"Comrade Colonel, you're right." Sokov expressed his support for Koida's statement: "With our existing forces and the left-wing guard division, it is almost impossible to block the attack of the three German divisions."
After hearing Sokov's answer, Koida was stunned. He thought to himself: Since you understand this, why do you still make a promise to Klitschko and work with the Guards to stick to this line of defense that is already full of holes?
Sokov saw his question and smiled and said, "Comrade Colonel, you must be very strange. Since you know that you can't defend the position, why do you still agree to General Klitschko and stay with the Guards Division to hold the position together?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Koida nodded and said, "I really don't understand your intentions very much. After all, doing so may lead to the destruction of our entire army."
"If we retreat immediately to the Pushore River and join forces there, we can indeed build a strong defense and block the German offensive." Seeing that Koida was still confused, Sokov explained to him: "But if we retreat, General Malankin's Guard Division will become a lonely army and will soon fall into the siege of the Germans. Once they are surrounded by the enemy, the enemy can advance forward unscrupulously. They can use some of their troops to monitor us in the direction of the Pushore River, and then put their main forces on Prokholovka. Now there is only one Guard Paratrooper Division in the city, and they do not have any central weapons. It is basically impossible to prevent the enemy from seizing the city."
Seeing that Sokov chose to hold his position and knew the situation in the rear so well, Koida must have thought of the measures to deal with it, so he asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, do you have any plans to deal with the German attack?"
"I will call Chief of Staff Sameko later and ask him to draw two regiments of troops from the right bank to rush over overnight to strengthen your defense." Sokov gave him a reassurance in order to reassure Koida: "Now the main force of our army is gathering towards the Prokhorovka area. As long as they arrive, the situation on the battlefield will become beneficial to our army."
If another commander said this to Koida, he might have doubts: the hundreds of thousands of troops in Kiev were still surrounded and annihilated by the Germans; the attack launched in March, the troops of hundreds of thousands of troops of the two fronts were still defeated by Manstein's disadvantaged troops.
However, since this was said by Sokov, who had made great contributions, the weight was naturally different. Koida raised her head and asked straightened her back: "Comrade Commander, how long do you think we need to stick to it?"
"I see it for up to 48 hours," Sokov knew very well. The main force of the 5th Army of the Guards Tanks would arrive at the battlefield one after another at noon tomorrow and curb the German offensive. But in order not to let Koida relax, he estimated that the arrival time would be 48 hours: "How about it, can you defend the position?"
"If we rely on our current forces alone, it would be a bit difficult." Koida thought Sokov would order his troops to hold on for ten or half a month. At this moment, he heard that he only needed to hold on for 48 hours, so he quickly replied: "But if we can send two regiments to us, then we will have greater confidence in holding on for ten or half a month. If we want to hold on for ten or half a month, I may not be able to do it, but if we only hold on for 48 hours, we will ensure that we complete the task even if we fight to the last person."
After receiving Koida's assurance, Sokov called Sameko and asked straight to the point: "Comrade Chief of Staff, how is your situation there? Have you found the traces of the enemy?"
"No, Comrade Commander. It's very peaceful here, and no German sees it." Sameko replied: "But all the troops are ready for battle and can be put into battle at any time."
"I believe you will definitely be able to defend the position," Sokov said: "But I have encountered some trouble here. Under the fierce attack of the Germans, friendly troops on the right wing were defeated by the enemy. Now we are trapped in the enemy's attack. In addition, the troops have severely reduced their troops in the early battles, so it will be very difficult to defend the position."
When Samek heard this, he immediately took the initiative to say, "Comrade Commander, do you need me to draw troops from the Pushore River defense line?"
"I'm just thinking." Sokov said: "You draw two regiments from the 182nd Division on the right bank, and when it gets dark, you will immediately come over to support." He knew very well that although the chances of fighting between the right bank troops and the enemy were not high, you should not be afraid of 10,000, but you should be afraid of it. If the enemy really breaks through the left bank position and crosses the Pushuel River, then the troops on the right bank position are too few and cannot be defended at all. Therefore, he finally told Sameko: "Chief of Staff, I think the possibility of a battle in the Oboyan area is not high. You immediately call General Konev and ask him if he can transfer all the troops we deployed there to the Pushuel River to defend."
"Comrade Commander, you are very thoughtful." Sameko replied: "Whether new battles occur in Oboyan, we must transfer the troops deployed there. The troops are too dispersed and are not conducive to our command."
Sokov wanted to concentrate his troops because of two reasons. One was that after having enough troops, he could advance, attack, retreat or defend, and could flexibly grasp the initiative on the battlefield. The second point was that the German army was about to be defeated, and if he did not have enough troops, he would not be able to participate in the large-scale counterattack. All along, what people could remember were the troops that actively attacked the enemy, rather than those troops that carried out hard defense. He did not want his troops to be wiped out and did not receive the honor he deserved.
"The Chief of Staff, regardless of whether the superior agrees with our suggestions, the troops deployed in the direction of Oboyan must be transferred overnight." Sokov stared at Sameko and said, "While sending telegrams to the Front Command, you order the troops to be prepared for transfer."
However, what happened next was not as bad as Sokov imagined. Konev learned that Sokov's troops in Prokholovka were suffering heavy losses, so he simply agreed to the transfer of troops. Considering that the distance between Oboyan and the Pushore River was not close, Konev even ordered Sameko: "Don't wait until dark. As long as the troops in the Oboyan direction complete the assembly, they will immediately set off on the Pushore River. Be sure to consolidate the defense line there and prevent the enemy from crossing the river." Before Sapphore spoke, he added, "Don't worry, I will send a plane to cover your actions."
Seeing that Konev was so reasonable, the stone hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground. He quickly notified the commander of the 182nd Division, Khochlov: "Comrade Colonel, the situation at the commander is very bad. You immediately draw the troops of two regiments. When it gets dark, you will immediately rush to the Prokholovka area, meet with the 188th Division, consolidate the defense there, and block the German attack."
Chapter completed!