I immediately called Chistyakov and asked him to move the headquarters to the city as soon as possible. As soon as he put down the phone, he saw Managarov, who had been directing the troops outside all night, walking in from outside with another lieutenant colonel.

I looked at the lieutenant colonel and thought I had never seen it before. But if Managarov was able to bring him to the command in person, there must have been something important to report to me. So after a moment of silence, I asked, "Comrade General, I don't know which unit this lieutenant colonel belongs to?" ”

Managarov turned his head and glanced at the commander behind him, and then replied: "He is the deputy commander of the 252nd Infantry Division, Lieutenant Colonel Tidelev, and he is here to tell you what the division is doing." ”

When I heard that it was actually the deputy commander of the 252nd Infantry Division, especially when I saw his dejected expression, my heart couldn't help but chuckle, and then a sense of foreboding swelled. Last night, having commanded the troops to charge at the center of the city, I completely forgot that I should send troops to reinforce the 252nd Division, which cut off the rear of the German army. Based on the expression on his face, it is estimated that quite a few German units broke through their blocking positions and successfully broke through from the south of Kharkov.

I looked at Tiderev in front of me and said kindly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, please speak, I am waiting to hear your report." ”

"Comrade commander," said Tidelev, blushing and with some humility, "after cutting off the rear route of the German army, our division immediately took advantage of the local terrain and built several fortifications to prepare for a possible attack by the German army. ”

"Well done, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Hearing this, I nodded with satisfaction with the disposition taken by the division, and said approvingly: "With the strength of one of your divisions, it is an impossible task to attack the enemy, so holding the position is the wisest choice." ”

"Soon after we moved into our positions, the German infantry, under the cover of tanks, launched a fierce attack on our positions." Tiderev continued: "Thanks to the stubborn resistance of our commanders and fighters, the enemy's seven attacks before and after all ended in failure. ”

When I heard Tidelev say this, I couldn't help but doubt my own judgment, and I thought to myself, am I wrong? He didn't come here because he had let the Germans go, but because he had something else to report? Thinking of this, I said in an encouraging tone: "Go on, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, please go on!" ”

"After dark, because there was fierce fighting everywhere in the city, the division commander was worried that the enemy would take the opportunity to break through, so he personally inspected the forward positions." When he said this, a painful expression appeared on Tiderev's face, "Who knew that as soon as he reached the front, he was attacked by the German cavalry divisions, who attacked our positions with tanks and cavalry in turn. The command post where the division commander was located was destroyed by German artillery fire, and all the commanders in it, including the division commander, were killed. The front of the unified command, which was lost, was thus broken through by the Germans. ”

"The cavalry division of the German army?!" Having repeated Tiderev's words, I looked up and asked Managarov: "Comrade General, is it the 8th Cavalry Division of the SS?" ”

"That's right, it's them." One of his division commanders died, and when Managarov mentioned this unit, he immediately looked angry, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Many of our troops have suffered losses in front of this division, especially the guerrillas in the Ukrainian region, and they have almost been wiped out by them. Early this morning, taking advantage of the death of the commander of the 252nd Division and the confusion of the command system of the troops, they used an armored assault to break through the defense line of the 252nd Division in one fell swoop, covering other troops to rush out through the open gap. ”

According to the history I know, the Soviets recaptured Kharkov because the troops launched a fierce attack regardless of casualties, and second, the Germans took the initiative to withdraw from the battle because of the heavy casualties. As for the purposeful attack of the divisions on the basis of the captured fortifications, it only brought the German retreat earlier. Tens of thousands of German troops retreated south, and with the strength and equipment of the 252nd Division, it was simply impossible to stop the German troops.

