After Vitkov's report, he asked me again: "Comrade commander, a regiment under the command of General Gurdiev, commander of the 308th Division, is not far from the area to be breached, do you order them to deploy on the spot and block the enemy who is rushing into our defense line in place?" ”

"Chief of Staff, since that's the case, let's do as you say." I immediately agreed with Vitkov's suggestion, "Also, the Germans have now completely cut off the supply lines of the 6th Army, and then they can send more troops back to attack us, so the 308th Division except for one regiment transferred into the city to participate in the defense, the remaining two regiments, commanded by General Gurdiev, rely on the existing fortifications to resist the German attack." ”

"Understood." Vitkov agreed, and turned to contact Gurdiev.

As soon as Vitkov walked away, Kirillov kindly reminded me: "Oshanina, since you have contacted the deputy commander-in-chief, Marshal Zhukov, you might as well send a telegram to him about the disobedience to the order." That way, even if someone pursues you afterwards, someone can say a few words for you. ”

Kirillov's reminder made my eyes light up, yes, how did I forget it, there is a mountain like Zhukov behind me, and I was worried in vain just now. I hurriedly sat down and drafted a telegram to Zhukov, in which I wrote down the actual situation near Zaporosh and the reasons for my disobedience.

After writing the telegram, as soon as I looked up and saw Pugachev standing nearby, I handed it to him and instructed: "Comrade Major, immediately send this telegram to Marshal Zhukov." Remember. You will receive a telegram from the marshal in reply. Come back and report back to me. Pugachev took the telegram from my hand. Immediately turned around and walked out of the command.

"Comrade Commissar, how is the situation at the airport?" At present, there are battles taking place along the river and in the northeast of Zaporosh, and the situation in the defense area of the 171st Division, which is closest to us, is not expected to be much better, so I then asked Kirillov: "Does Colonel Andreushchenko have any latest reports on the enemy's situation?" ”

"The Colonel called half an hour ago," Kirillov said, pushing the map in front of me as usual. "The newly built fortifications they had placed on the south side of the airfield had been broken through by German armored units," he explained. Although our commanders and fighters fought stubbornly, destroying four enemy tanks and killing hundreds of SS soldiers, one battalion of the 115th Regiment died a heroic death. At the moment, the regiment has retreated to the second line of defense, ready to continue to resist the German offensive. ”

Seeing where the 115th Regiment was currently located, I nodded and said, "The second line of defense they are currently in was originally built by the Germans. When the 22nd Guards Division was stationed at the airfield, it was deliberately reinforced. It should be no problem to hold the Germans back here for two or three days. I pointed my finger at the Kuban and asked with concern, "How is the situation with Major Akhromeyev, and is he fighting with the German troops again?" ”

"Another battle was fought, but it was not large, and the attacking enemy was quickly repulsed by them." After talking about the situation in the Kuban, Kirillov asked worriedly: "Comrade Oshanina, I am worried that as soon as the large German army comes up, with the strength of Major Akhromeyev, it will not be able to stop it at all. You see, is it from somewhere to draw a little troops to reinforce them? ”

"I can't stop it, I can't help it." With the change of the situation on the battlefield, the importance of the Kuban is far less than that of the previous two days, and I do not take Kirillov's concerns seriously, and I say: "Since the supply lines of communication of the main forces of the army group have been cut off, it is only a matter of time before our lines of communication are cut off by the enemy." Rather than expending too many troops there, it is better to concentrate on a real contest with the Germans. ”

As soon as I finished speaking, Vitkov came over. Seeing that both of them were in front of me, I didn't hide my thoughts anymore, but said openly and honestly: "Political commissar, chief of staff, there is something I hope you can be prepared for. According to our existing strength and armament, it will not last long in the siege of the German army on all sides. So I intend to hold out here for three more days at most, that is, the remnants of our army will carry out a breakout operation on February 25. ”

Although I had repeatedly told the two of them that they would not be able to hold out for long in Zaporosh, when I really said that I was ready to break out, the two of them fell silent.

After a long time, Kirillov asked tentatively: "Comrade Oshanina, is it true, that things are not turning around at all?" You must know that the total strength of our Southwestern Front and the Voronezh Front is several times that of the German troops in Ukraine, and even if we exchange a few people for one of them, the final victory will definitely belong to us. ”

In response to Kirillov's statement, Vitkov nodded in agreement. Seeing that the two of them were so unanimous in their opinions, I knew in my heart that it would be difficult to convince the commanders below without convincing them first. In that case, my breakout plan will be hindered in all kinds of ways. So I said to them earnestly: "Political commissars, chiefs of staff, as commanders, we always can't do without mathematics when we fight, and there are many factors to consider whether we can win on the battlefield or not. We must not only calculate the strength of the two sides, but also who has the most tanks and artillery and who has air supremacy. ”

"As you say, Comrade Commander." Vitkov was still a little unconvinced by my statement: "If we do not have air supremacy on the battlefield, and the number of tanks and artillery is not as large as that of the enemy, then it will be difficult for us to achieve victory?" ……”

I listened to his tone, and if I continued to talk about it, I would inevitably bring up the defense of Stalingrad again, so I raised my hand and interrupted his later words: "Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff, I know what you want to say next. Yes, we held out at Stalingrad for several months under extremely difficult conditions, and finally annihilated Paulus's 6th Army. "When I spoke of the 6th Army, my heart could not help but tremble, and my heart said that the annihilated German troops were the 6th Army. We are now also the 6th Army. That's not a good sign. "But you have to think about it. How many troops did we put in Stalingrad at that time, and how many troops did the Germans put in them? Although we no longer count our casualties a month after the outbreak of the city defense war, you and I should have an approximate number of casualties in our hearts. At present, our army is surrounded by German troops in Zaporosh, and as long as we fight for a few days, we will face a situation of running out of ammunition and food. Add to that the lack of reinforcements, do you think we can still create a miracle like the Battle of Stalingrad in this situation? ”

