According to the plan, the attack on Suchinich would begin after dawn on January 29. In order to facilitate the command of the siege operation www.biquge.info Rokossovsky moved the headquarters of the army group to the village of Zherdevo, about 20 kilometers from the city of Suchinich, on the first night of the battle.

As soon as the command began to work normally, Zhukov called and asked: "Comrade Rokossovsky, are your offensive units ready?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Zhukov." Rokossovsky hurriedly replied: "The troops involved in the offensive include the 11th Guards Division of General Cherneshov, the 324th Infantry Division of General Kiryukhin, and the 328th Infantry Division of Lieutenant Colonel Yershov. We also have three artillery regiments and two rocket artillery battalions deployed, which can provide the necessary artillery support for our attacking forces. ”

"Are all the troops in attack positions?" Zhukov then asked.

"That's right," to Zhukov's question, Rokossovsky answered in the affirmative: "the units have already occupied the starting positions, and the artillery has formed positions and is ready to open fire." ”

Although Zhukov had read the battle plan reported by Rokossovsky more than once, he still asked unrealistically: "Which unit do you plan to let take on the main offensive mission?" ”

"Needless to say, of course, it is the 11th Guards Division of General Chernyshov, this division has just completed the replenishment, and in terms of numbers and equipment, it is stronger than the other two divisions participating in the battle, but it is also much more experienced in combat." Rokossovsky confidently said: "The 324th and 328th divisions served as auxiliary attacks. ”

"Good, good." Zhukov, after saying two good things in a row, finally said: "Report to me on the progress of the battle in a timely manner, so be it, good luck to you!" ”

After finishing the call with Zhukov, Rokossovsky called Zakharov and Malinin to the front of him, and then said to them: "In order to keep abreast of the progress of the siege, I intend to immediately rush to the observation post of the 11th Guards Division, where I will direct the battle. I'll leave everything in charge of the headquarters to you. ”

After listening to Rokossovsky's words, neither Zakharov nor Malinin raised any objections, because both of them knew Rokossovsky's character, and even if they persuaded him, it would be useless, so it was better to go with the flow. After a pause, Zakharov asked: "Comrade commander, I wonder who you plan to take with you to the 11th Guards Division?" ”

Rokossovsky looked at the commanders standing around, and then pointed at Kazakov and Orel with his hand: "Let the commander of the artillery and the chief of the armored corps accompany me." ”

…………

Rokossovsky, with two of his subordinates, went to Chernyshov's observation post, where he quietly waited for the dawn to come.

Seeing that it was getting brighter, Rokossovsky raised his hand and looked at his watch, and then said to Kazakov: "Comrade artillery commander, call the artillerymen and order them to carry out artillery shelling of the German defensive positions in ten minutes. ”

Just after Kazakov gave the artillery an order to prepare for the shelling, a staff officer walked up to Chernyshov and handed him a telegram he had just received.

Chernyshov looked down at the telegram in his hand, and looking at it, he suddenly cried out in shock: "Impossible, this is impossible......"

"Comrade General, what happened?" Rokossovsky involuntarily blurted out.

While handing the telegram in his hand to Rokossovsky, Chernyshov said in an incredulous tone: "Comrade commander, look at this telegram, it is simply impossible. ”

The telegram was sent by the anti-United Nations reconnaissance detachment commanded by Zhu Zhendong, who reported to Chernyshov that the Germans were evacuating Suchinich in a panic and fleeing westward.

Seeing that Rokossovsky had not spoken after reading the telegram, Cherneshov asked in a somewhat anxious manner: "Comrade commander, what should we do?" ”

If it was someone else's phone call, Rokossovsky might still be suspicious, but since it was a telegram from the anti-United Nations squad, he was convinced, and he believed that the situation reported by the squad would definitely not be false. Hearing Chernyshov's questioning at this moment, after handing the telegram to Kazakov next to him, he said to Chernyshov: "Comrade General, I think this reconnaissance information is accurate, and the German troops in the city are fleeing westward. You immediately send a company of cavalry and infantry to the city to have a look. ”

"Comrade commander," Kazakov, who had finished reading the telegram, hurriedly reminded Rokossovsky: "Our artillery will open fire in a few minutes, is it appropriate to let the cavalry and infantry into the city at such a time?" ”

After Kazakov's words, the other commanders also showed puzzled expressions on their faces, and Orel said to himself: "Maybe it's some kind of trick played by the Germans again, and we can't be fooled." ”

Although almost everyone thought that this was a conspiracy of the Germans, out of trust in Zhu Zhendong and them, Rokossovsky still gave the order without hesitation: "The artillery will stop firing for the time being, let the cavalry and infantry go to the city and see what is going on." ”

A few minutes later, a cavalry company left the offensive position and marched through the snow towards Sushinich. They were followed by two companies of infantrymen, and the soldiers, dressed in knee-high gray overcoats, wearing gray cylinder caps, and carrying bayonet-long Mosinlagan rifles, marched forward with firm steps.

