Chapter 224
In the western suburbs of Smolensk, at the Glutsk temporary airport, a light-colored transport plane was quietly parked on the snow-covered runway.
On the runway, hundreds of Soviet soldiers were busy clearing the snow. The order from above was that the snow on the runway must be cleared within twenty minutes, because in twenty minutes, senior generals of the front and representatives of Comrade Stalin from the headquarters would return to Moscow on this transport plane.
That's right, this so-called representative of Comrade Stalin is naturally Yuri, who came to Smolensk from Moscow four days ago. Accompanying him to Moscow this time are the commander of the Western Front, Chernychekhovsky, member of the Front Military Committee, Lev Zakharovich Mekhlis, and Chief of Staff of the Front, Alexander Petrovich Pokrovsky.
At present, the Soviet and German sides have entered a period of intermission in the war on the long front line that runs through the Soviet Baltic coast, Belarus and Ukraine. Although battles between the two armies will occur from time to time, they are basically small-scale exploratory attacks, and large-scale battles are unlikely to occur in the short term.
Especially in recent times, there has been large-scale snowfall in the Soviet Union from Karelia to Crimea, and the snow has been heavy. The thick snow on the ground and the sudden drop in temperature have also eliminated the basic conditions for the two sides to attack each other.
At this time, Comrade Stalin proposed convening a meeting of the People's Commissariat of Defense, as well as the commanders of the operational-tactical corps, operational corps, and strategic-tactical corps in the Belarusian direction. Members of the Military Committee of corps at all levels should arrange for one representative to attend the meeting.
In the Soviet military system, the so-called campaign and tactical corps actually refers to the army-level troops, and the campaign corps refers to the army group, and the strategic and tactical corps is the front. In the military committees above the army level, there are usually more than three military commissioners, one with the highest rank, and the rest are deputies.
The convening of this meeting actually meant that Comrade Stalin had made the final decision, and the final operational plan for the Belarusian Campaign would inevitably be announced with restrictions at this meeting.
The military jeep with snow all over its roof was driving slowly on the snow. Although anti-skid chains had been installed on the car, the car was still a little slippery while driving because the snow was too thick.
Inside the jeep, Yuri was wearing a brand new military coat, and the stars that marked his status as a lieutenant general flickered as his body swayed.
Yuri came to Smolensk this time specifically to familiarize himself with the situation here. In the past few days, he visited almost every headquarters of the subordinate army of the Western Front in order to determine the exact location of these army groups.
Although he could stay in Moscow and wait for the commanders of these armies to report, he still chose this method because he not only wanted to know the location of these armies, but also to personally see the specific situation of each army. Some of the information reported can be trusted, but some cannot be trusted. He will never feel at ease if he does not see it with his own eyes.
On Yuri's left sat Chernychekhovsky, the current commander of the Western Front. This 38-year-old admiral was a man with some contradictions in character. He was decisive and bold in commanding operations, but cautious in dealing with people. He was handsome and versatile. He could play piano, accordion, guitar, and other instruments, and he could even be said to be professional. In addition, he was also a good tenor singer and an excellent dancer. In the army, there were countless women who had a crush on him. In this respect, he was not much worse than Rokossovsky, but he had never had a scandal with any woman.
The most direct reason why Chernychekhovsky had a somewhat contradictory character and acted so cautiously was that he was a Jew. During the entire war, no matter how well he performed, he could not get the real trust of Comrade Stalin. It was not until the end of the war that he gained the favor of Comrade Stalin, but before he could be proud of it, he died again, becoming the last Soviet general to die before the end of World War II.
What's even more tragic is that after his death, he was buried in Vilnius , but on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, his grave was almost blown up by separatists.
During these days at the Western Front, Yuri also discovered a problem, that is, Chernychekhovsky was not very happy in his position as the commander of this front. Come to think of it, how could he be happy when he was a Jew and had to work with Comrade Mekhlis, who loved to tell tales the most?
Thinking of Mehlis, Yuri turned his head and looked at the rear window. There was a layer of snow on the rear window and he could not see anything, but he knew that Mehlis's car was following behind him and that Pokrovsky was in the same car with him.
In the Soviet command system, many people had a headache with Mehlis. This guy had conflicts with almost all the commanders who worked with him. Perhaps, in his eyes, no commander in the army was a good person. Of course, it was more likely that in his eyes, every commander in the army was a stepping stone to climb up.
