The battle for the offensive began.

The campaign deployment drawn up by the headquarters has been handed down to all combat units in the form of orders. According to the orders of their superiors, the troops participating in the battle were fighting stubbornly with the Germans in the designated area.

I didn't have a fixed position in the headquarters, and I didn't need to rush over immediately to take command of the campaign. So after I got dressed and washed, I took time to go to the kitchen and have breakfast, and then walked unhurriedly towards the headquarters.

As soon as I walked into the hall, I suddenly had the feeling of coming to the vegetable market, and the hall was in chaos. The telephones of the Operations and Intelligence Divisions were ringing incessantly, and the operators were shouting the numbers of the troops below; The correspondent went back and forth between the two services, sending the information received by the Intelligence Service to the Operations Service, and then bringing new instructions from the Operations Service to the Intelligence Service.

I stood only for a moment, and then I was so distracted by the noise that I quickly pushed open the door to Rokossovsky's command room and slipped in. The oak door of the church works well, and as soon as the door is closed, all the noise is cut out.

Hearing someone come in, Rokossovsky, who was sitting at the table drinking tea, the political commissar, and the chief of staff all turned their heads in unison. Luo Shuai also greeted me and said, "Lida, I was just about to ask someone to call you, and you came first." Come and sit down for tea. "As soon as I sat down next to the commissar, a staff officer immediately put a cup of sweet black tea in front of me.

On the table was a captured German radio, in which pleasant music was playing. I asked the political commissar curiously: "Why is everyone so idle today, and they all get together to listen to music." ”

The commissar said with a smug look on his face: "A captured major has just been interrogated, and he said that the German defense line is already showing signs of collapse on all fronts. Comrade Zhukov called the commander and said that the 20th Army and the 1st Shock Army would be fully engaged in battle by noon tomorrow at the latest, and that they would launch a simultaneous onslaught on the Germans from both flanks of our army. ……”

"Stop, my Comrade Commissar. The Germans seem to want to say something? Come! Rokossovsky interrupted the commissar and said to the staff officer who stood up next to him: "Go to the intelligence office outside and find someone who knows the German army to come in, I want to hear what the Hitlerites have to say." ”

"Yes!" The staff officer agreed, opened the door and went out to find a German interpreter.

I couldn't help but gasp, the top brass of the 16th Army was listening to German radio here, and if someone went to accuse us of listening to enemy Taiwan, would we be arrested and shot as conspirators by the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

The interpreter soon followed the staff officer, who looked like a lieutenant from his badge. He entered the door and saluted Rokossovsky, loudly reported: "Comrade commander, lieutenant ......"

Rokossovsky made a gesture to interrupt him and said, "The Germans are broadcasting, you hurry up and translate for us to see what they are talking about?" ”

The lieutenant walked over to the table, bent down to listen, then stood up and said, "The radio says: Attention! Note! Listen to the Führer's speech to the German troops on the 15th. ”

The chief of staff said with interest: "Hehe, perhaps it was Hitler who saw that his army would soon be crushed by our heroic Red Army, so he could not wait to jump out and cheer up his soldiers." His words immediately caused everyone to laugh.

After a brief silence, Hitler's voice came over the radio, and the interpreter stood aside and promptly translated every sentence to everyone: "Soldiers! Moscow is right in front of you. After two years of war, all the capitals of the European continent have been conquered by you, and you have left your footprints on the most beautiful streets. Now all that remains is Moscow, and you have to conquer it, let it taste the power of your weapons, and march victoriously through Moscow's Red Square, which is the end of this war, and go to Moscow to recuperate your smoky bodies. Go ahead! ”

Hitler's speech was simple and ended in just one minute. After listening to his speech, the deputy chief of staff snorted coldly and said disdainfully: "Hitler's bandits have been in disarray in the face of our army's offensive, so their masters can't help but speak out and cheer them up." ”

I was silent, thinking to myself that Hitler was a good orator, and that his words, though brief, had been effective in boosting the morale of the army. It is conceivable that the next battle will be even more brutal, and in the face of the ferocious attack of the Germans, the Soviet troops will have to continue to retreat. The thought of this makes my back break out in a cold sweat.

I looked at Rokossovsky, who was sitting next to me, and he frowned and let the interpreter leave, then stood up and said to the smug deputy chief of staff in a serious tone: "Comrade Orel, do not take the enemy lightly because of the success of our initial campaign. You must know that we were able to achieve such great results in the early morning battle because the Germans had miscalculated our strength. They did not anticipate that we would launch a new counteroffensive when the Battle of Skirmaonovo did not achieve the desired objectives, and they were now caught off guard by us, and as soon as they came to their senses, they would use their air and ground superiority to launch a frantic counterattack against us. ”

Hearing Rokossovsky's words, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a famous general is a famous general, and in this situation I still maintain absolute sobriety, and I can see at once the problems existing in the current army.

