When it was dark, I and more than 200 female soldiers from various units of the group army boarded a ferry docked at the pier in turn. When the others had arrived, the ferry turned around and sailed up the river to the far east bank.

I never expected that there would be so many female soldiers in the 62nd Group Army, and I thought that there would be a cap of about 100 people, but I didn't expect that when I assembled, more than 500 people appeared at once, and the female soldiers in the division or brigade who were notified late would not arrive until later. The commander of the fleet in the Volga region, like me, did not expect that there would be such a large number of female soldiers, so he prepared only a ferry for us. As a result, the female soldiers who stayed on the pier had to cross the river in two groups.

Standing alone by the railing, gazing at the city drowning in smoke and fire on the banks of the Volga River, I couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. But when one army after another, after receiving orders from their superiors, crossed the river without hesitation, and entered the city as soon as they entered the battle, we, the former defenders of the city, had to leave the city where we had fought because of an order from our superiors.

"Comrade division commander, what are you thinking?" Lieutenant Razumeyeva, who boarded the ferry with me, somehow walked up to me and asked in a low voice: "After we leave, is there a chance to come back?" ”

To her question, I could only answer with a wry smile: "Comrade Lazumeeva, I don't think I can answer this question of yours either. Don't you see that although I hold the position of commander of an independent division, after receiving the order from my superiors, I have to evacuate this heroic city, just like you? ”

Razumeyeva, who was in the command for more than a month. Only on the ferry. to have the opportunity to see the whole picture of Stalingrad in battle. "Oh my God," she said, "the whole city is covered in fire and smoke. Here, it is as if the stones are burning, and in some places the flames reach into the sky. Could it be that our commanders, fighters and citizens live and fight in such a sea of fire? What do they breathe inside? What are they defending there? Is it ruins or piles of stones? ”

"Comrade Colonel," Tokareva's voice came from behind me, and when she saw me turning her head to look at her, she timidly asked, "may I talk to you a few words?" ”

Although I was also very depressed. But I was very friendly to the new female signal lieutenant, and I said kindly: "Of course, Second Lieutenant Tokareva. ”

"Colonel, the troops in the city are already insufficient, but the commander has sent so many people out at once, you must know that it is not only the communication soldiers who have left, but also anti-aircraft gunners, snipers, scouts, machine gunners, hygienists, and even tank soldiers. With so many communications soldiers leaving their jobs, you must know that this is a very critical position. If no suitable person can be found to replace us, then the communications of the troops will be thrown into disarray. ”

Let's be honest. Hearing Tokareva ask this, I really didn't know how to answer, so I could only comfort her lightly: "Comrade Ensign, don't worry, just before we left, didn't the commander say that he would just temporarily let us go to the east coast to rest and recuperate?" Maybe in a few days, when the shape of the city improves, he will recruit us back again. ”

Hearing me say this, Tokareva, who had been looking depressed, became excited, and she excitedly asked: "Is it true, Comrade Colonel?" Will we really be back in town again soon, fighting alongside the commanders? ”

I could not bear to disappoint her interest, and said perfunctorily: "That's so, Comrade Second Lieutenant. As you said earlier, your position is a very critical position, and it is difficult for new arrivals to replace you. It won't be long before the commander finds out that without you, the communications within the army group will be in disarray, so I think it's only a matter of time before he recruits you back. ”

Seeing that Tokareva happily returned to her companions, Razumeyeva, who was standing next to her, asked again with low concern: "Comrade division commander, are all you saying true?" Will we be able to repeat our job in the near future? ”

I shook my head and said helplessly, "I think it will be very difficult to return to this city, maybe until our army carries out a major counteroffensive." ”

Razumeyeva sighed, and then said in surprise: "It's going to take so long, what about the division's communications?" You must know that the male signal soldiers who temporarily took over our work have not been in contact with communication equipment for a long time, and I am really afraid that something will go wrong with them. ”

Her worries are exactly what I've been thinking about, but now that we're out of reach, even if something happens, I can only sigh. Since there was no point in discussing the affairs of the division now, I changed the topic in time and asked her, "By the way, have you met the people in the division health camp?" ”

She nodded and replied seriously: "Just now on the dock, I met Comrade Shmakova from the health battalion, and by the way, I also saw your former guard squad leader Vera, who was with another female soldier. However, because the boat was full when they boarded the boat, they remained on the pier and were ready to wait for the ferry to return before they could cross the river. ”

Before the boat reached shore, I was always worried that the ferry would be shelled by the enemy or bombed by aircraft. But perhaps because it was dark and the high ground at Mamayev Hill was obscuring the German artillery observers' field of view, the things I feared did not happen until our ship docked.

