"The 100th Tank Brigade was almost wiped out by the Germans?" Tavartkiradze's words scared me away, you must know that the tank brigade we are now deployed in, equipped with a large proportion of new tanks, I didn't expect to be easily wiped out by the Germans, so it seems that the German armored forces are too strong.

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Tavart Kiradze gave me an affirmative answer.

I wanted to find out who killed one of our tank brigades, so I asked Tavart Kiradze: "Comrade General, do you know the number of this German army?" ”

"Of course, I know that the German troops attacking our division's defense area are 'Hitler' and 'Reich divisions.'" Tawalt Kiradze told me: "After they failed to attack our position, they met the rear of our division's defensive sector and attacked the position of the 100th Tank Brigade. ”

"What, Comrade General, what did you just say?" Originally, I was still wondering what kind of weapons the Germans used to easily kill our tank brigade, but at this moment I heard Tavart Kiradze say that the tank brigade was destroyed because it was attacked by the Germans. "You say that the tank brigade was destroyed because of a sneak attack, not in a face-to-face battle with the Germans?"

"yes." Tavart Kiradze said with a hint of surprise in his tone: "I didn't have our tank brigade in a face-to-face battle with the Germans, and it was heavily damaged?!" ”

At this moment, I was anxious to know the details of the defeat of the 100th Tank Brigade by the Germans, so I did not dwell with him in the content of his statement, but said bluntly: "Tell me, Comrade General, what is going on?" It would be better to tell me some details. ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Tavart Kiradze reported to me: "After the failure of the German attack on the positions of our division, they bypassed the high ground in two ways. A detour to our depths. I don't know how, they actually touched the camp of the 100th Tank Brigade by mistake. As you know, tank brigades are usually caught off guard when they camp with separate men and vehicles. The last few quick tank crews drove their own tanks. Rushed out of the enemy's encirclement and retreated into the defense zone of our division. ”

"Alright, Comrade General." Figuring out the reasons for the annihilation of the 100th Brigade made me feel much more at ease, at least proving that in a face-to-face battle, the German tanks could not compete with our army. Before putting down the phone, I told Tavart Kiradze: "Remember, although it is dark, the German offensive has not stopped. Instead, it has become more rampant. Tell your men not to think that if you have repelled a few German attacks, you will suffer a big loss. ”

As soon as I put down the phone, Danilov and they gathered around and asked with concern: "Comrade commander, what is the matter with the 100th Tank Brigade, why was it so easily annihilated by the Germans?" ”

I organized the vocabulary in my head. To those present, he said: "Comrades commanders, the 100th Tank Brigade was annihilated by the Germans. It is because when they camped, they were too careless and completely ignored the actual situation on the battlefield, and still implemented the separation of men and vehicles. As a result, when the German tank units rushed in, they were taken by surprise. ”

When I had finished speaking, Bere first answered: "Comrade Commander. As I understand it, if the 100th Tank Brigade had not separated men and vehicles when the Germans attacked the camp, they would have had every strength to successfully break away from the battlefield in the face of enemy attacks. I didn't misunderstand, did I? ”

After I listened to Bere's words. Nodding his head, he said, "That's right, that's the case." In a head-to-head engagement, the Tiger and Leopard tanks, which the Germans are so proud of, are simply no match for our new tanks. Therefore, in order to prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies, I have ordered all tank brigades to be camped without separation of men and vehicles, and to remain in a state of operational readiness at all times. ”

"Comrade commander, I will immediately inform all tank brigades of this matter and let them be more vigilant." As soon as I finished speaking, Bezikov took the initiative to say: "We want to show the Germans that they can't beat us during the day and are no match for us at night." ”

When Bezikov waited for Bezikov to call, he approached me and asked in a low voice: "Comrade commander, our new tank is not easy to be completely destroyed by German tanks, even at close range. You say, will some of the tanks be captured by the Germans? ”

In fact, I have already considered the question asked by Belei, but I am afraid that it will affect the morale of the military, so I deliberately did not say it. At this moment, when I heard Bere mention it privately, I smiled wryly and said to him: "This possibility is completely there. But don't worry, even if the Germans capture our new tanks, it will take some time for them to get familiar with the vehicle's performance. In addition, the new tanks have a limited amount of ammunition and will quickly run out in battle. ”

"That's good, that's good." When Beray heard me say this, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said happily: "If this is really the case, even if the Germans capture a few of our tanks, it will not have much impact on the whole situation of the battle." ”

In the time that followed, several phones in the command kept ringing one after another. Not only was the first line of defense attacked by the Germans, but even several sections of the second line of defense were harassed by the Germans, because we had to issue a series of orders to solve the problems we were facing. At the busiest, each of us held a phone and gave orders to the troops below.

