Looking at Vasilevsky, who was speaking, I said in my heart that the chief of the General Staff of the Red Army was not Marshal Shaposhnikov? When did it change to this fifty-year-old young general?

“…… Comrades, when the news of the 2nd Shock Army being encircled by the Germans reached the base camp, Comrade Stalin was worried about the fate of the more than 100,000 commanders and fighters of the Army. Vasilevsky continued: "He specially called me to his office, pointed to the map and said to me: You, as a representative of the base camp, immediately set off to the Volkhov Front, and together with General Meretskov, you will command the troops and cover the 2nd Shock Army from the enemy's encirclement. ”

At the mention of Stalin's name, he appeared a little agitated, paused briefly, and then continued, by which time the tone had become calm and clear: "Because of the fierce fighting that was going on near Kharkov in the south at that time, neither the reserves nor the weapons and food could provide the necessary help to the Volkhov Front. This requires us to rely on our existing strength to cover the 2nd Assault Army's outstanding encirclement. ”

"What was the situation at the front at that time?" Meretskov stood up and continued: "The situation seems to be quite bad, the supply base of the 2nd Shock Army has been cut off and encircled, and there is a great shortage of food and ammunition. Its rearguard corps, under pressure from the enemy, slowly retreated to the east. The avant-garde forces tried to open the corridor, but were unsuccessful. The troops of the 52nd and 59th armies, scattered over a wide frontage, barely withstood the enemy's attempts to widen the gap between them and the 2nd Shock Army. Without the reserves provided by the base camp, we had to find another way. As a result of coordination, Vasilevsky and I transferred three infantry brigades and a number of other units from other areas. Among them was a tank battalion. We have compiled these meager forces into two clusters. They were ordered to open a corridor one and a half kilometers to two kilometers wide. and cover both flanks of the corridor to ensure the withdrawal of the troops of the encircled 2nd Shock Army.

At dawn on June 10, I gave the signal to attack. After a short preparation of artillery fire, tanks and infantry launched a storm on the enemy's positions. Although everything was well thought out in advance, our attack didn't work.

From the analysis of the situation on the battlefield, it is clear that it is unrealistic for us to crush the enemy with the existing forces. That same evening. Comrade Vasilevsky and I once again repeatedly calculated the entire strength of the Front and tried by all means to transfer some troops from other areas to the breakthrough site in order to strengthen the assault force there.

We are moving our troops, and the enemy is not idle, they have also increased their forces. According to the scout's report, the Germans had transferred three infantry divisions and an SS police division from the north, that is, west of the Leningrad Highway, as well as a number of units and detachments that had previously defended in other sections, and they were combined into three brigades, 'Kalenburg', 'Bass' and 'Main Road'. From the Novgorod side, two clusters 'Jump' and 'Yashkai' were transferred, as well as other troops. From the west, a 'Duke' cluster of two infantry divisions and a security division pressed towards the 2nd Assault Army. The fighting did not stop for a minute, and it was unprecedentedly fierce. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. ……”

After listening to Meretskov's briefing, I understood why I was in front of the breakout. The forces of the 2nd Shock Army were unable to assemble for a long time, as the fighting continued in many areas. Quite a few troops were not able to withdraw from the battle at all.

"The Front covered the troops that broke through, and while constantly attacking from east to west, the 2nd Shock Army also organized troops to attack from west to east. On June 19, the tank crews of the 29th tank brigade of our army, as well as the infantry following them, broke through the enemy's defenses and joined up with the troops of the 2nd Shock Army, which was attacking from the west. A corridor three to four hundred meters wide was opened along the narrow-gauge railway from the east and west. Taking advantage of this corridor, a large number of wounded commanders and fighters of the 2nd Shock Army withdrew to Myasnebor. Speaking of this, Meretskov had a smile on his face, and after a pause, he continued: "It was the 327th Division under the command of Colonel Anchufeev that broke through the German encirclement and opened the passage of life for the army group troops. It was the bravery and tenacity of the troops under his command that were able to break the encirclement of the Germans. Colonel Anchufeev, stand up and let everyone see you. As he said this, his eyes looked to a corner on his left.

