In the second half of the night, along with the 89th Guards Division, arrived the Chief of Operations, Major Akhromeyev. I knew in my heart that such an arrangement must have come from the handiwork of Chistyakov. He knew that I trusted Akhromeyev, and that the major was quite a good organization, so it was only fitting that he would be in charge of the reception and deployment of the troops.

After briefly briefing Akhromeyev on my plan, I asked him to deploy the three divisions and two tank brigades that were about to arrive in suitable positions according to this offensive plan.

After my order was given, Akhromeyev did not leave immediately, but stood in a daze. Seeing his thoughtful look, I guessed that he might have something else in mind, so I asked curiously, "Major, do you have any different views on my plan?" ”

Akhromeyev raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, and then said with some restraint: "Comrade commander, I have a little different opinion, I don't know whether to say it or not?" ”

"Say whatever comes to mind, don't have any scruples." In order for him to speak freely, I also deliberately emphasized: "You just have to treat me as the chief of staff of the division." ”

As soon as I said this, he immediately seemed much more natural, and he pointed to the map and said to me: "Comrade commander, you see, although the roads on the eastern and southern fronts look similar on the map, if I really want to choose the direction of attack, I will definitely not choose the east, but the south. ”

"Why, Major?" I can't help frowning at this statement of his, because according to my analysis, choosing the Eastern Front to launch an offensive against the Germans was the best route, and at the moment Akhromeyev made diametrically opposite proposals. To find out what was going on, I urged him, "Hurry up and tell me your reasoning." ”

"According to the information I have, although there are no rivers or swamps blocking the road to the east, there are no forests on either side of the road." Akhromeyev frowned and said: "If the road is damaged by the Germans, then the speed of our march will be affected. If our troops were stuck on the road, under German air raids, and surrounded by unobstructed troops, we would have suffered huge losses. ”

A few words from Akhromeyev could not make me change my mind, so I tentatively asked: "Wouldn't it be better if we could get air cover on the Eastern Front?" ”

Akhromeyev looked at me and said helplessly: "Comrade commander, of course it is good to have air cover. But if the Germans destroy the roads and prevent our troops from advancing quickly, even with the cover of the air force, it is still inevitable to suffer huge losses in the face of German air raids and long-range artillery bombardment. ”

Hearing Akhromeyev's repeated attempts to persuade me to change course, I felt a little unhappy in my heart, and after a moment of silence, I asked rhetorically: "Major, tell me what would happen if I took the southern route?" ”

"Comrade Commander, according to the battle reports I have received, the enemy whom we have repulsed has retreated along this road to the south." Akhromeyev pointed to the map again and said to me: "Although it is possible for the Germans to build a lot of defensive lines along the Izyum route, the road conditions are certainly better than those on the southern front, after all, the Germans are concentrated in this area, and they will not destroy the roads here in order to counterattack Kharkiv." ”

Despite all this to Akhromeyev, I stubbornly believed that the route I had chosen was correct, but in order not to discourage him, I raised my hand and looked at my watch, and said to him: "All right, major, this matter will be discussed after the scout's report returns, and now you can go and settle the troops first." Remember, the 52nd Guards Division and the 375th Infantry Division will also arrive before dawn, so you have to arrange where they will stay in advance. ”

"Understood, I'll arrange it." After Akhromeyev finished speaking, he raised his hand cleanly and saluted, then turned and walked out of the command headquarters.

Watching Akhromeyev leave, Tavart Kiradze said to me with a smile: "Comrade commander, our chief of operations has a lot of personality, he knows that launching an attack from the Eastern Front is your designated battle plan, but he still stubbornly wants to overthrow your plan. ”

When I first heard that Akhromeyev was against his plan, I felt a little unhappy, but now I calm down and think about it, and I feel that what he said still has some truth. He raised his hand to stop Tawart Kiradze and said, "Comrade General, I think it is better to wait for the scouts' report to come back, and then we will study which line to attack." ”

After I finished speaking, I picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the headquarters. It was Bezikov who answered the phone, and when he heard my voice, he immediately asked happily: "Comrade commander, have the troops of the 89th Guards Division arrived?" ”

"Yes, Chief of Staff." After a vague yes, I asked, "Where is Comrade Deputy Commander?" ”

