Bombers swooping down from a high altitude dropped bombs one bomb after another on the German defensive positions. Those formations, which had long been vulnerable to Soviet artillery fire, collapsed one after another in the explosion of aerial bombs and became a ruin.

Batov, who was at the forward observation post, listened to the deafening explosions everywhere and wondered how long it would take for his troops to reach the Gomel region. He clearly remembered that Rokossovsky once told himself on the phone: "Comrade Batov, in the early days of the war, the commander of the 63rd Infantry Corps, General Petrivsky, once commanded troops to force the crossing of the Dnieper and occupy Zhilobin, successfully disrupting the German offensive steps. Today, your troops have reached the point where the 63rd Infantry Corps was assembled, and I hope that you will be able to build up on the merits of your allies in this battle. ”

Now the offensive in this area has been going on for two days, but due to the stubborn defense of the German army, not to mention Zhilobin, even Dobrus, southeast of Gomel, is still in the hands of the Germans.

Seeing that the two attacks launched by the troops in a row failed, the third attack also went very poorly. Just when he was in a hurry, several formations of bombers came out of the sky, and after lowering the altitude, they bombarded the German positions indiscriminately, making the enemy's firepower weak. The Soviet troops, taking advantage of this opportunity, quickly advanced forward and successfully broke into the first line of defense.

Seeing that the troops had rushed into the first line of defense, the boulder that Batov had chosen in his heart was considered to have fallen to the ground, as long as the troops could gain a firm foothold, the next battle would be easy to fight. He said to the communications staff officer standing aside: "Give me the front command." ”

As soon as the phone was called, he could not wait to report to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, with the support of the Air Force, our troops have successfully stormed the German positions outside the city of Dobrus, and it is believed that at most by dark, our troops will be able to occupy the city. ”

"Well done, Comrade Batov, well done." After listening to Batov's report, Rokossovsky continued: "A few minutes ago, General Romanenko called me and said that the troops of the 48th Army, which had also successfully crossed the Desna River, were advancing in the direction of Gomel. Comrade Batov, in this way, you don't have to worry about the safety of your flanks and can concentrate on advancing forward attacks. ”

"What, General Romanenko's troops also crossed the Desna River?" Hearing the good news that Rokossovsky said, Batov suddenly became excited: "It's really good. If they can go hand in hand with us, I believe that it will not be long before our two armies will be able to join forces in the Gomel area and continue our advance towards Zhilobin. ”

The 48th and 65th armies successfully advanced deep into the enemy's defenses, and the 61st Army, which had just been transferred from the base camp reserves, did not perform badly. The commander of the army group, Belov, personally rushed to the headquarters of the Front and reported good news to Rokossovsky in person.

"Comrade commander," said Belov with a smile on his face, "after fierce battles, our troops, who had advanced to the Dnieper, had successfully crossed the river and established a landing ground in the area of Nivki and Glushets on the right bank of the river. ”

"General Belov, you guys fought well." Rokossovsky knew that Belov personally went to the front headquarters, and he would definitely not just report the results of the battle, because this kind of thing can be done with a phone call or telegram, and there must be something else, so after praising the other party with a smile, he asked bluntly: "You came to the front headquarters, is there anything important?" ”

Seeing that Rokossovsky had seen through his trick, Belov grinned a few times and said: "Comrade Commander is still powerful, I guessed my intention before I could speak." ”

"Tell me, what do you need?" Rokossovsky said helplessly: "As long as I can provide you with it, I will definitely meet your requirements." ”

Belov agreed to Rokossovsky so readily that he made his first request: "Comrade commander, I hope that the higher authorities will erect a pontoon bridge over the Dnieper for us, because now we can only cross the river by wooden boats or a small number of barges, and it is very inconvenient to transport so many troops and equipment across the river. ”

"Okay, no problem, I immediately order the engineering troops to build a bridge for you in your river crossing." Rokossovsky, having agreed to this request, then asked: "What about the second request?" ”

"The second request," Belov thought for a moment, then said, "I hope that the higher authorities will provide us with the necessary air cover." You know, our river-crossing troops will be bombed by enemy planes from time to time. After the landing field is consolidated, we will develop into the depth of the German defense, which is obviously not possible without air support. ”

"I'm sorry, General Belov." After listening to Belov's second request, Rokossovsky immediately refused: "Our air power today is concentrated in the direction of the 60th Army. They are moving south along the Dnieper, towards Kiev. In order to prevent them from moving south, the enemy constantly carried out counter-assaults, which put them under great pressure, and we had to put most of the forces of the air force in that direction. ”

Hearing Rokossovsky say this, Belov's face showed a disappointed expression, and he said unwillingly: "Comrade commander, does this mean that in a short time, we will not be able to get support from the Air Force?" ”

"It's a pity, Comrade Belov." Rokossovsky said helplessly: "Although I also want to provide you with air cover, but I can't do it." At least until the situation in the direction of the 60th Army stabilizes, you will not be able to get the necessary air support, so everything will depend on you. ”

After Belov, who had come and gone from the bust, left, Malinin walked up to Rokossovsky's side and whispered to him: "Comrade commander, if you want to provide air support to the 61st Army, let General Rudenko think of a way, it should still be possible." ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky shook his head at Malinin and said, "We can't just focus on the 61st Army, we have to think about the overall situation. You see, Belov's troops, in the middle of the left and right flanks of our army, their main role was not to rush further into the enemy's defensive depth, but to ensure the security of the flanks of the main forces. ”

