Four days later, except for the Division Field Hospital, all 16,000 people from the three guard regiments, tank brigades and division-level troops entered Lugansk and arranged defenses on the periphery of the city.
In order to strengthen the command of the troops, Sokov suggested to Cuikov that he would appoint Colonel Bere, the commander of the Tank Brigade, to serve as the deputy commander of the 41st Guard Division. Sokov's application was not hindered and was quickly approved.
After the appointment of Colonel Beret as deputy division commander was officially issued, Sokov threw his daily work to Sidolin and took charge of it, while he and Beret took an armored vehicle to inspect the defense inside and outside the city.
Seeing Sokov as if he was facing a great enemy, he was picky about the fortifications everywhere. On the way back, Bere asked privately: "Misha, now the Paulus group has been defeated by us. The troops under Manstein are also retreating step by step under the attack of our army. I really don't understand, what do you have to build these fortifications? You must know that our troops have become very tired after several months of fighting. We should use this gap to let them rest for a while."
Hearing Be Lei say this, Sokov asked with a wry smile: "Comrade Deputy Commander, do you really think we can relax our vigilance and rest here with peace of mind?"
"Isn't it?" Bere reminded Sokov: "Misha, according to the war reports we have received, the troops of the Southwest Front are now launching an attack on Zaporoze, where Manstein Headquarters is located, and successfully breaks through the enemy's peripheral positions and rush into the city."
"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, even if the friendly forces can seize Zaporoze, what can it mean?" Sokov retorted: "I have also read the battle reports during this period. The above records are that my offensive troops defeated several German regiments or battalions, but there are very few enemies that were actually eliminated.
Although our army has more people than the enemy, the enemy attacked by our army will constantly give up some irrelevant areas to achieve the goal of gathering troops. What about our army? As the front line advances, the offensive troops are getting farther and farther away from the later supply base; and every time a city is reclaimed, sufficient troops must be left for defense. In this way, fewer and fewer troops are used for attacking, and the offensive strength will become weaker and weaker. It won’t take long for the local comparison between the enemy and our forces to change. If the side with fewer troops attacks the side with strong troops, who can achieve the final victory? Isn’t the answer clear?”
Sokov's words made Beret fall into deep thought. To be honest, he felt that if the German army, which was attacked by the Voronezh Front and the Southwest Front, would not be eliminated, the only way was to give up the existing position and quickly retreat to the other side of the Dnieper River. If he continued to stay and hold on, he might fall into our encirclement like Paulus's troops. However, after listening to Sokov's analysis, his ideas changed a little.
After a long time, he turned his head and looked at Sokov and asked, "Misha, when do you think the change will happen?"
"I can't wait for a few days." Although Sokov knew the next historical trend, he was just a small division commander now, with a slight slight word and could not change anything at all. He could only sigh softly and said helplessly: "Once our army successfully conquered Zaporozer, then the German counterattack should begin."
Regarding Sokov's statement, Bere asked in confusion: "I don't understand why the enemy chose to spend the time of counterattack after Zaporoze's loss?"
"It's very simple. Our army has successively recovered Kursk, Belgorod and Kharkov. The commanders and soldiers have all developed a sense of underestimation of the enemy, feeling that the Germans' combat effectiveness has declined and it is no problem to defeat them." Sokov said with a wry smile: "After our army occupied Zaporozhe, where Manstein Command is located, this sense of underestimation of the enemy will reach a peak, and the enemy will cleverly seize this opportunity and launch a comprehensive counterattack against our army."
The armored vehicle stopped at the entrance of the division department. When the sentry on duty at the door saw the two division commanders returning, they quickly raised their hands to salute them.
"Comrade Chief of Staff," After entering the division headquarters, Sokov saw Sidolin and Anisimov sitting at the table, looking down at the map on the table, and asked casually: "Does the superior have any orders conveyed?"
"Half an hour ago, the Army Command called the group." Sidolin reported: "The call was from Commander Choikov. He said General Krelov was about to be transferred and would pass by us in two days. I hope we can send someone to protect his safety."
"What, General Krelov is going to be transferred?" Sokov asked unexpectedly: "Chief of Staff, then who will take over his position?"
"It's Major General Vladimirov." Cidolin replied: "The new chief of staff of the army will officially take office tomorrow."
When he learned that Krelov was going to be transferred, Bere couldn't help but ask curiously: "Do you know which unit General Krelov is going to be transferred?"
"It is said that he was transferred to the 21st Army as commander. At the same time, he was also transferred to the 21st Army as the head of the Political Department of the Army, Major General Vasiliev, who was also transferred to the 21st Army as military commissioner."
"Misha, it seems that our superiors still see what we have done in Stalingrad in the past few months." Berrey said comfortably: "Look, it's less than half a month before the end of the battle, Krelov and Vasiliev were promoted..."
As soon as Bere said this, Anisimov interrupted and said, "Our division has participated in the entire battle. I wonder how the superiors are planning to reward us?"
"It's all right," Cydollin said with a smile: "If there is no accident, the division commander and deputy division commander will not be promoted to generals in a long time. The remaining commanders at all levels will also be promoted to first-level military ranks."
After everyone talked for a few words, Bere remembered what Sokov hadn't finished speaking on the road, and then asked: "Misha, if the German army was going to launch a counterattack, which direction do you think they would move first?"
"I think if the enemy wants to launch a counterattack, the first thing that will be attacked will be General Vatujing's southwestern front army. The specific time is shortly after our army captured Zaporoze."
"Why?"
"If I were Manstein," Sokov pointed to the map on the table and analyzed to several of his colleagues: "I will not pay attention to the Voronezh Front that occupied the front line of Kharkov, but instead concentrated my forces to eat the aggressive Southwest Front. After achieving this battle goal, I will turn around and defeat the troops in the direction of Kharkov and retake Kharkov."
