The day after the 27th Army occupied the Merefa Fortress and railway terminal, the troops of the 7th Guards Army passed through this area and advanced towards Poltava.
After a day of fierce fighting, the heavily armored German 8th Army, composed of the 3rd Tank Corps, the 47th Tank Corps and the 11th Infantry Corps, retreated towards Poltava and Kremenchug.
The defeat of the German army in Kharkov and Merefa not only opened up the road for the Steppe Front to Poltava to the Dnieper River, but the neighboring Voronezh Front also made smooth progress, forcing the German army to retreat in the entire left bank of Ukraine.
Seeing that the Steppe Front and the Voronezh Front were progressing smoothly, the Supreme Command adjusted the original combat plan the next day, stipulated new dividing lines, and made several changes to the offensive directions of each front.
The mission of the Voronezh Front was to seize Kiev from the Germans, which had been lost for two years.
The mission of the Steppe Front is to quickly attack in the general direction of Poltava and Kremenchug, prevent the enemy from establishing a solid front line and destroy the enemy Poltava and Kremenchug groups.
Due to the outstanding performance of the Steppe Front in the Battle of Kursk and the Battle of Kharkov, the Supreme Command no longer regards them as a reserve force, but will use them as the main force.
In order to strengthen the strength of the Steppe Front, the headquarters transferred the 37th Army commanded by General Saroshin from its reserves, and the 5th Guards Army of General Zadov, which was assigned to the Voronezh Front, was also redeployed back to the Steppe Front.
In addition, General Glagolev's 46th Army was also transferred from the Southwest Front.
Konev was overjoyed to have three more armies under his command. Originally, his troops were dismantled during the Battle of Kursk, but now not only the troops that were taken away were restored, but they were also restored.
He has formed new troops. In this way, his chances of winning in the next battle will be greatly improved.
Konev excitedly said to Zakharov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I really didn't expect that the Supreme Command was so generous this time and gave it to our three armies at once."
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Although the three armies assigned by superiors have not yet entered the designated positions, Zaharov still couldn't help but be happy: "As soon as the new troops are in place, we will have a strong improvement in military strength."
Compared with the German army, we will have the upper hand."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, the superiority in military strength means nothing." Seeing that Zakharov was getting carried away, Konev quickly reminded him: "Don't forget, when our army was in this area at the beginning of the year, not only did its military strength exceed that of Germany,
There were more people and even more weapons and equipment than the Germans. But in the end, our army suffered a disastrous defeat. Even the liberated places of Kharkov and Belgorod fell back into
In German hands."
Konev's words reminded Zakharov that he couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he thought about the Soviet army's first victory and then defeat in this area at the beginning of the year. He cautiously asked Konev: "Comrade Commander, what did you say about the war at the beginning of the year?"
It won’t happen again, right?”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you can rest assured about this." Konev comforted him and said: "After the Battle of Kursk and the Battle of Kharkov, the elite German troops have been almost wiped out by our troops and Comrade Vatutin's troops.
Even if the Germans can replace these lost soldiers in the shortest time, their strength will be greatly reduced."
"That's true." Zaharov agreed: "Especially Comrade Sokov's 27th Army, their combat effectiveness is very terrifying. Sometimes I even consider it. If they are allowed to fight against each other as a group army,
Among the German armies, who can win the final victory?"
Regarding Zakharov's statement, Konev smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Comrade Chief of Staff, have you forgotten that the structure of the German army is different from ours? One of their divisions has a strength of fifteen thousand
people; and our division only has 6,000 to 9,000 people. Even if the number of divisions is the same, the strength will be far lower than that of the enemy. Sokov's 27th Army is used to deal with a German army.
This idea is inherently absurd."
However, Zaharov's words also reminded Konev. After staring at the map for a while, he raised his head and said to Zaharov: "Chief of Staff, according to the reconnaissance intelligence, the Germans will desperately defend Poltava.
And tried to use this place to delay the advance speed of our front army for a long time.
