Chapter 2756: Searching for Vlasov
Sokov's heart sank suddenly. In the current situation, missing means sacrifice or capture. Zhukov and Dyubro were fine, but Romanov was different. He was an important historical figure in later generations. If something happened to him, it might have an uncontrollable impact on future history.
After a short silence, Sokov asked again unwillingly: "Did you really not see Romanov?"
Chulsin was stunned, thinking why Captain Sokov was so concerned about a new recruit who had just joined the army? Could it be because the other party broke out of Kiev together and had a deep relationship with each other? But then he thought, that's not right. Second Lieutenant Zhukov, Dyubro, and Air Force Lieutenant Yegor also escaped from Kiev together. Why did he just ask these people a casual question and stop asking?
With such doubts, Chulsin asked curiously: "Comrade Captain, why do you care so much about Romanov?"
Sokov was stunned by Chulsin's words. When he was thinking about how to answer, Lieutenant Konstantin came over and said to Sokov: "Comrade Captain, the newly withdrawn comrades basically did not carry dry food. Do you think we should let our soldiers share some with them?"
"Lieutenant, this is right." Sokov thought that it would take a long time to completely escape the encirclement. He couldn't be partial to some and let these newly joined soldiers starve, so he decisively said: "Give half of the dry food we carry to the new comrades. When they are full, we will continue on our way."
When the new soldiers were sitting by the lake drinking water and eating, Vlasov walked up to Sokov and asked: "Captain Sokov, , there are only so few people left around us, do you think we have a chance to jump out of the German encirclement? "
Faced with the question raised by Vlasov, Sokov was silent for a moment, and then said: "Comrade Commander, the soldiers around us come from different units, and they have just lost the battle, and they are probably in a state of low morale. In addition, there is a shortage of ammunition. If we want to fight the Germans head-on, I am afraid that the whole army will be annihilated. Therefore, we must find a way to avoid the enemy and jump out of the gap in the enemy's encirclement. "
"We walked in a hurry, without even a map." Colonel Del said with some headache: "If we wander aimlessly in the forest like this, even if we don't encounter the enemy, it is a problem whether we can get out."
Sokov thought that it would be good if Jubro was here. He was born a hunter and would definitely not get lost in such a forest. However, at this moment, Jubro and Zhukov were missing, and they could only find someone who could recognize the way in the forest from the soldiers around them, so as to prevent this small unit from getting lost and being trapped in the forest.
Thinking of this, Sokov said to Vlasov: "Comrade Commander, we should ask the soldiers around us to see if there are any hunters or forest rangers. If there are these two types of people, we will have a better chance of getting out of the forest."
Sovkov's words awakened Colonel Del, and he quickly said: "I will ask if there are any hunters or forest rangers among the soldiers."
A few minutes later, Colonel Del picked out three former hunters and forest rangers from the soldiers, and the small unit set off again under their leadership.
At the same time, in the Kremlin in Moscow, Stalin, smoking a pipe, asked a general standing in front of him expressionlessly: "Has the contact with the 37th Army Headquarters not been restored yet?"
"Yes, Comrade Stalin." The general replied tremblingly: "We have tried every possible way, but we cannot establish contact with the 37th Army Headquarters. According to my estimation, they may have met with an accident."
Who knew that it was this sentence that angered Stalin: "I want to hear an accurate answer, not your estimation. As long as the German army has not announced their results, it means that the 37th Army has not been annihilated by the Germans, and Vlasov may still return to Moscow."
The general knew that Vlasov was Stalin's favorite general, and his disappearance touched Stalin's heart. But he was also worried. Seven or eight radio stations kept calling the 37th Army Headquarters, but there was no response. Moreover, according to the accurate situation, the Yagotin area where the 37th Army Headquarters was located had been completely occupied by the Germans before noon today. There are only two reasons why Vlasov lost contact, either he was captured or he died, and the latter is more likely.
