Chapter 16 6.Time to switch to defense

For five days and nights unprecedented fierce battles have been going on in the border areas.The Hitlerites, in spite of their enormous superiority in numbers and the benefits of a surprise attack, could not bring the Soviets to their knees.In the main direction of the assault, the enemy was unable to develop the tactical victories achieved into operational victories, that is, to break through the Soviet fronts and penetrate deep into our territory.However, among the many reliable advantages of the Fascist High Command, one decisive advantage was its strong reserves ready to go into battle.The enemy frantically threw reserves into battle.Like risky gamblers, Hitler and his cronies put all their eggs in one basket to win the Ukrainian battle.

In these tense times, we have a change of Air Force leadership here. E. C. Putukin was transferred to Moscow. Lieutenant General O. A. Astakhov took his place.General Ruskin, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, was also replaced by F.C. Shkulin. -------- ① Astakhov (1892-1966), won the rank of Marshal of the Air Force in 1944, and served as the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of the Soviet Union from 1942 to 1947. ——Translator's Note. Fyodor Alekseevich Astakhov was one of the oldest Soviet pilots.He was born in a worker's family and possessed extraordinary talents. Graduated from the Warrant Officer School in 1915 and from the Kacha Aviation Pilot School a year later.He took part in the revolution wholeheartedly.During the Civil War he commanded the 5th Army Aviation and later the Siberian Air Force.He has repeatedly distinguished himself in battles against the White Guards.From 1924 he headed the aviation of the Caucasus Independent Army.I was in command of the cavalry regiment in the army, and I heard a lot of praise for the pilot Astakhov.Soon, he served as assistant to the commander of the Air Force of the Red Army, and then as the commander of the Air Force of the Kyiv Military District. In the spring of 1941, Putukin succeeded him in this position.Now, on the fifth day of the war, Astakhov came back to us.This was a difficult time, and the enemy aviation had us crushed enough.In this situation, the new commander has the difficult task of leading the Air Force.Astakhov was good at quickly familiarizing himself with the situation.He knew the Front Aviation Unit and its personnel well; the pilots respected and loved him.Fyodor Alexievich's efforts soon paid off.He significantly changed aviation reconnaissance.The intelligence obtained through it revealed many situations.

On the evening of June 26, I reported the situation of the battle to the Military Committee of the Front Army. condition.On the basis of new information obtained by aerial reconnaissance, I concluded that the reports of the movement of large enemy tank columns from the Brest side to Kovel, which had disturbed us for several days, did not correspond to the facts.The right flank of the 5th Army was in no danger.Therefore, the threat of General Kleist's two heavy tank groups advancing in the direction of Lutsk-Rovno and Radzekhov-Brod, respectively, became even more obvious.These two groups were supported by the main body of the German 4th Air Force.When the enemy tank corps attacked, it closely coordinated with the infantry divisions of the 6th Field Army.

Our army is under great combat intensity and is still holding the enemy close to Kovel, Lutsk, Dubno and Brod, causing him heavy losses.But our power is not strong enough to last.We sent mechanized corps into action on the move, often without properly organizing counter-assaults.These bold but mostly scattered shocks made it possible to stop or even repel the enemy in some sectors while the enemy continued to advance in other directions. Now, my second echelon infantry army is moving from depth to the battle area.Therefore, it is now possible to formulate an operational decision most suited to the changed situation, the purpose of which is to crush the main groups of fascist troops that continue to attack in the area of ​​operations of my 5th Army.

The Chief of Staff of the Front Army took up the conversation.What he means is to hold a defensive area with favorable terrain conditions with the strength of several infantry corps.Otherwise, the enemy tank group may rush to the rear of our 6th and 26th armies.The 31st, 36th, and 37th infantry corps drawn from the depths should be deployed on the front lines of the settlements of the Stohod River, the Stry River, Dubno, Kremenets, and Zolochev. Defense blocks the enemy.The mechanized corps withdrew behind this defensive area.Here the army is prepared for a general counter-offensive. The chief of staff's suggestion did not come as a surprise to the commander of the front.Kirponos himself gradually tended to this conclusion, that is, it was necessary to temporarily turn to the defensive: it was necessary to concentrate the mechanized corps and form the army scattered over a wide space into several sufficiently powerful shock groups.Once the infantry corps have arrived, the possibility of doing this is fully available.

