Chapter 19 War Memoirs of Marshal Baghramyan: Heroic Kyiv-1.The enemy broke into the gate

The commander of the Front Army and members of the Military Council decided to go to the Berdichev area to analyze the situation on the spot.Everyone advised them: it is so dangerous that they may run into a fascist reconnaissance detachment.But Kirponos was determined to go. They had just left when General Muzychenko's report arrived.The army commander confirmed that the 11th German tank division had entered Berdichev.He can only fight against these troops with the mixed detachments of the mechanized 4th and 15th Army divisions, and now these mixed detachments are close to the breakthrough area. (Once again, I would like to remind the reader that these detachments are small detachments left over from reorganized corps transferred to the rear.) The mixed detachments of the 15th Mechanized Corps have been combined under the command of General C. F. Ogurtsov ( In all documents they will be referred to as the Ogurtsov group.) The Fascist tank group has broken through the battle formations of the 7th Rifle Corps, and General Muzychenko does not know where this corps is now or what state it is in clear.According to the information we have, General Dobrocheldorf has retreated with his headquarters towards Bezerkovy.I sent officers from the War Department to look for them.

The 6th Army Headquarters has been unable to get in touch with the right-wing Mechanized 19th Army in the Vronsky Novova area.Fortunately, at this time Captain A. A. Aivazov, who had gone to General Fekrenko, returned.Feklenko's situation is also very difficult.In the area of ​​Gulisk Town, south of Volynsky Novosibirsk, the German troops forcibly crossed the Sluch River and rushed towards the road leading to Zhytomyr.Feklenko quickly formed a battle group with motorized infantry and artillery, reinforced forty tanks, and threw them into the counterattack.The battle is fierce, but the enemy has a huge numerical advantage.Our troops were blocked.Now Fekrenko is trying to organize a new counterattack.Can he do it?This question makes us very disturbed.

As the 6th Army Command's communication with its right-wing armies became more and more difficult General Pulkayev instructed that the 19th Mechanized Army should be under the command of the commander of the 5th Army, and he should be responsible for helping General Fekrenko clear the enemy's landing field on the Sluch River in the Gulisk region. Successive breakthroughs in the Novomiropol and Gulisk areas outweighed in importance the fighting in other sectors of the front, for they further aggravated the situation of the 6th, 26th and 12th Armies, which were already facing threatened with encirclement.

Kirponos and Khrushchev glumly return from 6th Army up.The detachments of Ogurtsov's group began to approach Berdichev in front of them, and they were going to fight from the march.Of course, it is impossible to reverse the situation with such a small force.Even if it delays the enemy's advance to the south and southeast, it will be fine.But the road to Bai Tserkovy remained open to the enemy.The commander of the front army hurriedly contacted the captains of the frontier corps who were transferred to the area to fight against the enemy's airborne troops, and ordered them to block the approach of the fascist troops when they attacked from Berdichev to Baitserkovy.But that was a minimal obstacle, because there were very few frontier guards, and they had no artillery.

Kirponos ordered the commander of the 6th Army to move the 49th Infantry Corps as soon as possible The corps concentrated on the outskirts of Liubar in order to carry out a counterattack to the north from the morning of July 9 and close the gap. After learning of this determination, the base camp instructed to combine the assault from the south with the 31st Infantry Corps of the 5th Army and the 9th, 19th, and 22nd Mechanized Corps from the north.The headquarters proposed to give General Potapov the task of counterattacking from the north.Corresponding orders were sent without delay to the commanders of the two armies.

But the enemy hastily took advantage of the situation in its favor.The enemy army did not meet our army's resistance along the way, and advanced straight to Kyiv.The first report we received of this matter came from Zhytomyr. The combat watchman led an unfamiliar major to me.His appearance was exhausted.Sleepy, bloodshot eyes stood out against the Major's sweaty, dusty face.He wiped his face with a handkerchief, focused his eyes on a bucket in the corner, opened his chapped lips, and said in a hoarse voice: "Can I have some water?" He drank a full glass of water in one gulp before starting the conversation.It turned out that he had brought a report from the Zhitomir garrison commander about the appearance of fascist tanks near Zhitomir.

I do not want to believe this report: because then it will soon be Kyiv's turn.I asked him if the news might be fake. "No," replied the major, "I went out to scout myself, and I saw about twenty Fascist tanks with my own eyes. Look," he handed me a pamphlet, "I caught a tank man who was distracted. Unfortunately, We didn't get him back alive, only the documents." I looked carefully at the soldier's handbook and called for a translator.He looked at it and said it was a certificate of a first class soldier in the 13th German Tank Division.That is to say, the advance unit of the division has appeared in Zhytomyr.

