"Good news, what good news?" Hearing Bezikov's words, my eyebrows couldn't help but rise, and I asked unexpectedly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't know what kind of good news?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." While handing me the telegram, Bezikov honored my rank and reported: "The telegram says two things: first, the superiors assigned the 96th Tank Brigade to the command of our army; The second was from the engineer unit we had just sent, and the commander reported in a telegram that they were taking advantage of the gap in the battle to lay mines in front of position No. 4. Among them were a large number of anti-tank mines, which were believed to be able to slow down the advance of the German armored forces. ”

I glanced at the telegram hastily, handed it to Danilov, and then said to Bezikov: "Chief of Staff, call them back, if the minefield can really stop the German tanks, when they come back, I will personally award them with honors." "As soon as I finished speaking, I stared nervously at Danilov and Kirillov, fearing that they would object.

Unexpectedly, Danilov said reasonably: "I agree with the commander." The task of laying mines under the nose of the enemy and braving the enemy's artillery fire is very difficult and arduous, and in any case, they will pay a huge number of casualties, and I think it is absolutely necessary to give them awards and decorations. ”

Hearing Danilov say this, Kirillov also echoed: "Chief of staff, you must make it clear to them in the callback." As long as they can complete the task, whether they are living or sacrificing commanders and fighters, they will get the honor they deserve. ”

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Bezikov agreed, turned and walked out of the room quickly.

When Danilov saw that there were only a few of us left in the room, he again brought up the old story: "Comrade commander, since our commanders and fighters can repel the first attack of the German army. Then I believe that they will be able to repel a second, third, or even more attack. In that case, why not bring in our reserves for reinforcements? You know, we have at least three divisions of mobile forces at our disposal. ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, please listen to my explanation." Danilov's tendon performance made me feel an unusual headache. However, he had to be patient and explained to him: "Although our artillery bombardment disrupted the offensive steps of the German army, it has to be said that their strength is still very strong. Their attacks are like a tsunami, and even the strongest dikes we build will be smashed in the stormy seas. It is only after they have broken through our first line of defence that this strength will wane, and then our second line of defence will be able to fully play the role of a gate to block their attack. ”

"The first line of defense has been breached. Are you so sure of holding the second line of defense? Danilov continued to ask uneasily.

"It should be able to be held, and it must be held." In order for Danilov to stop thinking nonsense, it is necessary for me to show him my heart: "In defense in depth, I think about the anti-tank defense capabilities of the troops in order to repel the enemy's massive armored assault. Construct various anti-tank obstacles. Various anti-tank obstacles were constructed in front of the positions most threatened by tanks and in the depth of defense. At the same time, to counter the enemy, the widely used Tiger tank and Peddinand self-propelled guns were prepared. We built strong anti-tank positions with strong support points in the most dangerous directions and brought the artillery to maximum density. This. It can be explained to you by the artillery commander of the army group, Colonel Povsky. ”

Povsky heard my order and quickly stood up. Respectfully said to Danilov: "As a result of systematic training, the skills of our artillery have improved significantly. Now after the appearance of the enemy in such and such an area, as long as the artillery observers can indicate the coordinates of Hitler's bandits in time, in less than a minute, our artillery will be able to fire accurately. ”

My words with Povsky finally reassured Danilov. Looking at Danilov, who was sitting at the table staring at the map and thinking about things. I couldn't help but sigh secretly, and said in my heart that he didn't know my every step of the plan, but at the critical moment, he couldn't hold his breath, either worried about this or that. To put him at ease, I had to take the time to explain it to him. At the same time, I also feel glad that he is not a commander, otherwise with his changing character, this battle would not have been fought.

Bezikov, who walked in from the outside, was actually followed by Ensign Grettka. I watched as the two of them came to the wall with a blank look on their faces and turned on the radio resting in the corner. After a shrill electric current, a hysterical voice came over the radio, and Gretka stood aside to interpret for us: "...... Our slogan is: Victory or Death. The Führer said, I started everything from the beginning, and these words of the Führer are being further confirmed, the great Germanic army, has begun an unprecedented offensive on Kursk. With one more decisive blow, the Bolshevik front, will collapse. …… O God, bless our might......"

Hearing this, Kirillov suddenly said: "Okay, close it, Goebbels will only use self-boasting to cover up the truth about the defeat of the German army." Then he waved at Gretka and motioned for him to go out first.

After Greitka left, Danilov said thoughtfully: "Although Goebbels is talking big, I think the intention of the German army is obvious, that is, to wipe out all our troops deployed in the Kursk salient through a pincer offensive from the north and south. Speaking of this, he sneered, "Their appetite is not small, it depends on whether they have a good pair of teeth." Maybe by the end of the day, we'll be able to break all their teeth. ”

Bezkov, who turned off the radio and came over, stood at the table and stared at the map for a while, then looked up at me and said to me with a sad face: "Comrade commander, judging from the current situation, it is only a matter of time before our first line of defense is broken through. At this point, he deliberately paused for a moment, and when he saw that I nodded in approval, he continued, "But what worries me most is not the first line of defense, but the 67th Guards Division deployed in the Butovo area. Their task was to monitor the German 'Großdeutschland' division and was responsible for covering the right flank of the mechanized 3rd Army. ”

After listening to Bezikov's concerns, I stared at the map for a while and replied: "Between Tomarovka and Butovo, there are small rivers and swamps everywhere. It is also full of landmines. If the Germans chose this as the direction of attack, they would inevitably pay heavy casualties. Moreover, the commander of the 67th Guards Division, Colonel Baksov, was also a commander with a lot of combat experience, and he must have prepared sufficient defensive measures. At this point, I digressed from the subject, "The problem we are currently facing. How to make the Germans no longer attack the main positions of the front, but rush along the positions that we deliberately abandoned. ”

