When Rokossovsky just took over the command, Vatutin did feel resentful in his heart. However, after more than a month of observation, he found that the other party was indeed more experienced and more comfortable in commanding large corps in combat than he was, which made him understand.
He understood the gap between the two and slowly accepted this fact.
At this moment, Vatutin was not angry when he heard Lunev exposing his scars. He just smiled bitterly and said: "General Lunev, what should I say? When I was first replaced by Rokossovsky, I must have had some problems.
I was disappointed. But after a period of observation, I found that he far surpassed me in handling crises and commanding large corps in operations. If the German army launched a counterattack on Kiev, and he was not there to take over my position, Kiev might fall again.
into the hands of the Germans.”
Lunev was even more surprised to see Vatutin being so outspoken. He had known Vatutin for more than ten years and knew that he was a willful person who could not even listen to the opinions of Zhukov and Vasilevsky. Now
It is really unexpected that Rokossovsky's commanding ability can be recognized.
Since Vatutin was in a hurry to leave Moscow, Lunev did not continue to ask questions. He just wanted to get him on the plane as soon as possible, and then he could go back and resume his life.
We drove to the airport. Since the airport had been notified in advance, the plane had already been arranged to wait on the runway.
Seeing two black cars approaching, the pilot standing next to the plane rushed up to greet Vatutin who came out of the car: "Hello, Comrade General, I have been ordered to take you back to Kiev."
Vatutin glanced at the back of the transport plane and found that two fighters were also ready to take off, so he casually asked: "Comrade pilot, will those two fighters also follow us to Kiev?"
"Yes, Comrade General." The pilot nodded and replied affirmatively: "Although the air supremacy from Moscow to Kiev is in the hands of our air force, in order to prevent enemy planes from crossing Kiev and posing a danger to your safety
, the superiors specially dispatched two fighter planes to escort us."
Vatutin originally wanted not to be escorted by fighter planes, but then he thought about it. This is Moscow, not Kiev, and it is not up to him to decide what happens at the airport. Thinking of this, he hummed softly, and then with the help of his adjutant,
Got on the plane.
Runev watched with his own eyes as Vatutin's plane took off and turned into a small black dot in the sky. Then he turned to his subordinates behind him and said, "Okay, let's go back."
Returning to Lubyanka, Lunev went directly to the office to meet Beria and prepared to report to him.
Beria had already been notified by Lunev that Vatutin wanted to rush back to Kiev immediately. When he saw Lunev coming in from the outside, he nodded to him and asked bluntly: "Vatutin
General Jing has returned to Kiev?"
"Yes, Comrade Beria." Lunev replied respectfully: "General Vatutin's plane took off a quarter of an hour ago. If everything goes well, he will arrive in Kiev in two hours."
"When he returned to Moscow this time, did he only go to see Sokov?"
"That's right." Lunev replied: "From the moment he got off the plane and set foot on the soil of Moscow, to the time he left Moscow, I followed him step by step. Except for Sokov, he
I haven’t met anyone or called anyone.”
"Then tell me what Vatutin said when he visited Sokov in the hospital."
Runev agreed and gave a detailed report to Beria of what he saw and heard.
After listening, Beria stood up and walked out from behind his desk, walking back and forth in the spacious office with his hands behind his back, and began to think about every detail of Lunev's report.
After walking for five or six minutes, he suddenly stopped and asked confusedly: "Lunev, what do you think of this matter?"
Lunev was stunned for a moment, then understood what Beria meant, and quickly replied: "I think Vatutin came to Moscow this time just to persuade Sokov to join his First Ukrainian Front."
"Oh, is his purpose that simple?"
"I think so." Lunev nodded and replied: "You also know that Vatutin was dismissed from his post last month due to poor command. Now, although his command is about to be restored, if his subordinates
Without one or two capable army-level commanders, it is difficult to say that a situation like the Battle of Zhitomyr will not occur again."
"You make sense." Beria agreed with Lunev's analysis: "As far as I know, Rokossovsky and Konev also proposed to the Supreme Command that they hope to wait for Sokov
After recovery and training, he can be sent to their troops. I didn't expect that Sokov would become a hot commodity on all fronts at such a young age."
Hearing what Beria said, Lunev smiled faintly, and then said: "Comrade Beria, I have been partnering with Sokov for nearly a year. I have a say in his abilities."
"tell me the story."
"Perhaps because he has not received systematic military theory education, the tactics he uses when commanding operations are often different from our traditional tactics." Lunev said: "Use his new tactics on the battlefield to deal with the enemy.
, often beating the enemy until he is unable to parry."
In order to further strengthen his persuasion, he also specifically emphasized: "For example, several elite SS divisions of the German army basically had no defeat against other units of our army. But as long as they encountered Sokov, they would be defeated.
They will definitely lose the battle. Because of the various tactics used by Sokov, the Germans have no idea how to deal with it."
Beria returned to his desk and sat down, and said to Lunev: "Comrade Lunev, you might as well go to the hospital to meet Sokov and hear what he means."
When Runev heard what Beria said, he asked in confusion: "Why should you ask him?"
"Now the General Staff has taken a fancy to him and is doing everything possible to keep him. Antonov even specially talked to Comrade Stalin about this matter." Beria looked at Lunev and said: "Through your usual introduction to me
Under the circumstances, I think it is more appropriate for Sokov to return to the front line."
"Understood." Lunev remembered that he had accompanied Shtemenko to meet Sokov and persuaded him to stay in the General Staff Headquarters, but he was politely rejected. At this moment, Beria asked him to understand Sokov.
Naturally, he would not shirk his true thoughts: "I will go to the hospital right now."
"Go ahead," Beria waved to Lunev and said casually: "Say hello to me by the way."