The commander of the front army dictated the final determination: the infantry corps temporarily occupied and defended along the Stokhod River, the Stry River and the two settlements of Kremenets and Zolochev.Mechanized armies retreated behind this area.Prepare to carry out a powerful counter-assault within three to four days to destroy the enemy invading from the direction of Lutsk and Dubno. There was no time to draw up a unified battle order.Kirponos sent responsible representatives to the ministries. On the same day an order was issued for the reorganization of the long-abandoned old fortified areas of Kyiv, Shepetovka, Izyaslav, Stara Konstantinov, Ostropol and the formation of separate machine gun battalions .

Convinced that the order to the army had been issued and that the new determination of the Military Council of the Front had been reported to Moscow, I lay down on my cot and immediately fell asleep, as if unconscious.But someone shook my shoulders hard enough to wake me up. "Comrade Colonel! Comrade Colonel!" I recognized the voice of the combat duty officer. "There's a telegram from Moscow!" I ran to the telegraph office.After seeing me, the female operator of the Bodo telegraph sent a message to Moscow: "Colonel Baghramyan is receiving the message." I picked up the telegraph note and read: "General Marankin is sending the message. Hello. Immediately send The commander reported that the base camp is forbidden to retreat, and asked to continue the counter-attack. The invaders will not be allowed to rest for a day. It's over."

I hurried to see Kirponos.After listening to my report, he cursed in a low voice and ordered him to call the General Staff.I called the communications watchman.The commander dressed unhurriedly, asked me to report what had happened to the chief of staff, and together with him to draw up an order to stop the retreat for the troops, and went to the telegraph room.While Purkayev and I were hastily drafting new orders, Kirponos returned from our conversation.He failed to stick to the resolution made by the residence, and signed the order without saying a word. The morning of the sixth day of war came.The sun shines brightly.There was not a single cloud in the sky.

We had just received reports that the 8th and 15th Mechanized Corps had returned to their original areas and were preparing to launch an assault. Another news reached the headquarters: the fascist tanks had rushed to Dubno and were rushing towards Ostrog.There was an air of uneasiness in the headquarters.The commander of the front requested detailed information on the matter.Colonel Bondarev reported anxiously: At dawn today, the 11th German Tank Division charged forward and protruded from the Dubno area.Having pushed to the south the right-wing division of the 36th Rifle Corps on the march, it now advanced almost unimpeded towards Ostrog.

"Stop and destroy it at all costs," Kirponos said calmly. "Otherwise the enemy will not only cut off the right wing of our front, but also go straight to Kyiv." The commander turned to Pulkayev: "What forces can we put on the way of the enemy's assault tank?" "There are still some units of General Lukin's 16th Army in the Shepetovka area. However, according to the order of the headquarters, these units are to be transferred to the vicinity of Smolensk of the Western Front, and they are currently being loaded into vehicles in a hurry." "We asked Lukin to send a screen. Because if the Germans break into Shepetovka, he's going to stop loading anyway and go into battle. Let him better not wait for the fascists. Do we have correspondence with him? ' Kirponos asked me.

I replied: There was no direct correspondence with Lugin, but he could be reached through military representatives of the railway at the Shepetovka station or via Kyiv.The commander gave instructions to the signal corps, and in order not to make mistakes, he also ordered a staff officer to be sent to Lukin to explain the situation to him. H. C. Khrushchev promised that he would contact the headquarters and seek approval to temporarily leave the troops of the 16th Army in Shepetovka. Kirponos leaned over the map again. "You set new tasks for our mechanized corps," he said to Pulkayev. "We turned the 8th Mechanized Army to the northeast and attacked Dubno directly, and used the entire force of the 15th Mechanized Army to attack Berestichko. If Ryabshev and Rokosov in the Dubno area If the Skirmish and Feklenko corps meet, then the enemy's assault force will fall into a trap." A. A. Mikhailov, Commissar of the Brigade and H. C. Petukhov, the Brigade With new orders to mechanize the 8th and 15th armies respectively.Soon H. H. Vashukin also