For a moment, the general comrade did not dare to express his opinion casually, so as not to anger the Supreme Commander again. He could only ask timidly: "Comrade Stalin, what should we do next? Continue to call the 37th Army Headquarters?"
"Of course, such calls should not be stopped before contacting the 37th Army Headquarters." Stalin said: "Also, you send a telegram to Marshal Timoshenko and ask him to send a search team to the direction of Yagotin to find Vlasov's whereabouts."
"Yes, Comrade Commander." The general agreed: "I will convey your intention to Marshal Timoshenko immediately."
A quarter of an hour later, Timoshenko, who had just taken over the post of commander of the Southwestern Front, received a telegram from the Supreme Command Headquarters, asking him to send people to the direction of Yagotin to search for Vlasov's whereabouts.
Timoshenko placed the telegram in front of Khrushchev and said seriously: "Comrade Khrushchev, look, this is a telegram sent to us from the headquarters of the Supreme Command, asking me to send a search force to Find the whereabouts of General Vlasov, the commander of the 37th Army. What do you think we should do next?”
After reading the telegram, Khrushchev raised his head and said to Timoshenko: "Comrade Marshal, needless to say, we must follow Comrade Stalin's order and send personnel to the direction of Yagotin to search for the whereabouts of General Vlasov. . You know, he is Comrade Stalin's favorite general. If something goes wrong with him, the consequences will be very serious."
"I understand, Comrade Khrushchev." Timoshenko said with some laughter and tears: "When I took over the post of commander of the Southwest Front, I once heard a rumor that since General Kilponos fought in the breakout battle, After his death in the battle, Comrade Stalin originally planned to appoint Vlasov as the new commander of the front army. It was precisely because he was trapped in the German encirclement that this position fell on me by chance. "
"How is this possible, Comrade Marshal." Major General Pokrovsky, the newly appointed chief of staff, said: "You are the Marshal, and General Vlasov is just a lieutenant general. How can you hold the position of commander of the front army? ?”
"There is nothing impossible about this, Comrade Chief of Staff." Khrushchev said: "Before the Battle of Kiev broke out, General Vlasov was just a commander of the mechanized army, but Comrade Stalin personally summoned him to Moscow. Appointing him as the commander of the 37th Army and also the commander of the Kiev garrison shows how highly he is valued. Therefore, it should not be a rumor to appoint him as the commander of the front army. "
When Pokrovsky heard that Vlasov was so valued by Stalin, if something really happened, the front army headquarters would probably be punished. He quickly said to Timoshenko: "Comrade Marshal, if you don't If you object, I am willing to personally lead the search troops to the direction of Yagotin to find the whereabouts of General Vlasov.”
Regarding Pokrovsky's self-recommendation, Timoshenko shook his head and said: "General Pokrovsky, don't forget your identity. You are the chief of staff of the front army, not a regimental commander or battalion commander. Such a dangerous thing Why should you lead the mission? Besides, the new front army headquarters has just been established, and I still need your full assistance."
Since Timoshenko said this, Pokrovsky naturally could no longer mention the matter of leading people to find Vlasov. He could only ask tactfully: "Comrade Marshal, what are your plans?"
Timoshenko looked at the map in front of him and thought about the question raised by Pokrovsky.
After a moment, he pointed to a location on the map and said: "Deploy a battalion of troops from here and go to the direction of Yagotin to find the whereabouts of General Vlasov. Chief of Staff Pokrovsky, you must warn the other party, Go 20 to 30 kilometers deep at most, and if there is no whereabouts of Vlasov, withdraw immediately.”
Khrushchev heard the implication of Timoshenko's words, nodded and said: "Yes, the enemy may soon launch an attack on our newly established defense line, and we should not distract our precious troops for a long time. Therefore, a search area should be designated, and if the whereabouts of General Vlasov are not found, they should end the search and return to their original base to prepare for a new round of German attacks. "
Pokrovsky hesitated for a moment and asked cautiously: "Comrade Military Commissar, if we fail to find the whereabouts of General Vlasov, won't the High Command blame us?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Khrushchev looked up at Pokrovsky and said: "Let me remind you that finding the whereabouts of General Vlasov is indeed the task given to us by the base camp. But our main task is, It’s to stop the Germans from advancing towards Moscow. Do you understand?”
