Just as Meretskov picked up the high-frequency telephone on the table next to the wall and was about to talk to the Kremlin, a general suddenly spoke: "Comrade Commander of the Front, please wait a moment. "I glanced at the general who had prevented Meretskov from calling, and immediately recognized him as the Chief of Staff of the Front, Stelimakh.

Meretskov held the microphone and asked Stepimakh strangely: "Comrade Chief of Staff, is there anything wrong?" ”

Stepach glanced at me and lowered his voice to remind Meretskov: "Comrade commander, I would like to remind you that the Germans are about to attack Stalingrad, this is only the personal judgment of Major Oshanina. We are not yet able to confirm the accuracy of her speculation, and if she hastily reported unconfirmed information to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he would have misled the judgment of the Supreme Commander and made him make the decision to project the main force in the wrong direction. If something goes wrong in the future, if you are held accountable, you will be court-martialed as the main person responsible. ”

Hearing his chief of staff say this, Meretskov hesitated, he put down the microphone and walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. There was no sound in the room except the sound of his footsteps, and everyone's eyes followed him.

He walked up to a political worker, stopped, looked up at the other and asked: "Comrade Zaporozhyets, as a member of the Military Committee of the Front, what do you think about this matter?" ”

Zaporozhets bowed his head and thought for a moment, then replied: "Comrade commander, I think the chief of staff has a point. What we have to consider at the moment is the imminent start of the battle of the Signavino Salient and the situation south of Moscow. There was the commander of the South-Western Front, Marshal Timoshenko, in charge. We don't have to meddle in our business. ”

I heard that two leaders of the front army had already objected to reporting the enemy situation that I had analyzed to the city. I was a little anxious, but I was all generals, and without Meretskov's consent, my soft-spoken major had no say at all. Just as I was jumping to my feet in a hurry, Fedyuninsky spoke: "Comrade General, I think Major Oshanina has analyzed it very correctly, and judging by all indications, the German troops have launched such a fierce offensive near the Don River. It is definitely not for the sake of exercises, but has a more important strategic intention. If we look at the map, where would Stalingrad attract the attention of the Germans more? I think I should report the situation to Lu Shang immediately. ”

"I agree with General Fedyuninsky." It seems that the identity of Fedyuninsky, the former commander of the Leningrad Front, still carries some weight, and as soon as the words fell, the commander of the 8th Army, Starikov, immediately expressed his support. After he finished expressing his opinion, he turned his head and asked another major general beside him: "Comrade Gagan, what do you think?" ”

"Comrade Commander of the Army, the 4th Guards Infantry Army will always be in line with you." Gagan replied with a smile. Only then did I learn that this general was Major General Gagan, the commander of the Guards under Starikov.

Meretskov turned his gaze to a lieutenant general next to him, who had never spoken, and asked, "General Krykov." Which side do you, the new commander of the 2nd Shock Army, support? ”

I looked at the tall commander of the army group. I said in my heart, Comrade General, I am from your 2nd Assault Army, so you must support me.

Unexpectedly, General Krykov looked left and right, then pointed at Stepach with his hand and said to Meretskov: "Comrade General, I agree with the opinion of the Chief of Staff of the Army Group, this matter is very important, we must be cautious, and we cannot report to the Supreme High Command until we confirm whether Major Oshanina's judgment is correct." ”

Now the number of people in favor and against is exactly three to three, and Meretskov is the only one left in the room who has the right to speak, and his opinion will finally decide whether or not to report my judgment to the High Command. Everyone was silent, their eyes fixed on Meretskov, waiting for him to make the final decision.

Meretskov walked to the table and sat down, took out a cigarette from his pocket, took one out and put it in his mouth, and Stelimach, who was next to him, immediately took out a match and lit it for him, and after lighting the cigarette, he took a step back and, like everyone else, quietly waited for Meretskov's decision.