I went with the major to see General Pulkayev.After listening carefully, he flipped through the soldier's handbook, thanked the major, and let him go. "Yes, the situation..." Pulkayev sighed. "Berdichev fell on July 7. The same thing happened again today in Zhytomyr. There are no troops to defend it: there are only a few railway detachments in the city. Nothing to say, these detachments are in the enemy tank division It is untenable under surprise. In this way, the road to Kyiv will be clear for the enemy." I propose to send all the troops collected in the 6th Rifle Corps to Zhytomyr.Only units of this corps are nearer to the city.

"But what can it do without artillery?! But there is no other way out: the man who falls into the water has to catch straws." After marking the report he had just received on the map, Purkayev took the map to Kirponos.A quarter of an hour later, the Chief of Staff telephoned me and ordered that two officers from the War Department be sent immediately to the Commander.Soon, two captains, O. 3. Lipis and M. M. Saracuca, reported to me that Kirponos ordered them to go to the Korostshev area to find the commander of the 6th Infantry Corps and the 6th Cavalry Corps. The commander of the 3rd Division conveyed the following order to them: Immediately go to Zhytomyr, implement a solid defense, and prevent the enemy from advancing to Kyiv through this important road junction.

Major Pogrebenko is back.He was the one I sent to find the 7th Infantry Corps.As General Muzichenko reported, the army had retreated to Bai Tserkovy.The major reported that he found only part of the 147th Infantry Division of the corps there.These detachments were located in the main attack direction of enemy tanks and had to retreat after hard fighting.According to the commander of the unit, the main force of the army is continuing to hold the area north of Novi Miropol.That is to say, the divisions of the army were still fighting in the encirclement of the enemy after being detoured from the north and the south.Can they be rescued?We have not lost hope.

Concerned about the fate of the Ukrainian capital, the commander ordered General Pulkayev to hurry to the fortified area of ​​Kyiv in order to speed up its readiness for battle.The military council considered this fortified area the most important link in Kyiv's defense system. No sooner had the chief of staff left than Moscow insisted that he receive direct telegrams.I just had to go and have this conversation.I briefly reported to General Sarohim the situation and our measures to prevent the German tank division from rushing to Kyiv.After a while, I sent a combat report to the Chief of General Staff, pointing out that fascist tanks had appeared near Zhitomir, and the enemy attempted to attack southeast from Berdichev.I also report that the respective mixed detachments of the 4th Mechanized Corps and the Ogurtsov Group carried out the first tenacious counterattacks against the fascists who had penetrated into the Berdichev area.The mixed detachment of the 4th Mechanized Army even advanced to the southern outskirts of Chudnov and cut off the Novomiropol-Berdichev road.However, neither the 49th Infantry Army nor the armies of the 5th Army are yet ready to carry out counter-assaults, and they are currently busy advancing to their respective starting areas. The Chief of General Staff understood the consequences of the 13th German Tank Division rushing towards Zhytomir (it was soon discovered that it was the enemy's entire Motorized 3rd Army attacking here, which governed the 13th and 14th Tank Divisions and the 25th Motorized Division), Therefore, he quickly sent a succinct order to the commander of the front army: "The base camp orders the implementation of aerial bombing to destroy the enemy." The head of the front army has already thought of this.As soon as the news came that the fascist tanks had rushed to Zhitomir, General Astakhov was ordered to delay the advance of the enemy tank division no matter what. On the evening of July 9, the bomber and attack regiments carried out the first few intensive assaults on the enemy tank columns, forcing them to stop their advance and hide in the nearby forest. Fearing for the fate of Kyiv, the headquarters had to find new troops to help our front.It directed that the 2nd Airborne Corps be subordinated to us, the brigades of which were deployed in Chernigov, Nezhin, and Konotop.We were ordered to mobilize brigades immediately for the defense of Kyiv. When I reported this order to Kirponos, he was very pleased and ordered that the airborne brigades be brought closer to Kyiv as soon as possible. News of the appearance of enemy tanks near Zhytomyr set the Ukrainian Capital Party and Soviet organizations into active activity.These organizations participated in the city defense