Chapter 14 4.Prepare to counterattack

It became clearer by the hour that what we were dealing with was not a frontier incident but the beginning of a carefully planned war, the first major offensive that the Fascist High Command had so much hoped for.It seemed unrealistic to give the order to the frontiers of the covering army - to destroy the invading enemy and drive his remnants from the frontier.This is not only because we have fewer troops in the frontier than the invaders, but also because the enemy's attack is sudden to us, and we have no time to prepare to fight it, although many major measures were taken on the eve of the war to strengthen the fighting in our military district compose.

In the situation formed at that time, there are two main points.First, it was clearly seen in the 5th Army's cover area that the enemy's heavy troops invaded the hinterland of our country, and the forerunner was the powerful tank group commanded by General Kleist.Second, our mechanized army and other reserves of the front army are very scattered and far away from the invasion area, which forces our army to carry out only defensive operations at first.What should be considered at that time is how to block the enemy's offensive and buy time for the concentration of necessary troops and weapons. Only after that can we turn to more active actions.

Before the evening of June 22, neither the commander of our front nor anyone in the headquarters had thought of the possibility of an immediate counter-offensive.Just hold on!Everyone believed that Moscow's instructions would also require us to carry out defensive operations. At about 10 o'clock in the evening, Klochkov, the director of special communications, informed me that the new combat order of the People's Commissar of National Defense was being issued.I didn't wait for the complete document to be delivered, so I read the fragments of the order while I was collecting it.

The beginning of the telegram is a judgment of the situation.It correctly stated that the enemy's main assault was on Vladimir-Volynsky and Ladzekhov, that is, on the center and left flank of the 5th Army.But summaries of the first day of the war were too optimistic.The telegram pointed out that the enemy had only achieved very little success in these directions at the cost of great losses.In other parts of the border between Sude and Suluo, the attack of the attackers was repulsed, and they suffered great losses.I read those words over and over again with a heavy heart, and I couldn't help thinking that the judging optimism of the Headquarters document was also largely caused by the impassioned report we sent.

We did not have comprehensive information at 15:00, so we actually used a few general words to perfunctory, and did not mention the breakthrough of two powerful tank groups at all-the information about these two groups was reported at the end of the day. Just received it.Because each army command has to synthesize the information collected and report it to the group army command, and the group army command has to judge all the information before reporting to the front army command. In this way, a few hours have passed, and during this time, so Radical turning points in the course of combat operations often occur in rapidly changing circumstances.

Now, as I glance over our original reconnaissance and combat debriefings, I am distressedly convinced that they are far from reflecting the full extent of the great danger threatening our front's northern flank.For example, what exactly did our front scouts report concerning the enemy attacking our 5th Army?They said that the attacking German army had an infantry division in the Lyubomli area, an infantry division and a tank division in the Vladimir-Volynsky direction, and two infantry divisions to the south as far as the dividing line between the 5th and 6th armies division. In this way, only five enemy divisions are attacking in the entire area of ​​​​the army group.The situation is naturally less critical if one considers that we have four infantry divisions not far from the border.This instruction we have received is based on this.You must know that neither the People's Commissar nor the Chief of the General Staff is aware that a German motorized corps is rushing from Sokali to Radzekhov along an area not occupied by our army, and that this corps is desperately trying to get out of Ust-Lug. To Lutsk.By the time we had realistically estimated this threat to the right wing of our Front, our reports which did not reflect the magnitude of the threat were already in Moscow.It appears that other fronts made the same mistake in judging the strength of the enemy invading our country.

On the basis of this error, the High Command fixed the dates for June 23 and 24. task.The order to our front army is: "Stick to the Soviet-Hungarian border, carry out a concentrated assault on the general direction of Lublin with the 5th and 6th armies, at least five mechanized corps and all the air forces of the front army, encircle and destroy the Vladimir-Volens The enemy group attacking frontally from Krestnopol to capture the Lublin area by the end of June 24..." My breathing became short of breath.This is an impossible task!But there was no time to think about it.I grabbed the file and ran towards the Chief of Staff of the Front Army.On the way, I wondered what advice I could offer him.

