Before directing his troops to attack the city of Cumbre del Sol, Leviagin sent a telegram to Rokossovsky, giving him a detailed report on the strength of the German forces in Cumbre del Sol. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The first person to see the telegram was Chief of Staff Malinin, and his first reaction was: it must have been the operator who wrote a zero behind the number of German troops when he received the telegram. So he patted the telegraph operator on the back, and when the other party turned around, he handed over the telegram in his hand, and asked at the same time: "Comrade telegrapher, this telegram is not copied by mistake, is it?" ”

The telegraph operator took the telegram, carefully read its contents, then looked up at Malinin and said in an affirmative tone: "That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff, the contents of the telegram are absolutely correct. ”

Malinin pointed to the position of the number of German troops and asked half-incredulously: "Is this number really okay?" ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff." The operator confidently said: "I have checked it repeatedly, and this figure is absolutely correct and true." ”

Seeing that the telegraph operator swore that the telegram was correct, Malinin took the telegram with confidence and boldness, walked up to Rokossovsky, handed over the telegram in his hand, and said at the same time: "Comrade commander, General Leviagin has sent a telegram saying that there are only more than 100 German troops and a small number of tanks in the city of Mount del Sol, and they are about to launch an attack on the city. ”

"What, there are only a hundred German troops in the city?" Rokossovsky was taken aback by the news that Malinin said, and he hurriedly took the telegram, and after carefully reading the contents of it twice, he solemnly asked Malinin: "Chief of Staff, is the content of this telegram accurate?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Malinin, who had repeatedly checked with the telegrapher, immediately nodded his head and replied after hearing Rokossovsky's question: "The content of the message is accurate. ”

"Great, that's great." Lobachev was overjoyed when he heard such good news, and he said to Rokossovsky: "Since there are only more than a hundred enemies in the city, then we will have no problem recovering the city of Cumbre del Sol. At that time, it will be better to give an account to Zhukov. ”

Rokossovsky was obviously not as optimistic as Lobachev, and he said with a wry smile: "Comrade Military Commissar, don't forget that Zhukov asked us to build a defense line between Klint and Mount Sun, and even if our army recovers Mount Sun City, it will be impossible to build a defense line with our current strength. I estimate that Kling's defenders, who will only hold out for two or three days at most, will have to abandon the city and withdraw closer to Moscow. ”

"What are we going to do if Kling does fall?" As soon as Lobachev waited for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, he immediately asked worriedly: "How should we explain to Zhukov?" ”

"Now I can't think about things that far," Rokossovsky said, waving his hand and with some headaches, "let's think about how to deal with the enemy rushing to the Istrian reservoir, which is the focus of the defense of the army group." ”

"That's right, Comrade Military Commissar, the commander is right." Malinin told Lobachev: "You already know the situation in the north, so I won't say more. And to the south, our friendly forces, having suffered a powerful blow from the Germans, had to retreat to the east. On their side, our flanks were exposed, and the Germans had no worries, they could concentrate all their forces on our defense area, regardless of their left and right flanks. ”

…………

Just as Rokossovsky was worried about their defense of the Istrian reservoir, Leviagin commanded his troops to attack the city of Cumbre del Sol. Due to the small number of German troops in the city, they were evenly distributed in four directions, east, west, north and south, with no more than 20 people in each direction. Even if their technical and tactical level is much higher than that of the attacking Soviet army, in the face of the numerical superiority of the Soviet army, if the German army does not retreat in time, they are in danger of being annihilated.

The three tanks of the Germans held out in the direction south of the city were originally prepared to rely on tank guns and airborne machine guns to prevent the attack on the city by the cadets in mixed groups. However, they soon discovered that the number of Soviet troops was far greater than they had imagined. While commanders and fighters continued to fall in the path of the attack, the rest continued to bravely rush forward.

The reason why these tanks appeared in the city of Cumbre del Sol was not to cooperate with the infantry garrison, but because there was a lack of fuel and could not continue to drive, so they were temporarily parked here. Seeing that more and more Soviet commanders and fighters rushed forward, and their own shells and machine gun bullets were all gone, and the tanks could not be started due to lack of fuel, the German tank crews had no choice but to throw away their tanks, spread their legs and run to the place where they felt safe.

