"What means of transportation are you going to use?" Sokov thought. Considering the poor road conditions in Russia, if it is transported by truck, it will take at least two or three days to cover the more than 600 kilometers, and the Rumyantsev operation took place in eight days.
It will start at the beginning of the month. If the hovercraft is delivered too late, your troops will not have time to adapt. "How long will it take to arrive?"
"According to the plan, we are going to transport it by train." Yakov said on the phone: "We will leave from Moscow at dark and arrive at the train station in Oboyan at dawn. The rest of the journey can only be transported by car.
.”
"Isn't the top speed of the hovercraft sixty knots?" Sokov calculated silently in his mind. One speed per hour is equivalent to 1.852 kilometers per hour. The speed of sixty knots is equivalent to 111.12 kilometers per hour, which only takes five or six hours.
You can reach your own defense area. "If you can't find a suitable transportation vehicle, I think you can directly arrange manpower to drive the hovercraft to my place."
"No, Misha, the hovercraft must not drive in directly." Yakov said seriously on the other end of the phone: "Not to mention driving in directly, this kind of transportation vehicle of our army will be exposed prematurely, and the long-distance
The situation will also cause the hovercraft to malfunction. You must know that although the hovercraft has been successfully converted from drawings to physical objects, it has not completed all tests. If there is a problem, it may be difficult to repair."
Hearing what Yakov said, Sokov gave up the plan of letting the hovercraft come directly from Moscow, but changed the subject in time: "Yasha, when your hovercraft arrives, it can send several pilots and passengers at the same time.
Is the mechanic technician here? After all, this is a new type of transportation that no one has seen before. Without anyone’s guidance, some problems will inevitably occur during use."
"Misha, you don't have to worry about this." Yakov said: "According to Comrade Ustinov's order, I will bring a group of technical personnel and rush to your place along with the hovercraft."
"That's great," Sokov couldn't help but feel elated when he learned that Yakov was coming to his unit. "We finally have a chance to fight side by side again."
"Yes, the last time we fought side by side was in Stalingrad. It has been almost a year now."
"Yasha, when you arrive at Oboyan train station, remember to give me a call and I will pick you up in person."
"I don't think so. You are the commander of the Army Group now, and you are so busy with things every day." Yakov declined on the phone and said, "I'd better contact the vehicle myself to transport it to you."
"Yasha, you didn't understand what I meant." Seeing that Yakov misunderstood his intention, Sokov quickly explained: "I plan to find a hiding place first to let the troops participating in the assault familiarize themselves with the hovercraft so that they can
This new type of transportation can be better used in battle."
"Okay, Misha. I will definitely call you when we get to Oboyan train station."
…
Two days later in the morning, Sokov, who was busy in the headquarters, received a call from Yakov: "Misha, my people and I have arrived at the train station in Oboyan."
"Great, this is great." When the hovercraft finally arrived, Sokov was naturally overjoyed. He quickly asked: "Yasha, how many cars do you need to carry the things you carry?"
?”
"In addition to the 22 ships given to you, plus accompanying personnel and some spare parts." Since Yakov made the call in the station duty room, in order to avoid leaking secrets, he did not say hovercraft but ships: "It will take about four
Ten cars.”
"Yasha, I can arrive within half an hour." Sokov said: "Please ask the military representative at the station to send soldiers to guard the ship and don't let anyone get close."
"Don't worry, Misha, I have already considered your concerns." Yakov replied: "In addition to the technicians, there is also a class of guard soldiers who came with me this time. They are on the ship at the moment.
While serving as a security guard."
After Sokov put down the phone, he immediately shouted outside: "Here comes someone!"
Following the shout, Seryozha trotted in from outside. He came to Kaifeng, straightened his back and asked: "Comrade Commander, what are your instructions?"
Seryosha is now a deputy battalion commander of the guard regiment of the group army headquarters, but he also serves as a company commander. Sokov directly ordered him: "Seryosa, take a guard company with me and follow me.
