Chapter 33 4.Trap Threat Crest

On November 16, Timoshenko, accompanied by some generals and officers, arrived at the headquarters of the Kamensk-Shakhtinsky Southern Front.We arrived by train because the weather forecast said it was not suitable for flying. "Why haven't you turned to the offensive yet?" This was the first question the commander-in-chief asked the commander-in-chief of the front army during the meeting. "Didn't you receive our report?" General Cherevichenko asked strangely. "It seems that you are already on your way, so you didn't see the report." The commander of the front army reported that not all the troops of the first echelon had had time to occupy the starting position.In the 37th Army, a total of only one tank brigade moved to the designated location.The weather was bad again—rainy and foggy, with low clouds.Not even a single combat aircraft could take off.

Cherevichenko went on to say that this morning, General Koroteyev, commander of the 12th Army, reported that the Germans had turned to attack in Donbass.But Koroteyev has no reserves.It is difficult to foresee what will happen there. "I don't think you can attack recklessly in that situation." The commander-in-chief himself understood that the situation was indeed not very favorable, so he quietly listened to the reasons of the commander of the front army.But he reproached: "Time waits for no one, Comrade Cherevichenko. You are thinking that it will be easier later? We cannot wait for Kleist to recover and attack us. By then, the attack will be too late. It will have to be carried out again. Resisted..." He was silent for a while, then asked:

"What about Koroteyev's place?" "His situation is very difficult: the enemy has broken through the front and is rushing towards Wuyi City. Judging from Koroteyev's report, the divisions I was assaulted fought back fiercely, while slowly and well organized retreat." "What measures have been taken?" "I have ordered the transfer of the 261st Infantry Division from Wuyi City to support Koroteye husband. " "That's too little." The commander-in-chief sighed. "I have to think about it and give him Division 218." "But this is my last reserve team!"

"There's nothing you can do about it," said the Commander-in-Chief flatly. "We cannot start a major offensive while leaving an unsecured rear behind us. If we do not stabilize the situation at the junction of the two fronts now, the shock groups of your fronts may be flanked... Therefore, we will Suffer even greater sacrifices." He turned to me and ordered: "You inform Comrade Bogin that I order: Transfer the Bychkovsky Cavalry Corps from the 6th Army to the 12th Army. I hope Malinovs Ki can hold on without it ... well, it's over. Go ahead with your report, Comrade Cherevichenko."

The commander of the front approached the large map hanging on the wall.He said in a low but very clear voice that the Southern Front faced the German 17th Field Army and the 1st Tank Army had overall strength and weapon superiority, especially tank superiority.In the face of our 12th and 18th armies, the enemy concentrated nine infantry divisions (whose numbers greatly exceeded the number of our army) in the first echelon alone to deal with the seven infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions of these two armies.In this way, the Hitlerites are fully capable of attacking here, and in the face of the 12th Army, they have already begun to attack.The 18th Army may also be attacked.Even in the direction of Schacht, where we are preparing to attack, the balance of forces is not entirely in our favour.Here, Kleist currently has at least six to seven divisions (two to three tank divisions inside) to deal with the eleven unevenly filled infantry divisions, four cavalry divisions and four a tank brigade.But the latest reconnaissance intelligence confirmed that he was moving his troops hastily to the south.That is to say, the enemy no longer made a surprise attack to the northeast, but turned his troops directly on Rostov... "That's the problem," interrupted the commander-in-chief. "That's why we are rushing to attack. If Kleist charges at Remezov's army, it may not be able to sustain it, and Rostov will fall into the enemy's hands."

However, Cherevichenko reported that the basic force of the front assault group has not yet been concentrated in the starting area of ​​​​the offensive.Only the 96th and 99th Infantry Divisions are fully prepared, while the 51st and 253rd Infantry Divisions are approaching the starting area.Of the four tank brigades incorporated into the 37th Army, only the 3rd and 132nd tank brigades were ready to attack. The 142nd Tank Brigade has not yet reached the 37th Army, and there are no intact tanks in the 2nd Tank Brigade.In this way, there are only ninety-two tanks that can immediately participate in the attack.A total of 235 pieces of artillery were mobilized to support the attack of the 37th Army.The 18th Army has two infantry divisions, and the 9th Army has an infantry division and a cavalry division, which are respectively prepared to support the 37th Army's operations; the second echelon of the assault group has only General Hollen's cavalry army and a brigade of the NKVD .The 35th and 36th Cavalry Divisions of the Army had a total of only 3,000 cavalry, 87 machine guns, 10 artillery pieces of various calibers, and 80 mortars...