After I said this, no one in the room answered. I waited for a while, and when I saw that they continued to remain silent, I had to say to myself: "Since the Germans do not know how to lift, it is not a bad thing to let them run into more walls in front of our positions, at least they can consume more of their living forces." ”

As soon as I finished speaking, I heard a rush of footsteps. Then the head of communications, Lopukhov, rushed into the house. Seeing his unexpected appearance, I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart, and said that the defense area of the 51st and 52nd Guards Divisions was attacked by the Germans again? So before he could speak, I preemptively asked, "Major, is this news from the 51st and 52nd Guards Divisions?" ”

Lopukhov was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said: "No, Comrade Commander. As soon as I secretly breathed a sigh of relief in my heart, I heard him continue: "It's an urgent telegram from the 67th Guards Division. ”

I heard only a telegram from the 67th Guards Division. I had a foreboding feeling in my heart again, and I hurriedly snatched the telegram from his hand. When I took it and looked at it carefully, I saw that it read: "The Germans sent a regiment of infantry, and seventy tanks, supported by sixty or seventy warplanes, to launch a fierce attack on Butovo." ”

"Comrade Commander, what's wrong?" Danilov asked curiously, "I see that your face has changed. ”

I shoved the telegram into Danilov's hand. With a solemn expression, he said: "The German 'Großdeutschland' division has begun to attack Butovo. With that, I walked over to the table and picked up the phone on the table.

Kirillov asked me curiously, "Leda, who are you calling here?" ”

"I called Commander Vatutin and asked him to send air forces to support Butovo." I first instructed the communications corps to make a telephone call to the headquarters of the Front. While waiting for the other side to respond, he said to Kirillov: "The 67th Guards Division has no air defense, and under the bombardment of the Germans, it will suffer heavy casualties." ”

As soon as the phone was called, I said to Vatutin, who was on the phone, "Comrade commander, the 'Großdeutschland' division has dispatched an infantry regiment and seventy tanks to attack Butovo, and at the same time sixty or seventy enemy planes are bombarding the positions of our troops. I beg you to send your air force to support the defenders of Butovo, otherwise it will be difficult for them to hold their positions under the three-dimensional offensive of the German army. ”

"Comrade Oshanina," Vatutin, hearing my request, explained somewhat helplessly, "in order to fight for air supremacy on the battlefield, all our planes were sent. Even if there is to provide air support to Butovo, it will be at least an hour later. ”

An hour, when I heard Vatujing say this, I really wanted to cry without tears, I had to wait for such a long time, the daylilies were cold, it seemed that it was better to ask for others than for myself. After I put down the phone, I let out a long sigh and said to several colleagues gathered next to me: "Commander Vatutin said that our fighters have all taken to the sky to compete with the German air force for air supremacy on the battlefield, so even if we want to support Butovo, it will be at least an hour later." ”

"An hour, that's too long, isn't it?!" Danilov said with some despair: "The 67th Guards Division, which has no anti-aircraft weapons, after being bombed so intensively, it is estimated that the casualties must be small." ”

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment, then turned my head and asked Bezikov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, which unit is closest to Butovo?" "What I think in my heart is that Butovo must not be lost, so I must consider sending troops to reinforce it." By the way, didn't you just say that the 96th Tank Brigade was placed under our command? I didn't know that they were not far from Butovo, but they really couldn't, so they went to reinforce the 67th Guards Division first. ”

After hearing this, Bezikov shook his head and said with a bitter face: "Comrade commander, the 96th Tank Brigade has not yet reached Oboyan, and in less than four or five hours, they will not be able to catch up with Butovo at all. Speaking of this, seeing that I frowned, he hurriedly said, "But Lieutenant Colonel Schederikov's infantry regiment is very close to Butovo, and there is a tank company in his regiment, and the eight tanks are all new tanks that have just been installed in the troops, and he can be sent over to support." ”

"No hurry, wait." If the 96th Tank Brigade had been there, I would have sent them there without hesitation, and who knew that only one tank company in the Shederikov Regiment would be able to use it now, and it would be a drop in the bucket for Butovo's defense, so I said vaguely: "Let's talk about it when Butovo is lost." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, another communications staff officer walked in and handed me a telegram. The moment I read the telegram, I really wanted to slap myself hard and call myself a crow's mouth. said that Butovo was going to lose, but I didn't expect it to really be lost. Colonel Baksov's telegram reads: "...... Butovo has been lost, our division, under the pressure of the Germans, is retreating towards the Cherkaskoye area, and the group army is asked to indicate the next course of action. ”

I slapped the telegram on the table and angrily ordered Bezkov: "Chief of Staff, you have sent a telegram back to Colonel Baksov, telling him that my order is to take back Butovo to me before it gets dark and at all costs. ”

"Do you need to send reinforcements to him from somewhere?" Before leaving, Bezikov asked for my opinion.

In this case, even if I could no longer see the new formation of Shederikov clearly, in order to ensure the right flank of our army, I still decisively ordered: "You send a telegram to Lieutenant Colonel Shederikov by the way, asking him to leave one battalion of troops and continue to be responsible for the defense of the line of communication, and the remaining two infantry battalions and one tank company will immediately move towards Butovo." Let him actively cooperate with the counterattack of the Baksov division against Butovo. Do you understand? ”

Shortly after Bezkov left, the phone on the desk rang suddenly. After listening to the phone for a while, Danilov said to me with a serious expression: "Comrade commander, General Tavart Kiradze reports that the Germans, under the cover of aircraft, dispatched about two hundred tanks to the positions of the 51st Guards Division in an attempt to break through our positions on the march. (To be continued.) )