Hearing that the Germans were attacking our positions, Kirillov became a little restless, and as soon as I put down the phone, he quickly stood up and said to me: "Comrade division commander, you and the chief of staff stay, and I will go to the observation post to have a look." ”

"Wait a minute, Comrade Commissar." Since this was the first large-scale offensive launched by the Germans after we entered the high ground, I could not sit still in the command headquarters, and when I heard Kirillov say this, I said along the way: "The command headquarters is here to Chief of Staff Akhromeyev, and I will go with you to the observation post." ”

The observation post was located in a trench on the northwestern side of the hillside where the division headquarters was located, and from here it was clear not only that most of the positions were in the group, but that even the steppe to the north of the high ground could be seen in full view.

Not long after we entered the observation post, the roar of the motors of German tanks could be heard from far and near. We hurriedly raised our binoculars and looked into the distance, only to see that on the grassland in the distance, more than 20 tanks lined up in a parade formation, and were proudly heading towards the position of a regiment. Behind it was a convoy of countless trucks, and there were always one or two hundred trucks as far as the eye could see. The carriages of the cars were full of infantry in steel helmets, and some of the trucks were dragging cannons in the back, and they rushed towards us in a fierce manner.

"Hell, hell!" Kirillov said to himself: "It seems that the Germans really wanted to seize the Mamayev Hill in one fell swoop, and actually sent out a tank battalion, two artillery battalions, and nearly a regiment of infantry. ”

I didn't take Kirillov's words, but moved the telescope to a position halfway up the mountain. I saw groups of commanders and fighters in the trenches, bending over and running back and forth. The trenches and fortifications that had been destroyed by intensive artillery fire were also being repaired at the moment. From time to time, a spade of dirt could be seen being lifted out of the trench.

The enemy is getting closer. When they were still a kilometer or so away from our positions. The tanks that rushed to the front slowed down, the trucks stopped and formed a phalanx, and the infantry on the vehicles were jumping out of their wagons and lining up next to the trucks, ready to follow behind the tanks and charge at our positions.

The cannons that were towed behind the truck were also unloaded by the artillerymen and lined up directly in the open field in front of the truck. Aimed the muzzle of the black hole at the position of our troops.

Although I have been on the battlefield for a long time, when I saw this scene, my heart beat faster again. Just like before the first shot was fired on the battlefield, even the veteran soldiers were not exempt from being in a brief state of tension, not to mention that the enemy had put on such a large formation today after the heavy shelling.

I was worried that Shedelikov, who was at the forefront, would also feel nervous in the face of such a scene, so I picked up the only phone in the observation post and called him. When I heard his voice, I had regained my former calm. I calmly asked: "Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, have the troops all entered combat positions?" ”

"Yes. Comrade division commander, the two newly transferred companies have already entered the designated combat positions. Sederikov replied dryly, but I could hear his nervousness in his slightly tuned voice.

In order to make his feelings come down, I deliberately diverted the topic: "Where is Commissar Oberstein?" ”

"The commissar took his guard squad to the mountainside position."

Hearing Sederikov say this, I couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and shouted at him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how did you do it, who allowed you to let the commissar go to such a dangerous place?" ”

"Comrade division commander," Sederikov, who was criticized by me, replied aggrievedly, "Originally, I wanted the commissar to stay at the command post and I would go to the front to command the troops. Unexpectedly, the political commissar said that he was not very familiar with the commanders and fighters below when he first came, and if he needed to mobilize troops later, it would be more appropriate for me to go out. He also said that he was going to the forward positions to carry out propaganda and agitation to the fighters in order to boost the morale of the troops. ”

From Sedjerikov's words, I heard that Oberstein was a serious and somewhat stubborn person who was serious about his work, and it was obviously impossible to get someone to pull him down from his position at this time, and the only thing I could do was to ask Sederikov to send someone to protect his safety. Thinking of this, I solemnly instructed Sedelikov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I order you to immediately send a few fighters from the elven point to the front to protect the safety of the commissar. To sue them, even if they sacrifice their own lives, they must ensure the safety of the commissar of Oberstan. Do you understand? "When I said the last sentence, I deliberately accentuated my tone.