Colonel Anchufeev stood up under the watchful eyes of everyone, he did not say anything, but saluted the commanders present with a flushed face, and sat down again.

Seeing Meretskov's praise and affirmation of Anchufeev, I felt extremely depressed, I want to know that the person who led the troops to break through the three lines of defense of the German army in a row, but me! Who knew that now it was all the credit of Anchufeev. Alas! No way, who made me his subordinate at that time, the results I achieved, in the eyes of my superiors, are the results achieved by him, the division commander.

"Colonel Anchufeev, I have a question, can you answer me?" The question was asked by Fedyuninsky, who was sitting at the table, and after asking this, he smiled at Meretskov and asked politely: "Comrade Commander of the Front, may I ask Colonel Lu?" Having received the tacit approval, he again turned his gaze to Anchufeev: "Now, Comrade Colonel, please answer my question: Why did you not expand the breakthrough or send troops to hold the heights on both sides of the passage after breaking through the third line of defense and joining forces with the rescue units of the Front, but led the main forces of the division to move?" Don't you realize the importance of the heights for the encirclement of the corridor through which the 2nd Shock Army relied to break through? Answer me! ”

Faced with Fedyuninsky's stern question, Anchufeev stood up again, took off his hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and stammered to reply: "Because I am worried about the front...... There may also be Germans in front of them, so they do not dare to disperse their forces. ”

"I'm afraid of encountering the Germans again," Fedyuninsky said in a mocking tone: "You must know that at that time you had already joined forces with the troops of the Front, and on the way to the east, the 52nd and 59th armies of our army, as well as the reinforcements transferred from other regions by the commander of the Front and the chief of the General Staff, were assembled, and the chances of encountering the Germans again were very small. And it's because you don't pay enough attention to the high ground on both sides of the passage. The Germans recaptured the heights a few days later. and cut off the passage of the retreat of the 2nd Shock Army. ”

Faced with Fedyuninsky's questioning. Anchufeev did not refute, but wiped his sweat vigorously.

"Enough, Comrade Fedyuninsky." At this time, General Plivalov stood up and defended Anchufeev: "It was my decision not to expand the breakthrough, not to hold the heights on both sides, and it was a shame with the colonel, he just acted on orders." I would like to remind you that you are now the commander of the 54th Army. No longer the commander of the Leningrad Front, you have no right to dictate to the people of our 2nd Shock Army. ”

"Good one to do what he is told." After hearing this, Fedyuninsky nodded with a sneer and said: "General Plivalov, it is precisely because of your inaction that the commanders and fighters did not hesitate to shed blood and sacrifice to open the passage, and after only a part of the troops were withdrawn, it was re-closed by the German army. ”

Plivalov slammed the table and yelled at Fedyuninsky: "What's the use of expanding the breakthrough and leaving troops on the high ground?" Know that the enemy is much stronger than us, and they will also occupy the high ground and firmly block the breakthrough passage we have opened. ”

Fedyuninsky said in a stiff tone: "General Plivalov." If you don't know what happened later, then I'm not afraid of trouble. I'll tell you what the battle report is about.

When it was learned that the breach had been blocked by the Germans, Commander Meretskov ordered the 59th Army to strike in the east and the 2nd Shock Army to follow the narrow-gauge railway from the west in order to break through the troops of the 2nd Shock Army that remained on the side of the front. The commander gave the order to the 2nd Shock Army to launch an attack at 23 o'clock on June 23 and to carry the attack through at any cost.

At 23:30 on June 23, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army began to move. The tanks of the 29th Tank Brigade were again dispatched to meet them with infantry. The artillery of the 52nd and 59th armies shelled the positions of the Germans with full firepower. In order to prevent our troops from breaking through, the enemy's artillery first launched a fierce counterattack, and at the same time, night bombers were dispatched to carry out wanton and indiscriminate bombardment of the combat operation area.

