"What about tank brigades?" After Vitkov waited for Bandeleyev to finish speaking, he asked coldly: "Comrade General, where did you deploy the 22nd tank brigade?" ”

Hearing Vitkov's question, Bandeleyev hurriedly turned his head to look at him and replied: "Chief of Staff, I sent them to advance along Highway H01 in the direction of Kyiv, and if they find that the enemy's defenses along the way are lax, they will find the right fighters to fight." ”

"What, you let the tank brigade move in the direction of Kyiv?" When Vitkov heard this, he became a little anxious: "General Bandeleyev, you are simply fooling around. The 22nd tank brigade, let's say it's a brigade, but they only have six tanks, and there are more than two hundred tank crews without tanks, and with such troops, you let them rush to Kyiv? It's for them to die. Speaking of the moment of excitement, Vitkov couldn't help but slap the table.

When I saw Vitkov angry, Bandeleyev had a smile on his face all the time, and I guessed that he must have done it with his intentions. As soon as Vitkov's voice fell, I came out to play a round: "Comrade Chief of Staff, don't get angry yet, let's listen to what Comrade Bandeleyev has to say." Then he gestured to Bandereev, motioning for him to speak his true thoughts.

Bandeleyev took out the map, spread it out in front of us, pointed to the location marked with a red arrow on it, and said: "Everyone, please see, from Smilla to the north, before reaching Kiev, except for Obukoshiv, which is a large city, the rest are small towns, presumably the number of enemy defenders will be very limited, and with the strength of tank brigades, these enemies can be easily eliminated." "Maybe it's for our peace of mind, at the end of the day. He also looked up at Vitkov and explained. "Chief of Staff. In addition to six tanks, there are more than 800 infantrymen, most of whom are partisans under Captain Shamrichh, who are very familiar with the terrain because of their long activities in the area, and who have just been redressed. Combat effectiveness has been greatly enhanced. ”

After listening to Bandeleyev's explanation, Vitkov stared at the map again, and then said: "Although it is a bit risky, but on the whole, your deployment is quite good. If the tank brigade can successfully clear the towns along the way of the German troops, creating a situation where we are about to attack Kyiv, that will disrupt the overall deployment of the German army. ”

At this time, Kirillov, who had been acting as an observer, turned to me and suggested: "Leda, see if we are moving our army. Send a telegram to the command of the Front? ”

To tell the truth, since our army was incorporated into the 6th Army of the Southwestern Front. I have never met the commanders of the command organs at the two levels of the front army and the group army. Because I was afraid that if I did what they commanded, I would end up dying of scum, so I was almost always alone. Not only did I not ask for instructions before taking combat action, but I would also resolutely refuse orders from my superiors if I felt that they were unreasonable.

In the past, it could also be used as a reason for secrecy, not to send a telegram asking for instructions before the operation, but only to report the results after the battle. At the moment, my troops are only more than a hundred kilometers from Kyiv, and it even seems that there is a great chance of capturing the city, and if such an important matter is not reported, no one will be able to save me by the time I am brought to a military court.

Thinking of this, I instructed Vitkov: "Chief of Staff, immediately prepare a telegram to report to the Front Command that we have succeeded in capturing Smilla and that troops have come out to the vicinity of Obukoshiv and ask them to instruct us on our next move." "Seeing that Vitkov put the notepad on his knee and put together a telegram as I meant, he added: "Send another copy to Marshal Zhukov." ”

Vitkov was stunned for a moment, then loudly agreed, tore off the page from the notebook, got up and walked to the walkie-talkie, and handed it to Razumeyeva, who was on standby.

While Vitkov was supervising Razumeyeva's telegram, Bandeleyev quietly asked: "Comrade commander, if we do not report to our superiors, as soon as we find out that the situation on the battlefield is unfavorable for us, we can cross the Dnieper from Cherkasy or Kanivo and retreat in the direction of Moscow." If we report it, I think it is very likely that our superiors will let us attack Kyiv......"

"Yes, General Bandeleyev." Before he could finish speaking, I interrupted him later, "You have analyzed it correctly, General Vatutin, after receiving our telegram, will immediately report to his superiors; And Marshal Zhukov, after receiving the telegram, will report directly to the Supreme Commander himself. As long as you can understand the importance of Kyiv, then you can imagine that the last order they get is definitely to retake Kyiv at all costs. ”

"Comrade army commander, the scouts sent to Kyiv for reconnaissance have not yet sent back the situation." Vitkov came over and said worriedly: "Even if we receive an order from our superiors to retake Kyiv, we will not be able to formulate an operational plan to attack Kyiv without knowing the deployment of the enemy's forces." ”

"Wait, Comrade Chief of Staff." I said disapprerovingly: "Even if the higher authorities really give the order to attack Kyiv, it will have to wait for our scouts to find out the deployment of the German troops." And if we want to seize Kyiv, it is simply impossible to rely on a lightly armed army like us, which is dissatisfied and has no heavy weapons, without the cooperation of friendly forces, and without the support of the air force. ”

Seeing that Vitkov seemed to continue to ask, I raised my hand to stop him and ordered him bluntly: "Chief of staff, you immediately contact the deputy commander and ask them if they have taken Cherkasy." And where have the troops withdrawn from Kirovgrad and Alexandria have reached so far? ”

"Kyiv, Kyiv." After repeating this place twice, Kirillov said: "If I remember correctly, Marshal Zhukov, who was still the chief of the General Staff, was transferred to the post of commander of the reserve army because he proposed to the Supreme Commander himself to abandon Kiev. This shows how important Kiev is in the mind of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. What worries me is that if we are given the order to retake Kyiv and we are unable to complete this task, will there be serious consequences? ”

Kirillov's words came out. The air in the tent seemed to freeze all at once. Except for the ticking of Razumeyeva's report. I can't hear anything. Everyone began to think about the serious question raised by the political commissar, and what fate awaits everyone if they receive an attack order from their superiors and are unable to complete the task in the end.