-------- ① This figure does not include 45mm anti-tank guns and 80mm mortars. "Yes," said the Commander-in-Chief, "a little less force..." He smiled. "But what kind of army is this! It is an army that has been tempered in constant battles, and is indomitable. . . Yes. Have you estimated the approximate troop strength comparison?" "yes." Cherevichenko cited information held by his command.In terms of infantry, our assault group has a slight advantage, in terms of artillery, we have a small advantage, tanks are more enemies than us.As for the air force, the strength of the two sides is roughly equal.We have seventy-two fighters, one hundred and nineteen bombers and thirteen attack planes.The enemy has about 100 fighters and more than 60 bombers in the area of ​​operation of our assault group.

"But consider," said the general, "that we have mobilized all we can, and that the enemy can reinforce Kleist's Army with aviation by maneuvering from other directions. As you can see, Attacking will not be easy." "We just have to fight with equal forces! Otherwise fascist propaganda will continue to brag to the world that their army is invincible. Let's see, when we have equal forces and even smaller tanks than them What tune will they sing when they are defeated. We should try our best to make our commanders and fighters understand not only the military significance of the current campaign, but also its political significance."

D. P. Kornietz, a member of the Military Council of the Southern Front, said that the political staff had received instructions in this regard. "Then, let's clarify the mission of the assault group." Commander-in-Chief ordered. The commander of the front army opened the note book and began to talk about the basic tasks of the attacking troops.The 18th Army should attack in the general direction of Dyakovo and Dmitrievka with two infantry divisions on its left flank.The two divisions were to reach the Mius River within the first four days.The 37th Army should carry out an assault with all six infantry divisions and three tank brigades of its own from Daryevka and Dolzhanskaya in the general direction of Veliko Krepinskaya, that is, to the south.The task of these armies is: with the cooperation of the 9th and 18th armies, destroy Kleist's resistance forces and advance to the Tuzlov River at the end of the fourth day of the offensive.The 9th Army will cooperate with the Assault Group on the left, with an infantry division and a cavalry division on its right flank to attack in the general direction of Novshakhtinsk and Borderevka, that is, the rear of the enemy defended by the 37th Army.In the second echelon, behind the battle formation of the 37th Army, two divisions of the Hollen Cavalry Corps were concentrated.As soon as our attacking army occupies the Dyakovo-Grinfeld line, this corps, reinforced by a brigade from the NKVD and tanks, should enter the battle directly at the junction of the 37th and 18th armies.The task of this fast group is: advance rapidly due west, carry out an assault on the flank of the enemy's Kistyakovo group, and contain the group, so as to protect our attacking troops from the impact from the west.

"So," Cherevichenko summed up, "our entire force was mobilized, and almost nothing was left in my reserves. This is our main weakness: in case of trouble, we can only attacking divisions to influence the course of the battle." After Cherevichenko finished talking about the tasks assigned to the air force, he briefly reported how the commanders of the various armies drew up their own offensive plans. The commander-in-chief asked the head of the front army how to organize the logistical support of the attack.Cherevichenko replied that the assault group had the necessary amount of ammunition and fuel.In order to send supplies forward and evacuate the wounded, 380 vehicles, 30 tractors and 20 ambulances were provided to the 37th Army.In terms of material technology, the offense can be considered as secured.

The Commander-in-Chief concluded the meeting with satisfaction: "In that case, comrades, you now have no good reason to postpone the attack. Begin at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, at the latest at nine o'clock." The commander-in-chief hurriedly finished his lunch and went to the 37th Army.The army headquarters is twenty-five kilometers from Kamensk-Shakhtinsky.In less than an hour, we were sitting in a large room listening to Major General A. A. Lopatin's report.Almost all the leaders of the group army have arrived.I was very pleased to see H. C. Popov, member of the Military Council and division commissar.He served in this role first with the 6th Army and then with the 37th Army defending Kyiv.He passed all the tests without incident and is now leading the political work of the rebuilt 37th Army.Sitting next to him was the Chief of Staff, Colonel A. C. Varennikov, who I also knew