"Comrade Commander of the Front Army," Sokov unexpectedly called out to Konev: "Please wait a moment."
Konev, who had just taken two steps, stopped and looked at Sokov with a strange look: "Comrade Sokov, what can I do for you?"
"That's it, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." Sokov felt in his heart that in order to break through the German defense, he must put all his troops into battle. If he needs to leave part or even close to half of his troops for defense, he will inevitably
Weaken the power of the offensive. "I feel that in order to break through the German defenses and fulfill the superior's combat intentions, all the troops of the group army must be put into battle. Therefore, the defense of the landing site on the right bank needs to be handed over to friendly forces."
"Comrade Sokov," Konev said with a smile after hearing Sokov's request: "You are posing a problem for me. Where can I find troops to take over your defense at the landing site? You know
, the area of the landing site is so large, if only one or two divisions are sent here, it will not have any effect at all."
Since Sokov was commanding the battle in the Chigirin area during this period, he had no idea about the mobilization of friendly forces. When Konev said this, he was speechless for a moment.
"Comrade Commander," at this moment, Samyko stood up and said to Konev: "As far as I know, General Gagan's 57th Group Army entered the Potoki area yesterday, and is only a short distance away from Kremenchug.
At a distance of 25 kilometers, even if they march on foot, they can reach us in half a day."
When Sokov heard what Samyko said, he suddenly felt confident and quickly said: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, since General Gagan's troops are nearby, they can take over the defense of the landing site on the right bank." He was deeply convinced.
Worried that Konev would find reasons to shirk, he also specifically emphasized, "As long as we launch a full-scale attack on the enemy, the enemy will not be able to take action at all and pose any threat to the 57th Group Army."
After listening to Sokov's words, Konev couldn't help but smiled bitterly and shook his head and said: "Comrade Sokov, you have to know that the 57th Group Army is the reserve force of the front army. I plan to put them into battle when things don't go well.
I didn’t expect you to actually take advantage of them."
When Sokov saw that Konev did not immediately deny his proposal, he knew that there was something wrong with the matter. He quickly said with a playful smile: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, I just said that as long as we wait for the 57th Army to take over our defense,
We will immediately launch an attack on the enemy in the south. They will have no chance to engage in combat at that time, which means that your reserve team has not been used at all, but has just been moved to a different place to stand by."
"Yes, yes, General Konev." Lunev would definitely not remain silent at this time, but took the initiative to speak out: "If there are not enough troops to take over the defense of the landing site on the right bank, when we attack, we will
They will worry that there will be danger to their sides and rear, and then the intensity of the attack may be greatly reduced."
After Konev's eyes swept over the three of them one by one, he said with a smile: "It seems that if I don't agree to let the 57th Army take over your defense today, you are not going to let me go."
"How is that possible? Comrade Commander of the Front Army, how do we have the right to detain you?" Sokov said with a smile: "Actually, I have some connection with the 57th Group Army. During the Battle of Stalingrad, I used to
He fought side by side with some units under the army group.
It is a great honor for us to be able to fight with this heroic army again in the battle to liberate the right bank of the Dnieper River. So I hope you can agree to our request and let General Gagan's 57th Army take over.
Defense of the landing grounds on the right bank."
Since Sokov had already spoken to this extent, it was obviously inappropriate for Konev to refuse further. He lowered his head and thought for a long time, and finally nodded slowly and said: "Okay, Comrade Sokov, since you proposed this
I don’t think I can find any reason to refuse your request. So, I’ll go back and discuss with Chief of Staff General Zakharov to see when it’s more appropriate to send the 57th Group Army to take over your defense.”
Sokov originally wanted Konev to send troops overnight, but then he thought about it. General Solomatin's 1st Mechanized Army was retreating. If a large force came from the left bank, it would definitely cause a jam at the bridge.
and chaos, which will be counterproductive.
