And now, the serious consequences of doing so are already being felt.

"Comrade Zhukov has arrived, Comrade Stalin." Bosklebeshev came in and said to him.

"Ask him to come in." Stalin said.

As chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Army and deputy commander-in-chief of the Supreme Command, Zhukov made an urgent report to Stalin on his analysis of the war situation at that time. Zhukov said: "It seems that the squadron [***] in the strategic direction of Moscow will not be able to carry out a large-scale offensive campaign in the near future, because their losses are too great. They now lacked large reserves to replenish the armies and support the left and right flanks of Army Group Center. ”

"After our research, we believe that the main battle may be taking place somewhere in the Stalingrad area, since the main forces of the armored tank units of the enemy's Army Group South have already reached the area."

"The weakest and most dangerous part of the defense of our army is the Central Front. The 13th and 21st armies, covering the Stalingrad direction, had few personnel and were poorly prepared. It is possible that the squadron will take advantage of this weakness and launch a surprise attack on the flanks and rear of the South-Eastern Front, which is holding Stalingrad. ”

"What's your suggestion?" Stalin asked impatiently.

"First of all, the Central Front should be strengthened, adding to it at least three artillery-reinforced armies: one army group from the west, one army group from the Southwestern Front, and one army group from the reserves of the High Command. Assign an experienced and competent commander of the Front. Specifically, he said, I recommend General Vaduddin to serve. ”

"What, do you think it is possible to weaken the Moscow direction?" Stalin asked.

"No, it's not. We believe that the enemy in this direction will not advance for the time being, and in 12-15 days we will be able to draw at least 8 very combat-ready divisions from the west, including 1 tank division. This is not to weaken, but to strengthen the Moscow direction. ”

There was a terrible silence.

"You go to work, we'll call you in a moment." Stalin said.

Zhukov put away the map and left the office with a heavy heart.

As a result of the fact that the Red Army suffered heavy losses in previous battles. The squadron completed the first major assault on the Soviet Union, surrounded and annihilated nearly a million Red Army troops, and seized a large number of weapons and equipment. After the end of the Battle of Sverdlovsk, the Chinese [***] team advanced all the way to the western territory of the Soviet Union, and the front of the troops was directed towards Moscow.

In the south, the Centrifugal [***] team stopped on the outskirts of Stalingrad.

After the battle lines of both sides stabilized, both sides were actively engaged in intense preparations.

Although the large-scale battles stopped, sporadic battles continued, and the casualties of the Soviet Red Army in these battles were no less than those of the major battles.

At the same time, the Chinese Air Force bombed the heart of the Soviet Union on an unprecedented scale, with thousands of Chinese planes tirelessly attacking Soviet cities, industrial areas and military bases, as if they would never run out of bombs.

The air raid sirens sounded again outside the window, and instead of hiding in the dugout, as his secretaries did, Stalin went to the window and looked out into the gray sky.

In the sky, swarms of Chinese attack planes appeared, they swooped down, Stalin saw a series of rockets shoot from under the wings of the Chinese planes, and the ground immediately rose with fire.

The Soviet anti-aircraft guns began to fire, but their counterattack looked so weak in the face of the Chinese attack.

Soviet fighter planes appeared, chasing and fighting enemy planes in the sky.

The battle was unprecedentedly fierce, and Stalin unconsciously counted the number of downed fighters on both sides, and did not fear that the enemy would suddenly fly in front of him, and with a single strafing shot, he would be beaten into a sieve.

Chinese, like Chinese, have an almost fanatical love for cultural monuments. Every attack by Chinese aircraft will blow up the military and industrial facilities that can be seen, but they can show mercy to Russia's historical and cultural monuments. This is why the Kremlin is fine now - Stalin knew that it was the Chinese who did not bomb the Kremlin, and not the result of the heroic defense of the Soviet military and civilians, as the Soviet propaganda told the public.

Stalin could not have imagined that while he was watching the air battle, Yang Shuoming had already approved a new way to launch an attack on Moscow, and was even very impatient. He ordered, "The middle lane must be in action within eight to ten days." …… Surround them, defeat them, destroy them. ”

Yang Shuoming had great expectations for this attack on Moscow, and named it "Hurricane", as the name suggests, to attack the Soviets fiercely, to annihilate the last combat troops of the Soviets at the Moscow front, and he wanted to completely defeat the Soviet Union.

In order to make the "Hurricane" plan have the strength that suits the purpose of the plan and its codename, the Central Army Group mobilized 85 divisions, 2.3 million men, 12,700 tanks and assault artillery, 7,460 aircraft, and more than 24,000 fire-saturated mortars. The number was nearly half more than originally planned, and four of the seven tank armies on the Sino-Soviet battlefield were engaged in the campaign to attack Moscow. At the same time, there are 6 aviation groups to support the ground forces of the [***] team.

The Soviet side at this time had only three fronts: the Eastern Front, the Reserve Front, and the Moscow Front. In total, the three fronts had 105 divisions, 1.85 million men, 4,990 tanks, 1,677 aircraft, 8,600 artillery pieces and mortars.

