When I heard Chuikov mention to Yeremenko that there were currently insufficient troops in the city and asked him to send reserves, my heart rose to my throat, and I was deeply afraid that if Chuikov's request was rejected, he would attack the idea of the remaining troops of our independent division in a desperate situation.

But fortunately, after listening to his request, Yeremenko actually agreed very happily: "Comrade Chuikov, I know your request. I now formally inform you that we will transfer the 39th Guards Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Guryev, from the 1st Guards Army, to your command. The division was reorganized from the 5th Airborne Corps, and although it was not in full strength, the combat effectiveness of the troops was very strong. At present, the troops are massing and replenishing their weapons and ammunition on the east bank, and I estimate that they will enter the city by tomorrow night at the earliest, and no later than the night after tomorrow. ”

"Great, that's great!" When Chuikov learned the exact news that a reserve was about to arrive, he was overjoyed and applauded: "As long as the reserve arrives, the enemy will not even want to take the city from us." ”

When we returned to the table after Chuikov had finished the call, they returned to the topic and asked me: "Oshanina, if you were the commander of the 62nd group, how would you defend this heroic city?" ”

I thought about it for a moment, and then said unhurriedly my thoughts: "Commander, military commissar, chief of staff, I think so. In order to overcome this difference, our army should adopt a coordinated regional defense and block the German advances through positional warfare with the enemy. In order to maximize the transformation of the entire city into a strong fortress. The maximum cost of the German army's living forces. At the same time, the units should be on the basis of a defensive focus. Taking advantage of the favorable conditions of our army's familiarity with the terrain in the city, we started guerrilla warfare in the city with squads and platoons as units; Or send numerous sniper teams to hunt down the German commanders. In order to achieve the purpose of depleting the German army's vital forces and disrupting the rhythm of their offensive. ”

When I had finished speaking, I honestly stood in the distance, while staring nervously at Chuikov to see what he would say.

Chuikov bowed his head and pondered for a moment. Then he said: "Since the beginning of the fight against the German army approaching Stalingrad, fierce battles have been fought every day in this heroic city. It's hard to say how many times the streets or neighborhoods in the city have changed hands. During these difficult days, the heroism of our warriors reached a higher level. In time, without the constraints of Order No. 227, the fighters were also determined to live and die with the position, preferring death rather than a step back. 'Fight to the death with the enemy at Stalingrad!' The slogan has become the oath of every fighter who stood in Stalingrad. Every one of our tankers, every infantryman, every gunner and every sapper understood: it was a crime to hand over even one meter of land in Stalingrad. But when there is only a few dozen meters left in the middle between the enemy and us, we engage in close combat.

At the moment, our troops are seriously insufficient. This mention of Comrade Oshanina is very suitable for the current situation, for those well-trained and powerful German troops. It's hard for us to take advantage of them if we go head-to-head with them. But if it is really as you said, on the premise of holding the existing position, it is perfectly desirable to send small detachments in squad and platoon units to carry out guerrilla warfare against the German troops in the city, or send sniper detachments to hunt down the German commanders and throw their command system into chaos. ”

Speaking of this, he turned to Krylov and said: "Chief of Staff, write down everything that Colonel Oshanina said, and then you put together an action plan and put it into practice as soon as possible." ”

After Krylov agreed, he thought about it and said to me: "Comrade Oshanina, you may not know, but according to the information we have obtained, many divisions and brigades that have been crippled are now waging guerrilla warfare in the city, and are fighting with the enemy in many neighborhoods from house to house. Sometimes when enemy planes bombed cities indiscriminately, our fighters and German devils hid in the same basement and waited for the bombing to end. Each time the enemy plane left, the enemy and the enemy, who were hiding in the same basement, continued to fight. The urban guerrilla warfare you just mentioned is somewhat similar to this style of play. If I am not mistaken, the 5th Regiment of the Independent Division has achieved brilliant results in the urban guerrilla warfare of recent weeks, although only 100 men have been sent at a time, and at least 1,000 German soldiers have been wiped out. ”