When I began to read the telegram to Pulkayev, he gave me a look of obvious mistrust, snatched it away, and read it several times.We had a quick exchange of ideas.Our opinions are unanimous: it is too early to attack.Purkayev picked up my situation map and instructions, and silently motioned for me to follow him.We arrived at the commander of the front army. "What shall we do, Mikhail Petrovich?" Pulkayev began as soon as he entered the door. "We should be thankful to hold the enemy on the frontier and break him up in defensive battles, but now we are asked to take Lublin the day after tomorrow!"

Kirponos was customarily slow to draw conclusions.He silently reached out and took the document, read it carefully, and picked up the receiver of the telephone: "Nikolai Nikolayevich, come to me." The members of the Military Council were as vigorous and energetic as usual.The commander handed him the instructions.Vashukin quickly looked over, leaned back on Saqiqi's back, and looked around at the people present. "Is there any way, comrades, after receiving the order, it must be carried out." "It is true, Nikolai Nikolaevich," said Pulkayev, "but we are not yet ready for that. For the time being we can only think about defense, not offense."

Vashukin even stood up.The Chief of Staff continued in a resolute tone: "Let's analyze the situation with a clear head. In the area between Ljubomli and Sokal in the direction of Lutsk alone, ten enemy infantry and tank divisions are attacking. How can we stop them? We know , our 45th, 62nd, 87th, and 124th infantry divisions have only deployed two regiments here. Their third regiment is still marching. Tomorrow, we will have at most the 135th infantry division and the 22nd mechanized division in this area The two divisions of the army, and the 41st tank division, the most combat-effective tank division of the army, may not be able to arrive."

