Rokossovsky smiled at Lobachev and Kazakov's strong opposition, and when he waited for Malinin to return from outside, he immediately called him to the front and asked with a smile: "Colonel Malinin, you are my chief of staff, how to deal with these captured German medical personnel, I would like to hear your opinion." Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info"

Ma Lining, who had just come back from outside, suddenly heard this question, and then saw several commanders with higher levels than himself, all of whom were focused on him, and couldn't help but become a little nervous.

Seeing his dazed and bewildered look, Rokossovsky continued: "Chief of Staff, what do you think in your heart, even if you say it, even if you say it wrong, I won't blame you." ”

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff." Lobachev also chimed in: "If you have any ideas, just say them, even if you say it wrong, no one will blame you." ”

After receiving encouragement from Rokossovsky and Lobachev, Malinin coughed lightly, and then said cautiously: "Comrade commander, comrade military commissar, I have just seen more than forty German medical personnel captured by our army. Among so many people, there must be people who have a good impression of us, but at the same time there are those diehards who are determined to serve the fascists. But in this case, I think it's very difficult to completely separate the two kinds of people. So I think they should all be sent to the prisoner of war camp in the rear. ”

"Hear me, Comrade Commander." Seeing that Malinin agreed with his opinion, Lobachev said to Rokossovsky more and more confidently: "You give the order, immediately send someone to send this group of captured medical personnel to the rear." ”

Rokossovsky restrained the smile on his face and said to Lobachev with a serious expression: "Comrade Military Commissar, at the moment we urgently need a number of medical personnel, and it would be a waste to send them all to the prisoner of war camps in the rear. Although they are all Germans, it is not impossible to win them, you are doing political and ideological work, and I think it is entirely possible for you to come forward to do the work of transforming these prisoners, so that they can serve our commanders and fighters wholeheartedly. ”

Listening to Rokossovsky's words, Lobachev's face showed a hesitant expression. He hesitated for a long time before asking, "What if these medical workers secretly make some small moves while treating our wounded, causing our wounded to die?" ”

When Rokossovsky heard Lobachev say this, he knew that his mind was shaken, so he hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "I believe in the medical ethics of most of them, and it is estimated that they will not do such an immoral thing as plotting against the wounded." However, to be on the safe side, we should send reliable people to supervise them, so that your worries should be avoided. ”

"Well, Comrade Commander, I think I've been persuaded by you, I'll do it." Lobachev stood up and added: "But among so many people, there must still be many people who are unwilling." Let me start by saying that those medical workers who are willing to serve us can stay, and the remaining diehards must be sent to the prisoner of war camp immediately. ”

"No problem, Comrade Military Commissar." Rokossovsky said with a smile: "Since I have entrusted you with full responsibility for this matter, then it is completely up to you to decide what to do." ”

While Rokossovsky and Lobachev were at the headquarters, discussing what to do with captured German medics, the night battle continued on the west bank of the Wopi River.

The fleeing German corps headquarters, because it was too dark, rushed directly towards the 152nd Infantry Division after running blindly. After a brief exchange of fire, the regimental headquarters and about a company of troops were besieged in a grove by a regiment of the 152nd Infantry Division.

Cherneshov, who received the news, consulted with Lidyukov and, in order to avoid long nights, decided to launch an attack on the besieged enemy overnight, and strictly ordered the commander of the regiment to settle the battle before dawn.

After giving the order, Chernyshov was not at ease, and personally led people to the besieged area of the German army headquarters, wanting to see with his own eyes that the enemy was completely destroyed.

Half an hour later, when Chernyshov arrived at the place surrounding the German corps headquarters, the battle was not over. An attack that the Soviets had just launched was repulsed by the Germans hiding in the woods, causing seventy or eighty casualties. Fortunately, it was dark, so the wounded who fell to the ground were almost all smoothly dragged back by the fighters.