"Comrade Commander, I disagree with your opinion." As a chief of staff, Cidolin was naturally familiar with the situation of the enemy and us. He questioned Sokov's statement: "If our army really seized Zaporozer, then the German defense line would be broken by us. If they launched a rash counterattack, wouldn't they expose their weak flanks to our army? Moreover, the German army now lacks ammunition and fuel, and their reserves cannot support a medium-sized battle."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you can't say that." Sokov smiled and retorted: "It is never the number of people and technical equipment that determine the outcome on the battlefield, but which unit uses the tactics properly. Although Manstein is our enemy, if he encounters General Vatujing's troops, I think he has a greater sense of victory."
"Comrade Commander, I still stick to my own point of view," Sidolin continued: "The enemy's ammunition and fuel reserves do not support them in a medium-sized battle."
"Yes, the enemy is indeed lacking ammunition and fuel now." Sokov said: "But is our army not short of ammunition and fuel? You should know that the supply line of the Southwest Front is now more than a thousand kilometers long, and the roads and bridges along the way have been greatly damaged, which makes the logistics troops transport supplies very slowly and the number is very small. Once the war begins, the more technical equipment these troops that keep in touch with the German army will have, the more burden they will become."
"I think Misha is right." Hearing Sokov mentioned the technical equipment that the troops had, Bere stood up and agreed: "The more tanks and armored vehicles the troops are equipped, the more fuel and ammunition they need. Judging from the current supply situation of our army, it is impossible to provide the fuel and ammunition required by the troops in a timely manner. Once the fuel and ammunition are exhausted, then the tanks of our army will become a pile of scrap iron, not destroyed or seized by the enemy's tanks."
"Comrades, I think you should still remember that we seized a new type of enemy tank a few months ago, right?"
After Sokov reminded me, everyone immediately remembered what sacrifices the commanders and fighters had made in order to seize this tank. As the commander of the tank brigade, Bere immediately moved: "Misha, what do you mean is that when the enemy counterattacks, they may use this tank to deal with our tank troops?"
"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you are right." Sokov nodded and said with certainty: "In the next battle, the German army will definitely dispatch this new tank to deal with our tank troops. The enemy's new tank is equipped with 88mm tank guns, and the thickness of the front armor reaches 102mm. The 76mm cannon used by our T-34 cannot penetrate the enemy's front armor even at a distance of 400 meters. The enemy's tanks can easily destroy our tanks at a distance of 1,000 meters."
"Misha, if the German army uses such tanks in large quantities, it will be a devastating disaster for our tank troops." Bereh was anxious when he heard Sokov say this: "We should report this situation immediately, let our superiors notify friendly forces and let them take measures to deal with it."
"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, what role can we do even if we report this matter?" Sokov laughed contemptuously and continued, "Don't forget that a few days ago when I led the guard company to fight the enemy in the west of the city, the company commander of the garrison company in the city actually ran away with people. Afterwards, I reported this matter to the Front Command and asked them to notify friendly forces to deal with the company commander who escaped in the battle, but there is no further information on this matter so it is probably incomplete."
When everyone learned that the company commander who led the troops to escape was not dealt with, they were in a state of depression.
Seeing that everyone was not talking, Sokov continued, "Also, why did the German army come to attack Lugansk a few days ago? I guess the enemy learned that there was a military warehouse of our army here, which was specially used to carry out sabotage, just to make the troops of the Southwest Front not get any supplies so that they could severely damage our troops in a shorter time."
"Comrade Commander, what should we do?" After several months of getting along, Sidolin trusted Sokov very much. He asked anxiously: "I feel really uncomfortable even though we know that friendly troops are in danger, but we cannot help them. But we are just here to do whatever we should do, and do nothing, watching friendly troops be defeated by the enemy?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are wrong. We are not doing nothing." Sokov reminded Cydolin: "The mission of our division is to defend Lugansk. When friendly forces are defeated by the Germans, we must use the simple fortifications outside the city to block the influx of enemies and prevent them from rushing to Stalingrad."
"Misha." After a long silence, Bere asked Sokov: "You should report your judgment to the two-level commands of the Army and Front Army. As for how superiors treat it, that is their business. At least we must have a clear conscience."
Sokov had considered warnings to friendly forces through Rokosovsky, but the current situation on the battlefield is obviously the Soviet army has the advantage. If he proposed it rashly, he might be labeled as "disturbing the morale of the army". Maybe he would be beaten to the end, so he has been hesitant.
After hearing Bereh's words, Sokov immediately realized that he was too considering personal gains and losses, and ignored the safety of hundreds of thousands of Soviet commanders and fighters. After understanding this truth, Sokov said to Sidolin: "Chief of Staff, the Germans will not leave us too long. In the past few days, you must urge the regiments to speed up the construction of fortifications and be prepared to fight step by step, so that the enemy cannot approach the city in a short period of time."
"I understand, comrade of the division commander." Sidolin told Sokov: "I will urge the regiments to speed up the construction of fortifications and ensure that a complete defense system is formed before the enemy launches an attack."
After Cidolin made his statement, he suddenly remembered what he had reported to his superiors and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, who will report to his superiors is more appropriate?"
"In my name, I send a report to the two-level commands of the Army and the Front Army, and report my judgment." Sokov said with a serious expression: "If the superiors want to hold any responsibility, I will bear it alone."
"Misha, look at what you are saying." As soon as Sokov finished speaking, Bere continued: "We are a whole, and we naturally have to join in this matter. I think it was reported by the two of us in a joint manner."
"No, no," Anisimov also stood up and said, "Since the deputy division commander said that we are a whole, then this matter should be reported in the name of the division military committee. What do you think, Comrade Chief of Staff?"
Chapter completed!