Meretskov hung his head slightly, sat motionless, and just gulped down his cigarette. When the cigarette was finished, he threw the cigarette butt to the ground, crushed it with his toes, raised his head suddenly, frowned, glanced at all the people with his eyes, and said resolutely: "Comrades, although our main task at present is to carry out the deployment of the high command, to launch the battle of the Signavino salient as soon as possible. But now that we are aware of the possibility of a German offensive in the Stalingrad area, we should report to the High Command in a timely manner. Let's put it bluntly, if we conceal this information because we are afraid of responsibility, once the German army really launches an attack on Stalingrad, and the high command is not prepared in advance, resulting in the fall of the city named after the leader, what will we do then? I have decided to report this matter to the high command immediately, and I will bear the consequences. ”

With that, he stood up abruptly, picked up the microphone of the high-frequency phone again, and dialed the number slowly. When he dialed, there was silence in the command headquarters, and everyone stood still and watched Meretskov silently.

After the phone was connected, Meretskov asked: "Is it Comrade Boskorebeshev?" I am Meretskov, the commander of the Volkhov Front, and I have something important to report to Comrade Stalin. ”

Then Meretskov stopped talking, just silently put the microphone to his ear. After a while, he suddenly straightened up and said loudly: "Hello, Comrade Stalin. Yes, I have returned safely to the command of the Front. After a brief greeting, Meretskov went straight to Stalin and told Stalin my judgment.

Because of the distance, I couldn't hear what Stalin was saying on the phone, and anyway, I noticed that Meretskov's face suddenly became cloudy, as if he was being reproached by Stalin. After a while, he opened his mouth to defend himself: "Comrade Stalin, from the war reports we have received. Major Oshanina's judgment was accurate. The goal of the Germans was neither Moscow. And not the oil fields of the Caucasus, but Stalingrad! Yes, Comrade Oshanina analyzed: at least for the time being, the Germans will not launch a large-scale offensive campaign against Moscow or the Caucasus. ……”

Before he could finish his sentence, he should have been rudely interrupted by Stalin, whose face was flushed, and he bent down slightly to listen to Stalin's instructions.

"Yes, Comrade Stalin. I know that our current task is to launch the Battle of the Signavino Bulge as soon as possible, but we must not take Stalingrad lightly, knowing that it is a city named after you......"

Speaking of which, it is clear that Meretskov was interrupted again by Stalin, so much so that he stopped without finishing his sentence. After a while, he was able to continue: "Rest assured, Comrade Stalin, that we will attack the German troops in the Sinavino salient within the appointed time. "Finished. He took the microphone away from his ear and slowly put it back on the telephone.

Meretskov returned to the table. Stood silently. I, like everyone else, looked at him nervously, waiting for him to repeat the phone call he had just made with Stalin.

After a long time, he finally opened his mouth and said in a low voice: "Comrade Stalin just ordered us on the phone to launch the Battle of the Sinavino Salient no later than July 17. ”

"July 17th?!" Starikov, commander of the 8th Army, said in surprise: "Isn't that the day after tomorrow?" Comrade commander, you must know that our preparations have not yet been completed, that the troops, weapons and ammunition promised to be replenished by the base camp have not yet been completed, and that the road leading to the starting point of the attack is still being built. You know that the existing road conditions are impassable for heavy tanks......"

Without waiting for Starikov to finish complaining, Meretskov interrupted him and said coldly: "This is an order given by Comrade Stalin himself, which is not allowed to be discussed and must be carried out unconditionally." ”

Seeing that Meretskov carried Stalin out, Starikov had no choice but to reluctantly agree: "Okay, comrade commander, I understand everything." When I return to the army later, I will dispatch manpower to repair the road and prepare for the attack as soon as possible. ”

"Comrade commander, what is Stalin's attitude to the information we have reported." When Fedyuninsky heard the news that Meretskov had suddenly announced the advance of the battle, although he was slightly surprised, he still asked his own question.

