Seeing General Moskalenko's anxious look, Gurov, who was sitting next to him, said with a smile: "I didn't expect our tank general to be an impatient, don't worry, sit down and have a cup of tea first, and then it's not too late to listen to the introduction of Comrade Commander." ”

Korpakich also chimed in: "Yes, Comrade Moskalenko, you have come all the way and have not even drunk a cup of tea, you have to devote yourself to your work, and if it spreads, others will think that our people from the 62nd Army will not entertain friends." ”

Moskalenko grinned and said with some embarrassment: "Since the commander and the commissar are so enthusiastic, if I don't drink another cup of tea, others will know about it and will laugh at me for being unkind." In that case, let's have a drink. With that, he took off his large-brimmed hat and placed it on the table.

I was closest to the place where the teapot was placed, and when I heard that Moskalenko was going to drink tea, I didn't wait for anyone to tell me, so I very consciously played the role of an orderly, came to the place where the teapot was placed, lifted the teapot and poured water into a clean enamel teapot, and after pouring most of the jar, I scooped two spoonfuls of white sugar with a spoon and poured it in, stirred it, and then came to Moskalenko with both hands. With a smile on his face, he bent down slightly, handed the teapot in front of him, and said politely: "Comrade General, please drink tea!" ”

Moskalenko glanced up at me, took the teapot in my hand, said thank you lightly, turned his head to Gurov and said: "Comrade Military Commissar, I didn't expect that there would be a female commander in your command. He paused for a moment, then said in an accentuated tone: "I don't think there is a need for so many idlers in the headquarters, on the contrary, the number of commanders and fighters on the front line is not enough, and these extra people should be sent to the front line." ”

Moskalenko's words are a bit heavy. Kol Pakchi's smile froze on his face. He said with some embarrassment: "Comrade Moskalenko. Do you know that Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina was an adjutant assigned to me by General Zhukov. Although she has not been here for a long time, she has participated in several battles and achieved considerable results, so she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and promoted to the rank of first rank by the Supreme Commander. ”

After listening to Kolpakč's introduction, the expression on Moskarenko's face was much more relaxed, and he looked me up and down. His eyes stayed on my rank and medal for a moment, put the teapot on the table, and said leisurely: "I can't see it, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are really not simple, you have made so many military exploits and won several medals. His words sounded complimentary, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

I smiled stiffly, turned back to the wall, and cursed the tank general in my heart. I don't know you, let alone offend you. took the initiative to pour you tea, not to mention it, and also attracted your cynicism.

Looking at the dark-haired tank general who was studying the map with Korpakchi, I vaguely felt familiar, and his name sounded familiar, as if I had seen him somewhere before.

The room was quiet, and Kol Pakchi's voice drifted into my ears clearly: "...... Comrade General, the bridge you came over is at this location, five kilometers to the north, where we will build the pontoon bridge. The pontoons are spaced one kilometer apart, and although they can be used for tanks and heavy equipment, for the sake of safety, I recommend that your heavy tanks pass through the pontoon bridge in the middle, because I have ordered the boat bridge battalion to build a pontoon bridge that can pass through tanks, and this pontoon bridge is undoubtedly the strongest. ”

Moskalenko asked: "After all the tanks have crossed the river, where are they assembled?" ”

Korpakchi pointed to a point on the map and said: "Comrade General, after your tank army crossed the river, part of it stopped in the woods near our headquarters and stood by, and the rest split into two roads, respectively north and south, bypassing this high ground where we are located, and entering the defense line of the 192nd Division here. ”

"When did the battle start? In what direction will our group army carry out a surprise attack after the start? "Although Moskalenko is angry with me, he is very serious when discussing the combat deployment with Korpacz.

"The offensive begins at five o'clock tomorrow morning, and after an hour of artillery shelling of enemy positions by rocket artillery regiments, your tank army launches a surprise attack on this area. According to the reports of our scouts, the enemy's defensive position in this area was seventeen kilometers wide and thirty kilometers deep. Your tank army is tasked with striking from east to west, crushing the enemy in this area, and then our infantry will rush up and encircle them. ”

"It's all clear, Comrade Commander. Next, you can arrange for me a guide who is familiar with the road, and let him go with my lieutenant to meet the tank troops that are rushing here. ”

Kol Parkic nodded and said, "No problem, I'll arrange for someone to do this right away." Speaking of which, he beckoned in our direction, I thought he was calling me, and I was raising my legs to think about it, but I didn't expect him to shout Semykov: "Hey, Comrade Captain, come here." ”

Looking at the captain who was walking briskly towards Kol Pakchi, I couldn't help but smile bitterly, since the last time I proposed to him to cooperate with the infantry and tan, but it didn't achieve the desired effect, I was gradually marginalized in the headquarters. Perhaps for Korpakchi, an obedient subordinate is far more popular than a capable subordinate, not to mention that Semykov, an obedient subordinate, is still somewhat capable.

