Two days later, troops of the 8th Guards Army reached the outskirts of Lublin and launched an attack on the city.
Seeing that his troops easily broke through the outer positions in the southern suburbs of the city, Chuikov couldn't help but be overjoyed. He immediately ordered the communications troops to help him connect to the front headquarters, preparing to report the good news to Rokossovsky in person.
"Comrade Commander," Chuikov excitedly reported to Rokossovsky as soon as the phone call came through: "My troops have broken through the German army's outer positions in the southern suburbs of Lublin, and the leading troops have approached the city."
"Well done, Comrade Chuikov." After Rokossovsky praised Chuikov, he continued: "Now Sokov's 48th Army has two infantry divisions, which are deployed in Majdanek near the city.
In the concentration camp, you can send someone to contact them and ask them to assist you in launching an attack on the city."
"What, Sokov's troops are in the Majdanek concentration camp?" Hearing what Rokossovsky said, Chuikov was a little surprised and asked: "Comrade Commander, when did they enter the concentration camp?"
"Two days ago." Rokossovsky said: "Because these two divisions were not equipped with a sufficient number of tanks and artillery, they were unable to launch an attack on Lublin. Since your troops have reached the outskirts of Lublin, you guys
It is absolutely possible to take joint action and jointly launch an attack on the city."
"There is one more thing I need to report to you." Chuikov waited for Rokossovsky to finish and then said: "General Bellinger's Polish 1st Army is now behind our army, and they also want to
Do you agree with participating in the attack on Lublin?"
"I agree, of course I agree." Rokossovsky said without hesitation: "Since we have launched a campaign to liberate Poland, as the Polish army, they naturally have an unshirkable obligation to participate in the war."
"However, this unit has not been established for a long time." Chuikov raised his concerns: "Is it feasible to let them take on the tragic task of attacking the enemy?"
"Although they have not been established for a long time, there are still many areas where they need to contribute in the subsequent battle to liberate Poland." Rokossovsky said: "Let this time be considered as a training exercise. If they fail to attack
If everything goes well, you can just send more troops to take over their offensive. You know, even well-trained troops are nothing if they don't go to the battlefield to practice. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Chuikov replied: "I will immediately contact General Bellinger and let them be responsible for the attack in one direction."
After ending the call, Chuikov hesitated. Should he call Sokov first or General Bellinger?
After thinking for a long time, he finally decided to call Sokov. In any case, the other party was once his subordinate. Although the level and military rank are the same now, he is more familiar with it than Bellinger, and some words are more familiar to him.
convenient.
"General Sokov, this is Chuikov." The phone was connected and Sokov's voice came from the receiver. Chuikov said with a smile: "I heard that you have two divisions of troops deployed in Mayida.
In the Necker concentration camp, is it true?”
"Of course it's true, General Chuikov." Although Sokov did not receive any orders from the front army headquarters, after hearing Chuikov's question, he immediately realized that the other party might have launched an attack on Lublin, so he asked tentatively: "
So your troops are attacking Lublin?"
"Yes, General Sokov." Chuikov said firmly: "I just heard from the commander that you have two infantry divisions deployed in the Majdanek concentration camp. I hope your troops can also launch an attack on the city at the same time.
Attack so that the enemy cannot concentrate its forces in a certain direction for defense."
"No problem, General Chuikov." Sokov readily agreed to Chuikov's request: "My troops are deployed in Majdanek Concentration Camp to cooperate with you in capturing Lublin. Since your attack has begun, then
It is only natural that we cooperate with your actions."
"That's great." After hearing Sokov's reply, Chuikov couldn't help but be overjoyed. He quickly said to Sokov: "My troops launched an attack from the south of the city and have successfully broken through the German outer positions and arrived at
We have reached the edge of the city and are preparing to launch an attack on the city."
"General Chuikov," Sokov waited for Chuikov to finish and asked tentatively: "The troops attacking the city now, are you one group army or several group armies?"
