"Where is the observation site?" As soon as the regiment commander finished speaking, Chernyakhovsky asked in a stern tone: "I need to immediately go to the forward observation post to find out the situation on the battlefield." ”

After hearing this, the head of the regiment showed an embarrassed expression on his face, and hurriedly cast a begging glance at Gorishny for help. In fact, even if the regiment commander did not look at him, Gorishny would not agree to Chernyashhovsky to go to the forward observation post, and he hurriedly said: "Comrade commander, our forward observation post is within the range of German artillery fire, and you cannot take this risk. ”

Chernyakhovsky waited for Gorishny to finish speaking, stared at him for a long time, and finally said: "As commanders, how can we be afraid of danger? I don't want our fighters to think that their commander is a man who is greedy for life and afraid of death. At this point, his gaze turned back to the regimental commander and ordered in an unquestioning tone, "Take me to the forward observation post immediately." ”

Goryshny sighed softly beside him, and then said to the regiment commander: "Comrade Colonel, since the commander insists on this, take him to the forward observation post!" ”

At the insistence of Chernyakhovsky, the regiment commander led the two to an observation post only four hundred meters away from the river, from which the entire battlefield could be clearly seen.

Before several people walked into the observation post, there was also a German artillery shell, which fell not far away and exploded. The dust that fell from the sky scattered Chernyakhovsky all over his body, and he just raised his hand and patted the dust that fell on his shoulders and walked into the observation post without changing his face.

This semi-underground observation post is seven or eight square meters, and there were originally five or six people inside, but at this moment, three more people poured in from the outside, and it seemed a little crowded. However, fortunately, these soldiers had good eyesight, and when they saw that the person who came in was the commander of the group army, they hurriedly raised their hands and saluted, and except for one officer in charge, the rest of the people withdrew from the observation post.

Instead of speaking, Chernyakhovsky walked quickly to the lookout, picked up a telescope and looked into the distance. After looking at it for a while, he called the regiment commander over and said with a serious expression: "Comrade Colonel, you explain to me that since there is a ridge with a height of nearly one meter less than 50 meters near the bridge, and your troops can completely hide there, why should you choose the assembly site 300 meters away?" ”

In the face of Chernyakhovsky's accusations, the regiment commander was so ashamed that his face was flushed. After a long time, he opened his mouth to explain: "Comrade commander, although it is possible to conceal troops under the ridge, it is difficult to carry out unified command ......"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Chernyakhovsky, who said with a straight face: "Even if you reassemble in the rear and have a unified command." But have you ever considered how much your troops will pay when they rush through this three-hundred-meter distance, under the heavy fire of the Germans? ”

After finishing speaking, he waved his hand at the regiment commander and said in a stern tone: "Organize the troops to attack immediately, and we must take this bridge for me in the shortest possible time." ”

The regiment commander reluctantly agreed, walked to a corner of the room, picked up the phone on the table, and said into the microphone after shaking it out: "I am the regiment commander, five minutes after the artillery battalion began shelling, the second battalion entered the battle and launched an attack on the opposite side of the bridge. ”

The power of an artillery battalion is really limited, even if the Soviet artillery fire is in the process of suppressing the fire on the opposite bank, there are still German shells constantly flying over, falling around the observation post and exploding, shaking the dirt on the top of the log down the gap between the logs, puffing down, making the people staying inside become "mud people".

As soon as the artillery fire stopped, the Soviet commanders and fighters who were hiding in the starting position jumped out of their hiding places with shouts and rushed towards the bridge with their guns in hand. Seeing that the Soviets were charging again, the German mortars and machine guns fired faster, and from time to time fighters were knocked down by shells, or by machine gun bullets flying from the opposite bank.

In just over 100 meters, forty or fifty people were knocked down by shrapnel or bullets, and the remaining soldiers hurriedly lay down on the spot, no matter how their commanders shouted, they just lay on the ground and did not move.

"Colonel, look at your warriors." When Chernyakhovsky saw this scene, he immediately called the regiment commander to the lookout, "all lying on the ground and not moving, immediately called them up and continued to charge forward." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." The regiment commander saw that his subordinates were not angry, and there was an embarrassed look on his face. After a short silence, he decisively made a decision, he straightened up and said to Chernyakhovsky: "Comrade commander, allow me to personally go and command the troops. ”

A few minutes later, the regimental commander, wearing a steel helmet and carrying a submachine gun in his hand, appeared in the attacking ranks. He shouted to the warriors who were lying on the ground: "Brothers, what are you doing here? On such a cold day, lying on the ground will make your stomach hurt. ”

But he shouted for a long time, and the fighters still lay motionless on the ground. Finally, a soldier leaned up half of his body and stood up specifically, but when he saw that the soldiers around him did not move, he fell down again.

Seeing that the fighters were indifferent to their words, the regiment commander was in a hurry, he knew that Chernyakhovsky and the division commander were watching him from behind. In desperation, he could only wave the submachine gun in his hand, take the lead and rush forward, and at the same time shouted in his mouth: "Brothers, come with me, for the honor of our guards, advance~!" ”

Seeing that his regimental commander had braved the enemy's bullets and bullets to bravely rush forward, how could the soldiers lying on the ground still be indifferent. A company commander was the first to stand up and shouted at the soldiers around him: "Brothers, are you all cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death? If you're not afraid of death, come with me, rush! ”

The company commander rushed forward, and the soldiers in his company also stood up. Although a few fighters had just stood up when they were hit by bullets and fell to the ground on their backs, the remaining fighters rushed forward without even blinking their eyelids and following the company commander.

Seeing several hundred fighters, led by the regiment commander, rushed towards the bridge. Gorishny, who was standing at the observation post, also felt a light on his face, and hurriedly said to Chernyakhovsky: "Comrade commander, you see, they have rushed up, they have already rushed to the bridge. ”

After hearing this, Chernyakhovsky just nodded and said lightly: "For more than a year, I haven't seen the regiment commander personally lead the troops to charge." Hopefully they'll make it across the bridge this time. …… Oops," he exclaimed suddenly, "the colonel is wounded, and the enemy fire on the opposite side is too fierce." ”