Since I boasted to Chuikov that I was going to attack the German camp, I had to do my best. As soon as I put down the phone, I began to discuss the night attack plan with Kirillov and the three of them.

We are talking first of all about the direction of the offensive. Bandereev was the first to speak, and he proposed to us with a stern expression: "I think the direction of the night attack should be chosen on this forward position of the German army on the bank of the Volga, because it is only three kilometers from the position of the 4th Regiment. It only took two hours for our troops to settle the battle and withdraw to their starting positions in a smooth manner. ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, I don't agree with you," as soon as Bandereev's words were finished, Akhromeyev stood up and retorted: "Since the forward positions of the German army have been attacked by us several times, they are now very well guarded, in addition to laying a large number of minefields in front of the positions, and also setting up several machine guns on duty, as soon as they hear any movement in front of the positions, they will immediately strafe them. Early last evening, several scouts of the 4th Regiment were killed while reconnoitring in front of the position when they were caught in German machine-gun fire. ”

"Even if we don't hit this forward position of the enemy, will their defense be lax?" Bandereev retorted unconvinced: "Last time, Captain Mihayev didn't lead the engineering unit to raise the enemy's mines and quietly bury them in the German positions, and we can use the same method against them!" ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander," if it weren't for the fact that Pantai Leev was higher in rank and rank than himself, perhaps Akhromeyev would have been angry, and at this moment he could only patiently explain to the other party: "Since the Germans have suffered such losses from us, don't they know that they have learned a lesson?" ”

Listen to what Akhromeyev said. Bandereev is no longer stubborn. I had to ask euphemistically: "Since Comrade Chief of Staff thinks that it is not appropriate for us to target the forward positions of the German army for night attacks. So where do you think it's best to carry out our night raids? ”

Akhromeyev thought for a moment, and then said cautiously: "We sent night raiders to attack from the 107.5 heights to attack the German troops stationed in the northwest direction, so that the enemy's offensive plan during the day could be disrupted. ”

"Nonsense, it's nonsense." As soon as Akhromeyev's words came out, Pantai Leyev slapped the table and stood up, and said angrily: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I ask you to use your brains, okay." Didn't they want revenge after our troops went north last night and beat the Germans to the ground all over the place? Perhaps the troops sent over tonight will not be met by German infantry nested in trenches, but German tanks and armored vehicles that have been prepared for a long time, do you think the flesh and blood of our soldiers can hold back the enemy's shells and machine-gun bullets? ”

Seeing that the two were arguing, Kirillov, who had been silent, turned his head to look at me and asked with a smile: "Comrade Oshanina, now our deputy division commander and chief of staff have their own considerations, and it seems that it is difficult for them to unify their opinions. Otherwise, tell me, whose point of view do you support? ”

Kirillov was heard. Bandereev and Akhromeyev stopped arguing and turned to me to see whose opinion I would support. I did not show support for either of them, but said to myself: "Judging by the current situation in Stalingrad, if we are to defend passively in the Mamayev area, the enemy will be able to free up his hands and feet and storm the factory area with all his might, so as to achieve the goal of crushing the defensive forces of our army in the center of the city." In order to prevent such a dangerous situation, we must do everything we can to launch a diversionary operation against the enemy. Speaking of this, I paused for a moment, looked at the anxious Bandereev and Akhromeyev, and then said slowly, "Where to fight with the German army should be analyzed according to the specific situation. Don't you think that it is much easier to annihilate the enemy on the ruins of a city than in the steppes between the Volga and the Don. ”

"Annihilate the enemy on the ruins of a city?" Bandereev unconsciously repeated my words and asked tentatively: "Comrade division commander, do you mean that the target of our attack is not the enemy north of the Mamayev Height, but the enemy in the city?" Seeing that I nodded in affirmation, he added worriedly: "But the enemy has gathered heavy troops in the city, and our forces are at an absolute disadvantage compared to them!" ”

Hearing his concern, I smiled and said, "Despite the enemy's strong presence in the city, fighting in the narrow streets and bombed-out buildings, they are unable to exert their strength, and they always suffer heavy losses and are in a situation of being passively beaten. They often can't figure out where the bullets that hit them came from and where death awaits them.

Our fighters and commanders knew that we could not retreat and had nowhere to retreat, with the Volga River behind us. Most importantly, they all understood that the fascist invaders were not fought with iron, and they could be defeated. With machine guns, submachine guns, and rifles in our hands, we can penetrate the enemy's body. Don't we have an anti-tank rifle company, transfer them to the city, let the anti-tank men hide in the ruins of the houses, and when the German tanks are only 50 to 100 meters away from them, they will open decisive fire, so that they can be destroyed with great accuracy. ”

My plan was refreshed to the ears of Kibantailyev and Akhromeyev, and they no longer struggled with which area of the enemy camp north of Mamayev Hill to attack, but began to study where to send troops in the city in order to achieve the goal of pinning down the enemy.

