I took off the binoculars hanging around my neck, shoved them into Sederikov's hand, and involuntarily ordered him: "Comrade Major, you are responsible for counting how many enemy planes there are in the sky. "Because of my nervousness, my voice trembled when I said this.

I grabbed Operator No. 4 and dragged him aside, impatiently instructing him: "Hurry up, contact the settlement immediately, I have important information to report to Colonel Raskin." ”

At this time, I regretted it in my heart, I should have brought Razumeyeva and the walkie-talkie if I had known that I would find a group of German planes attacking Stalingrad, so that at least I could talk directly to the army group headquarters. Now, I can only contact Raskin in the settlement by walkie-talkie, and then he will report the enemy situation I reported to the army group headquarters. According to the usual practice in the army, after receiving the information provided by Raskin, the army headquarters must go through repeated verification for the sake of security before reporting it to the front army headquarters. It really has to wait until that moment, when it is estimated that the first wave of bombing of Stalingrad by German aircraft groups is over.

As soon as I contacted Colonel Raskin, I didn't bother to greet him, and I couldn't wait to shout at the microphone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I have an important military situation to report to you, and I am in a hurry, please report to the group army headquarters immediately." ”

Ruskin was confused by my anxious tone, he didn't know what was going on, and hurriedly comforted me and said, "Oshanina, what's going on, don't worry, speak slowly, I'm listening." ”

I looked up at the group of German planes floating by like dark clouds, and said excitedly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I am now in the Hungarian barracks. I saw the German bomber group. Flying towards Stalingrad. I repeat. A massive group of German bombers is flying towards Stalingrad. ”

Unexpectedly, after listening to this, he actually laughed easily, and said casually: "Oshanina, did you get rid of the Hungarian camp and be dizzy with excitement." How many enemy planes do you see in the sky? ”

I removed the microphone from my mouth and asked in a loud voice at Sederikov, who was not far away, "Hey, Major Sederikov." I asked you to count the enemy planes in the sky, have you counted them, how many? ”

Sederikov put down his binoculars, looked at me nervously, and replied loudly: "I haven't counted yet, but I estimate that the number of enemy planes will not be less than five hundred." ”

When I received the number that Sedjerikov reported to me, I did not dare to slack off in the slightest, and hurriedly relayed it to Raskin: "Comrade Colonel, there are at least five hundred enemy planes, and they are flying towards Stalingrad. ”

After Raskin listened. He snorted and said in a disapproving tone, "Calm down." Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina. According to our intelligence, the number of enemy aircraft is not even half of the number you say. ”

Hearing this, I held the microphone high without saying a word, so that Raskin, who was wearing headphones on the other side, could also listen to the roar of the motors of enemy planes in the sky. After a while, I felt that he had almost heard it, and then he lowered his hand and yelled at him in anger and incoherence at the microphone: "Do you hear the sound of planes flying through the sky?" Comrade Chief of Staff, you don't always hear the sound of a car motor, do you? Are you deaf? Don't you hear, this is the roar of the motors of enemy aircraft? The bombardment group of the Germans, which was flying towards Stalingrad, yes, was flying towards Stalingrad. You said that the Germans couldn't get the 500 planes, they got them! ”

"I can't believe it, it's amazing!" Raskin, who had heard the sound of the plane's motors, became nervous, and he cautiously asked: "Dear Comrade Oshanina, where do you think these enemy planes are flying?" ”

"Where else could it be? Stalingrad, of course, didn't you hear what I said just now? I yelled at him.