very well.When the 26th Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Kostenko, he headed the army headquarters. If Popov and Varennikov had been at the head of the army since the first days of the war, it was the first time that the commander of the army, Anton Ivanovich Lopatin, held such a position. duty.I know that Lopatin succeeded General Alekseev as the commander of the 6th Infantry Army of the 26th Army at the end of August, and led the rest of his troops to break through.Now the glory of leading an army rested upon him, and on this army the commander-in-chief rested all his hopes of the attack.Lopatin showed himself to be a brave, determined and tenacious man.And it is precisely these qualities that the Commander-in-Chief values ​​most in evaluating a military chief. Lopatin was short and stocky, with broad shoulders.The big head was clean-shaven, the face was well-proportioned, but everything seemed too big--the nose with its pronounced protruding bone, the well-shaped lips, the thick eyebrows above the big bright eyes.His whole appearance looked resolute and powerful. Lopatin spoke in a low voice and in no hurry.He said that despite the lack of time, he still obtained very detailed enemy information through various reconnaissance.The deployment of troops and weapons of the enemy in front of the group army has been ascertained.3035 letters of soldiers and officers, 49 books of various kinds, 340 copies of German newspapers and magazines were seized and studied.In this way, not only can we have a very accurate understanding of the combat formation, defensive nature and the plan of the headquarters of the enemy troops in front of us, but also the emotions of the fascist officers and soldiers can be accurately understood. Through the analysis of the obtained information, it can be inferred that De Kou did not expect us to attack.The intense engineering work carried out by the Soviets along the front borne fruit: the Hitlerites believed that we were hastily strengthening our defenses. Judging from the reconnaissance intelligence, the SS "Wiking" motorized division and units belonging to the 16th tank division were able to resist the 37th Army on the first day of the offensive. After that, other troops from Kleist will come. The general accurately stated all the most important support points of the enemy, introduced the characteristics of the commanders of the German divisions in front of him, and pointed out the combat strength of these troops and the calculated comparison of the strength of the two sides.His conclusions are consistent with those of the commander of the front army. Lopatin particularly emphasized the difficulty of overcoming the enemy's defense: it was necessary to fight against a large number of tanks hidden underground.It would take a great deal of artillery to destroy them, but in total only two hundred and thirty-five pieces could be mobilized: 104 own and 131 reinforcements.There were only ten or twelve gates per kilometer of offensive front, and not even more than fifteen gates in the main direction.Since the artillery density was apparently too low, the army commander asked for aviation support: aviation should largely make up for the lack of artillery. -------- ① At that time, fifty to sixty guns per kilometer of the front were regarded as the standard density required to break through the enemy's defenses in the main direction.At the end of the war, the standard density often reached more than 200 to 250 doors per kilometer of front. The terrain of the future offensive zone is open and forest-free.This requires special attention to air defense and camouflage.The head of the group army and the headquarters must strictly supervise: the concentration and shift change of the army should only be carried out at night, and the vehicles should turn off the headlights.All technical weapons are carefully camouflaged. The army commander, speaking of his own troops, complained that all four infantry divisions, which were supposed to attack first tomorrow, were too few in number.Their number is between 2,600 and 3,500 (or 11,000 according to regulations).The two second echelon divisions had very little artillery. (Hopes for artillery from the headquarters reserve had been dashed, as all reserve artillery and tanks were transferred to form a new Army Group for the Moscow counteroffensive.) Colonel Varennikov, Chief of Staff of the Army Group, reported on the planning of the offensive campaign.The total depth of the campaign was eighty to one hundred kilometers.In the first four days, from November 17 to 20, the group army should smash the enemy's forces in front of it, advance 50 to 55 kilometers southward, until it reaches the Tuzlov River, and then turn to the southwest. At the end it reached the Mius River throughout the offensive zone.Thereafter, the campaign can develop according to different scenarios, which depend