I didn't expect that Chernyakhovsky would suddenly ask me to speak to the fighters, and I couldn't help but panic. But soon I stabilized my mood and said loudly to the soldiers standing in the trenches: "Comrades, your commander asked me to say a few words to you, but in fact I have nothing to say, so I will say a few words to you casually." ”

After saying the first few sentences, the next words are much easier: "A soldier just asked the commander that you are a newly formed army, can you stop those fierce Germans who are armed to the teeth?" At this point, I deliberately paused for a moment to look down at the bespectacled warrior, who quickly lowered his head as I looked at him.

Not wanting to embarrass the warrior, I looked in other directions and continued, "I think it's not just this warrior who thinks this way, but there are probably quite a few of you here who think this way. Before answering your question, let me tell you about the situation when I received troops. When I saw such a force, I really wanted to cry without tears, and it was more appropriate to say that it was not so much a unit as a group of civilians in new uniforms, who had not received military training, had not participated in battles, and did not even have weapons. Later, I found the commander of the army group and pleaded for a long time before a quarter of the weapons were issued to us. ”

"Comrade General," the major next to him couldn't help but ask, "With such a few weapons, can you block the enemy's attack?" ”

"Good question, Comrade Major." I was worried that I would not be able to resonate with the commanders and fighters by singing a one-man show. Since this battalion commander took the initiative to ask me questions. Naturally, I would push the boat down the river and answer with him: "My independent division had tens of thousands of commanders and fighters at that time. But only more than 2,000 people had weapons in their hands. Guess what I ended up doing with the weapons problem for the commanders? ”

When the major heard my question, he frowned and thought about it, then shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I'm sorry, Comrade General, I can't think of it. ”

"Since we don't get the weapons we need from our superiors, that's good. Let's go to the enemy and ask for it. In the stunned gaze of everyone, I continued: "For me, the enemy is our convoy, they have the weapons and ammunition, food, medicine, and even military uniforms that we urgently need. If there is a strong enemy, I can't do anything about him, so I will take the weak one. If I can't beat a regiment, I'll fight a battalion, or even a company. As long as this group of enemies is destroyed, the weapons, ammunition and various materials that originally belonged to them will belong. It became ours. With that, I turned to face the commanders and fighters who were standing in the trenches. Raising his voice, "Are you right?" ”

"Yes!" When the commanders and fighters in the trenches heard my words, their faces showed expressions of sudden realization, and they immediately shouted in unison.

When everyone's shouting subsided, I struck while the iron was hot and said: "Comrades, in fact, the Germans have nothing to fear, they are ordinary people, just like us, and when a bullet hits their body, they will pierce an eye; If you are hit by a cannonball, you will still have blood and flesh flying. So what you have to do is when the Germans appear in front of you, you just have to aim your guns at them and pull the trigger. Can you do it? ”

"Yes! Yes!! We can do it!! When the commanders and fighters below heard my words, they shouted in unison, and the shouts resounded through the sky, and people's blood boiled when they heard it. I even thought that if a group of enemies appeared in the field of vision of the commanders and fighters at this time, they might be beaten into a sieve in the shortest possible time.

But when we left this position and went to a new site to inspect it, Chernyakhovsky said with emotion: "Lida, I really didn't expect that your few fluttering words would mobilize the fighting enthusiasm of the commanders and fighters, which is no less effective than the propaganda carried out by our political workers for several hours. ”

I did not get carried away because of Cherniakhovsky's compliments, but said to him with a solemn expression: "Ivan, I have just observed that the equipment of the troops is not very good, and to rely on such weapons and equipment to fight against the elite German army, it is bound to pay a heavy price." ”

In response to my statement, Chernyakhovsky nodded in agreement, and then said: "Lida, do you know, although my 60th Army is numerous, it is poorly equipped and poorly trained, and the commanders and fighters have the best weapons they can get in addition to the Mosin Lagan rifles in their hands. At the same time, although the number of Guards units in the other group armies is far smaller than that of our ordinary troops, their equipment and training are completely prepared in accordance with winning the most brutal battles, and the most expensive, most advanced, and most effective technical equipment is given priority to equipping them before it can be transferred to other units. ”

