Thinking that I had never met the current commander of the 6th Army, and that Kirillov and Vitkov had both worked in the headquarters of the Army, and that Kirillov was also from an important department in Moscow, they should know more than I did, so I coughed and asked: "Commissar, Chief of Staff, what do you know about the 6th Army we are about to go to?" ”

As soon as I spoke, I noticed that both of them were looking at me strangely. The two did not speak, but looked at each other, and then Kirillov slowly rolled up the map and handed it to Vitkov, seeing that the other party had stuffed the map into the bag beside him, he asked me unhurriedly: "Comrade Oshanina, haven't you taken the time to find out about the 6th Army that we are going to join in the past two days?" ”

Regarding Kirillov's question, I shook my head and said embarrassedly: "In the past two days, I have been busy going to the divisions to check the combat readiness and talking with the commanders and soldiers, but I have neglected this most important matter. ”

Seeing the look of hatred on Kirillov's face, I couldn't help but feel a burst of hair in my heart, but he still took the initiative to give me a step down because of my identity. He said to Vitkov, who was sitting in the front row: "Hey, I said Comrade Chief of Staff, I see that you have been collecting relevant information for the past two days, do you take this opportunity to give a good talk to Comrade Army Commander." ”

Hearing Kirillov say this, I suddenly felt a warm feeling in my heart, it's better for him to be his old partner, taking into account all the things I didn't expect. Vitkov nodded, pulled out a stack of papers from his briefcase, and looked through them a few times. Pull out one from the middle. I didn't bother to put the rest of the text into the briefcase. began to read it to me: "6th Army." It was formed in August 1939 in the Kiev Special Military District. In September, he was incorporated into the Ukrainian Front and participated in the advance of the army into western Ukraine. After the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, it was incorporated into the Southwestern Front and participated in the Uman Campaign, but was revoked due to the loss of Yan Zòng. At the end of August 1941, it was reorganized on the basis of the 48th Infantry Army, successively incorporated into the Southern Front and the Southwestern Front, and participated in the Battle of Donbass and the Battle of Barvenkovo-Lozovaya. In May 1942, it was besieged during the battle of Kharkov. In early June, the system was abolished again. At the beginning of July, it was reorganized from the reserve 6th Army into the 6th Army, which was first incorporated into the Voronezh Front, and last month it was transferred to the command of the Southwestern Front. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," after listening to Vitkov read the information of the troops, I asked again: "Is there any information on the commander of the army group?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Vitkov replied respectfully, then he took out another document and read it to me: "The 6th Army has so far had four commanders. The first commander Ivan. Nikolaevich. Lieutenant General Muzychenko is a veteran of cavalry background. Because of his excellent military skills, he won the respect of Marshal Zhukov. He was the first successor to the 4th Cavalry Division, which the marshal commanded. In the early 1940s, he commanded an infantry division in the battle on the Karelian Isthmus, and half a year later was appointed commander of the army group. Vashukin, a military commissar, liked this young commander of the army group very much, and once gave him this evaluation: "Muzychenko is a promising commander. The only downside is that it's too blunt. He will be a good army commander in wartime'. ……”

When I heard that General Muzychenko was a highly valued talent of Zhukov, I wondered why I had never heard of him, so without waiting for Vitkov to finish reading, I raised my hand to interrupt him and asked curiously: "Comrade Chief of Staff, since this general is so famous, why have I never heard of him?" ”

"Comrade Oshanina," without waiting for Vitkov to answer, Kirillov next to him spoke first, "May I ask you a question?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commissar." Without hesitation, I replied, "As long as I know it, I will tell you the truth." ”

Kirillov glanced at Vitkov in the front row, and asked in a steady tone: "In September 1941, I don't know where you were at that time?" ”

Although I was surprised that Kirillov heard such a question, I answered him truthfully: "Comrade commissar, at that time I was still in the Leningrad Front, in the post of platoon commander in the anti-aircraft machine-gun company on the Pulkovo Heights. ”

