"Comrade Marshal," Knowing that a German unit was moving in the direction of the Front Command, Bogolyubov did not panic, but solemnly asked Rokossovsky: "May I ask, who is calling?" ”

Rokossovsky replied slowly: "It is Colonel Varmko, commander of the 81st Infantry Division of the 48th Army, and his division, as the second echelon of the 48th Army, is deployed in the settlement to the northeast of us. ”

"The settlement is only two or three kilometers away from here," Bogolyubov showed a panicked look on his face after listening to Rokossovsky: "Comrade Marshal, then I need to immediately arrange the defense of the guard troops." ”

"Go, Comrade Chief of Staff." Rokossovsky nodded at him and said, "I will leave the security of the front command to you." ”

Although there are many units directly under the front army, the number of troops that can be mobilized near the headquarters today is only one regiment, and it also lacks heavy weapons. In desperation, Bogolyubov had no choice but to put the focus of defense on the northeast side, and park all kinds of vehicles in the south, preparing to transfer all the members of the headquarters in time if the situation was not good.

To be on the safe side, Bogolyubov also sent a telegram to an infantry brigade and a Guards heavy tank regiment, ordering them to rush to the headquarters early the next morning to support. After arranging all this, he secretly prayed in his heart, hoping that the infantry division stationed in the large settlement would be able to hold back the German attack.

When Bogolyubov was laying out his defenses, the fighting was in full swing near the settlement. The German commanders ordered their troops to attack here not because they found that Rokossovsky's headquarters was nearby, but because this settlement was a meeting point of several roads, which, if captured, would cut off the transport and supply lines of the Soviet army.

Sticking here was the 81st Infantry Division of the Soviet Army. Due to the fact that the troops were in the second echelon, there was little chance of an encounter with the enemy, so when entering the settlements, the division commander, Colonel Varmko, set up checkpoints in all directions, as well as a small number of patrols.

It was only when the German tanks easily broke through the checkpoint to the north and headed straight for the settlements that Vamko panicked. In order to recover the losses caused by his negligence, he sent troops to the north for reinforcements, and at the same time crossed Gusev and warned Rokossovsky directly.

Hearing the fierce gunfire outside, Vamko's heart was beating for a while, and he knew very well that once his settlement was broken through by the Germans, then the enemy's tanks would only need a few minutes at most to rush to the location of the Front headquarters, threatening the lives of Rokossovsky and others.

However, he soon discovered that the gunfire outside, although intense, remained far away. In order to find out what was going on, he called the commander of the 233rd Regiment, which was on a blocking mission in the north, and asked straight to the point: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how is your situation there, have you blocked the German attack?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." The regimental commander who answered the phone said excitedly: "The German offensive has been stopped by us, and I think they will not be able to break through the defense line of our regiment." ”

Wasko was very surprised to learn that the 233rd Regiment had actually blocked the German offensive, he came to the bell tower of the church, raised his binoculars and looked north, only to see that the road north of the settlement had been blocked by several destroyed German tanks, and there were many German corpses lying around the tanks, which seemed to have been killed by Soviet soldiers when they tried to bypass the burning tank wreckage.

Seeing that there was a thick layer of snow on both sides of the road, not to mention that the German tanks could not pass, even their infantry, if they wanted to pass through this area, they would become the target of sniping because of their slow movements. Seeing this, Vamko's heart secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he knew very well that under such terrain conditions, it was impossible for the Germans to rush over.

Seeing that the wreckage of the tanks was blocking the road and unable to rush into the settlement, the Germans used the remaining tanks to open fire at a distance and bombard the Soviet positions outside the settlement, trying to launch a new attack again.

Since the enemy can't rush in, then you should find a way to hold them back, wait until the friendly forces arrive, and then surround them here. Thinking of this, Vamko picked up the phone, again connected to the command post of the 233rd regiment, and the regiment commander who answered the phone said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, immediately send a ski detachment, carrying mines and anti-tank grenades, to make a detour to the rear of the enemy. laying mines on roads so that they cannot retreat; At the same time, find a way to blow up the enemy's tanks in order to reduce the losses of your regiment. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Division Commander." The regimental commander replied very dryly: "I will carry out your order and send a ski detachment to the rear of the enemy." ”

Not long after the ski team was dispatched, a call from Bogolyubov came in. The Chief of Staff of the Front, probably aware that the fighting was always going on to the north of the settlement, felt the need to call Vamko and ask what was going on: "Comrade Colonel, have you held the enemy back?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Hearing Bogolyubov's voice, Vamko hurriedly replied: "My 233rd Regiment is fighting the invading enemy to the north of the settlement, and has so far repelled their attack, destroyed three tanks, and killed and wounded more than 50 German soldiers. ”

"Well done, Comrade Colonel." Blocking the enemy's attack is certainly something to be happy about, but Bogolyubov is not satisfied enough with this state of affairs, "but Comrade Marshal once said that in battle, we cannot conduct a passive defense. Colonel Vamko, you should take some more effective ways to fight the enemy. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, rest assured, I have sent ski detachments carrying mines and anti-tank grenades to make a detour back to the enemy's rear." "Use mines to cut off their way to retreat, and at the same time wait for an opportunity to blow up their tanks and weaken their offensive capabilities," Vamko said confidently. ”

Bogolyubov had participated in the Soviet-Finnish war and remembered the heavy losses caused by the attack of the Soviet army by a Finnish ski detachment. At this moment, when he heard that Vamko had used the same tactics against the Germans, he was immediately relieved: "Comrade Colonel, your tactics are correct, I will pass this on to Comrade Marshal, good luck!" We will always wait for the news of your victory. ”