For the rest of the journey, neither of us nor I spoke, we were silently thinking about our own thoughts. My mind was on the guard who had been cut down by the Hungarian cavalry, and if it had not happened to have picked up the gun he had dropped in front of me, I would have died under the cavalryman's saber with Chernyakhovsky and the adjutant.

Luckily, it wasn't far, and soon we were in a lot where we could see pedestrians and vehicles on the side of the road. When the commanders and fighters who were coming along the highway saw our three cars, they all gave way to the side of the road and raised their hands to salute us.

Yushchenko, at the direction of his adjutant, parked the car outside a large wooden house. Seeing a few jeeps and covered trucks neatly parked outside, I knew that in addition to Zhukov and the commander of the tank brigade, maybe Rokossovsky was there.

At the door stood a dozen fighters, judging by their attire, both from the Moscow garrison command and from the field troops. Seeing me and Chernyakhovsky walking side by side, the captain who was standing outside the door and leading the team on duty raised his hand to salute us, and did not even go in to report, but directly pushed open the closed wooden door and said politely: "Please come in, comrades generals." ”

Chernyakhovsky and I walked into the hut and found that there were quite a few people here. Zhukov and Rokossovsky sat side by side behind a wooden table facing the door, and behind them, Major General Terekin. While five or six other colonel-ranking officers stood respectfully at the table with their backs to us, one of the colonels was reporting to Zhukov.

When we entered, the Colonel's debriefing was nearing the end. I know to hear him say, "...... Comrade Marshal, this is the current situation in our brigade. That's my debriefing. With that, he didn't immediately retreat into the queue of his colleagues. Instead, after a pause, he said: "Comrade Marshal, my political commissar has a special situation to report to you, is that okay?" ”

"Special circumstances?!" Zhukov, who had always been expressionless, couldn't help frowning when he heard this. After a moment, he asked in a calm tone, "I don't know which one is the commissar of the tank brigade?" ”

Hearing Zhukov's question, a lieutenant colonel to the right behind the colonel stepped forward. Loudly replied: "Comrade Marshal, I am the commissar of the tank brigade." ”

Zhukov looked up at him and asked lightly: "Comrade Political Commissar." Your brigade commander said you have a special situation to report to me. If there's anything, report it to me now. ”

"That's right, Comrade Marshal." The commissar spoke very quickly: "Maria. Sergeant Oterskaya was seriously wounded in last week's battle. Although he was promptly sent to the field hospital of the group army for treatment. This can be seen from the current situation. Her injuries are not only not getting better. On the contrary, there are signs of aggravation. On behalf of the brigade party committee, I beg you to send her to a military hospital in Moscow for treatment. ”

After listening to the words of the political commissar, Zhukov said impatiently: "Comrade political commissar, isn't she a sergeant, you can just send someone to send her to the military hospital in the city." Do you still need to report such a trivial matter to me? ”

"Comrade Marshal." The commissar heard the dissatisfaction in Zhukov's tone, and hurriedly defended: "You don't know, Maria. Sergeant Oterskaya is no ordinary man. She was the wife of the regimental commissar of the 206th Infantry Division, Okka......"

"Enough. Comrade Political Commissar. Zhukov did not wait for him to finish, and rudely interrupted him for the rest of his words. Is it because she is the wife of a regimental commissar that we should give her special care? ”

"Dear Georgi. Konstantinovich, please don't get angry just yet. Seeing that Zhukov had a precursor to anger, Rokossovsky, who was sitting next to him, hurriedly came out to play a round: "This Maria. Oteskayako is a celebrity. After the death of her husband, she sold all her savings, donated a tank, and wrote to Comrade Stalin asking for permission to drive the tank to the front. Comrade Stalin, having received the letter, quickly approved her request and sent her to study at the tank school. After months of hard study, she finally became a tanker. She piloted the "Female Comrade-in-Arms" tank, named after her, and has repeatedly made meritorious achievements in battles, and has become the banner of victory for the tank brigade. ”

