Chapter 1770 Containing the Storm

Political Commissar Petrov's explanation lasted for three minutes. In three minutes, he explained the latest battle situation of the division headquarters to Vatutin in the most concise way and sentence, and completed the report. What we need to see next is Vatutin's specific reaction. Reading

"So, so far, everything is going smoothly and is proceeding step by step according to the plan. Malashenko is already carrying out the last stage of the encirclement and annihilation of the enemy's Great German Division. Am I right?"

Vatutin's inquiry received a positive response from the political commissar, which is equivalent to declaring that the real situation is actually much better than Vatutin expected.

"This is very good, very good! It proves that Malashenko not only dares to dream, but also has the ability to turn this dream into reality. One day of fighting can make the battle situation like this. It's really good."

Comrade Commander's evaluation is very high. Even a fool would know that if he could say this, he would definitely not be dissatisfied with Malashenko and prepare to punish him severely.

Although the specific situation and what happened are unknown, Vatutin's state and performance have somewhat relieved the accompanying personnel around him.

It can be seen that even though the commander was in a hurry and urgently prepared a car to set off, the actual situation has not reached the point of being irreversible and facing a disaster. It seems that some people's previous speculations were somewhat untrue, and the actual situation facing us now is likely to be "optimistic and positive".

"Where is Malashenko now? Can you contact him immediately? How far is your forward division headquarters from his location now?"

It's better not to speak, but once you open your mouth, you will throw out three consecutive questions. It is really not an easy task to answer fluently in front of Vatutin, who emphasizes efficiency. Fortunately, our political commissar is not a vegetarian.

"The current position of the division commander is about here, comrade commander, the straight-line distance from our forward division headquarters is about less than ten kilometers. But the mechanized tank troops led by the division commander are advancing very fast. The intelligence we have was updated half an hour ago. The actual distance may be even farther. We are also planning to continue to advance the division headquarters."

"As for contact, you can try, but there is no guarantee that you can contact immediately. After all, it may be in a combat state. Comrade Commander, you also know what this means. Everything must be given priority to combat. My contact with him is mostly based on his active contact."

Comrade Political Commissar spoke very clearly and thoroughly. Vatutin nodded with satisfaction and was about to continue speaking.

"Comrade Political Commissar, Comrade Division Commander has an urgent telegram!"

Before Vatutin could say this, the communications director of the division headquarters who hurried forward had already handed the telegram to him. After receiving the telegram, the comrade political commissar cast an inquiring look at Vatutin at the same time, and Vatutin's response was simple and straightforward without thinking.

"Just read it, I'll just listen."

The full text of the telegram was not long, and it could even be said to be only a short paragraph. It was obvious that this telegram did not take too much time to polish and list the specific information in detail. It was already quite good to be able to explain the general situation.

After reading it all at once, Vatutin did not wait too long. He combined what he knew and took a look at the map to confirm it. The political commissar, who had analyzed and summarized the current battlefield situation, immediately turned around and handed over the telegram while reporting to Vatutin.

"The situation is clear. Comrade Division Commander has cleared the obstacles along the way, arrived at the battlefield, and started to engage in fire with the last remaining main force of the enemy's Great German Division."

"The Kurbalov 1st Regiment heading south from the north and the Lavrinenko 2nd Regiment chasing from the south have now joined forces. The Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division is now fully committed to the final annihilation operation. Comrade Division Commander is confident that the battle will end before sunset. It is difficult for the Great German Division to see the sun tomorrow."

Vatutin, who glanced at the telegram and stopped reading it, looked at the map again and concentrated. Political Commissar Petrov's analysis helped him understand the current situation better, and the questions that followed were blurted out.

"It's still two and a half hours before it gets dark. Malashenko won't have a better chance than this, and this may be his last chance."

""

Comrade Commissar, who didn't know the latest strategic trends, didn't quite understand what Vatutin meant. Why did he use the somewhat weird narrative method of "last chance"? Could it be that there are still some huge variables in the battle situation that I don't know about?

The political commissar's doubts did not last too long. The people accompanying him were either the core backbone of his headquarters or the trusted people around his left and right arms. There was no need for Vatutin to continue to keep the words as riddles. It was undoubtedly the best way to speak out immediately.

"There is reliable intelligence that can confirm that the enemy's Central Army Group has made strategic adjustments, and the new strategic core point is around the battle area where the Grossdeutschland Division is located. The enemy is likely to launch a local counterattack to try to disintegrate our offensive edge and buy them more time to dispatch troops and reorganize defense. The follow-up situation is still only speculation, but the new core point can be confirmed."

As soon as Vatutin said this, the political commissar instantly understood what the situation was.

Needless to say, the violently turbulent battlefield changes very quickly, and may even be reflected on the battlefield at any time right now. On the battlefield where Malashenko is currently located, this is the last precursor before the arrival of a huge storm.

"My superiors are aware of this situation and have ordered me to make strategic adjustments in accordance with the latest changes in the situation."

"It is no longer important how the war situation evolved into what it is now. What is important is to deal with the greater changes that will follow. I will personally talk to Malashenko about the specific situation, but not now."

"The reason I came here is to personally confirm the latest battlefield situation. Staying at the front army headquarters will always only receive second-rate or even third-rate information that is not timely, so you don't have to worry too much."

"Support from all sources are now rushing towards the theater where your division is located, and a large number of air forces led by fighter aviation are also on the way. The front army headquarters predicts that the enemy will most likely use the air forces that have been suppressed to try to intervene forcibly. , to stabilize the besieged German army and prevent the front from collapsing before subsequent reinforcements arrive, the primary target is this Great German Division.”

"This is a prerequisite for them to launch follow-up operations. If the besieged troops in the encirclement are completely wiped out, the next strategic counterattack will lose most of its meaning and have no advantage. That Model knows what he is doing, and Knowing what needs to be done next, his counterattacks are all paving the way for better strategic defense, and his operation must be destroyed. "