After Lunev accepted the mission, he personally visited the division commanders and explained to them what role these rockets could play on the front line. After the other party agreed with his opinion, he proposed to collect the rockets distributed to each division and hand them over to Khokhlov's 182nd Division for use.
Faced with the orders given by Lunev, the commanders of each division did not dare to disobey and quickly ordered the company equipped with new rockets to hand over all the rockets.
After collecting all the new rockets, Lunev personally led more than 20 trucks, loading thousands of new rockets, towards the Shumakovo area, to be on the safe side.
After a night of driving, the convoy arrived at Shumakovo at dawn.
Seeing that Lunev was about to get off the car, a commander in the same car asked quickly: "Comrade Military Commissioner, where should we unload these rockets?"
"Don't worry, Comrade Major." Lunev waved his hand at the other party and said, "I'll go and see the commander first, listen to what he says, and then arrange for you to unload the car."
When Lunev walked into the command center, he happened to see Sokov leaning forward to the door and looking at the map on the table, while Khokhlov, Sepirov and others stood on both sides of him and listened to him assigning combat missions.
Lunev walked to the place where there were two or three steps behind Sokov and stopped, coughed gently, and said, "Comrade Commander, I'm here!"
Sokov heard Lunev's voice, stood up and turned around, and asked in surprise: "Comrade Military Commissioner, why are you here?"
"Didn't you call the Chief of Staff yesterday and order him to collect enough rockets from the troops that have not yet set off?" Lunev replied with a smile: "I was worried that these rockets would be unsafe on the road, so I personally brought people over. Now the convoy is parked outside, and I don't know where to unload these rockets?"
"Col. Khokhlov," learned that the convoy transporting the rockets was parked outside the command center. Sokov quickly ordered Khokhlov: "Arranging personnel immediately, unloading the rockets from the car, and storing them properly." The Chief of Staff knew that this matter was of great importance and did not dare to neglect it. He ran out to arrange for the personnel to unload the truck himself.
After the Chief of Staff left, Lunev asked Sokov curiously: "Comrade Commander, I heard that General Apanashenko had come here?"
Sokov did not hide it, but nodded: "Yes, I came yesterday."
"What are he here to do?" Lunev asked carefully: "Did you order your troops to carry out a counterattack?"
Seeing that Lunev actually knew about this, Sokov was stunned, but then he thought that since Lunev came from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he must have his own information channel. When he knew about this, he nodded: "That's right. He ordered me to put the 182nd Division into battle and counterattack the enemy in the direction of Oboyang, but I refused."
"Why do you refuse?"
"Without knowing the enemy's troops and equipment, they attacked the enemy rashly." Sokov said angrily: "A such an attack will not have any result except casualties."
"Comrade Commander, did you not expect that you might be sent to the military court because of this?"
"I never thought about it." Sokov shook his head, and then said firmly: "As long as my soldiers are not allowed to die in vain, even if I am sent to the military court, what's so great about it?"
"I think you asked the Chief of Staff to send all the rockets to Shumakovo. I guess the situation here must be very bad." Lunev asked tentatively: "Do you really think the enemy will rush to us?"
When Sokov chose this defense area, he thought of the historical books that after the German army broke through the Soviet defense line, he pushed forward 35 kilometers, and was so strong that he could not continue to advance. In other words, even if the German army broke through the Auboyan's defense line, when they arrived here, they were already at the end of their strength. Not to mention the elite troops under his command, even ordinary troops could still block them.
"Yes, based on the current situation of enemy and us, after breaking through Oboyan, the enemy will definitely continue to advance northward in order to rush towards Kursk as soon as possible and use this as the starting point of attacking Moscow. Our fortification area is just blocking the Germans' way forward."
Sokov was very confident, but Lunev was still uneasy: "Comrade Commander, we do not have the support of cannons, tanks and air force, how can we resist the German armored forces?"
