Chapter 628

For kirilov's question, I thought for a moment, and then said decisively: "if the friendly highland is lost, then I will order the heavy artillery unit of second lieutenant tyakonov to bombard the highland, use the heavy artillery to suppress the German firepower, and cover the second regiment's counter attack on the highland." Having just said that, I thought of the worst possibility, and hastily added, "if the attack of the second regiment fails, transfer the third regiment to continue to attack."

As for my attitude, kirilov nodded his head with great satisfaction and said with approval: "yes, sir, you have considered it very comprehensively. If we use the forces of two regiments to attack such a small position in turn under the cover of artillery fire, we can certainly wipe out all the German people in the position."

As we were talking, Pugachev had come with his troops. He raised his hand and said in a loud voice, "Comrade division commander, comrade political commissar, and acting commander of the second regiment, Captain Pugachev, report to you that the first battalion has been assembled and ready to fight at any time. Please give us instructions!"

I looked at the officers and men standing densely on the hillside and asked Pugachev, "Comrade deputy commander, how many officers and men are there in the first battalion now?"

Without looking back, Pugachev answered me clearly: "report to the division commander, there are five companies in the first battalion, each company has seven commanders, 110 soldiers, and two battalion level commanders. There are 587 soldiers in the whole battalion."

I heard that there are two battalion level commanders in the 1st battalion. I immediately realized that my decision to ask Pugachev to lead the troops to support the friendly forces was a little too hasty. I immediately said to him, "Comrade Pugachev, you don't have to take part in this battle. Let the troops be under the command of the 1st battalion commander." Then, without waiting for any response, he went straight forward and asked the commanders standing in front of the line in a loud voice, "who is the commander of the first battalion?"

As I asked, a tall, thin, swarthy captain stepped forward, raised his hand in front of me, and answered loudly, "report to division commander, Captain horushoff, I'm the commander of a battalion."

As soon as I heard the captain report himself, I immediately remembered who he was. With a smile on my face, I narrowed my eyes and said in a friendly way: "the last time the German shelled the 2nd regiment, the new soldiers collapsed under the enemy's fire, but you and your company stayed in the trenches. Is that so? "

"Yes, sir, that's true." When horushov saw that I remember him, he was also a little excited and said: "at that time, the enemy's artillery fire was fierce. I knew that if I left the position without permission, the troops would be consumed by the German artillery fire in the open field, so at the beginning of the rout, I stopped those soldiers who were shaken by fear in time and let them stay in the trench. What I didn't expect was that after the commander of Pugachev braved the fire and arrived at the front line, he immediately announced the appointment of me as a battalion commander in public. "

I laughed, took his hand and said, "Captain horushov, I heard that you once participated in the battle of Kharkov and have rich combat experience. The friendly neighbor's 107.5 highland is now under fierce attack from the German army. I have entrusted the glorious and arduous task of rescuing the friendly army to your battalion. Do you have any confidence to complete this task? "

"Please rest assured, I promise to finish the task well."

Kirilov saw that I asked horushov to take his troops to the highland to reinforce the friendly troops. He also stepped forward to my side and asked the other commanders in a loud voice, "who is the political deputy commander here?"

"Report to the political commissar, it's me." The political worker who came out of the queue stood beside horushov and replied respectfully.

As soon as I saw it, the political worker who came out was actually the one I knew, that is, safchenko who accompanied the soldiers who violated military discipline to the headquarters a few days ago.

Kirilov saw that the political deputy battalion commander who came out was safchenko, and his face also showed a happy smile. He then extended his hand to shake hands with him, and told him: "Comrade safchenko, my division commander and I are very impressed with you. I hope your performance in this battle will not disappoint us."

Safchenko looked around at horushov, then confidently said: "please rest assured, division commander and political commissar comrades, I will help the battalion commander to complete the rescue of friendly forces."

Kirilov nodded with a smile, then turned his head and asked for my opinion in a low voice: "Comrade division, the army is about to leave. Would you please tell them a few words?"

When I heard his suggestion, I waved my hand and pushed the hot potato to him again. If we want to do battle mobilization, it is more suitable for political workers like kirilov.