Seeing that everyone had solemn expressions, I hurriedly coughed, turned my head and asked Bandeleyev: "I said, Comrade General, there is something I haven't had time to ask you. Why can't you contact your division's radio station? ”

My question immediately attracted everyone's attention. Seeing that we were all looking at him, Pandeleyev blushed and confessed his mistake to me: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander. In order to prevent the target from being exposed, I ordered the division's radios to remain silent. After the German bombardment began, I was so busy checking on the troops and residents hidden in the forest that I forgot to cancel the order for a while. ”

"Nonsense, it's nonsense." The person who criticized Bandeleyev was Kirillov, "Do you know it. When we lost contact with your division, the commanders in the army were so worried about your safety. For this. The commander also sent a large number of communications troops to the city at the risk of danger to find your whereabouts. Who knows, who knows......" At the end, Kirillov was so angry that he couldn't speak, only the hand pointed at Bandeleyev kept trembling.

"Alright, Comrade Commissar, don't say any more." I reached out and pulled Kirillov's raised hand down, and then said in a round circle: "General Bandeleyev did not do this on purpose, he was also negligent for a while, and I believe that he will not make this mistake again in the future." After saying that, I turned my head to look at Bandeleyev again and asked, "Comrade General, am I right?" ”

Bandeleyev wiped the sweat from his forehead, nodded again and again to admit his mistake to me: "Yes, Comrade Commander, I will definitely pay attention in the future, and I will never make similar mistakes again." ”

"Alright, there's nothing for you here, you can go back to the army first." I didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer, lest the communications officer in the division be punished at the end, so I turned a blind eye and let it pass: "When you return to the division, you will immediately send troops to the city to organize the inhabitants, put out the fires, and treat the wounded. Do you understand? After speaking, without waiting for him to speak, I waved at him, "Go!" ”

"Yes!" Bandeleyev agreed, raised his hand and saluted us, then looked at Kirillov, who had turned his back in anger, turned and lifted the curtain and walked out.

As soon as Bandeleyev left, I didn't care about persuading Kirillov, so I turned around and asked Vitkov: "Chief of Staff, have you contacted General Romanov?" Did they take the city? ”

Vitkov nodded and affirmed: "There are no more formed German units in the city, only sporadic resistance in a few areas." Seeing that the situation was not good, the Germans at the ferry withdrew to the other side of the river with all the ferries. That is, our main forces could not cross the river from here. ”

"If there is no ferry, there will be no ferry, nothing great." The river here in Cherkasy is too wide for there to be enough ferries, and it must have taken a long time to cross more than 10,000 of us with our equipment. "I think the most suitable place to cross the river is at Canivo, not only is the river narrow but also the current is gentle, which is suitable for large troops to pass."

"Comrade Army Commander, Comrade Deputy Commander-in-Chief has called back." At this moment, Razumeyeva's voice came from the side: "For the time being, I have not received a call back from the command of the Front. ”

I picked up the telegram from Zhukov and saw that it read: "At present, the main forces of the German army in Ukraine are being pinned down on the left bank of the Dnieper River by our Voronezh and Southwestern Fronts, and the defenders in the city of Kiev are limited. Your troops should seize this favorable opportunity and decisively launch an offensive against Kyiv, striving to seize this important city in the shortest possible time. Make an offensive plan and report it to us immediately, and I will arrange for the ground troops and air force to provide you with adequate support. ”

Vitkov stood beside me, read Zhukov's call back with me, and then said somewhat helplessly: "Comrade army commander, it seems that your judgment is correct, and the superiors really gave us the order to seize Kiev." But with the strength we have, will we be able to accomplish this glorious and arduous task? ”

Kirillov came over, took the telegram from my hand and read it, then looked up and said to Vitkov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, have faith. In the past, when our independent division held the Mamayev Heights, the situation was not much better than now. But with our stubborn defenses, the enemy was never able to take the high ground. ……”

The speaker did not intend to listen to the intention of the listener, and Kirillov just wanted to cheer up Vitkov, so he took the glorious deeds of the independent division as an example, but it made me think of a question suddenly. In real history, Mamayev Hill was a site that was repeatedly contested by both sides until the end of the battle, and the high ground was split between us and the enemy. And with my appearance, history shifted here, and Mamayev Hill became an impassable floodgate for the German army. Since the history of the Battle of Stalingrad has changed because of me, will the next battle for Kyiv be another opportunity to change the trajectory of history?

Thinking of this, I interrupted Kirillov, who was still cheering for Vitkov, and said to myself: "Political commissar, chief of staff, when it gets dark, the scouts we sent should have almost touched the enemy situation near Kyiv, and then we will gather the three division commanders together and jointly designate a battle plan for capturing Kyiv." ”

The expressions on the faces of the two of them relaxed again because of my few words. I seized the time to ask Vitkov again: "Chief of Staff, what is the situation with the two regiments that are being withdrawn to Smilla?" ”

"Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar's 4th regiment, which has cleared the partisans of the harassing troops, is speeding towards us. It's less than five kilometers from here, and in about an hour, we'll be able to join us. At this point, he suddenly said with some embarrassment: "However, the situation of the withdrawal from Alexandria is not good. ”

"What's wrong?" Hearing him say this, I hurriedly asked nervously, "Are they entangled by the enemy?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander, your judgment is accurate." Vitkov pulled the map in front of me, pointed to Zmian Kadukha and said: "Here, their rearguard units exchanged fire with the German pursuers. At the moment, fierce battles are underway. (To be continued......)