Ignoring the fact that the enemy planes were still raging in the air, I almost cried out and threw myself at the female soldiers who had fallen to the ground.

Closest to me lay the dark-haired Galka, her uniform red with blood. When I checked, I found that a deadly piece of shrapnel had slit her throat, and she was taken away by death before she even had a chance to say goodbye to us.

The second female soldier I saw was Lyudmila, who was lying on her head on the ground with a large patch of blood on her back shoulder, presumably also hit by a flying shrapnel. I knelt down on one knee beside her, gently pulled her body, put my fingers on her nose, felt that there was still normal breathing, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, it seemed that her injuries were not serious.

Vonia and Nagya were lying not far from us, and when I checked Lyudmila's injuries, they had woken up slowly, struggled to stand up, stood still, staggered over to me, squatted down, and took the initiative to say, "Leda, let's come." ”

When Vanya took Lyudmila from my hand, Nagya took out the first-aid kit she had with her, and after Vonia tore Lyudmila's shirt, she began to bandage the wound without saying a word.

I stood up, walked to Vera's side and squatted down, touched her body, it felt still warm, invisible bleeding spots, and listened to it on her chest, my heart was still beating normally, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, it seemed that there was nothing serious, but I was stunned.

Enemy planes, circling over the village, came under heavy fire from anti-aircraft machine-gun batteries. After a while, an enemy plane was knocked out with a long trail of black smoke and turned around in the air. And he flew away into the distance.

Another enemy aircraft. Exploded in the air by a dense barrage of machine-gun bullets. A cloud of fire exploded in the sky, and the fragments fell with the flames.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining enemy planes did not dare to dive down again, but just dropped a few bombs casually and flew away into the distance.

Watching the enemy aircraft go away, the anti-aircraft machine gun company also stopped firing. On the street, which was still smoking, the figure of the hygienist appeared. They ran around with a medical kit on their backs, treating the wounded who had been wounded in the bombing.

The company commander of the anti-aircraft machine gun company, Lieutenant Sthenin. His cheeks were blackened by the smoke of gunpowder, and he came up to me and excitedly reported: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I would like to report to you the results achieved by our company in the anti-aircraft battle just now. Of the four enemy planes that came to attack, two were shot down and one was damaged, satisfactorily completing the task of defending the headquarters. ”

I didn't feel the slightest joy when I heard what he had reported. He just asked lightly: "Comrade Lieutenant, what are the casualties?" ”

Stepin's face was full of joy. But I poured a basin of cold water on his head, and he was stunned for a moment. Fang Cai muttered: "Including the positions of the female soldiers, a total of three anti-aircraft machine guns were blown up, fifteen people were killed and twenty-one people were wounded. ”

"We must replenish the troops as soon as possible, the enemy has suffered losses from us today, they will definitely not give up, maybe one day they will come to retaliate, you must be vigilant at all times." With that, I looked towards the women's position, just in time to see two stretchers carrying Vera, who had fainted, onto the stretcher. Hurriedly told Stephenin: "Comrade lieutenant, the casualties of the women's squad are very large, don't let them be anti-aircraft machine gunners anymore, let them be responsible for the logistics of your company." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Stephen agreed very cheerfully.

After leaving the anti-aircraft position, I did not immediately return to the headquarters, but went straight to the entrance of the village to see how the German prisoners had just been brought in were doing, because we still had to get the information we needed from them.

When I arrived at the entrance of the village, I realized that not only the enemy planes had bombed the village, but also the prisoners outside the village had not escaped the fate of being bombed. After getting rid of those who had been blown up and had broken arms and legs, there were only five or six prisoners left intact, and judging from the uniforms, all of them were soldiers, not even officers.

I raised my hand and asked the captain who was leading the team to come over, and asked unceremoniously: "Comrade Captain, I want to ask you, what the hell is going on, why are there not a single officer left in the prisoners?" ”

When the captain was questioned by me, he opened his mouth and just wanted to refute, but when he saw my rank, he swallowed back the words that came to his lips, bowed his head and explained: "Comrade Colonel Report, when we arrived at the entrance of the village just now, we encountered bombing by enemy planes. The German officers took the lead in escaping, and they were all killed by our fighters, so only these soldiers remained. ”

"Not a single officer left?" I asked tentatively.

The captain turned his head to look at the group of prisoners, turned back and replied affirmatively, "Not a single one." ”

"What, none of them?" The captain's reply made me cry out in anger: "The command asked you to bring the prisoners here in order to find out the next move of the Germans through interrogation. Now that there is only a bunch of soldiers left, what can they ask? What are the military operations in the division, can you know more about it as a soldier? ”

My scolding made the captain's face flush with shame, and he lowered his head and said nothing, silently enduring my thunderous fury.

"Comrade Colonel in the report," the voice of the report next to me interrupted my scolding to the captain, I turned my head to see that it was the staff officer just now, I took a deep breath, stabilized my emotions, and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

"Comrade commander of the group army is looking for you everywhere, please go to the headquarters immediately."