After Managarov finished speaking, I turned my eyes to Tiderev and asked with concern: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how many people are left in your division now?" ”

Hearing my question, Tiderev quickly straightened up and replied: "Report to Comrade Commander, there are still more than 1,700 people in the whole division, half of whom are wounded. ”

There were still more than 1,000 men left in a division, and this statistic startled me, and after excluding the wounded and non-combatants, the total strength might be only six or seven hundred. Although I knew that after the all-night battle, there were not many German troops left in the city, but if they broke through with their own lives, the 252nd Division would not be able to stop it with their own strength. So I hurriedly asked Managarov: "Comrade General, how many troops do you have in the first place?" ”

"The 29th Guards Division has gathered more than 3,000 men, and I have ordered them to reinforce the 252nd Division." After Managarov said this, after glancing at Tiderev, he cautiously asked: "Comrade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tiderev, they let the large forces of the German army rush out of our encirclement, what are you going to do with him?" ”

"Dispose of him?!" When I heard Managarov say this, I immediately asked in bewilderment: "Why should I dispose of him?" You must know that in the face of tens of thousands of German troops, let alone an infantry division with no heavy weapons, even if there are two more well-equipped divisions, they may not be able to stop the enemy who jumps over the wall. They have done their best, and we have no right to blame them anymore. ”

I glanced at Tiderev, who was in tears of gratitude, and then said: "Comrade General, since the commander of the 252nd Division has died, let Lieutenant Colonel Tiderev take over the post of division commander." After speaking, I waved at Tidelev, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you go back to the army first." Remember, no matter how many men are left in your division, as long as the position is still in your hands, resolutely hold it. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Tiderev replied with a serious expression: "On behalf of the commanders and fighters of the whole division, I assure you that we would rather expose the bones to the wilderness than let the enemy take a single step. ”

After Tiderev left, Managarov said to me in a regretful tone: "It's a pity that so many Germans have escaped." ”

"Comrade General, it is not impossible if we are to forcibly leave all the enemies behind. But in that case, the German troops, who had been completely cut off from the rear route, would put up a stubborn resistance, and if we wanted to destroy them, we would have to pay at least several times more casualties than we do now. ”

After hearing my words, Managarov pursed his lips and said disappreciably: "As long as we can destroy the enemy, even if we make a great sacrifice, it will be worth it." ”

In response to his assumptions, I said euphemistically: "Comrade General, if the German army takes advantage of the strong city defenses of Kharkov and holds back a large number of our troops in street battles for a long time, it will make us fall into passivity. In order to avoid this, we had to get the Germans out of the city, and then we would divide them up and annihilate them in a field battle. ”

"But we got a map of the German fortifications." Managarov was somewhat unconvinced and said: "If our troops carry out a targeted attack according to the enemy's troop deployment, I believe it will not be long before the enemy can be completely destroyed." ”

"Comrade General, obtaining the German army's fortifications is indeed helpful for our army's attack. But the Germans are not stupid, if they discover the law of our army's offensive, they will understand the information on the distribution of their forces, and our army will grasp it, and then they will adjust their deployment. At this point, I hesitated for a moment, and then said what I thought decisively, "You also know that we are inefficient, even if we perceive that the German army's troop deployment has been adjusted, it may take a day or two for us to make corresponding adjustments." In this case, we will have to pay a lot of unnecessary sacrifices. ”

As we spoke, the phone on the desk rang. I picked it up and listened to it, and Konev's voice came from inside: "Hello, Comrade Oshanina. ”

"Hello, Comrade Commander of the Front." Hearing that it was Konev's voice, I hurriedly stood on the spot and respectfully asked, "Do you have any instructions?" ”

"My men reported to me that there were no longer any formed German troops in the city, and that there were only sporadic exchanges of fire in a few areas." Konev asked in an uncertain tone: "Could it be that tens of thousands of Germans were withdrawn from Kharkov?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander of the Front." Hearing his question, I replied helplessly: "Since we only placed one infantry division in the south of the city, the commander of the division was killed and the troops were almost crippled under the onslaught of the German breakthrough troops. The German troops, who had the advantage in strength and weapons, swaggered out of the open gap. ”