"But how do I report this to my superiors? Could it be that he reported directly to the commander that a bomber group of more than five hundred aircraft had been spotted and was flying towards Stalingrad. I thought that Raskin would immediately report the incident to Commander Shumilov after hearing the roar of the plane, but he did not expect him to look ahead and say: "You must know that this is an extraordinary matter, and if you provide such information that has not been confirmed by the Front Command, you may be regarded by your superiors as a panicked rumor-monger, and will be directly arrested by the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and sent to a military court." Even if I believed you and reported this information to the commander, he did not necessarily dare to report this information to the front army headquarters in a timely manner. ”

Ruskin's words suddenly sobered me up from my state of excitement, and it seemed that he did not deliberately shirk the matter and did not want to report it, but had many scruples, and I understood his distress very well. As early as the beginning of the defense of Moscow, something similar happened, the military commissar of the Moscow Military District, Jerichin, received an urgent report from his subordinates, saying that during a routine reconnaissance of our army's reconnaissance aircraft, they found a German mechanized unit composed of tanks and motorcycles, bypassing the defense line of our army, rushing straight to Moscow and occupying Ikonov, which is two hundred kilometers from the capital. After receiving the information, he deliberately sent the best pilots to verify it for the sake of safety. When the information was confirmed, he sent a battle alert to the Podolysk Infantry Academy and the Lenin Military Academy, and asked them to form a force to block the enemy's advance. At the same time, he also informed Stalin and the then General Staff Marshal Shaposhnikov about this. Although he took a series of decisive measures, which were appreciated by the Supreme Commander himself, he was arrested by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on charges of panic not long after, and if Stalin had not received information and rescued him, the post of military commissar of the Moscow Military District would have been replaced.

Maybe I was so engrossed that Raskin called me several times before I came to my senses. I only heard his anxious voice coming from the headphones: "Oshanina, do you hear that?" What's the matter with you? What the hell is going on? ”

I hurriedly replied, "Comrade Chief of Staff, I'm listening." Speaking of this, I hesitated for a moment, but still boldly said what was in my heart: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I beg you once again, please immediately bring this important information. Report to Commander Shumilov. If we don't pay attention to this kind of information. That is a crime against the motherland and against the people. "When he said this. I miss Chuikov very much, and if he had learned of this news, he would certainly not have been as indecisive as Raskin, but without saying a word, he would have called the commander of the front army directly and reported this information to the other side.

At my pleading, Raskin reluctantly agreed: "Well, I'll try to report this information to Commander Shumilov." That's right. When do you expect enemy aircraft to fly over Stalingrad? ”

I looked up again at the dark clouds of enemy planes in the sky, calculated their speed, and then said in an affirmative tone: "In about an hour they will be over Stalingrad." ”

"There is still an hour, and that should be in time, and I will report to the commander immediately. Once you've completed your mission, hurry back to the settlement, and maybe there's something new waiting for you. Finally, good luck! ”

After finishing the call with Ruskin, I turned to Sederikov, who was still holding a telescope and looking at the sky: "Hey. I said, Comrade Major, what is the number today? ”

"Number 23. August 23rd. "Shederikov said today's date almost without thinking.

When I heard this name, I suddenly chuckled in my heart, my God, today is the day of the great bombing of Stalingrad, and if Raskin's information is not reported to the front headquarters in time, tens of thousands of civilians will die in the German air raids.

As soon as I thought of this, I lost interest in going to the Hungarian camp, so I called Shederikov to my side and instructed him: "Comrade Major, I now order you to stay in the camp of the Hungarian army, and be responsible for counting the spoils of war and arranging for the prisoners to be escorted to the headquarters of the army group. When you're done with this, you'll rush back to the settlement, and there may be new tasks waiting for us. ”

After hearing this, Shedelikov cautiously asked: "Comrade division commander, how many people do you plan to take to leave first?" ”

After I glanced around, I saw that there were really a lot of aftermath matters to deal with, and if there were too many people to take away, I guess Shedelikov and the others would be a little too busy. I thought for a moment and replied, "You have a lot of things to deal with here, and you are really too busy with fewer people." So be it, I'll take the crippled company back to the settlement, leaving you three companies, while the artillery and tank detachments remain, and the telegraph operator will also stay...... Remember, when cleaning up the battlefield and counting the captures, you should put a guard around to avoid a surprise attack by the enemy. ”

On the way back to the settlement in the jeep, my heart was heavy at the thought of the group of German bombers flying towards Stalingrad. Although the Soviet authorities have been evasive about the actual casualties caused by the German air raid on Stalingrad, as a traveler, I have a certain understanding of this period of history because I have seen relevant reports.

