It is not a trivial matter to have an arsenal produce artillery shells specifically for Sokov's troops. Even though Yakov now has a high status in the weapons and equipment department, he still has no right to make such a decision.
After thinking for a long time, Yakov said to Sokov: "Misha, make an exception and let the arsenal in the eastern suburbs start construction. I have already taken the risk of being dismissed. Can you please stop giving me problems all the time?"
"Okay." Sokov also felt that he could not push Yakov too hard. If he was really removed from his post, it would not be so easy for him to find some equipment for his troops in the future, so he changed his question and asked
: "I need shells for 122 and 152 caliber howitzers. I wonder how many can you provide us every day?"
Yakov opened the register in front of him, picked up his pen and asked: "How many heavy artillery regiments do you have?"
"Four heavy artillery regiments, including three 122mm howitzer regiments and one 152mm howitzer regiment."
"Misha, it seems that your superiors attach great importance to you and actually gave you three heavy artillery regiments." Yakov recorded while saying to Sokov: "It would be good for some group armies to have one heavy artillery regiment."
Sokov turned his head and glanced at Managarov next to him, and replied with some embarrassment: "Actually, I only have three heavy artillery regiments, and the other heavy artillery regiment is temporarily loaned from the 53rd Army."
"Oh, the 53rd Army also lent you a heavy artillery regiment?" Yakov said with some surprise: "Misha, it seems that you are very popular."
"We are now fighting side by side with the 53rd Army to defend Kremenchug." After Sokov briefly introduced the situation, he then asked: "Yasha, you haven't said yet, how many artillery shells can you provide us every day?
?”
"Misha, I just calculated it." Yakov paused for a few seconds and said: "It can produce 200 rounds of 122mm caliber artillery shells and 80 rounds of 152mm caliber artillery shells every day."
After listening to the data reported by Yakov, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little disappointed: "What, the output of the arsenal is only this little?"
"Misha, you must know that this is just a backup arsenal. The raw materials stored are limited. Even if it works at full capacity, the shells that can be produced are very limited." Seeing that Sokov was not satisfied with the data he reported, Yakov explained to him.
Said: "We have to wait until production reaches a stable level, and then raw materials will slowly increase, thereby increasing the output of artillery shells."
"So that's it, I understand."
"Misha, if so many artillery shells are transported by transport aircraft every day, they must not be displayed." Yakov continued: "How long is the transportation cycle best? Three days or five days?"
"Five days is too long, so choose three days."
"Okay." Yakov made a note in his book and said, "I will contact the logistics department as soon as possible and ask them to arrange a plane to transport artillery shells for you."
Seeing Sokov put down the phone, Samyko suddenly remembered something: "Comrade Commander, if the superiors really use transport planes to transport artillery shells for us, do you think the transport planes can take the seriously wounded on board when they return?" He said
Worried that Sokov did not understand what he meant, he also emphasized specifically, "Some of the wounded are too seriously injured. With our current medical conditions, they cannot be cured. They should be sent to Moscow for better treatment."
"
"I think it's okay." Sokov knew very well that although he had established an army-level field hospital in the city, he still couldn't provide better treatment conditions for some seriously injured casualties. Nowadays, transportation is not going smoothly.
It is very difficult to transport a large number of wounded people back to Moscow. Since the transport planes are all empty when they return, it is better to let them pick up the seriously wounded people: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please report this matter to the field hospital as soon as possible."
Ask the commander and the political commissar to make arrangements for the seriously injured people to be transported."
"Comrade Commander," Lunev interrupted: "The chief of staff is responsible for the military, so leave this kind of matter to me."
Sokov thought about it and decided that it would be most appropriate for Lunev to be responsible for arranging the transport of the wounded. Even if the pilot of the transport plane was unwilling to transport the wounded, he could use his special identity to intimidate the other party: "Okay.
, Comrade Military Commissar, this matter will trouble you."
