Red Moscow

  Chapter 271 German bombardment

   Sending the Air Force to support Kursk, Rokossovsky made a difficult decision after much deliberation. You must know that the Air Force 2nd Army, which belongs to the Bryansk Front Army, has 8 aviation divisions and 2 independent aviation regiments in name, but in fact, only the 205th, 206th and 227th Air Force Divisions can participate in the battle. Undertake heavy combat tasks, compete for air supremacy with the German Air Force in the direction of Voronezh, and provide air cover for the ground forces of the Front Army. Once they are transferred to Kursk, it means that the front troops will not be able to receive air force support for a period of time.

   Watching Malinin send a telegram to Sokov, military commissar Shabalin walked up to Rokossovsky and asked with a serious expression: "Comrade Commander, have you really made a decision?"

Rokossovsky understood what Shabalin was asking, so he nodded and said solemnly: "Yes, Comrade Military Commissar, I have made a decision. As long as Kursk can be defended, the German Army Group Center and the The front of Army Group South is split, and even if the main force of the front has to fight the enemy without air support for a long time, it is completely worth it."

"Comrade Commander," Sabalin disagreed with Rokossovsky's decision. He felt that Rokossovsky's actions were too risky. If all the air force were sent to Kursk The front troops that lost their air cover may be defeated by the German army. If Kursk cannot be defended by then, as the military commissioner of the front army, he will have an inescapable responsibility, and may even be sent to a military court. Thinking of the fate of General Pavlov and his chief of staff and other colleagues, Sabalin fought coldly. In order to avoid repeating the same mistakes, he felt that he should persuade Rokossovsky: "Have you considered, Even if we send the air force to support, Sokov's Istria Battalion, no, it is called the 73rd Infantry Brigade now, it may not be able to hold Kursk. Do we have to take this risk?"

"Although we have sent the air force to support, we may not be able to hold Kursk; but if we do not send air force support, Kursk will definitely not be able to hold it." Rokossovsky looked at Sabalin and said solemnly: "If you destroy the strategic intention of the base camp to establish the Kursk salient, you will lose your head."

   Rokossovsky's words silenced Sabalin. After a long time, he said: "Well, Comrade Commander, it seems that it is absolutely necessary for us to provide air support for Kursk."

   Sokov, who had just returned to the headquarters, felt more at ease after receiving the telegram from Malinin. He handed the telegram to Belkin and said, "Comrade Political Commissar, look, this is a telegram from the Front Army Command. Starting tomorrow, they will provide us with sufficient air cover."

   "This is really great." After quickly scanning the contents of the telegram, Belkin said excitedly: "With the support of the air force, we are sure to hold Kursk."

Considering the support of the air force tomorrow, Sokov decided to make full use of the artillery, so he picked up the microphone in front of him and called the artillery company commander Porochenko: "Comrade Lieutenant, come to my command post immediately. one trip."

  Belgin waited for Sokov to finish the call, and asked curiously: "Comrade Brigadier, what did you call the artillery company commander for?"

   "I estimate that the German army will launch a new offensive tomorrow. In order to reduce the casualties of the troops, it is necessary to intercept the enemy's offensive with artillery fire to reduce the pressure on the defensive troops."

"Comrade Brigadier, if we bombard them when the Germans are attacking, we will easily be suppressed by German artillery fire." After hearing this, Belkin said with some concern: "We only have a dozen artillery pieces, but we can't fight with the enemy." The cannon groups compete with each other."

   "Comrade political commissar, you don't have to worry about this." Sokov said confidently: "As long as we have the support of the air force, we don't have to worry. As long as the enemy's artillery positions are exposed, our air force will destroy them."

When Porochenko came to the headquarters, Sokov immediately said to him: "Comrade lieutenant, judging from the current situation, the German army may launch another attack tomorrow. My task for you is to use the Artillery intercepted them to reduce the defensive pressure of the third battalion. Can it be done?"

Porochenko didn't know that he would receive air force support the next day, so he seemed a bit embarrassed by Sokov's order: "Comrade Brigadier, judging from today's fighting situation, the German army alone has more than two regiments." Ten artillery pieces. If they order a division-level unit to attack, they will have even more artillery pieces. Once we are countered by them, the entire army is in danger of being wiped out."

"Don't worry, Comrade Lieutenant." Seeing that Porochenko was also worried that if he used artillery prematurely tomorrow, he would be retaliated by the superior artillery of the German army, so he comforted him and said: "Tomorrow the air force will come to support us. Already, when it's time to fire, our bomber formations will blow them to pieces."

   "Really?" Hearing that there was cooperation from the air force, Porochenko had a surprised expression on his face: "Comrade Brigadier, if this is the case, we don't have to worry about the enemy's artillery anymore."

   The defeated German army soon made a comeback. Early the next morning, the German division commander, Major General von Drebel, used forty-eight 150mm artillery pieces to bombard the Soviet positions in the east of the city. The originally quiet positions suddenly turned into a sea of ​​flames. Although the commanders and fighters of the third battalion were all hiding in the solid concrete fortifications, they were still dazzled by the dazzling fireballs and loud thunder-like noises outside.

   Not long after the German shelling began, Sokov, who was at the headquarters in the city, heard the sound. He was eager to know the situation ahead, so he called Andre, the commander of the third battalion, but when he picked up the receiver, there was no sound from inside. He thought it was a problem with the phone, so he immediately called the communications company commander Maxim over, and asked sharply, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, what's going on, why can't I get in touch with the third battalion?"

  Maxim took the phone and listened to it, and then replied: "Comrade Brigadier, it may be that the German artillery fire was too violent, and the phone line was blown up."

   "Immediately order someone to check the line," Sokov waited for him to finish speaking, and immediately ordered: "I need to know the situation of the third battalion."

"Comrade Brigadier, don't worry." Seeing Sokov's angry face, Maxim hastily explained: "Although the telephone line was blown up, they are equipped with a radio station, and they can communicate through telegrams or wireless calls. "

"Send a telegram to Captain Andrei immediately," Sokov listened to the rumbling guns coming from the east of the city, and knew that even if wireless communication could be used, the communication effect would probably be affected. It would be more convenient to use a telegram. Instructed Maxim: "Let him report the situation on the battlefield immediately."

  Captain Andre, who was hiding in the command post, had no idea that the telephone line between himself and the brigade headquarters had been blown up by German artillery fire. He felt as if he was sitting in the crater of an erupting volcano, tightly wrapped by the rising gunpowder smoke. The explosions of the gunpowder smoke followed one after another, wave after wave, and there were explosions and flames everywhere. The bowl-thick logs used to reinforce the fortifications in the trenches were also blown to pieces by shells and flew around in the air.

  He was so knocked out that the operator yelled several times, but he didn't hear it. It wasn't until the operator put his hand on his shoulder and shook it vigorously twice that he realized that the operator was calling him. "What's the matter?" As soon as Andre's words came out, he found that he could hardly hear his own voice, and then he realized that his ears had been shaken by the explosion of shells.

  The operator did not speak, but handed a telegram to Andre. After reading it, Andre instinctively wanted to dictate an order. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly realized that even if he said something, the operator might not be able to hear him clearly, so he picked up a pencil and wrote a few words on the north side of the telegram , handed it over to the operator, and signaled him to call back the brigade headquarters.

  (end of this chapter)