Half an hour later, Runev came to Sokov's ward.
Seeing Lunev entering, Sokov, who was chatting with Asiya and Vera, asked somewhat unexpectedly: "Lunev, have you settled Comrade General?"
"He has returned to Kiev."
"What, you went back to Kiev?" Sokov asked in surprise: "After you left the hospital, you went back to Kiev directly?"
"Yes, that's true." Lunev said: "I personally sent him to the plane."
"Then what is the purpose of coming here?" Sokov asked in an uncertain tone: "Is it just to see me?"
Lunev smiled: "Misha, you may not know that you are a hot commodity now. Not only General Vatutin has taken a fancy to you, but also the two commanders Rokossovsky and Konev,
They have also called the Supreme Commander himself, hoping that after you graduate from the Frunze Military Academy, you will work in their army."
"No way." Sokov expressed doubts about Lunev's statement: "You can't joke about this kind of thing, otherwise it will cause you unnecessary trouble."
"How could I just joke with you about this kind of thing?" Lunev said seriously: "As far as I know, in addition to the three front army commanders I just mentioned, there are also commanders on other fronts who also have questions about you.
Interested. However, their identities cannot be compared with the previous three, so they cannot directly call the Supreme Commander himself. Instead, they put forward their demands through the General Staff, hoping that you can join them."
"Haha," Sokov laughed dryly, and then said to Lunev: "Lunev, you really know how to joke. What ability do I have to make everyone miss me so much?"
"You can't say that. I have the most say about your abilities." Lunev said: "At least I have never seen any mistakes in your command, and the results of the troops you command have been achieved."
, even more than the combined results of several group armies. This means that whoever can recruit you under their command can bring the combat effectiveness of that front army to a new level."
"Lunev, I want to ask you something." Although Sokov had to wait until July of the next year to graduate from the Frunze Military Academy, he knew very well that as the war progressed, there was an urgent need on the front line.
An experienced commander is afraid that he will be sent to the front line as soon as he recovers from his injuries. No matter which unit he joins in the future, he must first use the present to form a strong team, so he proposed his own plan to Lunev
Request, "I hope you can promise me."
"Tell me, Misha, if you have anything to do, just tell me." Lunev knew that Sokov would not ask for help easily. Since he opened his mouth, it proved that this matter was not easy to complete, but he still said it bravely.
: "As long as it is within my ability, I will definitely assist you with all my strength."
"While studying in school during this period, I discovered that there were several excellent commanders in the intermediate training class. No matter which front I will be assigned to in the future, I hope to have these commanders as my subordinates." Suo
After Cove finished his request in one breath, he asked: "I wonder if you can help me handle this?"
After figuring out what was going on, Lunev felt at ease. In any case, it was not difficult to handle this matter by himself. He only had to say hello to Verevkin, the dean of the Frunze Military Academy, and get these few people together.
The allocation time of students can be postponed.
"No problem." Lunev said: "Tell me the names of those trainees, and I will talk to the dean another day. After their training is completed, I will not assign them new positions for the time being, and let them wait for you.
Let’s talk after we finish our studies. Do you think it’s okay?”
"That's great." When Sokov heard what Runev said, a smile appeared on his face. He took out a small notebook, tore out a piece of paper full of words from the middle, and handed it to Runev:
"The names of the students I want are all on it. Please tell the dean and don't let them leave the school until their training is over."
Lunev took the note and looked at it carefully. There were twelve people in each one, four of them were majors, and the rest were captains. After reading it, he said with emotion: "These students have completed their training and returned to the army.
, will be promoted to one rank and serve as deputy regimental commander or chief of staff. If you let them become your subordinates, you can at least ensure that the commander of a division will absolutely obey the orders you give and execute them without compromise. "
Sokov knew that Runev was inspired by this. When his troops broke through the Dnieper River and were stationed in Kremenchug, the 53rd Army was temporarily assigned to his command. However, due to various reasons, many commanders of the army were dissatisfied with him.
There was resistance, and as a result, he was not resolute in carrying out his mission, thus delaying many combat opportunities.
"That's right." Sokov continued: "Twelve regiment-level commanders can completely control the troops of three regiments in a division. In this way, when I give them arduous and important tasks, I don't have to worry about anyone collaborating with them.
I play devil’s advocate.”
"I'm afraid just a group of regiment-level cadres is not enough." Lunev reminded: "How about when you enter the advanced training class, select a few more division-level commanders and assign them to your new unit.
go?"
"I'm afraid this won't work." Sokov is self-aware. Even though he has served as the commander of two army groups and has made great achievements on the battlefield, there are still many commanders who don't buy his own fault.
If you enter the advanced training class yourself, it is obviously unrealistic to recruit people like the intermediate class. "These commanders who participated in the advanced training class may have already been assigned their future positions before coming to the academy. They want to stay.
It is simply impossible to get rid of them."
"That's true." Lunev agreed very much with Sokov's statement. The commanders of the advanced class will be division commanders or even corps commanders in the army in the future. Even if the dean of the academy reluctantly keeps them, I'm afraid
Within half a day, the superiors of these students called to protest. Therefore, he asked with some worry: "Misha, division commander in the army, what do you think?"
"It would be best if there are ready-made division commanders and chiefs of staff in each division under my command." Sokov was not worried about this: "Even if there are not, I can still find ways to find people from other places."
"Do you have the right person?"
"Lunev, have you forgotten the three of them, Ponejelin?" Sokov reminded Lunev: "They have been in General Rokossovsky's army for a while, and they must have mastered it.
I have acquired the skills to fight the German army today. If I serve as commander, General Ponedelin can be my chief of staff, while Muzichenko and Kirillov can serve as corps commander or division commander."