Lunev said lightly: "This is my duty, you don't have to be so polite."
While several people were talking, the phone on the table suddenly rang. Sameko grabbed the phone and said, "I'm Sameko, where are you from?...What, you caught them all?!...A
It's great that none of them have slipped through the net... I will report it to Comrade Commander immediately."
Sokov, who was sitting next to him, did not hear the person on the other end of the phone speaking, but according to his analysis, it was Samoylov who called to report the situation. As soon as Samoylov put down the phone, he immediately
Asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is this the call from Lieutenant Samoilov?"
"That's right, Comrade Commander." Samyko said with a happy face: "Lieutenant Samoilov reported that their roundup operation had been successful and 18 people were captured in that house. After interrogation, they were all German soldiers.
The spies arranged in the city also seized two radios, three flare guns, eight pistols and matching ammunition."
After listening to Samyko's report, Gorokhov, who was sitting at another table, couldn't help but curiously asked: "Why are there three flare guns?"
"Comrade Military Commissar," Sokov said while looking at Gorokhov: "Three flare guns fire flares in different places, which can point out the direction for enemy planes bombing at night. After the enemy planes see the flares, they can choose three
Bomb the position in the middle of the signal bomb to destroy important targets of our army."
After learning that all the spies had been arrested, Lunev said with relief: "Now that all the spies in the city have been arrested, we can start to implement the commander's plan. I will arrange manpower on the way to the hospital later to take care of the spies."
Residents living in the ruins were moved to safe places."
Managarov said with emotion: "General Sokov, I really didn't expect that you just released a bakery owner who was about to be shot, and he helped you find the lurking German spy." He turned to face him.
Gorokhov, Tsarev and others on the side said, "After we occupy the city in the future, we must also learn from General Sokov and know how to use the citizens to deal with the enemies lurking in the city."
Even though everyone was rejoicing, Sokov was thinking in his heart: "Have all the enemies in the city really been arrested?"
Seeing Sokov's frown, Samyko quickly asked with concern: "Comrade Commander, what are you thinking about?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov looked up at Samyko and asked with a serious expression: "Do you think all the spies lurking in the city have really been caught?"
Sokov's words stunned Samykol for a few seconds, and then he said in an uncertain tone: "I think they have all been arrested. After all, Kremenchug is not a big city, and 18 spies are already a lot."
"But what if there are still people who have slipped through the net?" Sokov expressed the doubt in his mind: "What if there are spies who should come to the party? Something was delayed on the way. When they were almost there, they found Samoy
Love and the others were arresting them, so they hid in time?"
"But Samoilov has already said it." Samyko said without confidence: "He interrogated the leading spy, and the other party said that there were only 18 spies in the city, and they were all caught in the house."
Sokov's frown deepened. He pointed at Samyko and ordered him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please contact Lieutenant Samoilov immediately and ask him to separate the 18 captured spies.
Detain and interrogate each person individually. Finally, by summarizing the testimonies, you can determine whether the leading spy is lying."
While Samyko was on the phone, Derevyanko attacked again: "General Sokov, I think you are too cautious. Even if one or two spies slip through the net, they certainly don't dare to go out when they are out.
Carry weapons or flare guns to avoid revealing your identity. Now that their home base has been taken away by us, even if they want to send signals to German aircraft, they probably won't be able to do so."
"General Derevyanko," Sokov patiently listened to what Derevyanko said, and then expressed his own opinion: "If you want to indicate the direction of enemy planes bombing at night, you can do it even without flares.
.”
Sokov's words aroused Managarov's curiosity, and he couldn't wait to ask: "General Sokov, please tell me quickly, how to give directions to enemy planes bombing at night without a signal gun?"
"
Sokov pulled out his pistol and put it on the table. He pointed with his hand and said to everyone: "For example, this is the target that German bombers will bomb at night." Then he took three more teacups and placed them on the table.
