Katukov, who was in Brovarie, was surprised when he received Bogolyubov's order, because he had offered to lead his troops to the west of Kiev to stop the German attack yesterday morning, but Vatutin did not hesitate to refuse. Now, less than 24 hours later, he has received an order that is diametrically opposed, and he is puzzled.

With this question, he asked the signal corps to connect with the front army headquarters and wanted to talk to the front commander in person to find out what was going on.

Hearing that it was Katukov calling, Rokossovsky took the microphone from Bogolyubov's hand and said with a smile: "Hello, Comrade Katukov, I haven't seen you for a long time, how are you doing lately?" ”

"Is that you, old commander?" Katukov was a division commander in Rokossovsky's Ninth Mechanized Army before the war, and he was naturally very familiar with Rokossovsky's voice. ”

"General Katukov, I don't think you have received an official notice yet," Rokossovsky said with a smile when he heard Katukov's question: "From today onwards, I am the acting commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front. ”

After figuring out the reason why his old chief appeared at the front headquarters, a smile also appeared on Katukov's face: "So, old commander, the order I just received to attack was personally signed by you?" ”

"That's right, I signed the order." The expression on Rokossovsky's face suddenly became serious, "At present, the German army is attacking our army quite fiercely, the 38th and 60th armies have been repulsed from the original occupied areas, and they are retreating to Kiev step by step. In order to prevent the Germans from approaching Kyiv again, I order your army group to rush to the Jetmir area at once, where the 48th Panzer Army will meet the Germans, not only resolutely blocking them, but also inflicting heavy losses on them, can you do it? ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Katukov replied solemnly: "I will then give the troops a battle alert, and as soon as they have completed their assembly, they will rush to the Jetmir area day and night to block the German 48th Panzer Army." ”

"Very well, General Katukov." After listening to Katukov's statement, the expression on Rokossovsky's face softened: "Whether we can hold Kyiv depends on whether you can hold the Germans in the Jetmir region. ”

…………

An hour later, Katukov's tank army had completed its buildup and began to march one after another, rushing to the front of Major General Yuschke's 11th Tank Army.

The 11th Tank Army was divided into three echelons to advance, the 20th, 36th and 65th tank brigades were at the forefront, the second echelon was the 12th motorized brigade, the 50th Guards Tank Regiment, and the third echelon was the troops directly under the army and the 1461st and 1493rd self-propelled artillery regiments,

According to the order before departure, every hour and a half Yuschke had to report to Katukov. At the time of the first report, Yushk stood next to the Dnieper bridge in Kiev and reported loudly to Katukov by radio: "Report to Comrade Commander, our three echelons are crossing the Dnieper bridge one after another, and next, we will spend about an hour crossing the city of Kiev. ”

"Understood, General Yuschke." Hearing that the vanguard was advancing normally, Katukov's heart suddenly became much more steady, and he told the other party: "After you have passed through Kiev, you will contact me." ”

After breaking off contact with Yuschke, he asked the signal corps to contact Major General Diegomov, commander of the 8th Guards Mechanized Army, and Colonel Babajanyan, commander of the 11th Guards Tank Army, to learn about the advance of the two armies.

After confirming that all the armies were advancing smoothly in the direction of Kiev, Katukov instructed the chief of staff: "Chief of staff, order the troops directly under the group army to set off, and we must try to pass through the city of Kiev before dawn." ”

The tanks of the 1st Guards Tank Army, as they passed through the city one after another, were also perceived by the trembling of the ground under their feet. He said to Bogolyubov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that Katukov's actions are quite fast, and in less than three hours from the time we give the order, his troops have already arrived in Kyiv. ”

Bogolyubov waited for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, and immediately asked: "Comrade commander, Rybalko's 3rd Guards Tank Army is now deployed north of Kiev, do you think they will also be put into battle?" ”

Rokossovsky thought for Bogolyubov's proposal for a while, then shook his head and denied it: "No, Comrade Chief of Staff, Rybalko's tank army suffered very heavy losses after a long battle. I just checked, and they now have less than a hundred tanks left, and even if they go into battle, it is estimated that it will not make much difference, so let them stay where they are and rest and wait for their superiors to give them additional troops and new tanks. ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Bogolyubov hurriedly nodded and agreed: "I will call General Rybalko and ask his troops to stay where they are and rest and not participate in any battles for the time being." ”

"Wait a minute, Comrade Chief of Staff." From the beginning of his arrival at the headquarters, although Rokossovsky has been trying to familiarize himself with the situation within the Front, after all, the time is too short, and many things cannot be understood immediately, and it is necessary to go through the chief of staff Bogolyubov: "What is the situation with the artillery and air forces, and will they also be able to go into battle as soon as possible?" ”

"Our artillery and air force have little losses in battle and are ready to go into battle." Bogolyubov replied with a feeling: "But it is getting late now, and we will have to wait until dawn tomorrow." ”

Knowing that he still had enough artillery and air force to use, Rokossovsky's heart was much more reassured. The German tanks are better than their own, and they may suffer a loss if they are tough, but as long as they have enough artillery and have air supremacy, then even if the Germans have more tanks, it will become difficult to continue to rush to Kyiv. He nodded and said to Bogolyubov: "Chief of Staff, get in touch with the commander of the artillery and the commander of the air force as soon as possible, saying that our army may have a fierce battle with the Germans tomorrow in the Jetmir area, and I hope they can give us the necessary support for our ground forces." ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Bogolyubov waited for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, and immediately said: "I will immediately contact them and convey your intentions to them." ”