According to the deployment of the squadron [***], the Soviet command took measures to establish a defense in depth. However, the three front armies failed to discern in time the intentions of the [***] squadron and the main direction of attack of the troops. The Eastern Front placed its main forces east of Vorone, while the two assault units of the Chinese Central Army Group were placed on the two flanks of the Soviet Army, in order to deeply encircle and detour the main forces of the Eastern Front from the south and north.

The situation with the Moscow Front was the same as with the Eastern Front. It placed almost all its reserves near Gorky, while the central [***] squadron launched the main attack from Kuibyshev.

In the second half of the night of December 12, 1944, in all the companies of the Soviet battlefield, the [***] squadron read Yang Shuoming's order to the soldiers: "Today will begin the last large-scale battle of the year to decide on the surname." ”

From dawn on December 12, the artillery of the [***] squadron opened fire on the positions of the Eastern Front, and then switched to the offensive. The assault of 30 fully manned divisions pressed on two small divisions on the right flank of Lukin's 19th Army and two divisions of the neighboring 30th Army on a 45-kilometer stretch. The disparity in forces between the two sides was enormous: 7-8 times more personnel, almost 10 times more tanks, 9 times more artillery and aircraft. The squadron soon opened a gap 40 to 50 kilometers wide at the junction of the 19th and 30th armies. The rapid corps made a detour from the northwest through this gap to the Soviet army and rushed to the rear of the Soviet army. In the other direction, the 43rd Army of the Reserve Front also failed to stop the onslaught of the Chinese 4th Field Army and the 4th Tank Group. These Soviet armies were in danger of being encircled.

However, all this was not known to the commander of the Eastern Front, Rokossovsky. On the front of the 16th Army and the 20th Army on the left, however, it was calm. The command of the Eastern Front did not give any critical signals.

On the evening of December 15, while Rokossovsky was discussing the current situation with members of the command in the bunker of the command, the staff officer on duty reported that the pilots who had sent a written order from the head of the front army had arrived. Rokossovsky hurriedly opened the file bag. The command reads:

"Commander of the Eastern Front, the 16th Army and the 20th Army

Rokossovsky and Yershakov:

The commander of the Eastern Front, Rokossovsky, was ordered to immediately transfer the defensive sector of the 16th Army with its troops to the commander of the 20th Army, Yershakov. Command yourself to lead the command structure of the army group and the necessary means of communication to force a march to Gorky no later than 6:10 a.m. Within the formation of the 16th Army, the 50th, 73rd, 112th, 38th, and 229th infantry divisions, the 147th tank brigade, 1 man-armed artillery battalion, 1 anti-tank regiment and 1 artillery regiment of the reserve of the headquarters were included in the Gorky region. The task of the army group was to hold back the enemy attacking Gorky from the south and not allow it to cross the line to the north, that is, to prepare for the formation of a group that would then turn to the offensive. Report as soon as you receive the order. Konev, Bulganin, Sokolovsky, December 15, 1944"

When all the members of the command listened to the order, Rokossovsky muttered for a moment and then said: "It seems that everything is clear. ”

"I don't know!" Major General Lobachev said excitedly, "All of our corps have just become a good look, and the upper and lower commands are on the right track. Now it's time to start all over again. ”

"The order has been given and must be carried out."

In the middle of the night, the commander of the 20th Army, Lieutenant General Yershakov, and Political Commissar Semenovsky came to receive the work. In the early hours of the morning, after everything was explained, the phone rang. General Lukin asked the 16th Army to reinforce him by 1 or 2 divisions by telephone, and his situation there was critical.

Rokossovsky told him that he had handed over the entire 16th Army to Lieutenant General Yershakov a minute earlier, and that he should ask them for help, and that this was the last conversation between the two army commanders in wartime. A few days later, Lieutenant General Lukin, who was seriously wounded, was captured by the [***] team in an unconscious condition and did not come to his senses until he had his leg amputated in a bed in the field hospital of the [***] team......

Rokossovsky hugged Yershakov goodbye. It was also their last meeting, and a few days later, Lieutenant General Yershakov was killed.

Before leaving, Rokossovsky was unable to contact the command of the Eastern Front by radio. Experience had taught him that something worrying must have happened. At this time, in the forests east and southeast of Gorky, the units of the 20th, 24th, and 32nd Soviet armies and General Balkin's army-level clusters were surrounded by the Central [***] team, and Chinese tanks were pressing towards Gorky from the north and south in order to close the encirclement. To the south, the Soviet 3rd and 13th armies southeast of Stalingrad were also encircled, and the situation was critical.

The victory in the first battle made the generals of the Chinese High Command extremely excited, and they believed that Moscow could be captured before it was done, and the Soviet Union was finished. Some newspapers and media also published articles announcing the victory of the [***] team.

On this day, the headlines of various Chinese newspapers read: "The overall situation of the Western Expedition has been decided!" ”

"The last combat-ready divisions of the Soviet Union were annihilated!"

"The military end of Bolshevism!"