preparations in concert.The newly established City Defense Command is responsible for leading the entire effort.The city defense command is composed of two representatives of the state party secretary, the city party secretary and the head of the front army.The hastily drafted city defense plan was reviewed by the Military Committee of the Front Army. All citizens respond to the call of the City Defense Command and rise up to defend our dear city. Kyiv is filled with the mood of defending our city to the death, and this sentiment inspires us soldiers as well.There was a calm but tense working atmosphere in the Front Army Command.The chiefs of the front, the headquarters and the heads of the arms were all committed to taking firm measures to prevent the German divisions from rushing towards Kyiv, while at the same time trying to cut off the enemy's wedge assault and close the gaps in the front. The report from General Potapov on the evening of July 9 was the earliest glimmer of hope.He reported that a small army group under Colonel M. A. Blank had achieved success.It was made up of various troops and was responsible for defending the fortified area of ​​​​Volynsky Novosibirsk.On the same day, these troops launched a violent counterattack against the 298th German Infantry Division, causing serious losses to the division, and captured the Volynsky Novas-Zhytomyr Highway, thereby cutting off the enemy tanks rushing towards Zhytomyr. The aorta on which the columns depend.We counted on the morning of July 10 that the main force of the 5th Army would attack southwards to develop this victory.Can General Muzichenko carry out a counter-attack to support the 5th Army's attack?This thought excited the commander and everyone in our front headquarters. But General Muzichenko's report failed to offer hope.The commander of the army group reported that due to the heavy enemy attack on Januszpol, the mixed detachments of the 4th mechanized army were already under the threat of encirclement.They have therefore been compelled to abandon Chudnov, which they had captured the day before, and move aside from the road linking Novomiropol and Berdichev.The commander of the group army has ordered the 49th Infantry Corps to carry out a counter-assault, but he also told us that the army has been severely weakened and may not be able to complete the task. General Kirponos read the report several times without saying a word, and threw it aside angrily. "Muzichenko loves to complain! Now the offensive is needed, and he, one corps can't, and the other can't! If an army commander handles things in such a mood, then don't expect good results." "He also requested that the dividing line between him and the 5th Army Group to his right be moved southward by one point. said Pulkayev darkly. "I don't think there is any need to do that."Otherwise he would no longer care about the encircled units of the 7th Infantry Corps, which he was supposed to support now. " Kirponos silently nodded his assent, and immediately ordered General B. T. Volsky, the energetic new Chief of Armored Tanks, to be dispatched to the Sixth Army.His task was to help the commander of the army organize a counter-assault in the Berdichev area. In the morning we waited impatiently for news from the armies. At 11 o'clock Potapov's report was received.The 31st Infantry Corps and the 9th and 22nd Mechanized Corps of his army group carried out assaults on the fascist troops in the two directions of Vronsky Novosibirsk and Malkhlevsk at 08:00.The shock developed well.The enemy army is resisting desperately while retreating slowly.Potapov reported that a regiment of the 298th German Rifle Division had been routed in the first battle.A copy of the division commander's combat order was captured.It can be seen from the order that the Fascist High Command was worried about being attacked by our 5th Army, and decided to transfer the main force of General Reichenau's 6th Army, which was used to develop victory towards Kyiv, to deal with it. It was a big success.If the main force of the field army, the most powerful of the "South" army group, is forced to turn the front to deal with my army rushing from the north, that is to say, it is impossible for them to support Kleist, who is rushing to the ground near Kyiv in the last few days. Those tank divisions of the General.In this way, the threat of capturing the city of Kyiv on the move is much less.It is not so easy to use only a few tank divisions to break through the fortified regional positions of the Yierpan River and carry out street fighting in big cities. Another point is also very important.We blocked the main force of the German 6th Army in the northeast of Volynsky Neustadt, and we could force the enemy tank units that planned to turn around and go south to the rear of our left-wing armies according