The commanders standing at the observation post saw all this through binoculars, and the tension in the observation post became more and more serious as the troops got closer to the German defensive positions.

However, until the cavalry and infantry sent by Chernechov crossed these German fortifications, there was still silence.

"Did the enemy really retreat?" Seeing this, Orel said to himself: "It's just incredible, the Germans actually abandoned the fortified city and fled." ”

"That's understandable." Rokossovsky put down his binoculars, looked at his subordinates and said: "Maybe the chief of staff sent a report with different unit numbers some time ago, which gave the enemy the illusion that we had gathered heavy troops here, so they had to choose to abandon the city." ”

"Comrade Commander," seeing this scene, Chernyshov was also a little out of breath, he stood behind Rokossovsky and asked loudly: "Do you need me to immediately send troops to reinforcements?" ”

Seeing that the cavalry had already set foot on the streets of Sushnych, but there was still no movement in the city, Rokossovsky nodded and said: "Okay, Comrade General, let your vanguard first rush into the city and occupy the favorable terrain, and then report to us what happened." ”

With the order of Chernyshov, the vanguard regiment launched an assault on the German positions not far away. This time, it was not cavalry that rushed to the front, but a rapid cluster of tanks and armored vehicles. The mechanical vehicles were at full speed and rushed towards Sushinich.

After five or six minutes, the phone rang in the observation post. A staff officer went over and picked up the phone and listened, then turned around and reported to Chernyshov: "Comrade division commander, your phone. ”

Chernesov took the phone, put it to his ear for a while, and then stammered and reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, according to the report of the regimental commander who entered the city of Sushnych, all the German troops in the city have fled, and at present my troops entering the city are occupying the post office, the radio station and the municipal building. ”

After listening to Chernyshov's report, Rokossovsky also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and he instructed Chernyshov: "Send a telegram to the commanders of the other two divisions, and ask them to send reinforced tanks and armored vehicles to pursue the fleeing enemy together with your division." ”

Taking advantage of the fact that Chernyshov was calling the other two division commanders, Rokossovsky also connected to the army group headquarters, and after hearing Malinin's voice, he said bluntly: "Chief of staff, I tell you good news, Sushnych has been taken!" ”

"What, Sucinich has already taken it?" Malinin was stunned by this unexpected good news, and he hesitated for a while before he continued: "Comrade commander, this is simply incredible, if I am not mistaken, it is now less than half an hour before the artillery fire before the attack begins." ”

"There was no artillery preparation at all, and when we were preparing to attack, we received a report from the reconnaissance team that the enemy had abandoned the city and fled, so our army recaptured Sushinich without bloodshed."

After waiting for Rokossovsky to finish speaking, Malinin cautiously asked: "Do you need to report to the front command immediately?" ”

"Wait a minute, Comrade Chief of Staff." Rokossovsky said cautiously: "Until the situation is completely clarified, do not report this news to the front command for the time being." In addition, in order to prepare for the transfer of the headquarters of the army group to the city, you immediately send an operational group with communications equipment to me. ”

When Rokossovsky drove to the city of Sushnych, the streets of the city were filled with only the commanders and fighters who had entered the city in advance, and not a single resident could be seen. Rokossovsky was surprised by this situation, so he called a passing officer and asked: "Why don't you see the inhabitants of the city, have they all been displaced by the Germans?" ”

"How can this be, Comrade Commander." The officer replied with a smile: "I guess the inhabitants are still sleeping at home, and they may not have dreamed that we have liberated the city." ”

As soon as the officer finished speaking, the door of a house on the side of the road opened, and out of it came an old lady with a headscarf. She glanced up at the soldier standing on the side of the road, lowered her head again, turned and slowly closed the door. The moment the door was closed, the old lady's body trembled, and then she turned her head sharply and looked at the soldiers behind her with incredible eyes. It was a long time before she tentatively asked, "Are you German or Soviet?" ”

"What's the matter with you, old lady?" The officer who was talking to Rokossovsky smiled and said to the old lady: "Can't you see that we are the Soviet Red Army?" The Germans have been driven out of us, and the city is back in our hands. ”

The old lady swooped down and grabbed the officer's arm, looked him up and down carefully, and said excitedly, "Finally get you back, these damned Germans have made us miserable." ”

Rokossovsky was about to step forward to say a few words, when a staff officer who got off the truck behind him came up to him, handed over a telegram, and at the same time said: "Comrade commander, the chief of staff has sent a telegram asking if it is possible to report the news of the capture of Sushnych to the command of the Front now?" ”

After reading the telegram, Rokossovsky nodded and said to the staff officer: "Call back to the chief of staff and ask him to report to the command of the front army with the news of our successful capture of Suchinich." At the same time, let the chief of staff immediately arrange manpower to transfer the headquarters of the army group to the city in the shortest possible time. ”