went there. And so the tormenting wait began again.There was no sign of the 5th Army headquarters, not even a single report.The mechanized army headquarters were also silent.What happened to them?Are you attacking?How is the offense developing?I can't answer any of these questions for the Chief of Staff of the Front Army.I have sent to the army the sharpest staff officers of the War Department.But they haven't come back yet... Now only General Astakhov has got some information for us, because his pilots can see where the fiercest fighting is going on.But it was difficult for them to figure out the situation at high altitudes, because there was no clear-cut front line, and in some places the enemy and our troops intertwined with each other, becoming a real "thousand-layer pie." It goes without saying how difficult it is to command an army scattered over a vast space under those conditions.But there was no sign of panic in the front headquarters.Quite peculiarly the enemy also pointed this out. On June 27, Halder, Chief of the General Staff of Hitler's Army, wrote in his diary when summarizing the situation on the fifth day of the war: "A decisive and resolute command can be seen on the enemy's face-to-face actions of the 'South' Army Group. The enemy has been mobilizing new troops from the south to resist our tank wedge assault." General Huot, the former commander of the 3rd German tank group, wrote in his memoirs: "Army Group 'South' was in the most difficult position. Although the enemy troops defending in the face of the northern flank corps were driven from the border, they quickly recovered from the surprise attack and used reserves and tanks deployed in depth. The troops counterattacked and blocked the advance of the German army. The 1st tank group attached to the 6th Army failed to complete the battle breakthrough before June 28. The enemy's powerful counterattack was a huge obstacle on the way for the German troops to attack .” We can see that even the fascist generals were compelled to admit that Hitler's plans for a rapid assault on Kyiv with the main force of the "South" army group, due to the active combat operations of the Southwest Front, were not planned from the beginning of the war, that is, in the first days of the war. bankrupted.The enemy's losses were so great that, in order to be able to continue the attack in the direction of Kyiv, the German High Command had to request the transfer of a large number of corps from the strategic reserve and to send several hundred tanks with crews to supplement the tanks of General Kleist. division. The Front Command, its Operations Department, and the Intelligence Department took all measures to ascertain the situation.From time to time, Kirponos came to the communication hub.Pulkayev did not leave here either.Only H.C. Khrushchev never left his office.People from Kyiv and the regional centers of the republic came here in an endless stream to solve the problem of further mobilizing the whole people against the enemy. It was not until the afternoon of June 27 that the situation on the southern wing of the 5th Army became clear. Lang.The people we sent came back from the 8th and 15th Mechanized Corps.They talked about how much trouble our changing orders caused the army.During the night before, some divisions had withdrawn after receiving orders to retreat, and began to move eastward under the cover of screens.Then, they were ordered to turn around and continue to attack in the originally designated direction.Ryabyshev and Yermolayev had just blocked the retreating troops, and received a new order to change the direction of their attack.The two corps commanders immediately began to turn the divisions in new directions, but this was not easy to do.General Ryabyshev was engrossed in this task when Vashukin suddenly went to his command post again.Fierce and passionate Nikolai Nikolaevich angrily reprimanded the corps commander for being slow, insisting that he hastily form a rapid group.The group included Colonel A.B. Vasilyev's 34th Tank Division and the Army Motorcycle Regiment.The brigade political commissar H.C. Popper, who commanded the group, immediately led it along the Broad-Dubno road.Things began to give some hope: the tank regiment of Lieutenant Colonel E. A. Volkov took out a German motorized infantry battalion and a tank company in a fierce and short battle near the village of Granovka, And rushed to the town of Verba, the last stronghold of the fascists in the Dubno approach. Military and Political Commissar Vashukin was convinced that Ryabyshev's mechanized corps had gone on the offensive, and got into the car again.With no small difficulty on the way, and at the risk