When Sokov's mind came up with the idea of ​​seizing Donetsk, he was always thinking about how to get all the troops into the attack position in the shortest time.
Since his combat plan was approved by Rokosovsky, how to mobilize the troops as soon as possible became an urgent task. He knew very well that the war in the direction of Kharkov had already developed towards a square that was not conducive to the Soviet army. If he was slow to move here, many troops would be in danger of being wiped out.
"Comrade Commander," Vetkov saw Sokov staring at the map for more than half an hour without saying a word, and asked quickly: "How many days do you think we can launch an attack on the city?"
"How many days later?" Sokov raised his head and looked at Vitkov with a wry smile: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think many of our troops can support us for a few more days?"
Vitkov knew that Rebarko's two tank troops and three infantry divisions were defeated by the German army in less than two days. Therefore, when he heard Sokov's problem, he could only shake his head and smiled bitterly: "Comrade Commander, you are right. Many friendly troops do not last that long, but we are nearly 100 kilometers away from Donetsk. Even if the soldiers set out immediately, relying on their walking speed, it will take at least two days to reach the starting point of the attack."
"I was thinking that as long as we had enough transport vehicles, we could get the troops into the attack position earlier."
"Comrade Commander, where should we go to get the vehicles and transport the troops?"
"Yes, we did not have any convoys. The 21st Army deployed to the south of us at that time had it." Sokov said to Vetkov: "I can ask General Krelov for help and ask him to provide us with a convoy to transport the troops."
"Comrade Commander, let alone whether General Krelov provides us with a convoy. Even if he is willing, our large-scale mobilization will probably not be hidden from the Germans. Once they are prepared in advance, it may make our attack difficult."
"Chief of Staff, look here." Sokov pointed to the map on the table and said to Vetkov: "I plan to use a convoy to transport the troops to the town of Khaltzsk east of Donetsk. It is only ten kilometers away from the city. Even if it is walking, it takes only three hours to reach the outside of the city. After the troops enter the attack position, if it is still early, we can even take advantage of the night to launch sneak attacks on the city to reduce casualties."
Witkov stared at the map for a long time, then nodded and said, "Comrade Commander, your plan is very interesting. From Luhansk to Khartsky, we are currently under the control of our army. The troops may be discovered by the German army during the mobilization."
"Do you have any different opinions?"
"No matter what, this place is too close to the city. Once the German scouts find a large number of troops gathering, our whereabouts will be exposed. At that time, the sneak attack will turn into a strong attack, and casualties will definitely be small."
"In order to avoid being discovered by the German army, our plan may need to be adjusted," Sokov said. "I am going to let the 41st Guards Division complete this attack mission independently. After capturing the city, it will not be too late for the remaining infantry divisions, tank brigades, and artillery to rush over."
Vitkov heard a key question from Sokov's words: "Does the 41st Guards Division have not even artillery or tanks when they attacked the city? How should they deal with the enemy's strong fortifications?"
"Chief of Staff, you don't have to worry about this." Sokov said with a smile: "The 41st Guards Division is equipped with a large number of new rockets and rockets, and both attack and defense, they have enough chances of winning."
Seeing that Sokov was so confident, Vetkov changed the topic in time: "Then, next we should contact General Krelov and ask him to send us a convoy to transport the troops to Karzisk."
Sokov originally thought that he would agree to Krelov's request to borrow the convoy. But after hearing Sokov's request, Krelov said in embarrassment: "Col. Sokov, it's not that I don't help you, but that I don't have the right to transfer the transport vehicles at will before I get the orders from my superiors."
"Then what should I do?" If I can't get the transport vehicle, the troops will not be able to reach the designated attack location as soon as possible. Sokov was extremely anxious.
Fortunately, Krelov gave him a move in time: "Col. Sokov, you can report this matter to General Rokosovsky. As long as he gives me an order, I can dispatch vehicles to you with legitimate meaning."
Since Krelov needed Rokosovsky's order to dispatch vehicles to himself, Sokov immediately contacted Rokosovsky after finishing his call: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, I need a large number of trucks to transport the troops."
"Transport the troops?" After hearing Sokov's request, Rokosovsky said with some wonder: "If my judgment is correct, the road from Lugansk to Donetsk is full of landmines buried by German troops. If you go by car, the speed will indeed increase, but the danger will be also very high."
"I am going to let the convoy of the transport troops pass through the defense zone of the 21st Army and go forward to the town of Khartssk. This line is under the control of our army. Not only is the chance of encountering landmines along the way, but it is also not easy to be noticed by the enemy." Sokov explained to Rokosovsky: "After the troops arrive at the town, they will immediately change to walk and quietly approach Donetsk."
"If I give you enough vehicles, when will you probably launch an attack on the city?"
"If everything goes well, I think it's possible to launch an attack on the city in the early morning of tomorrow."
"Early morning tomorrow?" Rokosovsky thought of the deadline given by the other party when talking to Stalin, and the deadline given by the other party was to launch an attack before dark tomorrow. Rokosovsky found it difficult to do about the attack time proposed by Stalin, and Sokov directly advanced to the early morning. He couldn't help but ask with concern: "General Sokov, can you really launch an attack on time?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front." Sokov first raised the prerequisite before answering this question: "But only if we must obtain enough transport vehicles."
"Don't worry, at most two hours, you can get the transport vehicles you need." Rokosovsky asked, "How many trucks do you need?"
"No less than two hundred vehicles." After Sokov said this number, he was afraid that Rokosovsky would not agree, so he quickly added: "So many vehicles cannot even transport a group at a time."
"I'll call General Krelov now, just wait for my news."
"Chief of Staff," Sokov said to Vetkov as soon as he dropped the phone: "Immediately call the commanders of each division and the tank brigade commander, and ask all regiment-level commanders to come to me for a meeting. I want to assign combat missions to them."
Taking advantage of the time when Vitkov called, Sokov said to Cidolin again: "Col. Cidolin immediately called the three regiment commanders and ordered them to start assemble troops and be ready to take the bus for transfer at any time."
"Comrade Commander," Sidolin reminded Sokov carefully: "Our division has more organization than other troops. There are more than 5,000 people in a regiment, and I'm afraid two hundred trucks can't get there."
"You are right, so there may be only one regiment for the troops that will attack the enemy first. Tell me, which regiment will be used as the vanguard?"
As the chief of staff of the 41st Division of the Guards, Sidolin knew the combat effectiveness of each regiment. For a moment, he thought about Sokov's question and then answered decisively: "I think it is most appropriate to have Colonel Starcha's 124th Regiment as the main attacker."
"Why, Comrade Colonel?" Witkov, who had just finished a call, happened to hear what Cidolin said, and couldn't help asking.
"The reason is very simple. The political commissar of the regiment is Colonel Belkin, the old partner of the division commander. Moreover, the regiment has many old foundations of infantry brigades. Their combat effectiveness is stronger than other troops." Cidolin said confidently: "Although they only have one regiment, their role on the battlefield will definitely not be lower than that of a division."
Chapter completed!