(There was a clear incongruity in the division: after unpacking the sealed bag containing the excerpts of the Army Group's border cover plan, the division commander moved his corps from the Vladimir-Volynsky area to the Northeast, it seems to be transferred to Kovel. According to the plan, all the 22nd Mechanized Army should be concentrated in Kovel. Neither the commander of the group army nor the commander of the army had contact with the division before the end of the day. Potapov sent his staff to look for it, but it is still unknown where it is or what happened.) "Therefore," concluded Pulkayev, "tomorrow we can mobilize no more than seven divisions in this direction against the enemy's ten divisions. What is the point of an immediate attack?" Vashukin tried to say a few words, but Pulkayev stopped him and went on: "Besides, we should expect that the enemy, which has only committed its first echelon to the engagement today, will no doubt build up its forces in the next few days, much more rapidly than we do. You see," the Chief of Staff poked at the map with his pencil, "only Here, northwest of Ust-Lug, our reconnaissance department discovered that more than 200 enemy tanks were concentrating at 16:00. And this is far from the only area where the enemy’s tank reserves were found.” The member of the Military Council took advantage of Pulkayev's moment of silence when he inspected the map, and asked impatiently: "Have you finished, Maxim Alexievitch?" "No, it's not over." The chief of staff kept his eyes on the map and continued to develop his insights.All the second echelon troops that I moved from the depths to the 5th Army area were at different distances from the border: the 31st and 36th Infantry Army needed to travel 150 to 200 kilometers.Considering that the infantry marched on foot, it would take at least five to six days and nights to cover this distance.It will take three to four days and nights at the earliest for the mechanized 9th and 19th armies to concentrate and launch an attack on the enemy's main shock group.Only the mechanized 4th, 8th, and 15th armies may change their deployment to the battle area after one to two days. It must also be taken into account that when the army marches towards the border, it will be continuously and intensively attacked by the fascist aviation.It's not hard to imagine that this situation will complicate troop deployments and engagements.It should also be pointed out that at present we practically have neither army logistics nor front army logistics, since they have not yet been fully mobilized and deployed. As a result, it is impossible for our main force to arrive at the starting engagement point at the same time.The armies would obviously go into engagement on their own, as they would encounter the German advance eastward on the march.This would result in an encounter under the worst conditions for me.How this threatens us is difficult to fully conceive now, but our situation will undoubtedly be serious. With every word of Pulkayev, the expressions of Kirponos and Vashukin became more and more gloomy. H. H. Vashukin was in no hurry to interrupt the Chief of Staff. Purkayev pressed the map with his palm: "We can only report to Moscow the situation that has formed and firmly request a change of mission, Comrade Commander. Now we can only delay the enemy's advance with tenacious fighting. Organize a solid defense on the front line in the fortified areas of the former Koroszyn, Volynsky Novosibirsk, Shepetovka, Stara Konstantinov, and Proskurov. After blocking the enemy in this area, we will have It is time to prepare for the general counter-offensive. After the covering army has retreated behind the line of the fortified area, we will be used as a reserve. Under the present circumstances, this seems to me the only sensible decision." There was a short silence.General Kirponos turned the pencil thoughtfully.The military and political commissar level spoke first. "Everything you say, Maxim Alexievich," he said, approaching the map, "may also be true from a military point of view, but politically I think it is completely wrong! You Think about problems like a great military strategist: the deployment of troops, the balance of forces, etc. But have you considered the spiritual factor? No, you have not! Well, you should think about it, if we educate the Red Army with What a moral loss it would be for a highly aggressive person to switch from the first days of the war to passive defense and surrender the initiative to the aggressor without resistance! And you propose to send the fascists deep into the heart of the Soviet Union!  … " The member of the Military Council took a breath and added a few words more calmly: "You know, Maxim Alexievich, you are our comrade in arms, if I didn't know that you are a tried and tested Bolshevik If you don't, I'll think you're panicking." Noticing the muscles protruding from clenched teeth rolling on Pulkayev's broad-cheeked, tanned face, Vashukin said softly: "Forgive me, I don't want to wrong you, I just can't hide my thoughts." It was silent again.Finally, Kirponos looked away from the map and began to speak slowly: "I think you are both right. There is nothing to refute the operational soundness of your proposal, Maxim Alexievich. Your proposal has only one weakness: the old fortifications. The territory is not ready to receive the army and cannot provide the army with favorable conditions for a smooth defense." "Yes, but the second echelon army, with the help of engineers, can quickly make these fortified areas ready for battle..." Kirponos did not answer Pulkayev's objection, but went on in the same calm tone: "But, on the other hand, the logic and opinions of Nikolai Nikolaevich are not superfluous. An order is always an order, it needs to be carried out. If every commander receives an order to fight , instead of implementing it unconditionally, but putting forward our own counter-proposals, that will not lead to good results. Of course, we may not be able to take Lublin before the end of June 24. But we should try, yes The invading enemy launched a powerful counter-assault. For this purpose, we can mobilize nearly five mechanized corps. "In my opinion, the main task now is to quickly concentrate the mechanized armies on the battlefield and at the same time implement a strong counterattack. Maxim