Rokossovsky's brief introduction, which aroused Zhukov's interest, the expression on his face softened, and he looked at the commissar of the tank brigade again and said: "Comrade commissar, briefly tell me about Maria. Sergeant Oterskaya's combat experience and how she was wounded this time. ”

The brigade commissar's mood also returned to normal at the moment, and he began to briefly introduce Maria to Zhukov. Oterskaya's combat experience: "...... During the battle to break through the German defensive positions outside Stalingrad, Maria's tank easily crushed the enemy's earth-wood fire points, overwhelmed the barbed wire stakes, and leveled the enemy's trenches...... Crushed an artillery squad and a position consisting of several machine guns.

After a series of victories, our troops were moved to areas where enemy resistance was particularly fierce. The German unit that was going to fight us at that time was the 197th Division, where the 332nd Regiment of the Zoya Infantry was hanged. We want to avenge the fascist bandits for our fallen heroes, so this attack is called 'Zoya's Attack'! ”

When Zhukov heard Zoya and the 332nd Regiment of the 197th Division, he involuntarily glanced at me, and then ordered the brigade commissar: "Go on. ”

"Our tank units galloped towards the settlements, and the Germans hid behind dilapidated buildings and met our tanks with heavy artillery fire. On the road leading to the settlement, in addition to the enemy's intensive artillery fire, there were also terrible minefields, and as soon as we approached the settlement, many of our tanks were either destroyed by artillery fire or their tracks were blown off by mines.

Maria's 'Female Comrade' tank covered our infantry company to break through the enemy's three trenches and entrenched them inside. Judging by the indications, the enemy was preparing to garrison the settlement for a long time, because the commanders and fighters found that some of the shelters and civil fire points had seven layers of logs added to the roofs.

After a short break, the tankmen received an order to continue the attack. And the 'female comrade-in-arms' served as the first echelon of the offensive force. rushed to the front of the entire force. When they approached the fourth trench, the tank's tracks were broken by enemy mines. Although the enemy's machine-gun bullets rang at the tank's hull, Maria ventured out of the bottom of the tank. Concentrate on repairing the blown tracks. Having completed the repair of the tracks, Maria drove the tanks again and led our troops to rush to the enemy positions. ”

"Well done, what a good girl." After a series of applause, Zhukov turned his head and asked Rokossovsky: "Have you asked for credit for this brave girl?" ”

Rokossovsky hurriedly nodded and replied: "Comrade Marshal, this is for sure. As soon as the battle ended. The commander of the tank brigade personally rushed to the front and put a medal on Maria. ”

"Comrade Marshal, may I go on?" The brigade commissar saw Zhukov and Rokossovsky chatting. Don't dare to disturb them casually. Finally, when the two of them had finished talking, he said carefully, "I haven't finished my words yet." ”

"Say, Comrade Brigade Political Commissar." This time it was Rokossovsky who made a gesture and motioned for him to continue: "Take what you know." All report to Comrade Marshal. ”

The brigade commissar after receiving permission from Rokossovsky. He continued: "After losing the settlements, the Germans, unwilling to accept defeat, quickly brought in reserves to counterattack the settlements. The command ordered the tank units to stop the offensive, build new fortifications in their place, and in any case hold the newly occupied areas.

And Maria's 'female comrades-in-arms' stopped on the side of the road and turned into a fixed point of fire. When the Germans charged our positions, they slammed the enemy's attacking skirmish lines with all their firepower. The fascist bandits threw away their weapons. When they fled towards the starting point of the attack, the 'female comrades' did not let them go. Chased them with a dense barrage of bullets.

The enemy's counterattack was crushed, and not a single meter of land we occupied was ceded to the enemy. And the 'Female Comrade-in-Arms' eliminated at least two platoons of fascist bandits in today's battle.

Some time ago, when we attacked the enemy again, the 'female comrade-in-arms' took the lead in rushing to the settlements occupied by the enemy. However, when approaching the enemy's first trench, it was unfortunately hit by German artillery, and the track was blown off again, and the tank stopped in an open field.

