Chapter 209
After listening to Yuri's report on the southern front, Vasilevsky also felt that the situation was serious. Now, the Soviet offensive was advancing towards the right bank of the Dnieper River. It was a front thousands of kilometers wide. Any mistake at any key point could lead to the collapse of the entire front.
"What do you think?" After listening to Yuri's introduction, Vasilevsky pondered for a moment and asked, "Comrade Yuri Arkipovich."
Yuri didn't bother to be polite with him and directly expressed his thoughts.
"Write a detailed report and send it to Moscow as soon as possible," said Vasilevsky. "I will immediately report the situation on the southern front to Comrade Stalin so that we can make the latest arrangements and deployments."
Yuri didn't say anything. He knew that the so-called "detailed report" did not refer to the battle plan, but a report on the battle situation on the southern front, which should include an analysis of responsibilities. In other words, this report would be the basis for future accountability.
Vasilevsky didn't say anything, and he didn't wait for Yuri to reply. He just hung up the phone.
Of course, this doesn't mean that he has any problem with Yuri, but he is just in a bad mood.
Recently, Stalin was in a very good mood. He was very happy because the liberation of Donbass and Kiev was in sight on the southern front. The salute on Red Square was even ready, waiting for the time to fire the salute to celebrate. At this time, if Stalin was told that there was a problem on the southern front and the liberation of Donbass and Kiev had to wait, the consequences would be disastrous.
Comrade Stalin is not a person who can tolerate any sand in his eyes. If someone makes him unhappy for a moment, he will make that person unhappy for the rest of his life. Therefore, Vasilevsky is very troubled now.
However, no matter how troublesome the task is, it still has to be done. Vasilevsky has nothing to complain about. After all, he is the Chief of the General Staff. There is nothing wrong .
Yuri didn't know about Vasilevsky's difficulties, and of course, he had no interest in caring about them. Now, all his attention was focused on assaulting the 9th Army.
The situation on the battlefield changed rapidly, but Moscow's response was slow to come.
After enduring most of the day in anxious waiting, at nightfall Tolbukhin, who had caught a cold, returned to the headquarters. Accompanying him was Lieutenant General Tsvetayev, commander of the 9th Assault Army.
I don’t know if it was due to the unfavorable battle situation or the injuries, but Tolbukhin looked very haggard.
Inside the headquarters, the front leaders listened to Tsvetayev's report on the latest developments.
The worst situation finally happened. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the German tank troops launched an offensive against the 9th Assault Army from the rear. The 87th, 300th and 315th Infantry Divisions were hit, but the damage was not very serious.
Tsvetaev analyzed that the German attack should be hasty, and they launched this offensive when the heavy troops had not yet assembled. However, the position of the three infantry divisions was very unfavorable, and they did not even build basic fortifications, so Tsvetaev planned to issue a retreat order and concentrate the troops as much as possible. At the same time, temporarily abandon the offensive in the direction of Dnepropetrovsk and switch from offense to defense.
But Tsvetayev also proposed that the front could put pressure on the German army in the Kramatorsk direction to relieve the pressure of the assault on the Ninth Army.
Lieutenant General Tsvetaev was one of the few "powerful generals" in the Soviet command system. He was a veteran who had participated in the First World War and had served as a battalion commander in the old Russian era. His command ability was fully demonstrated during the civil war.
Like Rokossovsky, he was almost sent to the guillotine before the outbreak of World War II, but his luck was far worse than Rokossovsky's, because he died too early and eventually failed to even become a marshal. He ranked 22nd among the 33 best army commanders during the war as evaluated by the Russian Military Academy.
Tsvetaev's command style was very tough and he loved to attack. But what was even tougher than his command style was his big mouth that always lacked a gate. Because of that mouth that always said whatever he wanted, he was once labeled a "Trotskyist". Also because of this mouth, he failed to join the party three times. It was not until the beginning of this year that he was introduced by Rokossovsky and became a member of the Bolshevik Party - a young newcomer who joined the party at the age of 50.
"...My infantry division can't hold out there for three days," Tsvetayev said in a high tone as if he was arguing in the headquarters hall that finally looked a bit decent. His temper has always been like this, so he doesn't have many friends to talk to. "The reality is that they can't even hold out for two days. I must deploy the 4th Mechanized Army on the left wing to stop the German offensive in that direction. At the same time, withdraw the artillery to provide fire support for the battle in the rear. The attack is indeed important, but the premise is that my rear must be safe."