to intelligence judgments to stop. Oh, if only General Muzichenko could carry out such a resolute assault now!But the army commander reported that he could not speak of an offensive.The 37th Infantry Corps is fighting hard against the enemy's superior tank and infantry forces.Commanders and fighters fought for every inch of land, but were still forced to retreat.The 49th Infantry Corps, which was about to turn to the assault, was suddenly assaulted on its flanks and rear.With difficulty, the army commander withdrew the divisions from the threat of encirclement.The retreat of the 49th Infantry Corps further exacerbated the situation of the mixed detachments of the 4th Mechanized Corps: the fascist tank troops rushed to Janushpol, and the encirclement was about to be closed.Attacking under these conditions is tantamount to going to ruin. Only General C. F. Ogurtsov's group continued to act aggressively.Ogurtsov threw his detachments and units of the 14th Cavalry Division into a determined assault without waiting for the divisions of the 16th Mechanized Corps, which had rushed to support him.They carried out a powerful assault on the enemy's 11th Tank Division occupying Berdichev, routed the division headquarters and cut off the supply lines.The German High Command was appalled by the encirclement of its tank divisions.It began to mobilize new troops to Berdichev.Ogurtsov reported that soldiers of the German 60th Motorized Division were found among those killed in the battle. We are happy about the victory of our troops in the Berdichev area, but we are even more worried about their fate, because two fascist divisions have already fought in front of them.We can only wonder how the small mixed detachments and cavalry divisions of General Ogurtsov were able to hold off the powerful fascist tank and motorized group at Berdichev and at the same time continue to attack this group . However, the one-day summary still does not satisfy us, because a general counterattack has not been implemented.The intelligence minister's report was even more disturbing. He said that 300 tanks had moved from Zhitomir to Kyiv.We have only one tank regiment of the 213th Motorized Rifle Division on the way of this group of tanks!All hopes were pinned on aviation.General Astakhov assured the Military Council of the Front that he would use the main force of the bombing and assault aviation against the fascist tanks. Could the brave pilots hold the enemy at bay, if not for a short time? Moscow is increasingly interested in our war.Basecamp is doing everything possible to help us.At this difficult time, the two divisions they had originally been incorporated into General Konev's Army were transferred to our Front; the 64th Rifle Corps was transferred from the Caucasus along the railway.This is a great help, but when will it arrive?Now the base camp still requires the use of existing forces to divide and eliminate the intruding enemy mechanized troops, close the gap between the 5th and 6th armies, and restore a solid defense along the front line of the fortification area. It is a pity that our front army has too few conditions to complete this task.Although the Fifth Army still had freedom of active action, its troops were exhausted by the continuous fighting.The situation of the 6th Army was even more serious.General Muzichenko pinned all his hopes on the 16th Mechanized Army that went to Berdichev, although it was the weakest army in terms of combat effectiveness and tank replenishment.But the commander of the group army could not even use this army to carry out counter-assaults.At this time, the Ogurtsov group was holding on with its last strength near Berdichev.If the enemy crushes it, the fascist tanks and motorized infantry will rush to the rear of the front main force.This threat forced the head of our front to order the corps of the 16th Mechanized Army to join the battle in the Berdichev area at any time. Muzichenko had only a small 49th Rifle Corps left to counterattack from the south against 5th Army. But a counter-assault is, after all, urgently needed.Therefore, a brief battle order was issued to the commander of the 6th Army: from the morning of July 11, a counterattack will be carried out from the Ignatovka area to Romanovka.It was not specified with which forces the army commander should carry out these tasks.The thought was that he could see better here... Emergency reinforcements were made to the fortified area of ​​Kyiv.The troops sent here are: Detachments of the 147th Infantry Division retreating under enemy pressure, two brigades of the 2nd Airborne Corps (the third brigade has been transferred to the Kanev area to defend the Dnieper Railway Bridge).The troops of the 206th Infantry Division that broke out were ordered to concentrate on Fastov, where they would conduct a