After thinking about this, he nodded and said: "This is as it should be, Comrade Commander of the Front Army. After all, the 57th Group Army is your reserve. If you want to dispatch them to other places, you will naturally need to communicate with other members of the headquarters.
Let’s discuss it.”
After sending Konev away, Samyko asked Sokov with some confusion: "Comrade Commander, why don't you ask Commander Konev to send the 57th Army over overnight? You know, they entered the landing site on the right bank.
The sooner we get there, the sooner we can move to the south of the landing site."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, have you forgotten that General Solomatin's troops are withdrawing from their positions in an orderly manner and retreating to the left bank of the Dnieper River?" Sokov saw that Samyko had not considered the retreating 1st Mechanized Troops.
The army reminded him: "Although there are currently three bridges and pontoons on the Dnieper River, they are still far from enough to accommodate two troops marching in opposite directions at the same time.
If the troops of the 57th Group Army are allowed to rush over, they may wait until dawn and when they arrive at the river and prepare to cross the river, they will just meet the mechanized army preparing to return to the left bank. If both sides are jammed on the bridge, things will be delayed."
"Yes, Comrade Commander is right." Lunev agreed with Sokov's statement. He said to Samyko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, if tens of thousands of troops are crowded on the banks of the Dnieper River,
If it is unable to move, once it is attacked by enemy aircraft, it will inevitably cause huge losses. At that time, it will have a serious impact on the morale and morale of our army."
Samyko hummed, expressing his approval of the two men's statements, and then asked Sokov: "Comrade Commander, since we are going to attack to the south of the landing site, should we summon the commanders of each unit?
How about assigning them the next combat mission so that they know what to do?"
"This is what it should be, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov nodded and said: "We will hold such a meeting again after the departure of the 57th Group Army is confirmed. Before that, we still keep a wait-and-see approach to avoid any unforeseen events.
factors, disrupting our entire combat plan."
…………
Konev returned to his headquarters, called Zakharov in front of him, told him Sokov's proposal, and then asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you think we can put General Gargan's second
How about sending the 57th Army to the landing site on the right bank of the Dnieper River to take over the defense of Sokov's troops?"
"I think it's okay." Before Konev went to Kremenchug, he and Zakharov had studied the plan for Sokov's troops to develop southward, so after hearing this, Zakharov replied without thinking.
: "Having the 57th Group Army take over the defense of the landing site on the right bank can not only ensure the safety of the sides and rear of Sokov's troops, but also ensure the smooth flow of transportation lines. At the same time, Sokov has no worries and can launch an attack on the German army with all his strength.
Thus, we can successfully complete our operational intentions."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, when do you think the 57th Group Army can be launched?"
"They just arrived in the Potoki area today, and most of the commanders and fighters have become exhausted." Zaharov replied: "If they are asked to transfer immediately, I am worried that the physical strength of the soldiers may not be able to keep up."
"The earlier Sokov's troops attack the German defense lines, the better, so that the enemy will not have enough time to strengthen their defenses." After Konev expressed his opinion, he asked Zakharov again:
"Chief of Staff, when do you think the latest time should be for the 57th Army to move out?"
"I think we should wait at least two to three more days." When Zakharov said this, seeing Konev frowning, he quickly explained: "The reason why we have to wait two or three days before setting off is to allow the commanders and soldiers to recover.
Excessive physical exertion is consumed, and the second is to allow them to obtain necessary ammunition and supplies so that they can continue to fight."
"I agree." Konev nodded and said: "Anyway, General Gagan's troops are our reserve troops. They are placed at the landing site on the right bank of Kremenchug. If Sokov's troops do not progress smoothly, they can provide support nearby.
them."
Just as the two reached an agreement, a staff officer hurried over and reported to them: "Commander, Chief of Staff, I just received a call from General Shumilov."
"What did Shumilov say on the phone?" Konev asked.