After listening to my heartfelt words, Vitkov was silent for a while, and finally slowly shook his head and said affirmatively: "Comrade commander, I agree with you. In the event of a situation like the one you mentioned, the fate of total annihilation awaits us. ”

Seeing that Vitkov agreed with me, Kirillov no longer stood up for his opinion, but humbly asked me: "Comrade Oshanina. If we want to break through, from which direction should we break through? ”

"Comrade Commissar. Let's start with the map. After beckoning the two to the table, I leaned down, pointed to Zaporosh's location, and said to them: "As things stand, to the south we are the 3rd SS Panzer Infantry Division 'Skeleton', to the northeast is part of the 2nd 'Reich' Panzer Infantry Division, and to the east is the German 11th Panzer Division and the 336th Infantry Division. The combat effectiveness of these units is one of the best in the German army, which means that if we break through from these three directions, it is possible that after fierce fighting, we will still not be able to break through the encirclement. ”

Vitkov's eyes swept back and forth on the map, and suddenly his eyebrows rose and he asked with some surprise: "Comrade commander, you don't plan to break through from where the headquarters in Manstein is located, do you?" He slapped his hand twice on the Dnieper next to Zaporosh, "in that case, our troops would have to cross this Dnieper first and, without the Germans coming to their senses, rush into their depth." ”

I nodded with satisfaction at Vitkov's ability to understand, and then said: "The chief of staff is right, although the Germans on the other side of the Dnieper are more numerous than us in other directions, their vigilance should be the lowest, and they would never have imagined that we would cross the river and break through. In this way, our chances of success will be greatly improved. ”

"Is there a good chance of success in breaking through in this direction?" Kirillov asked in a skeptical tone.

"Comrade Political Commissar, in the current situation, this risk is worth taking." In order to dispel Kirillov's doubts, I also explained to him: "Shortly after the outbreak of the war, when the German army crossed the Dnieper River in a big way, the commander of the 63rd Infantry Corps, Petrivsky, who was holding on to the river, unexpectedly led his troops across the Dnieper River, rushed to the rear of the enemy, and took the opportunity to recover several fallen cities, successfully delaying the German army's advance towards Moscow. Now, our breakthrough operation is just a replica of his classic example. ”

"If that's the case, then I don't have an opinion." Apparently relieved to hear that this tactic had been carried out and had been successful, Kirillov added: "We had better find someone to inquire about General Petrivsky's detailed battle report, so as to provide the necessary cruelty for our plan for a breakout." ”

"Comrade Commander," before I could speak, Pugachev's voice suddenly came from the door. When I looked up, I saw that he had a piece of paper in his hand, walked quickly in front of me, and when he handed it to me, he said, "It is a telegram from Marshal Zhukov himself." ”

I snatched the telegram from his hand, held it in front of me, and couldn't wait to read it. I saw that it read: "The shape of the battlefield is changing rapidly, as long as you can achieve the purpose of containing the enemy and consuming the enemy, you can adjust the deployment of your troops according to the actual situation." I grant you permission not to execute a wrong command from your superiors. Zhukov. ”

After reading it, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in my heart, and I handed the telegram in my hand to Kirillov and said: "Comrade Political Commissar, you can also take a look, Comrade Marshal not only did not hold us accountable for disobeying orders, but also allowed us to adjust the deployment of our troops according to the actual situation on the battlefield. ”

Kirillov read the telegram at a glance and, after handing it to Vitkov, asked me: "Then the breakthrough plan that we just mentioned, does it need to be immediately reported to Comrade Marshal?" ”

I hurriedly waved my hand and said decisively: "Comrade political commissar, there is no need to report it for the time being. This breakthrough plan can only be known to a few of us at present, and it must not be leaked out, otherwise it will cause the morale of the army to be shaken and demoralized, and the next battle will not be able to be fought. ”

Kirillov nodded after hearing this, and then called the radio operator on the side, asked him to stand beside Pugachev, and said to the two: "Our army will implement the plan to break out in the near future, and so far, only the five of us know about it. Before the order is officially issued to the divisions, I want the two of you to keep it a secret and not to leak this plan, understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commissar." Pugachev and the telegraph operator replied in unison: "We have studied the rules of secrecy, and we will never leak this secret." ”

"Good!" Kirillov was pleased with what the two men said, then waved at them and ordered: "Let's all go back to their respective posts." ”

As soon as the two of them walked away, the phone on the desk rang again. When I saw Vitkov answer the phone, I muttered to myself: What kind of call is this, it can't be something wrong, right?

Vitkov listened for a moment, then said sternly into the microphone: "I see, General Pandereev. Now that the German tanks are rushing up, you have to find a way to get rid of them all. If there is any situation, please report it to the army. With that, he hung up the phone.

Hearing about the appearance of tanks in the defense zone of the Pandereev division, I asked in surprise: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what happened, where did the tanks come from?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Vitkov respectfully reported to me: "General Bandereev reports that the Germans, when our troops were under shelling and could not be observed, sent sappers to repair the pontoon bridge where a regiment was located, and several tanks had rushed along the pontoon bridge. ”

"Did General Bandereev take any measures?" Kirillov also asked nervously.

Vitkov turned his head sideways to Kirillov and said: "A regiment had an anti-tank gun on its position by the river, but after firing several shots in a row, it could not destroy the enemy tanks after hitting the German tanks. Pandereev called, just to ask us what to do? (To be continued......)