I ate three or four dumplings one after another, both with mashed potatoes and lamb. I was very hungry and ate fast, but I was not slow with my fast Chuikov's hands, and in less than two minutes, there were two dumplings left in the lunch box. Just as I was hesitating to eat another one, I suddenly heard someone shouting, "Comrade Commander." ”

Chuikov and I turned our heads to look in the direction from which the voice had come and saw a soaked, mud-stained commander in a general's coat stumbling down the steps toward us. Since the person who came was the same as when he was first dug up, his face was covered in dirt, and I didn't recognize who he was.

The person came to Chuikov's side, stretched out his hands and grabbed Chuikov's arm, shook it vigorously, and said loudly: "Commander, in pain, my 37th Guards Division is thrown into battle, as long as there is one person, we will never retreat!" With that, he covered his cheeks and sat down at the table.

Although I still haven't seen his face clearly, I can already tell from what he said that he is the commander of the 37th Guards Division, Major General Zoludev. Chuikov, apparently recognizing the visitor, glanced at Joludev, who was sitting at the table, and then handed me the lunch box in his hand, and asked, "Do you want some more?" ”

In the process of Chuikov handing over the lunch box, I had already seen that the dumplings inside were covered with dust, and nine times out of ten it was if Ludev had just grabbed Chuikov and shook it, shaking the dust on his body. Even though my stomach is still rumbling with hunger at the moment, it is a bit hard to swallow when I eat dusty dumplings. So I had to pretend that I had eaten enough. Politely smiled and said to Chuikov: "Thank you." Comrade Commander, I'm full. ”

Seeing that I didn't eat it, Chuikov didn't be polite to me, so he directly grabbed the remaining dumplings in the lunch box, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed them in a few clicks. When he was finished, he put the lunch box on the table, lowered his head and asked Ruoludev with concern: "Comrade Ruoludev." Have all the people in the division been rescued? ”

Ruoludev shook his head and said bitterly: "My chief of staff died, and the commissar was seriously wounded. The operational and intelligence staff officers in the command headquarters were killed and wounded three and seven were wounded. ”

At this time, it may have been a shell that landed near us and exploded, and the dirt on the roof fell with a clatter. Chuikov just glanced up and said lightly: "If Comrade Ludev, my situation here is not much better. Half an hour ago, I and the commander of the independent division, Comrade Oshanina, were also buried in the ground. Now is the time. Two hidden parts outside have been blown up by enemy bombs, and the headquarters is organizing manpower to rescue them. ”

Krylov suddenly ran over the walkie-talkie. He didn't bother to greet Ruoludev, so he hurriedly said to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, no, our telephone communication with all the troops has been interrupted, only the radio is working, but the signal is also unstable, intermittent, and intermittent. We immediately dispatched communications personnel to various units to make contact with each other to ensure the smooth flow of command. ”

When Chuikov heard Krylov say this, the expression on his face became more and more stern, and after a moment of silence, he said helplessly: "Well, Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that this is the only way to do it." You immediately send a communications officer or staff officer of the headquarters to convey the orders of the headquarters to the units as much as possible. The order is simple: hold on resolutely, and never take a step back. ”

"Understood!" After a brief answer, Krylov rushed out of the command.

Over time, the German offensive not only did not weaken, but showed signs of strengthening. By three o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy's tanks had been wedged deep into the defensive positions of our troops and advanced to the area of the tractor factory and the "barricade" factory. Although the troops holding the area were incomplete, they still fought valiantly in the encirclement, holding back the enemy's movements. From the telegrams we received, we learned that they used their firepower to cut off the connection between the enemy's infantry and tanks, causing the enemy tanks to shrink without the cooperation of the infantry and become a live target for our artillery and anti-tank gunners. However, even so, the enemy tanks broke through in front of the command post of the army group, only 300 meters away from us.

