This was the order the Soviet Red Army troops received. In May 1920, Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov participated in the battle on the battlefield of the Civil War for the third time.
The second truce period has come to an end. Not long ago, in order to repair transportation, mines and prepare timber, the Soviet government converted many group armies at the front into labor armies, and now they are back on war footing.
Soviet Russia faced new threats from the west and the south.
In Crimea, Baron Wrangel, who claims to be the "Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the South Russian Armed Forces", is gathering Denikin's remaining forces. To the west, the Belarusian army turned to the offensive and occupied it on April 25
to Kiev.
On May 12, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic entered wartime again and appointed Tukhachevsky as the commander of the Western Front. It was decided that the 15th and 16th Army Groups would carry out the main assault on the Polish army. At the same time, the Southwest Front Army would be responsible.
Eliminate the enemies in central Ukraine. So the commander of the front army, An Yegorov, urgently gathered troops along the Dnieper River. The newspaper reported the mobilization order of the Soviet government.
After the soldiers arrived in Kharkov, they came to the front headquarters.
The Chief of Staff of the Front Army H.P. Petin spared no effort in taking up precious time to personally meet with Meretskov and his companions. He introduced the situation in detail and informed Meretskov to go to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The group army went to work. This group army was already very famous at that time.
Everyone has heard how it gradually developed from a small Budyonny cavalry detachment into regiments, brigades, divisions, corps and even group armies. Commander Yegorov warmly paid tribute to the young officers of the General Staff.
Afterwards, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin also wished to receive Meretskov and his companions.
In Stalin's room, Meretskov talked for a long time. Meretskov sat and answered questions, while the member of the Revolutionary Military Committee of the Front paced around the room, using his hands to
He twirled his pipe, asked Meretskov questions in a leisurely manner, listened to Meretskov's answers, and then asked questions again.
Stalin smiled for a long time while listening to Meretskov. Meretskov was so surprised at that time, because the first question they asked Meretskov turned out to be: "Will you
Riding a horse?" "We have all received cavalry training, Comrade Military Commissar."
"Hua, do you also know which foot to use to get into the stirrup first?" "It depends on convenience! Weird people are everywhere." "Before you saddle up, do you know how to put your fist into the horse's belly?"
To let the air out so that the horse’s belly deflates so that the rider who is tightening the girdle will not be deceived?”
"It seems there will be a little more."
"Please note, comrades, we are talking about a serious issue now. The headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Army at all levels must be strengthened immediately. So you must be sent there. If anyone does not know the temper of a horse, he is in the Cavalry Army.
Nothing will be accomplished!”
"Yes, Comrade Military Commissar!"
Someone at the Front Army Headquarters told Meretskov that the Cavalry Army Base Headquarters was set up in Elizavetgrad. It seemed that it would not be difficult to find out where the field headquarters was once there.
It turns out that the chief of staff of the base headquarters h.k. Sholokov has left, but without him Meretskov also figured out that there is no direct railway from Elisa Vetgrad to Uman. And Ma Ma’s superiors agreed that he could only go by
This means that it is not feasible to follow the stagecoach road through Novovkraka, Tishkovka, Novoarkhangelsk and Babanka. And along the railway, you need to make a big circle
: One is to take the northern route, which needs to pass through Smela, Shbora, and Talinona; the other is to take the southern route, which passes through Bomoshnaya and Gavoron. How can we get there as soon as possible?
Meretskov knew that people were waiting for them, and they themselves did not want to be late: the attack would be launched in two days.
Finally arrived in Uman!
Passing through the endless security posts, Meretskov came to the residence of the army chief.
A Red Army Cossack asked Meretskov why he was wandering here. Meretskov told him that he came from the General Staff Military Academy.
"Are they prisoners?" He smiled proudly.
"Be careful, you'd better not be taken prisoner by us now!" Walking towards Meretskov was the first member of the Army's [Revolutionary] Military Committee, that is, the Army Commander Budyonny and the [Revolutionary]
〗He ordered the Second Member of the Military Commission Voroshilov. Voroshilov looked at Meretskov from head to toe, and then said: "Regarding your situation, the report given to us may be wrong." Letz
Kove retorted: "We are really officers of the General Staff and this is our written order."
Meretskov was assigned to Korotchaev's 4th Cavalry Division as division chief of staff nb Kosogov's reconnaissance manager.
