"December 25th." I silently read this date in my heart, and said in my heart that this day is not Christmas in Europe and the United States, and the Germans must have this holiday, so we must be able to catch them off guard.

I was about to end the call with Chuikov when Gurov's voice suddenly came from the receiver: "Hello, dear Comrade Oshanina, I want to talk to you. ”

Gurov's words made me nervous, and in the past, he always asked Chuikov or Krylov to relay everything. And today he wants to talk to me personally, is there something wrong? Although I was nervous, I still said politely: "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar, I am waiting for your instructions!" ”

Gurov smiled and said, "Comrade Oshanina, don't be so restrained, I'm just going to talk to you casually." Then he chatted with me for a few words, and finally he changed the subject and asked kindly, "...... I've heard people say that you ordered your guard company commander, Captain Yushchenko, to shoot a deserter, is there such a thing? ”

"Deserter, what deserter?" Confused, I replied: "Comrade Military Commissar, you have confused me, I don't understand what you mean, I never ordered Captain Yushchenko to shoot any deserters?" ”

"Comrade Oshanina @≥, think about it," Gurov's voice became businesslike, and he coldly reminded me: "Think about it again, it happened at noon today." ”

"What happened at noon today?!" After hearing Gurov's prompt, I frowned and tried to think about it, thinking about my entire itinerary from this morning to now. I didn't come up with a reason. I covered the microphone. Yushchenko, who was standing not far away, beckoned. Called him to the front and asked in a low voice: "Comrade Captain, Comrade Military Commissar of the Group Army said that we shot a deserter today, do you remember such a thing?" ”

Yushchenko was also at a loss when he heard me ask, and he asked in surprise: "Comrade division commander, we have absolutely not used weapons today, how can we shoot any deserters?" ”

"But Comrade Military Commissar said with great certainty that it was the deserter who was shot today." Although Yushchenko replied unusually decisively. But in order to give Gurov an accurate answer, I asked again: "Comrade Captain, are you sure that you really didn't shoot today?" ”

"No, Comrade Division Commander." Yushchenko replied without hesitation. Seeing that he answered so surely, I thought in my heart that he would not lie in front of me, maybe it was Gurov who heard some inaccurate rumors from whose mouths that caused such a misunderstanding. Just when I released the palm covering the microphone, Yushchenko suddenly exclaimed: "Wait, comrade division commander, I suddenly remembered something? ”

I quickly covered the microphone again. In a dissatisfied tone, he asked, "Comrade Captain, did you remember something?" ”

Yushchenko nodded vigorously. Then he lowered his voice and said to me mysteriously: "Comrade division commander, have you forgotten that we were shelled by the Germans on the way to the first regiment, and we hid in an anti-artillery bunker?" ”

As soon as Yushchenko reminded me, I immediately thought of the young recruit in civilian clothes, who couldn't stand the German shelling, and climbed out with a gun and shot himself. Thinking of this, I tentatively asked Yushchenko: "Captain, do you mean to say that the recruit who shot himself?" ”

Seeing Yushchenko nodding affirmatively, I knew what was going on. I sorted out my thoughts for a moment, then let go of the hand covering the microphone again, and said into the microphone: "Report to Comrade Military Commissar, the situation has been clarified. ”

"What's going on?" Gurov asked briefly.

I hurriedly told him in detail about the German shelling we encountered on the way from the 4th Regiment to the 1st Regiment today, and we took refuge in an anti-artillery bunker, and reported to him in detail about the encounter with the timid recruit.

Gurov listened to me say that the recruit was not shot by my order because he ran away, but because he was frightened by the German shelling and had a psychological breakdown and committed suicide. After a moment of silence, he asked me again in a cold tone: "Comrade Oshanina, can you guarantee that this soldier committed suicide and was not shot by you because he was a deserter?" ”

"Comrade Military Commissar, I can guarantee it." I said with certainty: "The weapons used by Yushchenko are the latest ones developed in the base camp, and they are different from the weapons used by our troops. You just need to send someone to check the wounds of the deceased to find out what is really going on. ”

"Well, I see." After Gurov waited for me to finish, he reverted to his usual friendly tone, "I'll send someone to investigate this." ”

Just as Gurov was about to hang up the phone, I suddenly remembered something again, and hurriedly shouted: "Comrade Military Commissar, please wait a moment." ”

Gurov didn't know what I called him, and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Is there anything else?" Oshanina. ”

"That's right, Comrade Military Commissar." I don't know if I can do what I thought of on a whim, if I ask Gurov to do it, so I talked a little bit.