of running into a German detachment sneaking behind me, he finally reached the 15th Mechanized Corps.But here, not even his fortitude counts.The army was entangled in the continuous impact of the enemy and could not attack.Vashugin returned to Ternopil in a depressed mood.There is nothing we can do to please him.The situation on the right wing of the front remained unclear.We do not know the results of the offensive of the two mechanized corps of Rokossovsky and Fekrenko.Correspondence with Ryabyshev was lost, and it is unclear whether he had captured Dubno.The commander of the 16th Army did not report whether he could establish a reliable screen to deal with the enemy group rushing towards Ostrog. Communication was not smooth, forcing the head of the front army to send responsible representatives A. A. Mikhailov, M. A. Parshegov, C. E. Podlas, A. O. Ely Mo-Mitkevich.Many staff members of the Front Army Command, of course, first of all, the staff members sent by the Operation Department and the Intelligence Department, went out to communicate in an endless stream.Our ministry usually has no more than five or six people in the ministry.They undertook all the heavy work of collecting reports and safeguarding the command of the army.Our department has been converted to a wartime establishment, and the department has expanded, but the personnel have been transferred from nearby.Therefore, in the early days, when novices are learning the business, experienced comrades have to take on a double duty.Fortunately, General Panyukhov helped me a lot. He transferred from his military training department a few staff officers who had no combat experience but were familiar with the army.The best of them are the aging majors Pribelski and Savchuk, as well as captains Mayorov and Matthew Ke. You will know how happy I am when my old comrade-in-arms, Nikanor Dmitrievich Zakhvatayev, appeared before me on the morning of June 28. -------- ① Zahvatayev (1898-1963), General of the Soviet Army (1945), commanded the Group Army during the Great Patriotic War and served as Deputy Chief of Staff after the war. ——Translator's Note. "Comrade Colonel!" He first acted strictly according to military etiquette. "I have been ordered to serve as your deputy minister." Then he immediately said with a smile on his face: "Hello, Ivan Khristoforovitch! We are together again!" Because of the sudden, I couldn't find words for a while, so I could only hug him tightly.Yeah, what a blessing to have such a wonderful assistant in such a difficult time. Our life paths are very similar.In terms of age, we are almost the same age. We were both officers in the Russian Army during the First World War, and we joined the Red Army almost at the same time.I graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in 1934, Nikanor Dmitrievich a year after me.I finished my studies at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1938 and stayed there to teach.A year later Zakhvatayev was the same as me. I came to the Kyiv Special Military District in 1940, and within a year he came too. Zakhvatayev is a very sweet guy with a typical Russian look.I have always believed in his talent and can never be wrong.He later became famous as the commander of the 1st Assault Army.More than once this army group added a heroic page to the history of the Soviet Armed Forces. On June 28, my Deputy Minister was sent to Potapov.He must understand the situation on the spot and help him as much as possible to complete the general task faced by the right-wing army of our front. Since we were still unclear about the situation in the Ostrog area, the commander of the Front decided to transfer his reserves, namely, the 24th Mechanized Corps, the 199th Tank Division and the three anti-tank artillery brigades that had not yet been formed, to the The obliquely cut defensive area along the lines of Stara Konstantinov, Bazaria and Novi Vishnievets, in case the fascist army turned from the Ostrog area to the rear of the main force of our front in the south. The commanders of the reserve corps were urgently called to the headquarters.Among them was my classmate, Major-General Vladimir Ivanovich Chistyakov, an old cavalryman and comrade-in-arms of the legendary Kotovsky.We have known each other since 1924, when we studied together at the Superior Cavalry School.Chistyakov now commands the 24th Mechanized Corps.As soon as he arrived in Ternopil, he immediately sought me out, asking for the latest information from the battle field.When the topic turned to the mission of his army.Chistyakov expressed concern about his right wing.I comforted my friend and said: I have learned that the 1st Airborne Brigade will be