Rokossovsky beckoned everyone to look at the map, and immediately a staff officer stepped forward and removed the radio on the desk. According to the situation map of the map, the Germans organized the defensive line mainly in villages and towns, and the intervals between the strongholds were mined and blocked by strong fire. However, due to the suddenness of the attack, these lines were broken through by our troops one after another, and the participating troops were already wedged into the German positions for three to five kilometers.

Just then, the door slammed open, and a major rushed in with a piece of paper in his hand. As soon as the door opened, the noise from outside immediately poured in, so that I could not at all understand what the major was reporting to Rokossovsky. It wasn't until a staff officer went over and closed the door that I heard what the major with the information in his hand had said: "The latest news has just come from the Front Command: the German Army Group Center has changed its disposition, brought in new units and replenished the corps participating in the battle, and has moved to the offensive under the command of Field Marshal von Bock. The enemy and the enemy fought on a wide front from the city of Kalinin to Tula. The main assault was carried out by the German armies in the north on the right flank of the 30th, 16th and 5th armies (Volga reservoirs, Moscow-Mozhaisk railway), and in the south on the defensive strips of the 50th Army (Tula, Novomoskovsk). ”

"Chief of Staff!" After listening to the major's report on the enemy situation, Rokossovsky walked back and forth in the house with his hands behind his back, and said to Malinin with a grim face: "Order the troops of the army group to immediately stop the offensive, build fortifications in the existing occupied areas, and switch to defense on the spot." ”

"Yes!" After recording the commander's order, the chief of staff saluted and went out with the major to convey it to the troops.

The commissar came over, patted Rokossovsky on the shoulder, and comforted him in a steady tone: "Comrade commander, don't worry, now our army occupies the initiative on the battlefield, and the Germans will pay a huge price even if they want to counterattack." ”

I coughed and interjected: "Comrade commander, now we must first find out where the Germans are preparing to launch an offensive in the defensive zone of our army group, so that we can defend and counterattack in a targeted manner. ”

Rokossovsky listened to me, nodded and said: "Well, the direction of the German assault should be clarified first." Comrade Orel, I will leave this matter to you, and you must act quickly. ”

"Yes!" The deputy chief of staff said yes and left the room.

Rokossovsky stood at the table and looked down at the map in front of him. I stood behind him, hesitated for a moment, and then said cautiously: "I think the focus of the German attack may still be on the left flank of the army group, that is, in the Volokolamsk area defended by the 316th Division." ”

Listening to my words, a smile appeared on Rokossovsky's face: "If there are other places, I am still worried that there are no troops to send, and if the Germans dare to attack the Volokolamsk region, they will definitely suffer heavy losses." He turned his head and saw my puzzled expression, and quickly explained: "Yesterday, in addition to supplementing the 1,200 troops of Major General Levyagin and the canine company of Captain Oshanin to the 316th Infantry Division, I also deployed the highly combat-effective cadet regiment and a part of the 126th Infantry Division there. ”

I smiled bitterly, did not speak, and said in my heart: In the battle launched this morning, the weak Soviet army is attacking, while the strong German army is on the defensive.

The door was pushed open again, and in came the deputy chief of staff, Orel, who reported to Rokossovsky with a serious face: "Report to Comrade Commander, the direction of the main assault of the German army has been identified, and it is in the Volokolamsk area, which is defended by the left flank of our army - the 316th Division and the cadet regiment. ”

"Understood," Rokossovsky walked to the door, took off the cotton military cap from the coat rack and put it on his head, turned back to the commissar and said: "Comrade Lobachev, let's go to the Panfilov division together." Seeing that I also leaned over, he hurriedly waved his hand at me and said, "Lida, you don't have to go, you should stay in the headquarters." ”

Rokossovsky, the commissar, and several staff officers left for Volokolamsk, leaving me and the deputy chief of staff, Orel, in the room.

Seeing my unhappy look, Orel asked me smartly: "Comrade Oshanina, are you worried that your husband is in danger?" ”

"Huh?!" Hearing him say this, I couldn't help but be stunned, if it weren't for his mention of the word "husband", I wouldn't have remembered the relationship between Leda and Oshanen. No wonder Rokossovsky did not let me go with Volokolamsk, perhaps he thought that I was worried about the safety of Oshanin and wanted to go to the front. He didn't agree to let me go, but it was also out of good intentions, after all, the war was dangerous, and maybe he was worried that our couple would have three long and two short times to meet on the front line, so he would let me stay.

"Air raid siren!" A lieutenant pushed open the door and rushed in, shouting loudly: "Comrade commander, the German plane is coming, get out of the house and hide." ”