In the early morning of the next day, our troops opened a small corridor along the narrow-gauge railway, and the troops broke through one after another. But the Germans soon took control of the heights, and the breakout troops were again blocked. In the evening, the troops of the Front, which had struck from the east, again opened the corridor and cleared the railway of the enemy. Along this corridor where the two sides crossed fire, a group of commanders and fighters of the 2nd Shock Army were withdrawn one after another throughout the night of the 24th and on the morning of the 25th. At 9:30 a.m. on June 25, Deko closed the corridor again, this time completely. ”

Some of what Fedyuninsky said is something that I have personally experienced, so I am naturally very clear; Some of the things happened after I had withdrawn from the high ground, and I had no way of knowing. After saying these battle reports in one breath, Fedyuninsky glared at Plivalov and said in a stern tone: "Comrade General, after listening to this, have you not realized the need to hold the heights?" You must know that if you send troops to hold the high ground and expand the breakthrough at that time, even if you only hold this passage for a day, or even half a day. Then the 2nd Shock Army would have more commanders and fighters who successfully stood out from the German encirclement. ”

At Fedyuninsky's rebuke, he stood in a daze in astonishment. He opened his mouth again and again, as if he was about to say something, but not a word came out. Then he looked at Meretskov and Vasilevsky with a bewildered look, as if hoping they would say a few words for themselves, but the two remained silent.

At this moment, when I see that Plivalov is still denying a series of serious mistakes he made in the process of breaking through the siege, I feel that I should stand up and say something, or at least support Fedyuninsky. So an uncontrollable impulse prompted me to stand up and say in a loud voice to Meretskov, who was sitting precariously: "Comrade Commander of the Front, can I say a few words?" ”

The silence in the room was broken when someone suddenly spoke, and everyone's attention was drawn to me. Plivalov, who was in a dilemma, seemed to grasp at a life-saving straw, and he said to me in a stern tone: "This major, this is an important military meeting, and the participants are all military commanders of various armies and divisions. ”

Plivalov's words. It immediately caused a huge reaction in the house. Except for the commanders who knew me. The rest of the people were whispering to each other, and I could vaguely hear them criticizing me for my reckless behavior.

At this moment, Meretskov knocked on the table with his hand, and the room immediately became quiet. He said coldly to Plivalov: "General Plivalov, please remain calm, Major Oshanina is not the battalion commander now, she is my newly appointed acting division commander of the 378th Division, and she is fully qualified to come to today's meeting." ”

Plivalov was speechless. I could only sit down in a daze. The few people who were talking cool things also obediently closed their mouths when they saw Meretskov glaring at them fiercely.

With a smile on his face, Meretskov waved his hand at me and said to me in an encouraging tone: "Major Oshanina, say whatever you want." We'll listen patiently. ”

I looked at Plivalov, who looked flustered, and then at Afanasyev, who had a serious expression on his face, and then said carefully: "Respected Comrade Commander of the Front, Respected Comrade Chief of the General Staff. Hello comrades, commanders! First of all. Let me introduce myself. My name is Oshanina, with the rank of major, and I am currently the acting commander of the 59th Division of the 378th Army. Before the breakout operation of the 2nd Shock Army began, I was still in the 327th Division of Anchufeev as a battalion commander. ”

Speaking of which, I noticed that many people's eyes involuntarily looked at Anchufeev, and the colonel, who had once again become the focus of attention, had a red face and looked a little cramped and uneasy. I continued: "On June 18, our division, under the command of Colonel Anchufeev, launched an attack on the first line of defense of the Germans along the narrow-gauge railway. Due to the lack of artillery fire, the cover of tanks, the attacking contingent of our division suffered heavy losses.

At that time, I proposed to the division commander a plan of attack by night or around the rear of the German army, just as the comrades of the Sotnikov partisans, who had cooperated with us in breaking through at that time, came. So the division commander readily agreed to my proposal and asked the partisan comrades to act as guides for us to go around the swamp behind the Germans to attack them. ”

Although I was indignant at Colonel Anchufeev's subsequent submission to Plivalov's obscenity, by not sending more troops to defend the heights with us, and at the expense of the fighters of the Yevgeny regiment, he nevertheless gave the greatest support to my proposal for a sneak attack on the German rear, which I cannot deny, and if he did not agree, I would have taken my own troops and sent them to my death in the face of the dense German fire. So when I talk about the breakout battle, I try to put myself in an objective perspective and tell the people present about the cause and effect of the incident.

