Looking at the excited Vitkov, I did not express any opinion, but listened silently to his gushing speech. As soon as he finished speaking, I stood up and comforted him, saying, "Comrade Chief of Staff, please remain calm. Although the Germans were deliberately abandoning some inconsequential towns in order to achieve the purpose of shrinking their forces and adjusting their deployment. But for us, it's not necessarily a bad thing. ”

"Not a bad thing for us?!" After repeating my words, Vitkov asked in surprise: "Comrade commander, I don't understand why you say that?" You must know that the Germans are setting a trap for our army, wanting to encircle our 6th Army, and even the entire Southwestern Front, and then eat it in one fell swoop. ”

I smiled disappreciatively and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, our army has not attracted much attention from the German army for the time being. While they are focused on the Voronezh Front and the South-Western Front, as well as the Southern Front, we can take a bold gamble. ”

"How to gamble?" Vitkov asked confusedly.

My eyes were glued to the map, and I pointed heavily with my finger at the location of the Manstein headquarters, and said bluntly: "The Germans have to defend against attacks from three directions at the same time, and with the little strength they have, it is very difficult to build a complete defense system in a short time. Therefore, we should take advantage of this rare opportunity to find holes in the German defense line and boldly intersperse them with a direct attack on Zaporosh, where their headquarters is located. Can you imagine what kind of impact it will have on the German army in Ukraine once the German command is terminated by us? ”

Hear me out. Both Kirillov and Vitkov threw their heads together. Stared at the map for a long time. At last. Vitkov pointed to the map and said worriedly: "Comrade army commander, judging from the map, our current position is only one hundred and seventy or eighty kilometers away from Zaporosh in a straight line, and theoretically it only takes a day or even a dozen hours to rush to the city. However, in such a vast field, there was simply no suitable road to advance to the German command. We can only get close to our final destination after taking the towns along the ready-made roads and towns along the way. ”

I had already considered Vitkov's worries, and as soon as he finished speaking, I immediately said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the weather is very cold at the moment, and the average temperature has been maintained at minus 20 degrees. The bitterly cold weather hardened the land of the original muddy Great Plains enough to carry tanks and trucks. So. We can confidently and boldly follow this road that no one has ever trodden and take it by surprise and go straight to the location of the German headquarters. ”

"It's a bold plan. Comrade Oshanina. When Kirillov had finished speaking, he also began to express his opinion: "We can first send scouts to the cities of Poloy and Kuban to reconnoiter the German defenses in these cities. At the same time, prepare the tank brigade for the offensive and launch a surprise attack as soon as the results of the reconnaissance come out. These two cities, which are only 50 and 80 kilometers away from the German headquarters in Zaporosh, respectively, will have no problem capturing Zaporosh if we quickly occupy any of them as a starting point for our attack. ”

After listening to Kirillov's opinion, I could not help but cast a curious look at him, and at the same time said approvingly: "The commissar's proposal is good, I have no opinion. Then I instructed Vitkov, "Chief of Staff, you immediately send a telegram to Captain Travkin, asking him to lead two reconnaissance groups to move as far west as possible to reconnoiter the fortification of the two cities that the commissar has just mentioned. Also, after you let the division commander Bandereev capture the city of Fleda, leaving only a small number of troops to defend, the main forces of the division immediately turned around and moved westward. In the shortest possible time, capture Poloi. Andreushchenko's division also followed suit, and after our troops had successfully captured Poloy, they went to attack Huli Aborah, seven kilometers to the north, to secure the right flank of the Pandereev division. ”

"And what about General Gurdiev's 308th Division?" After recording a series of orders I issued, Vitkov stood still and asked: "Or let them stay in Volnovakha and ensure the safety of the rear of our army?" ”

"The 308th Division will not move for the time being." It was the first time for me to command so many troops to fight in such a large area alone, and I still felt a little powerless, and after looking at the map again, I said slowly: "After the Pandereev Division and the Andreushchenko Division occupy the starting position, let the 308th Division advance westward to take over the defense of Bandereev, so that they can free up their hands and concentrate their forces to attack Zaporosh." ”

When Vitkov went to telegraph and make a call, Kirillov, who was sitting next to me, suddenly said to me: "Comrade Oshanina, I have something I would like to discuss with you. ”

I didn't know what Kirillov meant by this, but I looked at him with some surprise and said: "Comrade commissar, if you have anything, just say it." As long as it's within my power, I'll definitely agree. ”

"The leadership of our army command is somewhat weak, and I think it should be strengthened." Kirillov looked at me and continued: "At the moment the work of Chief of Staff Vitkov is very heavy, and we should find someone to share it with him. ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, who are you going to find to share his work?" I knew that Kirillov wouldn't just stuff any mess of people into the military headquarters, so I politely asked, "If it's the right person, I can put him in office immediately." ”

Kirillov nodded, and then said: "The person I want to recommend, and you also know, is the chief of staff of the Pandereev division, Akhromeyev. We have all worked with him for a while, and we can see that he is a commander with both ability and rich combat experience, and we can consider transferring him to the military headquarters. As for his position, I think he should be appointed as the head of the Operations Division for the time being. ”

I have no opinion on Akhromeyev coming to the post of chief of operations of the corps, but I was puzzled by his abrupt recommendation, so I asked curiously: "If Major Akhromeyev comes to work in the army, who will take over the post of division chief of staff of the 22nd Guards Division?" ”

"Comrade Oshanina. You don't have to worry about that. Kirillov said confidently: "General Bandereev thinks that his former subordinates. The deputy commander of the 1st regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Ilya, was very suitable for this position. ”

I heard Kirillov say that. I suddenly knew that what I was worried about had happened. The contradictions between Bandereev and Akhromeyev have become irreconcilable to the point of replacing the chief of staff with his own men. But this is not a bad thing, for I am a good deputy, otherwise I would not have taken him and the second lieutenant training team from General Meretskov in the first place. Transferring him to the corps command to assist Vitkov in his work would make many things more efficient.

