The officers and soldiers of the Skeleton Division still escaped from the encirclement under the 71st Guard Division.
However, after being attacked by the Soviet army, one division was completely wiped out, and the other division was severely damaged, and both division commanders were captured by the Soviet army, which made the German Command feel dull.
After Hitler was furious, General Zeitzler carefully introduced to him: "My head of state, in order to refute the false news released by the Russian Intelligence Agency, I think we should immediately rebuild the imperial division and send a new division commander to the Skeleton Division."
Hitler, who had a tweet of evil fire, was much calmer at this moment. He looked at Zeitzler and asked, "Chief of General Staff, who do you think should be the new commander of the Imperial Division?"
"How about Lieutenant Colonel Tansen?" Zeitzler told Hitler: "He was a regiment commander of the Imperial Division. He was sent back to Berlin some time ago because he was injured in the battle. Now he is the highest-ranking officer among the surviving Imperial Division."
"How was his injury?" Hitler asked, "When will he be discharged from the hospital?"
"It's almost all good." Zeitzler said respectfully: "If you want to see him, I can immediately order someone to come."
"Let him come over."
An hour later, an officer wearing a black SS uniform, wearing the rank of first-level commando captain, and a creepy scar on his chin appeared in the General Staff. After entering the door, he raised his hand and saluted him, and stood there like a wooden stake.
Hitler walked up and down to him and asked, "Are you Lieutenant Colonel Tansen?"
"Yes, my head of state." The officer replied with a serious expression.
"How did the scar on your chin come from?"
"My head of state was injured by a Russian grenade in a battle."
After listening to Tansen's answer, Hitler's face showed a smile, and he turned his head to Zeitzler and said, "He is an officer with rich combat experience, much better than those officers who only sit in the office and give orders randomly."
"Yes, my head of state." Seeing that Hitler recognized Tansen, the huge rock hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief and then said to Hitler: "I wonder if you agree with my proposal just now?"
"I think it's OK," Hitler said, turning toward Tansen and saying to him: "Sir, Captain of the First-level Commando, I think you must have heard the bad news that the entire Imperial Army was destroyed?"
"My head of state, the Imperial Army, did not completely destroy." Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Tansen said with confidence: "Now the Imperial Army is left with me and hundreds of wounded soldiers. As long as we have one alive, the Imperial Army will always exist."
Tansen's words made Hitler's smile even more intense. He raised his hand and patted Tansen's shoulder, who was one head higher than himself, and said with praise: "Good, Mr. Captain of the First-level Commando. I now officially appoint you as the acting commander of the Imperial Division and promoted to the flag captain."
Hearing Hitler officially appointed Tansen as the new commander of the Imperial Division, Zeitzler hurriedly said: "My Head, I plan to reorganize the Imperial Division in half a month and send them back to Balvinkovo."
"Very good, Zeitzler." Hitler agreed with Zeitzler's proposal. "In their battle report, the Russians announced that they had wiped out our Imperial Division and severely damaged the Skeleton Division. Let Tansen return to Barvinkovo ​​with the new Imperial Division, and teach the Russians a lesson, so that they know that our Imperial Division was not annihilated by them and was still fighting."
Zeitzler knew very well that although the Imperial Division had Tansen and hundreds of wounded soldiers, to be precise, the Imperial Division had been completely destroyed. Now Tansen's imperial division commander is just a reorganized force. Although the name has not changed, its combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced.
Now that he heard that Hitler planned to re-deploy the new Imperial Division in Balvinkovo, he asked quickly: "So where should the troops who are supplemented to the Imperial Division be drawn?"
If it is an ordinary National Welfare Force, if it wants to replenish its troops, it can be supplemented from those reserve teams. But now it is a SS advisor, and it will be much trouble to replenish troops.
After pondering for a long time, Hitler said to Zeitzler: "Just draw personnel from the SS in Berlin to replenish the Imperial Division." After giving Zeitzler instructions, he said to Tansen, "Mr. Flag Captain, I only have one requirement. When your troops arrive at Barvinkovo, they must restore at least 70% of the combat effectiveness of the original troops, so that they will not be at a disadvantage when fighting with the Russians. How can they be done?"
"Please rest assured, my head of state." Seeing Hitler valued him so much, Tansen was very moved, and he quickly replied: "I will never let you down. When I lead the troops back to Balvinkovo, I will definitely teach the Russian troops of the division a lesson."
After Sokov handed over the two captured division commanders to the people from the Front Command, he summoned his division commanders to a meeting. After introducing the huge results of this battle, he said to everyone: "Comrades, with the destruction of the Imperial Division and the Skeleton Division, the pressure on the frontal defense of our army has been greatly reduced. According to my analysis, the enemy will not attack us again until July."
The division commanders present, when they heard Sokov's words, all of them showed surprise expressions on their faces and even began to whisper. Seeing that everyone was so happy, Sokov did not interrupt them. Instead, he waited patiently for them to finish the discussion before continuing: "I have another thing to tell everyone."
After everyone's eyes were focused on him, Sokov continued: "Comrades Commanders, the superiors revealed a little bit of news to me. In a while, I may be transferred and then a new commander will take over my position."
Sokov's words were like sprinkling a handful of salt in a red oil pan, and it exploded: "Hell, why should the commander be transferred away? Who gave the order?"
"Yes, we cannot let the commander leave." Merkulov, who followed Sokov repeatedly during this period, said on behalf of everyone: "We should send a joint telegram to our superiors, asking them to let the commander stay. Only by following him can we make more contributions."