The improvised fortifications built by the Germans in the east and north of the army only lasted more than ten minutes in the face of the attack of the 8th Guards Division, and the German soldiers who held their positions were either killed by random gunfire or killed by the bayonets of Soviet soldiers.

After the 8th Guards Division and the cadets met in the center of the city, the commanders and fighters took advantage of the victory to pursue and annihilate the German defenders in the south of the city in one fell swoop.

As soon as the battle ended, the results were counted: 128 Germans were killed, three tanks, 79 rifles, 21 submachine guns, 8 pistols, and matching ammunition were captured. On the Soviet side, the 8th Guards Division lost 45 casualties and 112 wounded; The mixed cadet corps suffered 52 casualties and 99 wounded.

Seeing such a result, the expression on Leviagin's face was particularly ugly, and he frowned and said to Mlagintsev: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you see, how many casualties we have paid in order to eliminate these more than 100 fascists. ”

After listening to this, Mlagintsev said disapprovingly: "Comrade General, as long as we can recapture the city of Solhill, then even if we pay a big price, I think it will be worth it." ”

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Levyagin reminded him specifically when he saw that Mlagintsev did not seem to realize the seriousness of the problem, "that we succeeded in capturing the city of Mount Sol by taking advantage of the weakness of the German forces." However, the Germans were not willing to accept their defeat, and would definitely send troops covered by tanks to launch a new attack on the city of Cumbre del Sol. We now have limited forces, and we can't replenish them, and if we sacrifice one, we will lose one, and in the face of the German army, which has the advantage in numbers and technical equipment, can we win? ”

After listening to Levyagin's words, Mlagintsev realized that he had just been a little carried away by the victory, so he took the initiative to admit his mistake and said: "Comrade General, I was wrong, I was a little too underestimated by the enemy, and I will pay attention to it later." I wonder what the next combat mission of our regiment will be? ”

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you immediately lead your troops and head to the west of the city." Levyagin pointed to the map and said to Mlagintsev: "You command the troops to build a defense in the western direction of the city, relying on strong fortifications to deplete the living forces of the German army. ”

"Understood," Mlagintsev agreed, turning and leaving Leviakin's command.

After Mlakintsev left, Levyagin called the telegraph operator to him and instructed him to send a telegram: "Tell Comrade Commander that our unit has succeeded in retaking the city of Cumbre del Sol, and ask him to instruct us on the next combat mission." ”

Rokossovsky finally got a smile on his face after receiving a telegram from Mlakintsev. After handing the telegram to Lobachev, he instructed Malinin: "Chief of Staff, immediately send a message to General Leviakin, telling him to hurry up and build a defensive position on the periphery of the city of Cumbre del Sol and prepare to resist the German attack." ”

When Malinin went to arrange for the telegraph operator to deliver the report, Rokossovsky picked up the high-frequency phone in front of him and dialed Rokossovsky's headquarters. Having heard that the person who answered the phone was Sokolovsky, he politely said: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff, may I ask Senior General Zhukov?" I have important military information to report to him. ”

Soon Zhukov's voice came from the earpiece, and he asked dryly: "Rokossovsky, I'm Zhukov." Do you have any important military information that you would like to report to me? ”

"Yes, Comrade General." Thinking that Sun Hill City had been recovered, Rokossovsky was much more confident in speaking: "I am specifically reporting the good news to you, the 8th Guards Division and the cadets I sent have successfully recaptured Sun Hill City. ”

"Cumbre del Sol has been recaptured?" When Zhukov heard this, he visibly froze for a moment, and then said: "Comrade Rokossovsky, I congratulate you on the successful recovery of a lost city from the hands of the Germans. ”

Rokossovsky had just wanted to report to Zhukov that with the current forces, it would not be possible to establish a defensive line in Klin-Mount del Sol, but Zhukov said again: "Comrade Rokossovsky, if the Germans bypass the Istrian reservoir and attack the city of Mount Sol with all their might, I estimate that your defenders will not be able to hold it." ”