I saw that the dock on the shore was densely packed with people, hundreds or thousands of people, but it was very silent, and no one could be heard except for the sound of gunfire from across the river. At this moment, the ship slowly approached the pier trestle, and the sailors on board jumped on it and began to mooring. Then I heard a voice shouting: "Comrades female soldiers, please line up, don't panic, and get off the boat in order." Probably afraid that someone would not be able to hear clearly, the man repeated it aloud twice.

I got into the middle of the group of female soldiers, and when I got off the boat, I walked along the trestle, and as I went, I wondered: where should I take these women later? Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly heard someone in front of me shouting my name loudly: "Colonel Oshanina." Colonel Oshanina. Where are you? ”

"I'm here!" I hurriedly agreed loudly.

The man heard my voice. Hurriedly ran towards me along the queue of female soldiers. As the man ran towards me, I took a closer look at the man and saw that he was wearing a steel helmet, a short cotton military uniform, and a common military raincoat, and a Bobosha submachine gun hanging across his chest.

When he approached and looked around, I used to preemptively say, "I'm Oshanina, I wonder what you're telling me about?" ”

The man stood right before me. Without saluting, it was reported: "Hello, Comrade Colonel. I am the commander of the guard company of the commander of the front, Captain Adil. Yakubov, by order of the Chief of Staff, General Zakharov, came to the pier to wait for you. At the same time, I have received orders to take you and your men to rest in the camp that has been arranged long ago. ”

As we spoke, the procession of female soldiers had passed us, and the troops who had been waiting on the shore had also lined up on the pier and prepared to begin boarding. I am deeply afraid that if we stay here, it will affect the troops who will board the ship. Hurriedly said to Yakubov: "Comrade Captain, let's talk in a different place." Here the soldiers will be blocked from boarding. ”

When I had reached an open place, Yakubov said to me again: "Comrade Colonel, General Zakharov ordered me to take you to the headquarters at once, saying that there is something important to discuss with you. ”

I pointed to the female soldiers who were lining up next to me and said in embarrassment, "If I leave, what will these female soldiers do?" ”

After glancing at the other side, Yakubov said casually: "Comrade Colonel, please rest assured, I will send someone to receive them." After speaking, he shouted into the distance: "Second Lieutenant Lienka, come to me!" ”

At his shout, a second lieutenant dressed in the same costume as him ran up to him and asked him for instructions: "Comrade company commander, what instructions do you have?" ”

Yakubov pointed to me and said, "I will accompany the colonel to the chief of staff, and you will stay in charge of receiving the female soldiers and sending them to the camp prepared for them." ”

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Ensign Lyonka agreed, turned around and was about to leave, but I stopped him in time. He stopped, turned his head to look at me strangely, trying to figure out why I had stopped him.

I hurriedly explained to him: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, there are more than 500 female soldiers we have withdrawn, and only half of them are here. The rest of the people were still on the pier opposite, and they could only cross the river when the ferry that had brought us back to them. ”

The second lieutenant replied very cheerfully: "Understood, Comrade Colonel. I will take these female soldiers to their resting place first, and then come back here to meet the female soldiers who have just crossed the river. I think this arrangement is completely timely in terms of time. ”

"Well, you are very thoughtful, thank you, Comrade Ensign. By the way, there are two more officers among the female soldiers: Lieutenant Razumeyeva and Second Lieutenant Tokareva, and you can ask them to assist you in the placement of female soldiers. I smiled politely at Lieutenant Lyonka, and then said to Yakubov: "All right, Captain Yakubov, let's go!" ”