mainly on the actions of the enemy.If Kleist's main force is divided, organize an encirclement; if they escape the Mius River, develop an attack west of the river. The chief of staff talked in detail about the tasks of each infantry division in the first and second echelons, especially the use of tank corps.The two most fully populated tank brigades (3rd and 132nd tank brigades) were attached to the 96th and 253rd infantry divisions attacking in the main direction of assault, while the third least numerous brigade (only a few tanks in total) was reserved for reserve team.The commander of the 96th Infantry Division used his tanks in this way: each first echelon infantry regiment strengthened a tank battalion, and the remaining tank battalions were reserved as the division commander's reserve.The commander of the 253rd Infantry Division decided to use the tanks in another way.He gave the tank brigade an independent task - to coordinate with the 981st Infantry Regiment to destroy the enemy's Greenfield resistance hub (where the plan required the cavalry to enter the engagement), and to cover the cavalry from possible enemy attacks from the southeast. When the enemy's defense is successfully developed in depth, all tank brigades will be used in coordination with the cavalry corps to carry out far-reaching surprise attacks on the German rear. The Commander-in-Chief agreed with the general intent of the campaign, but cautioned: "Remember, comrades, that we have far fewer tanks than Kleist, and therefore we should take good care of them and not use them in battle without careful reconnaissance of the terrain and of the enemy's tank defenses. To make Each tank should be covered by at least one or two artillery pieces. Since the enemy's defenses are some independent support points, tanks should not be put into the frontal impact on the fortifications. Let the tank soldiers avoid conflicts with the enemy's counter-attack tanks. If the fascists Molecules carry out an intensive tank counter-attack, which means to fight from the cover with accurate in-situ fire, and then defeat the enemy in a counter-attack. Do not forget that we have no tanks in our reserves and cannot expect to be replenished. Now Moscow itself We are also in a difficult situation and cannot help us at the moment. The director of artillery of the group army reported on the organization of artillery support.Several artillery groups have been established.Part of the battalion and regiment artillery and the anti-tank artillery attached to the regiments of the first echelon were organized into the artillery group supporting the tank.One or two artillery battalions were assigned to each infantry regiment attacking in the main direction, forming artillery groups to support the infantry.Each infantry division had its own artillery group consisting of guard mortars ("Katyusha") and part of the divisional artillery.The group army's long-range artillery group includes the 266th Artillery Regiment, the 8th Artillery Regiment and the Calibration Aircraft Squadron. This puts the essential part of the artillery in the hands of the army commanders and division commanders, which eases the difficulty of artillery maneuvers, which is important given our lack of artillery.Marshal Timoshenko fully endorsed such a plan.At the same time, he did not forget to mention the latest instructions of the Supreme Command on the combat use of artillery.Experience has proved that when the artillery of regiments and divisions is firing, shrapnel can do twice as much damage to infantry as anti-personnel grenades.Therefore, shrapnel should account for one-fifth of the ammunition base.The Commander-in-Chief also reminded everyone that 76mm shrapnel shells can penetrate armor up to 30mm thick when used for assault. The Marshal struggled to juggle all aspects of the attack.He attached great importance to the engineering support of the campaign.At that time, it was necessary to ensure the concealment of the changing deployment and concentration of the army, use obstacles to cover the gaps between the two wings of the group army and the divisions, organize the construction of fortifications to deceive the enemy, ensure the forcible crossing of the four rivers and the demining of roads and bridges during the offensive, and use landmines. Covering artillery firing positions close to the ground.The twelve engineer battalions organized by the group army were unable to complete such a large workload.Some infantry units had to be allocated to support them. The commander-in-chief listened to the report of the members of the military committee of the group army with great interest.Division political commissar Popov emphasized that the commanders and fighters will actually participate in a large-scale offensive for the first time.It is necessary to change the mental state in a short period of time, stimulate people's offensive