Sokov never dreamed that he would be extremely happy and sad that the fortress had been captured. The two brigade commanders were shot to death by wounded German soldiers in full view of the public.
Just when he was feeling heavy, Sidorin told him in a low voice: "Commander, it's Comrade General who called. He said he has something to say to you."
Sokov took the phone, put it to his ear and said with a guilty conscience: "Hello, Comrade General! I am Sokov, what are your instructions?"
"Misha," Rokossovsky did not hear the strangeness in Sokov's voice. At this moment, he was still immersed in the joy of capturing the fortress: "Since you have captured the fortress, you should immediately cross over.
Bug River, entered Poland, and exchanged fire with the German troops entrenched there."
"Okay, Comrade General." Regarding Rokossovsky's order, Sokov felt that it could be implemented. After all, the German army had just been driven out of the fortress and was in a state of disorganization and low morale. If
If we attack while the iron is hot, we may be able to capture a few enemy support points outside the fortress: "I will send troops to attack as soon as possible."
Only then did Rokossovsky realize that Sokov seemed a little listless, so he asked with concern: "Misha, you have taken down the Brest Fortress. Is there anything else that worries you?"
?”
"Comrade General, something happened." Sokov said into the microphone: "The two brigade commanders of the 109th and 118th Infantry Brigade unfortunately died heroically."
"What, you sacrificed two brigade commanders?" Rokossovsky couldn't help being surprised and asked displeasedly: "Since two brigade commanders died in the battle, why didn't you report it to me just now?
Should I report it?"
"Comrade General, they did not die in the process of liberating the fortress." Sokov replied with some embarrassment: "But after the battle, when inspecting the battlefield, they were unfortunately shot to death by wounded German soldiers hiding aside.
.”
"What are they doing on the battlefield?"
"It's like this, Comrade General." Sokov explained to Rokossovsky: "Their two brigades were the first group of troops to participate in the attack. Later, due to the enemy's fierce firepower, they suffered too many casualties.
And they had to withdraw. After liberating the fortress, the two wanted to see the wall that blocked the troops, but they encountered misfortune."
"Nonsense, it's just nonsense." After hearing what Sokov said, Rokossovsky said angrily: "As a commander, you should be very clear that after the battle, you can't just clean up the battlefield.
Those who go to inspect the battlefield are afraid of being shot coldly by the enemies who are hiding."
Sokov did not speak, but quietly listened to Rokossovsky's criticism of himself.
Rokossovsky talked for a while, but when Sokov didn't speak, he couldn't continue talking. After all, the sacrifice of the two brigade commanders had little to do with Sokov. It was because of the two people's own actions.
. He slowed down and said: "Misha, there are still many battles to be fought, and you should appoint a new brigade commander as soon as possible. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Comrade General."
"Are there any suitable candidates?" Rokossovsky asked with concern: "How about I transfer two experienced commanders from the Front Army Headquarters to you?"
"Comrade General, I don't need to look at it anymore." Sokov thought that he had so many commanders under his command that there was no need for commanders from the front army headquarters, so he declined Rokossovsky's kindness: "I'm here
We can find the right person.”
After putting down the phone, Sokov asked Ponedelin: "Comrade Deputy Commander, now that the commanders of the 109th and 118th Infantry Brigades have died, do you have suitable candidates to replace them?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Ponjelin answered simply: "Many of the students from the Frunze Military Academy have experience in commanding regiment-level combat units. I would like to select two of them as
The new brigade commander should have no problems."
Sidorin immediately agreed with Ponedelin's proposal: "Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander is right. These students who studied at the Frunze Military Academy with the Commander have many abilities.
Yes, you can choose a suitable person from among them to assume the position of brigade commander."
Seeing that the two people had the same idea as his own, and they both selected suitable candidates from among the students to serve as brigade commanders, Sokov did not shy away from relatives: "I think Major Sukhalev can serve as the infantry commander."
Commander of the 109th Brigade; Lieutenant Colonel Glushko can serve as commander of the 118th Infantry Brigade. Do you have any different opinions?"
Now that Sokov has decided on the candidate, Ponedelin and Sidorin will naturally not oppose him. Especially Ponedelin, these students have studied with him for a period of time, and they are his students.