"Understood, I'll send someone to the battlefield to protect the safety of the commissar."

"The enemy's infantry is easy to fight," I was not worried at all when I thought of the black and oppressive infantry, they were a herd of lambs waiting to be slaughtered under our light and heavy machine-gun fire, and what gave me a headache was the twenty or so tanks that opened the road in front. So I asked worriedly, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, your regiment lacks anti-tank weapons, and the German tanks that open the way for the infantry, what are you going to do?" ”

"Please rest assured," Sederikov said to me confidently, "our regiment is at the foot of the hill on the heights, and there is a platoon of anti-tank infantry deployed, and the tanks of the Germans will be handed over to them to deal with." ”

Hearing what Shedelikov said, I suddenly remembered that there was indeed a regiment with a platoon of troops under the high ground, which was specially used to fight German tanks, and it was a miracle that they survived the rapid artillery attack just now.

When I put down the microphone, Kirillov, who was observing the enemy, put down his binoculars and smiled at me in a friendly smile. I understand that the reason why he smiled at me is because my attitude towards political workers has gradually changed from rejection and indifference to friendly and warm.

I smiled politely at Kirillov, then walked over to the observation port and raised my binoculars to look out onto the battlefield. At this time, the German infantry had already been assembled, and they were forming a straggler formation, following behind the tanks, slowly pushing towards our position. The noise of the tank motor driving in front of me was like an earthquake, and the ground under my feet shook slightly.

As the German tanks approached the foot of our hill, two of the anti-tank fighters who were hiding in their individual bunkers crawled out of their bunkers. Climb quickly towards the tank with both hands and feet. The fastest fighter on the left. When there were still about ten meters away from an oncoming tank. Half of his body was raised, his left elbow was on the ground, and his right hand was raised from his waist and swung forward, and an anti-tank grenade flew towards the tank.

Almost as soon as the soldier was back on his stomach on the ground, a blaze erupted from the front fender of the tank, and the entire tank body was enveloped in smoke. The tank that was shot drove a few more steps forward by inertia, and then stopped.

The warrior on the right was clearly not as lucky as his friend, the grenade he tolerate. Brushing the turret of the tank, it flew past and exploded in the open space behind it, and the air wave lifted the shattered clods into the air and scattered them like flowers. When the fighter didn't hit the target, he was probably a little anxious, and he didn't care about concealment, so he actually stood up straight, ready to throw the remaining grenades again. But before he could raise his hand, he was hit by a bullet from a machine gun in the turret of the tank, or a bullet from the infantry who were charging behind. The upper half of his body leaned back sharply, and his body froze like this for a few seconds. And he fell softly. And he didn't blow up, and the tank ran over him with impunity.

The fighter on the left, probably carried away by the rage at the sight of his comrade being mercilessly crushed by the tank under the tracks, got up from the ground in spite of it, grabbed a grenade and rushed towards the tank. He didn't run a few steps before the Germans hit him with a dense barrage of bullets, and his body convulsed violently and collapsed weakly, and the grenade in his hand fell to the side.

Seeing the sacrifice of these two anti-tank fighters, I did not speak, but could only sigh softly. Then I looked my binoculars into the bunkers where the anti-tank men were hidden, anxiously awaiting their next attack.

At this moment, Kirillov, who was next to me, suddenly patted me on the shoulder and shouted excitedly: "Comrade division commander, hurry up and look into the ravine, it is our artillery, if they come out, the German tanks will not want to rush to our position." ”

Hearing Kirillov's shout, I curiously looked my binoculars over the ravine to see what was it that excited Kirillov, who had always been calm. Seeing this, my mood suddenly relaxed a lot.

It turned out to be the commanders and fighters of the anti-tank company hidden in the ravine, who were struggling to push the artillery back to the hillside. To the left of the regimental position, there was a slightly gentle hillside, where it seemed that they wanted to establish an anti-tank artillery position. I silently counted the artillery, there were only 12 guns, it seems that Morozov sent an anti-tank artillery battery in order to support Sederikov's troops, but I don't know whether this artillery was the second company of Lieutenant Kasulin or the third company of Lieutenant Mailekhov.

