Just as Bratash's troops, with the cooperation of the Shugin Tank Brigade, were attacking the Germans trying to recapture the bridge by attacking instead of defending, Rokossovsky was talking on the phone with Antonov, the General Staff, who was far away in Moscow, at the headquarters of the Front several hundred kilometers away.

"Comrade Chief of the General Staff," Rokossovsky said into the microphone with a solemn expression: "You should know very well the situation of our front army, first several group armies on the right flank were placed under the command of the Third Front, and the remaining troops have gone through hard battles, and now the attrition situation is very serious, and some divisions even have only two or three thousand men left. Therefore, I beg you to propose to the base camp to replenish us with new troops and technical equipment as soon as possible. ”

Since Antonov took the post of Chief of the General Staff, similar calls have been received almost daily. Although he was willing to replenish these troops with men and technical equipment, it was difficult for the clever woman to cook without rice, and without Stalin's nod of approval, he could not even move a platoon of troops.

At this moment, after patiently listening to Rokossovsky's complaints, he replied with some tears and laughter: "Comrade Marshal, I think I may not be able to fulfill your wishes and replenish your troops and technical equipment. ”

"Why?" Although the base camp gave itself an army group and a tank army, for Rokossovsky such support was far from enough. So every once in a while, he would call Antonov and, like a professional debt collector, ask the base camp for more reinforcements and technical equipment.

"Comrade Marshal," Antonov said euphemistically, "at the moment our army is on the offensive against the Germans on all fronts. In other words, other troops also need to be replenished with troops and technical equipment, and in this case, we can only allocate limited resources according to the actual situation on each front. ”

When Rokossovsky heard Antonov say this, he understood in his heart that his phone call was in vain again, but he still asked unwillingly: "Comrade Chief of the General Staff, then can I ask, according to the arrangement of the base camp, which units should be given priority to replenish?" ”

"According to the arrangement of the base camp, the first thing that should be replenished is the 1st Belorussian Front of Marshal Zhukov." Antonov explained to Rokossovsky: "They were supposed to attack Berlin in February, but the attack on Berlin was postponed due to the serious attrition of the troops and the fatigue of the commanders and fighters. ”

Hearing that the first unit that should be replenished was the First Front Army under his original command, Rokossovsky had no opinion, and in real history, it was also this unit that undertook the task of conquering Berlin, and it was a matter of course that it gave priority to providing them with troops and technical equipment to replenish them. Although he knew in his heart that his troops would definitely not be ranked second, he couldn't help but ask: "Then which unit should be supplemented by the second one?" ”

"In second place, Marshal Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front." Antonov explained to Rokossovsky: "His troops are attacking the Silesian industrial region, and as soon as they completely occupy this area, then the Germans will lose an important source of arms and thus lose the ability to continue fighting......"

Zhukov's and Konev's troops are carrying out important combat missions, and it is reasonable that they should be supplemented by their base camps first, and Rokossovsky can understand this very well. He thought to himself: In addition to these two fronts, the next thing that should be added must be us. Not only how to say it, but the East Prussian Campaign, the East Pomeranian Campaign, but we are the protagonist. Thinking of this, he asked with a smile on his face: "Comrade Chief of the General Staff, is the next unit that should be given priority to replenish the right to replenish our front?" ”

Antonov was silent for a long time about Rokossovsky's question, and then said with some hesitation: "I'm sorry, Comrade Marshal, it's not you who are in third place." ”

"What, not us?" When Rokossovsky heard this, he couldn't help but be a little angry, and he said loudly into the microphone: "Now that Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia have been liberated, I think the three Ukrainian fronts responsible for attacking those directions should not need supplies, right?" ”

"Comrade Marshal, you are right. The second, third and fourth Ukrainian fronts, which are responsible for operations in those directions, really do not need to be replenished. Antonov explained: "We would like to add the Third Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Vasilevsky. ”

Hearing Antonov say this, Rokossovsky almost smashed the microphone in his hand, and he asked unconvinced: "Comrade Chief of the General Staff, let me ask, why is this?" You must know that regardless of the several armies on the right flank of our front, they were assigned to the Third Front, and even the units of the First Baltic Front, which was disbanded at the end of last month, were also incorporated into the Third Front. They already have such a strong strength, why should they become a priority replenishment force? ”

Antonov was very familiar with the situation on various battlefields, and he knew that if Rokossovsky had not lost too many troops and had lost all kinds of technical equipment, he would never have called him every once in a while to ask for reinforcements from the base camp. Although he sympathized with Rokossovsky in his heart, he could not do anything, after all, many things were decided only by Stalin.

Although it was impossible to include Rokossovsky's troops in the list of priority supplements, Antonov, as the chief of the General Staff, felt that it was still necessary to appease the other side. After organizing the vocabulary in his head, he said into the microphone: "Comrade Marshal, I know the situation there very well, please hold on for a little longer." I assure you that in two months at most you will be replenished with sufficient troops and technical equipment. ”

"What, wait another two months?" When Rokossovsky heard Antonov say this, he immediately cried and laughed, it is already the middle of March, and if you wait for two more months, the Germans have announced their unconditional surrender, and then replenish themselves with troops and technical equipment, what's the point?! He shook his head and said: "Comrade Chief of the General Staff, do you think the Germans will be able to hold out for two months under such a powerful offensive of ours?" ”

Rokossovsky's words reminded Antonov, and he suddenly remembered that in Stalin's plan, Zhukov's troops should capture Berlin by the end of February, but Zhukov later personally called Stalin and said that after a long battle, the troops had suffered heavy losses in personnel and technical equipment, and the commanders and fighters had become exhausted, and they had to go through sufficient rest and replenishment before they could continue the offensive against Berlin. It was now the middle of March, Zhukov's forces had been greatly replenished, and the conditions were in place for a renewed offensive against Berlin, and it was possible that Berlin could really be captured from the Germans in a very short time. If this is really the case, then it will be a little too late to replenish the troops of Rokossovsky in two months. Thinking of this, he hurriedly asked into the microphone: "Comrade Marshal, when do you think it is most appropriate to supplement you?" ”