spirit (this is especially important for those fighters who have not participated in combat), and eliminate the fear of tanks, because some people think that fascist tanks are innumerable.To this end, the political organs of the group army printed and distributed tens of thousands of leaflets introducing the heroic deeds of the battle not long ago and instructions for fighting fascist tanks, and pointed out the weak points of enemy tanks in the instructions.Appeals to the defenders of Moscow from the soldiers of the 37th Army were adopted at some rallies, calling on them to smash the enemy and drive the fascist monsters out of the Soviet Union.During the discussion of the appeal letter, it was found that the commanders and fighters were all elated when they heard the news of the upcoming attack. "It's time to teach the Hitlerites a lesson," said the soldiers. "Let the fascists run in the cold." The conversation at the army headquarters continued into the night.From all indications, the commander-in-chief was satisfied with the situation.When bidding farewell to Lopatin, Timoshenko warned: "Be careful, Anton Ivanovitch, and don't throw shells into no-man's land. What if the enemy outmaneuvered us and withdrew his army a few kilometers at night?" "It can't use tricks." The army commander assured. "We conduct combat reconnaissance at dawn, and then decide whether to prepare for artillery fire." Despite the late hour, the Marshal went to the headquarters of the Ninth Army.General Kharitonov was busy when we arrived.He was giving final instructions for tomorrow's attack. "Hello, how are you doing?" asked the Commander-in-Chief. "Everything is ready. Both divisions are waiting for the signal." The marshal asked for the most important details of the attack, and asked about the mood of the people. Kharitonov answered all the questions in detail, and said that the commanders and fighters were in high spirits, and everyone was full of confidence in victory. We didn't get back to Southern Front headquarters until early in the morning.The remaining rest time is no more than two hours.But, despite everyone's tiredness, by nine o'clock in the morning, everyone was up again. Cherevichenko looked outside and cursed: drizzle was falling behind low-hanging clouds, and there was a thick fog all around.Couldn't get the aviation unit to take off, so had to stop using it. Marshal Timoshenko waved his hand resolutely: "We're going to attack anyway. We can't just wait!" The 37th Army reported: The reconnaissance detachments had advanced six to eight kilometers before 6:30 in the morning, and reached the Nagolinaya River and the large town of Karpovo-Klepinskoye, where they were blocked. Cherevichenko was delighted.The reconnaissance detachment has completed its task.It has been found that the enemy is fortifying along the line of the Nagolinaya River.The Fascists had failed to fool us and induce us to prepare artillery fire on the eight-kilometer-wide no-man's-land from which our scouts had just driven the German combat alert.Cherevichenko contacted the commanders of the various groups and reiterated the order: the offensive will not be postponed. At 9:40, the commander of the 37th Army reported: "After 30 minutes of artillery preparation, the 96th, 253rd, 99th, and 51st Infantry Divisions, supported by the 3rd and 132nd Tank Brigades, began to attack." The two generals of Erpakchi also sent similar reports.The shock was not supported by aviation.This complicates matters: Kleist can maneuver with tanks and motorized troops without worrying about air confrontation. The commander-in-chief was engrossed in the progress of Rostov's offensive, so he stopped asking about the situation on the northern flank for the time being, and sent his deputy where to go.However, this sector still appears to be more disturbing to Headquarters than the attack already launched near Rostov.This is a matter of course.If there is a danger on the north wing of the Southwest Front Army, the situation in the south of the capital will immediately deteriorate: Guderian will not feel the threat from the south, so he will pounce on Moscow with all his strength. We had not had time to collect the first reports of the results of the shock to Kleist's army when General Boggin wired me the contents of an urgent telegram from the Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief.After Shaposhnikov informed of the growing danger at the junction of the Western and Southwestern Fronts, on behalf of the headquarters he asked Timoshenko to launch an assault on the enemy on the northern flank of his army.For this reason, the 239th and 299th infantry divisions and the 108th tank division have been transferred to the 3rd Army.Shaposhnikov insisted on redeploying the aviation of the Southwest Front to support the attack.This request stumped Timoshenko. "I have already reported that I will use most of the