In the early morning of November 9, the soldiers of the first company of the guard regiment of the 65th group army, after finishing a night of duty, returned to the concealment department, and just when they were lying down to rest, they suddenly heard the whistle of the emergency assembly, and everyone hurriedly put on military coats and came out of the shelter with weapons.

Everyone quickly completed the assembly, but the company commander standing in front of the queue looked absent-minded, did not lecture everyone, but looked vigorously into the distance.

Seeing the expression of the company commander, everyone knew that there must be an important task. However, everyone remained quiet, straightened their backs, and stood in place with their heads held high, waiting for the arrival of higher-level commanders.

After a short time, everyone saw the regiment commander, who had always rarely shown his face, accompanied by the battalion commander and several officers, bending over this side along the traffic trench more than half a person high.

When the regiment commander and battalion commander came to the front of the queue, the company commander shouted at the soldiers: "All of them, listen to my command, stand up~!" With the password, the soldiers of the whole company completed this action in unison. The company commander trotted to stand up in front of the regiment commander, raised his hand and saluted, and said loudly, "Report to the regiment commander, comrade the regiment commander, the first company has been assembled, please instruct!" ”

The regiment commander nodded, walked to the front of the team, swept his eyes over the soldiers, and then said: "Comrades, I know that everyone has just finished their night duty, and they are all very hard. But now there is an urgent mission, and an important commander is about to come to us, and I want you to work hard to complete this important security work. ”

"Comrade regiment commander," said the company commander on behalf of the soldiers of the company, "please give the order, our company will ensure that the tasks assigned to us by the superior will be completed." ”

A company of guards was then sent to the headquarters of the army group, lined up on both sides of the road outside. As soon as they stood up, they saw the commander of the army group, Batov, the chief of staff Glebov, the military councilor Rajetsky, and a group of members of the command, all standing at the door, as if waiting for someone.

Seeing this posture, the soldiers on duty suddenly understood in their hearts that it seemed that the commander of the front army was coming, otherwise General Batov would not have personally greeted him at the door. Just as they were making a secret guess in their minds, a convoy appeared in their field of vision. The convoy slowed down the street and stopped at the entrance to the headquarters.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Batov walked briskly to a jeep and reached out to open the back door. Seeing Rokossovsky coming out of it, he hurriedly raised his hand and saluted: "Hello, commander of the Front, welcome to the 65th Army to inspect." ”

After returning the salute, Rokossovsky shook hands with Batov and said: "They are all old acquaintances, so there is no need to be so polite." Let's go, go to your headquarters, we need to convene an urgent military meeting immediately. ”

Batov thought that in addition to Rokossovsky, there would be at most Terekin with him. But when he saw the commander who got out of the car from behind, he couldn't help but be a little dumbfounded: in addition to Terekin, the commander of the artillery Kazakov came, the chief of the armored corps, General Orel, the commander of the 16th Army of the Air Force, General Rudenko, and even the commanders of the tank corps and cavalry corps stationed nearby.

However, Batov quickly returned to normal, shook hands with the senior commanders who came over one by one, and greeted them warmly.

When everyone came to the conference room of the headquarters, they sat down around the long conference table. Rokossovsky opened his mouth and said: "General Batov, I think that the commanders here, in addition to the commanders of the arms of the Front Army and General Rudenko of the Air Force, there are many people you still don't know. Let me introduce you to the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Corps of the Don River, General Panov, the commander of the 9th Tank Army Bakharov, the Kryukov and Konstantinov of the Cavalry Corps, and the commander of the Breakthrough Artillery Corps Ignatov ......"

