And what, the partisans formed a coalition army and recaptured Kozon overnight? When I heard the news, my first reaction was: God, this is impossible, even if there are seven or eight hundred partisans, it is not so easy to clean up more than 100 German troops, it must be a mistake.

Thinking of this, I raised my voice and asked, "Comrade General, is Captain Shamrich by your side?" I want to ask him personally, what the hell is going on? ”

"Okay, Comrade Commander, please wait a moment," Kravchenko said politely, "and I'll let Captain Shamlikh talk to you." ”

Soon the headset came Shamrich's respectful voice: "Hello, Comrade Commander, I'm Shamrichh. ”

"Hello, Captain." After politely greeting him, I asked bluntly: "I heard that the guerrillas formed a coalition army, is it true?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander, the coalition of several partisan detachments managed to liberate Kozon from the enemy in the early hours of this morning." Probably afraid that I would get to the bottom of it, he continued: "They were originally guerrillas active along the Dnieper, because some time ago the German army had withdrawn from the other side of the river. They feared that they would be wiped out, so as soon as the commanders of several guerrilla detachments consulted, they joined forces and acted together. ”

When Shamlich finished speaking, I continued to ask a question in my mind: "Comrade Captain, if I am not mistaken, these partisans must not be very numerous, where did they cobble together seven or eight hundred men to attack the German army in Kozon?" "The reason why I ask this is because when I led my troops through here at the beginning of the year, almost all the hundreds of guerrillas were recruited, and the remaining guerrillas numbered no more than forty or fifty, and as few as a dozen or so. Seven or eight troops combined, one two or three hundred people is very good, seven or eight hundred is a little too much.

"That's right, Comrade Commander." After listening to my doubts, Shamrish explained to me again: "The original strength of the guerrillas was only thirty or forty men per unit on average. But some time ago, when the German troops withdrew from the other side, they were carrying a large number of civilians. Some young people, taking advantage of the Germans' inattention, quietly fled into the forest and joined the local partisans. As a result, the number of troops increased exponentially. ”

Hearing Shamlih say that the increase in the number of guerrillas was due to the large number of fleeing civilians joining, I could not help but become more and more worried. In the era of hot weapons, the number of people is not the key to determining the victory or defeat of the battle, but depends on the level of equipment and technical tactics. The guerrillas' combat effectiveness is not strong in the first place, and with the addition of so many civilians who have not undergone military training, their current combat effectiveness is a headache to think about.

After a moment of silence, I asked tentatively: "Comrade Captain, what were the casualties of the partisans in the battle for the liberation of Kozon?" ”

My question immediately silenced Shamlih, and after a long time he replied slowly: "There are no small casualties. Originally, the guerrillas took advantage of the darkness to sneak into Kozon, but who knew that they had just solved a few sentry posts before they were discovered by the enemy. Thus, the sneak attack turned into a strong attack. The civilians who had just joined the team, because they had little combat experience, heard the sound of gunfire and ran around the streets of the city in a panic, and as a result, they became targets for the Germans in vain. The backbone of the guerrillas fought desperately to turn the tide of the battle. ”

When Shamrish had finished, I continued: "Captain, report to me the results and casualties of the guerrillas. ”

"The partisans eliminated 69 Germans, captured 15 people, and a dozen more enemies, rushed out from the weakest points of the partisan defenses." Shamlih said with some regret: "If they can get in touch with us in advance, and if we cooperate, I think maybe not a single enemy will try to escape." ”

"What about the casualties of the partisans?" When I heard him talk only about the results of the battle, but not about the casualties of the guerrillas, I urged: "Comrade Captain, tell me quickly. ”

"357 people were killed, 239 were wounded, and 32 are missing."

After listening to Sharmrich's report, I couldn't help frowning, I didn't expect that several times the force besieging the German army, and as a result, it would cause such a large number of casualties. I paused for a moment, then asked, "What's the matter with the missing person?" ”

Shamrish replied, "Perhaps...... Possible...... Probably because these new fighters saw that the situation was not good for the guerrillas, so they deserted. ”

Although I felt extremely uncomfortable with Shamlih's explanation, I could barely accept it. It is no wonder that so many civilians who have not undergone military training are not panicked in the face of a hail of bullets that may take their lives at any time, so it is normal for a few deserters to appear. I thought about it for a moment, and then asked, "Comrade Captain, according to your observations, with their current strength, can they hold Kozon?" ”

"Comrade Commander, I don't think so." Shamrish said solemnly: "The fighting backbone of the guerrillas suffered too many casualties in the battle, and if the enemy does not attack, they can still hold the city." Once the enemy launches an attack above the company level, it is estimated that the city will fall again. It was precisely because of this that I hurried back to the army command post to ask the army commander for help......"

"Let General Kravchenko send troops to Kozon and take over the defense from the partisans?" After hearing his affirmative answer, I continued: "Comrade Captain, give the telephone to your commander, I have an order to give him. ”

As soon as I heard Kravchenko's voice, I gave him an order: "Comrade General, you immediately send a motorized regiment to Kozon to take over the defense of the partisans. Remember to build the necessary fortifications around the city to prevent a possible German counterattack. After I had said these words, I thought for a moment and said: "If the enemy reoccupies Kozon, they can cut off the road from Cherkasy to Kaniv at any time." Do you understand? ”

"Totally understood, Comrade Commander." Kravchenko said with understanding: "The occupation of Kozon by the Germans is tantamount to inserting a wedge in our defensive territory, which is not allowed." Rest assured, I will make the motorized regiment resolutely hold Kozon and will never let the enemy move forward. ”

The surprise attack of the partisans on Kozon allowed us to unite Cherkasy and Kaniv into a single unit, so that when the defense was deployed, there was no need to set aside troops to ensure the security of the road communication line between the two cities.