When Chernyshov found his regimental commander, he was crouching under a ridge more than one meter high, explaining the task to several battalion commanders and company commanders under him. Seeing the arrival of the division commander, he wanted to get up and salute, but was stopped by Chernyshov raising his hand, "Okay, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, don't stand up, lest you be discovered by enemy snipers." ”

The lieutenant colonel, who had just leaned out half of his body, heard Chernyshov say this, and squatted down again. The commanders around the map hurriedly shifted their positions to make room for Chernyshov.

Chernyshov quickly shone a flashlight on the map, then extinguished the flashlight and asked: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how is the situation now?" ”

"Comrade division commander, the situation is not very good." The lieutenant colonel replied: "The enemy placed several machine guns on the edge of the woods, and our troops rushed twice, unsuccessfully, but instead inflicted almost two hundred casualties. ”

"It's night, and although the Germans know that they have troops surrounded by us, they don't dare to send reinforcements casually." Hearing that the attack on the woods had failed, Chernyshov said with some anxiety: "If the battle continues until dawn, enemy reinforcements will come up, and our infantry will not be able to deal with their tanks." ”

"Comrade division commander, I understand." When the lieutenant colonel heard Chernyshov say this, he hurriedly defended himself: "Before you came, we were discussing countermeasures. ”

"Have you figured out a good idea?" Chernyshov asked lightly.

The lieutenant colonel nodded, and then replied: "There is a suggestion from the commander that the enemy should first bombard those firing points that the enemy has just exposed with mortars, and then launch an attack, so that our troops have a chance to storm into the woods. ”

"After the enemy's firepower is exposed, will it honestly stay where it is?" Chernyshov said disdainfully: "The Germans are not stupid, since they know that their machine-gun fire point has been discovered by you, they will definitely shift their positions in the battle later." ”

"No, Comrade Divisional Commander." As soon as Chernyshov finished speaking, a captain interjected: "I have just carefully observed that in both of our attacks, the positions of the enemy's exposed firing points were fixed. ”

Chernyshov looked at the interjecting captain and asked rather dissatisfied: "Captain, who are you?" ”

The captain opened his mouth, and just as he wanted to speak, the lieutenant colonel had already preemptively said: "Comrade division commander, this is the commander of the mortar company of our regiment. The suggestion just now was made by him. ”

After listening to the lieutenant colonel's explanation, Chernyshov stared at the captain for a while, then nodded and asked: "Comrade captain, I don't know how sure you are that you can knock out all the enemy's fire points?" ”

"Comrade division commander," said the artillery company commander slowly, "because the trees in the woods are too dense, and it is night, I am only 30% sure that I want to kill all the enemy's fire points at once." ”

Chernyshov was well aware of the difficulties faced in night operations as for the artillery company commander's statement, and if the captain said that he was 100% sure that he would have taken out the enemy's point of fire, he would certainly not be at ease. Since the captain said that there are only thirty percent, it must be true. So he nodded and continued to ask, "Comrade Captain, do you have enough ammunition in your company?" ”

The captain nodded and replied: "We originally had a base number of shells, and when we captured the enemy's regimental headquarters and field hospital, we captured another batch, and now there is plenty of ammunition. ”

After listening to this, Chernyshov immediately and decisively said: "Well, it was decided so much." After the artillery battery had opened fire and destroyed the enemy's firing points at the edge of the forest, the troops attacked. ”

"Yes!" After all the commanders said yes in unison, they all stood up and returned to their troops with a bent over.

When the commanders were almost gone, Cherneshov asked the regiment commander in a low voice: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are the enemies all surrounded by us?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." The lieutenant colonel nodded and said affirmatively: "We have surrounded the woods so much that not a single enemy will try to escape from our encirclement." ”

A few minutes later, the regimental mortar company opened fire. More than a dozen shells whizzed into the woods and exploded at the German firepower that had long been exposed. In an instant, two machine guns and their shooters were blown to pieces by shells. The rest of the machine gunners hurriedly picked up the machine guns and hid somewhere else.