After Rokossovsky introduced the commanders he had brought, he looked at the dazed Batov and said: "Comrade Batov, the reason why I introduce them to you is because the front army has decided to choose the decisive direction of the assault in your area, and I plan to put all the tank corps and cavalry corps under your command in the first stage of the campaign, so that you can have greater independence and initiative in the battle." ”

Hearing that Rokossovsky was going to hand over so many troops to his unified command, Bartov's heart suddenly blossomed, and he quickly stood up and said: "Comrade commander, this is really good. With the support of the tank corps and the cavalry corps, we were more sure of breaking through the German defensive positions. ”

"Don't rejoice too soon." Rokossovsky poured cold water on him: "Since there are many forests, lakes, swamps and rivers in the area you are attacking, which is not conducive to the deployment of tank troops, after the battle starts, it is the infantry that will attack first. Only after breaking through the German lines can the tank and cavalry armies go into battle through the gaps you have opened. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Knowing that what Rokossovsky said was the truth, in the early stage of the offensive campaign, his troops could not be supported by the tank army, and could only complete the task of forcibly breaking through the fortified positions of the German army under the cover of the air force and artillery, and hurriedly said: "We will not let you down." ”

After the meeting, Rokossovsky asked the commanders who came with him to meet their own troops, but he himself stayed. He said to Batov: "General Batov, in order to provide you with the necessary assistance at a critical moment and to correct the problems that arise in the offensive plan in a timely manner, I will remain at your command for some time. ”

When he heard that Rokossovsky was going to stay in his command, Batov was overjoyed, and he said excitedly: "Comrade commander, it's great that you can stay, if we encounter any problems in offensive operations, we don't need to call the headquarters, we can just ask you for instructions." ”

Rokossovsky's eyes were fixed on the map on the table, and he asked expressionlessly: "Comrade Batov, I want to ask you, how many days will you be able to get to Mozyri?" ”

Batov quickly glanced at the map and said confidently: "Comrade commander, we are more than two hundred kilometers away from Mozyri, and if it goes well, our troops will be able to reach the city of Mozyri in a week at most. ”

Rokossovsky was quite satisfied with the speed of advancing thirty kilometers a day. He nodded and said: "As long as we can gain a foothold in Mozyr, it is equivalent to having a base for attacking Minsk." ”

Hearing Rokossovsky say about the liberation of Minsk, Batov couldn't help but be moved, although the importance of Minsk cannot be compared with Kiev, but after all, it is the capital of Belarus, as long as the city is liberated, you can enjoy the treatment of the salute on Red Square. Thinking of this, Batov secretly made up his mind that as long as he broke through the German defenses, he would definitely send the main force to rush to Mozyr and strive to capture the city as soon as possible.

…………

On the morning of November 10, the troops of the 65th Army, after an hour of artillery preparation, immediately launched an attack on the German positions in front. After four hours of fierce fighting, the three Guards Divisions, which were on assault mission, managed to break through two lines of defense of the German army, tearing a gap in the enemy's well-established defensive system.

Seeing that the breakthrough had been opened, Batov was a little breathless, and he anxiously said to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, our infantry has successfully broken through the German defenses, do you think you should let tanks and cavalry enter the battlefield from the breakthrough and cooperate with our troops to continue to advance in depth?" ”

Rokossovsky was silent for a moment in response to Batov's request, and then said: "No, Comrade Batov, it's a bit too early to order the tank corps and cavalry corps to enter the gap. The infantry also needed to continue to advance until it was dark before allowing the tank and cavalry corps to enter the battlefield through the breach. ”

Although Batov was unwilling, since Rokossovsky had already said so, he could only reluctantly agree and asked the chief of staff Glebov to call the division commanders of the first echelon and order them to continue the offensive and strive to advance further.

By the time it was dark, the troops of the first echelon had been wedged into the German line at a distance of fifteen to twenty kilometers. Seeing such a battle report, Rokossovsky nodded with satisfaction and said to Batov: "Comrade General, the time is ripe, you can order the tank corps and cavalry corps to enter the breakthrough overnight, and when it is dawn tomorrow, immediately launch a surprise attack on the enemy." ”

After arranging the offensive plan of the 65th Army for the next day, Rokossovsky made a phone call to Malinin at the headquarters and asked bluntly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, how is the offensive in other sectors?" ”

"The four armies on the right flank are currently on the defensive." Malinin replied briefly: "General Romanenko's 48th Army, which performed well in today's battle, advanced about eight kilometers in the direction of Lechtsa. ”

