While waiting for the commander of the anti-aircraft artillery battalion to arrive, Samyko also asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade commander, where should we deploy the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion?"
"The air defense force of the headquarters is very weak, so deploy them near the headquarters." Sokov said: "Based on my past experience, if the enemy sneak attacks on the headquarters, you can even order the anti-aircraft guns to fire flatly to eliminate them.
Offend the enemy."
"Comrade Commander, it is said that your troops have been using anti-aircraft guns to hit enemy tanks and anti-aircraft machine guns to shoot enemy infantry a long time ago." After Lunev waited for Sokov to finish, he asked curiously: "How did you do that?"
Who came up with this method?"
"The reason is very simple." Sokov said lightly: "I had no choice at the time. Facing the attacking German tanks and infantry, it was difficult for our equipment to withstand them, so we could only use it as a living horse.
We used anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns to deal with the enemy's tanks and infantry, but the effect was unexpectedly obvious. The enemy was defeated by the anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns."
Sokov had just finished explaining to Samyko and Lunev why he used anti-aircraft cannons and anti-aircraft machine guns to shoot flatly with rather far-fetched reasons, when he heard a familiar female voice at the door asking: "Can you come in?
?”
Sokov turned his head and looked towards the door, where two female officers were standing.
But after seeing the other person's face clearly, Sokov couldn't help but exclaimed, turned around and walked towards the two of them. Due to some loss of composure, he accidentally bumped into a bench nearby. The pain made him grimace, but he still endured it.
Feeling the pain, he limped towards the two of them.
"Lida! Ulanova!" Sokov stepped forward, gave each of the two female commanders a hug, and said with some emotion, "I never thought I could see you alive."
Captain Lida had red eyes and said to Sokov: "Me too, General Sokov, I didn't expect to see you alive."
Sokov led the two of them to the table by the hand, invited them to sit down, and said to Lunev and Samyko: "Comrade Military Commissar, Comrade Chief of Staff, let me introduce you. This is Li
Captain Da, I fought side by side with me in Sushinich. That was Captain Ulanova, and we once fought hard against the enemy together at the Red October Factory in Stalingrad."
When Lunev just saw Sokov hugging the two female commanders, he had been wondering in his heart whether Sokov knew the two of them. Now after listening to his introduction, he immediately understood what was going on and quickly asked Lida
He stretched out his hand and said enthusiastically: "Hello, Captain Lida, let me introduce myself. I am Lunev, the military commissar of the group army."
Lida quickly stood up, raised her hand to salute Lunev, then held his hand with both hands and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar, I'm glad to meet you."
After both sides finished their introductions, Sokov remembered that Lida's original superior was Lieutenant Lyuba, and asked tentatively: "Lida, I remember that your company commander was Lieutenant Lyuba. Where is she now?"
Hearing Sokov's question, Lida lowered her head and said sadly: "She died heroically in the Battle of Kharkov at the beginning of the year. The instructor, Lieutenant Sweta, was also seriously injured and was sent to the hospital.
Went to the hospital in the rear. The company commander and instructor withdrew from the battle, and the superiors appointed him as the company commander of the women's anti-aircraft machine gun company."
When Samek heard this, he asked with some surprise: "Aren't you an anti-aircraft gun battalion?"
"Yes, Comrade General." Lida glanced at Sameko's epaulettes and replied: "Two weeks ago, the anti-aircraft machine gun company I commanded was incorporated into the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion and was responsible for the air defense mission in the Oboyan area.
.In an air raid last week, the battalion headquarters was unfortunately hit by an aircraft bomb from an enemy plane. Unfortunately, both the battalion commander and the instructor died heroically. As the highest-ranking commander in the battalion, I naturally took over the duties of the battalion commander.
, and Captain Ulanova serves as my instructor."
Although Lida told the whole thing in an understatement, Sokov was still frightened when he heard it. He thought that if Lida's luck was a little worse, she might have become a martyr.
"General Sokov," Lida straightened up and asked Sokov, "What is the mission of our battalion?"
