Chapter 46: The Last Leisure
"Hey, my Paulenka, how are you these days?" Just as Yuri was looking at the Teterev River and thinking about random things in his mind, a familiar voice came from behind him.
Yuri turned around and saw a burly man in military uniform standing at the door. He looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old.
The big guy has a distinct feature, that is, his face is big and square, and his hair is spotlessly clean, maybe because of the hair oil, it looks shiny. Then look at the collar badge on his shoulder, he is actually a colonel.
Yuri knew this man. Not only did he know him, but he was also very familiar with him. A few days ago, they were in the same ward at the Kiev Military District Hospital and were transferred here from the Kiev Military District Hospital on the same day. Furthermore, Yuri even knew this man in his previous life, because this guy would later become a high-ranking Soviet marshal.
The man's name is Sergei, and his full name is Sergei? Semenovich? Biryuzov. Last month, the 132nd Division under his command had a fierce battle with the German Central Group in the Pinsk area. Although he was forced to retreat after six days of fighting, and his troops suffered heavy casualties, he was a bright spot in the Soviet army's central battlefield. Therefore, there was news recently that this colonel comrade would soon be promoted to major general, but I don't know if this news is accurate.
"Hey, Xida," Yuri smiled as he went over to hug the other person, "I'm fine. I think I can leave here in a few days. How about you?"
"I'm leaving the hospital today," Biryuzov patted his left thigh and smiled, "I'm completely fine ."
In the previous battle, Biryuzov was injured in his left leg. Shrapnel from a shell took away a piece of flesh on his left thigh. However, it did not cause any fractures or damage any arteries, so the injury was not serious.
"Oh, where will we go next?" Yuri asked him to sit down in front of his bed and gave him an apple on a tray. When he refused, he handed him a cigarette.
"Do you still have cigarettes?" Biryuzov was also a heavy smoker. He subconsciously looked towards the door of the tent, and seeing that no nurse appeared, he quickly took the cigarette, lit it, took a deep puff, and asked instead of answering.
"It was brought by the military district's visiting delegation yesterday," Yuri said in a low voice, not without pride.
"Only this one box?" Biryuzov blinked, his eyes never leaving the cigarette box in Yuri's hand.
Yuri smiled but said nothing.
"Old friend, don't be so stingy," Biryuzov grabbed Yuri's wrist and whispered, "Hurry up and take out your stock. At worst, I'll mail you some more when I return to the military district."
The 132nd Division led by Biryuzov belonged to the Kharkov Military District, not the Kiev Military District. The reason why he was recuperating in Kiev was because it was close to the city. The military district could be responsible for his treatment and provide him with necessities such as food and lodging, but it was impossible to provide him with things like cigarettes.
Yuri smiled, took a step forward, took out a bag from under the bed, took out three or five packs of cigarettes from the bag and handed them to Biryuzov.
"Thank you so much, Baolianka, you helped me a lot," Biryuzov quickly took the cigarette and stuffed it into his pocket. At the same time, while Yuri was not paying attention, he grabbed another pack from the bag.
"Be careful not to be seen by the nurses. If it is confiscated again, I won't be able to give it to you again," Yuri hid the remaining cigarettes under the bed again, then stood up and said.
"Of course," said Biryuzov.
"By the way, where are you going next?" Standing beside the bed, Yuri put out the cigarette butt in his hand, threw it out of the window, and continued to ask.
"Go to Gomel. My troops are still resting there," Biryuzov said. "I received an order this morning. The headquarters plans to form a new front in Klintsi to cooperate with the Western Front."
Yuri nodded, knowing in his heart that the front that was about to be formed should be the unfortunate and tragic Bryansk Front.
"What about you? Do you have any accurate information?" asked Biryuzov.
"I'm not sure yet, but the most likely possibility is to join a newly formed team," Yuri replied.
"Leading new soldiers?" Biryuzov shook his head. "This job is not easy."
The recruits that Biryuzov mentioned were not the new recruits who had just joined the army, but the soldiers who had been transferred from the rear and had not yet officially participated in the battle. These soldiers generally had a problem, that is, they had never fought against the Germans and did not know the cruelty of this war, so they were too optimistic. But once they were on the battlefield, these guys would be directly beaten. Many recruits even forgot how to shoot when facing the German tanks that rushed over.