A few minutes later, in an underground bunker, I met General Zakharov, who had been reunited after a long absence. As soon as he saw me, he didn't wait for me to salute or speak, but walked up quickly and gave me a big hug. When the hug was over, he took a step back, looked me up and down, and said, "Comrade Oshanina, you have lost weight, I haven't seen you for more than a month, and you have lost so much weight." "Speaking of this, I suddenly thought that there was a guard company commander next to me, and hurriedly said to him;" Okay, Comrade Captain, since Colonel Oshanina has arrived at the headquarters, there is nothing for you to do here, go back to the company. ”

As soon as Yakubov left, Zakharov eagerly pulled me down the long corridor to the depths of the bunker, and said to me as he went: "Comrade Oshanina, the commander and the military commissar want to see you and find out what is going on at the front. ”

Since there didn't seem to be any major battles breaking out when I left, seeing Zakharov's anxious look, I guessed something big had happened, so I tentatively asked, "Is something happening in the city?" ”

"An hour ago, we suddenly lost contact with Cuikov." Zakharov roared urgently: "We have exhausted all the methods, but we have not been able to get in touch with him, and the commander and military commissar are in a hurry. ”

Contact with Stalingrad had been cut off an hour earlier. And we were on the ferry. Could it be in this time period. Is there anything unexpected happening?

Soon we came to the innermost room, where two people were sitting, one in military uniform without a hat, the other in civilian clothes. I quickly recognized the commander of the Front, General Yeremenko, in military uniform, whom I had met when he had first arrived in Stalingrad. With a smile on his face when he saw me coming, he grabbed a cane leaning against the wall. He stood up and stretched out his hand to me while saying in a loud voice: "Colonel Oshanina, welcome to my headquarters. ”

I hurriedly stood up and saluted, and then stretched out my hands, held his outstretched hand tightly, and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade Commander, it is a pleasure to see you again. ”

As we shook hands, the bald man in civilian clothes next to him also stood up. Smiling and holding out his hand to me, "Colonel Oshanina, it's a pleasure to meet you." ”

Although no one has told me who this leader in front of me is. But I had already guessed that he was Khrushchev, the military commissar of the front, and quickly held his hand with both hands, shook it vigorously, and said flatteringly: "Hello, comrade military commissar, I have admired you for a long time, but unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to meet you, and today I finally got my wish." ”

After some pleasantries, Yeremenko and Khrushchev both sat back in their respective positions. Next, Yeremenko asked me with a stern expression: "Comrade Oshanina, how is the situation in Mamayev Gang lately?" ”

"Report to the commander, the military commissar, that the enemy has suffered heavy losses in his troops as a result of repeated setbacks in front of the Mamayev post, and that they have recently reduced their shelling and bombardment of the heights, and even the ground offensive has almost come to a standstill." Although I didn't know the purpose of his question, I still answered honestly, "Although the enemy's offensive on the defensive section of our division has weakened, they have moved their forces in other directions and strengthened the attack on our army's defensive line in that direction. ”

"An hour ago, we suddenly lost contact with Chuikov's command, and after using a number of means of contact, we were unable to get in touch with them." Yeremenko, trying not to show his inner anxiety, asked me: "Do you think something will happen?" ”

I diligently recalled in my mind the situation of the deployment near the headquarters of the army group, although the strength of the defense headquarters was not very large, but it was more than enough to block the German attack. But why did they suddenly lose contact, and what happened?

"Didn't anything special happen before you came back?" Khrushchev then asked, and specially reminded me, "For example, in the vicinity of the headquarters, have you found any small German units that might endanger their safety?" ”

"No," I replied in the affirmative, "when I left, although there were battles all over the city, the enemy was still far from their headquarters, and it was impossible to break through the layers of our army's defenses and rush to the headquarters. ”

"Why are you so sure that nothing will happen to Chuikov?" Yeremenko asked.