transferred to the fortification area of ​​​​Ostropol on the right side of the Kistyasev Army.The brigade covered his right flank. -------- ① Kotovsky (1881-1925), led the Moldavian peasant uprising twice in his early years, and successively served as cavalry brigade, division, and army commander during the civil war. ——Translator's Note. "Well, that's not the only problem." Kistyasev sighed. "Our army is far from what people think it is. Because we are just starting out. We don't have time for new tanks, we don't have cars, we have poor armament...so if you hear that we don't fight that well, don't you Criticize us too severely, my friend. You know, we'll do our best." We had already said goodbye, and it occurred to me that my old colleague from the Leninakan Cavalry Regiment, Ashot Sargishyan, commanded the 216th Motorized Division in the Chistyakov Army.I asked him how he was doing.Chistyakov spoke cheerfully of Colonel Sarkisian.Said that he was an excellent commander and loved by the soldiers. I am glad to hear that the testimonials I wrote to Ashot Sargishyan when he was a cavalry company commander in our regiment have been proven correct.He was a gallant cavalryman and a sincerely lovable man, with a quick and keen mind that was a hallmark of him.He understands everything quickly, is proficient with any weapon, and is considered a master of tactics.Soldiers loved being close to him, listening to him for hours—his words were always deep, vivid, and passionate. "Our Ashot can stir up people with words," said Chistyakov. "And this is especially needed right now." I really wanted to meet Sargishang, but I couldn't.My brave friend died heroically in the tough battle of July... Chistyakov and the commanders of the other corps that had been sent to the oblique area left after receiving their mission.But it turned out that we were too eager to bring our last big reserve here.The fascist high command didn't intend to put it in those days -------- The main assault group was transferred south.The enemy rushed directly to Kyiv.The decisiveness and determination of the commander of the 16th Army, M. O. Lukin, saved us.This was narrated by the staff officer of the Operation Department who returned from the army at night. %%% General Lukin immediately saw the dangerous consequences of the Germans rushing towards Ostrog.He immediately raised the alarm to muster Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Podoprigore's 381st Motorized Rifle Regiment, which was preparing to load, to meet the enemy.Subsequently, the commander of the group army began to transfer other units of the motorized 109th division of the 5th mechanized army to Ostrog.Troops are still insufficient.But Lugin, a resolute and dignified man, had all the forces in the vicinity under his command.Things are complicated because the commander of the group army does not have his own headquarters, because the headquarters has already gone to the Western Front.But it didn't bother Lukin either.He formed the commanders around him into a small leading organization.All the means of communication are a few cars and motorcycles, but he doesn't mind.Several assistants of the army commander were indomitable and tireless people.They went through the nearby forest (where some of the detachments that had survived the hard battle with the enemy tanks had retreated), gathering the men and plucking them up.There are also some artillerymen here. It can be said that they found the artillery from under the tracks of the fascist tanks.The artillery squads were supplemented with infantry and signal corps, and the artillery company and platoon commanders were sorely lacking.Finally made up three artillery battalions.The army commander sent everything collected in this way to the vicinity of Ostrog.And so in the course of the battles that had been going on, we had a new regiment, and various debriefs and reports began to call it the Lukin Battle Group.Soon, the motorized 213th Division, which retreated here, also joined this group.The Lukin group withstood the entire onslaught of fascist tank and motorized troops advancing in the direction of Ostrog-Shepetovka and held them back. That's not the only news that makes us happy.At day's end, General Ryabyshev reported that the advance of his corps had routed the enemy and entered Dubno in battle.But he did not say anything about the mechanized 9th and 19th armies.For some reason, the two armies failed to reach the city. The victories of the 8th Mechanized Army lifted our mood, and Vashugin was delighted.Without waiting for Fifth Army to report its situation, Kirponos ordered the resumption of the general offensive on June 28 in order to smash the