After listening to a few words from the side, I realized that something was wrong, and both men advocated that the troops drawn from the division be sent to the factory area to strengthen the defenses there. My original idea was to use the night attack to contain and inflict heavy damage on the enemy, but according to the plan of the two men, it was to put our troops in the fortifications and fight a brutal positional battle with the attacking enemy. Hearing this, I finally couldn't help it, and hurriedly interrupted the discussion between the two: "Deputy division commander and chief of staff, don't talk about it, I don't agree with the arrangement of the two of you." At present, the factory area is an area of fierce fighting between the enemy and us, and even if we throw more troops into it, it will not be enough to consume it. Seeing that Akhromeyev still wanted to justify, I added in a timely manner," Comrade Chief of Staff. Don't you forget how the 3,000 people in a clump were lighted? ”

Hear me say that. Akhromeyev, who wanted to say a few words, could only obediently shut his mouth. No longer express your opinion. Seeing that Akhromeyev did not speak, Bandereev cautiously asked: "Comrade division commander, in which direction do you plan to throw your troops?" ”

"Come and see," I stood up, pulled the map on the table in front of me, and seeing that everyone's attention was focused on me, I continued: "According to the information provided by the superiors, the 13th Guards Division of General Rodimtsev is currently being held. It controls the Kruto Gully, the 2nd Embankment Street, the '9th of January' Square, Sun Street, Communist Street, Kursky Street, Orlovsky Street, Proletarian Street, Gogol Street, and a large area up to the Tsaritsa River. However, as far as I can judge, in these sections, the German troops and their lines were entangled. My idea was to send troops to assist the Rodimtsev division and to make it clear all the German forces in the area they controlled. As soon as we fought, the deployment of the German troops would be disrupted by us, in order to consolidate the defensive line in these areas. They would then have to draw troops from other areas to replenish them. As a result, the troops of the army group were under pressure in other directions. It will be greatly reduced. ”

As I said this, neither Pandereev, nor Kirillov nor Akhromeyev spoke, but stared intently at the map in front of them, quietly considering the feasibility of my plan.

After a long time, Bandereev took the lead in taking his eyes off the map, and after a long breath, he nodded, and echoed me: "I think this plan of the division commander is quite good. The Germans were already familiar with the way our troops were fighting, and they would surely think that in order to ensure that the city was not lost, we would continue to pour large numbers of troops into the places where the fighting was most intense. However, the division commander's style of play unexpectedly hit them in their weakest place, which could hurt the Germans at once. As a result, they had to draw troops from the areas where they were focused on attacking to consolidate the areas they had previously occupied. ”

"Yes, Comrade Deputy Division Commander is quite right." Akhromeyev waited for Pandereev to finish speaking, and then continued: "The division commander's use of troops has always been ingenious and unique, and even our deputies, who stay by their side every day, can't think of a plan that the Germans can't think of. I had no objection and carried it out according to the division commander's plan. ”

After both of them had spoken, Kirillov said unhurriedly: "Compared to a few of you, in military affairs, I am an absolute layman, so I will not express any opinions." As for which troops to be transferred and in which area to fight, it is up to Comrade Oshanina to decide. ”

I did not immediately answer Kirillov's words, but raised my hand and looked at my watch, and then said: "Comrade Khrushchev arrived at the division headquarters at five o'clock this morning, and when he left, it was six thirty o'clock. And now it's seven o'clock, according to the practice of these days, what time did the Germans attack our heights? ”

Instinctively, Kirillov looked down at his watch, and then replied without looking up: "The Germans began shelling and bombing us yesterday and the day before yesterday at about eight o'clock in the morning. ”

"So the Germans gave us an hour to spare." Seeing that there was still plenty of time at this moment, I instructed Akhromeyev: "Chief of Staff, call the commander of the third regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Koska, and ask him to hurry up and transfer elite soldiers from the regiment to form a commando team of 300 men and prepare to participate in the night raid at night." As for the commander of the night raid team, the original acting regimental commander, Major Godunov, should be in charge. ”

"By the way, Comrade Division Commander, there is something I haven't had time to tell you yet." As soon as I gave the order to Akhromeyev, Kirillov suddenly said: "The station of the 3rd Regiment was bombed by the Germans the day before yesterday, and a bomb directly hit the regimental command post of the 3rd Regiment, and all the commanders who were in it at that time were killed. ”

I had already sat down, and when I heard the bad news, I jumped up from the table, grabbed Kirillov's arm, and asked nervously: "What about Godunov, how is Major Godunov?" ”

"Before the bombing began, Godunov called a meeting of all the battalion and company commanders of the three battalions. Not long after the meeting began, Major Prikhodko, the acting commander of the tank battalion, came to him and told him that several tanks in the battalion should not be placed in the open field, but should be hidden, and specially discussed with him where to hide the tanks. The two came to the place where the tanks were parked, and while they were studying, the German bombardment began. Because there is a shelter nearby. So they took refuge in a shelter. And the commanders who remained in the command post were killed in the bombing. ”