"I led a company of troops, through forests and swamps, around the rear of the German defensive positions, and launched an attack overnight. Colonel Anchufeev, after the start of the attack of our division, also led the main forces of the division to rush to the position and completely annihilate the enemy's defenders.

After breaking through the first line of defense, the colonel put the remnants of the crippled Yevgeny regiment under my command, and told me to immediately lead my troops to attack the second line of German defense, and at the same time gave me five mortars captured in the position. Saying this, I smiled and nodded at Colonel Anchufeev, who was sitting in the distance.

"Thanks to these mortars, the attack on the second line of defense is much smoother. I first ordered the artillery to destroy the German machine-gun positions, and then after the artillery fire was extended, the infantry made a surprise attack. In only half an hour, the second line of defense of the German army was broken. After handing over the position to the Colonel, who had rushed over, I led my troops to the third line of German defense.

Our troops were fortunate enough to encounter reinforcements from the Front when they attacked the German third line of defense, and after a short battle, we succeeded in capturing the third line of defense with the support of the tank brigade and the second lieutenant training team. The Germans, repulsed by us, fled north to fortifications hundreds of meters away. ”

"Well done, Major Oshanina! You're so good! Fedyuninsky, who had been listening, couldn't help but exclaim, "I saw on the intercepted German intelligence that it was said that the vanguard of our army's breakthrough broke through three lines of defense in a row in more than two hours, and successfully joined the front army's rescue troops. At that time, I thought it was quite strange, to know that the commander of the 327th Division and several regiment commanders had dealt with each other, and I really couldn't think of anyone who had such command ability to break through the enemy's three lines of defense in such a short period of time. Open a breakthrough for the main forces of the group army. I didn't expect you to be in command of this unit. Now the doubt in my mind has finally been solved. General Zhukov once told me. Say you're a miracle commander,......"

"Comrade Fedyuninsky," Meretskov interrupted him, "please catch up with Major Oshanina later, and we will wait to hear what she has to say." Seeing that Fedyuninsky nodded in agreement, he then said to me: "Comrade Oshanina, if you go on, I think everyone here wants to know what happened to Lu Dao later. ”

Vasilevsky echoed: "Yes. Comrade Major, please go on. ”

So I continued: "After taking the high ground, the colonel gave me an order to fortify the high ground on both sides. After receiving the order, I divided the troops into two parts, which had been under my command, to defend the high ground on the north side; The remnants of Yevgeny's regiment held on to the high ground on the southern side. Immediately after entering the position, I ordered the soldiers to rush to repair the fortifications in case of a possible German counteroffensive.

Halfway through the fortifications, the German counterattack began. After their heavy shelling of our positions. Two tanks were dispatched, covering the infantry to launch an attack on the heights on the northern flank. In cooperation with the 29th Tank Brigade and the Ensign Training Team. After a stubborn battle, we completely annihilated this invading enemy.

After the battle, I counted the casualties, and the commanders and fighters on the position suffered heavy casualties. And the field hospital, which was retreating through the corridor to the outside of the encirclement, also paid heavy sacrifices in the German shelling. ”

"Now that you have been given the order to hold the heights, and have fought the Germans tenaciously. So, I would like to ask, how did the highlands get lost? Meretskov suddenly interjected.

In response to his question, I hurriedly explained: "Report to Comrade Commander, next, I will tell you how this high ground, which is related to the life and death of the 2nd Assault Army, was lost. ”

"Say it." He simply said one word and didn't continue to speak.

"Soon after the battle, Colonel Anchufeev came with the main forces of the division. At that time I reported to him that we had seized and held the high ground, and asked him to send additional forces in order to launch an attack on the German positions to the north, in order to drive the enemy far from our breach.

But unfortunately, although my proposal was rejected. General Plivalov, who was with him at the time, ordered me to immediately withdraw all my troops from the heights and to cover the transfer of the field hospital to the Myasnebor area with him.