Southwest Front's air forces to support the attack near Rostov!" He returned the telegram to me and ordered, "You tell Bogin to report to Shaposhniko immediately." Please remind me." The commander-in-chief did not allow the commander of the Southern Front to have a moment of peace.The latter spent the whole day on the phone with the commanders of the various armies and their headquarters, asking them to report the results of the attack.The answer of the army commanders was simple: the army was advancing.We know from experience that there are reports that are less specific only when the shock is slow to develop. At this time, disturbing reports came from General Remezov. "Kleist transferred the offensive to the junction of the 317th and 353rd Infantry Divisions, and developed an offensive from the north towards the general direction of Veliky Saray and Rostov." "That's what I'm worried about!" Timoshenko said angrily after reading the report. "I have told Remezov more than once: You must strengthen your right flank. For his part, he always proves that Kleist will attack on the left flank along the Taganrog-Rostov road. Look, now the enemy is precisely We stormed at the place where Remezov deployed his weakest troops. Now what are we going to use to stop Kleist's tanks? Remezov's shallow reserves consist of only the 31st infantry division and the 6th tank brigade. This is too little .” Thus we failed to preempt Kleist, who, ignoring the threat from the north, threw himself on Rostov as a hungry dog ​​on a bone.Can we grab him by the tail in time to hold him back?To do this, the 37th Army had to push hard to his rear.However, rapid progress has not yet been achieved. In the afternoon, General Lopatin reported that his divisions had advanced six to ten kilometers to the south and were now engaged in a battle to capture the two strongholds of Greenfield and Darino-Yermakovsky.After all, this is the result of the battle: the 37th Army has wedged itself into the enemy's defenses. The development of the war with Lopatin's friends and neighbors was not so smooth.The divisions of the 18th Army advanced three to four kilometers before they encountered the strong hub of Dyakovo.All attacks were unsuccessful. The Ninth Army is also standing still for the time being.Kharitonov acted very uncertainly.It seemed that the attack by Kleist's divisions on his left flank had irritated him. The Commander-in-Chief communicated with Kharitonov's headquarters by "Bodo" ​​telegraph.The conversation was sharp.The marshal did not read the report of the commander of the group army, and angrily dictated a message to the pilot: "You did not carry out today's order. Please note that in a few hours you will receive an order to determine tomorrow's mission. Do not let the enemy be peaceful even at night. Go around the fortification points. Why are you blocked by them? From Take them from the rear. Note that the 37th Army is going to take Barilo-Klepinskaya tomorrow, and your army should help it. After a while, a reply came: "The mission is clear. Today we will capture Bordlevka. Take Daryevka by night." In this way, the first day of the offensive failed to achieve the expected results, but at this time the situation deteriorated sharply.The commander of the 12th Army reported that the enemy was continuing to advance towards Wuyi City after wedging 15 kilometers into our defense at the junction of the 15th and 230th Infantry Divisions.The Bychkovsky Cavalry Corps and the 218th Infantry Division transferred from the Front Reserve had not yet reached the breakthrough area.So the situation is still dangerous. Reports from General Remezov were even more disturbing.He said that in the afternoon more than 100 enemy tanks broke into Veliky Saray, 12 kilometers north of Rostov.However, the fascist infantry had been cut off from the tanks, holding them back.Remezov claimed that he tried to destroy the intruding enemy tanks at night with the 6th Tank Brigade and some anti-tank destroyers. The commander-in-chief shook his head and said: "It's a duel between David and Goliath①. He wants to use thirty tanks to destroy a hundred German tanks overnight! Tell him, I advise him to send as many anti-tank artillery and anti-tank destroyers as possible Go to Big Sare. Try to stop them in this area before our army can advance to Kleist's rear. Even if we hold them for a few days. In this way, Kleist could not care about Rostov. " -------- ① Goliath is a giant of the Philistines in the biblical legend, who was killed in a duel with the young David (King of Israel). ——Translator's Note. It is clear that tomorrow will be tougher for city defenders. Timoshenko ordered Cherevichenko to convey the following request to the commanders of the various armies: From the morning of November 18, the onslaught will be strengthened, and before the end of the day, it will not enter the Zuo Tuzlov River as planned, but