Seeing that I did not intend to make a speech, kirilov did not refuse any more, but moved forward two steps. After getting closer to the troops, kirilov began to mobilize them to fight: "comrades, the bandits are attacking the friendly forces on the western highlands. If we do not support the friendly forces, the enemy will fight against the enemy after seizing the highlands, Make it a starting point for the city. So we should do our best to fight back the German attack, defend the land under our feet, and defend the city named after the Supreme Commander behind us! Although our troops and weapons are far inferior to those of the bandits, our independent division is a team good at creating miracles. We have unyielding will to fight, and we have the great spirit of not afraid of sacrifice! I believe that you will be able to cooperate with the friendly forces and fight back the attacks of the bandits. "

Standing in front of the line, safchenko, hearing kirilov's remarks, took the lead in shaking his arms and shouting: "defend Stalingrad to the death and drive away the bandits!"

Led by him, all the soldiers also raised their arms and chanted slogans: "defend Stalingrad to the death, drive out the bandits!"

Seeing the fierce emotions of the commanders and fighters, kirilov nodded again with satisfaction, then waved his big hand and gave the order to the commanders and fighters: "let's go!"

Standing in front of the line, horushov and safchenko stepped back and solemnly raised their right hands to salute kirilov and me.

As soon as horushov and his first battalion officers and men left mamayev post and entered the open area between the two Highlands, they were immediately found by German tanks. Several tanks that were shelling the Highlands turned their guns and fired at them.

As soon as the shell exploded in the open field, horushov understood the movement of the troops and was found by the German army. He immediately dispersed the troops and took the platoon as a unit to pass through the enemy's artillery fire. Looking at them moving forward skillfully by virtue of the terrain, kirilov, who was standing on the top of the slope with me, could not help saying with emotion: "Comrade division commander, although the commanders and fighters of the second regiment are new fighters who have just been added, from their tactical movements, they are all well trained."

Looking at the skilful movements of the commanders and fighters, I quickly understood what was going on. I quickly explained to kirilov, who didn't know the inside story: "Comrade political commissar, although the soldiers of the second regiment are all newly added, they have no military training or combat experience. But some time ago, when the fifth regiment and I were holding fast to the station behind the enemy, I once urged commander xiejerikov, who was in charge of the daily affairs of the division, to train the troops and prepare for the fierce battle. Judging from the performance of the second regiment, comrade xiejerikov carried out my orders thoroughly. "

Under the German artillery fire, the soldiers crawled forward for a while, stood up for a while and bent forward. I quickly picked up the phone that I could contact with lieutenant tyakonov directly and ordered loudly, "Comrade lieutenant, use those two heavy guns to fire at the German tanks! Fire now

Less than two minutes after the order was given, the sound of guns rumbled down the hillside. Lt. tyakonov was directing his gunners to bombard the German tanks in the distance to suppress their firepower and cover the troops of horushov battalion approaching the friendly highlands.

Heavy artillery is heavy artillery, although only two, but far more powerful than the German tank more than a dozen. The first two shells fell, one directly lifted the turret of a tank, while the other one fell in the middle of the two tanks, but also blew up five or six infantry hiding near the tank.

I was watching the results of the heavy artillery. Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps behind me. I turned my head and saw that it was gordonov, the acting head of the third regiment. Panting, he ran behind us and stood still, then raised his hand to salute.

Kirilov stepped forward, reached out his hand and shook his hand warmly. At the same time, he asked, "Captain Godunov, how did you get here?"

"Comrade political commissar, the order our regiment received is to assist the friendly forces to defend the 107.5 highland. But now the German invaders are attacking the Highlands, but our regiments are not allowed to stay in the residential areas much. In this case, the commanders and fighters are in a mood. "

"People with emotions, first of all, are you?" Kirilov's free hand pointed to Godunov and mercilessly exposed his little plot. However, kirilov was very satisfied with gordonov's eagerness to fight. After releasing his hand, he raised his hand and patted the other side on the shoulder. He said earnestly, "Comrade gordonov, don't worry. There are plenty of battles for you to fight. The reason why the division commander and I sent the troops of the second regiment to reinforce the friendly highland was that they were stationed closer to the target than your regiment. "

I also went to Godunov, shook hands with him, and then asked, "Captain Godunov, how many people do you have with you?"

"Three full infantry companies are all German equipment." Godunov replied.

"You've just come from a settlement so far away. Can you still run if you want to rush to the highland to support the friendly troops?" Kirilov asked with concern.

Godunov forthrightly replied, "please rest assured that there is no problem. The soldiers were full of fighting enthusiasm, but during this period of time, our regiment was recuperating most of the time because the regiment leader was injured. Watching other regiments win many battles, the soldiers couldn't help but think of meeting the Germans on the battlefield. I said, "teachers and political commissars, we are not here to see the excitement. We must assign tasks to us!"