enemy tank group in the direction of Dubno-Ostrog.Fresh regiments arrived from the depths were sent to support the troops already in battle.Now the enemy group will be attacked from three sides: the 9th and 19th Mechanized Corps from the northeast; the 8th and 15th Mechanized Corps, the 36th and 37th Infantry Corps and the 5th Cavalry Corps (14th Cavalry Division) from the southwest; General cluster from the east. The combat order signed at 4:00 am has been issued to all ministries.We believe we have now reached a turning point.However, what looked like a happy battle on the headquarters map was far from reality. From the report sent by Potapov, it is known that the 5th Army Command is currently unable to restore the destroyed communication with the subordinate army.Therefore, the situation of the 15th and 27th Infantry Corps and the 22nd Mechanized Corps is unknown. General Rokossovsky reported that his 9th Mechanized Corps had suffered heavy losses in battle against enemy tank groups, particularly heavy losses from enemy air raids, so that the corps had to retreat to Rivne.The 20th tank division of the army, which protruded forward and was encircled by the fascists, was able to protrude out of the encirclement thanks to the calmness of the acting division commander Colonel M. B. Chernyaev and the commanders of the regiments. The mechanized 19th Army is also a little tight.Under the pressure of heavy enemy tanks, it retreated from Dubno to Rovno after hard fighting. It turned out that it was still too early for us to rejoice at the mechanized 8th Army rushing to Dubno.The army has rushed into the enemy's nest, as the saying goes, and is now blocked there, like falling into a trap.Our liaison officers couldn't infiltrate there, because enemy screens would run into them everywhere.We sent a staff officer to fly, but he didn't come back... Everything is against us.We are keen to organize a counter-assault, and we have drawn all our troops to the counter-assault, but there is still no army defense on the front line of the old fortification area. Base Camp also understands the danger of this situation.Moscow, no longer counting on us to hold off the fascist tanks, began to take various emergency measures.We have received orders from General A. C. Konev, Commander of the 19th Army, that the Kyiv fortification area belongs to General A. C. Konev. , Fastov, Betcherkovy, and Tripolye, and organize defenses there within two days of June 29 and 30. It seems that the base camp no longer expects us to have enough strength to smash the "South" Army Group assault group and hit the border.This judgment is corroborated by a telegram that we received, ordering the commanders of the 87th and 124th Rifle Divisions who were still fighting near the border: "Leave and bury technical equipment, go through the forest with light weapons to Kovel .” Kirponos summoned General Astakhov and Colonel Bondarev and told them to send orders to the two encircled divisions by any means (by air or by scouts).We feel very heavy: Even if this order can be sent, can these two divisions break through the layers of blockade of the fascist army? Throughout the night of June 28, we tried to learn more about the situation and situation of the right-wing troops of the Front.Colonel Zakhvatayev finally returned from the 5th Army.His mission was difficult: Army Commander Potapov was now separated from us by a wide area occupied by deeply wedged enemy tank groups.Zakhvatayev's plane was damaged on the way back and made an emergency landing.He had to switch to a car and return by detour to Shepetovka. The information Zakhvatayev brought back could not please anyone.We learned that the 15th Infantry Corps and the 22nd Mechanized Corps had abandoned Kovel and were retreating across the Stohod River.I couldn't help thinking: the 87th and 124th infantry divisions, which were heroically defending near the border, were ordered to rush to Kovel! According to Zakhvatayev's report, the 135th Infantry Division, the 31st Infantry Army, and the 9th Mechanized Army of the 27th Infantry Army are engaged in fierce battles, struggling to stop the enemy from the south rushing towards the Lutsk-Rovno Highway. Army Group, while the 19th Mechanized Corps was already defending against the enemy on the outskirts of Rivne. Zakhvatayev also went to Lukin.Under the threat of the enemy's advance to Shepetovka, the commander of the army group is hastily loading the infantry of the 5th mechanized army and rushing to the western front.Only the army's motorized 109th Division and hastily assembled detachments fought near Ostrog.They fought tenaciously, it is true, but Lukin complained that his group was