"Say anything," said Gurov, who might have heard me say something so embarrassed to him for the first time, so he said to me in an encouraging tone, "We are all old acquaintances, and as long as it is within my ability, I will help you do it." ”

"Well, another week, the day we attacked, was Christmas." In order not to confuse Christmas in Europe and the United States with Christmas in the Soviet Union, I also deliberately emphasized: "It's Christmas for the Germans." ”

"The Germans can't make it to Christmas, what's the matter with you?" Gurov asked, puzzled.

Seeing that this had already been said, I stopped going around in circles, and said bluntly: "That's right, Comrade Military Commissar, isn't there a group of German officers and soldiers in our division who have surrendered?" Since it's a holiday, we should always prepare a little gift for them, so that they will have a sense of belonging to our independent teacher. ”

"Belonging!" After repeating my words, Gurov said with interest: "Your statement is quite novel. What are you going to give them? ”

"Originally, I wanted to ask you to transfer a batch of chocolates from the commander's private warehouse, but among today's seizures, there is quite a lot of chocolate. So there is no need to bother the commander with his precious stockpile. "I thought about it for a moment. Resolutely said to Gurov: "Just ask Comrade Military Commissar to prepare a batch of apples for them." ”

"Apple?! Apples are not good in this season. "After Gurov heard my request. Some people were embarrassed and said, "Is there anything special about giving apples for Christmas?" ”

I remember reading on the Internet that there is a mention of giving apples in European Christmas traditions, but I can't remember whether it is Germany or the Czech Republic. But I couldn't do much at the moment, so I repeated the contents of my memory to Gurov: "In German Christmas tradition, cutting an apple is a prediction of the coming year. They cut the apple, and if the core is visible for the first time, it is a sign of good luck for the coming year; If not. It means that the coming year will not be smooth. ”

"Since that's the case, then I'll find a way to help you get a batch of apples." Gurov said carefully: "As you just said, doing this will make your officers and soldiers under Toucheng have a greater sense of belonging to your independent division. Don't worry, I'll do my best to send someone to deliver the apples you need. ”

As soon as I put down the phone, Kirillov leaned over and asked: "Comrade Oshanina, what's the matter?" Obviously just a timid fighter who had a nervous breakdown during enemy shelling and shot himself, how did it turn out that in the blink of an eye you ordered Captain Yushchenko to execute the deserters? ”

Seeing that Kirillov seemed to want to continue, I quickly raised my hand to stop him. At the same time, he said: "Okay, Comrade Political Commissar." That's the end of it, don't talk about it again. "Although I didn't let Kirillov mention it again, I thought to myself: Could it be that among the few fighters who stayed in the anti-artillery bunker that day, there were also personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

In order to distract Kirillov and Akhromeyev, I briefly explained to them what Chuikov had just said on the phone. Seeing that the two of them didn't know that the 25th was what Christmas looked like in Europe and the United States, they also briefly popularized science for them.

When I had finished speaking, Akhromeyev looked down at the map in front of him and studied in which direction we should break through the German defenses on Christmas Eve. Kirillov, on the other hand, was curious to ask me about the custom of giving apples at Christmas.