At that time, I objected to Comrade General, saying that although we had opened the passage to break out, the German line was still a few hundred meters away, and it was possible to re-block the gap we had opened at any time. Therefore, the troops on the high ground must not be reduced, but on the contrary, they need to be strengthened.

Although Colonel Anchufeev was also speaking for me at that time, Comrade General ruthlessly rejected our suggestion and stood in the way of everyone: 'Since Major Oshanina feels the need to hold on, let her troops stay and defend the heights.' As for the reserves, we don't have enough people to cover the retreat of the wounded, so we don't need to send any more troops to her. ’”

As soon as the words fell, there was an uproar in the room, and some people even accused loudly: "It's too much, because of this general's wrong decision, I don't know how many of our commanders and fighters have died in vain." ”

Seeing that everyone's reaction was so strong, I felt that General Plivalov, as the person concerned, would not give up. Sure enough, he slapped the table and jumped up, pointed his finger at me, and said angrily: "Major Oshanina, you must know that in the army, orders from superiors are not allowed to be discussed. You disobeyed the military order at that time, refused to lead the troops to retreat with me, and only allowed you to stay and hold your position, instead of shooting you on the spot, which is already considered an extrajudicial favor to you, and you are embarrassed to complain about me here. ”

In the face of General Plivalov's rebuttal, I listened to it with a wry smile on my face, and I didn't know what kind of expression I should have. I tried to keep myself calm and coldly asked, "Comrade General, is it necessary to carry out the wrong order?" It is because of this order that he almost buried all the more than 100,000 commanders and fighters of the 2nd Shock Army in the encirclement of the Germans. ”

"Comrade Oshanina, is what you say true? If this is true, I will immediately punish those responsible. General Meretskov's words revealed a resolute and resolute look, and his body also exuded a chilling murderous aura!

I nodded vigorously and replied, "Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front. About that. Lieutenant Akhromeyev of the ensign training team can help me prove it. Then I added, "As far as I know." General Plivalov reached the Myasnebor region. Still feeling unsafe, he reported to his superiors that his troops were fighting with the heavy German troops, and asked for immediate support. Because of his report, his superiors immediately sent troops from all sides and sent reinforcements to him. Not only was a temporary reinforcement of my unit transferred a few minutes before the battle began, but even the tank detachment of the 29th Tank Brigade, the second lieutenant training team, and the remnants of the Yevgeny regiment, which had been assigned to me, were also ordered to be deployed. ”

"Then don't you have two more companies? Why don't you continue to stick to it? "Plivalov, who was higher than me, still sneered at me.

At this moment, Meretskov's face was as black as the bottom of a black cauldron, and he was completely enraged by Plivalov's attitude! He jerked to his feet. Twisting his face to his left, he pointed with his hand at Anchufeev, who was sitting there, and said loudly: "You, Colonel Anchufeev, stand up and answer me, is what Major Oshanina said the truth?" ”

Anchufeev stood up, buried his head in a bow, and replied in a weak voice: "Report to Comrade Commander, what Major Oshanina said is true. I was later ordered to transfer all the troops assigned to her. ”

"Comrade Commander." Suddenly a man stood up next to me, and I turned my head to look. It turned out to be Colonel Zhicholiv, who said loudly to Meretskov: "I can also confirm that Major Oshanina is telling the truth. I put an infantry regiment and artillery battalion under her command, intending to launch an attack on the German positions a few hundred meters away, driving them far from our breach. Unexpectedly, just a few minutes before the battle began, I received an order from the army group headquarters to immediately lead my troops to the Myasnebor area to reinforce General Plivalov, who was fighting the Germans. When I arrived, I found that there were no heavy German groups at all, just stragglers, and at most only one battalion could wipe them out. ”

"I signed this order from Colonel Zhcholiv." General Afanasyev, who had been silent there, suddenly spoke: "At that time, the headquarters of our army group was still working normally, and after receiving General Plivalov's telegram for help, after discussion and decision by the commander and deputy commander, I gave an order to the troops of the army group to immediately reinforce the Myasnebor area. ”

The words of Colonel Zhicholiv and General Afanasyev made me surprisingly angry, I thought that the troops were being transferred one after another because of the tense situation in the Myasnebor region, but I did not expect that it was Plivalov who lied about the military situation. My breathing became rapid, and my hand couldn't help but feel like groping for the holster again.