"It's actually very simple to indicate targets to night bombers. I just need to light a fire at each of the three tea cups, which is equivalent to telling the enemy planes that they are going to bomb."
The target is within the triangular circle formed by these three fires."
He picked up the pistol, put it back in the holster, and continued to say to Derevyanko: "General Derevyanko, I just said that with three signal guns emitting signals at the same time, we can give more accurate instructions to the enemy aircraft.
Targets for bombing. Now that there are no flare guns, spies who have slipped through the trap can still designate targets for enemy aircraft by setting fire to three different locations."
"It makes sense, it makes sense." After listening, Managarov nodded repeatedly and agreed with Sokov's statement. But he soon raised a new question: "General Sokov, what can we do?
, to prevent spies in the city from using fire to guide enemy planes to bomb?"
"I have no choice." Sokov shook his head and said: "If the spies really lit the fire, what we can do is to move immediately to avoid death from the bombing of enemy planes."
In the following time, everyone's attention was attracted by the German troops attacking the landing site. The Germans were determined to win the landing site. They used three divisions to launch a crazy attack in three areas at the same time. Fortunately, the enemy's
The artillery suffered huge losses, and the damage done to the defenders holding on to their positions was much reduced.
During the defensive operations, the mechanized army, which had the largest number of troops but the most rigid tactics, was breached by the German army. Seeing that the situation was not good, Solomatin quickly called the commander of the 219th Tank Brigade and asked the other party to dispatch a full tank battalion.
, launched an attack from the flank of the attacking German army, and barely repelled the opponent's attack.
Although the defense areas of the Infantry Brigade and the 254th Division were full of dangers under the powerful German offensive, the commanders and soldiers who held these positions cleverly used effective defensive tactics, not only blocking the German attack, but also minimizing casualties.
.
After the battle, Derevyanko said to Sokov sincerely: "General Sokov, it seems that your analysis a few days ago is correct. Don't look at General Solomatin's army.
But facing the attack of a German division, they really might not be able to hold their position."
"General Derevyanko," Sokov said when he saw Derevyanko apologizing to him, he did not feel arrogant, but said in a friendly tone: "Although the defense of the mechanized army has problems of one kind or another, in the final analysis
, or because they lack defense experience. After the battle to defend the landing site is over, I think they will be able to accumulate rich defense experience, which will be very helpful to them when performing combat missions in the future."
As soon as the fighting here came to an end, Samoylov appeared in the headquarters.
Seeing Samoylov appear, Sokov quickly asked straight to the point: "Comrade Lieutenant, how is the situation?"
When Samoylov heard Sokov's question, he replied with a face of shame: "Comrade Commander, it seems that you can see clearly. After separate interrogations, we got the exact news: the spies in the city are not 18
Instead, there were 20 people. Two of them went out to collect food rations and avoided arrest this time."
"Then what are you going to do?"
"I have ordered people to launch a manhunt in the city. I believe it won't take long to catch these two spies who slipped through the net."
Sokov knew very well that although Kremenchug was not big, finding two people in it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He waved his hand to Samoilov and said: "Comrade Lieutenant, I guess these two spies
Action will be taken recently. You need to send more patrol teams to patrol the city day and night."
Samoylov blushed and replied: "Yes, Comrade Commander, I will send more patrol teams to patrol the city and try to catch the spies who slipped through the net as soon as possible."
Considering that spies can use ignition to indicate the direction of enemy planes bombing at night, Sokov specifically told Samoilov: "Comrade Lieutenant, tell the patrol team. When patrolling at night, pay more attention to smelling the road."
Look at the building next to it to see if there is any smell of gasoline inside."
"The smell of gasoline?" Although Samoilov didn't understand why Sokov mentioned gasoline, he still nodded vigorously and expressed his attitude to Sokov: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander. I will definitely take your words to heart."
Communicate it to every soldier participating in the patrol, so that they can be aware of it."