However, while others were afraid of this guy, Yuri was not really afraid of him. In his opinion, Mehlis was a mad dog raised by Comrade Stalin. Although he barked all day long, no matter how happily he barked, he could not bite anyone that his master did not intend him to bite.
When he returned to Moscow to attend the meeting this time, the member of the Military Committee attending the meeting from the Western Front was not Mekhlis, but the first-level army-level political commissar Makarov. However, the latter's qualifications were somewhat shallow, and he could not compete with Mekhlis on certain issues.
Yuri has made up his mind that after returning to Moscow, he needs to have a good talk with Comrade Stalin and get rid of Mekhlis, the troublemaker. The Soviet Union is so big that he can go anywhere, but he cannot stay in the Belarusian war zone.
The jeep slowly stopped at the side of the airport runway. Arseni, who was sitting in the passenger seat, got out immediately and opened the door for Yuri.
On the runway, the crew responsible for this flight has boarded the plane and the propeller in front of the plane has begun to rotate.
Yuri got out of the car, adjusted his military coat, and without waiting for others, he walked towards the transport plane first.
The transport plane was making a lot of noise. When Yuri boarded the plane, he looked towards the nose of the plane and frowned.
In such weather, traveling by plane is really not a very safe thing. However, there is no other way. At present, the command of the Western Front is being relocated, and the front air force is also being relocated. In addition, the meeting in Moscow requires the participation of commanders of various army groups and corps-level forces, and many aircraft need to be mobilized. Therefore, there are not many aircraft that can be mobilized here at the first time.
After entering the cabin, Yuri found a seat and sat down. Listening to the noise made by the plane, he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
Following closely behind him, Chernychekhovsky and Pokrovsky also boarded the plane. They chose to sit opposite Yuri. As for Mehlis, he was talking to an Air Force major under the plane. No one knew what the two talked about. Mehlis seemed to be a little emotional, gesticulating while talking.
The cabin door was not closed, and the sharp "hissing" sound made by the propellers was very loud. Yuri waited in his seat for nearly five minutes, and when he saw that Mehlis had no intention of boarding the plane, he could not help but frowned.
After waiting for a while, he finally couldn't help but turned his head and said to Arseni who was sitting next to him: "Go and see what's going on."
Arseni nodded, stood up and got off the plane again.
Yuri was watching from his seat. He saw Arseni walk up to Mehlis. The two talked for a few words. The latter pointed in the direction of the nose of the plane and said something with a frown. Arseni then turned around and got back on the plane reluctantly.
Returning to Yuri, Arseni bent down, got close to him, and said loudly: "Comrade Lev Zakharovich said that this transport plane is too old and it seems that it has not been tested for flight. It is unsafe. He asked Major Nikolai Sergeyevich to dispatch another plane."
Yuri was a little angry when he heard this, but he didn't show it yet. Instead, he said to Arseni, "Send Major Nikolai Sergeyevich over."
Arseni turned around and got off the plane again, and called the Air Force major who was standing next to Mehlis with a sad face onto the plane.
The major walked up to Yuri and saluted. Yuri sat down and returned the salute, then asked, "Has the aircraft been flight-tested?"
The major probably didn't hear clearly, and he looked at Yuri in confusion.
Yuri had no choice but to say it again loudly .
"Comrade General, we have already done it," the major heard clearly this time and replied hastily, "and we have done it three times. We have confirmed it repeatedly, and there will be no problem."
"What's the weather like in the direction of Moscow?" Yuri asked again.
"There is a small low-pressure cyclone, so there won't be any major problems with flying," the major replied quickly.
"What's the problem?" Yuri looked up at him and asked seriously, "Why don't you set off yet? Do we have enough time?"
"But Comrade Lev Zakharovich said..." the major said with embarrassment.
"Tell Comrade Lev Zakharovich," Yuri interrupted him, "that if he is so afraid of death, he should take the train to Moscow. We must leave immediately."
"Yes !" Seeing that he lost his temper, the major hurriedly stood up and saluted. After responding, he turned and left the cabin.
Yuri glanced at Chernychekhovsky and Pokrovsky opposite him. He felt that it would be necessary to have a good talk with these two people after arriving in Moscow.