"Comrade Military Commissioner, you can rest assured about this." Seeing that Lunev was worried about the German armored troops, Sokov comforted him and said, "I believe you saw that the terrain here is complicated, and the road is on both sides of the road, so the enemy cannot launch large-scale mechanized troops here. Our troops can rely on the terrain and use rocket launchers to attack enemy tanks on the hills on both sides. In this way, if the German tanks are eliminated, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
"Comrade Commander," said the political commissar Colonel Sepilov: "From today's battle situation, friendly forces have been carrying out uninterrupted counterattacks. They have continuously driven away the enemies who have broken through their defense and regained their positions."
After Sokov finished speaking, he said calmly: "Comrade Colonel, you are right. The Voronezh Front troops are constantly carrying out uninterrupted counterattacks against the enemies who have broken through the defense line. But their counterattacks will not have any effect except increasing the casualties of the troops. Look, maybe this evening will appear near our position, and then it will be a formal showdown between us and them."
Lunev believed in Sokov's judgment very much. He said that the enemy would come, and the enemy would definitely come. He stared at the map in front of him and asked without raising his head: "Comrade Commander, which regiment is the unit that is standing on the first line of defense?"
Colonel Khochlov hurriedly replied: "Report to the military committee members, the troops that are now standing on the first line of defense are the 546th Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Goriachkin..."
"Oh, it's Lieutenant Colonel Goriachkin's 546th Regiment." Lunev nodded and said, "I have visited your division twice during training and met this Lieutenant Colonel Goriachkin. In my impression, he is a commander with a very fighting spirit. I believe that under his command, all the commanders and fighters of the 546th Regiment can definitely block the German attack."
But Sokov was thinking about something else. After Lunev finished speaking, he asked Khokhlov: "Comrade Colonel, I wonder how many commanders I brought to this regiment?"
"Report to the commander," Khokhlov smiled when he heard Sokov's question: "In the 546th Regiment, there is a battalion commander, three company commanders and several platoon leaders, all of whom you brought from the Sixth Army. The reason why the regiment achieved remarkable results in training is inseparable from the commanders you brought."
Sokov was originally worried that the commanders and soldiers of the 546th Regiment had not undergone actual combat. Even if they were well trained on the battlefield, they could achieve one-third of the training results. However, he heard that there were so many old subordinates in the regiment, and he felt much more at ease. Those who were fighting backbones who had been in the army would not have to worry at all.
"Comrade Colonel," Sokov said to Khokhlov: "In my judgment, the Germans may arrive at our first line of defense in the evening and contact Lieutenant Colonel Goriachkin immediately, and report to the command immediately once the enemy's traces are found."
In the evening, although it was still bright, the commanders and fighters who were standing on the first line of defense still did not find any trace of the enemy. In this case, the commanders and fighters who had been tense for a day couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Everyone was talking in a low voice: "We have been waiting here for a day, why haven't the enemy been seen yet?"
"Aren't there tens of thousands of friendly troops ahead of us? How could their defense line be broken by the Germans? I think, it must be that the superior leader made a mistake in his judgment..."
"Don't talk nonsense," as soon as the remarks questioning Sokov were released, they were stopped by the soldiers next to him: "The person who made this analysis was the commander himself, and he never made any mistakes in his judgment. He said that if the enemy was coming, the enemy would definitely come. He stayed honestly on the position and no one was allowed to leave his post without permission."
Seeing that the soldiers seemed a little tired, Captain Zumingte asked the regiment commander Lieutenant Colonel Goriachikin: "Comrade Commander, judging from the current situation, the enemy will not know when it will appear. And we let all the soldiers stay in the trenches. Long-term tension will make people exhausted. I am worried that the enemy has not appeared yet, and our soldiers are exhausted."
Lieutenant Colonel Goriacchikin asked, "Do you have any good solutions?"
"Yes, comrade commander." Zumingte replied: "We can leave a few observation posts and continue to monitor the enemy's movements. The rest of the commanders and soldiers will return to their respective shelters to rest. When the enemy comes, it will not be too late to let them come out to fight."
