In the Battle of Bile Town, the 41st Guards Division once again established meritorious service.
When the news reached Rokossovsky's ears, while he was happy, he couldn't help but worry about the future situation of the Southwest Front. He stood in front of the map and stared carefully at the position where the battle had just ended not long ago, secretly thinking in his heart
Analyzing the German army's next possible move.
Seeing him standing in front of the map in a daze, Ma Lining hurriedly walked over and asked with concern: "Comrade Commander, what are you thinking about?"
"Chief of Staff, look here." Rokossovsky picked up the explanation stick, pointed to the location of Dnipropetrovsk on the map, and said to Malinin: "According to the intelligence we have, the German 15th Division
They just arrived here on February 20th, and in less than five days, they passed through all layers of our army's defense lines. Some of them even took a train and reached the town of Bile, 700 kilometers away.
It can be seen from this that how big are the defensive loopholes of the Southwest Front Army?"
After hearing this, Ma Lining sighed softly and said: "Comrade Commander, after this period of interaction, I found that General Vatutin is a very stubborn person. As long as it is something he believes in, no matter how others persuade him, he will do it.
Go on without hesitation until you hit your head and bleed."
"It would be fine if it was just a bloody encounter." Rokossovsky said with a sneer: "I'm worried that if he continues to be stubborn like this, he might cause heavy losses to the Southwest Front."
"Then what should we do?" Ma Lining asked tentatively: "Are we just going to watch our friendly forces being annihilated by the enemy?"
"I also want to help Vatutin, but the current conditions do not allow it." Rokossovsky said thoughtfully: "According to the order from the base camp, our Don Front Army will be reorganized into the Central Front Army, leaving only
The 21st, 65th and 70th Armies, the 2nd Tank Army and the 16th Air Force Army were combined. Several units, including the 62nd Army, were about to be transferred to the base camp reserve, and the 41st Guards under the command of Misha
The division belongs to the 62nd Group Army and may also be transferred."
"Comrade Commander, it turns out that you are worried about this matter." After Malinin figured out what Rokossovsky was worried about, he comforted him and said: "Now that the Sokovsky Division has moved away from Stalingrad, I think
It is entirely possible to transfer them from the 62nd Army and put them under the command of the adjacent 21st Army. After all, the new commander, General Krylov, has fought side by side with Sokov."
Hearing Malinin's suggestion to transfer the 41st Guards Division from the 62nd Army, Rokossovsky couldn't help but feel excited. But when he heard the next words, he shook his head: "I don't think Misha's troops can be transferred
, leave it to the command of General Krylov." Before Malinin could ask again, he took the initiative and said: "General Krylov's tactics tend to be conservative, and in the next battle, I hope that Sokov's troops can
There are more dazzling performances, but if they are handed over to Krylov's command, I am afraid they will be restrained, making it difficult for them to achieve greater results in the battle."
"Then what do you think about it?" Malinen asked.
"I think we should add a few more infantry divisions, tank brigades and artillery regiments to Sokov to strengthen his strength." Rokossovsky said this and tapped Lugansk on the map with his explanatory stick.
Position: "As long as it has enough strength, I believe that Sokov's troops can be like a nail, firmly nailed here, preventing the Germans from advancing even a step. And," at this point, he hesitated
for a moment, and then continued, "Maybe it can contain more defeated troops."
"But the troops of the 2nd Tank Army are a full 800 kilometers away from Luhansk." Malinin reminded Rokossovsky, "Besides, the road conditions are so bad today. If the tanks are allowed to move forward on tracks, I'm worried that even
If we can't cover even one-third of the distance, all the tanks will have to lie down."
"Call Misha and ask him if he has any good ideas?"
"Hello, Colonel Sokov! This is Malinin." Malinin quickly dialed the phone number of Sokov's division headquarters: "I have a question to ask you."
"Excuse me, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Front Army."
"For example, I want to dispatch several tank brigades to Luhansk. Is there any way you can help them arrive in the shortest possible time?"
"Of course the railway will be used." Sokov didn't know why Malinin asked such a question, but he answered truthfully: "Compared with roads, railways are more suitable for the rapid advancement of mechanized troops, especially tank troops. Once the railway is put into use
By using it, we can use the wagons to transport tanks, fuel and ammunition to the front line in vehicles. Not only can it increase the speed of troop mobilization, but it can also reduce fuel consumption and avoid tank failures while driving.
Basically, as soon as you arrive at the front line, you can immediately go into battle."
In order to convince Malinin, Sokov also specifically added: "According to my observation, the German armored units advancing along the railway line generally advance the fastest because they do not have to worry about the road becoming muddy. And in
When speed is needed, they can even be loaded directly at the station.
Fortunately, the enemies occupying Bile Town only brought a few tanks, otherwise I would not be able to destroy the enemies occupying the town in a short period of time."
"I understand, thank you, Colonel Sokov." After Malinin put down the phone, he repeated what Sokov said to Rokossovsky.
After Rokossovsky listened, he asked Malinin: "Chief of Staff, is there a railway between the location of the 2nd Tank Army and Lugansk?"
"The location of the tank group army is about 20 kilometers away from the nearest station." Malining said cautiously: "Under today's road conditions, it will take the tank crew at least two hours to drive the tank to the station."
"Call the commander of the tank group army." Sokov waited for Malinin to finish speaking, and immediately ordered him: "Ask him to mobilize two full tank brigades, go to the station immediately, and take a ride to Lugansk. In addition, it is better to
Deploy four artillery regiments and two rocket launcher battalions to go to Luhansk together to strengthen the defense there."
Hearing that Rokossovsky mentioned the tank brigade and artillery regiment, but did not mention the infantry, he reminded him: "Comrade Commander, what about the infantry? If it is just the tank brigade and artillery regiment, I am worried that Soko
Colonel Husband’s strength is still a bit too weak.”
"Then transfer the three divisions that once participated in the Sokov Combat Group: the 67th Guards Division, the 23rd and 321st Infantry Divisions to Misha." Rokossovsky said with a smile: "They once
If they fought side by side in the Battle of Stalingrad, let them have a good fight with the Germans in the days to come."