to Vatutin that the place is too narrow to put so many troops, so I can only change the subject and say: "Comrade General, what we urgently need at the moment is tank troops. Without the support of tanks, it will be difficult for us to quickly get to those Kharkovs. ”

"Tank troops." Hearing my request, Vatutin fell silent, probably considering where he could transfer tank troops to me. After a long time, he said: "General Konev proposed to the marshal that General Rotmistrov's Fifth Guards Tank Army be rebuilt, so that there would be enough tanks to cover your siege." ”

I heard that the troops of Lieutenant General Rotmistrov tank corps could be transferred. I was overjoyed and asked excitedly, "Comrade General." I don't know when the tank troops will arrive? "When I asked this, I was hoping that Vatutin would tell me that the tank troops would arrive before noon, so that we could approach the periphery of Kharkov before dark.

Who knows. After listening to my question, Vatutin snorted and said: "At the moment the situation there in Tomarovka is still very bad, and the troops are getting weaker and weaker because you have just put your four divisions back together. So the Fifth Guards Tank Army still needs to stay there for two more days. ”

"Well, Comrade General. Until the tank units arrived, I could only try to launch an offensive on Kharkov. When I heard that the tank troops did not know when they would arrive, my heart was half cold, and I asked weakly: "I wonder who will be in charge of commanding the troops after General Managarov comes?" ”

"Marshal Zhukov and I mean that you will command the two armies in a unified manner, but General Konev has not replied for the time being." Perhaps afraid that I would have something to think, after a pause, he comforted me and said, "Don't worry, I'll call General Konev again later, and discuss with him who will command the combined forces." ”

After ending the call with Vatutin, Chistyakov asked with concern: "Comrade commander, what happened?" ”

"The offensive of the steppe front in the north and east is not going well," said Chistyakov, my deputy, and I told him exactly what I had just said on the phone, and finally said: "Perhaps General Managarov's troops will soon come from the north." ”

After hearing this, Chistyakov also frowned, and said with some displeasure: "We now have enough troops, what we lack is tanks and artillery." However, the higher authorities did not give us the necessary technical equipment, but sent us an incomplete group army, is this appropriate? ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, the orders of the superiors can only be carried out and are not allowed to be discussed." In front of many of my subordinates, I could only say in an official tone: "The transfer of the 53rd Army to our area is already a fact that will not be changed. The only thing that has not yet been made clear is the question of who is in command of this joint force. ”

Chistyakov looked at me, and then said with some embarrassment: "Comrade commander, although you have outstanding military achievements, your foundation has never been solid because you have been promoted too quickly. So I think that the higher authorities may still let General Managarov take command of our combined forces. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Sivakov said unconvinced: "Fighting a war is not only about qualifications, but also about personal ability. Not to mention the results we achieved in Tomarovka, even in the battle for the liberation of Belgorod, it was our 89th Guards Division that was the first to rush into the city, and the 272nd Regiment of the 90th Guards Division was the first to plant the red flag on the roof of the radio station building. ”

"Alright, Comrade Commander." Although Sivakov was fighting for me, I was worried that if anyone leaked our complaints, we would all be in trouble, so I stopped him in time, "The superiors have not yet decided who will command the troops, so don't worry." Even if the troops are commanded by General Managarov, it is nothing, after all, he is an excellent commander with rich combat experience, and I believe that under his command, our army group will still be able to exert its due combat effectiveness. ”

On the surface, my words sounded high-sounding, but the commanders present understood that I was slapping my swollen face and becoming fat, so no one spoke, and they all looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

I didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer, so I turned my head and asked Baksov, who was standing at the lookout: "Hey, comrade division commander, how is the situation outside, have our troops cleared the outlying positions of the German army?" ”

Baksov nodded vigorously and replied: "Yes, Comrade Commander." The enemy on the periphery has been largely cleared, and the tanks, with the help of fighters, have successfully crossed the anti-tank trenches and are advancing towards the city of Djergachi. ”

When I heard that the position outside the city had been occupied by our troops, I was overjoyed and was about to go over to take a look, when the telephone rang at an inopportune time.

I picked up the microphone and said loudly, "Hey, I'm Oshanina, where are you?" ”

I was supposed to call for Baksov in the future, but I didn't expect Konev's voice to come out of the earpiece: "Hey, is it Comrade Oshanina?" I'm Konev. ”

"Hello, Comrade Commander of the Front." Hearing that it was Konev who spoke, I guessed that he would definitely want to talk to me about the 53rd Army, so I took the initiative to say: "Are you calling me for the matter of the 53rd Army?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Oshanina, you guessed right." Konev said to me in a friendly tone: "We received an order from Marshal Zhukov not only to attack from the front and east of Kharkov, but to make a detour from the west and cut off the retreat and supply lines of the German army. Since General Managarov's army group has suffered very many casualties in recent battles, I have provisionally decided that the 69th Infantry Corps of the 48th Army will be placed under your command. ……”

When I heard Konev say that the 53rd Army had been strengthened by withdrawing troops, I couldn't help but smile bitterly, and said in my heart that since he had taken the initiative to strengthen the troops with heavy losses, he probably wanted Managarov's strength to be roughly equal to ours, so that even if he was the commander of the combined forces, it would be logical.

But I did not expect that some things, contrary to my suspicions, only listened to Konev continue: "After much reflection and the approval of Marshal Zhukov, I have decided that you will be in charge of the command of this combined force. ”

"What," I thought I had misheard, and hurriedly asked: "Comrade Commander of the Front, did you mean to let me command this combined force?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Oshanina, that's it." Konev said confidently: "I believe that with your ability, you will be able to command the troops to break through the defenses of Kharkov and liberate the fourth largest city in our country." (To be continued.) )