ring defense. When the commander made these determinations, I mentioned that the commander of the 147th Rifle Division still led part of the division to the north of Novi Miropol.Who will command the detachments that are now fighting near Kyiv?General Kirponos, remembering that he had talked not long ago with a colonel named C. C. Potekhin, liked his calm and prudence, and decided to appoint him.In this way, a division had two division commanders: one division commander led the rest of the troops to fight in the encirclement, and the other division commander commanded the detachment transferred to the vicinity of Kyiv. The order to the army was issued just after two o'clock in the night.Thereafter, the head of the front army and the headquarters were transferred to the new command post in Broire. After issuing all the orders, our combat staff and communications team also set off at dawn, and arrived in Broirey at about nine o'clock in the morning.Various ministries have launched intense work.Everyone is upset about something. "What happened?" I asked. "The fascist tanks hit near Kyiv!" Yes, it is unpleasant.We had known for a long time that the front line had been breached, but the news of the appearance of fascist tanks near Kyiv still haunted us.And what will the townspeople do when they hear the news... They thought (and they did) that the fierce fighting of the last few days was taking place on the old fortified territory far from Kyiv.And suddenly the enemy seemed to appear at their own door... The people of Kyiv braved the disturbing news.They continue to perform their duties, and everyone sticks to their posts.Just started working harder and more tenaciously. I saw only a few comrades present in the War Department—the rest were sent to the 5th and 6th Armies to supervise the implementation of the counter-assault, which was supposed to be in full swing on this day. After analyzing the intelligence we had gathered about skirmishes between troops in the fortified area of ​​Kyiv and intruding German tank units, I hurried to see the Chief of Staff of the Front.He already knows everything.He took the situation map from me and looked at it carefully.Let's go to see the commander of the front army together. His adjutant was eagerly waiting for us at the entrance to the commander's cabin.It turned out that the Commander of the Front had ordered him to send to him the Commander of the Air Force, the Director of Artillery, the Minister of Engineering, the Minister of Intelligence and me. General Pulkayev went to the commander's office, and I remained in a large room covered with maps.Air Lieutenant General O. A. Astakhov arrived.In his military uniform, fastened with wide belts and embellished with sky-blue collar patches, he looked as fit as ever, though tired.General Parshegov, the Artillery Director of the Front, tall and even thinner than before, rushed in as hurriedly as usual.His military uniform, trousers, leather boots and himself seemed to be full of the pungent dusty smell of the summer country road.His dark brown eyes sparkled lively on his thin, sun-tanned face.As soon as he saw Astakhov, he went up to him and asked excited questions. After everyone was present, M. E. Kirponos, H. C. Khrushchev, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Communist Party (B) M. A. Burmistenko, and Secretary of the Kyiv Oblast Party Committee M. E. Mi Shin came out from the next door. Despite the toil of twenty-hour days and nights, the commander of the front army still looked vigorous, but the deep wrinkles on his long round face were all the more conspicuous. General Kirponos said the situation had deteriorated dramatically in recent days and asked the chief of staff to comment. General Pulkayev went to the map. He first announced that our army failed to stop the enemy on the front line of the old fortification area because we did not have time to repair the fortification area and make it ready for defense.Enemy tanks and motorized divisions broke through the fortified area of ​​Volynsky Novosibirsk on July 7.Today they have appeared in front of the Kyiv fortification area, that is to say, only 20 kilometers away from the city of Kyiv.The 5th and 6th armies have tried to close the gaps in the front by conducting opposite assaults, but so far no results have been seen. "Which German units approached the city of Kyiv?" asked the commander. "It has been found that there is a 13th tank division." "On the Zhytomyr Highway, a column of tanks was seen advancing towards Kyiv without stopping," General Astakhov interrupted. "It seems that this is another division of the 3rd Motorized Army of the Kleist Tank Group." Pulkayev speculated. The chief of staff traced along the battle line with his pointer.Now, the battle line begins to extend from about fifty kilometers west of