Among Meretskov's responsibilities was to draft a report to the division chief of staff for submission to the group army headquarters. For this purpose, reconnaissance materials had to be collected in advance. The cavalry group army's reconnaissance work was quite effective, but it had little understanding of the new enemy situation. The front army
The headquarters reported in vague terms that on the front of the Red Army were several infantry units of the Bolland Army, Karnitsky's cavalry division and several detachments of former Tsarist officer Kurovsky.
First of all, Melaynkov didn't understand why the Red Army encountered Kurovsky's people everywhere when they were fighting the Polish people.
Only later did Meretskov figure out that the Polish had placed Russians along the entire front as a barrier.
At the end of May, the 4th Division broke through the barrier formed by the White Guards and came into contact with Yusuf Piersudski's soldiers. At this time, the advance slowed down immediately.
"Listen, reconnaissance team," the chief of staff said loudly: "Where are your eyes? We are cavalry. Our mission is to rush through the enemy's flanks, attack the enemy's rear, maneuver on the vast battlefield, and use firepower and
Attack the enemy with swords and guns. Instead of pulling the whole division towards the barbed wire barrier. Go ahead and find a place where you can go around!" Meretskov himself also saw that cavalry armies often do not fight in a cavalry manner.
We are often eager to break through barbed wire fences and trenches. We cannot break through the defense line this way! But where can we find this annoying route that can be bypassed?
The few prisoners all said in unison that it was the same everywhere. No matter where they sent the reconnaissance team, they encountered intensive artillery fire, machine gun and rifle fire, and deep echelon defenses. Maybe the brigade commanders can know something.
Condition.
So Meretskov began to question the brigade commanders. The commander of the 3rd brigade, AA Chebotalyov, was willing to answer questions, but he himself did not know where to find a roundabout route. He said that last winter near Hastesk,
The brigades suddenly encountered Denikin's strong defense in the swamps and failed to win. Therefore, in this case, they had to change their tactics and find a new combat method.
Litong, commander of the 1st Brigade, complained when answering Meretskov's question: "Which of us is the scout? Is it you or me? Tell me the enemy's configuration. This is your job. And I am.
His job is to fight."
Meretskov gradually learned that his friends and neighbors also encountered the same difficulties. Even Timoshenko's 6th Division, Morozov's Tychuan Division, and Parhomenko's 14th Division could not overcome it.
There is no place to break through the enemy's defense.
Now Meretskov understands that the conditions here are completely different from those in Eastern Ukraine, the Don River and the Caucasus Steppe.
The 4th Division launched an assault near Ozernaya. The G Division followed up. The flanks were protected by the 14th Division and the 11th Division. The Red Army's enemies in front of them were several regiments of the newly disintegrated 2nd Army of Poland.
.
The mission of Budyonny's cavalry was to break through to Berdichev and destroy the enemy's rear.
After a long and fierce battle, the Polish could not hold on any longer. After forcibly crossing the Rostovica River, the 4th Division broke through the enemy's defense at Yagnyatin.
The 14th Division and the Dichuan Division also rushed through from the right wing and left nose respectively.
The G Division broke through from Ozernaya. Now the entire cavalry group was wedged into the enemy's deployment. The enemy attempted to compress the Red Army from both sides. Karnitsky's cavalry division came from the north, Savits.
Key's cavalry brigade and infantry flanked the Red Army Cavalry Group from the south.
However, Budyonny did not fight back on both wings, but brought the group army forward to the northwest hinterland for an attack. The Bolans closed the encirclement from the rear of the Red Army. This began the famous Berdichev breakout.
Three days later, the 4th Cavalry Division rushed towards Zhitomir and captured the city in one fell swoop. Then, it moved its division eastward, not far from the town of Brusilov, and joined forces with the French army headed by Yakir.
Get in touch with the Stovsky Cluster.
This means that a red corridor has actually been established between Kiev and Vinnitsa.
Now, the Soviet Red Army can launch a surprise attack on the Polish 3rd Army from the rear and attack Kiev.
However, the Fastovsky Group had begun to move toward Kiev from the south instead, so the Cavalry Army again moved westward.
This is because attacks on the enemy's rear must continue.
The A Division once again drove away the Boland garrison from Zhytomyr and captured the city.
The chief of staff assigned Meretskov a series of new tasks, requiring reconnaissance in the direction of Kiev, Radomishli, Korosten, Volynsky New Town, Shepetovka and Berdi
Chev direction, in other words, reconnaissance of enemy intelligence in all directions.
However, Meretskov's unit remained stationary. It turned out that the connection between this Russian unit and the front headquarters was temporarily interrupted!!.