"Here, the Fisky collective farm." After Sammeko glanced at the location on the telegram, he pointed out the location on the map: "There are a large number of German supply warehouses here, and the person responsible for defending this area is West.
General Hoffen's 3rd Armored Division."
"The German 3rd Armored Division?" When Sokov heard this German number, he couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart. He thought to himself that these two troops were annihilated by the Germans, right? He hesitated for a long time, and finally said it.
My own worry: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think it is possible for them to be annihilated by the German 3rd Armored Division?"
Samyko also had the same worries as Sokov. He knew very well that some Soviet commanders had limited abilities. They only knew how to fight fiercely and did not understand what strategy and tactics were.
When the troops are of equal strength, it is not uncommon for them to be annihilated by the enemy.
Sokov did not understand the situation of the 3rd Armored Division. Before making a decision, he had to understand the combat effectiveness of the division: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you have any information about the 3rd Armored Division?"
"The Intelligence Department should have information about the 3rd Armored Division. I'll ask them to send it over immediately." After Sameko finished speaking, he picked up the phone and called the Intelligence Department: "I'm Sameko. Do you have any information about the 3rd Armored Division of the German Army?"
Information about the armored division?...Oh, yes...Comrade Commander wants to see it, so you can send someone over immediately."
After Samek put down the phone, he reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the Intelligence Department does have information about the 3rd Armored Division, and I have ordered them to send someone over."
Sokov nodded and then asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you haven't told me what the number of the missing unit is?"
Hearing what Sokov said, Samyko immediately realized that he had forgotten such an important thing, and quickly added: "It's the 300th Infantry Division and a tank brigade under the 7th Tank Corps."
After hearing this, Sokov just hummed softly, and then ordered Sameko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately notify the Reconnaissance Division to send out capable scouts to conduct reconnaissance in the area, and be sure to find out what happened.
.”
Before Samek finished the call, the director of the Intelligence Division personally sent over the information about the 3rd Armored Division. He came to Sokov, raised his hand, saluted, and reported: "Comrade Commander, you want it."
I have brought you information about the 3rd Armored Division."
Sokov took the information from the other party's hand and flipped through it. He saw that the content was too messy and it would take at least half an hour to understand it. He closed the information, looked at the Director of Intelligence and said: "Comrade Director, it's simple.
Please introduce the situation."
"Comrade Commander," the Intelligence Director reported: "The commander of the German 3rd Armored Division is General Westhofen. Under it are the 3rd and 394th Panzer Grenadier Regiments, which are the two most powerful regiments in the division.
Three days ago, the 3rd Panzergrenadier Regiment repelled the attacks launched by the 5th Shock Army and the 2nd Guards Army in the village of Polevoye. Our army lost more than 50 tanks and more than 2,000 soldiers.
…”
Listening to the report of the Director of Intelligence, Sokov became more and more worried. Since a regiment of the German 3rd Armored Division was able to repel the attacks of two Soviet armies three days ago and destroyed more than fifty tanks.
and more than 2,000 commanders and combatants, proving that their combat effectiveness is not weak. Now, it is not a piece of cake to use an entire division to deal with an infantry division and a tank brigade of the Voronezh Front.
Although his heart was heavy, Sokov tried his best to hide his emotions in front of his subordinates. Instead, he waved his hand to the other party and said, "Comrade Director, you have nothing to do here. You can go back first."
After the intelligence director left, Sokov said to Samyko, who had just finished the phone call: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the situation doesn't look good now. Two friendly troops are missing in the defense zone of the 3rd Armored Division.
, it seems that there is a lot of misfortune.”
"Yes, Comrade Commander, I think so too." Although Samyko agreed with Sokov's statement, his heart was still full of doubts: "But what I find strange is that before they were annihilated by the enemy, could they
Didn't you report the situation to your superiors through the radio? More than 10,000 people just disappeared for no reason?"
"I think we should wait for the scout's report. Our most important task now is to cross the Oude River at night and build a new landing site on the east bank."
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Sameko nodded and said: "As long as the 348th Infantry Division can successfully complete its mission, then we will have two landing sites on the east coast. When friendly forces approach Halko
When the city falls, we can advance towards the city from the two landing sites at the same time, preventing the enemy from concentrating their efforts to stop our advance."