I looked at kirilov and saw that his face was in full bloom at the moment, so I proposed to him: "Comrade political commissar, my opinion is to let Comrade gordonov take these three companies to reinforce. What's your opinion? "

Kirilov answered with a smile, "I have said earlier, Comrade Jiang, I only have the political and ideological work in my division, and the military has the final say."

"Well, I'll make the decision." After I had said this, I said to Godunov, "Comrade captain, you see, Captain horushov of the second regiment is taking his battalion to the south slope of the highland under enemy fire. At present, the heavy artillery of our division is suppressing the German tank fire. Your task is to take your three companies to the foot of the south slope and stand by. "

"But Comrade division commander," he was a little impatient when he heard my order to stand by at the foot of the south slope of the friendly highland. "You know, our regiment's combat effectiveness is no worse than that of the second regiment, and even a little bit stronger. Besides, I led my troops to hold on to the highland for a period of time. I am very familiar with the terrain there. I can assure you that as long as our regiment's troops arrive at the high ground, they can lead the troops to bring down the attacking Krauts in five minutes at most. "

Seeing his eagerness to fight, I quickly said, "Captain Godunov, I understand what you are thinking. But since you've been on that high ground, you should understand that you can't deploy a large army on that high ground. I've already sent five companies of the second regiment up. If you put your three companies into battle, plus the original garrison on the highland, the formation of the troops will be too dense. One German shell can kill and injure more than ten or even dozens of us. Huge casualties will seriously affect the morale of our army. Do you understand? "

When gordonov heard me say this, he suddenly realized that he was happy to salute kirilov and me: "I see, teachers and political commissars. Will you allow me to take the troops out? "

When kirilov nodded, I said to Godunov, "let's go, comrade captain. When passing through the open area, let the commanders and fighters pay attention to concealment and minimize unnecessary casualties. "

When Godunov left, I raised my telescope again and looked at the open field. On the open ground, there were more than 30 smoke craters. Around the craters, some of our soldiers lay more or less. Some lay on the ground motionless, and some obviously injured, lying on the ground constantly rolling. At this time, Captain horushov's troops were only a hundred meters away from the highland. As long as they made another two dashes, they could rush into the dead corner of German tank fire.

I picked up the phone again and called akhromeyev, who was on duty in the division headquarters. As soon as I got through the phone, I said in a hurry, "Hello, chief of staff, please call the division health team immediately and ask them to send people to the open area between mamayev post and 107.5 highland to rescue the wounded."

"Is there a health team in the division?" When I put down the phone, kirilov asked curiously.

To this question, I shrugged my shoulders and answered helplessly: "Comrade political commissar, although the independent division had a health team when it was set up, it has always been nominal. It wasn't until I led the fifth regiment back from behind the enemy that I learned that the superior had sent a lot of medical staff to the division, making the health team worthy of the name. "

The preparation task I assigned to shijerikov behind the enemy line seems to have been well done. The second regiment, which used to be the least effective, now rushed up to the top of the mountain and rushed down to the German infantry like a tiger. They smashed a hand grenade on their head, and without waiting for the smoke to disperse, they rushed to the panic stricken German army with weapons, and launched a white-edged battle with them.

Seeing that the enemy and our armies were mixed together, I became more confident. The German tanks were afraid of injuring their own people, so they did not dare to fire easily. From the beginning of our division's formation, I have always put the training of white-edged combat in the first place, so that we can have a little advantage in the future street fighting.

Our soldiers fought with the German army on the north slope of the highland. Lieutenant tyakonov's heavy artillery unit was not idle. They fired methodically. At least half of the German tanks were disbursed, and the remaining tanks turned around and walked away.

And captain Godunov, in the end, didn't fully carry out my orders. When he saw the German tanks retreating, he took his own stand and led the troops to fight upward from the north slope, and the second regiment from the top to the bottom, forming a front and back attack. See Godunov hand pistol impact the middle of the German army, keep shooting with a pistol close to his side of the German soldiers. Seeing that the German army was caught in the front and back attack of our army, the morale of the commanders and fighters was greatly boosted and they became more and more brave.

Seeing that our troops succeeded in attacking the German troops, I was also relieved and said to kirilov, "come on, comrade political commissar, let's go back to the headquarters."