After three rounds of shelling, Chernyshov ordered the artillery company commander to stop firing, and at the same time said to the bewildered regimental commander: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, it's night, and I can't see the effect of the shelling. Now the enemy's firepower should have been almost destroyed, and if the shelling continues, it will be a waste of ammunition, and immediately let the troops charge, and strive to rush into the woods in the shortest possible time to clear the remnants of the enemy inside. ”

"Yes!" As soon as the regimental commander agreed, he asked the messenger to give the order, and let the troops that had been prepared long ago charge towards the woods occupied by the Germans.

As the order to attack was given, the commanders and fighters who were prostrate on the ground jumped to their feet and rushed towards the woods with a shout. At a distance of 200 meters, it took the commanders and fighters less than a minute to run. Just as they were about to rush into the woods, the enemy's machine guns rang out again, and in order to block the Soviet onslaught, the German machine gunners pulled the trigger vigorously and fired a long line of bullets.

The muzzle flames from several machine guns, like dark red whips, constantly pumped towards the Soviet commanders and fighters who rushed by, knocking them to the ground one by one.

After listening to the lieutenant colonel's explanation, Chernyshov stared at the captain for a while, then nodded and asked: "Comrade captain, I don't know how sure you are that you can knock out all the enemy's fire points?" ”

"Comrade division commander," said the artillery company commander slowly, "because the trees in the woods are too dense, and it is night, I am only 30% sure that I want to kill all the enemy's fire points at once." ”

Chernyshov was well aware of the difficulties faced in night operations as for the artillery company commander's statement, and if the captain said that he was 100% sure that he would have taken out the enemy's point of fire, he would certainly not be at ease. Since the captain said that there are only thirty percent, it must be true. So he nodded and continued to ask, "Comrade Captain, do you have enough ammunition in your company?" ”

The captain nodded and replied: "We originally had a base number of shells, and when we captured the enemy's regimental headquarters and field hospital, we captured another batch, and now there is plenty of ammunition. ”

After listening to this, Chernyshov immediately and decisively said: "Well, it was decided so much." After the artillery battery had opened fire and destroyed the enemy's firing points at the edge of the forest, the troops attacked. ”

"Yes!" After all the commanders said yes in unison, they all stood up and returned to their troops with a bent over.

When the commanders were almost gone, Cherneshov asked the regiment commander in a low voice: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are the enemies all surrounded by us?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." The lieutenant colonel nodded and said affirmatively: "We have surrounded the woods so much that not a single enemy will try to escape from our encirclement." ”

A few minutes later, the regimental mortar company opened fire. More than a dozen shells whizzed into the woods and exploded at the German firepower that had long been exposed. In an instant, two machine guns and their shooters were blown to pieces by shells. The rest of the machine gunners hurriedly picked up the machine guns and hid somewhere else.

After three rounds of shelling, Chernyshov ordered the artillery company commander to stop firing, and at the same time said to the bewildered regimental commander: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, it's night, and I can't see the effect of the shelling. Now the enemy's firepower should have been almost destroyed, and if the shelling continues, it will be a waste of ammunition, and immediately let the troops charge, and strive to rush into the woods in the shortest possible time to clear the remnants of the enemy inside. ”

"Yes!" As soon as the regimental commander agreed, he asked the messenger to give the order, and let the troops that had been prepared long ago charge towards the woods occupied by the Germans.

As the order to attack was given, the commanders and fighters who were prostrate on the ground jumped to their feet and rushed towards the woods with a shout. At a distance of 200 meters, it took the commanders and fighters less than a minute to run. Just as they were about to rush into the woods, the enemy's machine guns rang out again, and in order to block the Soviet onslaught, the German machine gunners pulled the trigger vigorously and fired a long line of bullets.

The muzzle flames from several machine guns, like dark red whips, constantly pumped towards the Soviet commanders and fighters who rushed by, knocking them to the ground one by one. (To be continued.) )