Since he wanted to cooperate with Sokov's troops, Chuikov naturally would not conceal the true situation. He replied: "The troops attacking the city now are the 8th Guards Army under my command. But behind us is Bellinger.
The Polish 1st Army, commanded by Lieutenant General, is ready to go into battle at any time."
Knowing that the rear of Chuikov's troops was the Polish 1st Army, Sokov said with a smile: "General Chuikov, I think you can hand over the responsibility of a certain offensive direction in the city to the Polish 1st Army."
Chuikov did not expect that Sokov would say this, and felt very strange. He quickly reminded him: "General Sokov, you don't know something. The Polish 1st Army was established only a short time ago and has not participated in any large-scale battles."
, would it be too hasty to let them be responsible for the offense in one direction?"
"General Chuikov, most of the soldiers of the Polish Army have participated in battles and have certain combat experience." Sokov said: "Although the Army Group has not been established for a long time, they are liberating their own motherland and will definitely explode.
It is completely appropriate to let them independently take charge of one direction."
"General Sokov, your ideas are similar to those of Comrade Commander." Seeing that Sokov's ideas were similar to Rokossovsky's, Chuikov continued: "Since you two have the same ideas, then I will try
I will try to hand over one direction to the Polish army to attack, and I hope their performance will not disappoint me too much."
After Chuikov ended his call with Sokov, he immediately ordered someone to contact General Bellinger of the Polish 1st Army to discuss with him how to liberate Lublin.
After Sokov put down the phone, he said to Sidorin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, according to the scout's report, a large number of scattered German officers and soldiers appeared around the city. Three infantry brigades were immediately dispatched to the vicinity of the city.
Search."
The German officers and soldiers Sokov was about to search were scattered German regular troops. In order not to become prisoners of the Soviet army, they walked in groups of twenty or thirty people through swamps or forests, quietly passing through the Soviet defense zone, and walking to
To the west, try to find your main force.
This scene happened three years ago, but at that time the troops that wanted to withdraw to their rear were the Soviet army. The Soviet commanders and fighters dispersed into small teams, or groups of two or three people, and used the complex terrain to quietly pass through the German army.
The defense line retreated to the friendly defense zone and was reorganized to participate in a new round of battle.
Most of the German soldiers who crossed the Soviet defense line were veterans with rich combat experience. Once they successfully escaped back to the German defense area, they were reintegrated into the army this year to participate in the next battle. In order to prevent these German soldiers from being left alone
After returning to his own troops, Sokov specially sent out a search team to search around the city in company units.
German detachments or groups hid on both sides of the road during the day, attacking the weak Soviet supply vehicles and field kitchens, and collecting the food they needed for their march. However, due to the large number of people, the food they robbed from the supply vehicles and field kitchens
After all, food was limited, so they could only collect wild fruits in the forest, hunt small animals, and even eat ears of wheat and rotten potatoes in the fields when passing near the village. When they couldn't even find these foods, they would
Venture into the village, rob the villagers' cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks, slaughter them in a hurry and use them to satisfy your hunger. After you are full, continue heading west.
However, after the Soviet army discovered a large number of scattered German troops, they formed search teams one after another to capture these stragglers. When Sokov assigned the task, he specifically told Sidorin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, tell the following
The commander, it is best to send soldiers who understand German, disguise themselves as German officers, pretend to be collecting stragglers, deceive the enemy, and bring these assembled enemies to our search team."
"Comrade Commander," Sidorin waited for Sokov to finish and asked tentatively: "What do you plan to do with these German prisoners?"
"Since they did not take the initiative to surrender to us and tried to escape back to their own defense area, we can't be too polite to them." Sokov said expressionlessly: "Then let's shoot them all, so as not to waste us.
of food.”
"What, shoot all the prisoners captured?" Sokov's order surprised Sidorin. He asked tentatively: "Is it appropriate to shoot prisoners of war?"
"What we shot were not prisoners of war." Sokov looked at Sidorin and said, "but lone German soldiers. As long as they did not take the initiative to lay down their weapons to us, they are our enemies. We cannot be too merciful to our enemies.