"He went to the 52nd Guards Division and said that he would urge General Nekrasov to speed up the build-up and try to reach Chuhuyev before dawn." Perhaps he guessed that I was going to ask Kirillov next, and hurriedly added: "Comrade Military Commissar went to the 375th Infantry Division, and he said that he wanted to do political and ideological work for the commanders and fighters. You look for them, is there anything you can do? ”

"That's right, Colonel Bezkov." Hearing that the two main leaders were not there, I could only explain what I had to do to Bezikov, "I want to contact General Chuikov of the Eighth Guards Army, but unfortunately there is not enough communication force here now, and I plan to ask them to send the chief of communications, Major Lopukhov, first." ”

"I see, Comrade Commander." "Although neither of them is here," said Bezikov, "I can call the shots in this matter, and I will send Major Lopukhov to you at once." ”

As my order was given, in less than an hour, the dusty Major Lopukhov appeared in front of me. He was accompanied by a communications group with two walkie-talkies. Taking advantage of the fact that the signal corps was setting up lines and placing walkie-talkies, Lopukhov came over to salute me and respectfully asked: "Comrade commander, are you going to contact General Chuikov now?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Major." I said in an official tone, "I want to know how he's going there." ”

Lopukhov turned his head to look at his subordinates and said to me apologetically: "Comrade commander, please wait a quarter of an hour, and when the walkie-talkies are placed, I can contact the Eighth Guards Army." ”

"Can I speak directly to General Chuikov?" I asked tentatively.

Lopukhov shook his head and said regretfully: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, although you can use the walkie-talkie to talk to the other party wirelessly, the content of the call is easy to be eavesdropped by the Germans, resulting in leakage, so you can only contact General Chuikov in the form of a telegraph." ”

"What about calling?" Tawalt Kiradze asked curiously, "It's always okay to call him directly from this kind of phone with a phone line, right?" ”

"No, Comrade General." Lopukhov looked at Tavart Kiradze and replied with a little weeping: "We currently do not have a telephone line to the Eighth Guards Army, so we cannot make a direct call, and the only way is to contact us only by tapping and telegraphing. ”

"Alright, telegraph is telegraph." Knowing that my wish to speak directly with Chuikov would not be granted, I reluctantly said to Lopukhov: "Let the fighters speed up and contact the friendly forces as soon as possible." ”

It was said that it would only take a quarter of an hour, but by the time Lopkhov and Chuikov contacted them, almost an hour had passed. However, the telegram sent by Lopukhov himself was responded to in only a few minutes.

Chuikov's telegram read: "Our troops will launch an offensive against the enemy on the Severodonets River today. If your troops can cooperate, our offensive will go much smoother. ”

After reading the telegram, I turned around and asked Tavart Kiradze: "Comrade General, is there any news from the scouts sent by the 309th Regiment?" ”

Tavartkiradze shook his head and said, "So far, I haven't received any information about it. When he saw me frowning, he quickly added, "I'm going to call Lieutenant Colonel Lukin and ask if there's any progress." ”

When Tavart Kiradze went to call somewhere else, Lopukhov looked at me and asked: "Comrade commander, how can we call General Chuikov back?" ”

"Major, call back to Chuikov," I saw that Lopukhov's finger was on the button of the transmitter, and began to dictate the message: "Since the troops of our army group have not yet been assembled, and the enemy situation is unknown, we cannot provide you with the necessary support when your troops attack the Germans." ……”

As soon as the telegram was sent, Tawart Kiradze, who was calling, came over. From the serious expression on his face, I knew that something was wrong, and quickly asked, "Comrade General, how did Lieutenant Colonel Lukin report to you?" ”

"Comrade Commander, one of the situations that the scouts have discovered so far is basically consistent with the situation that Major Akhromeyev has just analyzed." Tavart Kiradze said worriedly: "The section of Chuhuev starting ten kilometers to the east was destroyed by the Germans, who dug up the roads every five hundred meters and filled them with water. The scout walked seven or eight kilometers ahead and found that the road was all like this. In order to find out how long the Germans had destroyed, the scouts continued to advance eastward. ”

"And what about the south?" When I heard that the Germans had destroyed the road to the east, my heart sank and I hurriedly asked, "Has the road also been destroyed by the Germans?" ”

"No, the road to the south is still well preserved." Tawart Kiradze reported to me, but he then said with embarrassment: "But the enemy has built fortifications in many areas, and if we want to pass through it, we will have to go through fierce battles." (To be continued.) )