Alexievich, now need to immediately convey the relevant combat orders to the army and supervise the implementation Situation. Particular attention should be paid to the reliable air cover of the mechanized corps when advancing and entering the engagement. At the same time, Potapov was given the following task: his army was to coordinate with the right flank of the 6th Army with all its strength and weapons Action, with the support of the basic air forces of the front army, prevent the fascist army from continuing to advance to the hinterland of our country." "This is the word for seeking truth from facts." Vashukin expressed his support. "What about Ryabyshev's army?" Pulkayev asked. "He has been ordered to move from the Sambor area to the area east of Lviv, under Muzichenko." Kirponos thought for a while and replied: "That's fine. Let the army continue to march, and then we will give Muzichenko the following task: not one, but two mechanized corps (Mechanized 4th and 8th Army) to carry out a counterattack from the south. To Let these two armies, like the mechanized 15th army from the Zolochev area, point to the root of the enemy's tank wedge assault. As for the second echelon of the front army, we will deal with it in this way: the 9th and 19th mechanized armies and the second formation of the front army All the infantry corps of the echelon will continue to carry out forced marches to the border along the route assigned to them. At that time, we will further clarify the direction and area where they enter the battle according to the development of the situation. Considering that the enemy is obviously in our 5th and 6th armies The junction is carrying out the main assault, and the 37th Rifle Corps must immediately be given the task of covering Ternopil from the northwest. Please let the corps advance at an accelerated pace. The 80th Rifle Division of the corps should stay here—it is our To prepare for the enemy's large-scale airborne reserve in the rear of our army, including the area of ​​​​our command post." Kirponos looked at the contemplative talkers and ended the conversation: "Silence is a sign of consent. I see that my resolution is in line with yours." Vashukin warmly agreed.Purkayev nodded silently. Why did you make such a decision?It seems that the commander believes that in the serious and increasingly threatening situation, the main thing is not to let the front army switch to passive defense, but to maintain unity of view and action, and try to help the high command realize the original plan, because not only our front army , and the situation of the friendly and neighboring front forces is determined by this. At this time, General B. C. Zhukov, Chief of the General Staff, and H. C. Khrushchev, who was appointed as a member of the Military Council of the Front, came to us.Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov, who is known for being specific and clear in organizing army commands, agreed with the determination made by the head of the front army and suggested that an order be issued immediately to prepare for a counterattack. The chief of the general staff briefed the military committee of the front army on the situation of our friends and neighbors.He said the enemy showed no particular enthusiasm in the south, where the 9th Army, formed by troops belonging to the Odessa Military District, held the border.The situation with the Western Front is disturbing.It appears that the enemy is conducting a major assault there.The front army and our adjacent left-wing 4th Army are fighting in the Pruzhaney and Gorodets areas.In the direction of Brest-Litovsk, the enemy has penetrated deeply into our defenses, and there, as here, the Soviets are preparing a powerful counterattack. Zhukov wanted to know if we had wired communications with Muzychenko.After getting an affirmative answer, the general said that he wanted to visit his place and talk to him first.Kirponos ordered that the commander of the 6th Army be called to the telephone immediately.After listening to the report on our situation and the enemy's situation, Zhukov emphasized that the most important thing is to transfer the 4th Mechanized Army to the right wing of the group army as soon as possible. Soon, B. C. Zhukov, accompanied by representatives of the Front Army Command, went to Lieutenant General J. A. Ryabkinov's Mechanized Eighth Army to learn about the situation of the army on the spot.And urged it to speed up from the Lviv area to Brod. We quickly drafted a battle order for the army.General Panyukhov flew to the commander of the 5th Army by plane.He brought with him the following order: a counterattack with the 22nd Mechanized Corps and the 135th Rifle Division in order to smash the enemy Vladimir-Volynsky tank group and to support the two encircled regiments of the 87th Rifle Division. The 15th Mechanized Corps was ordered to attack Radzehov immediately.The 6th Army should drive out the enemy who broke into the Lava fortification area in Russia, and support the attack of the 15th Mechanized Army with the 4th Mechanized Army; Rhodes.A radio message was sent to the armies marching from deep to the border, requesting the maximum speed to advance. It is not difficult to issue orders, the difficulty is to carry out these orders.General Kirponos knew this very well, so he sent his representatives to supervise the 5th and 6th Army Group and the 8th and 15th Mechanized Army. The night of June 22 was the second sleepless night for all the staff of the front army command post.Commanders and headquarters seek to exercise command over an army that is engaged in a desperate struggle with the enemy.But the situation was not fully understood until the early hours of the morning.The front staff officers we sent to the 8th and 15th mechanized armies have not yet returned, and communication with the headquarters of the 5th army was once again interrupted for a long time.General Pulkayev was very disturbed by this, and almost every quarter of an hour called General Dobekin, the communications director of the Front Army, to him and asked sullenly: "Have you made contact with Potapov?" Dobekin spread his hands in bewilderment. "When will we be able to contact you?" Purkayev raised his voice. Dobekin could only keep a pale face and said nothing.What can he answer?The chief of staff knew the