"He said that the defense area of the 24th Guards Army was currently being subjected to fierce counterattacks by German tanks and continuous assaults by aviation. The army was suffering huge losses and might not be able to withstand the German onslaught. Therefore, he planned to move the troops in the area
, retreat from the landing site to the left bank of the Dnieper River."
The staff officer's words surprised both Konev and Zakharov.
Konev asked the staff member nervously: "Did the phone hang up?"
"Not yet."
"Take me there immediately."
Konev followed the staff officer to the place where the phone was placed, picked up the phone and put it to his ear, and said loudly: "Is it General Shumilov? I am Konev, tell me what happened there.
?”
"Report to Comrade Commander," Shumilov shouted at the top of his lungs as intensive gunfire could be heard in the earphones: "The enemy dispatched a large number of tanks today, under the cover of aircraft, to attack our 24th Guards Corps.
The defense zone launched a fierce attack. Although my men put up a tenacious defense, some lines of defense were still broken through by the Germans one after another."
Konev originally thought that the German army would choose the landing site on the right bank where Sokov's troops were located, but he did not expect that the landing site just established by Shumilov would once again become the main direction of the German attack.
When Shumilov heard that Konev did not speak, he took the initiative to express his inner plan: "Comrade Commander, judging from the current situation, our weapons and equipment are not as good as those of the Germans. It is very difficult to block their attack.
Difficult. In order to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, I beg you to allow me to withdraw my troops to the left bank of the Dnieper River."
"No, this is definitely not possible." After finally establishing the second landing site on the right bank, how could Konev give up so easily? He roared into the microphone: "My order is to hold on to the landing site and not to retreat! Not even a step.
Be sure to retreat!"
After saying this, he suddenly realized that his tone was too harsh, and quickly softened his tone and said: "General Shumilov, I will fly to you immediately, and we will study and decide what to do next."
Seeing Konev put down the phone, Zakharov, who had already heard the conversation, frowned and said: "Comrade Commander, what is going on? We finally established the landing site on the right bank. Why did General Shumilov
To want to give up so easily, is he scared out of his wits by the enemy?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you can't say that about General Shumilov." Seeing that Zakharov showed strong dissatisfaction with Shumilov, Konev quickly defended the latter and said: "Sumilov is a
A brave, fighting spirit and experienced army commander. He is a seasoned soldier who has repeatedly proven his bravery and determination in the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk. Now he proposes to withdraw from the landing site
The request from the troops made me feel very uneasy. It seems that there is an unprecedented crisis there."
When Zakharov heard this, he sneered and said: "Most of the area controlled by the landing site on the right bank was captured by Sokov's troops. How could they stop the crazy German attack?"
Konev pretended not to hear Zakharov's report and deliberately changed the topic: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I will go to General Shumilov's headquarters immediately, and the work here will be left to you. If there is any
If there is anything that cannot be handled, you can call the headquarters of the 7th Guards Army. Even if I am not here, you can leave a message for the officer on duty."
"Okay, Comrade Commander, I will keep in touch with you at any time." After Zakharov finished speaking, he told Konev with concern: "The situation at Shumilov is very critical now, and you need to be more careful.
Pay attention to your own safety."
"Don't worry, my chief of staff." Konev knew that since Apanashenko died in the late stage of the Kursk battle, the Supreme Command issued an order not to allow the head of the front army to appear in the most intense fighting area, lest he
It caused unnecessary casualties and brought huge losses to the troops. At this moment, facing Zakharov's concern, he still said gratefully: "I will be careful."
Zakharov picked up the phone on the table and answered Goryunov: "Comrade General, Comrade Commander are going to fly to the defense area of the 7th Guards Army. The situation there is not good for our army, and the air may be
Enemy planes will appear, and you'd better send a few fighter planes to escort them to ensure the safety of Comrade Commander."
"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff." Goryunov knew that Konev was going to the most dangerous place by plane, so he quickly replied: "I will send the best fighter pilots to escort Comrade Commander."