I heard that Godunov is still alive. My heart was a little more steady, and then I asked: "The commanders of the three regiments and three battalions have all died, so the troops are not chaotic, right?" ”

"It's okay," Kirillov replied, with a smile on his face that was more ugly than crying, "after the bombardment, Godunov and Major Prikhodko organized a manpower to rescue the commanders buried in the rubble." Seeing that all the commanders were killed, Godunov specially summoned the fighters of the whole battalion to speak. In this way, the troops were stabilized. ”

"There is one more question, Comrade Division Commander." As soon as Kirillov finished speaking, Akhromeyev added: "We are not very familiar with the defense area of the 13th Guards Division, and I am afraid that if we rush over like this, we may break into the Germans." ”

Akhromeyev's words made me feel worried, and I knew that he had a point, that the city was now bombed into ruins, and that if there was no one who was familiar with the road to lead the way, he rashly entered the defense zone of the 13th Guards Division. In the end, they either broke into the German defense zone by mistake, or they had a misunderstanding with their own people. I thought about it for a long time. He didn't come up with a good solution, so he frowned and asked Akhromeyev: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you have any good ideas?" ”

Akhromeyev thought for a moment and replied to me: "Comrade division commander, in our health camp, we received a lot of wounded who originally belonged to the 13th Guards Division, and after they recovered from their wounds, some returned to the 13th Guards Division, and some remained in my unit. I know a captain named Dragan, who turned out to be the company commander of the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the 42nd Guards Infantry Regiment, who was wounded in the battle to defend the central railway station while leading his troops and was taken to our clinic by the soldiers of the company. At present, his injuries have healed, and he remains in the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Regiment to act as company commander. ”

Having participated in the battle to defend the Central Station, I knew from the battles in which he had participated that he was a commander with a lot of combat experience, so after listening to Akhromeyev's briefing, I immediately ordered him: "Chief of Staff, call Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar at once and ask him to inform this Captain Dragan to come to the division headquarters. ”

When Akhromeyev called, Kirillov asked me in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, what did you send this captain to the division headquarters?" Do you want him to be the commander of the third regiment and the third battalion? Without waiting for me to answer, Kirillov asked himself and said, "Since this commander has led his troops to participate in the battle to defend the railway station, I believe that he must have a wealth of combat experience, and it is very suitable for him to go to the third battalion." ”

As we spoke, Basmanov re-entered the headquarters. As soon as I saw him appear, I immediately asked him in a loud voice: "Comrade Captain, did Comrade Military Commissar take all the prisoners away?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." Basmanov replied respectfully: "In addition to Lieutenant Braun and his herald Corporal Hans, there is also the captain named Pellell, and the rest of the prisoners are taken. ”

"What, a German captain is still left?!" Kirillov was surprised and asked: "Comrade Captain, who gave you this right to assert your own opinions?" Why did they leave German prisoners without asking for instructions? ”

"Alright, Comrade Commissar." Seeing that Kirillov was showing signs of anger, I hurriedly came out to play a round, "I know this Captain Peller, he is a friend of Lieutenant Braun, since he wants to stay, he can stay, maybe it will be useful in the future." At this point, I then asked Basmanov, "Where did you place these three captives?" ”

"I sent them all to Captain Grams' company." When Basmanov finished speaking, seeing that I had not expressed any opinion, he added another sentence, "I think that since they are both Germans, they should have a lot to say to each other." ”

I just smiled faintly at this wishful thinking of his and did not express any opinion. Just as I was about to ask Akhromeyev if the phone had been called, Basmanov suddenly said in shock: "By the way, Comrade Division Commander, Comrade Military Commissar, before leaving, let me tell you something. He said that in a few days, he would send you a company of capable guards, saying that this would be worthy of the position of deputy commander of your army. ”

Basmanov's words surprised me, although the guard battalion in the independent division is not in the same number, but it still has three companies, is it necessary to add one more? However, in order to find out what was going on, I asked rhetorically: "Comrade Captain, do you know what kind of guard company it is?" ”

Basmanov shook his head and said in embarrassment: "I'm sorry, comrade division commander, I don't know. After the comrade military commissar said this, he left, leaving me without leaving me a chance to ask questions. ”

Seeing that Basmanov couldn't ask anything here, I had to wave my hand and say helplessly: "Since you don't know either, then forget it." Anyway, wait a few more days, and the answer will be completely revealed. ”

As soon as I finished speaking, the rumbling of cannon could be heard outside the cave. Akhromeyev, who had just finished the call, raised his hand and looked at his watch, and scolded angrily: "Damn the Germans, today's shelling was actually half an hour ahead of schedule." (To be continued......)