Korosten, then turns sharply eastward north of Volynsky Novosibirsk, reaches the front of Kyiv's fortified area passing along the Irpan River, and then turns sharply to the west. In the direction of Erdichev, our defense line extends from the city along the Berdichev-Shepetomika railway to Ljubar and passes through Ostropol, Letichev, Bar and Kopego Rhodes and other cities.The enemy has opened a long corridor and is now moving troops along it towards Kyiv. After Pulkayev elaborated on the situation and formation of the front army, he emphasized the serious situation of the 7th Infantry Army, which, together with the 199th Infantry Division, has been fighting for more than three days in the enemy's encirclement north of Novomiropol. up.A few hours earlier, the fascist leader had again urged the besieged to lay down their arms.My commander responded again with a violent counterattack. Purkayev pointed out that the enemy is trying to break into Kyiv at all costs and capture the city and the bridge crossing on the Dnieper River in the city.In this way, it can carry out assaults along the right bank of the Dnieper River to the rear of the main force of our front army and the main force of the friendly southern front army.In addition, there is another main point, that is, after the enemy seizes Kyiv, it will be able to invade Ukraine on the left bank and establish close contact with the southern wing of the "Central" Army Group, opening up broad prospects for continuing the war of aggression against the Soviet Union. According to the Chief of Staff of the Front, the leaders of Army Group "South" were trying to immediately take advantage of the gains made by the Kleist tanks.In this situation, our first task is not only to hold Kyiv, but also to prevent the enemy from reaching the Dnieper south of Kyiv. General Pulkayev spoke only of military matters.But we are all well aware that holding Kyiv has huge political implications.It is clear that Hitler's high command seized Ukraine not only for military purposes, namely to crush one of the most powerful groups in the Red Army.There is another equally important reason why the fascists are trying to get Ukraine as quickly as possible.They fantasized about seizing its resources, namely: grain, ore from Krivoy Rog, manganese from Nikopol, coal from Donets, and metallurgical and chemical industries.They are trying to weaken the Ukrainian people, separate them from other fraternal peoples, and enslave them. As long as the red flag is flying over Kyiv, it will be difficult for the fascists to achieve their goals in Ukraine.Hitler's high command was well aware of this.As long as Kyiv, the heart of the Republic, is still beating, the fascist army can never even think about occupying Ukraine. That is why the Military Council of the Front has made great efforts to make not only the commanders and political personnel, but also the soldiers understand the decisive significance of the battle unfolding in the direction of Kyiv. Everyone is well aware of the political significance of holding Kyiv to the course of subsequent combat operations in Ukraine.It is required to mobilize all forces to defend this city, which has become the center of engagement of the Southwest Front Army. General Purkayev suggested that after reorganizing and replenishing the breakout troops, they should all be transferred to strengthen the Kyiv fortification area. At present, the enemy tanks and motorized columns that are rushing towards Kiev should be concentrated to the greatest extent. Aviation assault. Kirponos asked Astakhov what he could do about it.The Air Force Commander reported that after the air assault on the 13th German Tank Division this morning, the troops of the division hid in the forest and stopped advancing directly towards the Kyiv fortification area.He added that the 1st Bombing and Assault Air Force is cooperating with the 5th and 6th Army Group to carry out counterattacks against the enemy Berdichev Group. Kirponos demanded to actively carry out aerial reconnaissance, strengthen assaults on the fascist divisions rushing towards Kyiv, block the Zhytomyr Highway passing by enemy columns, and maximize the attack on the enemy's advancing airfield. "We are working hard to do this, Comrade Commander, but," Astakhov spread his hands worriedly, "we have very few planes that are in good condition." "Comrade Astakhov, I am well aware of the situation of our aviation after the loss. Now there is only one way to maintain its combat effectiveness, which is to speed up the repair of the aircraft and return it to the army as soon as possible. Without a strong aviation, the front army will be very difficult to deal with. Attacking enemy forces, especially their tank groups. Think again and report to me which regiments we can rely on our aviation to actively