Hearing that the troops holding on to the Gdansk bridge had easily crushed the German offensive, Varkin, through his chief of staff, immediately ordered the troops to launch a counteroffensive.

The first sortie was the battalion of Captain Dunayev, who launched an attack on the zoo next to the Vistula River, preparing to destroy the enemy entrenched inside, creating a support point on the east bank here.

The German commander who was responsible for attacking the Gdansk bridge realized that he had made a mistake in his judgment when the Soviet army launched a counterattack, and it turned out that the Soviet army holding the bridge was not a battalion, but a division. By the time he regrouped his forces and prepared to attack the bridge again, it was too late.

Captain Dunaev's battalion had managed to break through the German positions on the periphery of the zoo and storm into the zoo to engage the Germans who were holding out.

Glazunov was a commander who was good at capturing fighters, and when he received a report from Vajin that one of the battalions of the division had stormed the zoo located on the east bank, he immediately went to the roof of the palace and watched the battle on the opposite side through binoculars.

After getting acquainted with the situation on the battlefield, Glazunov returned to his command and called the commander of the 57th Guards Division, Major General Shemenkov: "General Shemenkov, now that the troops of the 79th Guards Army have stormed the zoo, I order you to immediately let the 174th Guards Regiment launch an attack on the Vilansk station, so that the enemy will not be able to send troops to reinforce the zoo. ”

Major General Shemenkov, who answered the phone, listened to the orders given to him by Glazunov, looked at the map and gestured with his hand the distance between the zoo and the Vilansk station. When it was confirmed that the distance between the two places was not more than a kilometer, he replied decisively: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander, I will order the 174th Guards Regiment to launch an attack on the Vilansk railway station, and will definitely attract the enemy's forces and ensure that the friendly forces can successfully occupy the station." ”

It was clear to Glazunov that although the troops east of Warsaw had rushed into the city several times, they had been driven out by the Germans in the end, and the reason why the original plan for the division could not be realized was because of unsatisfactory coordination. Therefore, he felt that not only the troops under his command were about to attack the Germans, but also the friendly forces east of Warsaw had already taken active action to cooperate with his own attack.

Since he did not have the right to command the troops on the outside line, he could only send a telegram to Rokossovsky, giving a detailed report on the situation in the city and asking for instructions on the next move.

After reading the telegram, Rokossovsky smiled and said to Malinin: "Chief of Staff, did you see it?" Glazunov has now seized the initiative on the banks of the Vistula, and if the 48th and 65th armies can effectively cooperate with them, I think it will still be possible to meet the divisions on the banks of the Vistula. ”

After waiting for Rokossovsky to finish, Malinin stared at the map for a while and replied: "Comrade commander, judging by the current situation, the troops of the Eastern Front can rush into the city from two directions and join forces with the defenders of General Glazunov. ”

"Which two directions, let's hear about them?"

Malinin pointed to the map and said: "First, the 48th Army of General Romanenko, after rushing to the Malki block, can rush along Ganeralska Street, directly to the zoo or Vilansk station, and join the defenders. The second route was for the 70th Army, which belonged to the Army, to move north along Zeshinsky Avenue on the Vistula River and join the Polish 3rd Division, which was holding the Lazienki Bridge. ”

After listening to Malinin's analysis, Rokossovsky did not immediately express his opinion, but went on to ask: "Comrade Chief of Staff, in which direction do you think we should carry out a breakthrough?" ”

"Going north along Zeshinsky Avenue on the Vistula River, the distance is the shortest, probably only seven or eight kilometers." "But what we can think of, the Germans can also think of, is that they are bound to deploy heavy forces in this area to prevent our troops from rushing to the Lazienki bridge and joining up with the Polish 3rd Division."

