Chapter 637

While talking to me, trakov angrily asked me, "what's the matter with you, Colonel oshanina? Have you forgotten my repeated orders? Why, without the permission of the higher authorities, do you use the telephone to communicate in plain language without fear of divulging the secrets of our army? "

Listening to a series of reproaches coming out of the earphone, although I'm choked, I can only keep silent and listen to his criticism in silence. When his anger was almost vented, I tried my best to say to him in a smooth tone: "report to commander, the German army sent out more than 30 planes to carry out two rounds of bombing on mamayev post. At the same time, they used heavy howitzers and tank guns to concentrate on the highlands. "

Although his anger had subsided after his outburst, he still said sternly to me, "what's the use of saying this to me? It's not that I have given you an order for a long time. Without the permission of the higher authorities, we are not allowed to retreat. We should keep the enemy firmly out of the city. "

"Well, comrade commander. I'd like to ask you to ask our air force for help, so that they can send out fighters to support us, repel the enemy planes that are bombing the Highlands, and destroy the enemy tanks. "

Without waiting for me to speak, trikov could not wait to interrupt me and said in a business tone, "please remember, Colonel oshanina, it's not just your troops that have been bombed by enemy planes and shelled by artillery and tanks. If every unit has to ask for the support of the air force when it is attacked, even if we add two more units to the air force group, it will not be enough. "

When trakov spoke, I kept silent wisely, listened to every word he said, and considered what I had to say to him in order to get the support of the air force.

Trikov said a lot more, and when he finished, I summoned up the courage to explain to him: "Comrade commander, but the importance of mamayev post is incomparable to other defensive areas. Once it is lost, the enemy will fight in two ways. One way, they will cross the high ground and rush to the wharf, cutting off the connection between the city and the East Bank of Volga River; On the other hand, we can rush into the city along the highway and join with the friendly forces who rush into the city in other directions, so as to wipe out our garrison bit by bit. "

At this point, I deliberately pause for a moment, waiting for trekov's response to decide what to say next. Because I mentioned that the German army will rush into the city from several directions, which means that we can't hold the city at all. To put it mildly, it's a ridiculous idea; To put it more seriously, this is a manifestation of defeatism.

After a long pause, I didn't hear trakov's voice in my earphone. The German troops who rushed into the city two days ago must have made him feel that my words were not alarmist. Seeing that he didn't say anything to stop me, I went on to say: "the area of mamayev post is large or small. The enemy has dropped so many bombs and shells on such a large area. Even if our commanders and fighters are hiding in the fortifications and are not killed by the enemy's bombs, they will be stunned. If the enemy's infantry attack immediately after the shelling, I'm afraid the troops on the high ground can't organize effective resistance in a short time. "

As I said this, trakov could not help sighing softly. From his sigh, I noticed that he was already a little excited, and said while the iron was hot: "Comrade commander, have you forgotten how the 35th division of the guards suffered heavy losses at mamayev post, and how their division commander died?"

If what I just said just made trakov waver, and then mentioned the division commander who died in the 35th division of the guards, it made him completely change his mind. He talked heavily again and said helplessly: "I understand what you said, oshanina. It is precisely for this reason that I put you and your troops in mamayev post, because I believe you have the ability to guard the north gate of the city. Don't worry. I'll contact General yelomienko of the headquarters of the front army immediately and try to let him send the air force to support you. " Speaking of this, he suddenly said harshly, "if I send you the air force and the mamayev post is lost, what kind of consequences will it have? Even if I don't say it, you can always know?"

When I heard that he let go, I was also relieved, and quickly expressed my position to him: "please rest assured, comrade commander. On behalf of the independent division, I promise you that as long as there is still one commander and fighter alive in the highland, we will never leave our position to the enemy."

"It's no use just talking. I want to see your actions." After finishing this sentence, trikov specially added: "remember, this time you disobey the order and use the radio station for Ming language communication without authorization, I will not pursue it. If I do it again next time, I'll never let it go! " With that, he stopped the communication without hesitation.

As soon as I put down my earphone and transmitter, kirilov and akhromeyev, who were around me, could not wait to ask, "what do you say, comrade commander?"

I gently dusted off the mud falling from the top of the cave with my hand and said in a gentle tone: "Comrade commander said that he would immediately contact the headquarters of the front army and try to get the superior to send air force to support us." At this point, I turned around and looked around. I felt that although the sound of explosion outside, due to the barrier of two doors, had not affected us to speak in a normal tone, the light inside was obviously dimmed. He turned around and said to ahlomeyev, "Comrade chief of staff, as soon as the engineer company installed this wooden door, although the explosion from outside was much lower, the two lamps originally used for lighting in the headquarters were obviously not enough. Do you think we should find another two lamps somewhere?" Akhromeyev listened to me and immediately nodded. He called basmanov over and gave him the task.