dwindling every day, and it was hard to say whether they would hold out another two or three days.His mainstay, the motorized 109th Division, suffered heavy losses early in the first counterattacks near Ostrog.The brave division commander, Colonel Nikolai Pavlovich Krasnoletsky, was seriously wounded.But heavy losses did not break people's morale.They went into battle again and again.The heads of each regiment were also placed in the shocker's skirmish line, inspiring their subordinates with their own fearless example.The Fascist troops encountered such fierce resistance that they had to halt their advance here.But they immediately discovered the frontal gap between Lugin's group and the 36th Infantry Corps (the right flank of which was interrupted southeast of Dubno by the Ikva River).The fascists rushed to this gap. How to stop them?The commander of the front army, the military council and the headquarters were anxiously looking for a way out.The power of the general attack is obviously not enough.It has turned to defense across the board, and it is now impossible to save the situation.Ask the base camp for permission to withdraw the army to the old fortified area?It appears premature to do so. General Kirponos made the following determination: continue to take active actions to contain the main force of the German 6th Army, and strengthen the assault on Kleist's tank groups rushing towards the Ostrog area, so as to force them to give up their offensive . As soon as the new battle order was drawn up, B. B. Verkov, the political commissar-level deputy commander of the 12th Tank Division, and E. J. Nesterov, the deputy commander of the colonel, rushed to the front army command post.Both men looked dejected.They reported that the situation of the 8th Mechanized Army was extremely serious.A large part of the army is under the leadership of Popel, the political commissar of the brigade, and is fighting under encirclement.The losses of the corps were great, and the rest were exhausted from the continual fighting. Vashukin entered during this conversation, which Pulkayev and I participated in.We noticed that he was very pale, but didn't think it had any special meaning.We think he's just feeling bad about the loss, which was partly his fault.No one could have predicted how much this would hit him.Vashukin left without waiting for the end of the conversation. And we have to re-examine everything.It was now clear that the mechanized 8th Army could no longer be expected.The commander ordered the surviving units of the corps to withdraw from the battle.But in this way, the attack of the mechanized 15th Army, which has also been exhausted, will lose its meaning.As soon as these two armies withdraw, our entire assault group is greatly weakened.Who else could now be entrusted with smashing the enemy tank crews advancing on Ostrog?All hopes were pinned on the Potapov Army.Except for the Air Force of the Front, only the 36th Infantry Army and General Lukin's battle group could provide support to the army within its capabilities.The commander designated these forces to begin the general offensive on July 1. General Kirponos entrusted me with a report of his resolution to the two members of the Military Council.I took the working drawings and my notes and went to H. C. Khrushchev.He looked very sad.After listening to my report, he unwaveringly agreed with the planned measures.When Nikita Sergeyevich learned that I was going to Vashukin's, he said sadly: "Don't go. There is no need to report to him now. Nikolai Nikolayevich's battle is over..." Vashukin has shot himself.He's loyal, uncompromising, and resolute, but too emotional and easily stimulated.The weight of defeat weighed him down... Just as we were racking our brains to study how to gather more troops for the resumption of the counterattack on July 1, inquiries and phone calls from Moscow came one after another.It can be seen that the base camp is very disturbed by the situation of our front army. General M. H. Sarohim, Deputy Chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff, asked me to answer the telegram.Within a few minutes, the telegraph sent out a series of questions: "What happened in the Dubno, Lutsk, Rivno area? Where are the enemy tanks moving in this area? Where is Potapov? His infantry Where is the 15th Army? What is the result of the mechanized 8th and 15th Army's counter-assault?" I certainly cannot answer all of these questions exhaustively.With regard to the 15th Rifle Corps, I report that it has abandoned Kovel and is retreating towards the Stohod River.Whether it will make it to the river in time is unclear.The counter-assaults of the mechanized corps attracted a