In just a few minutes as I watched the anti-tank artillery company move to the front, there was a new development in the battle at the foot of the hill. Two more tanks were destroyed by our fighters, but around the burning wreckage of the tanks, more than two dozen corpses lay out, and it is not known whether it was our soldiers who died or the German tank crews who escaped from the tanks.

After the Germans lost four more tanks, the remaining twenty or so tanks lined up under the high ground, raised the muzzles of the black holes, and shelled our positions on the mountainside. The German soldiers, who were running fast, with all kinds of weapons and shouting, rushed out of the gap left between the tanks and rushed up the hillside.

Seeing this scene, the commander of the artillery was in a hurry, and without waiting to push all the artillery onto the gentle slope, he ordered the cannons in position to fire directly at the German offensive ranks.

The shells whistled down on the German ranks, and suddenly several clouds of black smoke rose in the middle of the tanks, and a dozen hapless infantry were slashed to the ground by the flying shrapnel. At the same time, light and heavy machine guns from the mountainside positions opened fire. I don't know who was in command, but our fire was focused on strafing the infantry who were bending down and charging up the hillside. Under the intensive fire of our troops, patches of German soldiers fell on the hillside.

Seeing the ferocity of our firepower, the Germans did not continue to rush forward. The infantry descended from the hillside, cleared the gap between the tanks, and ran straight to where the trucks were parked. And those tanks were also spewing black smoke, and slowly retreated as they opened fire.

"Great, great!" Kirillov, who was beside me, shouted excitedly, and he also patted me on the shoulder and said loudly: "Look, Comrade Oshanina, the German attack has been repulsed by us. ”

Although the first German attack was repulsed by us, I was not at all happy. The Germans were not so bad in combat, otherwise they would not have been in just two days. Defeat and encircle the three armies under the command of Zhukov. When they are on the offensive. Just a little bit of a setback. Just retreated in a panic, there must be some conspiracy.

Seeing Kirillov's overjoyed look, I coldly reminded him: "Comrade commissar, the Germans retreated so lightly, I think there must be something to hide." ”

Unexpectedly, he said disapprenously: "Comrade Oshanina, you are too careful. The Germans, having first destroyed seven tanks by our anti-tank crews, and then were killed by our anti-tank batteries and light and heavy machine-gun fire from the positions, and they were not fools. I won't rush forward regardless of casualties, I will definitely go back to adjust the formation for the time being, and then attack later......"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a "whining" sound of cannonballs bursting through the air, which made my hairs stand on end. Although I didn't pick up the binoculars, I also guessed that it must have been the two German artillery battalions shelling our positions.

"Boom, boom, boom!" There was no interval between the explosions, and the shells fell on the ground one after the other and exploded continuously, lifting all the objects that could be lifted high into the air. The heights that had just fallen silent were once again overturned by German artillery fire, and large and small clods of earth fell from the sky like a torrential rain. Slammed into a mass of positions.

Cannonballs rained down, and a raging burst of fire rose into the sky. The earth beneath my feet. It shook violently as if it had suffered an eight-magnitude earthquake. Large clouds of spicy smoke were blown along the hillside by the river wind and poured into the observation post where we were, choking Kirillov and I to cough violently. I covered my ears with my hands and opened my mouth wide to resist the impact of the sound waves on my eardrums, so as not to be shocked and hurt again.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Not only the heights were subjected to heavy shelling by German artillery, but even the positions of the anti-tank artillery company on the left flank were also bombarded by German tank guns, and the entire artillery position was in flames and explosions.

The shelling ended ten minutes later, and before the smoke that shrouded the heights cleared, the Germans in the distance, under the cover of tanks, launched a new attack.