"It is certainly important to establish a new landing site on the east bank of the Oude River. But we still have to try to figure out the whereabouts of the two missing troops before that."
Sokov's mind was still thinking about the two missing troops. Although the Reconnaissance Office would send out capable scouts as soon as possible to figure out the mystery of the missing friendly troops, Sokov's heart was still uneasy. He picked up the phone and
Called the headquarters of the 73rd Infantry Brigade.
"Hello, this is Sokov, let Guchakov answer the phone."
"Comrade Commander, I am Guchakov. What instructions do you have?"
"Come to my headquarters immediately. I have an important task to assign to you." Sokov felt that some things were difficult to say on the phone and wanted to tell Guchakov in person, so he told him: "Come here
When the time comes, bring the newly appointed commander of the first battalion, Captain Mikhailov."
When Guchakov heard Sokov ask him to take Mikhailev with him, he was stunned for a moment and then asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, are you talking about the new deputy brigade commander?"
"Yes, that's him." Sokov said with some displeasure: "Major Guchakov, what did you do? Can't you even figure out your own commander?"
"Comrade Commander, you misunderstood." Guchakov quickly explained: "Captain Mikhailev has just served as the commander of the first battalion for a short time. I did not expect that you would assign him a task so soon."
"Okay, time is tight, don't talk nonsense." Sokov said to Guchakov: "You two come over immediately."
Guchakov knew that Sokov would not call him personally if he had nothing important to do. After putting down the phone, he immediately sent someone to call Captain Mikhailev and took him with him to Sokov's headquarters.
.
The two came to the headquarters and saw Sokov and Samyko standing in front of the table, leaning over the map above. Guchakov quickly stepped forward and raised his hand to report: "Comrade Commander, Infantry
Major Guchakov, commander of the 73rd Brigade, has arrived on your order, please give us your instructions!"
"Comrade Major, come to me, and I will explain your mission to you." After Sokov said this, he saw Guchakov walking towards him, but Mikhailov was still standing there, not moving.
Then he added, "And you, Comrade Captain, please come to me too."
After the two people came to him, Sokov said to them with a serious expression: "I called you here because I have a difficult task that I have to entrust you to complete."
He picked up the red and blue pencils on the table, drew a circle at the location of Fisky Collective Farm, and said to the two of them: "The two units of the Voronezh Front lost contact with their headquarters here. I will give you
Our mission is to rush to the area immediately and figure out the mystery of the missing friendly troops."
After Guchakov waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he tilted his neck and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, can I ask the numbers of the German troops stationed in this area?"
"It's the German 3rd Armored Division." Since Sokov wanted to hand over such a difficult task to Guchakov, he regarded him as someone he could trust, so he naturally wouldn't hide anything from him: "There are two people in this division."
Three days ago, near the village of Polevoye, we repelled the attacks of two friendly armies, destroyed more than 50 tanks, and caused the sacrifice of more than 2,000 commanders and soldiers of our army."
Hearing what Sokov said, Guchakov couldn't help but take a breath. The attacks of the two armies were repelled by a German armored division. Then his own infantry brigade might not be enough to stop others.
Sewn. However, out of trust in Sokov, he felt that the commander would not let his men die, so he asked with a normal expression: "Comrade Commander, what is the mission of our brigade?"
"Let me correct you, I am not going to transfer your entire brigade to the vicinity of Fesky Collective Farm." When Sokov said this, he looked at Mikhailov aside: "I plan to send Captain Mikhailov
A battalion will go to the area to figure out the mystery of the missing friendly troops. If necessary, we will also search for survivors nearby."
"Captain Mikhailov," Sokov briefly introduced the mission and asked Mikhailov: "Are you confident in completing this mission?"
"Comrade Commander, please rest assured." Mikhailov, who had just been promoted by Sokov, was very grateful to Sokov. At this moment, even if he was asked to go up the mountain of swords and into the sea of fire, he would not frown, let alone just take him with him.
As the troops went to conduct reconnaissance near the Feski collective farm, they vowed: "On behalf of the First Battalion, I would like to express my position to you. All our officers and soldiers will never betray your trust and guarantee to complete this arduous and glorious task."
Mikhailev's statement made Sokov very satisfied. He reached out to shake hands with the other party and said with a smile: "Comrade Captain, since you are so confident, I will wait here for news of your victory."