Hearing him say this, I remembered the assault rifles and new rocket launchers that were about to start being assembled in the troops, and I couldn't help but ask: "Ivan, I heard that there are a batch of new weapons in the near future, and you can go to Commander Rokossovsky to apply for it." I believe that he will allocate these weapons and equipment according to the actual situation. Even if you can't get your entire army group to change its equipment, even if you only redress one or two infantry divisions, you can greatly improve the combat effectiveness of your troops. ”

"New weapons?" When Chernyakhovsky heard me say this, he couldn't help but be stunned, and then turned his head to look at Yushchenko and the others who were following behind. He slowed down and whispered to me, "Leda, is that the strange weapon you have on your guards?" ”

I nodded and said affirmatively: "Yes, this assault rifle was developed during the Battle of Moscow, but because the bullets needed are different from those used in the troops now, it has not been promoted in the troops. But now, thanks to the efforts of military workers, the bullets of this weapon can be produced on a large scale, so it is possible that this weapon will be installed in the army in the near future. "When I say this, I actually fought a lot of ambushes, and when I entered the secret base that day, I didn't have a chance to see many new products in the research room. It is not known how many weapons from later generations have been available in advance.

Chernyakhovsky: after listening to what I said. A wry smile. He said helplessly: "Even if the superiors assign us new weapons, according to my estimate, it may not be enough to arm a division." At this point, he paused for a moment and suddenly asked me, "If your troops were allocated new weapons, how would you distribute them?" ”

When I heard Chernyashovsky's question, I immediately began to mutter, if I really want to be free to distribute. Then it must be AK47 as a submachine gun, and the chief and deputy squad leaders of each squad have one each; SKS as a combat rifle, one for each fighter; RPD is used as a squad machine gun, one for each squad.

However, such a good thing can only be imagined, Chernyakhovsky's army group is a general force, and the number of new weapons that can be obtained must be very limited. Thinking of this, I could only say vaguely: "I think that even if there are fewer new weapons assigned to you, at least you can ensure that there are a few in each squad, for example, this assault rifle, you can give one to the chief and deputy squad leaders of each squad." When used as a submachine gun. ”

"Even then, it is only barely enough to solve the problem of light weapons. And we continue to have a large number of tanks, artillery. to strengthen the defense and offensive capabilities of the troops. Cherniakhovsky said this, and the expression on his face had become depressed: "I went to Commander Rokossovsky several times, but he said that because it was in time for the snowfall season, not to mention the distribution of new weapons, even the normal transportation of supplies, was seriously affected. ”

"Ivan, since we are all friends, if there is anything you have to say, you can say it directly." I could tell from his words that he was embarrassed, and it seemed that he wanted to ask me for help with something, but he was too embarrassed to start, so he asked straight to the point: "As long as I can do it, I will definitely help you." ”

"Really? It's great. Hearing my statement, Chernyakhovsky excitedly rubbed his palms a few times, then stretched out his hand to me and said gratefully: "Lida, on behalf of the commanders and fighters of the 60th Army, I would like to express my gratitude to you!" ”

Seeing his reaction, I was even more sure that he was looking for help from me. I have always wanted to have a good relationship with this excellent commander, but I have no chance, and since he has something to ask for now, as long as I can do it, I will definitely do it for him. I shook hands with him and said politely, "You're welcome, if you have anything, please tell me directly." ”

"That's right, Leda." Although I was already close to Chernyakhovsky, he was a little embarrassed when he made a request to me: "I would like to ask Marshal Zhukov to give us a report on whether you can provide us with a sufficient number of tanks and artillery at the same time as new light weapons?" ”

"Tanks and artillery?" If Chernyakhovsky had asked for such a small weapon as the AK47, I would probably have agreed to him without hesitation. But he, in addition to light weapons, also needs a large number of tanks and artillery, which is a bit difficult. Even if I can speak in front of Zhukov, if there are too many of them, I will still be rejected by the other party.