Krylov's words made Vasilyev take aback: "Ah, they actually killed so many German devils, and the results they achieved were greater than the results achieved by a division in positional warfare?!" ”

Without waiting for Krylov to satisfy Vasilyev's curiosity, Chuikov preemptively asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what is the situation in the Orlov area on the right flank of the army group?" ”

Ever since I arrived at Stalingrad, I had been staring at the one-third of an acre of land at my Mamayev Heights, and had no idea about the rest of the lots, when I suddenly heard a new place name, it immediately aroused my interest. When I saw Krylov bending down and pointing to the map on the table to explain to Chuikov, I couldn't help but tilt my head over in curiosity.

Krylov was only heard: "Comrade commander, as of today, none of the battles that have taken place in the Orlov territory have been very fierce. The enemy's offensive was only partial, and not many troops were thrown into battle. After so many battles, the change in the position of our position is only an insignificant 100~200 meters. And we were there, except for a few small counter-shocks, which were not implemented and could not have been carried out, because we did not have the power.

The units of our troops fighting there were: units of the 115th Infantry Brigade, the 149th Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade of Colonel Andreuschenko, as well as units of the 315th, 196th and 10th Infantry Divisions, which had been severely weakened in previous battles. They defended the tactically important Orlov bulge. Their task was to hold on to the bulge no matter what.

This bulge directly threatens the main enemy grouping in the Gorodishe area. If the troops of the friendly front advance well to the north, this bulge will play a pivotal role. If the troops attacking from the north are not only the 57th but also the 64th Army. Even if they only send part of the force. Rush over 10~20 km. With the troops of the Orlov Bulge, then a large force of the enemy advancing to the Latashanka area on the Volga would be cut off, and the left flank of the main enemy group would be outflanked.

Paulus also foresaw this danger, so he organized his forces to attack the bulge. In order to destroy my troops in the Orlov area as soon as possible, he quickly moved the 16th Tank Division and several fully manned infantry regiments, as well as the 'Shtakhli' cluster, in this direction. ”

After waiting for Krylov to finish, Chuikov did not express his opinion but asked rhetorically: "Chief of Staff, do you think that after Paulus transferred the full infantry regiment and the 16th tank division to this area. When will the attack be launched? ”

Krylov replied without hesitation: "According to my judgment, Paulus will launch an offensive against the bulge of our army as soon as the build-up of these forces is completed." And this assembly time should not exceed two days. ”

"Chief of Staff, if I am not mistaken," Chuikov said slowly, "according to your analysis, the date of the enemy's attack is no later than September 30?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Krylov straightened up and gave Chuikov an affirmative answer.

"So. What measures are we going to take to hold the Orlov bulge? and commanders and fighters who can fight in the area. What kind of support do you provide? ”

Krylov pondered for a long time about Chuikov's question before answering with difficulty: "Comrade commander, what do you say?" The best support was undoubtedly to use troops from inside Stalingrad to carry out a surprise attack from the north on the rear of the 16th Tank Division and several infantry regiments attacking the Orlov area. However, with our current strength, this is obviously impossible. Our army group does not have reserves at all at the moment. At a time when the tractor plant and the 'barricade' plant were under the threat of a strong attack by the enemy, it was clear that we could not give practical assistance to the troops fighting in the Orlov bulge. In this case, I think it is possible to send the anti-tank artillery regiment directly under the army group, as well as two companies of the 124th Infantry Brigade of Colonel Gorokhov, to reinforce the 115th and 2nd battalions of the 2nd Infantry Brigade. ”

After hearing this, Chuikov also thought for a while before nodding in agreement: "Chief of Staff, the anti-tank artillery regiment you mentioned, all the anti-tank guns were lost in the battle, and there are only 150 fighters left in the regiment at present. Well, you immediately call their regimental commander and ask him to lead the troops to the Orlov bulge. After speaking, he unintentionally raised his head, and when he saw me standing aside and listening to their chat, he couldn't help but show a surprised expression on his face: "Comrade Oshanina, why are you still here, why haven't you returned to Mamayev Gang?" ”

When I heard him ask this, I was really a little crying and laughing, and I said in my heart, can I leave without your permission? But since he said so, I had no choice but to salute him honestly, hold the medal box on the table, turn around and walk out.