"It's no wonder." Kirillov's face showed a look of sudden realization, and then he said for Vitkov: "The reason why you have not heard the name of General Muzichenko is because this determined commander had no chance of good luck from the beginning, and the 6th Army suffered heavy losses in the battle with the Germans on the border, and retreated to Uman after fighting with the 12th Army. As a result, he did not expect to be surrounded by the German army, and the commanders of the two army groups were both captured. ”

"Alas, it's a pity, such an excellent commander, if he can get out of danger, maybe he can make a lot of achievements in the past two years." After I sighed a few words, I urged Vitkov again: "Chief of Staff, what are you still doing in a daze, continue to read." ”

"The second commander was Rotion. Yakovlevich. General Malinovsky ......"

"You won't be captured by the Germans again, will you?" When I heard Vitkov read out another extremely unfamiliar name, I couldn't help but interject again, and said in a mocking tone: "If it weren't for the capture or sacrifice of the commander, I don't think the unit would have been revoked for the second time." ”

"Oh my God, Comrade Oshanina, what are you talking about?!" Unexpectedly, as soon as my words came out, Kirillov, who was sitting next to him, became anxious, "How can you talk nonsense like this irresponsibility." After saying this, he reached out and patted the shoulder of the driver in front of him, and said to him in a stern tone: "I said Comrade driver, the military commander was joking just now, if I knew that someone outside was spreading what she said, the consequences would be that I didn't say it, you should also know what it is?" ”

"Understood, Comrade Commissar." Although the driver was driving, he quickly turned his head and assured Kirillov: "I just drove all the time and didn't hear anything." ”

After listening to the driver's answer, Kirillov said coldly: "It's good that you understand this truth." ”

The first time I heard Kirillov say this, I was immediately shocked into a cold sweat, and I said to myself that I didn't say anything just now. jokingly asked if the second commander had also been captured. I didn't expect him to react so much.

After Kirillov and the driver finished greeting. Turning his head to look at me, he said with a stern face: "Comrade Oshanina, maybe you have been in the army for too short a time, so you don't know General Malinovsky. I won't care about you this time, but this time, and if there is a next time, you will have to bear the consequences. ”

I don't know why Kirillov said it so scary. Just nodded vigorously as if a chicken pecked rice: "Don't worry, Comrade Political Commissar, I will never say such irresponsible words in the future." By the way, what kind of person is this General Malinovsky, can you tell me? ”

The expression on Kirillov's face softened when he saw that I had admitted my mistake, and he went on to tell me about the experience of the second commander: "After the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, when one of our troops was encircled by the great German offensive, General Malinovsky rose to prominence. became recognized as one of the few generals in the Red Army with the ability to command large armies; The three divisions he commanded at that time were only partially infantry divisions, and they were fighting on the lines of the German blitzkrieg offensive along the Prut) River. According to the practice of the time, the generals of the Red Army generally hid in the rear of their own armies and commanded the battle; But this is not the case with Malinovsky. He usually goes to the crucial front-line fan battlefield to be with the soldiers and motivate them. Due to the disparity in strength between us and the enemy, our army was temporarily unable to stop the German army, which was superior in numbers and technology and experienced in combat, so General Malinovsky led the defeated troops to flee along the Black Sea. The Germans tried unsuccessfully to encircle and destroy Malinovsky's army, and finally the Germans finally succeeded in encircling his troops, but they were soon broken through by General Malinovsky's troops and moved to the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In August, he was sent to the 6th Army of the Red Army as chief of staff, and soon he was promoted to commander of the army, he successfully blocked the German offensive on the front, and was promoted to lieutenant general for this merit, after which the Red Army retreated to Donbass, and Malinovsky led the 6th Army and the 12th Army into the defensive battle, once again repelling the German army from the defense zone; In December 1941, he was appointed commander of the Soviet Southern Front, with only three broken armies and two tank divisions under his command.