At the ensuing meeting of the army group, Chistyakov asked me curiously: "Comrade commander, since our army group has built a consolidated landing ground on the left bank of the Dnieper, in which direction will the higher authorities engage us in the next battle?" Is it to attack Zaporosh to the south, or to attack Kyiv to the north? ”

When I heard Chistyakov talk about Kyiv, I was surprised to find that both Kirillov, who was sitting across from me, and Akhromeyev, who was standing on one side, had a look of surprise on their faces. I understand that they are very excited to think that they will soon be able to return to the place where they used to make meritorious deeds.

"In my judgment, our army group may be used in the Kyiv direction." After expressing my judgment, I went on to state my analysis: "From the map, we are half as far from Kiev as we are from Zaporosh. Moreover, now that the main forces of the Southwestern Front are approaching Zaporosh from the south, their next move is to attack the city, and then take advantage of the situation to cross the Dnieper River and advance to the western Ukrainian region. ”

"Then when do you think we can launch an offensive against Kyiv?" Chistyakov asked excitedly.

"Although we occupied Cherkasy and Kanivo, our forces were limited, and there was no chance of winning an attack on Kyiv, which was heavily fortified by the German army." In order to prevent them from overheating, I deliberately sounded the alarm bell for them, "so our main task at present is to consolidate the area we have occupied, and to construct a solid landing ground here, so that the troops of our front army can continue to cross from the other side of the river." After the main forces of the waiting army are in place, I believe that General Vatutin will use us as the starting point for the offensive and launch an offensive on the Kyiv region. ”

"Comrade commander, I heard that you led the 79th Infantry Corps and took Kiev from the Germans in just one night." Chistyakov looked at me and said in an adoring tone: "I wonder how long it will take Kyiv again to throw this army group into battle this time?" ”

"My comrade deputy commander," Chistyakov's compliment made me feel ashamed, and I replied with a wry smile: "When we attacked Kyiv, the main force of the German army was still on the right bank of the Dnieper River, and it was inseparable from our Southwestern Front and the Voronezh Front. And now, the city of Kyiv is not only heavily guarded by the Germans, but they have also built a large number of fortifications, and if you want to capture such a city, it will be no less difficult to attack than to capture Kharkiv. ”

My words made everyone gasp, because everyone had seen the cruelty of the Kharkov offensive and the 53rd Army, which was the main attacker, suffered so many losses that they could only play the role of auxiliary attack in the subsequent period of cooperation with us.

But Chistyakov was still unwilling to say: "Comrade commander, although the German army in Kiev is strong, and at the same time there is a well-developed defense system inside and outside the city. But in the face of the onslaught of the Voronezh Front, which has hundreds of thousands of people, they may still not be able to resist, right? ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, although we have more troops than the Germans and are on a par with them in terms of equipment, we will inevitably pay a heavy price to take this fortified city from the enemy." When I think of that brutal battle, my heart is terrified. "Even if it is barely captured, not only will everything in the city be shattered, but at the same time, our troops will lose the ability to continue fighting."

"Is the enemy really that tenacious?" In response to what I said, Chistyakov asked rhetorically with some distrust: "But you see that the enemy at Kanivo and Cherkasy was routed almost exclusively as soon as they exchanged fire with us, is it true that the defenders in Kiev are stronger than these troops?" ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, the reason why we were able to capture these two cities in such a short period of time is due to a lot of luck." Seeing the puzzled expression on Chistyakov's face, I continued: "Since the enemy has abandoned a large number of defensive areas on the right bank in the shortest possible time, he has withdrawn to the left bank of the river in one go. In such a situation, there was inevitably confusion in the formation of their troops. For example, among the prisoners we captured, more than 100 people belonged to more than a dozen companies that were not subordinate to each other. The enemy has so many numbers, and there is no unified command, so it is strange not to defeat the battle. However, with the passage of time, this kind of problem will be quickly solved by the Germans, and it is estimated that it will not be so easy for us to fight such an easy battle in the future. ”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lopkhov came up with a telegram and reported to me: "Comrade commander, it's a reconnaissance report from Captain Travkin. ”

After taking it and reading it quickly, I handed the telegram to Chistyakov and instructed Bezikov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, Captain Travkin is reporting that the enemy has only one infantry battalion and a tank company in Smilla. You immediately called Colonel Sederikov and asked him to move his troops to the vicinity of Smilla overnight and launch an attack on the city after dawn. ”

"Do you need the cooperation of artillery and tank units?" After recording my order, Bezikov did not leave immediately, but looked at me and kindly reminded me: "You must know that the enemy has a tank company in the city, and that is the nemesis of our infantry. ”

"Such a small city, there is no need for artillery." I thought about it for a moment, and then I ordered: "You call General Kravchenko again and ask him to send the 20th Guards Tank Brigade to cooperate with the actions of the 51st Guards Division." ”

I had just given a series of orders when I saw Lopukhov reappear in front of me, still holding several telegrams in his hand. I was worried that something was wrong, so I frowned and asked, "Comrade Major, is there anything else?" ”

With a smile on his face, Lopukhov handed me several telegrams in his hand, and at the same time said with a smile: "Comrade commander, this is the telegram that I just received. Two hours earlier, the troops of the 40th Army had succeeded in capturing the cities of Kremenchug and Svivodesk downstream of us, and the landing ground they had established was connected with our defense zone. ”

After listening to Lopukhov's words, Chistyakov immediately buried his head in the map. After looking at it for a moment, he slapped his hand heavily on the map, and then said to me excitedly: "Comrade commander, this is very good, after the friendly forces occupy these two cities, they help us to block the enemy who may come from Zaporosh, so that we can turn the center of gravity of our defense to the north and be ready to attack Kyiv at any time." (To be continued.) )