Judging from today's battle situation, as our army approached Poltava, the resistance of the German 8th Army troops became extremely tenacious. The 7th Guards Army organized multiple assaults, but still could not break through the German defenses."
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Zakharov nodded after hearing this and said: "The enemy has widely set up minefields and other obstacles in the direction of Poltava, and has blown up railway and road bridges.
.
The garrison of Poltava doubled its original size. They built defensive positions along the right bank of the Volskla River, and built fortifications around and in the city. Brick and stone buildings were suitable for ring defense, and the enemy established artillery here.
Coupled with mortar fire, it covered the approach to the Volskla River. All bridges and ferries on the river were destroyed long before the enemy retreated.
In short, Poltava has built a powerful defense hub, which is the link connecting the defense areas and support points of Ukraine on the left bank. One thing we can figure out now is that the German army defended Poltava in order to contain our army.
attack."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Konev waited for Zakharov to finish and then asked tentatively: "With the current strength of our army, how long do you think it will take to capture Poltava?"
"It's hard to say, Comrade Commander." Zakharov shook his head and said: "The reason why we were able to quickly occupy Belgorod and Kharkov was entirely because Sokov's troops played a decisive role in it.
If they don't participate in the siege, I think it will take at least a month to capture Poltava."
"One month." After Konev repeated the time mentioned by Zakharov, he slowly shook his head and said, "No, it's too long. You know, in such a long time, the enemy can
Calmly withdraw their main force to the right bank of the Dnieper River, where they will build a new line of defense to resist our attack."
He tapped his fingers on the table and said thoughtfully: "But we can use other tactics to shorten the time to capture Poltava."
Zakharov is also a smart man. He recalled that he had just mentioned the 27th Army to Konev, and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, what combat mission do you want to assign to Comrade Sokov?"
Seeing that Zakharov guessed what he was thinking, Konev did not hide it. He pointed at the map and said: "I plan to let Sokov's troops bypass Poltava and capture Klemenchu on the Dnieper River.
lattice and occupy the bridge on the river. This not only cuts off the retreat route of the Poltava defenders, but also allows us to cross the river through here when the main force of our army reaches the Dnieper River and break through the German Dnieper River defense line."
"Can I make it in time?" Zaharov asked worriedly.
"We have to give it a try." After Konev said this, he told Zakharov: "Chief of Staff, please get through the phone to the 27th Army Headquarters. I will personally assign combat tasks to Sokov.
.”
Sokov received a call from Konev and listened quietly to the other party assigning combat tasks to him. After Konev finished speaking, he finally asked: "Any questions?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." Sokov quickly replied: "Our army group is now almost three hundred kilometers away from Klemenkoug. A force of more than 80,000 people has to pass through quietly.
I'm afraid it will be very difficult to attack this city on the Dnieper River due to the enemy's defense line."
"You are right, Comrade Sokov." Konev did not deny Sokov's statement. He said truthfully: "If this task was not so arduous and other troops could not complete it, I would still
I won't consider you. After all, you just liberated the Merefa Fortress and the railway terminal a few days ago. The commanders and soldiers are exhausted and need some time to rest."
Sokov heard that Konev was trying to provoke him, but he knew very well that being the first to break through the German Dnieper River defense line was a great achievement. And based on the intelligence he had, the German army mobilized a large number of Soviet troops.
Prisoners of war come to build defense lines. If you act quickly and can quickly establish a landing site on the left bank of the Dnieper River and rescue a group of Soviet commanders and fighters, your troops will be strengthened by then.
Sokov was very willing to carry out this combat mission, but before accepting the mission, many things must be clarified first. He tentatively asked: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, I would like to ask how many days you plan to give me to liberate Croatia."
Remenchug?”
"Comrade Sokov, we are pressed for time." After Konev calculated the time required for the march, he said to Sokov: "I can only give you five days. How about it? Can you complete the task?"
"
"I'm sorry, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Sokov replied firmly: "Please forgive me, I cannot complete the task you gave me in such a short period of time."
This time it was Konev's turn to wonder: "Why?"