…… At present, General Malinovsky, commander of the Southern Front, is directing troops in the Rostov region to engage in fierce battles with the Germans in Manstein. ”

After listening to Kirillov's introduction, I finally understood what a stupid joke I had made, and if it had not been Kirillov and Vitkov, my future would have been ruined by this statement, knowing that a few years later, Kulik, who had been a marshal, was sentenced to death for complaining in private.

After waiting for Kirillov to finish his introduction, Vitkov asked carefully: "Commander, commissar, can I continue reading?" ”

"Needless to say," Kirillov estimated that he was holding his breath at the moment, and it was not easy to get angry at me, so when he spoke to Vitkov, his voice couldn't help but be a little louder: "Of course, continue to read." ”

"The third commander was Avik Shenti. Mikhailovich. Lieutenant General Gorodnyansky. When Vitkov read this, he paused for a moment, and looked at me deliberately, fearing that I would interrupt his later words, and seeing that I did not react, he continued to read: "In the Second Battle of Kharkov in May 1942, the 6th Army suffered heavy casualties. The senior generals killed in this battle included Lieutenant General Gorodnyansky, commander of the 47th Infantry Division, Major General Matykin, commander of the 337th Infantry Division, Colonel Vasilev, commander of the 21st Tank Army, Major General Kuzmin, commander of the 21st Tank Army, commanders of three tank brigades of the 21st Tank Army and the 23rd Tank Army, and one motorized rifle brigade, Colonel Dimidov, Colonel Gorshikov, Colonel Drozdov, and Colonel Katyamonov. Major General Zusmanovich, the head of logistics of the army group, was captured by the Germans on the way to break through the encirclement. ”

After listening to the series of tragic fates of the 6th Army, my heart became heavy, and I waited for Vitkov to finish reading it, and casually asked: "Who is the current commander of the army group?" ”

"The current commander is Lieutenant General Kharidonov. He joined the Russian Communist Party in 1918 and joined the army the following year. Participated in the Civil War, graduated from the Higher Infantry School in 1931 and became a regiment commander, and in 1941 graduated from the Advanced Training Course for Senior Chiefs of the Military Academy of the General Staff. At the beginning of the Soviet-German war, he served as deputy chief of staff of the Southern Front (with the rank of major general). In September 1941, he became the commander of the Ninth Army and participated in the battles of Donbass and Rostov-on-Don. In July 1942, he was transferred to the command of the Sixth Army, participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, and was promoted to lieutenant general in December 1942. ”

"Thank you, thank you, Comrade Chief of Staff." Having learned about the situation of the 6th Army, I thanked Vitkov. At this time, my heart became heavier and heavier: the army had been abolished twice; Of the three former commanders, two were captured or killed. Thinking about Paulus's 6th Army, which had just been encircled and annihilated by our troops at Stalingrad, made me feel a little frightened of the 6th Army, no wonder the Russians hate the number "6" the most, thinking that it is the devil's code name, judging by the final fate of the troops of the same number in two countries, it is really not nonsense.

Perhaps seeing that I had been silent, Kirillov asked with concern next to him: "Comrade Oshanina, why don't you speak, what are you thinking?" ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, do you know where the headquarters of the 6th Army is?" Since the base camp has placed our army under the command of the 6th Army, it is impossible to change this order, and the only thing that can be done is to stay away from the headquarters of the group army, so as not to be tainted with their bad luck, so I pretended to be calm and asked: "Do you need our army to send troops to protect the safety of the headquarters?" ”

"It's not necessary," Vitkov said, shaking his head, "as far as I know, the headquarters of the 6th Army and the headquarters of the Front are located in the city of Donetsk, and there are three infantry divisions and one tank division stationed nearby, and we don't have to worry about their safety." ”

"What, the command of the army group is in Donetsk?" Although I felt a burst of ecstasy in my heart when I heard the news, I still had to pretend to be depressed on the surface, "We are so far away from the headquarters, when the fight starts, it won't affect the commander and their command of the troops, right?" ”

"Probably not." Vitkov did not see my sinister intentions, but answered me honestly: "We can maintain a non-simple contact with the command by wireless telephone in Guò." (To be continued......)

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