After hearing this bad news, Chuikov ordered Gladshev, who had just returned with Gurov: "Comrade Major, I order you to immediately lead the guard battalion of the command into battle. If the enemy gets any closer, we will have to fight the German tanks ourselves. There is no other way but we can no longer retreat, or we will lose the last of our communications and command equipment. ”

Gladshev, after receiving his order, only agreed, but stood still and did not move. Chuikov looked at him strangely and asked: "Comrade Major, what are you doing standing here instead of carrying out the order?" ”

Hearing the commander's question, Gladshev turned his gaze to me and said hesitantly: "When General Oshanina came, he also brought a platoon of guards, I don't know if they also participated in the battle. ”

"Comrade Major, this is natural." The enemy is already approaching the headquarters, and Chuikov's guard battalion is going up to fight hard, can my guard platoon still stay in the trenches and stand by? So I couldn't say anything, so I took the initiative to say: "Let them also be included in your guard battalion." These fighters are veterans who have participated in many battles, and with their participation, they are more certain to block the enemy's attack. ”

But when the guard battalion of the headquarters went to meet the rushing German troops, radio communication with the outside world began to gradually resume again. The first thing that came was good news, the commander of the 84th tank brigade, Colonel Bere, reported to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, in the park of Skulipturne, 10 tanks of our brigade are hidden. The task I gave them was not to counterattack, but to set up an ambush in case the Germans broke through. Just now, German tanks were rushing into Sculiptur Park, where they were ambushed. Our tankmen struck hard at the German tanks, and the bullets were not missed. The enemy, having paid the price of ten destroyed and seven wounded, had already retreated wolflessly. ”

Although Colonel Bere brought us good news, the battle outside the headquarters was not optimistic. Gladshev sent a report that the enemy had been hit by our powerful firepower. But they don't care about the heavy casualties. It's still moving forward. At this moment, it is less than two hundred meters away from the headquarters.

When I heard the bad news, I quietly removed the magazine of the submachine gun and checked the bullets inside. If the Germans had rushed later, this submachine gun would have been much better than a pistol. The last encounter with the Germans at Mamayev Hill was that there were anti-artillery holes in the trenches to hide, and here, unless you jumped into the Volga River to escape, you could only be captured or killed.

Just when I was ready for battle. Suddenly, I heard a telegraph operator shouting: "Comrade commander, there is a wireless telephone from the 117th Guards Regiment." ”

As soon as I heard the 117th Guards Regiment, I immediately remembered that a battalion of the 1st Regiment had just been sent to rescue them. Now that they have called, it is estimated that they have successfully broken the siege. If Krylov had been there, he would have answered the call. But he wasn't there at this point, so we all set our eyes on Chuikov and waited for him to answer the phone.

Unexpectedly, Chuikov raised his chin at me, and said in a flat tone: "Comrade Oshanina, you can answer this call." Maybe it's your subordinates. ”

I nodded and walked over to the operator. After putting on the headphones, he said loudly into the microphone: "Hey, I am Major General Oshanina, the commander of the independent division, who are you?" ”

After a moment of silence, a familiar voice came from the earphones: "It's me, Comrade Division Commander." I'm Ilya. ”

"It turned out to be Lieutenant Colonel Ilya," it turned out that it was Lieutenant Colonel Ilya, the deputy commander of the 1st regiment, who was talking to me, and since he was talking to me, it seems that the siege of the 117th Guards Regiment has been lifted. "How's the situation, have you rescued the commanders and fighters of the 117th Guards Regiment?"

"Comrade division commander, please rest assured." Ilya confidently said: "The Guards Regiment was not wiped out by the enemy. When we arrived, there were at least a hundred corpses of Deko lying near the regimental command post, while our guards continued to fight the enemy stubbornly. After our battalion arrived, it flanked the friendly forces holding the regimental command post and wiped out all the attacking enemies. ”

"Well done!" After complimenting him, I asked, "What are the casualties of your battalion?" ”

"The commander of the first battalion and another company commander were killed, 71 people were killed and 153 were wounded, but the formation of the unit is still relatively intact and can continue to fight."

After listening to Lieutenant Colonel Ilya's report, I couldn't help but smile bitterly, I didn't expect that the first battalion had just been engaged in battle for more than an hour, and it actually reduced its strength by two companies, so I quickly ordered him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I order you to immediately take over the command of the 117th Guards Regiment and lead the troops to continue to hold on. Remember, as long as there is one person left, the position must not be lost......"

Before I could speak, suddenly a hand reached out from the side, grabbed my hand holding the microphone, and then a deep male voice sounded in my ear: "Comrade Oshanina, please let me say a few words to the commander of the 117th Guards Regiment." ”

I turned my head to look and saw that the person who was talking was actually the commander of the 37th Guards Division, Ruoludev, and suddenly remembered that I was staying at the headquarters at the moment, not at the headquarters of my own independent division, and that it was a taboo in the army to appoint my own subordinates as commanders of friendly units without authorization.