"In the past few hours, another major incident has been taking place on our western battlefield. A massive new campaign has been going on for 48 hours! This campaign will be able to destroy our enemies. ”

"Today we can proudly announce, unreservedly declare, that our most dangerous enemy in the West is about to be crushed and can no longer stand up."

On December 16, the climate was dry and cold.

Rokossovsky's "Giss-101" car drove into Gorky from the south. The city's narrow streets are clogged with military vehicles. The report of the commander of the Gorky garrison, General Nikitin, is alarming.

"I don't have troops in Gorky." "Only the police," he said. There is intelligence that Chinese tanks are approaching here from the south. The citizens were in a panic. ”

"Where are the organs of the city Soviet and the party organs?"

"In the cathedral. There are also comrades from the state. ”

Not far from the cathedral, it resembles a castle and rises on a hill and is said to be 300 years old. There Rokossovsky met with the secretary of the Moscow Regional Party Committee and the head of the Political Department of the Eastern Front, Lestyv.

Nikitin brought the news by surprise to Lestyv. He didn't expect Nikitin to have not even a single unit under his command.

Rokossovsky asked Nikitin to give an account of the city's proximity. Before Nikitin could speak, he saw the chairman of the Gorky City Soviet, Vakhderov, stumbling into the basement and shouting: "Dmitry? Mikhailovich, the tanks of the Chinese are coming to the city! ”

"Why are you so alarmed?" The husband said angrily.

"I saw them through a telescope from the bell tower."

Rokossovsky, Lestyev, **v, Lobachev and their entourage quickly climbed the bell tower, and from the platform of the bell tower it can be seen that east of Gorky, about 3 kilometers in the direction of the city, the entire road is blocked by cars, and the Chinese tanks are only 1.5 kilometers away from the car column, and are firing at this column with artillery and machine guns. A thick black plume of smoke rose into the air, and it was a bullet from the Gorky oil depot that caught fire. To the north is the main road to Moscow.

Rokossovsky did not hesitate to say: "Get out of here, get out of here." ”

In the "Gis-101" car, in Lobachev and **v's "Hos" car was stuffed with people. They almost hit a Chinese tank on the road.

Soon came the alarming news: "The enemy carried out an airborne landing about 15 kilometers east of Vilnius and Kursk, and the rear organs of the army group were already behind enemy lines. ”

What to do? Rokossovsky immediately decided: "Send staff officers to the divisions to convey the order to advance in the northeast direction." We moved the headquarters of the army group to the east. ”

In the evening of the same day, Rokossovsky's command moved to the small town of Tumacek, located between Gorky and Moscow, about 8 to 10 kilometers from the main road line. It was not yet occupied by the Chinese, here there was a cavalry company of the NKVD troops, when Rokossovsky accepted them into the command column. Rokossovsky, who had spent a quarter of a century in the cavalry ranks, had previously been promoted in the ranks of major generals, knew best the surnames and psychology of cavalry soldiers, and he loved them very much.

It was impossible for the headquarters to remain in the town any longer, and soon evacuated the forest and moved to the basement of one of the organs of the front.

On the night of December 16 and the early morning of December 17, scouts conducted reconnaissance in all directions. The situation is clear: the opening of the inner enclosure has been closed near Gorky. The tanks of the squadron advanced a long way in the direction of Moscow and apparently had approached under the city of Moscow.

In the evening, in the shelter department, Rokossovsky convened an enlarged meeting of the military council of the army group.

It was a cold light rain and snow outside, and snow was pouring down from time to time through the canopy of the shelter.

"Comrades, the situation is now clear that we are caught between the inner and outer encirclements. What should we do if we can't get in touch with the divisions and the front command? ”

Major General Lobachev was the first to speak: "The personnel of the command and the signal regiment, as well as those detachments that have already joined us, should break through to Moscow along the main road route. ”

Major General Malinin disagreed: "I don't think the breakout will be successful. Now it is necessary to stay where we are and wait for our divisions to move here from near Gorky, and then start the operation. ”

Rokossovsky listened intently to what everyone was saying, thinking nervously. Finally, he said, "Can't wait any longer. It is impossible to expect troops to arrive from the west. On the one hand, we can't help the besieged troops; On the other hand, it is uncertain whether they will be able to break through on their own, and the Chinese have firmly controlled the railway from the west. Rokossovsky was silent for a moment, then said: "That is, the only way out is to get out of here." But one cannot go to Moscow, which will lead to nothing but sacrifice and destruction. Because the road is full of Chinese troops. His voice was firm and calm, "My determination is to break through to the northeast." It is likely that there will not be many Chinese there, and it is more likely to meet our troops there, you know, it is not one of our troops that is breaking through. Rokossovsky's speech began to pick up, "all the existing personnel are divided into 3 columns. Kazakov led the right column, I led the middle column, and the commander of the communications regiment led the left column. All the cars advanced in the second echelon, which was led by Orel. Armored vehicles and tanks acted together with the middle column, and the cavalry was responsible for reconnaissance. All but the driver of the car walked on foot. Depart this evening. That's it, let's do it! ”

(To be continued)