"Comrades, please be quiet, please be quiet!" Seeing that everyone complained about their possible transfer in the future, Sokov was still very moved. However, Malining just mentioned the transfer casually. Whether it would become a reality is still unknown, he quickly raised his hands and pressed down: "Listen to me for a few words."
After the indoor calm returned to its original condition, Sokov said to everyone: "The superior has the intention to mobilize me, but whether it will be implemented is still unknown for the time being. I am very grateful for everyone's concern for me, but as soldiers, we must obey orders as our mission. Wherever our superiors want to transfer us, we must implement it unconditionally. Besides, even if I am not in the Sixth Army, you can continue to win more victories in the battle with the Germans under the command of the new commander."
After the meeting ended and all the division commanders left, Lunev suddenly spoke to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, you should not tell the division commanders that you might be transferred from. I think they must be very uneasy at this moment."
"But I've comforted them?" Sokov asked with some confusion: "How come they feel uneasy?"
"Comrade Commander, I'll explain this to you." Vitkov, who was standing aside, interjected: "A few commanders of the Guard Division have just adapted to your novel playing style after getting along with you for the past or two months and have made many achievements. But at this moment, you suddenly told them that you might be transferred and then a new commander will take over your position, which will make them feel a sense of crisis. I think in order not to let you be transferred, they may reflect their demands through their own channels, and only hope that you can stay."
"No." Sokov questioned Vitkov's statement: "Comrade Chief of Staff, although I am now the commander of the army, I don't think I have that high prestige."
"Comrade Commander, since you don't believe it, we can wait and see, but will things develop in the future as I guess."
That night, Sokov received a call from Malining. The chief of staff of the front army said angrily on the phone: "General Sokov, did you reveal the news that you are going to be transferred?"
Sokov was shocked when he heard about Malining's question, and then asked back: "What happened?"
"I received calls from several army commanders, saying that since you are going to be transferred, I hope we can be more generous and build the troops assigned to you to command at that time."
From Malining's words, Sokov realized that he might have caused a big disaster by accident and quickly explained to the other party: "I just want everyone to be mentally prepared so that they will not cause unnecessary chaos after the superiors issue a transfer order."
Malining was silent for a long time, and finally said, "So, do you want to be transferred by yourself? Tell me, which army did you have been transferred to after washing?"
Sokov wanted to tell Malining that if he really wanted to take him away from the Sixth Army, he would transfer himself to Konev's grassland front. But these things could only be thought about in his heart, but they could not be said. When he heard Malining asks, he quickly pretended to be wronged and said, "Comrade Chief of Staff, how can you say this? You must know that if possible, I hope to always obey General Rokosovsky's command."
Sokov's explanation eased Malining's attitude a lot: "General Sokov, the commander is now in the Kremlin to argue with reason. I hope you don't have any trouble at this time."
"I understand, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov heard Malining use the word "reason" and immediately realized that he was transferred, which was probably a foregone conclusion. But where he could go is still unknown.
In the middle of the night that day, Sokov, who was sleeping in his room, was woken up by a communications officer. He said a little embarrassedly: "Comrade Commander, you have your phone number." Perhaps he was worried that Sokov would blame him, and he also emphasized specifically, "It was called by the Front Command."
When Sokov learned that it was the front headquarters that it was called and guessed that something might be a big deal, he rushed into the command center. He picked up the microphone on the table and put it in his ear: "I am Sokov, who are you?"
"I'm Rokosovsky." Rokosovsky's voice came from the receiver: "I just returned from Moscow by plane."
"Hello, Comrade Commander of the Front Army!" Sokov felt that Rokosovsky would never be unable to sleep at night, so he called and chatted with him. He called at this moment, and must be because of a major event related to him, so he asked nervously: "I wonder if you call me so late, is there anything important?"
"Misha, it's about your mobilization." Rokosovsky said in a heavy tone: "When the commanders of other fronts saw your recent achievements, they asked the Supreme Commander himself that their troops needed commanders like you, so they begged the base camp to transfer you to their troops."
When Sokov heard this, he knew that it was impossible to change the fact that he left the Sixth Army, but the question to be clear next is which front he would be transferred to. He asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, we want to ask you, which front he is planning to transfer me to?"
"Although I argued, the Supreme Commander himself had made up his mind and felt that you should send you to a more important front, so he would transfer you in a short time." Rokosovsky said on the phone: "The places you can choose now are the Leningrad Front and the Western Front."
"Are there any other choices besides these two fronts?"
"Misha," Rokosovsky asked in surprise when he heard Sokov's question: "Do you want to go to the Southwest Front or the Voronezh Front?"
"No," Sokov quickly denied: "If I could choose, I would rather go to General Konev's grassland front."
"What, Konev's Grassland Front?" Sokov's reply scared Rokosovsky: "Misha, are you sleeping in a daze that you actually make such a ridiculous request. You must know that the Grassland Front is just a reserve force. If you go there, it is unlikely that you will have any chance to make achievements."
"Comrade Commander of the Front," Sokov could not tell Rokosovsky directly, saying that in a few months, the Grassland Front would shine on the Soviet-German battlefield, so he could only say tactfully: "I know the Grassland Front is a reserve, but if I go there, I will definitely find a way to train the reserve into an elite unit."
Sokov's statement made Rokosovsky feel very strange. After a long time of silence, he asked back: "Misha, have you really decided to go to the Grassland Front?"
"Yes, I've decided."
Chapter completed!