Meretskov smiled bitterly and said: "When Stalin heard that I said that the German army might launch an attack on Stalingrad in the near future, he immediately became furious, saying that I was talking nonsense, and I must have listened to the rumors of German spies to report this kind of nonsense to him." ”

Fedyuninsky glanced at me and then continued to ask: "Then what Comrade Stalin plans to do with Major Oshanina." ”

Meretskov looked at me and said apologetically: "Major Oshanina, I'm sorry, it seems that you won't be able to stay long in my Volkhov Front?" ”

"Huh? Comrade Commander, can I ask what is going on? "This time, I couldn't help but interject and ask, knowing that this is related to my future fate.

"Comrade Stalin said," said Meretskov with a helpless face, "since Major Oshanina thinks that the Germans will launch an attack on Stalingrad, then after the battle of the Sinavino salient is over, send her to Stalingrad to defend the city." However, she must not be allowed to go empty-handed, and at that time she will be sent a company to hold firmly on the Mamayev Heights, the commanding heights of Stalingrad. ”

Although Meretskov said this in an understated tone, I can guess how harsh Stalin's tone was on the phone just now, otherwise this battle-hardened general would not have changed his face several times. However, it was me who was most wronged, and I originally wanted to remind Stalin that the target of the German army's next offensive was not Moscow, but Stalingrad, but I was directly demoted to company commander, and I was relieved of the position of acting division commander of the 378th Division and demoted to the post of operational staff officer in the front headquarters half an hour ago.

Seeing my depressed look, Meretskov comforted me and said, "Don't worry, Major Oshanina, when you go to Stalingrad, I will send you the best soldiers." Speaking of this, he lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then said very cheerfully: "You once commanded the second lieutenant training team of the Front, so let them go to Stalingrad with you then." ”

Second Lieutenant Training Team, hearing Meretskov mention this unit, my heart warmed. This is his unit at the bottom of the box. They were willing to take it out and let me take it to Stalingrad. This shows how much he values me. The unhappiness in my heart was suddenly swept away, I stepped forward, raised my hand to give a military salute to Meretskov, and said gratefully: "Thank you, Comrade Commander of the Front. ”

Meretskov smiled and waved his hand, and then said to the others in the room: "While the military commanders of the troops participating in the battle of the Bulge are all here today, let's first study how to fight this battle." Then he beckoned to me and said, "Major Oshanina." Although you will soon be transferred to Stalingrad, you are still the operational staff officer of my Volkhov Front, so come and listen to it. ”

I was just about to move forward, but I overheard Starikov frowning and seemed reluctant to let me participate in a discussion of this level. Seeing his expression, I didn't take it to heart, and said in my heart that I wouldn't be able to stay in the Volkhov Front for a few days anyway, and what you think of me has nothing to do with me.

We all stood in a circle around the table, Meretskov holding his hands on the edge of the table. He said to everyone with some pride: "Before discussing the deployment of the campaign, I would like to tell you a good news. This time, I went to Moscow to report to the base camp on the battle plan. Comrade Stalin asked me: 'How many submachine guns and rifles do you need from the base camp to carry out this campaign?' ’

'Three thousand to five thousand submachine guns, five thousand rifles. 'I thought about the difficulties of the base camp in terms of weaponry in the past, and only proposed a minimum number.

Unexpectedly, Comrade Stalin said very cheerfully: 'I will replenish you with 20,000 sticks. You know, we now not only have enough rifles, but we also produce enough submachine guns. ’

At that time, I was a little worried and asked: 'Comrade Stalin, will your replenishment of so many guns for us affect the supply plans of the armies of other fronts?' ’

Comrade Stalin shook his head with a smile and said: 'Comrade Meretskov, do you know that the work of transferring the various sectors of the national economy to the wartime track has been successfully completed, so that the weapons and equipment necessary for the troops can be fully supplied. ’”

After listening to Meretskov's words, several generals excitedly exchanged heads and began to discuss.

While everyone was discussing this exciting good news, the chief of staff of the front, Stepimakh, walked to the position where the telephone was put and picked up the microphone to make a call.