"Understood, Comrade Military Commissar." Pokrovsky quickly replied: "I immediately sent a telegram to the troops and asked them to find the whereabouts of General Vlasov."
Just when Pokrovsky was about to send a telegram to the front, Khrushchev stopped him again: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I wonder what area you plan to search in?"
"Of course, search along the railway or highway." Pokrovsky replied: "This is the fastest way to retreat."
Unexpectedly, after his words came out, Khrushchev shook his head and said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, if there is transportation, it is undoubtedly the fastest to retreat by railway or road. But have you ever considered it, Vlasov?" If they had not died or become prisoners of the Germans, they might not have been able to find any means of transportation if they wanted to retreat.”
Pokrovsky looked at Khrushchev and asked with a confused expression: "Then where will they retreat from?"
"Of course it's the forest." Khrushchev pointed to the map and said: "Although retreating by road or railway can reach our army's new defense area as quickly as possible, it is not the safest route and will be bombed by enemy planes along the way. , and the attack of the airborne team. If Vlasov and the others are not sacrificed or become prisoners, the most ideal retreat route is to go through the forest area, avoid the German blockade, and return to our defense zone."
Hearing Khrushchev's explanation, Pokrovsky immediately understood. He nodded and said: "Understood, Comrade Military Commissar, I will inform the search team to search in the forest area and find a way to find Frasso." "General Husband."
"Also, there is a distance of almost two hundred roads from the Yagotin area to our defense front." Timoshenko interjected: "If they escape from the German encirclement through the forest area, they will have to walk for at least a week or even more. They are retreating in a hurry, and they will definitely not carry much food with them. Therefore, before setting off, the search troops must carry a sufficient amount of food and medicine, and wait for them to meet up with General Vlasov in time. Provide supplies.”
An hour later, an infantry battalion deployed in Belopoliye, carrying a sufficient amount of food and medicine, left its defensive position and entered the continuous forest to launch a search and rescue operation for Vlasov.
Before the battalion commander left, the regiment commander who assigned him the task specifically told him: "Major, your battalion's mission is to find the whereabouts of General Vlasov, the commander of the 37th Group Army, in the forest area. But the superiors considered that Vlasov General Vlasov's loss of contact was due to his death or capture. Therefore, your search operation is not indefinite. You only need to go 20 to 30 kilometers deep into the forest area. If you have not yet found General Vlasov's whereabouts, Just withdraw it immediately. Do you understand?”
"Understood, Comrade Commander." The battalion commander assured the commander: "Our battalion will definitely find a way to find Vlasov."
Since the vanguard of the German army had been discovered near the search area, the battalion commander did not disperse after leaving the defense area with his battalion. He still entered the dense forest as a battalion unit and launched a search operation.
Vlasov, Sokov and others knew nothing about the search operation carried out by the Southwest Front. Under the leadership of three soldiers, they advanced in the northeast direction. Along the way, we met lone soldiers from time to time, most of whom had escaped from the Yagojing area.
Faced with such stragglers, Sokov naturally would not let them go easily. He incorporated them into his own troops and appointed Constantine as his deputy to manage these warriors. And these warriors were originally walking alone in the forest, not knowing whether they had the ability to get out of the forest. Whenever you see someone who is willing to take you under your wing, you naturally want it.
When they fled into the forest on the 26th, Vlasov and others had only a dozen soldiers with them. By the dusk of the 27th, this force had expanded to hundreds of people.
The expansion of troops gave Sokov the confidence that even if he encountered the enemy's airborne team, he would still be able to fight and even annihilate the opponent. But while he was happy, he was also troubled by the fact that the food that was originally enough for five days could only last for three days as the number of people increased. If they cannot get out of this vast forest within three days, the soldiers will face starvation, which is really a sad thing.