Since we have equipped the reconnaissance team with a means of transportation such as motorcycles or trucks, their reconnaissance area is much larger than that of a reconnaissance area on foot. Just after eleven o'clock, a report from the scouts was sent back by telegram.

The scouts' report mentions that twenty kilometers northwest of Mamayev Gang was a small city called Gorodishe, in which a large number of German troops were stationed.

"What kind of strength is the enemy?" After hearing Akhromeyev finish reading the telegram, I asked rhetorically with a blank face.

"I ...... I don't know," Akhromeyev, perhaps not expecting me to ask, replied with some panic: "I just received a telegram from the reconnaissance detachment and thought it was necessary to report to you immediately, so I ......"

"Call back the reconnaissance detachment and ask them to immediately report to us in detail the situation they have reconnoitred, because with these few short words, we will not be able to judge the size of the enemy, and we will not be able to formulate a corresponding battle plan in a targeted manner." After saying that, as soon as I looked up and saw that Akhromeyev was still standing still, I urged him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what are you still standing here, why don't you immediately go and send a report to the reconnaissance detachment?" ”

While Akhromeyev was on his way to send a telegram, I continued to discuss with Kirillov and Bandereev about replenishing the troops. In the course of the discussion, Bandereev suggested to me that it was a bit difficult to grasp the scale of what kind of citizens should be armed. As soon as he finished speaking, I immediately retorted: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you have thought about the problem too complicated. Joining the army requires passing all aspects, but arming citizens is very simple, as long as they are qualified. We are in charge of the commanders of the conscription. Just ask them if they want to defend the Motherland? Can you handle a gun? If they answer, yes or can. All right. Just give them a gun and let them join us. ”

"The offensive will be launched on the 21st, will the new fighters who have been replenished have time to train?" Kirillov asked worriedly.

Instead of answering his question right away, I moved the map on the table in front of him, pointed first to the Mamayev post, where we were located, and then to the Don Front, which was still near the Don River, and then said: "Comrade commissar, look at it. The straight-line distance between our division's defense area and friendly forces is about 180 kilometers. How far do you think the Don Front would have been able to advance in a day if they had attacked the German lines, which had a strong defensive depth, without air supremacy, men, tanks, artillery, and heavy weapons? ”

Bandereev made a gesture on the map with his hand, measured the distance between our division and the Don Front, and then said regretfully: "Comrade division commander has made a very reasonable analysis, due to the loss of air supremacy, the comrades of the Don Front will fight very brutally after the offensive is launched. Even if they captured part of the enemy's forward positions in the shortest possible time. But under the intensive bombardment of German aviation, they will also pay a heavy price. That's it. Even by the most optimistic estimates, the speed of the troops' advance per day will not exceed five kilometers. ”

"What, five kilometers?" Kirillov was taken aback by the number that Bantai Leev said, and after looking at the map, he said in surprise: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, if according to your calculation, it will take at least a month for friendly troops to advance to Mamayev Gang. ”

"Of course, if my division is strong enough to attack and advance to the north in accordance with the orders of the army group command, this will greatly shorten the time for our meeting with our friendly forces," Bandereev added. ”

I listened to the conversation between the two of them, and the more I listened to it, the heavier my mood became, and no matter how I looked at it, I felt that using our poorly equipped and poorly trained soldiers to complete the task of meeting the division had a little bit of an egg hitting a stone.

Seeing that I was silent, the two stopped discussing, and Kirillov asked: "Comrade Oshanina, what are you thinking?" ”

"I'm wondering how many German troops are stationed in Gorodishe's city." Speaking of this, I thought again of the question that Kirillov had just asked me, and hurriedly answered for him: "Comrade Political Commissar, although the command of the army group ordered us to cooperate with the friendly forces in launching an offensive on the 21st, judging from the current situation, the sortie time of our division may have to be postponed. This will give us an extra two or three days for the training of our troops. ”