The train station in Oboyan.”
Upon hearing Sokov's order, Seryosha immediately agreed without asking any questions, then turned around and went out to assemble his troops.
After Seryosha left, Sokov looked at Samyko and Lunev and said: "Chief of Staff, Comrade Military Commissar, which of you would like to accompany me to Oboyan Railway Station?"
"I really want to see what this kind of hovercraft looks like." Sameko said regretfully: "Unfortunately, I still have a lot of work to do, and I really can't get away, so I can only ask Comrade Military Commissar to accompany you for a while.
Let’s go.”
The Logistics Department of the Army Group had already prepared a fleet of hovercrafts. Sameko made a call to the Director of the Logistics Department, and the Director arranged for a sufficient number of cars to be parked on the street outside the headquarters in the shortest possible time.
Lunev followed Sokov out of the headquarters. Seeing the endless convoy listening outside, he asked Sokov worriedly: "Comrade Commander, we have such a large formation, what if we encounter Germany on the road?"
Human aircraft will not become the target of enemy bombing, right?"
"Don't worry, Comrade Military Commissar." Seeing Lunev's uneasy look, Sokov quickly comforted him and said: "Now our air force has the air supremacy on the battlefield, and the German planes are all huddled in Belgoro.
Germany-Kharkov line, I don’t even dare to fly here.”
On the way, Lunev asked Sokov again: "Comrade Commander, with so many hovercrafts at the train station, will they not be discovered by German spies?"
"I think Yakov and the others must have considered the issue of confidentiality and must have disguised the hovercraft." Sokov said: "I guess even if a German spy discovered it, they would think it was an ordinary river crossing equipment. After all, we
The attack on Belgorod will begin soon, and all units are receiving equipment for crossing the river."
"Once we launch an attack on Belgorod, how long do you think it will take to win it?"
Sokov knew that in real history, the German army had no intention of holding on to Belgorod. They focused their defense on Kharkov, so that less than three days after the Soviet offensive began, Belgorod collapsed.
was recaptured. Therefore, when he heard Lunev's question, he answered confidently: "Comrade Military Commissar, the enemies holding on to Belgorod have suffered a heavy blow from us and have not yet recovered their strength. If we want to launch a formal
If we attack, it will take at most three days to capture this city."
"Three days?" Lunev said with some surprise: "I thought it would be at least three weeks, but I didn't expect you to be so confident."
"Comrade Military Commissar, don't forget, it only took us a day or two to annihilate an enemy division." Sokov said disapprovingly: "Now the remaining enemies in the city are facing us.
They won't be able to hold on to such a huge offensive for long."
Sokov's new headquarters is only a dozen kilometers away from Oboyan Railway Station. According to normal driving speed, it can be reached in half an hour at most. However, along the way, we encountered infantry, tanks and various transport vehicles heading south.
, so that Sokov and his convoy had to stop at any time to make way for the troops and vehicles heading south.
By the time they arrived at Oboyan train station, two hours had passed.
Yakov, who had been waiting impatiently, saw Sokov's appearance and said with some displeasure: "Misha, didn't you say you'd be there in half an hour? You know, two hours have passed now.
.”
"Colonel Yakov," Lunev saw the embarrassed expression on Sokov's face, and quickly defended him: "You don't know something. There are many troops going south now, and the road conditions are not ideal. Our
The convoy was stuck on the road for a long time, which is why it was so late."
Yakov also knew that Sokov was not unpunctual. The reason why he was late for so long must have been something happened on the road. After listening to Runev's explanation, his expression returned to normal, and he looked at
Luniev asked: "Comrade General, I don't know what to call you?"
"Yasha, let me introduce you." Sokov interrupted promptly: "This is Lieutenant General Lunev, the military commissar of our group army. He comes from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Lieutenant General Lunev?!" Yakov couldn't help but raise his eyebrows after hearing the other party's name and rank clearly: "Are you the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
Hearing Yakov mention his past position, Runev chuckled twice and said: "Colonel Yakov, that was my past position. Now I am the military commissar of Major General Sokov."