"It's a pity that we don't have a large force in the south of the city," Konev said with great regret as soon as I finished speaking, "otherwise we could divide and surround the German army, which would become a lost dog, in the field, and eat them all bit by bit." ”

"It's a pity to see the enemy break through from under our noses, but we can't do anything about it." After following his words for a few words, I changed the subject, "But it is not a bad thing for the Germans to flee, at least it will cause the broken troops to be demoralized and demoralized, and our troops will be able to reduce a lot of unnecessary sacrifices when they are destroyed." ”

After listening to my "high opinion", Konev sighed, and then said: "Comrade Oshanina, I also thank you on behalf of all the commanders and fighters of our front. Without the fortifications you provided, our troops would have had to pay more than double the casualties before they could break through the German fortifications on the outskirts of Kharkiv and storm the city. ”

"No thanks, Comrade Commander of the Front." I politely replied, "We are friendly troops, comrades-in-arms who fight side by side, and I think it is necessary for us to share important information." ”

I had just finished a call with Konev when I received another call from Vatutin. On the phone, he excitedly asked: "Hey, Comrade Oshanina, are there any Germans in your neighborhood?" ”

"Yes, Comrade General." I could tell from his voice that he was in a pleasant mood, and I jokingly said, "But it's all German corpses and some prisoners." ”

"What are the casualties of your troops?" Vatutin then asked.

"Comrade General, due to the casualties of the troops and the results achieved, they are still in the statistical collection, and I cannot provide you with accurate data for the time being." I glanced at Managarov, who was standing next to me, and continued: "The 252nd Division, which cut off the rear route of the German army in the south of the city, still fought bravely with a tenacious spirit in the face of the German army, which had an absolute superiority in strength and weaponry. By the end of the battle, in front of their positions, the fascist invaders left at least a thousand corpses. ”

After listening to my report, after a moment of silence, Vatutin asked: "Did the main force of the German army break through from the south of the city?" ”

I knew that I could not hide this little trick from an old fox like Vatutin, so I replied honestly: "Yes, Comrade General. According to my analysis, the Germans may have planned to retreat a long time ago, so they retreated to the south of the city last night and early this morning, under the onslaught of our troops. ”

"Comrade Oshanina, you don't need to say it, I understand." "We didn't expect the Germans to abandon Kharkov so quickly, so the troops of the Voronezh Front didn't have time to make a detour back to the south of the city," Vatutin said with a hint of regret. Otherwise, on the wide plains south of Kharkov, we can certainly teach the Germans a lesson that will last a lifetime. ”

Soon Zhukov's voice came from the telephone receiver again: "Hey, Leda, well done!" You and your men are good. I really didn't expect you to launch an offensive on Kharkov and succeed in recovering such a city in just two days. ”

Although I knew in my heart that Zhukov's praise for me was from the bottom of my heart, in order not to draw hatred and not to alienate myself from the commanders of friendly forces, I still modestly said: "Comrade Marshal, without the wise command of his superiors and the full cooperation of the Prairie Front, we and General Managarov's troops would not have been able to achieve such a major victory by relying only on our troops and General Managarov. ”

Zhukov said regretfully: "Unfortunately, the fly in the ointment is that nearly half of the German troops escaped from our encirclement." If we can destroy some more of their living forces, then in the next battle, we will achieve even more brilliant results. ”

I know that with the reconquest of Kharkov, the Battle of Kursk, which began in July, can be regarded as a successful conclusion. But on the Kharkov side, there were still millions of troops of the Southwestern Front and the Southern Front, which were fighting with the Germans. I estimated that after a short rest, the troops would immediately go into battle again, so I asked Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, my troops have suffered heavy casualties during this period of offensive, and I don't know when they will be replenished?" ”

Zhukov pondered for a while, and then said to me in a serious tone: "Don't worry, in two days at most, the additional soldiers and weapons and equipment for you will be in place." But you will have a short time to rest, for I have more important tasks ahead of me. (To be continued.) )