Tsvetayev was venting his dissatisfaction to the haggard Tolbukhin, who hoped that he could maintain the offensive in the direction of Dnepropetrovsk. If all went well, the 9th Assault Army would be able to cooperate with the 2nd and 9th Armies under the 3rd Ukrainian Front in the outer areas of Dnepropetrovsk, thus getting rid of the threat from the German 1st Tank Army.
This plan is not unfeasible, but it is very dangerous because it must ensure that the attack is smooth enough. In a sense, it is also a way of replacing defense with offense.
However, Tsvetayev was not optimistic about this plan. He hoped to switch to defense and wait for reinforcements, which was a safer plan.
Watching the two people arguing there, Yuri sat in the corner of the hall without saying a word. He was writing a report that needed to be submitted to Vasilevsky.
"Report, call from Moscow," a communications soldier suddenly stood up from the radio and shouted.
Yuri leaned forward and wanted to stand up, but when he saw Tolbukhin had already walked over, he sat down again and continued working on his report.
Tolbukhin took the microphone from the signalman, but after saying a few words, he put the microphone on the table with a gloomy face, turned his head to look at Yuri, and said, "Comrade Yuri Arispovich, this is Comrade Alexander Mikhailovich calling."
Yuri then put down his pen, stood up and walked over.
Picking up the microphone from the table, Yuri said, "Comrade Alexander Mihajlovich, I am Yuri."
"Comrade Yuri Arkipovich," the phone was silent for a while, and suddenly a hoarse and low voice came, "Comrade Vasily Ivanovich and his troops are temporarily transferred to the Fourth Ukrainian Front, but they need three days. Can you buy them this time?"
Yuri recognized the voice immediately. It was not Vasilevsky's, but Stalin himself.
"Comrade Stalin," Yuri said after a light cough, "I think we should ask Comrade Fedor Ivanovich for his opinion on this issue."
After all, Tolbukhin was the commander of the front, and he should be the one to answer this kind of question.
"Comrade Tolbukhin is not in good health," Stalin said on the phone. "He needs to take time to get treatment and adjust. Comrade Georgy Konstantinovich proposed that you temporarily take charge of the command of the Fourth Ukrainian Front. Can you buy three days for Comrade Vasily Ivanovich?"
Yuri subconsciously turned his head to look at Tolbukhin, only to find that the old man was actually walking towards the door.
This time he had offended someone badly, Yuri thought to himself, but he still said to Stalin on the phone: "I think I can do it, Comrade Stalin."
"Very good, Comrade Yuri Arisipovich Kulyokov," Stalin's tone seemed to be a little better, and he even called Yuri by his full name again, "I am waiting for your good news."
After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for Yuri's reply.
After hanging up the phone, Yuri glanced in the direction of the hall door. Tolbukhin's figure had disappeared outside the door. It seemed that he had received an order to return to Moscow immediately.
Ignoring everyone, Yuri quickly walked towards the battlefield situation map in the center of the hall.
During the phone call, Stalin mentioned Vasily Ivanovich, referring to Chuikov. Needless to say, the headquarters had mobilized the reserve troops this time, because Chuikov's current position was the commander of the 9th Guards Army.
The 9th Guards Army is the 62nd Army in the Battle of Stalingrad. It is a truly elite force. It currently has three infantry armies under its command, all of which are armed according to the first-line armaments. Not only are the soldiers well-armed, but their food and treatment are also better than those of the same Guards Army.
Previously, this army group had always been in the rear and was a reserve force directly under the headquarters. This time Stalin transferred it to the southern front to supplement the Ninth Ukrainian Army, which shows how much he attached importance to the battle on the southern front.
While looking at the map, Yuri was excited. Who could have thought that he would return to the front-line command like this, and as the commander of a front. This was a very important achievement for his personal military resume.
Of course, even without considering the issue of resume, just commanding operations is enough to satisfy Yuri. During this time in the rear of Moscow, he was always thinking about returning to the front line, even if it was just to command an army group.
After looking at the map and considering the future direction of the battle, Yuri looked up and said to Tsvetaev, who looked confused: "Comrade Vyacheslav Dmitrievich, organize the defense according to your ideas."