"Yes, Comrade Commander." I replied in the affirmative: "When I gathered the women to rush to the docks, it was calm in the area from the Mamayev post to the headquarters, and there was no sign of the Germans. "When I said this, I suddenly remembered that the female signal soldiers who sang the leading role in the headquarters had followed me to the east coast. The reason why Yeremenko lost contact with Chuikov could not have something to do with the new communications soldiers who temporarily replaced them. Thinking of this, I hurriedly reported to the two of them in one breath, "By the way, I remembered that all the female signal soldiers in the group army headquarters had withdrawn to the east bank, and perhaps it was precisely because the male signal soldiers who temporarily took over their work were not familiar with the communication equipment that the communication was interrupted. ”

"Is that so?" After Yeremenko asked me this question, without waiting for me to answer, he turned his head to look at Zakharov next to me, "What do you think, Comrade Chief of Staff? ”

"I think ......" Zakharov was hesitating to think about how to answer Yeremenko's question, when a communications staff officer hurriedly walked in, holding a telegraph in his hand, shouted "report", and then began to report to Yeremenko: "Comrade commander, the command of the 62nd Army has been contacted. According to General Krylov's report, because the newly transferred communications troops were not familiar with the communications equipment, the walkie-talkies were unable to recover after they had malfunctioned. His voice was hoarse because of his excitement.

Yeremenko stretched out his hand to take the phone, looked at it a few times, handed it to Khrushchev, and then said to me with a smile: "Comrade Oshanina, it seems that your judgment is right. After a pause, he said to me with some hesitation: "Also, the commander of the Don Front, General Rokossovsky, has sent me telegrams and telephone calls to transfer you to his front. I want to ask you, how do you think about it? ”

"Comrade Commander, the answer is clear." I replied with standard emphasis: "Although I was a subordinate of General Rokossovsky during the Battle of Moscow, and had a good personal relationship with him, I am now a member of the Stalingrad Front, so I will choose to stay here until the end of this campaign, no matter what the situation is." ”

"Comrade Oshanina," after listening to my answer, Yeremenko and Khrushchev looked at each other with a knowing smile on their faces, and then Khrushchev nodded at me and said with satisfaction: "What I want to say is that you are good, Comrade Colonel, no, you should be Comrade Major General." ”

"Major General?!" Khrushchev's sudden remark confused me, and I asked in surprise: "Comrade Military Commissar, what is going on?" It's all confusing me. ”

Khrushchev stood up with a smile and said to Yeremenko: "This Ehrenburg, the last time he went to Stalingrad for an interview, I asked him to hint to her about Comrade Oshanina's desire to restore her military rank, but I didn't expect Comrade Ehrenburg to do this at all. Then he turned to look at me. After staring at me for a while, she restrained the smile on her face and solemnly announced to me: "Comrade Oshanina, because of the bravery and heroism you showed in the battle for the defense of Mamayev Heights, and the great results you have achieved. After the Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself raised the position and after discussion by the Supreme Command, it was decided that from now on, you will be reinstated to the rank of Major General. ”

The moment I heard Khrushchev's announcement, I couldn't believe my ears, and I said in my heart that I couldn't have heard it wrong, why didn't I move at all beforehand, and I was reinstated to the rank of major general. Although my mind was blank, I saw Yeremenko bend down and pick up a small suitcase from the ground and lay it on the table.

Khrushchev reached out and opened the box, took out a military uniform from it, and handed it to me. Although I could clearly see that it was a uniform belonging to a general, I was dumbfounded and silent, I did not know what to say when I took over the uniform.

"Why don't you speak?" Yeremenko, who was sitting in his seat, asked sharply, "You haven't been in the army for a day or two, don't you know what you should say after you get promoted?" ”

Yeremenko's words woke me up, and I hurriedly said loudly: "Serve the Soviet Motherland!" ”

"That's right." Yeremenko looked me from head to toe, smiled kindly, and said with satisfaction: "Do you have any thoughts about restoring your rank of major general?" ”

Being able to regain the rank of major general makes me feel very happy in my heart and allows me to see the dawn of my future again. Hearing Yeremenko's question, I quickly replied: "I'm very happy. ”

"Just happy, nothing else?" Khrushchev also asked amicably.

"I want to go back to my troops," since Khrushchev asked me to express my opinion, I was sure not to waste such an opportunity, and hastened to put forward my own ideas, assuring them sincerely, "I will definitely not fail your trust in me in the next brutal battle." ”

"Let's talk about this later." Yeremenko said vaguely.

When I heard this, I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart, and I said no, are you really going to leave me working in the logistics agency? (To be continued......)

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