At this moment, my feelings have stabilized, and I finally remembered the customs I just mentioned, which should be Czech, not German. So he introduced Kirillov to German Christmas customs: "In Germany, legend has it that Santa Claus puts nuts and apples in children's shoes. He roamed around in a two-wheeled carriage and observed the behavior of people, especially children, and if he behaved well, he would receive many prizes such as apples, nuts, sugar, etc.; And if the table is not good, it will be whipped. Parents have adopted this legend to encourage their children to be obedient and to give apples to their children to praise them. ”

After hearing this, Kirillov laughed, and after laughing, he said: "Comrade Oshanina, Grams, Beckman, and their German officers and soldiers in our division are really good, and they deserve such a reward." At this point, he seemed to remember that there was a difference between the version I told him and the version I said to Gurov, and kindly reminded me: "It seems that you have made a mistake about the customs of the military commissar just now, do you want to make a phone call to correct it?" ”

Hearing his suggestion, I waved my hand again and again and said, "No, no," I knew in my heart that it would be a bit too trivial to call Gurov for such a trivial matter that was not worth mentioning, so I vetoed his suggestion: "Military commissars, they still have a lot of important things to do, and we can't use such a trivial matter to trouble them." ”

"If that's the case, then forget it." When Kirillov saw that I did not object, he did not insist any longer.

And Akhromeyev looked up from the map at this moment, looked at me and said: "Comrade division commander, I have an idea, in the event of an offensive on Christmas Eve, our division should concentrate its main forces in the area where it is now. As he spoke, he pushed the map in front of me, pointed it with a red and blue pencil, and introduced it to me: "You see, the buildings of the regiment on the edge of the Dzerzhinsky district are only about 200 meters away from the positions of the 'Red October' factories where the Germans are entrenched. Once the German positions were breached, our troops would be able to quickly rush into the factory and join up with the remnants of the friendly forces that were holding out in the factory, annihilating the German forces entrenched in the factory area. ”

I stared at the map without speaking, silently considering the feasibility of Akhromeyev's plan. And Kirillov, after tilting his head and looking at it for a while, raised his head and asked: "Comrade Oshanina, what do you think of this plan of the chief of staff?" ”

After I waited for Kirillov to finish, I nodded, and said thoughtfully: "The Germans must have been very lax in their precautions at that time, and perhaps the commander would gather his soldiers together to celebrate, and then shelling them could inflict heavy casualties on them." By the time the artillery attack was over, they would have suffered heavy casualties, and those who survived would not be able to form a battle for a short time, and we rushed forward with lightning speed, cleanly and completely cleaning up the Germans from the position. ”

"Comrade division commander, I have a Jianyì." Akhromeyev, who was standing next to him, suddenly had a stern expression and said to me solemnly: "Can't you say it?" ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, if you have any ideas, just say it." I smiled and said to my chief of staff, "Although everyone is familiar with it, if your plan is unrealistic and cannot be implemented, I will not hesitate to deny it." ”

My words elicited Kirillov's laughter, and Akhromeyev's face tightened and smiled. After obtaining my consent, he boldly expressed his thoughts: "Comrade division commander, I feel that we must not only fight military wars, but also learn to fight political battles. ”

"Politics?!" Hearing this new word, Kirillov curiously asked Akhromeyev: "Chief of Staff, what do you mean, can you elaborate on it?" ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, I will give a detailed explanation next." Akhromeyev unreservedly expressed his thoughts: "I remember that in the past, after our army was surrounded by the German army, in order to reduce the casualties of his own troops, the German commanders usually sent officers and soldiers who knew Russian to shout at our commanders and fighters with loudspeakers, persuading them to lay down their arms and surrender. ……”

"I see, Comrade Chief of Staff." Akhromeyev was halfway through his sentence when Kirillov interrupted me, who excitedly said to me: "Comrade Oshanina, I understand what the Chief of Staff means, he wants Grams, in their Christmas Eve counteroffensive, to persuade the recalcitrant Germans in those positions to surrender to us. I think that's a good idea, what do you mean? ”

In fact, when I left Grams and them, I had this idea in my heart, but the conditions have not been ripe, so Gramms and his subordinates will always be hidden by me, and now it is finally time for them to come in handy, so I nodded very dryly, and then ordered Akhromeyev: "Chief of Staff, call Captain Grams, and ask them to come to the division headquarters immediately." (To be continued......)

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