It was finally over, and I was exhausted. I sat down at the table and asked Bezikov, who had just finished answering a phone call: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is there a report from Colonel Govorinenko of the 375th Division?" ”

Betzikov shook his head and replied: "No, Comrade Commander. So far, I have not received any intelligence from Colonel Govorinenko. ”

"Chief of Staff, call Colonel Govorinenko and ask him how the situation is there?" After giving the command to Bezikov, I muttered in a low voice: "Whether or not the Germans who are going to besiege our positions or not, you must give me an explanation." ”

Danilov, while Bezikov was on the phone, sat down next to me and said to me with a serious expression: "Comrade Commander, the situation looks terrible tonight. Everywhere the Germans were attacking, and we deployed troops in the first line of defense. It's a bit weak. Do you think that the reserves of the army group were immediately thrown into battle? ”

If Danilov had asked me a few hours earlier to use the reserves, I would have refused him without hesitation. But at this moment, I hesitated, and after much deliberation, I said to Danilov: "Comrade Deputy Commander. Tell us what you think. ”

Danilov stood up, pointed to the map on the table, and said to me: "I should transfer the 89th Guards Division in the direction of Butovo and assist the 67th Guards Division in taking Butovo so that the enemy cannot use it as a starting point for their offensive attack on Oboyan. As for the 90th Guards Division, it was to be transferred to Yakovlevo and, in conjunction with the 10th Tank Army, which had arrived there in advance, to repel the attacks of the 'Hitler Division' and the 'Reich Division' and to regain those positions occupied by the Germans. ”

I looked down at the map in front of me. The credibility of Danilov's proposal was being repeatedly deduced in his head. After half a day of research, I found that it was not advisable to send reserves to Butovo or Yakovlevo. Because in the process of marching, the troops will inevitably come into contact with the German troops. The Germans were both armored divisions, while we were infantry divisions, and in the event of an encounter between the two, our reinforcements would be repulsed.

Having made up my mind, I raised my head and said to Danilov: "Comrade Deputy Commander. In the current situation, our reserves are not available for the time being. ”

"What. Reserves can't be used? When Danilov heard me say this, he jumped to his feet in a hurry, and he said again and again: "Comrade commander, don't you see how dangerous the situation is now? Our 51st, 52nd, and 67th Guards Divisions all lost a large number of men in the daytime battles. If you don't give them reinforcements. I think it's hard for them to hold on. ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, don't worry." As soon as Danilov finished speaking, I immediately expressed my opinion: "At the moment the worst situation in the first line of defense is the only 67th Guards Division, because they do not have strong fortifications. In the face of the ferocious attack of the German army, they were absolutely unstoppable. But fortunately, behind them was the mechanized Third Army of Major General Krivoshein. Our daytime battles have bought them enough time to prepare, and now it's time for them to have a good fight with the Germans.

As for the 51st and 52nd Guards Divisions, although the Germans attacked their defensive areas very fiercely, because the defense areas of the two divisions had a solid and complete defense system, they could rely on the tunnels for a lasting defense. Regardless of the fact that the Germans occupied two important positions in the defense zone of the 51st Guards Division, it was not easy to completely eliminate the division. ”

"However, Comrade Commander...... "Danilov could not help but be a little anxious when he saw that I had rejected his proposal again." I didn't wait for him to finish speaking, I interrupted him directly, and said slowly: "Comrade Deputy Commander, please don't forget, now that the battle has only been going on for one day, if we hastily put our reserves into battle at this time, then once the battle has entered a stalemate, where should I draw enough troops to break this stalemate?" ”

As soon as I had finished speaking, I stared intently at Danilov to see how he reacted. Danilov snorted angrily and said angrily: "Comrade commander, although you have a good point, I reserve my opinion. ”

Kirillov, who was sitting across from me, although he witnessed the whole process of our dispute, did not speak, but smiled faintly and continued to look down at his battle report.

And Bezikov, who had finished the call, hurriedly walked back to the table and said emotionally: "Comrade commander, I have just spoken to Colonel Govorinenko, and in the battle that has just ended, we managed to break the German siege and free our besieged troops. At the same time, 29 German tanks, 3 self-propelled guns, 22 trucks were destroyed, and more than 500 German officers and soldiers were killed and wounded. ”

"Great, that's great." Danilov, who was still sulking with me, became agitated when he heard the news, and he said happily: "This victory is really good news, and I propose that the whole army be reported immediately in order to boost the morale of the commanders and fighters." ”

"I agree!" As soon as Danilov's proposal came out, I was the first to agree, after all, there was too much bad news tonight, which would have dealt a certain blow to the morale and morale of our troops. It is precisely by taking advantage of this news that it will play a role in stabilizing the morale of the army and boosting morale.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

Kirillov and Bezikov, waiting for me to finish, also expressed their opinions one after another, expressing support for Danilov's proposal.

When I saw that the main leaders of the army group were in agreement, I called the chief of communications, Lopukhov, who was standing nearby, and instructed him: "Major, go and send a telegram to the divisions to inform them of the 375th Division's defeat of the Germans and its great success." ”

At this time, Akhromeyev also came over. Standing in front of his desk, he reported with a red face: "I have just received a telegram from the command of the Front that in order to strengthen the anti-tank forces in the Yakovlev region, it has been decided to place the 28th anti-tank destroyer brigade and the 538th and 1008th anti-tank destroyer artillery regiments under our command. At this moment the troops were ready to set out, and probably before dawn they would be able to reach the Yakovlevo region. ”

When they heard that a new reserve had arrived, everyone's faces showed joy. Kirillov even said: "It's wonderful, Leda, a few hours ago, you were still agonizing about the lack of long-range anti-tank weapons." Now, before you can speak, our superiors have sent us so many anti-tank artillery regiments. I believe that with their help, we will have a better chance of victory. ”

I waved to the artillery commander Povsky, who was sitting in the corner and was almost ignored by all of us, and after letting him come to me, I said to him in a consultative tone: "Comrade Colonel, now that so many artillery units have been replenished at once, it is impossible to do without a unified command. I want to send you to Yakovlevo to take command of these numerous artillery regiments, are you sure that this will be done? ”

"No problem, Comrade Commander." Povsky replied in a firm tone: "I will immediately go to Yakovlevo and organize all the artillery, so that the Germans can taste the power of our artillery." (To be continued.) )

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