Thinking of this, I immediately said to Kirillov: "Comrade commissar. Later, I would like to ask you to personally call the division commander of Pandereev and ask him to immediately send Major Akhromeyev to the corps headquarters to report. As for the new division chief of staff, let it be done according to his wishes. ”

Seeing Kirillov's happy face, I added: "After Major Akhromeyev comes, in addition to serving as the chief of the combat department, he can also take on the post of chief of the intelligence department. Let him do his best to draw suitable personnel from all the units in the army and flesh out these two places. ”

While Kirillov happily went to call Pantyreev, I sat down at the table and pondered. When the battle was at its most brutal, everyone could still think in one place and work in one place, and now the shape has just become beneficial to our army. Intrigue in private, rejection of blows began to appear. If this situation is allowed to spread. Then the combat effectiveness of the troops will be greatly affected, and after the end of this battle, if I can continue to stay in the position of commander of this army, I must have a good talk with Bandereev.

Immediately after receiving the order, Akhromeyev rushed to the corps headquarters and formally exercised his powers as chief of intelligence and operations at 3 p.m. on the same day.

In the evening, when Kirillov and Vitkov and I were discussing how to ensure the logistical transportation of troops, Akhromeyev's voice came from the door: "Report! ”

"Come in!" I stared at the map in front of me and shouted without looking up.

As soon as Akhromeyev took office, in order to obtain the latest information in a timely manner, in addition to leaving us a wired telephone and a walkie-talkie, he concentrated all the wireless communication equipment in the military headquarters in the communications room next door. If there is any latest battle report or notice, he will arrange for someone to send it to us in a timely manner. And at this moment, he actually came to deliver the information in person, which proves that this information is quite important. Therefore, when I heard Akhromeyev's footsteps come to a stop behind me, I straightened up and turned to look at him and asked: "Comrade Major, is there any latest information?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Akhromeyev replied with a blank face: "I just received a report from the reconnaissance group at the front that the deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Captain Travkin, had unfortunately died. ”

"What?!" As soon as Akhromeyev's words came out, not only did I start, but even Kirillov and Vitkov jumped up from their seats. Vitkov also grabbed Akhromeyev's arm and nervously asked: "Major, Captain Travkin died, what the hell is going on, what does the telegram of the report say?" ”

Instead of answering his question immediately, Akhromeyev turned his gaze to me, and seeing that I nodded in acquiescence, he picked up the telegram and read: "...... As our reconnaissance group approached the perimeter of Huli Eberland, traces of German fortifications were found in the distance. The captain said that in order to find out the enemy's disposition, he needed to catch a 'tongue'. After saying that, without waiting for darkness, he left the reconnaissance group and began to run towards the enemy's trenches. He burrowed into the deep snow and crept through the snow with great skill, and since the white camouflage suit he wore was exactly the same color as the snow, it only took a moment to make him invisible to the comrades who were watching his movements.

But when he was only about twenty meters away from the enemy's position, the accident happened. The captain raised his head slightly, presumably trying to see the enemy's disposition, but was spotted by a German soldier who was in the trench. We heard a burst of gunshots, and the captain fell backwards with his arms outstretched. Then, silence reigned in front of the German trenches.

It was getting darker, and we could clearly see his motionless body, still lying on the spot where he had fallen, still holding his hands high. Several Germans jumped out of the trench and tried to approach his body, but we opened fire decisively and knocked them back. ”

"Comrade Major," Travkin's sacrifice made my nose feel sour, and after snorting hard, I asked Akhromeyev in a loud voice: "Can't Captain Travkin's body lie in front of the German trenches, and let the people of the reconnaissance group, at any cost, also snatch back the captain's body." ”

After saying this, I turned to Vitkov and asked: "Chief of Staff, who else is the head of the reconnaissance group you sent, besides Captain Travkin?" ”

After thinking for a moment, Vitkov replied decisively: "Second Lieutenant Grettka, and Second Lieutenant Grettka, who surrendered." He was the second head of the reconnaissance unit. ”

"I see." When I heard that the other person in charge was Gretka, my heart suddenly became much more reassured, although he was a German officer who had surrendered, but there was no problem with his loyalty, so I turned my head to Akhromeyev and said: "Major, immediately send a telegram to Ensign Gretka, asking him to take over the command of the entire reconnaissance unit, in addition to snatching back the body of Captain Travkin, the reconnaissance of the enemy's defensive positions must continue." ”

"Yes!" Akhromeyev replied loudly, then turned and walked out of the corps headquarters.

Regarding Travkin's sacrifice, Kirillov couldn't help but sigh: "Alas, what a good commander this is, as long as he fights two more battles, he will have no problem even if he becomes a major." I didn't expect to die like this, what a pity! ”

"Yes, Comrade Commissar." As soon as he finished speaking, I immediately continued: "When I led my troops north, Travkin and his reconnaissance group were surrounded by German troops on a small mound. The situation was so desperate that if we were even a few minutes late for our support, they would all have died. Unexpectedly, he would die heroically in such a reconnaissance mission. (To be continued......)