"I'm afraid that these newly recruited soldiers will be frightened by the Germans and will not have the courage to pick up guns and fight the Germans face to face," Kirillov once again expressed his worries: "If there are new recruits who desert on the battlefield, it will affect the morale of the entire army and lead to the discouragement of our army." ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, doing political and ideological work is your strong point." The only way to prevent the newly armed citizens from deserting from the battlefield is to explain to them the great deals, so that they will have the courage to fight stubbornly against the enemy, so I solemnly said to Kirillov: "Let the political workers tell every soldier that the Germans will not only occupy our city, but also destroy all living creatures, erase the name of the city from the map, and restore the whole land on which the city is located to its pristine ecology and become an unwalkable swamp, Let clouds of poisonous miasma rise over the swamp. Let them understand that this battle is not only for the defense of the Motherland, for the defense of Comrade Stalin, but also for the defense of their homeland and their loved ones. ”

We were talking, and Akhromeyev reported next to him: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, the reconnaissance detachment sent back the detailed reconnaissance situation. ”

I nodded, and said unhurriedly, "Chief of Staff, read us the telegram." With that, I did, moved the notebook I had placed on the table to my side, turned to Kirillov and Pantaireev, and said, "Let's hear what kind of information the reconnaissance detachment has brought us." ”

"The reconnaissance detachment reported that the enemy's headquarters was located in the school in the city," Akhromeyev read the telegram to the three of us, staring at the telegram in his hand, "and on the playground of the school, five cars and two three-wheeled motorcycles were parked. In the twenty minutes we observed, three arrived and three drove away. ”

"Comrade division commander," Bandereev interjected, "what level of command do you judge this to be of the enemy?" ”

"What do you say? Comrade Deputy Division Commander? "I didn't answer his question. Instead, he asked rhetorically.

"Wait until you hear all the information. We'll tell. After Bandereev finished speaking, he looked up at Akhromeyev, "In addition to the cars parked on the playground, did the scouts see the German officers?" ”

"Yes, during this period of reconnaissance, a total of nine were seen, both in and out. Among them were two captains and one lieutenant colonel. And a general. There were also officers whose rank could not be identified because the light was too dim. ”

When I heard this, I hurriedly asked, "Are they all officers?" ”

"Yes, all officers." Instead of looking at the newspaper, Akhromeyev looked at me and replied: "In the darkness, you can see that they are wearing large-brimmed hats." ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I have a question that I haven't figured out." After listening to Akhromeyev's report, Kirillov asked in bewilderment: "Since the scouts said that the light was too dark to discern the rank of the enemy's officer. So how did they identify the ranks of the officers just reported? ”

"Comrade Commissar. It's easy," said Pantai Laiev of Kirillov, "perhaps when they were waiting outside the building, the headlights of the oncoming cars reflected the rank on their shoulders, so that our scouts hiding in the distance could easily identify the rank of individual officers." And, don't forget, one of these scouts turned out to be Germans, and they were familiar with the ranks of the old troops. ”

"Have you finished reading the telegram?" I waited for Pantai Leyev to finish, and then asked Akhromeyev.

"Report to the division commander, there is still a paragraph that I haven't read." After Akhromeyev finished his report, he continued: "During the reconnaissance, there were also two motorcycles of combat communications troops, both of which drove directly in front of the building, and then someone got down from the motorcycle and walked into the building. ”

Pantai Leev seemed to pay special attention to the details, and as soon as he heard Akhromeyev read it, he immediately asked: "Did these two motorcycles come at the same time?" ”

Akhromeyev shook his head and replied: "No, it's separate." The first arrived ten minutes into the lurking reconnaissance, while the other arrived when the scouts were preparing to retreat. ”

Seeing that Akhromeyev lowered his hand holding the telegram after answering this question, I understood in my heart that he had finished reading the telegram, so I asked Kirillov and Pantaireev: "Political commissar, deputy division commander, what kind of rank do you judge the command stationed in the school?" ”

After asking, the two looked at each other, but neither of them spoke, so I had to ask Bantai Leev: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, tell me your judgment." ”

Bandereev heard me call him by name, looked down and thought about it, and then said with some confidence: "I think it may be the headquarters of a motorized brigade." ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, I do not agree with your judgment." Akhromeyev put the telegram on the table and expressed his opinion: "Because the scouts in their reports, there are no reports of enemy tanks or armored vehicles, so I judge that this unit will not be a motorized brigade. According to the telegram, there was a general, a lieutenant colonel, two captains, a dozen cars, and motorcycles for combat communications corps. So, I think this should be one of the enemy's divisional headquarters. ”

"Well, Comrade Chief of Staff," Kirillov hesitantly agreed with Akhromeyev's judgment, and then asked: "Since it is a division, where are their troops stationed?" Will this German unit pose a threat to us when we are on the offensive? ”

In response to Kirillov's question, Akhromeyev was stunned for a moment before he said in a hesitant voice: "We will not know the specific deployment of the German army until the rest of the reconnaissance detachments give back the information." However, judging from the position where this unit is stationed, once our division advances to the north on the appointed day, it will inevitably have to fight with this unit. ”

Before Kirillov could finish his sentence, I suddenly heard Razumeeva shouting a report. As soon as I turned around, she reported to me: "Report to the division commander, I just received a telegram from the reconnaissance detachment. With that, he handed over a telegram.