It's not an exaggeration. So the two of them answered in unison: "We have no different opinions."
"Since there are no objections, the appointment has been approved." Sokov told Sidorin: "Inform the two commanders to come here immediately, and I will announce the appointment to them personally."
A few minutes later, Sukhalev and Glushko met at the door of the headquarters after receiving the call.
Sukhalev asked curiously: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, why are you here?"
"I received a call from the chief of staff, saying that the commander wanted to talk to me." After explaining the reason for his appearance here, Glushko asked: "What about you, Major Sukhalev?"
"I also received a call from the chief of staff, ordering me to report to the headquarters."
In order to prevent it from affecting the morale and morale of the army, Sokov strictly blocked the news of the sacrifice of the two brigade commanders, so that not many people knew about it, and Sukhalev and Glushko happened to be unaware of it.
people, so they had no idea what Sokov's purpose was in calling them to the headquarters.
Seeing the two people entering the door, Sokov stepped forward and shook hands with them one by one, and said politely: "Lieutenant Colonel Glushko, Major Sukhalev, welcome you."
After the two sides shook hands, Sukharev and Glushko exchanged a look. Glushko stepped forward and asked: "Comrade Commander, I wonder if you asked us to come to the headquarters. What work do you have to do?"
Leave it to us?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Glushko, I now officially appoint you as the commander of the 118th Infantry Brigade." After Sokov said this to Glushko, he measured his head and looked at Suhale who was behind Glushko.
The husband said: "And you, Major Sukharev, will serve as the commander of the 109th Infantry Brigade from now on."
The sudden appointment left the two commanders in confusion. They did not understand why Sokov appointed himself brigade commander for no reason.
Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Ponejelin took two steps forward and said to them: "Two comrades, commanders, are you surprised by this appointment?"
"That's right, Comrade Deputy Commander." When they were at the Frunze Military Academy, Sukhalev had a relatively good relationship with Ponedelin, so this time it was him who asked: "I want to know why Comrade Commander suddenly
We were appointed as infantry brigade commanders. Where are the two original brigade commanders, have they been transferred?"
But as soon as these words came out, he was immediately denied: "Impossible, we have just captured the Brest Fortress, and the two infantry brigade commanders still have a lot of work to do. How can they be transferred just by saying they will be transferred?"
He looked at Sokov and asked tentatively, "Comrade Commander, can you tell me what happened?"
Sokov sighed and said to the two men: "Lieutenant Colonel Glushko, Major Sukhalev, the reason why I appointed you two as infantry brigade commanders is because the original two brigade commanders unfortunately died.
"
Hearing what Sokov said, the two were surprised again. "Comrade Commander, what is going on?" Glushko asked in surprise: "How did they die?"
Anyway, this matter would have to be known to the two of them sooner or later, so Sokov no longer concealed it and repeated to them the process of sacrificing the two infantry brigade commanders.
After learning about the sacrifice process of the two brigade commanders, Glushko couldn't help but sigh: "I really didn't expect that they would actually sacrifice their lives when we won the victory."
"It is indeed a pity." Sokov said to the two of them regretfully: "You two have taken over the position of brigade commander. You must not make similar mistakes again. I don't want to lose two outstanding subordinates."
Sukhalev was very moved when he heard Sokov calling them outstanding subordinates. He quickly expressed his attitude to Sokov and said: "Comrade Commander, we will pay attention to safety, so don't worry."
"As long as you know how to pay attention to safety, it's good to know how to pay attention to safety." Sokov nodded and said: "When the two infantry brigades captured the Kobrin Fortress, the troops made huge sacrifices. Now their brigade commander has died again.
This will inevitably have a negative impact on the morale and morale of the troops.
After you take over the post, the first thing you have to do is to stabilize the morale of the troops. At the same time, find ways to boost everyone's morale so that they can exert stronger combat effectiveness in the next stage of the battle."
"Comrade Commander, I would like to ask." Sukhalev raised his own question: "The troops suffered heavy casualties. Where should we go to replenish troops?"