From the Marki district, down south along Ganeralska Street, where you join the zoo and the defenders, the road is a little farther and about fifteen kilometers long. However, the advantage is that the Germans are not able to deploy heavy forces in such a long area, so it is possible to achieve a breakthrough in this direction. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I very much agree with you." Rokossovsky waited for Malinin to finish expounding his views, and then said: "You and I can take this offensive line in the north as the key line of the division, and we don't need to tell the commanders below, lest they be lucky." ”

Malinin and Rokossovsky have been partnering for a long time, and when he heard him say this, he quickly nodded and replied: "Understood, Comrade Commander, when I gave the order to the troops below, I just urged them to speed up the attack and join forces with the troops holding on the Vistula River bridge as soon as possible. ”

Just as Malinin turned to leave, Rokossovsky stopped him again, adding: "You send another telegram back to Glazunov saying that we have ordered the troops of the Eastern Front to speed up the offensive, and that they will do everything possible to establish more support points in the area on the east bank of the Vistula." ”

Having sent a telegram to the command of the Front, Glazunov focused his attention on the west and north of Warsaw, which were under heavy German attack. Although the 16th Army of the Air Force, on Rokossovsky's orders, bombed both the German assembly areas and the attacking ranks. However, after all, the Soviet bombers could not be compared with the later B-52s, and it was difficult to inflict huge casualties on the German army, which only temporarily contained the German offensive, but could not repel the German troops.

Glazunov pointed to the map on the table and said to the chief of staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you tell the troops holding on to the west and north that they will have to hold on for at least three days before they can abandon their existing positions. ”

Hearing Glazunov say this, the chief of staff of the army hurriedly reminded him: "Comrade commander, our troops do not have heavy weapons, and even with the support of the air force, it is not as easy as imagined to hold the position." ”

"I have long been mentally prepared for the enemy to break through the positions of our army." "Please tell the two division commanders that their task is to hold on to the existing area and ensure that the troops along the Vistula can join forces with friendly forces from the east," said Glazunov in no uncertain terms. Even if the position is occupied by the Germans, I must immediately organize a counterattack and take the position back for me. ”

The chief of staff of the army was infected by Glazunov's emotions, and he hurriedly replied loudly: "Don't worry, comrade army commander, when I call the two division commanders later, I will relay your meaning to them as it is." ”

The two divisions, which were holding on to the west and north, received orders from Glazunov through the chief of staff, and summoned their men and announced to them: "Comrade commander, the commander has given a death order, let us hold out here for three days anyway, in order to gain precious time for the troops holding on to the Vistula to join forces with friendly forces." ”

After they finished speaking, the commanders at all levels under them expressed their attitudes one after another: "Please rest assured that even if there is only one person left, we will stick to our positions." I'd rather leave the bones exposed in the wilderness than take a step back. ”

The determination expressed by the commanders and fighters of the two divisions was quickly fed back to Glazunov. Seeing the high morale of the troops below, his heart immediately became steady, and he smiled and said to the chief of staff of the army: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that my method is quite good, and it has mobilized the morale of the troops. ”

"Comrade Army Commander," the chief of staff of the army knew very well in his heart that propaganda and agitation were one thing, and whether the troops could hold their positions was another, so he cautiously asked: "What should we do if our troops cannot hold their positions?" ”

"How can you not hold on?" Glazunov asked rhetorically: "Don't forget, in the city of Warsaw, there are more than 20,000 rebel soldiers, and the same number of Warsaw citizens have been armed, and with their help, we are fully capable of blocking the German attack." It was the troops to the north and west who suffered heavy losses, but behind them there were the 27th and 88th Guards Divisions as reserves, which could be put on top if necessary. ”

Seeing that Glazunov had taken all the things that should be considered, the chief of staff of the army no longer said anything, but actively contacted the three division commanders who were holding on to the banks of the Vistula, urging them to speed up their attacks, establish a firm position on the east bank of the Vistula as soon as possible, and shorten the distance between them and friendly forces on the eastern front.

Major General Shemenkov saw that the battle on his left flank was extremely fierce, and the officers and men of the Soviet and German sides were engaged in repeated tug-of-war in order to fight for an important position. He felt that he should take active action to support the 174th Guards Division, which was in a bitter battle, so he did not ask Glazunov for instructions, so he ordered the 176th Guards Division, which was holding on to the railway bridge, to also attack the enemy in front of him, and the direction of the attack was directed at the East Station of Warsaw, a few kilometers away. All of a sudden, the banks of the Vistula River were filled with gunfire, explosions everywhere, dazzling fires flashed, and black smoke rose into the air. 、

Glazunov, who was watching the battle from the roof of the palace, originally saw that it was only near the Gdansk Bridge and the Royal Palace Bridge, and the battle between the enemy and us was extremely fierce. At this moment, he suddenly saw that there was also a fierce battle on the east bank of the railway bridge, and he couldn't help but feel a little puzzled, saying that he had not given a new combat order to Major General Shemenkov, why did he order the troops to attack?