I took the telegram, nodded at her in thanks, and then looked at it intently. The telegram was sent by another detachment, which read: "Our detachment has discovered a German camp fifteen kilometers north of Heights 107.5. In terms of scale. There was probably a regiment of troops stationed in it. At the moment, the camp is brightly lit. The troops are being redeployed and it seems that something is about to be taken. Behind the ranks of the infantry, we also sent messages about tanks, armored vehicles and artillery. "The signature on the back of the telegram is Unit 03.

After handing the telegram to Kirillov, I asked Akhromeyev: "Comrade Chief of Staff, have you numbered all the reconnaissance detachments sent tonight?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." Akhromeyev replied affirmatively: "I have numbered five reconnaissance detachments as No. 01~05, and I just read the telegram for you. It was sent by Detachment 04. ”

After reading the telegram, Kirillov handed it to Bandereev, looked up and said to Akhromeyev: "Chief of Staff, Unit 03 has called, saying that they have found a German camp, in which there is probably a regiment of garrisons, which are being nervously mobilized at the moment, and it seems that there is some serious action. They saw that in the ranks of the infantry, there were also tanks, armored vehicles and artillery. ”

"Comrade Division Commander, what do you think of this matter?" When Bandereev delivered the telegram to Akhromeyev. He politely asked me: "Do you think the Germans are planning to go north to strengthen their defenses, or are they going to turn south and take part in the siege of the city?" ”

"It's a bit of both." After I said this, I turned my head and instructed Lazumeeva, who was sitting in front of the walkie-talkie: "Comrade lieutenant, continue to keep in touch with the reconnaissance detachment No. 03, let them closely monitor the movements of the German troops, and try to find a way to know the number of this group of enemies. ”

Kirillov raised his hand and looked at his watch, looked up at me and said: "Comrade Oshanina, it's not too early, the supplies from the east coast should have arrived, so I'll take people to the dock to pick up the equipment." The three of you know more about military matters than I do, so you are solely responsible. So saying, he stood up, nodded to Pantai Leev, and walked out.

Shortly after Kirillov's departure, reports from three other reconnaissance detachments arrived. Summarizing the reconnaissance reports of all the detachments, we finally figured out that it was the 295th German Infantry Division that was stationed in the Gorodishhe area. The three regiments of the division were stationed in the west, north and south directions of the city, and there were only some units directly under the division and logistics organs in the city.

When Bandelyev learned the number of the other party, he did not hesitate to say the name of the other commander: Otto. Major General Kofes. When he heard that there were only a few direct troops in the city, he said regretfully: "Alas, it is a pity that we are too far from the city here, otherwise we would have sent a battalion with strong combat strength into the city, and perhaps we would have captured the German general alive." ”

For the "decapitation tactic" he proposed, from the bottom of my heart, I still very much agree. However, our division does not have the conditions to implement this tactic now, so I can only pour cold water on him mercilessly under his blind optimism: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, although there are only a few directly subordinate troops in the city, once there is an exchange of fire and our troops cannot withdraw in time, it is easy to be surrounded by German troops coming from several directions. At that time, not only did they not catch their division commander, but they lost a main battalion in vain. ”

"Wouldn't it be better if we were sending someone to pick it up?" Bandereev reluctantly asked: "As long as there are troops to respond, I believe that the battalion that attacked the city will still be able to retreat in one piece." ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, have you ever thought that our division is currently all infantry, without the cover of artillery and tanks, once the enemy's armored units pounce on them, how can our fighters resist them?" Speaking of this, I changed the subject in time and asked Akhromeyev, who was standing next to the walkie-talkie: "Comrade Chief of Staff, has the latest intelligence from the 03 detachment returned?" Did they figure out in what direction the enemy was going to move? ”

"Report to the division commander," Akhromeyev hurriedly replied, "Lieutenant Lazumeeva is receiving the report, and we will be able to get the latest information shortly." ”

Bandereev suddenly said behind me: "Comrade division commander, I think it is more likely that the enemy will mobilize troops in the middle of the night to attack the 107.5 heights. ”

"Why?" I asked without looking back.