considerable number of troops from the enemy groups advancing towards Rivno and Ostrog, but the 8th and 15th mechanized corps suffered heavy casualties in the battle.Part of the Mechanized Eighth Army was encircled in the Dubno area.It has been decided to withdraw the two corps into reserves. General Sarohim also tortured me for a long time.It seems that my answer did not satisfy the General Staff.After a while, the following message appeared on the telegram: "Zhukov is sending. Quickly ask Kirponos to receive it." Kirponos has the same information as me.He only added that the 36th Rifle Corps was moving to the defense at Zbetten and Sudovich on the east bank of the Ikva River, and that the 14th Cavalry Division was occupying the front lines of Kremenets and Dunayuf.Zhukov asked whether the head of the front army planned to transfer the 24th Mechanized Army to the Kremenets area, and explained: "The People's Commissar ordered me to tell you to pay attention to ensuring that you are in the south of the Slavuta-Kremenets line. Lines of communication, because the enemy may suddenly turn to the southwest and grab a hold in the rear of the 36th and 37th Infantry Corps." Kirponos glanced at me. "What did I say!" (Shortly before this, Kirponos and Pulkayev did not reach an agreement on this issue. Kirponos believed that the fascist command would inevitably be obsessed with going out of our 6th and 26th Army lines of communication, so as to Cut them off from the fortified areas along the old state border. Purkayev denied that possibility. He estimated that the fascist high command would rush to Kyiv with all its strength. But the commander still insisted on sending the 24th Mechanized Army, the 199th Infantry The division and three anti-tank artillery brigades were transferred to the Stara Konstantinov-Novo Vishnievets line.) The telegraph continued to transmit the order of the chief of the general staff: "Because Hungary has violated the national border, it is necessary to organize careful observation and reconnaissance in the direction of Mukachevo. The people's commissar especially insisted on covering Lutsk and Stanislavchik. gap in order to isolate the intruding enemy motorized mechanized group. At the same time, it is necessary to completely defeat this group in the Ostrog, Dubno, and Rivno areas. To this end, Lukin's tank units must be completely transferred to Zdo Arbunov and Mizoch. You must urge Ryabyshev to carry out the assault seriously, especially with KB and T-34 tanks." Kirponos replied that Lugin had transferred almost all of his tank units to the Western Front, while Ryabyshev's mechanized army was completely powerless. However, Zhukov emphasized that the headquarters must pay attention to the development of the battle in the direction of Shepetovka, that is, the Lukin cluster area, and "after clarifying the situation, make an objective judgment on the possibility of eliminating the enemy's intrusion cluster." The call was about to end.时，朱可夫向基尔波诺斯通报了各友邻方面军的态势。他的判断显得非常乐观。 “右邻（西方面军）的处境正在改善。它的全部部队都已整顿好，即都已找到并被调到旧国界一线。明斯克筑垒地域未被突破，明斯克还在我们手中……帕夫洛夫①的机械化部队现在准备用四个军来粉碎敌军在斯卢茨克地域的机械化军。斯大林同志特别坚持和要求从后方打击敌人各军，切断它们的补给线。你们也遇到过那样的机会，要利用这种机会狠狠教训不可一世的敌人。” 计划是吸引人的，但我们没有能力去实现这个计划。过于力所不及的重担从战争第一日起就落到我们军队身上，压得我们直不起身子来。 电报机又响起来了。朱可夫通知：“费多连科②已给你们发去坦克备件。你们要注意观察备件运行情况。” -------- ①西方面军司令员。 ②红军汽车装甲坦克兵部部长。 这一消息使基尔波诺斯很高兴，因为许多保存下来的旧教练战斗坦克由于缺乏备件而开不动了。 莫斯科在这天赋予我方面军右翼军队的任务，一般说来是符合当时形成的情况的，但却难以完成。第5集团军在此之前已作出很大努力阻住了敌人的猛攻。它已经无力实施大规模的积极行动了。卢金将军集群的能力也被无根据地夸大了。它的为数很少、而且是仓促凑起来的部队，正迎着法西斯军队主要突击的锋芒，令人惊讶的是这些部队还能坚持住。总参谋部的人们可能是等待卢金把自己的坦克师投入进攻。但这些坦克师已经调往西方面军了。只留下一个坦克团归卢金调遣。他是怎样在整整一周内用这样弱小的兵力阻住了法西斯坦克集团猛攻的呢？这要求指挥员具备多么大的毅力和坚决性啊！战士们又表现了多么可贵的坚韧不拔和自我牺牲精神！ 方面军司令员命令我拿来他与朱可夫的通话记录。这时，赫鲁晓夫和普尔卡耶夫已经在他办公室里。基尔波诺斯让我读电报纸条。大家交换意见后，一致认为今天定下的7月1日在方面军右翼恢复反突击的决心，完全符合总参谋长传达的指示。 在新的战斗命令中赋予第5集团军的任务是：7月1日 由楚曼、斯塔夫斯克、克列万（罗夫诺西北）地域实施突击，以切断敌人突向罗夫诺的摩托机械化集团，消除第5、6集团军之间的缺口。命令要求穆济琴科将军迅速以其集团军主力在杜布诺各居民地（在其东南面）、克列梅涅茨、佐洛切夫、博布尔卡一线固守。 由于第26、12集团军一直在边界附近进行战斗，并因此脱离了方面军主力，命令要求两位集团军司令员将所属军队东撤，以便固守博尔晓夫、茹拉夫诺一线（科斯坚科将军的集团军）和维什纽夫、卡卢什一线（波涅杰林将军的集团军）。为了防止可能的意外，两集团军司令员各掌握一个不大的预备队：第26集团军有两个步兵师，第12集团军有一个步兵师。 奇斯佳科夫将军的机械化第24军与步兵第199师和三 个反坦克炮兵旅应密切协同行动。对该军重申了以下任务：继续沿奥斯特罗波尔、克拉西洛夫、巴扎利亚、拉诺夫齐、维什涅韦茨一线构筑斜切防坦克地区。 在如此紧张和不明的情况中，方面军首长不能没有庞大预备队，所以我们试图把它组建起来。决定将撤出战斗的机械化第4、8、15军以及继续由纵深向战线运动的步兵第49军两个步兵师编为预备队。但是不能对各机械化军寄以很大希望，因为它们已经消耗殆尽、疲惫不堪了。 方面军空军用于完成三个基本任务：对由杜布诺向罗夫诺和奥斯特罗格发展进攻的敌军集团实施突击；在各集团军退往新地区过程中和固守该地区时协助其抗击法西斯坦克的冲击；掩护我机械化军集中地域免遭空袭。 这样，我们便不由自主地在新的战斗命令中承认方面军的进攻能力已经没有了。虽然其中还提到要用第5集团军兵力实施反突击，但这一命令实际上贯穿着防御精神。 战斗已在距捷尔诺波尔不远处进行。该把方面军指挥所从这里迁走了，否则，军队指挥就有遭到破坏的危险。朱可夫大将也警告过这点。于是决定在6月29日夜间转移到普罗斯库罗夫。晚上是在出发前的忙乱中度过的：我们在准备把文件和行军物资装上汽车。 我奉命率一个军官组在司令部到达新地点前留在捷尔诺波尔，并与军队保持通信联络。直到凌晨得到关于司令部已到达普罗斯库罗夫的通知后，我的军官组才出发。在新主人（第6集团军司令部）到达这里之前，我的一个副部长M·B·索洛维约夫中校仍留在旧指挥所。