Captain Semykov came to him, stood up and saluted, and asked respectfully: "Comrade commander, what instructions do you have?" ”

"Comrade Captain, I will now give you a task. Together with the adjutant of General Moskalenko, you go to meet our tank units and guide them to cross the Koska River smoothly and into tomorrow's sortie positions as soon as possible. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander, I promise to complete the task."

Hearing that Kolpakchi had arranged a guide, Moskarenko also beckoned his adjutant to come over, but he spoke in a particularly stern tone to his subordinates: "Comrade Major, I remind you that all the tanks of the entire army must enter the position by three o'clock tomorrow morning, otherwise, I will shoot you." Do you understand? ”

Moskalenko's words startled everyone present, and the orders he gave were too harsh, and when the commander of an army group like Kolpakchi warned his subordinates who could not complete the task, it was nothing more than to send the other party to a military court or be relieved of his post, and the tank general did not hesitate to choose the third option - shooting.

However, the major seemed to be accustomed to Moskalenko's way of doing things, and he faintly agreed: "Understood, Comrade Commander, I promise to complete the task well." ”

When Captain and Major Semykov left, I suddenly had the impression of this general who spoke rudely and acted impulsively, wasn't he the same general who actively participated in the suppression of the Beria group in 1953, broke into the meeting hall with a gun, personally subdued the arrogant Beria, and took charge of guarding him, and later sent his men to shoot Beria's Moscow air defense commander, General Moskalenko? Isn't he the same Marshal Moskalenko, commander of the Moscow Military District, who acted as Khrushchev's pawn in 1957 when Khrushchev overthrew Marshal Zhukov, and together with Konev, belittled Zhukov to the point of incompleteness, and even cited evidence of Zhukov's military conspiracy?

The resume of this general that comes to my mind is from the history books of later generations. His comrades-in-arms once commented on him as a tough man, a notoriously explosive temper, who was often furious when directing battles, not only cursing at the enemy, but also threatening to shoot officers with weak personalities, and sometimes even insulting the timid as "enemies of the people." In addition, there is a tendency to hate the civilian staff, which is typical of Russian warriors. It's no wonder that when I see a female officer like me in the command, I will laugh at it.

After discussing the details of tomorrow's battle, Kolpakchi and Moskalenko picked up the phone and made a call to General Gordorf, reporting to the other side: "Hello, Comrade Commander of the Front. I inform you that the commander of the 1st Tank Army, General Moskalenko, has come to my headquarters. At the just-concluded military meeting, we consulted on the specific details of the counter-assault that will be carried out tomorrow, and we believe that such a counterattack can be successful. ”

Perhaps it was Goldov's praise that Kolpacic's originally tense face showed a rare smile. After putting down the phone, he walked back to the table, put his hand on the edge of the table, and said to everyone: "Comrades, our counterattack plan, Commander Gordorff has approved. He also promised to provide the necessary air support to our attacking forces tomorrow. ”

"This is wonderful, Comrade Commander." General Volhin, who today tasted the sweetness of air-ground coordinated operations, said excitedly: "As long as the air supremacy on the battlefield is in our hands, then tomorrow's counter-assault will certainly be victorious." ”

Tarantsev then confidently said: "Yes, Comrade Commander, as long as we have air supremacy on the battlefield, then the Germans opposite our army are nothing to worry about. ”

"Please rest assured, Comrade Commander, that we will ensure that tomorrow's counterattack mission will be completed." The rest of the division commanders also chimed in.

Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, I knew what was going on. Although the rest of the division commanders, except for General Volhin, were not present in the counterattack in the afternoon, they must have learned through their own channels how the battle was won, so they were all full of confidence in the counter-assault that would be carried out tomorrow.

Kol Parkucci looked at several of his subordinates with a smile, and after they all took turns to express their opinions, he said unhurriedly: "I am relieved to see that everyone is full of confidence in tomorrow's battle." It's not too early, so let's go back to our troops and prepare. Meeting! ”

With his dismissal, several division commanders stood up in unison, saluted him, and then turned around and walked outside the headquarters. (To be continued......)

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