But as soon as I touched the holster, I immediately calmed down again, and the supreme commander here was not Plivalov, but General Meretskov, who, knowing the truth of the matter, would make the right decision. I took a deep breath and replied to Plivalov's question in a tone that had returned to normal: "General Plivalov, didn't you ask me why I didn't continue to hold on?" I can responsibly tell you that although my troops are only 126 men, we remain on the high ground and continue to fight. It wasn't until almost all of the commanders and fighters died that I was rescued from the position by one of the surviving fighters. ”

"What if you lead your troops to hold the high ground?" The unwilling Plivalov said with obvious dissatisfaction: "What qualifications do you have to accuse and criticize me, you must know that I am a general, and you are just a little major, even if you can play a little clever, you will not be beaten by the Germans and flee in embarrassment." ”

In the face of Plivalov's rebuke, I was thinking about how to respond, and someone had already come out to speak for me. I only heard a deep voice say slowly: "General Plivalov, I want to tell you something. When Comrade Oshanina was still a lieutenant, she criticized many generals for the mistakes made in the early days of the war in the presence of Comrade Stalin. Comrade Stalin was very appreciative of her frankness and the command skills that she later demonstrated. Do you even look down on the commanders whom Comrade Stalin held in high esteem? Although he used an understatement, it also shook Plivalov speechless.

"Comrade Oshanina, do you have anything else to add?" General Meretskov asked: "Especially about General Plivalov, so that the command of the Front can give him a reasonable punishment." ”

Listening to Meretskov's question, I immediately understood what he meant. Just by abandoning the high ground on both sides of the breakthrough and lying about the military situation. None of this information is sufficient to punish Plivalov. I also need more important information for him.

At this moment, I suddenly thought of the thousands of commanders and fighters who died tragically on the battlefield of the breakthrough, and my strong sympathy made me decide to seek justice for them. I organized the vocabulary in my head and began to say again: "Comrades commanders, you may not know that two days before the 327th Division launched the breakthrough operation, there was also a detachment that also carried out the breakthrough operation. ”

Hearing me say this, Meretskov was taken aback. Hurriedly asked: "There is another army, why haven't I heard of it, where are they now?" ”

"Comrade Commander, they all died." Thinking of the soldiers who died in various positions in front of the German positions, and of the soldiers who were burned to charcoal in the trucks, I said with full of anger: "Thousands of commanders and fighters, they have behaved very heroically, but under the intensive fire of the Germans, all of them died heroically. ”

For this news, everyone present was shocked. Meretskov couldn't wait to find out what was going on. He asked repeatedly, "What the hell is going on?" Major Oshanina, be clear. ”

I wiped away a handful of tears that had been hanging on my face at some point. He replied: "Although I did not see the specific battle with my own eyes, from the analysis of the remains of our soldiers on the battlefield and the distribution of bombed trucks, tanks, and artillery, such losses could have been avoided." ”

"Comrade Oshanina, tell me your analysis." This time it was Vasilevsky who was urging me.

"Good thing, Comrade Chief of the General Staff." I first responded politely to him before continuing: "According to my analysis, the troops conducting the breakout operation should be a well-equipped and well-trained unit of our army, and these can be drawn from their equipment.

If I had been in command of such a unit, I would have first ordered the artillery to shell the German positions. After the artillery is ready, let the tank units attack first, tear a hole in the German line, and then rush through the trucks with infantry, allowing the infantry to widen the gap under the cover of the tanks and eliminate the enemy hiding in the trenches.

It is a pity that the commander who commanded this battle took the opposite offensive step. He first had the infantrymen carry their bayonet rifles and attack the German positions in a neat line. When the fighters fell in pieces in front of the enemy's positions, he ordered trucks full of infantry to attack the German positions. The artillery units that were supposed to provide artillery cover for the attack, not only did not set up artillery positions to bombard the enemy, but were ordered to hang all the artillery on trucks, carry all the artillery, and attack the German positions without any cover, and as a result, they became live targets for German artillery, tanks, and machine guns.