carry out the assault on the tank columns rushing towards Kyiv." When General Parshegov noticed that the commander of the Front was looking at him, he stood up abruptly from his seat.He reminded everyone that the Kyiv No. 1 Artillery School and two anti-tank artillery battalions had been sent to strengthen the Kyiv fortification area, and he promised to transfer nearly 40 artillery pieces that had been repaired there in the next few days. Parshegov, referring to the severe lack of artillery, mortars and anti-tank shells in many of the corps fighting in the direction of Kyiv, argued that the military district felt underarmed long before the start of the war.The losses suffered by the army in battle made the situation worse.The ammunition situation is not good either.Now the armies are unable to store more than a base number of shells, because due to the lack of cars, the forward delivery of ammunition is very difficult, and the operation of the army trains has almost come to a standstill in the front army's action zone, although the railway employees have carried forward the spirit of selflessness.Parshegov emphasized that the protection of anti-tank shells for the armies is getting worse and worse.From the first days of the war, artillery had to contend with large numbers of tanks.Therefore, the consumption of anti-tank shells has always been very large.How can it not be possible to create a stockpile of anti-tank shells in the army.They are consumed as soon as they are delivered.Parshegov reported that he had once again brought to the attention of the General Minister of Armaments our request to expedite the delivery of ammunition and weapons to the Southwest Front from the headquarters base. An idea was raised at the meeting that enterprises in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities should be used as much as possible to arrange the production of armaments and ammunition, as well as the repair of technical weapons.Special emphasis is given to the necessity of collecting weapons on the battlefield.A.A. Mikhailov, the director of the Political Department of the Front Army and the political commissar of the brigade, was entrusted to draft a letter from the Military Committee to all commanders and fighters, calling on them not to abandon a single rifle on the battlefield. Everyone listened to the speech of General A. O. Ilyin-Mitkevich, Minister of Engineering.He reported that the decision of the Military Committee of the Front Army to intensify the construction work in the Kyiv fortification area is being resolutely implemented.A lot has been done.The fifty-five-kilometer-wide first line of defense cleared the firing range for the permanent launch point and the civil launch point; most of the frontiers of the fortified area were covered by anti-tank trenches, cliffs, and barbed wire.A long anti-tank trench was built from the Pusha-Voditsa dacha area to Myshelovka and reinforced with anti-tank mines, traps and applied mines.In the forest area, tree trunk deer villages have been built everywhere.All artillery firing positions are covered by anti-tank obstacles. "Without the help of the people of Kyiv, we would not have been able to accomplish such a huge task." Said the Minister of Engineering and Soldiers of our Front. "One hundred and fifty thousand citizens work every day on the various fortification sites." "What about Kyiv's direct approach?" asked the commander. "With the help of citizens, we dug trenches day and night, built barriers in the suburbs and around the city, and set up landmines on all roads and bridges." The general said that about 30 kilometers of anti-tank trenches were excavated in the defense depth, and 750 civil launch points were built on cliffs more than 15 kilometers away.One hundred tons of explosives and 50,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines were brought in to mine the defensive positions closely.A total of 100,000 landmines were allocated to the fortification area. "But," said Ilyin Mitkevich sadly, "the anti-tank mines and barbed wire are not enough." "Utilize all local resources," Kirponos instructed. "Use the metal fence, steel rails, iron beams and iron pipes of the wall. In the city, help the city defense command build barricades." After listening to the opinions of the participants, the commander of the front army walked to the map. "I think," he said, "that our Front must first increase its strength to close the gap south of Vronsky Novosibirsk. This will facilitate our task of destroying Kleist's divisions advancing towards Kyiv." Kirponos is determined to continue the attack with the 5th Army in the Volynsky Novaya area, and to advance against the 6th Army that should carry out an assault northward from the Ignatovka area.At the same time, Potapov should also prepare to launch a surprise