Sokov did not immediately give them orders, but asked: "How many people are there in your battalion now?"
"The whole battalion now has 317 people, divided into three companies, including one anti-aircraft machine gun company with 10 anti-aircraft machine guns; two 37mm twin anti-aircraft gun companies with 20 anti-aircraft guns."
After listening to Lida's answer, Sokov felt that their strength was pretty good, so he pointed at the map and said to Lida: "Lida, your battalion is deployed to the west of the headquarters. It is not only responsible for air defense, but also for air defense.
Ground defense."
"Understood, Comrade General." Lida nodded after hearing Sokov's instructions: "I assure you, as long as our battalion is stationed, the enemy will be attacked regardless of whether it comes from the sky or the ground.
We struck with devastating blows."
"Lida, Ulanova." After Sokov assigned the task, he felt that the two female commanders should be given some special care, so he lowered his tone and said to them: "Don't look at me as the commander of the group army now.
But we are always comrades who have fought side by side. If you encounter any difficulties, please come to me; if you can't find me, contact my chief of staff, General Sameko, and he will help you solve the problem."
After seeing off Lida and Ulanova, Samyko asked Sokov with some surprise: "Comrade Commander, if the enemy really launches an attack on our headquarters, do you think the anti-aircraft artillery battalion can block the enemy's attack?"
"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, please don't make such ridiculous assumptions." Sokov waved his hand at Samyko and stopped what he was about to say: "Whether it is Lida or Ulanova, I have fought with them.
After dealing with each other, I still have great trust in the abilities of these two people. As long as there is one person in the position they are holding, the enemy will never be allowed to pass."
"Comrade Commander, I always believe that fighting is a man's business, but it is very awkward for so many women to put on military uniforms and fight with us." Sameko said, "I feel very awkward."
"On the battlefield, there are only soldiers and civilians, and there is no distinction between men and women." After Sokov waited for Samyko to finish speaking, he said righteously: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you must not underestimate women, especially those on the battlefield.
Women who have been on the battlefield, their performance in battle will never be inferior to that of any male soldier."
"Comrade Commander," Lunev interjected: "After the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion is stationed in the defensive position, there will probably be a lot of commanders and fighters in the surrounding troops who will find various reasons to enter. Look, should we issue an order?
Are any male soldiers allowed to enter the female soldiers’ camp?”
Sokov is very aware of human psychology. The more something is prohibited, the more likely it is to arouse everyone's curiosity. If he really issued such an order, even if the male soldiers did not enter the female soldiers' camp during the day, who knows if they would at night?
Someone will sneak in.
"I don't think it's necessary." It was out of this consideration that Sokov said with a smile: "Comrade Military Commissar, as the saying goes: when men and women are matched, the work will not be tiring. It is rare to see young people in the military.
Girls, there are hundreds of them here at once, and the commanders and fighters in the troops around their station will definitely try their best to get close to them. I think everything should be let nature take its course. Maybe those male soldiers want to show off in front of the female soldiers.
By unleashing their potential in battle, the combat effectiveness of the entire unit may be improved.”
"Okay, Comrade Commander." After hearing what Sokov said, Lunev did not insist anymore, but said smoothly: "We will turn a blind eye to this kind of thing.
If the combat effectiveness does not have a negative impact, we can just pretend that we have not seen it."
After talking about the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion, Sokov turned the topic to the upcoming attack: "Comrade Chief of Staff, tell me which troops should be the first echelon of the attack."
"Landing operations are the specialty of the Marine Brigade," Sameko replied: "I think the task of launching the first attack and seizing the German defensive positions on the other side of the river should be completed by the two Marine Brigades. Wait for them
Successfully captured the enemy's position, and then the infantry division took over their attack."
"If the Marine Corps brigade is the first echelon, what are the second echelon troops?"
"I think the 254th and 384th Infantry Divisions can be used as the second echelon."
After Sokov wrote down what Samyko said in his notebook, he added: "The 84th, 182nd and 188th Infantry Divisions will serve as the third echelon."