After the two parties briefly exchanged greetings, Sokov asked: "Yasha, where is the thing?"
"On platform No. 7, the truck has not been unloaded yet." Yakov said anxiously: "Misha, you'd better ask your people to help unload the truck quickly."
Sokov agreed, and quickly called Seryosha, asking him to take the soldiers to help unload the truck, and then move the unloaded things to the truck.
While Seryosha was leading the soldiers to move the hovercraft, Sokov asked Yakov: "Yakov, how long are you going to stay in my army this time?"
"I heard that we will launch an attack on Belgorod and Kharkov soon." Yakov said: "I estimate that I can only return to Moscow after taking these two cities." He raised his hand.
He patted Sokov on the shoulder and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid I'll have to stay with you for a long time this time."
Sokov felt that the Soviet army captured Kharkov on August 23, less than a month before the full victory, so he smiled and said to Yakov: "Yasha, now our army is marching towards Belgo
Do you think the enemy can sustain the strong offensive of our army for more than a month as we gather in the Lode and Kharkov areas?"
"What, the enemy can't last for a month?!" Yakov asked in surprise: "Misha, why are you so confident?"
"It has only been more than half a month since the Germans launched the Battle of Kursk, but now our army has not only recovered all the lost ground, but has even approached Belgorod from several directions and can attack at any time.
This city launched an attack." Sokov said confidently: "I am analyzing based on the current situation. It will definitely take us less than a month to recapture Belgorod and Hal from the enemy.
Cove."
Several people stayed in the station duty room for almost an hour before Seryosha came in from the outside and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, all the goods have been loaded and ready to go at any time."
Sokov stood up, waved his hand, and announced loudly: "Let's go!"
On the way to the depths of the forest, Yakov, who was riding in the same car as Sokov, asked: "Misha, how is the enemy's defense on the other side?"
Sergeant Fraser, who was sent to conduct reconnaissance on the other side of the river, returned from the enemy's defense area early this morning and brought back a more accurate German defense map. "The scouts we sent to conduct reconnaissance on the other side of the river have returned successfully this morning.
." Sokov said: "According to the defense map they provided, it can be seen that the enemy only has a few trenches and some civil fire points by the river. I think such defensive positions may not be enough to stop the hovercraft."
"If there are only trenches and civil fire points, and no minefields or barbed wire fences, then there is not much threat to our hovercraft." Yakov nodded and said: "As long as the driver of the hovercraft uses full power, he can fly in a very short time.
Within a short period of time, we rush directly in front of the enemy. They don't even have time to react, and they will be completely wiped out by our army."
Although Sokov had already taught Lunev a lot of common sense about hovercrafts, as the saying goes: Hearing is deceptive, seeing is believing. Lunev always felt that the hovercraft mentioned by Sokov was a bit too magical, and now he heard it again
Yakov mentioned the hovercraft in such a positive tone. He asked uneasily: "Colonel Yakov, is the hovercraft really as magical as you said? It can really carry our soldiers in a very short time.
Cross the wide water and rush directly in front of the enemy."
Faced with Lunev's questioning, Yakov did not get angry or refute. Instead, he looked at Lunev with a smile and said in a calm tone: "Comrade Military Commissar, although the function of the hovercraft is a bit fanciful.
Tan, but I can tell you that this is all true."
After a short pause, Yakov continued: "If you still don't believe it, when we get there later, I will ask someone to demonstrate it to you to see if it is as powerful as the legend."
Before leaving Moscow, Lunev had visited the hovercraft, but it was still a semi-finished product at the time. He had no idea how effective it would be. When he heard Yakov say this, he also smiled and said: "Okay, Yakov
Colonel, I'm waiting to see your men demonstrate this for me."