attack with part of his troops from the northwest to Zhitomyr and from the north to Radomyshli, so as to attack the lines of communication and rear of the enemy rushing towards Kyiv.The requirement for the commanders of the 6th and 12th armies is to guard the area they currently occupy no matter what.According to the determination of the commander of the front army, the leadership of the 26th Army should be transferred to Pereyaslavli, and it should unite all the troops moving from the rear to the left bank of the Dnieper south of Kyiv. In addition to the two brigades of the 2nd Airborne Army and the 147th Infantry Division, which have been transferred to Kyiv, the troops sent to strengthen the garrison in the fortified area of ​​Kiev also include the 206th Infantry Division. (It's a pity that these two divisions are small in number and poorly equipped, because a considerable part of their forces continue to fight in the encirclement.) The commander reminded everyone that there are still too few troops to carry out an assault on Kleist's army rushing towards Kyiv.But after two or three days, the two infantry divisions transferred from the base camp reserve will begin to arrive.The leadership of the 27th Infantry Corps will command the two divisions.Later on, the 64th Infantry Corps will also arrive.These troops all marched along the railway from the North Caucasus Military District.The commander of the front decided to concentrate the troops that arrived in the following areas: 27th Rifle Corps - northwest of Kyiv; 64th Rifle Corps - southwest of Kyiv.Their current task is to consolidate Kyiv's defenses on both sides of the Kyiv fortified area and prevent the enemy from turning around the two wings. Kirponos asked Pulkayev and me to think how best to use these two corps in coordination with the Tsukiji region army to provide a reliable check on the enemy's divisions advancing on Kyiv. Rear Admiral Rogachev, Commander of the Pinsk District Fleet, was given the task of covering the crossings of the Dnieper River from Kyiv to Kanev, and under no circumstances should the enemy be forced to cross the river. Of particular concern to General Kirponos was the gap in the army's defenses between Fastov's Northwest 6th Army and the fortified area of ​​Kyiv.At present, a mixed detachment composed of the 94th Frontier Defense Corps and the 6th and 16th Motorized Infantry Regiments is defending here.Such a small detachment had to cover an area 70 kilometers wide from Skragilevka to Skrzych.For the time being, there are no troops to reinforce it.The commander was keen to establish a strong reserve behind this weakly covered sector.This is why he ordered to take all measures to reorganize the 6th Infantry Army that was withdrawn to the Baizerkovy area and incorporated into the reserve of the Front Army as soon as possible, and to replenish some personnel and equipment. At the end of his speech, Kirponos decided to transfer the leadership of the 26th Army to Pereyaslavli, and temporarily let it be in charge of all the troops on the left bank of the Dnieper River south of Kyiv. As soon as the commander finished assigning tasks to the ministries, everyone dispersed one after another.我也走到门边，可是基尔波诺斯叫住了我。 “巴格拉米扬同志，您快些做完最迫切的事，然后去基辅筑垒地域，就地熟悉情况，帮助筑垒地域警备长组织较坚固的防御，特别是对坦克防御。必须组织筑垒地域各机枪营与野战军之间的密切协同，组织对防守这一重要地区的全部兵力的稳定指挥。回来后报告筑垒地域的状况和就地采取的措施。” 当我从司令员的小屋走出来时，警报器叫起来了。又空袭了。人们奔向掩蔽工事。房子里只剩下值班人员。我拿了必要的文书，匆匆去通信枢纽，以便给总参谋部发定时的情况报告和决心报告。我由一个掩蔽工事奔向另一个掩蔽工事，已经不指望会碰上哪个报务员：她们大概也会躲起来的。当我走进通信枢纽时，整个房间都由于爆炸震动着，灰泥从天花板上纷纷往下掉。但是，在细绳下晃动着的电灯的照耀下，我看见姑娘们坐在电报机旁，正俯身工作着，手指熟练而迅速地在键盘上移动。 看到这一情景，我不由自主地赞叹起来。她们多么懂得自己的职责啊！平时这些姑娘远远看见不会伤人的老鼠也能吓晕过去，而现在她们却表现出这样大的自制力。 我走到同大本营保持通信联络的那台电报机旁，开始念电报稿。女报务员满有把握地按着键盘。我发完通报后，就急忙回到自己那里。空袭警报已经过去了，四周一片出奇的沉静，通常在暴风雨过后也会这样静。只有刺鼻的浓烟和灰尘、裂开的树、烧毁的汽车和伤员的呻吟，能使人们想起敌人的残酷空袭。 我还来不及检查为集团军拟好的战斗号令和命令，普尔卡耶夫就叫我去了。他心绪很不好。原来刚才莫斯科叫司令员去通话了。大本营认为我们的行动不坚决。根据它的看法，如果第6集团军只以步兵第49军两个被削弱的师和机械化第4军各混成支队向罗曼诺夫卡方向实施突击，那么这一突击是不能达到目的的。因为不但不能封闭防线中的缺口，而且也不能同自己被合围的那个军会合。但是我们又没有别的出路。依靠别尔季切夫附近的那些兵力倒可以增强第6集团军突击集团，但这样就只好减弱我们在这里的压力，而敌人一定会乘机对方面军主力后方实施突击。 “是呀，这风险太大了。”普尔卡耶夫说。“但有什么办法呢？战争中不担风险是不行的。再说命令终归是命令。大本营认为我们应该加强第6集团军。而我们除一个机械化第16军外，什么也没有了。因此，司令员决定把这个军转隶穆济琴科，以使他明天15时能向罗曼诺夫卡实施突击，傍晚在新米罗波尔以北封闭缺口。” “对敌军别尔季切夫集团怎么办？” “奥古尔佐夫集群将仍然在它当面行动。穆济琴科应展开骑兵第14师和摩托化第240师，保障这个集群同他的突击集团之间的接合部。” 参谋长接着说，大本营要求对突向基辅的敌军加强突击。因此司令员命令向波塔波夫重申其明天的任务，即：以各机械化军和步兵第31军坚决继续业已开始的进攻，并加紧准备以步兵第15军由克拉皮夫尼亚、图尔钦卡一线向南沿通往日托米尔的公路，以步兵第87师①由马林向拉多梅什利分别实施突击。其余集团军和基辅筑垒地域的任务不变。 “明白吗，伊万·赫里斯托福罗维奇？那么一小时后把根据这个决心拟制的所有给军队的战斗命令和号令送到我桌子上。快办吧。噢，”他叫住了我，“您看到了国防委员会的新决议吗？已建立了三个总指挥部：西北方向总指挥部由伏罗希洛夫同志指挥，辖北方面军和西北方面军；西方向总指挥部由铁木辛哥同志指挥，辖西方面军；我们西南方向总指挥部由布琼尼同志指挥，辖我们方面军和南方面军，还有黑海舰队。由于这样改编，统帅部大本营已改称总统帅部大本营②。” -------- ①步兵第87师终于从敌人合围圈中突围，并参与抗击法西斯分子对基辅的进攻。 ②总统帅部大本营又于同年8月8日改称最高统帅部大本营。 ——Translator's Note. 普尔卡耶夫沉思了片刻。然后充满信心地说： “我想，这样情况会有好转。谢苗·米哈伊洛维奇·布琼尼将靠近我们，军队指挥的效率将会更高。” 晚上七点多钟，我向参谋长报告了新的战役训令草案。这一文书得到了军事委员会的批准，并发到了军队。