I almost burst into tears when I raised my binoculars again to look at our artillery positions. Of the twelve cannons that had been lined up in a row, only a pitiful three remained intact now, and the remaining cannons were blown to pieces, and most of the gunners of these cannons were lying next to large and small craters with incomplete limbs.

Seeing that our artillery batteries were beaten so badly, I would have been unable to provide artillery cover for a regiment of defenders when the Germans attacked again. Unexpectedly, as soon as the German tanks approached the high ground, the artillery battery, which had suffered heavy losses, opened fire decisively. Two of the German tanks were directly hit, causing the detonation of the tank shells in the car, blowing up some of the surrounding German soldiers.

After the German tanks stopped again at the foot of the hillside, some of them opened fire on the positions on the mountainside to cover the infantry charge. The others turned their guns and opened fire on the positions of the artillery battery, bent on destroying the guns that posed a serious threat to them.

At this time, our artillery position was firing non-stop except for two guns, while the other gun was transferred into the ravine under the tow of several fighters.

Seeing this scene, Kirillov shouted in surprise: "What are these gunners going to do, the Germans are obviously in front, why are they running back, do they want to be shameful deserters?" After shouting these words, he shouted at the door, called in one of the guards who were standing outside, and gave him a loud command: "Comrade soldier, you immediately go to the artillery barracks to Captain Morozov and ask him to immediately stop this shameful act of desertion from the battlefield without permission." ”

The soldier agreed, and was about to leave, but I stopped him, and I told him lightly: "Comrade soldier, there is nothing to do with you here, you better go outside." "The warrior was confused by the two different commands of me and Kirillov, and stood motionless in a daze.

Seeing that he did not move, I commanded him again: "Didn't you hear my orders?" There's nothing to do here, go outside on duty. The warrior, who had received my affirmative order, saluted us, turned and walked out.

As soon as the fighters left, I said to Kirillov, who was excited: "Comrade commissar, please don't get excited, the gunners of that cannon are not going to be deserters, but are ready to move to a new gun position to continue the fight against the enemy. ”

"Is it true, Comrade Oshanina?" Kirillov asked with some uncertainty as he looked at the German infantry who were climbing up the hillside, and then at the cannon that was moving into the ravine.

"Comrade commissar, I assure you, in a maximum of ten minutes, you will be able to see this cannon in a new emplacement, firing vengeful shells at the German tanks and infantry."

Due to the heavy artillery fire of the German army just now, most of the positions on the mountainside were destroyed, and almost all the commanders and fighters of our army who lost all their heavy weapons had to withdraw from the positions along the trenches from the east and west flanks of the heights in the face of the surging German infantry.

"Comrade Oshanina, a counterattack should be organized immediately to drive the Germans out of our positions. A counterattack should be organized immediately, and the Germans should not be allowed to occupy our positions. Kirillov became more and more agitated at this point, and shouted at me somewhat incoherently.

And I knew the beauty of the fortifications built by the Shederikov regiment, so when I saw that the Germans had captured our mountainside positions, I did not feel the slightest nervousness, and said to Kirillov casually: "Comrade commissar, please do not be in a hurry, believe in our commanders and fighters, they will soon be able to take back the positions from the Germans." ”

Kirillov looked at me with suspicion and said with a dissatisfied expression: "Comrade Oshanina, you have made a military order to Commander Chuikov, and if the high ground is lost, you will be brought to a military court. ”

I didn't argue with him, but said lightly: "Commissar Kirillov, don't be impatient, you can soon see how our commanders and fighters eliminated these Germans." ”

Since the German infantry occupied positions on the mountainside, the tanks that provided artillery cover at the foot of the hill also stopped firing on the heights, but turned their guns and continued to bombard our artillery positions. Under the heavy bombardment of more than a dozen tank guns, the two cannons on the hillside were blown to pieces by the company with artillery after destroying three tanks.

But their sacrifice was not worthless, and the artillery that had just withdrawn from its position had now entered a hollow, where new gun emplacements had been established. Looking at this only remaining cannon, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said silently in my heart: Next, it is the turn of these survivors to teach these nasty German tanks a hard lesson. (To be continued......)

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