Understand?"
Seeing that Sidorin was still standing there in a daze, Sokov added: "Thinking about what Andrew and Kowalski said to us, do you think that if we fall into the hands of the Germans, they will be merciful to us?
?"
"This is definitely not the case." Ponejelin, who had never spoken, interjected: "Before Uman was captured, I talked to some soldiers who escaped from behind enemy lines. They said that the detachment was retreating soon.
After being captured by the enemy on the way, the Germans would shoot them directly. Only those captured in major battles would be sent to prisoner-of-war camps. The rest of the scattered personnel would be shot directly after being captured.
"
"I understand, Comrade Commander." Under Sokov's arrangement, what the Army Headquarters told Andrew and Kowalski was publicized within the Army to stimulate the hatred of the commanders and soldiers against the German army.
This will improve the morale of the troops. Sidorin also understood at this moment that if Sokov's order is passed on, the commanders and fighters of each unit will be happy to carry out such orders.
When the three infantry brigade commanders received a call from Sidorin and learned about the order issued by Sokov, they all replied without hesitation: "Please tell the chief of staff to the comrade commander that we will strictly implement his order."
, destroy those enemies who try to escape back to the west through our military defense zone."
When the three troops were gathering, Victor, the commander of the 122nd Brigade, approached the other two brigade commanders and asked straight to the point: "Comrades, two brigade commanders, I wonder what you plan to do with the captured German officers and soldiers?"
Major Sukharev, commander of the 109th Brigade, replied without hesitation: "Needless to say, I will naturally follow the order of the comrade commander and shoot them all."
However, the commander of the 118th Brigade, Glushko, sneered and said: "It would be too easy for them to shoot them. If they are prisoners I capture, I will let them organize a football team to play football with my men."
If they win, everyone on the team will be shot; if they lose, five people will be shot for every goal they lose..."
Victor laughed loudly after hearing this, and then said to Glushko: "Lieutenant Colonel Glushko, aren't you copying what the Germans did in the Majdanek concentration camp? There is nothing new at all."
Hearing what Victor said, Glushko became a little unhappy and asked: "Do you have a better way?"
Victor smiled and said: "Didn't the Germans massacre the Jews and our captured commanders and fighters? I thought about it for two days and finally came up with a good way to deal with them."
"What's a good idea?!" Sukharev urged: "Vega, tell me quickly."
"If I capture German prisoners, I will divide them into two parts, the left and right parts." Victor said: "Each of the left and right parts will form a football team and a boxing team, and then let them compete.
For example, in the first football match, if the team on the left loses, they will be shot directly. The winning team on the right will compete with another newly formed team on the left. The losing team will still be shot, and the winning team will be shot.
Signs to play against the newly formed team…”
After listening to Victor's thoughts, Sukhalev and Glushko gave him a thumbs-up, and then said: "Lieutenant Colonel Victor, if you were asked to manage the concentration camp, you would probably be more cruel than the Germans."
.”
Victor was not angry at the two people's comments, but just laughed.
"By the way," Sukharev continued: "The team that lost the match was shot, but what about the boxing match? Was the loser also shot?"
"No, no, no, that would be too advantageous for them." Victor shook his head and said, "The boxing match I organized will be a death boxing. The match will not be over until one party beats the other to death."
.Of course, the winner does not mean that he will live. He will continue to participate in the competition and compete with new players until the winner is determined again."
"Lieutenant Colonel Victor," Sukharev couldn't help but frowned when he heard this: "Comrade Commander just told us to take no prisoners. But what you are doing is too cruel, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes." Glushko nodded in agreement: "I think it's better to just shoot them after they have done so many tricks."
After the three brigades were assembled, they drove out of the city of Brest and headed in the designated direction. After arriving at the designated location, they would break into pieces and search in the forest and swamp areas in company units.
Those sporadic German officers and soldiers were completely eliminated.