Chapter 1454

When I heard Zhukov say this, I couldn't help but wonder: after vatukin was injured, you, the representative of the headquarters responsible for the coordinated operations of the two front armies, stood up temporarily, walked back and forth in the room, and continued: "the combat task of the first front army of Ukraine is very heavy, They successfully carried out the battle of Korsun shevchenkovsky in January and February, and the second front army of konev encircled and annihilated more than ten German divisions in the battle. At the same time, the 13th and 60th group armies on the right carried out the battle of Rovno Lutsk against the enemy, and successfully occupied the favorable position where our army could carry out the assault from the north to the rear of the German southern group army. "

I'm not familiar with the Rovno Lutsk campaign, probably because the scale of the campaign is small and the duration of the campaign is short, and the final results can't be compared with those of the same period. Although I was eager to find out why Zhukov called me, I knew that he didn't like to be interrupted, so I had to listen to him patiently and quietly about the glorious achievements of the first front army of Ukraine.

He finally finished, went back to his seat and sat down. He picked up the cup on the table and took a drink, then put it down again. I quickly got up, picked up his cup, went to the side, picked up the teapot and added water to him. When I gently put the teacup in front of him, I respectfully asked, "marshal, I don't know what's important for you to call me here?"

Zhukov looked up at me and said, "as the representative of the headquarters responsible for the coordination of the two front armies, it is unrealistic for me to stay in the first front army headquarters for a long time. However, before vatujing was injured, his deputy general kurotchkin went to the second front army of Belarus as commander. I continued to find a suitable person to assist me in my work. "

Zhukov's words surprised me. I thought to myself: how can I help you? It is obviously impossible to be a member of the Military Commission in charge of political work, because Zhukov knows that I am not good at this aspect of work; As for the post of chief of staff of the front army, I think it is even more impossible. General Bogoliubov, the current chief of staff, is very competent for this post.

When I was making a random guess, Zhukov suddenly asked, "how about, are you interested in coming back, acting as deputy commander? While I'm away, you are in charge of the daily affairs of the front army. "

If I was surprised when Zhukov just asked me to help me with my work; At the moment, when he said that I would act as deputy commander and take charge of the daily affairs of the whole front army during his departure, I was a little at a loss. The first thing I thought about was not how to exercise my rights when I was acting deputy commander, but how ridiculous it was to ask me to command a front army with hundreds of thousands of people. I must have heard it wrong.

Zhukov, who was waiting for my reply, saw that I was always absent-minded. He raised his voice and asked in a discontented voice, "Hello, Rita, what are you thinking? Why don't you answer my question?"

"Ah, comrade marshal." Startled by his voice, I replied in a flustered way, "I'm thinking about whether I'm qualified for this position."

"There's nothing I can't do." Zhukov frowned and said to me, "you know, some time ago, I was still in the general staff to discuss how to use your meeting. Although for various reasons, you failed to become the commander of the second front army of Belarus, it has nothing to do with your ability."

"Marshal," I don't know whether it is the meaning of base camp or his personal decision to let me take the post of deputy commander of the front army, so I have to say cautiously, "I'm afraid that my qualifications can't convince the public."

"Give me your reasons." When Zhukov listened to me, he didn't get angry unexpectedly. Instead, he said to me in a calm tone: "let me hear what's the reason why you don't want to be the deputy commander of the front army?"

"Although my performance in recent years is more eye-catching, but there is a fatal weakness." Since Zhukov asked me to say what I think, I must say what I think and see what his attitude is: "the first front army now has six army groups, one tank army group and one air force army group. All the commanders of the group army have experienced many battles and made numerous outstanding achievements. If we are at the same level, we can still be at peace. But once I am a younger generation, the most junior group commander in the whole front army, to be the deputy commander in charge of the affairs of the front army, I think many people will be unconvinced. "

After I finished these words, I carefully observed Zhukov's expression and saw that he seemed to be moved by my words and was frowning and thinking. I hastened to strike while the iron was hot and said: "even if they do not turn their faces on the spot because of obeying the orders of their superiors, they will probably disobey my orders. If they can't be convinced of me, and you use me rashly, it may lead to the general's disharmony and leave dangerous hidden danger, which is a big taboo of military experts. "

What I said made Zhukov deep in thought. When I saw him leaning back in his chair, frowning and staring at the ceiling in a daze, I quickly stood aside, fearing that it would affect his thinking.

After a while, Zhukov sat up straight again, looked at me and said, "Rita, I understand your scruples. But you don't have to worry. In order to win the war, we boldly employed many young commanders. Facts have proved that these promoted and reused commanders have achieved remarkable results in commanding troops on the battlefield. " To tell you the truth, I really want to agree to Zhukov's appointment, but if I act too eagerly, I may leave him an excuse, so I'm ready to shirk: "but, marshal, I'm still different from these commanders. Before the war, they served as brigade commander or even division commander in the army and had rich combat experience. As for me, I joined the army only after the outbreak of the war. If I didn't get your appreciation, I might still be an ordinary female soldier now. "“ Come on, Rita, don't be polite Zhukov raised his hand and interrupted me. He said to himself, "although you were promoted by me, if you don't have the ability to be a battalion commander, you can't be the youngest group commander in the army." Seeing that I was silent, he sighed softly and then said, "when I discussed the post of commander of the second front army of Belarus some time ago, I was very optimistic about you. When your nomination was rejected by Stalin, I still feel sorry for you. But on second thought, you have no experience in commanding hundreds of thousands of people. If you are rashly promoted to this position, it will not be good for you. Now I happen to meet the vacancy of the commander and deputy commander of the first front army of Ukraine, so I want you to go back to your familiar troops and serve as the deputy commander for a period of time. After you accumulate some practical experience, it will also be very helpful for your future promotion. " I savor Zhukov's words carefully, and feel that he is very reasonable. I have no experience in commanding a large regiment. This can be seen from my commanding the sixth group army of the guards. Although I have a brilliant record, I often issue some wrong orders that make my commanders at a loss. Fortunately, the flaws do not cover up their weaknesses, which does not affect the final victory. But if I was promoted to the commander of the front army, my previous mistakes might turn into fatal ones. The reason why Zhukov arranged me to serve as deputy commander in the old army is that, first, it was a coincidence; second, many group army commanders in the front army were people I knew. No matter how friendly they were, at least after I took office, everything would be on the right track after a short period of attrition. After careful consideration, I took a deep breath, straightened my back and said to Zhukov, "marshal, I firmly obey your order. I don't know when I can officially start work."“ No hurry, no hurry. " Zhukov waved his hand to me and said, "I'll call all the commanders of the group army together for a meeting and announce your appointment in public. It's also very beneficial for your future work." After that, he picked up the phone on his desk, dialed a number and said to the microphone, "I'm Zhukov. You should immediately inform the commanders of the various army groups of the front army to come to me for a meeting at 1 p.m. and I'll introduce them to the new deputy commander of the front army." When I heard Zhukov giving orders to the microphone, I was still a little dizzy. I felt like I was dreaming. A few days ago, I was still upset that I didn't become the commander of the front army. As a result, today's opportunity fell from the sky. However, I am glad that my former superior, trikov, was not in the front army. Otherwise, the post of deputy commander would not have fallen to me. If he didn't come back too late and let other commanders take up all the important positions, he would not have been in charge of the eighth group army when Berlin was liberated. If I can't take this opportunity well, maybe in the future, like him, I will still command only one group army by the end of the war.