After a while, the sound of a report was heard at the door. I turned my head to see a colonel with a briefcase standing upright in the doorway. As soon as Meretskov saw him, he immediately greeted: "Comrade Semenov, don't stand at the door, come here and explain to the commanders the details of the battle plan." Colonel Semenov agreed, walked briskly to the table, and raised his hand to salute the generals.

Meretskov introduced me: "Major Oshanina, let me introduce you, this is the chief of operations of the Front Command, Colonel Semenov, who is also your immediate superior. Then he briefly introduced me to Semyonov.

As soon as Meretskov finished his introduction, I hurriedly raised my hand to salute Semenov and said politely: "Hello, Comrade Colonel. Major Oshanina reports to you and is at your orders. ”

Without waiting for Semenov to speak, Meretskov preemptively said: "Okay, what do you have to say, wait for the meeting to end for a while and go back to the combat department to talk." Now, Colonel Semyonov, tell me the details of the plan for the Bulge campaign that you and the Chief of Staff, Comrade Stepimach, have drawn up. ”

Semenov agreed, opened the briefcase in his hand, took out a map from it, spread it on the table, I took a closer look, it turned out to be a map of the Sinavino region. After placing the briefcase at his feet, he began to explain the details of the battle plan.

"As everyone knows, in this campaign, our Volkhov Front was the 8th Army of General Starikov and the 2nd Shock Army of General Krykov who were responsible for the main attack. On the Leningrad Front, the Neva campaign group, as well as artillery and aviation, will participate in the campaign. After the start of the campaign, the Neva Campaign Group, with the cooperation of the air forces, will actively pin down the enemy forces deployed at the choke point of Schlüsselburg, so that they cannot be transferred to the direction of the attacking forces of our Volkhov Front. As soon as our advance out of the Neva River was delayed, the Neva Campaign Group forcibly crossed the Neva River with offensive actions, actively moved closer to our front, and strived to achieve the campaign goal of uniting the two armies and breaking the siege. ……”

Meretskov raised his hand at this time to interrupt Semyonov's words, and said with a serious expression: "When I reported on the battle plan in Moscow, the part of the Leningrad Front that forced the crossing of the Neva River was denied by Comrade Stalin. He said that the Leningrad Front lacked the technical equipment to force the crossing of the Neva River, and that in the upcoming campaign, the Volkhov Front would still play the leading role, while the Leningrad Front would use its own artillery and aviation to support our operations. Go on. The last sentence he said to Colonel Semenov.

Colonel Semyonov said: "After the campaign plan was drawn up, we began to prepare for the campaign step by step. What is most striking is the organized change of deployment, concentration and deployment of the army under the conditions of limited roads and frenzied actions of enemy aviation. Within half a month, the basic strength of the corps and units used for the campaign was brought along two railways with low traffic capacity, and a small part of the army was marched along the dirt road.

Unfortunately, the number of dirt roads is small and muddy, making it difficult for transport to pass. Only the railways could bear the full burden. The widespread implementation of camouflage and counterintelligence measures played a significant role. In order to confuse the enemy, we used various campaign camouflage equipment to create the illusion of a large concentration of troops in Little Viseira. The city of glassworkers, brickmakers and sewing workers is located to the east of the upper Volkhov River. As a result of camouflage, the Germans gave the impression that our army was going to fight in the Novgorod region. In addition, the illusion of the movement of troops and corps to the Southern Front was successfully created. Under this pretext, some troops were transported to the Signavino area. The train initially headed for Moscow, then turned around and headed for Tikhvin via Vologda and Chirepovets. All troops were shipped in airtight wagons with the words 'fuel', 'grain' and 'fodder' written on them. Tanks were camouflaged with straw.

Thanks to our proper secrecy measures, despite the air supremacy of the German aviation and even intensive air strikes on railway junctions and unloading areas, it did not prevent our troops from changing their deployments. Not only that, but the enemy, being deceived by the illusions deliberately made by our troops, has so far not found a single transport train, nor has it been able to determine the true direction of the train's increased flow. (To be continued......)