I nodded and instructed the staff officer: "Comrade staff officer, you assist the captain to search for the corpses of the prisoners, and see if there are any surviving officers, even if there is only one breath left, you must bring him alive first, and when we ask for the information we need, it is up to him whether he is dead or alive." "After that, I didn't wait for them to speak, turned around and walked towards the headquarters.

In the bombing just now, many buildings in the village were blown down or burned to fire, but the houses where the headquarters is located are still standing intact, which can only be said to be a miracle.

As soon as he saw me walk into the headquarters, Chuikov couldn't wait to ask: "Oshanina, where did you just go, and we have been worried about you for a long time. ”

Hearing that he was worried about me, I was still quite moved in my heart, and hurriedly replied: "Report to Comrade General, when the enemy plane bombed just now. I went to the women's air defense position. ”

"It's not hurt, is it?" Shumilov also asked with concern.

I smiled at the two commanders. said: "Xie Lu Xie Commander Xie's concern. I'm fine. Just now I helped the female soldiers shoot down an enemy plane. ”

Shumilov and Chuikov looked at each other, then laughed at me, gave me a thumbs up, and praised: "Oshanina, you are so good!" Unexpectedly, one of the two enemy planes that was shot down was actually shot down by you. ”

Chuikov thought thoughtfully, and then said: "If I remember correctly, Oshanina's first Order of the Red Banner and the Medal for Bravery was for shooting down an enemy plane during an anti-aircraft battle defending the Huirang station. And the elimination of the German units that infiltrated our rear was obtained. ”

Seeing that if this development continued, this place would become my commendation meeting, I hurriedly asked: "By the way, why didn't I see the two military commissars in the headquarters, where did they go?" ”

Shumilov walked to his place and sat down, and replied: "After the bombardment, Comrade Serdyuk went to inspect the troops near the headquarters and find out about the casualties of the troops. And Comrade Abramov, with someone to meet the convoy of explosives. ”

Chuikov beckoned me to his side. He pointed to the map on the wall and said, "Colonel Sajen sent a telegram just now. It is said that two companies were sent one after another to launch harassing attacks on the enemy's positions. The enemy behaved strangely. In the face of our attack, the enemy simply refused to leave his positions, except for returning fire with mortars and machine guns. ”

Hearing Chuikov say this, I asked tentatively: "Comrade General, is it true that the enemy is really drawing troops from the Reynok area to strengthen the Spaldanovka area in an attempt to break through the defense line of our army from here?" ”

"It seems so." Chuikov gave me an affirmative answer.

Shumilov, who was sitting at the table, also turned around and asked, "Oshanina, what do you think we should do next?" ”

I did not answer Shumilov's question, but said with a smile: "Comrade commanders, I think you two have already planned the next move of our army, right?" I replied this not because I didn't have a detailed plan in mind, but because I felt that I had been in the limelight too much recently, and I had to keep a low profile appropriately.

When Shumilov heard me say this, he did not continue to ask questions, but said to Chuikov: "Comrade Chuikov, I think it is necessary to let the 229th Division continue to harass and attack the enemy's positions, so that the enemy will not dare to transfer troops from the Reynoch area with confidence and boldness. ”

"Commander, you're right." "Not only in the Reynoch area, but also in the 70th Guards Division and the 157th Infantry Division, stationed in Orlovka, can carry out such harassing raids, so that the enemy will not dare to deploy troops with impunity," Chuikov added. The purpose of our doing this is to get them to transfer their troops from somewhere, and then they will obediently transfer them back to me. ”

After Chuikov finished speaking, he and Shumilov looked at each other, and then the two of them laughed.

After listening to the plan of the two, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, what they envisioned was exactly the same as the plan I thought in my heart, but fortunately I didn't say it, otherwise I would steal the limelight from my superiors. If I make any mistakes in the future and offend my superiors, today's limelight will put a thorn in the leader's heart and become the reason for him to suppress me.

As for the new operational plan, since Shumilov had made the decision, the matter of calling the division commanders below was naturally handed over to Chuikov, and he conveyed the decisions he had just made to his subordinates one by one.

When Chuikov was calling, I saw a staff officer appear at the door, and knowing that he must have something to say, he hurriedly trotted over. Upon coming up to him, I whispered, "Is there anything wrong?" ”

The staff officer handed over a telegram and reported: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, it's a telegram from Colonel Kolobtin. ”

I nodded and took the telegram from his hand, then waved at him to leave.

The report on Kolobutin's telegram is very brief, that is, when the engineer regiment was working on the 165th height, after blasting a huge rock, it accidentally discovered that there was a closed cave behind the rock. At present, personnel have been sent in to reconnoitre, and the results of the reconnoitration, will be reported later.

When I saw this news, I was immediately overjoyed, since there is a cave on the 165 heights. Then only a slight improvement is needed. can become a pit that can hoard a large number of soldiers and supplies. As long as the supplies are sufficient. It will be possible to firmly attract the enemy's attacking forces near the high ground.