As soon as basmanov left, the telephone on the desk rang. Akhromeyev quickly walked to the table, picked up the phone, said a few words, and then handed the phone to me. At the same time, he said: "Comrade division, it's lieutenant colonel gedar, the fourth commander."

When I heard akhromeyev say this, I was stunned. At present, it is the 1223 regiment that has been shelled and bombed by the German army. It has nothing to do with the 4th regiment. What does he call to do at this time? I answered the phone and asked in a loud voice, "Hello, commander Gaidar, what's the matter with you calling at this time? By the way, are all the tanks in the tank battalion hidden? "

My series of questions made Gaidar silent. Maybe he was thinking about how to answer these questions. After a while, he replied: "report to division commander, the tanks in the tank battalion are hidden in the buildings that have been half collapsed. As long as they are not directly hit by the bombs of the enemy planes, even if the collapsed bricks and tiles are buried, we can organize people to dig out the tanks when we need these tanks to fight. As for why I am calling you, I see that the highland where the division headquarters is located is being bombed by enemy planes and artillery. I am worried about your safety. "

"Thank you, comrade commander. Thank you for your concern for us." Gaidar's words made me feel warm. I went on to say, "the headquarters that lieutenant mihayev built for us is very strong. I don't think the enemy's shells and bombs can blow down here."

"Sir," Gaidar said suddenly and seriously, "I have a request for you. I hope you will agree to me!"

I'm not used to hearing Gaidar speak so seriously, but I asked instinctively, "what's the request? As long as it is within my ability, I will promise you. But I said in advance that if you want to lead your four regiments to fight in Highland now, I would advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible. If the density of troops on the Highlands is too high, it is not conducive to concealment. A bomb and shell of the enemy can kill and injure more than a dozen of us. "

"Well, after discussing with political commissar Xia Ping, I think it's not appropriate for the division headquarters to stay on the high ground. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you and your division headquarters withdraw from the high ground to the residential areas. There is a huge air defense fortification under the cemetery here. There is enough space to build a new division headquarters. "

Gaidar's proposal to set up his own headquarters under the graveyard, which is gloomy and terrifying when I look at it from a distance, made me feel chilly and trembling. However, in the presence of kirilov and akhromeyev, I can't get angry with gedar. Besides, other people had a kind intention. After much deliberation, I pretended to be angry and said, "Colonel gedar, do you know what it means to withdraw the division headquarters from the high ground? It's an escape. You want some of our division level leaders to be deserters. It's absolutely impossible. " At this point, I slowed down and said, "come on, commander gedar, I know you mean well. I won't mind this time. If you make such a suggestion next time, I will dismiss you, demote you to an ordinary soldier, and send you to the most advanced position to fight with the enemy for bayonets. Do you understand me? "

From the earphone came Gaidar's trembling voice: "I understand, sir, I will never mention the matter of asking you to transfer the headquarters."

I put down the phone with a smile, only to find kirilov and akhromeyev looking at me nervously, as if to ask what I said on the phone. Without waiting for them to speak, I said, "political commissar and chief of staff, the highland where we are now is the focus of the enemy's attack. I don't think it's appropriate for the division leaders to stay here. So I suggest that one of you should retreat to the fourth regiment's defense area. In this way, even if something happens to the division headquarters, the remaining commander can continue to command the troops and fight with the enemy. "

After hearing what I said, kirilov and akhromeyev looked at each other. Then he pulled out his gun from the holster and weighed it in his palm. In a relaxed tone, he said to me, "Comrade oshanina, my gun is always with me. If the situation is urgent, I will fight with the enemy like a soldier. I'll leave the last bullet to myself. " Then he put the gun back in the holster and sat down as if nothing had happened.

Looking at kirilov's statement, I understand that he intends to stay with me in the Highlands, so akhromeyev can only go to the fourth regiment to set up a new headquarters, so I turn my eyes to the young chief of staff and wait for his decision.

Unexpectedly, akhromeyev was staring at me and got angry: "how can you say that, sir? I'm your chief of staff, and you've come all the way from the front army of warholf, so I'll be where you are. If you don't leave the highland, I will never enter the defense area of the fourth regiment. "

I'm a little embarrassed to see that both of them are so determined. It seems that I'm taking the heart of a villain as the belly of a gentleman. I turned my eyes and said to them like a child: "OK, OK. My political commissar and chief of staff, since you are not willing to leave here, shall we all stay here? "

Kirilov listened to me, waved his hand and said discontentedly, "Comrade division commander, if you say that again in the future, I will report it directly to the headquarters of the group army." Then he turned his head like a child, which made me and akhromeyev laugh.

Although kirilov was still unhappy, I didn't persuade him any more, because I knew that he knew what I meant. But as a political commissar of the independent division, how could he step back at such a dangerous time? In order to prevent me from making excuses to persuade him to withdraw from the high ground, I had to choose this way to stop me.