"There are many ways to replenish troops," Sokov said: "The first is to wait for our superiors to replenish our troops, but it usually comes very slowly, and the number is not too large;
The second is to recruit new soldiers from local residents, but the recruited new soldiers need a period of training to form combat effectiveness, which takes too long;
The third is to rescue our captured commanders and fighters from German prisoner-of-war camps. But unfortunately, so far, the number of prisoner-of-war camps we have discovered is not large, so it is not very reliable;
The fourth is to wait for the wounded to recover and be discharged from the hospital before adding them to the army. However, for these experienced veterans, there are many troops competing for them, so it may not be your turn."
When Sukharev heard this, he couldn't help but become a little anxious: "Comrade Commander, you have mentioned so many ways to replenish troops, but it seems that we can't use any of them."
"Yes, Comrade Commander, you have said so much, but we can't use any of it." Glushko echoed from the side: "If you have any good ideas, just tell us directly, don't let us keep guessing.
.”
"The best way is to find a way to recruit local guerrillas." Sokov said seriously to the two men: "The guerrillas in Belarus have hundreds of thousands of people and have unified command. If they are incorporated into the army,
, not only can it form combat effectiveness in a very short period of time, but it can also provide you with a lot of useful intelligence."
As soon as Sokov finished speaking, the phone on the table rang. Sokov thought it was Rokossovsky calling again, so he stopped and looked at the phone.
Sidorin picked up the phone and listened for a moment, and then reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division reported that they are ready to attack. Can they cross the Bug River and ask for help on the other side?"
German attack?"
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov nodded and said in a positive tone: "Tell Comrade Division Commander to let them attack the enemy with confidence and boldness, and we will provide them with the necessary artillery support."
While Sidorin was talking to the infantry division commander, Sokov walked to the table, picked up another phone, and dialed a number: "I am Sokov, call me General Yakov."
"Misha, I am Yakov."
"Yasha," Sokov asked, "are the artillery arrangements in place?"
"Yes, Misha, the arrangements are already in place." Yakov replied: "The Germans have deployed 30 75mm artillery pieces and 12 105mm howitzers in the Terespol Fortress. We have deployed all
The artillery was aimed at the west side of the fortress. According to the data provided by the artillery observer, the shooting angle was adjusted and the artillery was ready to fire at any time."
"Yasha, those two super heavy artillery battalions played a great role in today's battle to unblock the Brest Fortress." Sokov asked: "Can they be allowed to play a little role again?"
"Misha, those super heavy artillery are still seven or eight kilometers away from the fortress. It will take a lot of time to transport them." Yakov explained to Sokov: "You will definitely be late today. If you really
If you want to put them to use, you can only wait until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow is tomorrow." Based on the frontline commander's report, Sokov knew that the German army on the opposite side had some fortifications. If he wanted to seize these fortifications, he would definitely not be able to rely on today's artillery. He would still need 203 mm and 280 mm super calibers.
Heavy artillery will show off its power: "I hope these super heavy artillery can make new achievements in tomorrow's battle."
"I understand, Misha." Yakov may have a lot to deal with, and he seemed a little absent-minded when talking to Sokov: "If you don't have anything else to do, then I will hang up."
"Wait a minute, Yasha." Sokov suddenly remembered an important thing and asked quickly: "Where are you now, in the city of Brest or in the fortress?"
"Misha, since I am the artillery director appointed by you, I must personally rearrange the artillery positions in Terespol Fortress." Yakov said: "Now I am at the door of Terespol Fortress.
Woolen cloth."
When Sokov learned that Yakov was in the fortress at the moment, he was suddenly frightened into a cold sweat and said quickly: "Yasha, two of my infantry brigade commanders were shot to death by wounded German soldiers when they were inspecting the battlefield not long ago.
.You can pay attention to safety."
"Don't worry, Misha." Yakov obviously didn't take this matter to heart and said carelessly: "I will pay attention to safety."
After Sokov put down the phone, he became more and more uneasy as he thought about it. He quickly called Koshkin and told him: "Comrade Captain, I now order you to take a platoon, no, a company to Terespol Fortress to protect it."
Yakov. If you want me to promise, even if you sacrifice your own life, you must ensure Yakov's safety."
Koshkin naturally knew the importance of this mission, and quickly assured Sokov: "Comrade Commander, I assure you that General Yakov's safety will be ensured."