Goriachkin considered that many positions were set on hills and had a wide view. If the enemy really wanted to appear, they would probably be discovered by the observation post seven or eight kilometers away. There was plenty of time for the commanders and fighters to enter the combat post. Thinking of this, he nodded and agreed to Zumingte's proposal: "Okay, Comrade Captain, just do what you said. Except for leaving a few observation posts, the rest of the commanders and fighters will go back to their respective shelters to rest."
Time passed by minute by minute, and Sokov, who was staying in the division command, was a little anxious. He thought to himself that the records in the history books were wrong. Did the German army not rush to the Soviet army 35 kilometers deep today? Otherwise, why would it be that there was no trace yet?
Although he had just asked the Chief of Staff of the Division not long ago, he couldn't help asking again: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is there any news at the forefront?"
"No, Comrade Commander." Chief of Staff shook his head and replied, "There is no news."
"Damn, why haven't you seen the enemy yet?" Sokov murmured in a low voice, raised his hand to look at the time on his wrist, and found that it was already nine o'clock in the evening.
"Comrade Commander, don't worry." Seeing Sokov's restless look, Lunev comforted him and said, "Although it is already nine o'clock in the evening, the sun outside has not set yet. The biggest advantage of summer combat is that the day is long and the night is short, and it will be dawn at three or four o'clock in the morning. It will take eleven o'clock in the evening before the genius will completely dark."
Lunev's words immediately made Sokov feel much more at ease. Since it was not dark, the German attack would definitely not stop. Their failure to appear at this moment does not mean that they will not appear again later. Thinking of this, he ordered the Chief of Staff of the Division: "Immediately contact Lieutenant Colonel Goriacchikin and let him closely monitor the south. Once the enemy's traces are found, report to the division headquarters immediately."
Just as the Chief of Staff agreed to pick up the phone and conveyed the order to Lieutenant Colonel Goriacchikin, the phone ringing on the table rang without warning. The Chief of Staff hesitated for a moment, grabbed the microphone, and said loudly: "I am the Chief of Staff of the Division, where are you?...what, do you find German tanks there?...how many? Are there infantry following behind?..."
When Sokov heard the appearance of the German tank, he was immediately excited. He quickly raised his ears and listened carefully to the Chief of Staff of the Division and the other party, but he listened intermittently, which made him anxious. After finally waiting for the Chief of Staff of the Division to put down the microphone, he asked quickly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what's the situation?"
"Comrade Commander," the chief of staff of the division replied straight, "Lieutenant Colonel Goriacchikin reported that the observation post of the first battalion found traces of the German army. After careful confirmation, the enemy had two tanks and five armored vehicles, and were advancing along the urgent highway to the defense zone of the first battalion. Now the distance is eight kilometers, and it takes as fast as twenty minutes to enter the defense zone of the first battalion."
Although Sokov knew very well that his troops must have been ready for combat at this moment, he still asked habitually: "Are the troops ready for combat?"
"Yes." The chief of staff of the division replied affirmatively: "From the moment the enemy was confirmed, a combat alarm has been issued to the troops, and now the commanders and fighters are gradually carrying out defensive positions."
When Khokhlov, who had been skeptical of Sokov, quickly asked Sokov for advice: "Comrade Commander, since the enemy has appeared, do you need to hand over all the newly transported rockets to the 546th Regiment for use?"
"No need, comrade Colonel." Sokov shook his head and said with a contemptuous look: "Only two tanks and five armored vehicles, there are only sixty or seventy enemies in full battle. With the equipment of your division, you can easily destroy them, and there is no need for any rockets."
"Oh, I get it."
"Today's battle is just the beginning, and the more cruel battle is still behind." In order to give Khokhlov a clear understanding, Sokov specifically reminded him: "When the enemy attacks in large numbers, it is not too late to use new rockets. Our troops must be like a gate, firmly blocking here, and we must never let the enemy move forward."
"Don't worry, comrade Commander." Khokhlov assured Sokov: "If we have so much equipment and cannot stop the enemy's attack, it proves that I, as a division commander, is incompetent. You can completely remove me and send me to the military court, and then find a suitable person to take over my position."
Chapter completed!