situation no worse than he did.Communication is normal when the army is in place and when no one comes to disrupt it.And once the battle starts, everything has to be done from scratch.Pulkayev got nothing from Dobekin and called me: "Well, have our men returned from Potapov's?" I shake my head.Purkayev complained angrily, demanding again and again to use any means to obtain the information on the situation of our army and the actions of the enemy's army that the commander of the front army desperately needed.I tried my best to share the concerns of my chief, but sadly all efforts were of no avail.The report cannot be sent by the system, and the content is also very greedy.And the news that has reached us is hardly joyful.When General Varennikov reported the position of the 8th Mechanized Army, we all understood that this army cannot be expected to enter the battle at present.Colonel M. A. Nedelin, commander of the 2nd Brigade of Anti-Tank Artillery, reported that he had not yet received tractors from the Ministry of National Economy, so he could only send a battalion to the border.Under the conditions of the outbreak of war, it is not so easy to fully mobilize the border areas. We especially can't wait for the 5th Army and the 15th Mechanized Army notification.But it was not until the evening, when the representatives of the chiefs sent there returned one after another, that the Military Council of the Front Army learned a relatively complete battle situation in the direction of Lutsk and Sokali-Radzekhov.There is now no doubt that the future of the frontier engagement will henceforth depend on the outcome of the fighting on the center and left flank of the 5th Army, from Vladimir-Vronsky to Sokal.And the battle here is getting fiercer.The units of the 45th and 62nd Infantry Divisions of the 15th Infantry Army struggled to stop the enemy.South of Vladimir-Volynsky, the 87th and 124th Infantry Divisions fought on a wide front, and the fascists had already wedged into our battle formation.Many troops are now fighting under siege.These troops were cut off from their own army, and despite being seriously short of ammunition, they successfully repelled many attacks in a day and pinned down the enemy's forces.The tank group that broke in south of Vladimir-Volynsky did not advance very far.The Hero Battalions of the 1st Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade stopped its onslaught.Soon, the advance units of the 135th Infantry Division and the 22nd Mechanized Army also arrived here.The ministries worked together to stop the enemy. The second group of heavy fascist tanks rushing towards Radzehov encountered the advance troops of the 15th Mechanized Army of General Carpezzo who had rushed here.Readers already know how difficult it is to march without any divisions of the army.Calpezzo had to leave the motorized 212th Division, which was advancing on foot, at Brod and ordered it to occupy the defense there in case the enemy broke through.He could only move General C. F. Ogurtsov's 10th Tank Division to meet the enemy.The Fascist army group has about 350 new tanks.It seemed that an understaffed tank division of ours, equipped mostly with obsolete tanks, would not be able to deal with them.But the Soviet tank soldiers resolutely went into battle.The soldiers of the tank battalion and the motorized infantry battalion formed the advance detachment fought with great heroism.They repelled the entire onslaught of the enemy.More than 20 burning enemy tanks and hundreds of corpses of fascist soldiers were left on the battlefield.The fascists paid such a high price to destroy six of my tanks. In the afternoon, a tank regiment and a motorized regiment of the division came to support the advance detachment.They surprise enemies on the move and even drive them back.It was only when the enemy charged head-on with superior forces that the two regiments were stopped.We have nothing left to support the counterattack of tanks and motorized infantry.Another tank regiment of the 10th Tank Division did not have an engineering unit, and marched in difficult forest swamps, but was stranded on the road.The 37th Tank Division from Kremenets was also unable to arrive.The enemy took advantage of this opportunity.The fascist tank bypassed the main force of Ogurtsov's division and rushed towards Berestichko, which was not defended by our army.This area has become the most dangerous area for us. In the area of ​​the 6th Army, for the time being, fierce battles were only fought on the right flank. Although our army fought hard, it finally stopped the enemy. 26th Army Report: The 99th Infantry Division launched a resolute counterattack against the enemy at noon and drove it out of Peremyshli.The Soviet flag was flying again over the city.Details of the battle are also starting to come in.I remember that J. Novoplyansky, the special correspondent of Pravda, described many wonderful plots.Here are excerpts from the correspondence he wrote: "The invaders were most heavily defended at the Pentagon. The windows of a four-story building seemed to be embrasures, and machine guns fired from inside. But our border guards stormed the building. The Komsomol member Shelby was arrested. An enemy machine gunner was thrown from the window on the second floor. Chief Malikov threw a few grenades at the fascists entrenched in the basement. The guide Andreyev and two border guards followed a submachine gunner who could accurately find the concealment At 14:00, two enemy tanks appeared in the square, and the artillerymen I came opened fire on them." Let me say in advance that the battle for the city has continued for quite a long time.The Fascists took the city three times, but each time they were re-expelled by units of my honorable 99th Infantry Division and border guards.Our troops held Peremyshli until they were ordered to abandon the city. In the rest of the 26th Army, the situation was not disturbing either.The area of ​​the 12th Army occupying the defenses of the Carpathians and Bukovina was also calm. -------- ① Bukovina is a historical place name.Now its northern part is Chernivtsi State of the Soviet Union, and its southern part is Suceava County of Romania. ——Translator's Note. All these give us reason to hope for the success of the counter-assault that the chief of the front army is concentrating on organizing.