As soon as I walked to the door, I suddenly remembered something, quickly stopped, turned my head and called Gurov, who was facing away from me and looking at the map on the table: "Comrade Military Commissar!" ”

When Gurov heard me calling him, he hurriedly turned around, looked at me with a smile on his face and asked, "Oshanina, do you have anything else?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Military Commissar." I hurriedly seized the time to tell Gurov about the fact that in the battle just now, the soldier covered in fire rushed towards the enemy's tank with a Molotov cocktail and died with it, and finally emphasized that "I think it is necessary to vigorously publicize such a hero within the scope of the whole group army and even the front army, and I believe that it will be of great help to improve the morale of the troops." ”

"Oshanina, do you know what the name of this warrior is and what unit it belongs to?" Gurov's question stumped me, and I didn't know all my own men, let alone the fighters of other troops. Seeing my embarrassed look, Gurov sighed and said earnestly: "If we don't tell the name of this fighter and the unit to which he belongs when we publicize it, then the effect of the propaganda will be greatly reduced and we will not achieve the goal we want to achieve." ”

When I was in a dilemma, Wei Yinlubu, who walked into the headquarters at some point, suddenly said: "Comrade Military Commissar." I know the name of the fallen warrior. and to which troops. ”

Gurov turned his head to Weinrubb's side. Curious, he asked, "Is that so?" Lieutenant Colonel Weinrubb, are you saying you know the soldier who died? ”、

Wei Yin Lubu nodded vigorously and said affirmatively: "That soldier is a marine, his name is Mikhail. Panikach, a member of the regiment, is following me out on a combat mission today. ”

Gurov waited for Wei Yinlub to finish speaking, then turned his head and instructed the director of the New Deal Department who heard the news: "Comrade Vasilyev, propaganda Mikhail. Panikach thing. It is up to you to be in charge of the political department, and you must let this heroic feats of his deeds be widely praised in the troops of the 62nd Group Army as soon as possible. ”

"Understood, Military Commissar." Vasilyev took over the topic and replied: "I will do my best to handle this matter with Comrade Leonid, deputy director in charge of the work of the Komsomol of the group army." ”

I came out of the headquarters with a bunch of medal boxes, and immediately two guards came over and asked me: "Comrade division commander, shall we go back to the Mamayev post now?" ”

I looked up at the clouds of smoke in the distance, listened to the fierce gunfire from time to time, and was surprised to find that the two tanks that had been parked not far away were nowhere to be seen. It seems that he was sent to assist in the attack on the elementary school occupied by the Germans. I sighed softly and handed the box to one of the warriors. At the same time, he asked helplessly: "How many people do we have now?" ”

The soldier who took the box from me hurriedly replied: "Report to the division commander, after the battle just now, there are still seven people left in the guard company and five people in the mortar group. ”

"What about the rest of the soldiers of the Second Regiment?" Fighting back my anger, I asked, "Did they all leave with Major Pugachev?" ”

The soldier nodded with a sad face and said, "Yes, after Major Pugachev came out of the headquarters, he not only took all the people he brought, but also the soldiers of the 2nd Regiment who survived the battle, as well as the two tanks. ”

Looking at the dozen or so soldiers who came around, I really wanted to cry without tears. I didn't expect it, I didn't expect that the main force of the second regiment was gone. Although the battle is still going on, I know what awaits Pugachev and his commanders and fighters on my toes.