While the rest of the tank crew fought like an infantryman with their weapons in their hands, Maria got out of the tank again, braving the enemy's bullets and bullets, nervously repairing the blown tracks. Just as she was about to fix the tracks, a shell landed next to her and exploded. By the time the smoke cleared, the tank crew found Maria lying in a pool of blood. ”

"Where is she now?" When Zhukov heard this, he couldn't help but stand up and asked with concern: "How is the injury?" ”

After hearing this, the brigade political commissar shook his head and said with some sadness: "Comrade Marshal, she has been lying in the field hospital for ten days, and she has been unconscious since yesterday, and she still has a high fever. According to the military doctor, due to the constraints of the conditions, more than a dozen pieces of shrapnel on her body have not been removed, and if she is not sent to the military hospital in Moscow as soon as possible, her life will be in danger. ”

"In that case, why don't you send her to Moscow at once?" Zhukov heard the brigade commissar say this, and his tone unconsciously became stern again: "Are you going to watch our heroine die like this?" ”

"Not so, Comrade Marshal." The brigade commander heard Zhukov's dissatisfaction, and hurriedly helped his political commissar to defend himself: "You also know that our army and hospitals are not one system. Usually after the wounded are sent to the hospital, we cannot decide whether they stay in the field hospital or send them to the military hospital in Moscow. ”

"Comrade Rokossovsky." As soon as Zhukov and the brigade commander finished speaking, he immediately turned his head and instructed Rokossovsky: "I will hand over the matter of Comrade Maria's transfer to the hospital for treatment, and I will hand it over to you." Before it gets dark today, I want to hear that she has arrived at the Moscow military hospital. ”

"No problem, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky replied cheerfully: "I will arrange this immediately." ”

"Comrade Marshal, Comrade Commander of the Front," at this moment, Chernyakhovsky, who had been standing by the door with me, could not hold back any longer, he took a few steps forward, stood in front of Zhukov and Rokossovsky, and said to the two: "This matter is my negligence, I immediately called the field hospital and asked them to immediately send a car to send Maria to Moscow. ”

With that, he walked over to the telephone by the wall, picked up the headset and dialed a number. After waiting for a moment, he asked aloud, "Is it a field hospital?" I'm the commander of the army group, Chernyakhovsky, let your dean answer the phone. ”

All of us looked at him in unison, for the safety of Maria, the female tanker, depended on the phone call he made. After a while, he said into the microphone again: "Hey, Comrade Dean, I'm General Chernyakhovsky. I heard that in your hospital, there is a wounded female tanker named Maria. Yes, yes, it's her, the pilot of the 'Female Comrade-in-Arms'. How's she doing? What, bad? How did you do it, and did you take any rescue measures? Ah, I see, I'll call you later. ”

After speaking, he put down the phone and said to Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, I just asked the field hospital. They are currently operating on Sergeant Maria and are temporarily unable to send her to Moscow. ”

After hearing this, Zhukov turned his head to look at Rokossovsky and said to him slowly: "Comrade Rokossovsky, although Comrade Maria is undergoing surgery at the moment, we must be ready to send her to Moscow at any time. In this case, you immediately send an ambulance from the field hospital of the Front Army and wait outside the field hospital of the 60th Army. As soon as Sergeant Maria's operation was over, she was immediately taken to a military hospital in Moscow as soon as the hospital allowed her. You have to take care of this matter personally, and you must not be sloppy. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Marshal." When Rokossovsky waited for Zhukov to finish speaking, he immediately assured him: "I will personally inquire into this matter and promise to send Comrade Maria to the military hospital in Moscow as soon as possible." ”

Zhukov nodded with satisfaction, looked back at me and Chernyakhovsky, and asked a little strangely: "Lida, what is the matter with you and Chernyakhovsky, why are there so many mud on your clothes?" Did you get into some trouble on the way? (To be continued......)