This situation is not limited to soldiers, but also to some grassroots commanders. At present, many grassroots commanders of troops, even commanders at the battalion and regiment level, are student soldiers who have just graduated from military academies. They have a solid theoretical foundation, but they are easily at a loss when it comes to actual command and operation. Most importantly, they only know how to simply emphasize military discipline, but are not good at inspiring the morale of soldiers, and their ability to respond to situations is also very poor. These are all very serious problems.
Of course, Yuri was well aware of these situations, so the first thing he planned to do after taking over the new troops was to call together commanders at the company level and above for expedited training. At the very least, he wanted to teach them how to boost the morale of the soldiers and reduce their fear in harsh battlefield conditions.
"By the way, the newly formed team you mentioned is the 37th Army that is being planned and established?" Biryuzov asked again, not knowing what he was thinking of.
"Yes, the 147th Division of the 37th Army." Yuri said.
"Oh, this is not a good choice," Biryuzov shrugged and said, "Didn't you hear that Comrade Anton Ivanovich Lopatin, who was originally scheduled to be the commander of this army, was injured?"
"Ah, when?" Yuri asked subconsciously.
"Just yesterday, he encountered a German plane on his way to Kiev," Biryuzov counted. "His car was destroyed and he was injured. I heard it was quite serious."
Yuri was speechless.
An army group has not even been formed yet, and the original commander was injured. This is really not a good sign.
"Have you heard who replaced him?" Yuri asked after a moment's silence.
"It is said that it is Comrade General Vlasov," Biliuzov was obviously more informed, after all, he was a colonel, "Andrei? Andreevich? Comrade General Vlasov."
V...Vla...Vlaso...Vlasov?
Yuri felt... screwed. It seemed that just as Biryuzov said, going to the 37th Army was not a good choice. Just look at what kind of person its first commander was.
Vlasov, a very famous traitor in the Soviet-German War , a collaborator, the founder and actual commander of the so-called "Russian Liberation Army", and the unlucky guy who was finally hanged. In the future, I will fight under the command of this guy.
"What's wrong with you?" Seeing Yuri fall silent for a moment, Biryuzov asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing," Yuri said with a forced smile, "I just forgot about the general for a moment."
No matter what kind of person Vlasov will be in the future, at least he has not rebelled yet. Moreover, in Yuri's memory, this guy was definitely a commander with bravery and fruitful results before his rebellion. His performance in all aspects can be described as brilliant.
"He was commanding the 4th Mechanized Army before," Biryuzov said without giving it much thought. "In the battle in the Lviv direction, he performed very well. It is said that the headquarters is preparing to award him a medal. This time, he was transferred from the 4th Mechanized Army to the newly formed 37th Army, which is a big step forward in promotion."
Yuri nodded absentmindedly. He was not interested in Vlasov's past. It was enough for him to know that he would betray the country and surrender to the enemy in the future.
But then again, as a brigade commander, although he commands a large number of troops, he is still no match for an army commander. Yuri doesn't think he will have the chance to deal with this general.
In addition, Yuri now has a lot of things to worry about. The most direct one is how to get out of the upcoming Battle of Kiev and how to jump out of the encirclement that the Germans are bound to form.
The situation this time was different from that in Lutsk. There were vast jungles and swamps in Lutsk, and as long as there was a shortcut, they could escape. But in Peskovka... it was too close to Kiev, with a dense population and many towns. There were almost no large tracts of jungle, and the former swamps had been drained and filled in over the past few decades. Therefore, once they fell into the German encirclement, it was almost impossible to escape smoothly.
Taking all this into consideration, perhaps two months later, when we face the breakout, a tough battle will be inevitable.
Biryuzov stayed in Yuri's tent for more than an hour. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, he left the field hospital in a car arranged by the military district. He would first go to Korosten, and then take a train north to Gomel.
With the departure of Biryuzov, Yuri's mood began to become depressed. He could sense that the war, which was not long ago, was approaching step by step, and his carefree and comfortable life of recuperation would probably not last much longer.
No one likes war, but when it comes, no one can escape it.