At this time, gordonov of the third regiment called to report that the enemy's shelling on Highland 107.5 had stopped, but because the smoke had not been dispersed, the visibility on the highland was very low, and it was impossible to observe whether the German ground troops were approaching the highland.

Listening to Godunov's report, I simply said: "continue to observe and prepare for all battles."

The enemy's shelling of the positions of the third regiment is over, but the shelling and bombing of the mamayev post are still in full swing. Shejerikov and Pugachev called me every five minutes, reporting that the fortifications in a certain area were destroyed, and which company suffered heavy casualties under the attack of the enemy's dual firepower, etc.

When I heard one bad news after another, I was so angry that I smashed it on the table and said angrily, "these damned Krauts, can't use up their bombs and shells? Is it not enough to smash hundreds or thousands of tons of steel into our positions? "

Kirilov glanced at me and said, "what's so strange about this? How many lessons have you taught the German army, how many attacks have you defeated them, and how many troops have you destroyed since you led your troops to the mamayev post? Not to mention the German commander, even if it was me, I would have to fire the defenders on the high ground as soon as possible before launching a ground attack. Of course, if there are bombs that can raze the mamayev post, I don't care about throwing more. "

Listening to what he said, I can't help thinking: it's easy to blow up the mamayev post. It's all solved by throwing an atomic bomb. It's not only razing the Highlands, but also destroying Stalingrad and all the defenders in the city. But these shocking words, I also thought in my heart, did not dare to say.

Five or six minutes later, the telephone on the desk rang. Akhromeyev picked up the phone and began to talk to each other. Without saying a few words, he put down the phone and said to me with a happy face: "Comrade division commander, it's captain Pugachev, the second commander. He said that four fighters of our army have been flying over the highlands and are engaged in air combat with enemy planes."

Hearing this news, I immediately had a feeling of elation. I couldn't help clapping the table and exclaiming, "great, as soon as our plane comes, the enemy's plane won't want to bomb our positions as recklessly as it did just now. Let's go, comrade political commissar. Let's go out and have a look. " Originally, I wanted to ask akhromeyev to go with me, but I thought that it was impossible for a division commander in the division headquarters to be absent, so I only called kirilov.

Kirilov and I were about to leave when razumeyeva stopped me and handed me a telegram. Looking down to see the contents of the telegram, I felt better and better. I handed the telegram to kirilov and said excitedly, "Comrade political commissar, you see, this is a telegram from general krailov. It says that after the look of commander trakov, the superior sent us two fighter squadrons to fly the eight planes, They are all excellent pilots with rich combat experience. I believe that with their arrival, we will be able to firmly grasp the air supremacy on the battlefield. In that case, we can put the anti tank gun company and heavy howitzer unit into combat, kill all the German tanks and take a good breath. "

When we got outside the cave, the enemy's bombing had stopped. Although their cannons are still bombarding the highland for a moment, almost all the cannons fall on the north slope, and our south slope is relatively safe. When I got to an open place, I jumped into a waist deep crater and raised my telescope to look into the air.

We can see that the planes in the air are fighting fiercely. Although the number of enemy planes is several times more than our army's, their ammunition and fuel are almost consumed. When four or five enemy planes braved the flames and fell on the high ground or in the rolling Volga River, the rest of them did not dare to fight and turned around and flew north. But our plane was not willing to let the enemy escape so easily, so it followed up.

Kirilov looked at it for a while and said with emotion, "if our plane could come half an hour earlier, our troops would not have paid such heavy casualties."

Seeing the superiority of our fighters, I turned my attention to the ground. Seeing that the tanks in two rows in front of the high ground were still shelling a regiment's positions, I was not well-known. I was going to go back to the headquarters in person to give an order to Morozov. When I turned my head, I unexpectedly found basmanov standing beside me and told him loudly, "Comrade captain, You immediately call Morozov and ask him to send an anti tank artillery company into the position and fire on the tank troops who are blatantly shelling a group of positions. In the shortest time, all these iron monsters of the enemy will be turned into scrap iron. "

Kirilov listened to my order and reminded me in a low voice: "Comrade oshanina, have you forgotten that heavy howitzer unit? If they also fight, they will soon be able to wipe out all the enemy's tanks. " I shook my head and explained to kirilov, "Comrade political commissar, the howitzer unit can't be used for the time being. Let's wait until the enemy infantry attack." Speaking of this, I waved to basmanov who was still standing in the same place: "what are you still standing here to do, don't you hurry to convey my order!" Basmanov's action was very sharp. In two or three minutes, he reappeared beside us. At the same time, he handed me a new telegram and newspaper. At the same time, he reported: "report to the division chief and political commissar. This is the telegram just received. The chief of staff asked me to send it to you." When I heard that there was a new telegram coming from the headquarters of the group army, I quickly picked it up and looked at it.