"That's right, Comrade Zhukov." When Rokossovsky heard Zhukov say this, he was like hearing the sound of heaven, and hurriedly pushed the boat down the river and said: "The enemy is in an absolutely superior position in terms of strength and technical equipment, and the troops we deployed in Kling and Sun Hill can only delay the advance of the German army, but cannot completely block them. ”

"The Istrian reservoir cannot be lost." Zhukov said to Rokossovsky in a stern tone: "Moscow depends on this place for electricity supply, and if it is occupied by the Germans, most of the city will be cut off." If the factories in Moscow are not electric, how can they maintain normal production? So you must not take this matter lightly. ”

"But, Comrade General." Rokossovsky felt that Zhukov's arrangement was a bit difficult for a strong man, and he said euphemistically: "My forces were already very limited, and now that I have transferred some troops to Klin-Mount del Sol, the defense of the Istrian reservoir area will inevitably become weak." ”

"Alright, Comrade Rokossovsky." Zhukov said with some impatience: "In the city of Mount del Sol, you can leave the cadets of Lieutenant Colonel Mlagintsev mixed into a regiment and withdraw Leviakin's 8th Guards Division to the Istrian reservoir to participate in the defense." As for reinforcements, I'll send them to you when the time is right. But if you lose the Istrian reservoir, then wait for a court-martial. ”

When Malinin went to arrange for the telegraph operator to deliver the report, Rokossovsky picked up the high-frequency phone in front of him and dialed Rokossovsky's headquarters. Having heard that the person who answered the phone was Sokolovsky, he politely said: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff, may I ask Senior General Zhukov?" I have important military information to report to him. ”

Soon Zhukov's voice came from the earpiece, and he asked dryly: "Rokossovsky, I'm Zhukov." Do you have any important military information that you would like to report to me? ”

"Yes, Comrade General." Thinking that Sun Hill City had been recovered, Rokossovsky was much more confident in speaking: "I am specifically reporting the good news to you, the 8th Guards Division and the cadets I sent have successfully recaptured Sun Hill City. ”

"Cumbre del Sol has been recaptured?" When Zhukov heard this, he visibly froze for a moment, and then said: "Comrade Rokossovsky, I congratulate you on the successful recovery of a lost city from the hands of the Germans. ”

Rokossovsky had just wanted to report to Zhukov that with the current forces, it would not be possible to establish a defensive line in Klin-Mount del Sol, but Zhukov said again: "Comrade Rokossovsky, if the Germans bypass the Istrian reservoir and attack the city of Mount Sol with all their might, I estimate that your defenders will not be able to hold it." ”

"That's right, Comrade Zhukov." When Rokossovsky heard Zhukov say this, he was like hearing the sound of heaven, and hurriedly pushed the boat down the river and said: "The enemy is in an absolutely superior position in terms of strength and technical equipment, and the troops we deployed in Kling and Sun Hill can only delay the advance of the German army, but cannot completely block them. ”

"The Istrian reservoir cannot be lost." Zhukov said to Rokossovsky in a stern tone: "Moscow depends on this place for electricity supply, and if it is occupied by the Germans, most of the city will be cut off." If the factories in Moscow are not electric, how can they maintain normal production? So you must not take this matter lightly. ”

"But, Comrade General." Rokossovsky felt that Zhukov's arrangement was a bit difficult for a strong man, and he said euphemistically: "My forces were already very limited, and now that I have transferred some troops to Klin-Mount del Sol, the defense of the Istrian reservoir area will inevitably become weak." ”

"Alright, Comrade Rokossovsky." Zhukov said with some impatience: "In the city of Mount del Sol, you can leave the cadets of Lieutenant Colonel Mlagintsev mixed into a regiment and withdraw Leviakin's 8th Guards Division to the Istrian reservoir to participate in the defense." As for reinforcements, I'll send them to you when the time is right. But if you lose the Istrian reservoir, then wait for a court-martial. ”