The first thing I did when I got back to the headquarters was to call razumeyeva in and ask her, "Comrade lieutenant, how do we communicate here with the friendly highlands?"

Razumeyeva was stunned by my question. After a while, she said with a blank face: "Comrade division commander, in addition to contacting inside the independent division, we can also directly communicate with the headquarters of the group army, and even send a telegram to a higher level command organization. As for the friendly troops who stick to the 107.5 highland, we can't get in touch for the time being. "

When I heard her say this, I immediately criticized her: "how can this work, comrade Lieutenant? You know, our division still has the task of assisting the 125th infantry regiment to stick to the 107.5 highland. If we can't communicate with each other, how can I command the battle? "

Kirilov saw me making Radhu Meyer Va's eyes red and came to our side. He said to Radhu Meyer Va in a friendly tone, "Lieutenant comrade, you can think of a way to establish communication between Mawang yev gang and the 107.5 highlands as soon as possible. As for the telephone or the telephone, you will be the one who has the final say."

After thinking about it, razumeyeva replied, "report to the division commander and political commissar, we don't have many telephones and walkie talkies at present, so we can only barely meet the communication between regimental units. Well, I'll send someone to pull a telephone line between the two highlands. In this way, you can call them at any time if you have anything to do

"That's a good idea." I praised her, immediately urged her: "then don't hesitate, immediately send someone to set up the telephone line."

After razumeyeva raised her hand to salute, she planned to leave, but kirilov stopped her. She only listened to his command and said, "Comrade lieutenant, you'd better ask the operator Najia to come here with the phone later, so that if the superior has any new instructions, we can be contacted immediately."

Five minutes later, the operator corporal Najia and her telephone set up in the corner near the door of the headquarters. When she debugged the machine, I would contact trakov and report to him about the attack on friendly highland 107.5.

Trekov was surprised and asked nervously, "o'shanina, what's the situation like now? Has the German attack been repulsed

"Report to the commander, after the beginning of the German attack, I dispatched one battalion from each of the second and third regiments to reinforce. Now the enemy's attack has been repulsed by us. Only burning tanks and bodies of German soldiers were left in front of the position. " After reassuring trikov, I added: "as our division is unable to communicate with the friendly Highlands, we do not know the results we have achieved or the casualties of the friendly forces for the time being."

"O'shanina, as far as I know, when the tank troops held high, they did not build any fortifications except for digging two trenches," trikov thought. I estimate that under such circumstances, the casualties of the 125th regiment will not be small. "

"What do you think, comrade commander?" I asked cautiously, "do you want me to send troops to change guard with them?"

As soon as my voice fell, trakov said busily, "well, since you take the initiative to say so, then, it's up to your division to stick to the 107.5 highland."

After listening to trekov's words, I want to slap myself in the face. Don't I make trouble for myself? Two Highlands, a residential area and the Volga River Wharf in the mamayev post have given me a headache. Now, with a 107.5 highland, our division's defense area is too large. In the face of the fierce German attack, can our division block it? But the words have already been said, just like the water thrown out, it can't be collected. I can only harden my head and say, "well, comrade commander, I'll transfer the third regiment to take over the defense of the 125th regiment tonight."

"Thank you, Colonel oshanina, thank you!" After listening to my statement, trakov gave me an unusual thank you. When I was at a loss, trakov went on to say, "the 125th regiment lost a lot in the early fighting. Even if it was replenished two days ago, the total strength of the regiment was only 400. Let them such a incomplete and tired division to guard 107.5 highland, my heart is not stable. But now it's all right. I'm not only relieved to hand over this highland to your independent division. Even the commander of the front army is at ease. "

As soon as my conversation with trakov was over, the phone on my desk rang. Akhromeyev, who was sitting at the table, picked up the receiver and just gave a feed. He suddenly covered the receiver with his hand and said excitedly to kirilov and me, "the division commander and political commissar are from captain horushov on the friendly highlands."

I darted to the table, took the microphone from akhromeyev's hand, put it to my ear, and said in a loud voice, "Hello, Hello, is that captain horushov? I'm commander, Colonel o'shanina

Hearing my voice, horushov quickly said, "report to division commander, we have assisted the friendly forces to eliminate the German troops attacking the highlands. Please direct us to the next task."