Shumilov's eyes were sharp, and when he noticed that I was smiling when I read the telegram, he hurriedly asked loudly in the distance: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, what are you laughing at, is there any good news?" ”

I walked up to him with a telegram in my hand and replied with a smile on my face: "Comrade Commander, it's a telegram from Colonel Kolobutin. He reported that the engineering regiment was under construction. A cave was discovered by accident. ”

"What? Found a cave? Shumilov was overjoyed and said, "This is really good news." ”

When Chuikov heard that a cave had been found on the 165 heights, he hurriedly said to the other end of the phone: "...... Okay, that's it. I'll call you again if there's anything. After putting down the phone, he took the telegram in Shumilov's hand and looked at it carefully.

After reading it for a while, he threw the telegram on the table and said to Shumilov: "Comrade commander, this is good news, if the cave is large enough. We only need a little transformation to become an impregnable fortress. If there are enough troops, supplies, and water. Our troops can hold out here for a long time. ”

Hearing Chuikov mention the water source, I couldn't help but nod secretly, in the end, he deserves to be a famous general, and considering the problem is comprehensive. You must know that no matter how many soldiers hold the fortress and how abundant the materials are prepared, if the water is cut off, it will not last long. If the Brest Fortress had not been short of water, it might have been able to hold out for a while longer under the strong attack of the Germans.

Listening to Chuikov and Shumilov gossiping for a while, I couldn't help but feel a little anxious before I saw the staff officer come to deliver a new telegram. I walked towards the door, trying to go to the communications room to ask if there was a telegram from Colonel Kolobutin, but Chuikov stopped me from behind: "Oshanina, where are you going?" ”

I stopped and turned back and said, "Comrade Commander, I'll go and see if there is a telegram from Colonel Kolobutin, it's been ten minutes, and if there is any news, the telegram should have arrived." ”

Chuikov waved his hand and said, "Don't be so troublesome, the high-frequency phone here can talk directly to Kolobtin." After speaking, he picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number, and said into the microphone: "Operator, I'm Chuikov, and I'll pick up Colonel Kolobtin, the commander of the 29th Division." ”

Looking at the high-frequency telephone that Chuikov was using, I couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, saying that if the group army wants to contact the troops at the higher level or below, it can be done through the high-frequency telephone. And the troops below, even the divisional level command, can only communicate with the group army command by telegram and not by telephone. If the communication conditions are not improved in future battles, our troops will lose a lot of fighters because of this.

After talking to Kolobtin on the phone, Chuikov teased the other party for a few words, and then turned to the topic: "...... Colonel Kolobutin, are the results of the reconnaissance of the engineer regiment into the cave come out? ”

Kolobtin reported in a joyful voice: "Report to Comrade Deputy Commander, after reconnaissance by sappers, it turned out that this cave turned out to be an arsenal built hundreds of years ago. Inside, a large number of rusty muskets, hundreds of wooden barrels filled with gunpowder, and a few tons of moldy flour were found. After the study of the political commissar and the engineer regiment, it was agreed that two regiments of troops could be placed in this cave, as well as enough supplies for more than half a year. ”

Shumilov, apparently like me, heard the contents of Kolobutin's report, and he said to Chuikov with joy: "Comrade Chuikov, please tell the colonel, I will arrange a convoy to deliver enough military supplies to them as soon as possible. ”

Chuikov nodded and said into the microphone: "Comrade Colonel, did you hear what the commander said?" We will ship you the supplies you need as soon as possible. But I would like to ask, if you really put the strength of two regiments on the 165 heights, how long can you hold out in this new fortress? ”

Kolobtin was silent for a long time before he replied in an uncertain tone: "If our division can be supported by the air force and long-range artillery in the battle to defend the 165 heights, I think there will be no problem in holding out for two to three months." ”

"It won't take that long, Colonel Kolobutin." Shumilov took the phone from Chuikov's hand and said confidently: "Our battle with the Germans under the city of Stalingrad will last at most a month before it ends." If you can hold out for a month, you will win! ”

Chuikov looked at me and asked, "Oshanina, do you have anything to say?" ”

"Water!" Although Chuikov had mentioned the water source just now, I couldn't help but remind him again: "Please pay attention to Colonel Kolobtin, there must be enough water in the tunnel, so that our commanders and fighters will not lose their combat effectiveness due to hunger and thirst." ”

When Shumilov heard my words, he hurriedly reminded Kolobtin: "Comrade Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina said that you must stick to the tunnel and ensure that there is enough water, and you must not neglect this. ”

"Rest assured, commander," Kolobtin swore confidently, "I will make sure that there is enough water in the tunnel." ”

"By the way," Shumilov hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Is the excavation of the tunnel on the 158th height, where the Marine Brigade is stationed, going well?" Did they find a cave there? (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank the book friends: the dead hedgehog, Kabeel, @@@@@的月票支持, the comment vote of the book friend Miyazawa Xu, and the book friend's reward for Qiu Mian