When all of these forces were exhausted, he ordered the remaining tank forces to attack again. It is important to know that tanks without infantry cover on the road will not be able to exert the speed of the assault in an area covered with the remains of our soldiers and burned trucks. As they struggled through the gaps of burning trucks, they also became targets for German tanks, anti-tank guns, and anti-tank fighters. ”

With that, I turned my gaze to Plivalov and asked in a mocking tone, "Am I right?" General Plivalov. As far as I know, this failed breakthrough operation from the south to the north was personally commanded by you. ”

General Plivalov was completely outraged by my words, and he stood up with his hands on the table and shouted hysterically: "This is impossible, absolutely impossible. Your troops must have been nearby, they must have been nearby. Otherwise, how could you be so aware of everything that happened on the battlefield at that time. ”

"Analyze! This is the conclusion I came to through my analysis, General Plivalov. I replied coldly.

Plivalov's spirit seemed to have collapsed, and he sat down dejectedly, muttering all the time: "This is impossible!" That's impossible! ”

Vasilevsky stood up, glanced at Plivalov contemptuously, looked around and said: "Comrade commander, I propose to arrest General Plivalov at once, remove him from all his duties, and at the same time send someone to escort him back to Moscow and hand him over to a military tribunal. ”

Meretskov, who was standing with his hands on the table, nodded and said: "I agree with the Chief of the General Staff. Then he raised his head and asked the commanders at all levels in the room, "What is your opinion?" ”

"I agree with the commander of the Front and the Chief of the General Staff to remove General Plivalov from all posts and submit him to a military tribunal in Moscow." Fedyuninsky was the first to express his support, and after expressing his position, he said bitterly: "I knew General Plivalov before the station, and I was deeply impressed by his strength and bravery during the civil war. However, judging from this breakthrough operation, General Plivalov not only could not bear the task assigned to him by his superiors, but also became panicked. It was not appropriate for him to stay in the army any longer, and he would have to pay for a series of mistakes he had made. ”

The next statement was made by General Affanasyev, who said angrily: "Plivalov's erroneous command not only destroyed the elite assault force of the 2nd Shock Army, but also indirectly led to the closure of the breakthrough between the life and death of the entire army group by the Germans because of his panic and lying about the military situation, and tens of thousands of commanders and fighters paid for their lives. Without saying that, I agree with the commander of the Front and the Chief of the General Staff that he should be relieved of all his posts and placed at the disposal of a military court. ”

As for Plivalov's disposition, first the proposal of the Chief of the General Staff, General Vasilevsky, then the statement of Commander Meretskov, and the echo of such heavyweights as Fedyuninsky and Afanasyev, the rest of the commanders at all levels also expressed their support for the decision of the commander of the Front and the chief of the General Staff. Seeing this scene, I knew in my heart that what awaited Plivalov next would be the death sentence in a military court.

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus on Plivalov's disposition, Meretskov turned his head and shouted to the side: "Comrade Stepakh." ”

At the sound of his shout, a major general sitting on the side of the wall stood up, walked a few steps in front of Meretskov, raised his hand and saluted and reported in a proper manner: "Comrade commander, the chief of staff of the Front, Major General Stepimakh, reports to you and awaits your orders!" ”

Meretskov pointed to Plivalov, who was sitting there in a daze, with his hand, and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you have General Plivalov taken away, find a place to lock him up first, and then send someone to send him to Moscow tomorrow." ”

"Yes!" Stelimach agreed, walked to the door, called two of the guards standing outside, and whispered two commands to them. Then two fighters walked up to Plivalov's side, and without saying a word, one of them walked out with him on his feet.

Seeing that Plivalov was taken away, Meretskov beckoned everyone who stood up to sit down. Then he again instructed General Stepimach: "Comrade Chief of Staff, hang up the map, and then we should plan to the commanders of the units for the new campaign to be launched." (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the monthly ticket of the book friend Nebula Hunter, the book friend read the update ticket that he didn't say.