Regarding the corruption of military discipline in the Soviet army in the late stage of World War II, Rokossovsky, who has read various historical materials in later generations, naturally knows it well. In order to prevent similar incidents from happening, from the day the troops entered East Prussia, he and Su Bojing, the military commissar of the front army, jointly signed an order, emphasizing the importance of military discipline to all commanders and fighters.

Now that there had been a violation of military discipline, Rokossovsky did not intend to condone such behavior, so he said to Subozin: "Comrade Military Commissar, from the day the troops entered East Prussia, I have repeatedly emphasized that we are fighting against Hitler's army, and not against the peaceful inhabitants of Germany. We entered Germany as liberators, to help the German people get rid of the rule of the *** group, and all commanders and fighters should follow the order in an exemplary manner and cherish the honor of the Soviet soldiers. But there are always a few people who turn a deaf ear to our orders and do things that damage the honor of the Soviet soldiers, and such people must be severely punished. ”

After waiting for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, Su Bojing asked tentatively: "Comrade Marshal, what are you going to do with them?" ”

"Shoot!" Rokossovsky said categorically: "We must not spare this kind of black sheep in the army, and all of them will be shot on the spot." ”

"Shoot them all?!" Su Bojing did not expect Rokossovsky to give such a severe punishment: "Comrade Marshal, will such a punishment be too heavy?" You know, there are several of these people who have made war exploits. ”

"Comrade Military Commissar, you just said that these people should be severely punished. What they have done has made the relationship between our military and the civilian population on the ground even worse, and the consequences will be dire if not addressed in a timely manner. Rokossovsky said decisively: "In order to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, the commanders of their units and the victims of the Germans should be present to watch the executions." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Marshal." Su Bojing hurriedly said, "I'll arrange this matter immediately." ”

An hour later, in the central square of the city, the head of the Political Department of the Front, General Okorokov, organized a public trial. Seventeen servicemen, including three officers, were sentenced to death for serious violations of military discipline and were immediately executed on the spot. Subsequently, he personally returned the looted items to the German civilians who had been victimized.

The German civilians felt like they were in a dream when they held their stolen belongings. They couldn't help but wonder in their hearts: if it was their own army, after looting something from the Russian land, would it be returned to the original owner? The answer is clear, it's definitely impossible. It seems that all the propaganda about the Russians that I have heard before is wrong, and there should be no danger of continuing to stay.

Rokossovsky probably never dreamed that his unintentional move would play a big role in stabilizing the local people. Many civilians who had planned to flee changed their minds and decided to stay at home and live in peace with the Soviet forces occupying the city.

…………

Due to the shortage of troops and ammunition, in the next few days, the Second Belorussian Front stopped its offensive and waited in place for reinforcements and ammunition from the rear to arrive.

During this time, Zhukov's troops to the north also did not go well. The 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps was blocked in the area of Lantsk and Ledritz. The Polish 1st Army fought against the strong German forces in the areas of Deutsch, Fulbeck and Kalk. And behind these troops, the defenders besieged in the fortresses of Schneidmeier, Kroné and Arnsvadod were also fighting stubbornly to prevent the Soviets from taking them.

The commander of the 19th Army, Lieutenant General Kozlov, was in this context and came to East Pomerania. Although his troops were still on the way to advance, he first rushed to Rokossovsky's headquarters with his chief of staff and military commissar, ready to accept the next combat mission.

After seeing Kozlov, Rokossovsky shook his hand warmly, and then briefed him on the current situation: "General Kozlov, the German army currently facing our army has 2 tank divisions, 14 infantry divisions, 4 infantry brigades and several combat units, with a total strength of 230,000 troops. And in terms of armament, they have 700 tanks and self-propelled guns, 300 armored transporters, 20 armored trains, 3,360 artillery pieces and mortars, and more than 300 combat aircraft for various purposes. …… According to what we know, the 126th, 290th, 225th and 93rd German infantry divisions are on their way to East Pomerania......"

When Rokossovsky briefed Kozlov on the situation, he didn't notice that the other party's face suddenly turned blue, the corners of his mouth turned white, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. 2500 artillery pieces and mortars, almost 300 combat aircraft ......"

When Kozlov read the battle report in the rear, he learned that Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front was ready to liberate Berlin in a week, and this time he received an order from his superiors to rush to East Pomerania to strengthen Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front, which he thought would be an easy task. But I never dreamed that the German forces in East Pomerania would still be so strong. He struggled to control his emotions and tried his best to ask in a flat tone: "Comrade Marshal, I don't know what the tasks of our group army are?" ”

"The task of your army group is to take over the units of the right flank of the 1st Belorussian Front, advance to the offensive areas assigned to you, and carry out the main assault in the direction of Bischovswald, Steigre, Baldenberg." After Rokossovsky finished his assignment, he added: "Of course, General Kozlov, you are not alone, in order to quickly break through the German defenses, you will be supported by the artillery and air forces of the Front. In the event of an attack, you will be supported by no less than 150 guns per kilometer of frontage. In addition, the Air Force will also send representatives to your group army to be responsible for coordination between the ground forces and the Air Force. ”

As soon as Rokossovsky's words were finished, the chief of staff of the army group said excitedly: "Comrade Marshal, this is really good, with the support of artillery and air force, I am sure that our commanders and fighters will be able to successfully break through the enemy's defenses." ”

Kozlov, on the side, glared at his chief of staff with vicious eyes. I thought to myself: What are you so excited about, don't you hear that this is for us to die? Although he was full of slander in his heart, he still kept his face calm and asked: "Comrade Marshal, I don't know when our offensive should start. ”

"February 24th, five days until today." Rokossovsky, taking into account that the troops of the 19th Army were still on the way, deliberately gave them two more days so that they had time to familiarize themselves with the conditions in the area of the attack: "Then not only you, but the entire front will be attacking the enemy at the same time. ”