Much farther, into the Milerovo, Denisovo-Alekseyevka, Barilo-Klepinskaya lines in order to break into the rear of the German 14th Motorized Army Corps. After Moscow learned that the commander-in-chief was still on the left wing of the Southern Front, he became anxious.In yet another telegram it sent, it said: "The headquarters asks you to personally intervene in the security of the right wing and put it in place." That is to say: "Leave the Rostov offensive to Cherevichenko and rush to your own The army went to the northern flank. But the commander-in-chief decided that he could not go until the prospect of an offensive was certain. He ordered that a telegram be drawn up to Stalin explaining his stay in the Rostov area and requesting that he be allowed to stay there. On the second day, the course of the engagement was still unclear: the attacking army fought bitterly along the way, advancing slowly and being held up for a long time near some settlements where the enemy had prepared defenses. The left-wing divisions of the 18th Army stayed in the area for a long time when they rounded Dyakovo from the east and west.The divisions of the 37th Army advanced a few kilometers further south, while the Ninth Army continued to stand still.Kharitonov finally failed to fulfill his promise to capture Daryevka in night battles. Lopatin was worried that the offensive would come to a complete standstill, so he asked the commanders of the divisions not to linger near the residential areas, but to make a detour, and they could only attack by surprise from the rear. At this time, the situation of the defenders of Rostov worsened.As the commander-in-chief had speculated, the German tanks that broke into the Grand Saray were not eliminated overnight.In the morning, one tank group was advancing towards the northern outskirts of Rostov, and another was advancing towards the rear of the divisions defending west of the city. Remezov took resolute measures - throwing his reserves into the field of battle.The enemy retreated to Grand Saray after losing thirty-five tanks.In order to cheer Remezov up, the marshal called him to receive a direct telegram, informing him of the development of the assault group offensive of the Southern Front: "From tomorrow morning, the enemy will be in a serious crisis. It will transfer all forces north or start Withdraw west, so it's all up to you. Hold on to the enemy by the tail. Try to contain him with aviation. Don't let the enemy's tank superiority confuse you." Remezov replied: Unfortunately, due to bad weather, he could not use aviation, so he could only use infantry and artillery to harass Kleist's tank troops.All measures are being taken to prevent the entry of enemy troops into Rostov.Now he brought in the 347th Rifle Division from the Don side, which was to be deployed on the northern outskirts of the city in the early hours of November 19. Kleist's divisions rushed to Rostov to make the base camp anxious.Now Shaposhnikov no longer insisted that the commander-in-chief leave the Southern Front.In addition, he also informed on November 19 that the decision to transfer several divisions from the Western Front to attack the 3rd Army of the Southwest Front would be revoked. Therefore, the commander-in-chief did not have to go to the northern flank, and he could direct Rostov to attack. of the expansion. The battle is getting fiercer.Both the commander-in-chief and the commander of the Southern Front became convinced that the most resolute steps were needed to bring about a turning point in the course of the offensive. I had expressed my thoughts the day before about changing the mission of A. A. Holland's cavalry.According to the plan, the corps was to attack to the west, that is, to the rear of the enemy's divisions defending against the 18th Army.For us, it is important to smash the resistance of the enemy's main assault force-the 37th Army as soon as possible.So I came up with an idea: let the cavalry army not go west, but go southeast, that is, to attack the rear of those units that the German Motorized 14th Army continued to desperately resist my 37th Army. Yesterday, the Commander-in-Chief also thought that this suggestion was inappropriate, so he did not agree.Now, the development of the war forced him to look at the problem with another eye.Therefore, the Marshal decided to change the mission of the cavalry corps: withdraw it to Milerovo, Denisovsky, Denisovo-Alekseevka area of ​​Russia, and strengthen a tank brigade, order it to To the east Barilo-Klepinskaya advances.The 66th Cavalry Division of the Ninth Army and the 142nd Tank Brigade should advance against the Cavalry Army and attack the enemy.Once these troops entered the rear of the German motorized 14th Army, the army would be wiped out.The commander-in-chief also ordered the transfer of the 295th Infantry Division to the junction of the 18th and 37th Army