Seeing me standing in a daze, the guards hurriedly reminded me in a whisper: "Division commander, it's not too early, let's go back to Mamayev Gang early." If it's too late, maybe the commissar and the chief of staff will be worried. ”

Because there were too few soldiers around me, I didn't know the bottom of my heart to let me stay here, so I agreed and took the surviving dozen fighters on the way home.

As I passed through the crossing, the soldier reminded me again: "Commander, we still have a few wounded over there, do we need to take them all with us?" ”

"Needless to say, of course you have to bring it." Although what I said was beautiful, I muttered in my heart, we are only a dozen or so people now, and we have brought so many weapons and ammunition, how can we transport so many wounded people back, we can't let the soldiers throw away all the weapons in their hands, and then carry the wounded back.

When I was in trouble, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps from different directions, and I didn't care who it looked like, so I hurriedly shouted: "Prepare for battle!" Then he took the lead in hiding behind the sandbag fortifications where the wounded were placed.

As soon as I hid, I heard the soldier's astonished shout: "Division commander, it's not Germans, it's our people, and it's all my own people, the brothers of the second company of the guard." ”

I quickly stood up and looked in the direction from which the footsteps came, and saw two men, Grams and Gretka, each in our uniform, with a troop with them, running towards us from two different directions.

The two men came to me with their troops, stopped, and without saluting, Gretka directly reported: "Comrade division commander, we have come to meet you on the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg. We are at your disposal, please advise! ”

After shaking hands with Gramsev and Greitka, I pointed to the wounded lying behind the sandbags and said to the second lieutenant in a relaxed tone: "Second Lieutenant Greitka, send a squad of soldiers to carry all the wounded up, and we will go back to Mamayev Post." ”

The 2nd Guards Company, with German Captain Gramsev as the company commander, followed me back to Mamayev Hill. Because the guards were lost in a row, they took over the work of guarding the division headquarters.

When I announced this decision to Kirillov and Akhromeyev, Kirillov first objected: "Comrade division commander, is it too hasty for you to entrust the work of guarding the division command to a German officer who has defected? You must know that the current situation is becoming more and more unfavorable to our army, and if they collude with their former comrades-in-arms and defect in the event of a large-scale German attack, and terminate our division headquarters, the independent division that has lost its command will be finished. Once the independent division is destroyed by the enemy, then the entire Mamayev Gang will also fall into the hands of the enemy, and they can calmly gather a large number of troops on the high ground and storm the city. ”

Seeing that Akhromeyev also wanted to speak out against it, I hurriedly raised my hand to stop him, and said to the two of them earnestly: "Political commissar and chief of staff, I know that the two of you are also out of love for the independent division, and you will try your best to oppose the transfer of the second guard company, which has half of the German soldiers, to serve as the guard unit of the command. ”

Kirillov muttered, "Since you know, then why are you transferring them back from the city?" ”

"At present, our troops are insufficient, and the second regiment now has only one company left, and it is too busy to guard the high ground, let alone draw troops to protect the safety of the division headquarters, so I transferred the second company back from the fifth regiment." Speaking of this, I deliberately paused for a moment, and seeing that the two did not speak, I continued: "It has been quite a short time since Captain Grams surrendered to us, and I believe you all see what he looks like. If nothing else, if you look at how the snipers he trained for us showed their might in the city, you should know that he is really in our camp. You can't always grasp the fact that he is a German, and always be vigilant and vigilant against him, because if this continues, it will chill the hearts of these German officers and soldiers who have joined our camp. ”

After hearing what I said, there was silence in the room, and after a long time, Akhromeyev spoke cautiously: "Comrade commissar, I think the division commander has a point. If Grams' and the others were to rebel, there were many opportunities before, and there was no need to wait until now. ”

Seeing that Akhromeyev and I were unified, Kirillov, who was alone, had no choice but to sigh and say helplessly: "Okay, comrade division commander, since you have made up your mind, then I respect your decision!" (To be continued......)