I hurriedly took off the headphones and handed them to Ruoludev, while glancing at Chuikov not far away. However, Chuikov looked as usual, and seemed to disapprove of my assertions. I looked at Ruoludev again, and after he took the headset I handed him, he put it on his head as if nothing had happened, and said into the microphone: "Hey, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I am Major General Ruoludev, the commander of the Guards Division, please let the commander of the regiment answer the phone, I have something to explain to them." ”

When I heard Ruoludev say this, I was secretly speculating in my heart what he would say, so I listened carefully with my ears sideways. After a while, there seemed to be a sound coming from the headphones, because the gunfire outside was so loud that I couldn't hear what was being said inside, even if I was so close. I only heard Ruoludev say in a steady tone: "It's great that you are the chief of staff of the 117th regiment." I am the division commander, General Ruoludev, and I now announce to you an appointment where, from this moment on, Lieutenant Colonel Ilya, who came from an independent division, will officially assume the post of commander of your regiment, do you understand? ”

If Ludev would agree to my arrangement, it would have been a real surprise to me. As soon as he put down the headphones and microphones, I quickly stretched out my hands to hold his hand, shook it vigorously and said gratefully: "Thank you, thank you, Comrade General." ”

The other party shook hands with me and said with a smile: "Comrade Oshanina, it should be me who thank you." In today's battle, the 117th Guards Regiment not only suffered heavy casualties among its soldiers, but even its commanders at all levels were reduced by one-half. Thank you for adding such an excellent commander to our division. ”

When I returned to the table, Chuikov and Gurov also gave me approving glances, and it seemed that they also agreed with my temporary appointment. As I responded to them with a smile politely, I was secretly complaining that it would not be long before my battalion would be wiped out.

The Germans, who rushed to the headquarters, did not succeed in the end, and after being stubbornly resisted by the guard battalion of the headquarters, they had to throw down pieces of corpses and retreat in disgrace. When I heard the news, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately the Germans did not know that this was the location of the headquarters of the army group, otherwise they would have to concentrate their heavy forces to storm this place, and then we would really face a jade and stone burning end.

In the evening, Krylov returned to the headquarters, and at the same time the contact with the units of the army group was almost normal, and it was only then that we received a relatively complete report of the battle.

Krylov took a stack of war reports he had received and read them aloud to us: "In the defense of the tractor factory and the 'barricade' factory, quite a few detachments of workers, together with the detachments of troops, fought until they ran out of ammunition and food, and finally all died on their own positions. In these detachments of Stalingrad workers, there were participants in the defense of Tsaritsyn during the Civil War, most of whom were Communists. This afternoon, the workers' detachments defending the tractor factory and the 'barricade' factory engaged in a fierce battle with the approaching enemy advance detachment. The troops of Yermorgin's 112th Division and the 37th Division, to which General Zolludev belonged, annihilated the enemy on the square in front of the plant and on the street leading to the plant. Gorishny and Gurtiev and the troops of the 95th and 308th divisions, together with the armed factory workers, relied on the 'barricade' factory workshops to severely attack the enemy on the streets leading to the factory, and in the battle, they were supported by the 84th tank brigade of Colonel Bere, successfully repelling the enemy attack. Thousands of corpses of fascists were now lying in squares and streets, dozens of burning and wrecked tanks were blocking the streets and passages, but the enemy still had sporadic detachments breaking through to the banks of the Volga, especially between the factories. General Khogarsky and the artillery under his command did not leave the enemy with a foothold and a respite, and with the cooperation of the artillery fire on the east bank of our army, our infantry besieged from both flanks, and the enemy's corpses were scattered all over the place. ”

After listening to this telegram, Gurov said excitedly: "Great, it seems that we can repel the enemy's attack before dark and completely destroy the enemy who has wedged into the defensive positions of our army." ”

The corners of Chuikov's mouth turned upward, and he was about to speak, but was interrupted by Krylov. He said with a stern expression: "Comrade Military Commissar, the situation is far from being as simple as you think. Relying on the superior air force and tanks and infantry, the enemy broke through the defenses of our army in some sections and consolidated the position, and the leading army was cut off from the waist. The strip of about 1.5 kilometers between the tractor factory and the 'barricade' factory was firmly controlled by the enemy. Enemy fire strafed all the gullies leading to Denezhna Yavolozhyka, and our liaison officers could not cross the gullies to the tractor plant. Although we could clearly see the tractor factory from our command post, we could not see the battle going on on the factory floor. Fortunately, the artillery has always been in our own hands, and the only support we can provide to our fighters at the moment is artillery fire. (To be continued......)