"I have just said that it is more than 300 kilometers from our place to Kremenchug." Sokov explained: "Even if we adopt a rapid march speed, the commanders and soldiers who carry weapons and supplies will only be able to move at most every day.
It can walk fifty kilometers, which means that it will take about six days to walk the entire distance. And the time limit you gave us is five days. Please forgive me, I can't do it at all."
"Actually, the distance is not as far as you think." Konev said: "Don't forget, your army group is now at the railway terminal. You can take a train, bypassing Poltava, and go directly to Kremenchug. If
If you go fast, all your troops can reach the outside of Kremenchug in one day at most."
When Sokov heard this, he said, yes, his troops are now living in the Merefa Fortress and the railway terminal. Wherever he wants to go, he can definitely take the train. The original journey of several days, if taken by train, can take up to ten dozen people.
You can reach your destination in an hour.
But not long after he was happy, he thought of a key question and quickly asked: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, I wonder if the facilities along the way to Klemenkoug have been damaged by the German army?" He considered that it might be the German army.
Even if the railway track is removed halfway, or the railway sleepers are damaged by special vehicles, your troops will still be unable to reach the outside of Kremenchug quickly.
After hearing Sokov's question, Konev was silent for a long time, and finally said: "According to the intelligence we have, the Germans did damage railways and roads in many places when they retreated. If you take the train to Klei
When traveling to Menchug, you may encounter areas destroyed by the enemy along the way."
When Sokov heard what Konev said, he couldn't help but want to curse. But the other person was his immediate superior. He could only suppress his anger in his heart and asked with some dissatisfaction: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, if our group army
What should the troops do if the train they are traveling on encounters an area damaged by the Germans on the way to Klemenkoug? They cannot be allowed to get off the train and march on foot, as this will waste a lot of time on the road."
"Comrade Sokov, this is what I think about." Konev thought for a moment and said to Sokov: "I can arrange a group of engineering troops to act with your vanguard. Once you encounter an enemy that has been destroyed by the Germans,
They will be responsible for repairing the area. Although the driving speed will be affected to a certain extent, it is still better than you marching on foot."
"Understood, Comrade Commander of the Front Army. I accept your mission. When can I set off?"
"If you mobilize tens of thousands of people, the defense of Merefa Fortress will become empty." Konev said carefully: "You can divide the troops into several echelons and set off by car in turn. As for the departure time, I think
Without further ado, we can set off as soon as it gets dark today.”
Sokov put down the phone and told Samyko about the mission assigned by Konev. Samyko couldn't help being surprised after hearing this: "Is this true, Comrade Commander? We have just completed the liberation of Merefa."
As for the mission of the fortress, our superiors have given us new combat missions so quickly."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, don't be too happy too soon." Perhaps seeing that Samyko was a little too excited, Sokov poured cold water on him: "You know, our troops won the Battle of Kursk and Hal
In the Battle of Cove, immortal achievements have been made. But the superiors have not said anything yet. I am worried that it will chill the commanders and soldiers. If the people's hearts are broken, it will be difficult to lead the team. This is really a headache..."
At this moment, Lunev suddenly broke in from outside. He waved a piece of paper in his hand and said excitedly to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, good news, this is the latest announcement from the Supreme Command."
"Announcement?!" I heard that it was the latest announcement from the Supreme Command, which immediately aroused Sokov's interest: "What announcement?"
Lunev brought the piece of paper in front of him and read it aloud: "In the battle to capture Kharkov, all soldiers, officers and generals showed fearless spirit and the ability to destroy the enemy. I
I would like to express my gratitude to all the commanders and fighters of the Front. The 10 divisions of the Steppe Front - the 89th Belgorod Guards Infantry Division, the 84th, the 116th, the 183rd, the 252nd, the 299th, the 375th Guards Infantry Division,
The 15th, 18th and 98th Infantry Divisions received the high honor of being named after 'Kharkov'."
After reading the announcement, Lunev said excitedly: "Comrade Commander, did you hear it? Among the 10 divisions that were awarded the high honor of 'Kharkov', our army group accounted for two."