"Well, good fight." Rokossovsky knew that the troops on the right flank would not be adequately replenished in the short term, so he could only put the hope of attacking on the left flank of the front. After listening to Malinin's report, he immediately said: "It seems that our decision to place the main offensive force on the left flank of the front army was completely correct. By the way, Comrade Chief of Staff, remember to urge Anjipianko to hurry up and replenish the troops of the right flank with ammunition and supplies, so that they can also play their role as soon as possible. ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Malinin assured Rokossovsky: "I spoke on the telephone with the leading comrades in the localities today, and they told me that we only need to wait another week or so for the railway lines of communication to return to normal, and then we will be able to reach the front line by rail with all kinds of soldiers and supplies." ”

…………

As the tank and cavalry armies entered the breach, the situation on the battlefield became more and more favorable for the Soviet army. The German troops who had broken through the defensive line began to flee, and although the German commanders constantly organized forces along the way to resist, these resistances were insignificant in the face of the powerful Soviet offensive.

On the evening of the 12th, when the battle was going on, Rokossovsky received an urgent call from Malinin, and the chief of staff said in a hurry: "Comrade commander, I have good news for you, that General Romanenko's 48th Army has now rushed to a point only five kilometers from Lechtsa and that our troops can rush into the city at any time. ”

"What, Romanenko's troops have already reached Lechicha?" Malinin's report made Rokossovsky a little overjoyed, he stared at the map for a while, and said: "If they can expand Lechtsa as soon as possible, it will be equivalent to cutting off the retreat of the Gomelid army, which will be very beneficial for us to capture Gomel." ”

"Comrade Commander, don't worry." Hearing what Rokossovsky said, Malinin hurriedly replied: "I will immediately call General Romanenko and ask them to speed up the offensive and take the following strange inspection as soon as possible." ”

As soon as Rokossovsky put down the phone, Batov leaned over to him and said: "Comrade commander, I just heard that the 48th Army is approaching Lechicha, right?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Batov." Rokossovsky, knowing that Batov would not bring it up for no reason, asked curiously: "Do you have any ideas?" ”

"Look, Comrade Commander." Batov pushed the map in front of Rokossovsky and said cautiously: "I have a bold idea, I don't know whether to say it or not." ”

"Say whatever comes to mind," Rokossovsky said with a smile, "and we'll talk about whether it's feasible after we say it." ”

"Look here," said Batov, gesturing on the map, "I have two Guards Divisions, about twenty kilometers southwest of Lechtsa, and if we suddenly turn north, we will cut off the enemy's retreat in the city, and cause the enemy to panic, so that the resistance of General Romanenko's troops in the attack will be greatly weakened." ”

"Infantry alone is not enough." Rokossovsky stared at the map for a moment, then said: "If you can get the support of tank troops, I think you can achieve the effect you said." ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Batov heard Rokossovsky say this, quickly straightened up, turned his head and beckoned to Glebov: "Come to me." ”

Glebov walked quickly to the table, glanced at Rokossovsky next to him, and then asked Batov: "Comrade commander, what instructions do you have?" ”

Batov asked straight to the point: "Comrade Chief of Staff, which tank unit is closest to Lechtsa?" ”

"General Panov's 1st Guards Tank Army on the Don," Glebov said without thinking, hearing Batov's question, "they are currently operating with our two Guards Divisions, advancing into the depth of the enemy. ”

Batov waited for Glebov to finish, a smile appeared on his face, he looked at Rokossovsky and said: "Comrade commander, in this way, we will have enough strength to cut off the rear of the enemy in Lechitsa." ”

Rokossovsky took into account that the 48th Army was already approaching Lechtsa and that if there were troops to cooperate with them, the city could be liberated in the shortest possible time. And Batov's suggestion was undoubtedly the most correct, and after a moment of thought, he nodded and said to Glebov, who was still confused: "Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately send a telegram to General Panov and the two commanders of the Guards Division, asking them to immediately change the direction of the attack, rush to the rear of the German troops defending Lechica, and completely cut off their retreat. ”