Groups to protect the cavalry from assaults from the west. Timoshenko began to steadfastly carry out this attempt.He telephoned the commander of the Ninth Army and asked him to send the cavalry division and the tank brigade to Agrafenovka immediately.The army commander said the 66th cavalry division and the 142nd tank brigade had entered the battle.The enemy they face is very strong and has many tanks. The Commander-in-Chief wouldn't let him finish. "Don't count the enemy's strength, but think about how to destroy them. Immediately transfer the cavalry division and tank brigade to Agrafenovka. The cavalry corps will also move in this direction." "Understood," replied the other side, "I will move to Agrafenovka." I was present at this conversation, and I understand Kharitonov's feelings very well.The commander-in-chief ordered him to attack west, while enemy tanks were rounding the left flank of his army.Naturally, the army commander was thinking of moving cavalry divisions and tank brigades there.Transferring them to Agrafenovka was too risky, he thought.But it is impossible not to take risks in war. After talking with Kharitonov, the commander-in-chief then called the commander of the 37th Army to receive a direct telegram, explaining to him the attempt to move the cavalry army into the battle from a new direction. "Understood," the commander of the group army was very excited, "we worked hard to transfer the cavalry corps to the predetermined area after dark, so that it can carry out assaults on the enemy's rear from there. At the same time, the 295th Infantry Division was transferred there. " The commander-in-chief thought for a moment, and ordered. "There is no need to wait until it gets dark. Thick fog will cover up changes in deployment. The cavalry and infantry divisions must be advanced immediately." Remezov reported that the fighting near Rostov had not ceased.Today it managed to repel the attack of the 14th German Tank Division, which attempted to break into the town of Aksyskaya and cut off Rostov from the east.The commander of the group army had to hastily change the deployment of troops. Why did Kleist pounce on Rostov like a madman, regardless of the obvious threat that the assault group of our southern front in the north will kill his army?This is obviously a risky move.The only explanation for this reluctance is that the victories of the first months of the war had gone to the head of Hitler's generals. Frankly speaking, we had a high evaluation of both the fascist reconnaissance and the commander-in-chief insight of the German leader.We are surprised that Kleist would be so reckless in the trap.直到战后，我在读希特勒陆军总参谋长哈尔德的日记时才确信，不仅克莱斯特，而且法西斯最高统帅部都未料到罗斯托夫附近德军所遭到的威胁。恰恰在11月19日，哈尔德在自己的日记中沾沾自喜地写道：“总的看，又是顺利的一天。克莱斯特坦克集团军正顺利向罗斯托夫进攻。”而情况却未给克莱斯特集团军预示任何顺利。 这天，我们总司令的企图开始实现了。在第37集团军右翼进入交战的骑兵军和步兵第295师，一边摧破敌人的顽抗，一边向前推进，迂回到季亚科沃和沿纳戈利纳亚河防守的德军部队后方。 希特勒分子拚命挣扎。这天步兵第96师部队打得很艰苦。其右翼步兵第209团打退了敌人每次都有二十辆左右坦克参加的三次反冲击。在争夺皮萨纳亚高地战斗中，沙特罗夫斯基中尉炮兵连的炮手们英勇作战，推出火炮实施直接瞄准射击，承受着十六辆坦克的突击，击毁了其中九辆。 敌人的反冲击迟滞了第37集团军各师的前进，于是洛帕京决定把自己最后的预备步兵第216师所属两个团投入战斗。但是，直到霍伦将军的骑兵在坦克随伴下出现于米列罗沃地域，情况才发生变化。他们向法西斯部队后方的迅猛推进，使希特勒分子再也支持不住了。我航空兵此日出动约四百架次，对退却之敌展开追击。 德军第14军地带防御开始崩溃，并未使克莱斯特清醒过来。他继续疯狂扑向罗斯托夫。为了切断列梅佐夫将军所部退路，克莱斯特于11月20日向阿克赛斯卡亚镇、罗斯托夫北郊和红戈罗德萨德投入了三个大的坦克群。法西斯分子损失了三分之一战斗车辆，但终于突入罗斯托夫市。火车站落入德军摩托化步兵手中。列梅佐夫报告，他的集团军已被分为两半：炮校支队、骑兵第68师、步兵第317师余部且战且退至新切尔卡斯克，步兵第343、353师以及步兵第31师余部在市内进行战斗，力图打开一条通往顿河渡口的道路。集团军司令员和军事委员会、司令部都与这个集群在一起。沙波什尼科夫给他发去了无线电报，令其组织环形防御，坚持到底。 法西斯最高统帅部力图牵制我各预备队，并以此减轻克莱斯特夺取罗斯托夫的困难，在其他地段加紧猛攻。11月19日，希特勒分子夺取了季姆市，向五一城猛扑。敌人在我方面军和西方面军接合部的猛攻并未减弱。这就迫使总司令暂时让切列维琴科将军全面负责继续进攻，自己则返回西南方面军司令部。 11月21日凌晨，我们到了沃罗涅日。在这里，我得知我的忠实战友扎赫瓦塔耶夫上校作为我的副部长走过由边界开始的全部历程后，已去莫斯科了。我很惋惜失去了如此难得的助手，但我又为他高兴：他是前去接任第19集团军参谋长职务的。他面前的道路无限宽广。 到沃罗涅日后，总司令就打电话同第40集团军司令员波德拉斯将军联系。 “怎么搞的，敌人夺占了季姆？”元帅问。“看来你们的侦察很差。” “要在全线都很强是不可能的。”波德拉斯将军辩解道。 “我们在一个地点固守，敌人在另一个地点冲上来，就这么的发生了意外。” “消极的人永远是挨打的。”总司令反驳说。“您是等着人家来打自己，要先发制人才行。” 然后，总司令和科斯坚科将军大约谈了两小时。科斯坚科安慰他，同西方面军接合部的态势已略趋稳定。 下午，军事委员会详细讨论了我们方向战斗行动发展的总前景。经过交换意见后，定下了如下决心：在我们结束罗斯托夫进攻以前，先在西南方面军北翼着手准备新的进攻战役，它应达到两个重要目的：阻止古德里安南翼军队向莫斯科推进，同时可靠掩护我右翼免遭北面的迂回。于是产生了战役初步计划，我们将在后面谈谈这个战役。 现在我们回头谈谈罗斯托夫方向的战事。11月21日16时，列梅佐夫将军报告，他的军队已放弃罗斯托夫市，履冰到达顿河南岸。这一消息使大家都发了愁。我们相信，克莱斯特不会庆祝胜利多久，他自己很快就要落入陷阱，不过，“顿河瑰宝”罗斯托夫落入敌手这件事，却使我们愁得心都发紧了。第37集团军虽然又推进了十五公里，但它取得的战果在这一灾难的映衬下也显得有些黯然失色了。当我们向总司令报告此事时，他只是挥了挥手： “迟了！克莱斯特已进了罗斯托夫……”但他马上用拳头捶了一下桌子：“不过我们要给他个厉害看看！” 的确，克莱斯特没有什么可高兴的。他闯进罗斯托夫，好似逮住了一只熊而现在又不知道如何躲开它的猎人：南方面军突击集群不断增强力量从西北面猛攻，第56集团军则仍在东面对峙，也随时可能实施反突击。 在这样的情况中，法西斯统帅部会采取什么措施呢？如果克莱斯特再在罗斯托夫坐等，那么陷阱就会关闭，元首也就会少一个坦克集团军了…… 总司令担心法西斯分子猛醒而弃城西逃，便命令切列维琴科将军把第37集团军全部兵力调往大克列平斯卡亚，加速南下。当时根本没有考虑转向罗斯托夫的问题：总司令不相信克莱斯特会那么蠢，会服服帖帖地等着陷阱关闭。列梅佐夫集团军的处境并未使我们担心，因为在那种情况下，只有疯子才会决定去进攻它。同时，尽管莫斯科附近的态势严重，大本营仍在这天决定给列梅佐夫三个新锐步兵师和三个步兵旅。总司令不满意。他认为（这是非常有道理的）各预备队应在南方面军突击集团的进攻地带进入交战。这样才能给克莱斯特集团军带来更加具有毁灭性的后果。 法西斯军事当局向全世界吹嘘自己“新的伟大胜利”。希特勒为夺占罗斯托夫给了克莱斯特重赏，克莱斯特力图报答这一赏赐。无论是希特勒大本营还是德国陆军总参谋部都深信，克莱斯特战绩辉煌。那里不认为我们的进攻有什么特殊意义。哈尔德日记中的记载雄辩地证明了这点：“看来，对我军来说，不存在特别的危险。不过，如果德军长官和军队能够经受住这些猛攻并到达顿河弯曲部，那他们就算不愧对这一高度评价了。”