"If the enemy wants to transfer troops to the north, then they can completely transfer the troops to the north and west of Gorodishe, but now the troops are being transferred to the south of the city, so I judge that the enemy may carry out a sneak attack on the 107.5 heights."

"You're right." If we had not received reports from several other reconnaissance detachments just now, we would not have been sure what the enemy was trying to do, but after learning about the enemy's disarmament, the enemy's actions became obvious. I turned to Bantai Laiev and said, "Since this is the case, you can call Major Yaming, the deputy commander of the 2nd Regiment on the 107.5 heights, and tell him about the situation, so that they can prepare for battle overnight." ”

"Okay, I'll call." After Pantai Leev finished speaking, he picked up the phone on the table and called the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment stationed on the 107.5 heights.

Before his phone could be dialed, Akhromeyev had already run over with a telegram and newspaper in his hand, nervously reporting to me: "Comrade division commander, the analysis of the deputy division commander is completely sought. According to the information sent back by Detachment 03, the enemy had about a battalion of infantry, in trucks, under the cover of armored vehicles and tanks, and moved south. Judging by the direction, the enemy's advance target is precisely our 107.5 height. ”

After getting the exact information, my heart was steady, and the soldiers came to block the water and cover the earth, since the enemy really wanted to attack the 107.5 heights, then we had to let them suffer well. I asked again: "How many tanks and artillery are there with the enemy?" ”

Akhromeyev glanced down at the telegram and replied: "There are six heavy howitzers, and fourteen tanks, and an equal number of armored vehicles." ”

I silently calculated in my heart the remaining heavy weapons in the division, in addition to a few anti-tank guns on the positions of the fourth regiment, there were also three heavy howitzers on the positions of the second regiment, but there were not many shells left, and there were probably only a few shells per gun. Originally, I didn't plan to use the artillery battalion, but I thought that Kirillov had already brought people to collect weapons and equipment at this moment, and maybe he would be able to bring back the shells we urgently needed later, so in the end I made a ruthless decision and decided to take a desperate gamble.

Seeing that Pandereev had already finished calling Major Yameen, I then instructed Akhromeyev: "Chief of Staff, immediately call the commander of the artillery battalion, Major Morozov, and ask him to inform the anti-tank artillery company on the positions of the 4th Regiment and the heavy howitzer detachments on the positions of the 2nd Regiment to be ready for battle. ”

After hearing my order, Akhromeyev was stunned for a moment, and then reminded me in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, we don't have many shells left, especially the shells used in the three heavy howitzers, all of which depend on capture. Although the commissar took people to collect weapons and equipment, they did not necessarily have such shells. Once there are no shells, these cannons are a pile of scrap metal. ”

I knew in my heart that Akhromeyev's words were very reasonable, but the German troops who came to sneak attack were menacing, and the commanders and fighters of the 2nd Regiment and the 1st Battalion had not been able to build a perfect defensive system for a long time, and in the face of the enemy's fierce attack, they were bound to suffer heavy casualties. In order to prevent the 2nd Regiment from falling into the quagmire of fighting for the 107.5 heights prematurely, it is necessary to teach the enemy a good lesson to this sneak attack, and only by beating them hard and beating them hard, before they launch another attack on the 107.5 heights, they will think twice and dare not be as unscrupulous as they are now.

When Morozov received a call from Akhromeyev, he asked the same question, and I had to take the phone from Akhromeyev's hand and say to him in a serious tone: "Comrade Major, I understand what you mean, and I also know that there are not many shells left for the heavy howitzers captured from the Germans. However, if we had not suppressed the German fire attacking Heights 107.5 without artillery fire, the defenders on the heights would have suffered heavy losses. Think about it, is it a few shells that matter, or is the lives of our commanders and fighters precious? ”

When Morozov heard me say this, he did not dare to be stubborn anymore, so he had to answer honestly: "Understood, comrade division commander, I will order the anti-tank artillery company and howitzer detachment to be ready for battle." (To be continued......)