"Comrade captain, I now officially announce to you that your battalion and captain Godunov's forces will take over the defence of the highlands. As for the troops who used to stick to the high ground, let them withdraw to the city immediately after handing over their defense. "

After listening to my orders, horushov whispered something to the people next to him. After a while, he raised his voice and said to me, "Comrade division commander, Captain sumsky, commander of the 125th regiment, wants to speak to you." Before I could express my opinion, a strange voice came from the earphone: "Hello, comrade teacher. I'm captain sumsky, chief of staff of the 125th regiment. I'd like to make a request to you. Can we stay on the high ground? Our commander and so many excellent commanders and fighters have died here. We can't just leave their bodies and go back to the city. "

"Captain sumsky," I did not refuse his request directly, but politely asked, "how many people are left in your regiment?"

When Captain sumsky heard my question, he was stunned for a moment and then replied to me, "report to division commander, when the whole regiment went to battle, there were 389 people. In the battle just now, most of our officers and men lost in the enemy's artillery preparation. There are still 182 people left in the regiment, including 148 heavy and heavy wounded. "

Hearing the data he reported, my heart could not help but thump. I didn't expect that there was only one soldier left in the regiment who was not injured. Thinking of this, I no longer have any resistance to the command of receiving defense given by trakov. After all, with the strength of 125th regiment, the German infantry, even without the cover of artillery and tanks, will be completely destroyed if they attack again. At this time, I refused captain sumsky's request without hesitation: "Comrade captain, you'd better take your men back to the city to rest and turn over the positions to captain horushov and captain Godunov."“ But... "Captain sumsky tried to convince me“ It's nothing but, comrade captain. " I interrupted what he wanted to say and said in an unquestionable tone: "it is the order of the superior and the love of your regiment to let you withdraw from the city. Remember, comrade captain, orders from higher authorities are not allowed to be discussed and must be carried out unconditionally. " Seeing that I had already said this, Captain sumsky knew that nothing else would help, so he sighed and said helplessly, "OK, I will carry out the order and withdraw the troops to the city immediately." When the call came back to horushov, I immediately ordered him: "Comrade captain, you should immediately organize soldiers to build fortifications on the high ground, and be ready to fight a vicious war."“ Comrade division, "said horushov with a little hesitation," the soldiers are very tired after fighting. Can you give them a night's rest and fix it after daybreak tomorrow? "“ No, "I refused his request unequivocally and said impolitely," Comrade captain, do you think the Germans will give you a rest? Maybe the Germans will start shelling the highlands at dawn tomorrow. Are you seven or eight hundred people huddled on high ground without fortifications, waiting for German shells? " Hearing that I was angry, huorushaofu had no choice but to honestly promise: "I understand, sir, I'm going to organize people to build fortifications on the high ground." I knew in my heart that although horushov promised to carry out the order, I didn't know how to scold me, but I didn't care about him at this time. Instead, I called razumeyeva in and asked her curiously, "Comrade lieutenant, is your communication company efficient? It took at most 15 minutes from the time I gave the order to the time when the phone was connected. " Razumeyeva replied with a smile, "yes, sir. I asked the soldier in charge of stringing to go to the friendly highland by truck. In this way, the time on the road will be greatly shortened, so that the communication with the friendly highland can be realized in a short time. " When razumeyeva went out, the leaders of our three divisions sat around the table again. Akhromeyev first said, "Comrade division commander, I think we should ask our superiors to provide us with enough artillery. Otherwise, we are always overwhelmed by the German artillery fire in the battle, which increases unnecessary casualties in vain."“ Comrade chief of staff, your idea is good. " After kirilov listened, he poured cold water on him. "Not to mention that the group army has artillery now. Even if we are equipped with artillery, the situation is not optimistic."“ Why? " I wanted to ask this question originally, but I didn't expect to be preempted by akhromeyev, so I didn't add to the story any more. I just waited for his answer in silence“ If the mortar company is sent to us, the caliber of the guns is too small to pose a threat to the enemy's long-range artillery and tanks. If it is a heavy artillery force, to avoid becoming the target of the enemy's air attack, it needs to be constantly transferred. But now, where can we find so many tractor trucks and so much gasoline for trucks? " After listening to kirilov's analysis of the actual difficulties, I felt disappointed. Just as I wanted to express my opinion, I suddenly thought of kirilov's last sentence, and a good idea came into my mind. I can't wait to ask kirilov: "Comrade political commissar, although we can't get the gasoline that trucks need now, can we get empty gasoline barrels?"“ Gasoline tank? " After listening to my question, not only kirilov, but also akhromeyev was stunned.