"I think the 182nd Infantry Division is not suitable to participate in this attack." Samyko said to Sokov: "After the division added a large number of old, weak, sick and disabled, the combat effectiveness of the unit has been seriously diluted. I think
They will not be able to participate in brutal battles for a long time. I think they should be used as the reserve force of the entire army."
"Use them as a reserve?" Sokov waited for Samyko to finish, then turned to look at Lunev, frowned and asked: "Comrade Military Commissar, what's your opinion?"
"I agree with the opinion of Comrade Chief of Staff." Lunev said solemnly: "The 182nd Infantry Division is not suitable to participate in this attack. With their current strength, it is very likely that they will be in the street fighting after breaking the city, because
He paid a heavy price for his lack of combat experience."
Regarding the opinions of the two men, Sokov followed suit: "Well, since you all think that the 182nd Division is not suitable to participate in the battle, let's use them as the reserve force of the group army."
Seeing that Sokov agreed to his suggestion, Samyko breathed a sigh of relief, and then reported to him: "The 30,000 assault rifles supplemented by our superiors have all been shipped. I wonder if they will be distributed to each unit?
"
Sokov thought for a long time and then asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think assault rifles should be issued to the troops at this time?"
"The countdown to the attack on Belgorod has entered." Samyko said thoughtfully: "With a large-scale change of equipment dozens of hours before the battle begins, I am worried about the newly formed troops.
Commanders and fighters do not have enough time to adapt to this new weapon, and their combat effectiveness may be greatly reduced by then."
"I think we can change the equipment of the assault troops." Lunev said: "The two Marine Corps brigades are fully equipped with only more than 5,000 troops, and more than half of the commanders and fighters are equipped with assault rifles. If we change the equipment, not only
It can maximize the firepower of lightly-armed troops during assaults, while also avoiding the trouble of ammunition supply."
Sokov thought to himself, isn't it? If the assault force occupies the other side and confronts the enemy, if it is equipped with a variety of weapons, it will increase the pressure on the logistics department. Thinking of this, he nodded and said to Sakov
Meko said: "Chief of Staff, I think Comrade Military Commissioner is right. In order to ensure victory in the battle, we should seize the time to redress the assault troops."
"I understand, Comrade Commander." Samyko understood Sokov's meaning and quickly replied: "I will immediately contact the logistics department and replace weapons for the two Marine Corps brigades overnight so that they can carry out assault missions.
time, it can maintain sufficient firepower.”
"Where are the artillery?" Sokov then asked: "Where are they now?"
"Here," Samyko pointed to the map and reported to Sokov: "The 1st Artillery Division and the 2nd Artillery Division have entered the designated positions. They only wait for the time to carry out violent attacks on the enemy's coastal positions.
shelling."
Sokov nodded while looking at the map, nodded slightly, and said: "Tell General Polubyarov that after the artillery bombardment started, his tank army moved towards the river. If the assault force can successfully capture
bridge, their tanks can pass through the bridge and rush into the city of Belgorod."
"What should we do if the bridge is blown up by the enemy while the assault force is seizing the bridge?"
"If the bridge is blown up, we can only rely on engineers to erect pontoon bridges on the river." Sokov warned: "But while the engineers are erecting pontoon bridges, the tanks of the tank army must park by the river and shell the opponent to destroy them.
The enemy's firepower points provide necessary artillery cover for the assault troops to develop in depth."
Sokov and others hypothesized the possible problems that may arise during the attack one by one and formulated corresponding solutions. As the discussion came to an end, Sokov heard Yakov's voice: "Misha, you
came back!"
"Yes, Yasha, I've been back from the meeting a long time ago. What can I do for you?"
"Yes, Misha, I do have something to report to you." Yakov said to Sokov with a serious expression: "Can you talk to me alone?"
"There is an empty room nearby." Sokov knew that Yakov would not propose to talk to him alone unless there was something particularly important, so he stood up and said to him: "Come with me."
Yakov smiled apologetically at Samyko and Lunev, followed Sokov and quickly walked out of the headquarters.