After accepting the mission, Guchakov and Mikheyev immediately returned to their troops and began to assemble a battalion, hoping to get to Fisky Collective Farm as soon as possible to figure out the mystery of the missing friendly troops.
But before they set off, the director of the reconnaissance department sent Sokov and Samyko the intelligence sent back by the scouts. The above intelligence was very simple. The scouts were hiding near the Fiski collective farm, observing through telescopes, and found that
On the ground inside and outside the collective farm, there were a large number of friendly corpses lying on the ground. There were also some intact tanks of our army parked in a mess outside the farm.
After reading the intelligence, Sokov quickly noticed a key question: "Comrade Director, the scout's report said that they found some intact tanks of our army parked outside the farm?"
"That's right, Comrade Commander." Before coming here, the head of the reconnaissance department had carefully checked the intelligence sent back by the scouts. Naturally, he would not be stumped by Sokov's question: "There are some soldiers of our army parked outside the farm.
The tanks are all intact."
"Where is the enemy? Where is the enemy?"
The director of the reconnaissance department was stunned for a moment, then replied: "The scout's report did not mention the location of the enemy. I think the enemy may be resting in the village."
"Comrade Director, if you were a German commander, would you allow your subordinates to place some intact local tanks outside the farm?"
Regarding the question raised by Sokov, the director of the reconnaissance department thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "If these tanks are intact, I will definitely send people to drive them to other places to hide them, or put them at the entrance of the village as fixed forts.
, I will never leave it there and ignore it.”
"Comrade Director, it seems that you have also discovered the problem." Sokov said to the Director of the Reconnaissance Division: "Then your task now is to immediately notify the scouts who have arrived outside the village and let them find a way to sneak into the village.
Reconnaissance to find out exactly where the enemy is and what kind of strength they have."
As soon as the director of the reconnaissance department left, Samyko asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, based on the feedback from the scouts, this matter is a bit strange. Do you think the Mikhail Battalion should be postponed?"
"No." Sokov shook his head and said, "It is precisely because of the weirdness of this matter that we must send troops to the Fisky collective farm as soon as possible to search and rescue the surviving commanders and fighters and find out what happened."
"Understood, then I will call Major Guchakov immediately and ask his troops to set off as soon as possible."
Sokov and Samyko stood on the bell tower of the church, looking at the troops marching out in the dusk, their hearts full of expectations. Samyko said with emotion: "Comrade Commander, I hope that Captain Mikhailev will not let down
Our hope is to find out what happened."
"I believe in them, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov looked at the looming troops in the distance, "I believe they will successfully complete the tasks I assigned them."
"Comrade Commander, Comrade Commander," a man rushed out of the stairwell and said breathlessly: "I finally found you. There is new information coming from Fesky Collective Farm!"
Sokov saw clearly that the person coming was the director of the reconnaissance department, and asked curiously: "Tell me quickly, what is the latest information?"
"Our scouts have successfully entered the farm. They have not seen a single German in the village. All they have seen are friendly commanders and fighters..."
"Comrade Director of the Reconnaissance Division," Sameko heard this and couldn't help interrupting what the Director of the Reconnaissance Division was saying: "You said that there is not a single German in the village and that they are all the corpses of our army's commanders and fighters?"
"They are not corpses, Comrade Chief of Staff." The head of the Reconnaissance Division shook his head and said, "They are all living people. Every one of them is still alive."
"They're all still alive?!" Even if a cannonball fell and exploded next to Sokov and Samyko at this moment, the shock to them would never be compared to the words of the director of the reconnaissance department: "How could it be possible to still be alive?"
Are they alive? Since they are still alive, why did they lose contact with the front army headquarters? "
"The reason is simple, they are all drunk."
"Drunk?!" Sokov couldn't help raising his voice and said, "This is impossible. I can understand one or two people getting drunk, but more than 10,000 people are drunk. How much vodka does this require?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander, this is all true." The director of the reconnaissance department said aggrievedly: "When I received this report, I thought that the scouts had made a mistake, and I specially ordered the telegraph operator to send a telegram to verify it, but they
The call back still had the same content. I felt that this matter was of great importance and needed to be reported to you immediately, so I rushed over immediately."