"I see." After listening to Rokossovsky's explanation, Malinin nodded and said: "That's right, that's right, they can only hold the landing ground on the right bank of the Dnieper River, and they can ensure the safety of the troops on the left and right flanks." ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Rokossovsky asked, staring at the map, "how long will the troops on the right flank of the Front be able to get to the Sozh River?" ”

"Judging by the current situation, when the right flank troops will reach the Sozh River depends entirely on the progress of the fighting of the 48th and 65th armies." "But I don't expect it to be later than the end of September," he said confidently. ”

"It would be great if we could actually reach the Sori River at the end of September." Rokossovsky stared at the map and continued: "When we enter October, winter begins. The bitterly cold water of the river will not be conducive to the forced crossing, so we must reach the Sori River by October and be ready for the attack. ”

…………

While other units were fighting impressively, the troops of the 60th Army were facing an unprecedented predicament. The troops attacking to the south were met with more and more fierce counterattacks, and not only could not continue to advance, but retreated under the blows of the Germans, towards the landing ground they had established on the right bank.

Seeing this, Chernyakhovsky finally remembered what Rokossovsky had warned him, and now his words were fulfilled. The route to the south seemed tempting, but the resistance was far greater than I had imagined. If Rokossovsky hadn't sent the main force of the air force and a part of the artillery to support him, delaying the German advance, he might have been driven into the Dnieper by the Germans.

Seeing that the offensive of the troops was not going well, not only Chernyakhovsky was anxious, but also the commanders in the headquarters of the army group, and even Stalin, who was far away in Moscow, was anxious. He wanted to call Chernyakhovsky personally to inquire about the situation, but he was afraid that he would put too much psychological pressure on the other party. After weighing it up repeatedly, he gave Zhukov the task of calling Chernyakhovsky to Zhukov, the initiator.

Zhukov answered the phone of the Chernyakhovsky command with a bitter face, and after hearing the voice of the other party, he asked: "General Chernyakhovsky, how is your situation there?" ”

"Report to Comrade Marshal," Chernyakhovsky immediately stood in awe when he heard Zhukov's voice coming from the earpiece: "The situation is very bad, the German army is mobilizing a large number of troops to carry out a non-stop counterattack on our troops going south. After stubborn fighting, we had to retreat in the direction of the landing ground. ”

"What, you were repulsed by the Germans?" Although he had been mentally prepared, when he heard Chernyakhovsky's report with his own ears, Zhukov's heart still chuckled, and he asked tentatively: "Did Rokossovsky help you when you were attacked?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Cherniakhovsky knew the meaning of Zhukov's question, and hurriedly defended Rokossovsky: "The commander of the Front, having learned of our situation, transferred most of the forces of the Air Force to us in order to bombard the attacking forces of the German army; At the same time, a large number of artillery was deployed on the banks of the left bank of the Dnieper, which bombarded the assembly sites of the German troops around the clock in order to relieve our pressure. All in all, he has done everything he can. ”

"Well, I see." After listening to Chernyakhovsky's words, Zhukov felt that Rokossovsky had no responsibility at all in this matter, not to mention that the 60th Army was under his command, but when carrying out the southward operation plan, he always tried his best to oppose it, believing that it would not succeed.

After a moment of silence, Zhukov then asked: "General Chernyakhovsky, do you think that if you continue to retreat, you will be able to hold on to the landing ground established on the right bank?" ”

"It should be possible, Comrade Marshal." To Zhukov's question, Chernyakhovsky replied in an uncertain tone: "We will do our best to hold it." ”

"Then keep it!" After Zhukov finished speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for the other party to speak again.

Zhukov held the microphone for a while, then picked up the microphone again, dialed Rokossovsky's Central Front Command, and said to the person who answered the phone: "I'm Zhukov, let Rokossovsky answer the phone." ”

After a moment, Rokossovsky's voice came from the earpiece: "Hello, Comrade Marshal, are there any instructions?" ”

"Hello, Comrade Rokossovsky. I'm Zhukov! Zhukov felt a little guilty when he heard Rokossovsky's voice, just a few days ago, it was he who rudely rejected the other party's suggestion and forcibly ordered the troops of the 60th Army to go south to capture Kyiv, which would lead to today's crushing defeat.

After hearing Zhukov's words, there was no voice, Rokossovsky felt a little strange, because this was not like Zhukov's character, he hurriedly said into the microphone: "Hey, Comrade Marshal, are you still there?" ”

"Yes, I'm still here, Comrade Rokossovsky." Zhukov politely asked: "How is the situation there with you?" ”

Rokossovsky guessed that Zhukov might be a little pimple in the affairs of the 60th Army, so he said with a big grin: "Except for the 60th Army, where the progress is not very smooth, the rest of the places are fighting well." ”

"Let's talk about the specific situation," Zhukov heard Rokossovsky say, quickly adjusted his state, and asked: "How are the troops on your right flank progressing?" ”

"According to the current progress of the battle," Rokossovsky looked down at the map in front of him and said into the microphone: "Our troops on the right flank should all move out of the Sozh River by the end of September and be ready to cross the river." ”

"Sounds pretty good," although the matter of the 60th Army made Zhukov feel like a fish in his throat, but at this moment, when he heard that the right flank of the Central Front Army was expected to all go out to the Sozh River in two or three days, his mood suddenly rose again. He stared at the map in front of him and said with a smile: "Rokossovsky, if your troops have successfully crossed the Sozh River, then they have successfully completed the task assigned to you by the base camp. Next, you can make great strides forward on Belarusian soil. ”