After hesitating for a while, I asked tentatively: "Ivan, I would like to ask, how many tanks and artillery does your army group need?" ”

"I have four tank brigades under my command, and each brigade gives us 40 tanks, a total of 160 tanks, new and old tanks." Chernyakhovsky wrenched his hand and pointed to me about the number of tanks and artillery he needed: "And the artillery, there are five regiments. A regiment should be guaranteed at least 20 cannons, so at least 100 cannons, calibers of 100, 122, 152. ”

I thought that Cherniakhovsky would open his mouth when he heard that I would help him with his application, but I didn't expect that he only asked for such a small number of tanks and artillery, and there was no limit to the model and caliber, which shows how poor the equipment of the 60th Army was.

I waited for him to finish, then immediately nodded and said to him in an affirmative tone: "Don't worry, Ivan, as soon as I return to the city, I will immediately go to Marshal Zhukov and ask him for the weapons and equipment you need." ”

Hearing my statement, Chernyakhovsky thanked me again. At this time, we had unconsciously returned to the jeep, and after he took the initiative to open the car door for me, he made a gesture of invitation and said to me: "Let's go, Leda, it's not too early, let's go to my army headquarters for lunch first, and then we will inspect the tank brigade and artillery regiment in the afternoon." ”

When we were riding to the headquarters, I suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked: "Ivan, is there a rocket artillery battalion in your army?" ”

"Rocket artillery battalion?" After listening to my question, Chernyakhovsky shook his head and said with a wry smile: "As far as I know, there were rocket artillery in the Voronezh Front, but because of logistical supply difficulties, these equipment were left to the Central Front. And our army group has just been transferred from the Voronezh Front to the command of General Rokossovsky, and it will certainly not equip us with such advanced weapons. ”

Before we could get to the headquarters, a three-wheeled motorcycle came towards me. As soon as Chernyakhovsky saw the officer sitting in the sidecar, he immediately ordered the driver: "Drive the car to the side of the road and stop, it seems that the officer has something to look for me." ”

As soon as our jeep stopped on the side of the dirt road, the motorcycle began to slow down, and the officer on the sidecar jumped down without waiting for the car to stop, and ran quickly towards the side door where Chernyakhovsky was.

Chernyakhovsky pushed the car door open and asked the officer standing outside: "Comrade second lieutenant, is there something wrong?" ”

"Report Comrade Commander, I just received a call from Chief of Staff Malinin of the Front Army." The second lieutenant officer straightened up and reported to Chernyakhovsky: "He said that Marshal Zhukov, who accompanied Commander Rokossovsky from Moscow, is on his way to inspect the defense area of our army group, so let you do a good job of reception. ”

When Chernyakhovsky heard this, he turned his head to look at me and said with some surprise: "Marshal Zhukov has come to my defense zone?!" Then he turned back to the second lieutenant and asked, "Do you know where Comrade Marshal and Comrade Commander are?" ”

The second lieutenant nodded and replied: "At the moment the marshal and commander have arrived in Kurchatov, where they are inspecting the tank brigade and calling all the brigade commanders to speak. ”

"Understood, thank you, Comrade Ensign." After Chernyakhovsky finished speaking, he slammed the door shut, and then ordered the driver: "Drive, go to Kurchatov's tank brigade station,"

After the car was started, Chernyakhovsky smiled and said to me: "Lida, it seems that I can take advantage of the opportunity to meet the marshal and make an application to him about weapons and equipment. When the time comes, you'll have to say a few nice words for me. ”

"No problem, Ivan." Based on my understanding of Zhukov, since he came to the defense area of the 60th Army, it proves that he still attaches great importance to this unit, and I believe that he will readily agree to Chernyakhovsky's application. (To be continued......)