Grazunov had the intention to return to the command headquarters and severely reprimanded Major General Shemenkov and criticized him for his self-imposed behavior. But just as he was about to leave the roof, he unexpectedly discovered that perhaps the battle in the direction of the railway bridge had caused the enemies at the zoo and the Vilansk railway station, fearing that they would be encircled by the Soviet troops, began to look a little confused.

"It's so much fun." After saying a word to himself, Glazunov turned around and went down the roof, returned to his command and called Major General Shemenkov. He said straight to the point: "Comrade division commander, I have seen the attack you launched in the direction of the railway bridge. You guys played well! As a result of your decisive and timely attack, it was the enemy, who was fighting with our troops at the zoo and the Vilansk railway station, and fell into chaos. ”

When Major General Shemenkov heard Glazunov's voice from the earpiece, he was still deeply afraid that he had come to ask his master for his guilt, but when he heard that he was actually praising himself, he couldn't help but grin, and then said: "Comrade commander, I saw signs of movement of the enemy on the other side of the railway bridge, and guessed that they must be trying to rendezvous with the enemy at the zoo and Vilansk station, so I did not have time to ask you for instructions, so I decisively ordered an attack. ”

Hearing Shemenkov say this, Glazunov thought for a moment, and then said to him: "Comrade General, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and if you ask me for instructions on everything, you may delay the fighter. In this way, as long as you find the right fighter in the future, you can take the necessary action without asking me for instructions. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Shemenkov hurriedly replied loudly.

In the ensuing battle, as Malinin had analyzed, Romanenko's 48th Army soon occupied the Malki neighborhood and moved south along Ganeralska Street; And the army to which the 70th Army belonged was also on the Vistula River, along Zeshinsky Avenue to the north.

The German commander realized that it would be very difficult to hold back the two Soviet units that had stormed the city without driving the Soviets back to the west bank of the Vistula. Therefore, he made up his mind, concentrated the strength of two regiments, and under the cover of a dozen tanks, launched a storming of the zoo occupied by Soviet troops.

Since the main forces of the 79th and 57th Guards Divisions were fighting with the Germans for the Vilansk station and the Warsaw East station, the troops left in the zoo had only two companies, which soon suffered heavy casualties in the face of a powerful German offensive, and the remaining fighters had to retreat to the palace bridge due to the cut off of the retreat, from where they were ready to retreat back to the west bank of the Vistula.

Although the Soviets were taken by surprise by the Germans, they were not defeated, but quickly stabilized their position, using the tactics of step-by-step tactics, and retreated towards the palace bridge and the railway bridge.

When Glazunov learned that the offensive had been frustrated and that the troops had to retreat towards the west bank in order to prevent being divided on the east bank, he could not help but sigh and secretly said that it was not the Germans who suddenly seized the zoo and cut off the retreat of the troops, perhaps the situation was much more favorable to him.

Just as he was about to be appointed, he suddenly saw through his binoculars a train in the distance, which rushed along the railway into the East station of Warsaw, and soon there was a fierce battle in the station. What's going on? Holding up his binoculars, he silently asked himself: Could it be that the Germans themselves are engaged in infighting? No, the situation in Warsaw is so critical, even if there is a contradiction between the Germans, there will be no internal strife at such a time, isn't this self-defeating?

The answer was soon revealed, and an army with red flags rushed out of the station and opened fire behind the German officers and soldiers who were rushing towards the railway bridge, knocking them down in pieces. The retreating troops were stunned at first when they saw the troops rushing out of the station, but soon found that it was their own friendly troops, and their morale was greatly boosted, and they rushed up against the enemy again.

Ten minutes later, troops from the east and west eliminated the German troops in their middle to clean up the habit, and the officers and men of the two armies gathered together, cheering and hugging loudly, celebrating this hard-won meeting together.