At that time, hundreds of thousands of civilians who had retreated from the occupied area gathered in the city of Stalingrad, and because Stalin was worried that the large-scale evacuation would cause panic, he issued an order not to allow the evacuation of the residents of the city, so that the evacuation work, which had been slow due to insufficient preparation and insufficient ferries, came to a complete standstill, and only tens of thousands of civilians safely crossed the Volga River and moved to the right bank before the order was issued.

On August 23, the Germans dispatched 1,200 bombers, plus 300 fighters, to bomb Stalingrad. The German Air Force carried out a round of indiscriminate bombing every 4 or 50 minutes, and each round of bombing lasted 10~15 minutes, and thousands of tons of bombs were dropped on Stalingrad that day. During the bombing, the vast majority of residential buildings, hospitals, schools, kindergartens and other civilian facilities in the city were destroyed. Even the oil storage depot on the banks of the Volga River was blown up, and the burning crude oil drifted along the river, and the Volga River looked like a burning river from a distance. After returning home, the German pilots triumphantly wrote to their companions or friends and relatives that Stalingrad had become a living hell after their bombing.

Because 700,000 civilians in Stalingrad had not yet been evacuated, 70,000 were killed, 140,000 were wounded or maimed in the air raid on the 23rd, and nearly 190,000 civilians were killed during the Battle of Zengegstalingrad, the highest number of air raid deaths during World War II. But fearing that telling the truth might shake the morale of the troops, the Soviet official media deliberately concealed the number of captains, saying that they were under German air raids from August 2 to October 10. Only 3,500 people died. The deaths were all women, children and the elderly.

In order to avoid a tragedy. I'm trying to use what I know to change this history that is about to happen. I even calculated in my heart that as long as the headquarters of the Front in Stalingrad could get the information reported by General Shumilov in the shortest possible time, it would be able to raise the air raid alarm as much as possible, so that the civilians in the city would take refuge in the bomb shelters, and try to minimize the damage caused by the air raids.

Because I was in a hurry, I repeatedly urged the driver to drive faster. Hurry up again. The driver did not dare to slack off, stepped on the accelerator to the end, and rushed towards the settlement like a lightning speed, and soon threw the truck carrying the fighters behind him without a trace.

As soon as the jeep stopped outside the command post, I pushed the door open and jumped out and ran wildly towards the command post. As soon as I rushed into the command post and saw Colonel Raskin, I impatiently asked: "How is it?" Comrade Chief of Staff, did you report the situation to Commander Shumilov? ”

Raskin nodded slowly, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Sitting on a stool, I looked up at my watch, and fifty minutes had passed. There wasn't much time left, but it was enough to keep most of the civilians in bomb shelters, so that even if the Germans blew up most of Stalingrad's buildings, civilian casualties would be minimized.

While I was secretly rejoicing, Raskin said something earth-shattering, and I jumped from my seat. With a look of shame on his face, he said to me regretfully: "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, although I truthfully reported your information to Commander Shumilov, he also reported it to the Front Command. But unfortunately, neither the commander nor the military commissar believed it, stubbornly believing that this was a rumor deliberately spread by the enemy, the purpose of which was to cause panic in the city. The commander has already issued a strict order, and whoever wants to report this information again will be immediately arrested as a spy. ”

After listening to Raskin's words, I sat down weakly again, since the Supreme Commander did not believe my intelligence, then even if I reported it a few more times, it would not have any effect. What to do? What am I going to do? At this moment, my mind went blank, and although I could see Raskin's mouth open and close, I couldn't hear what he was saying.

Skip the level and report! The word popped into my head, and since the commander of the front did not want to believe my intelligence, then I would go past him and report the matter to someone of higher rank, let's say, Zhukov. Although I know that if I skip the level and report to the higher level, I will definitely leave a bad impression in the hearts of the leaders, but now that it is a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of people, what is my personal honor and disgrace future?

Thinking of this, I stood up abruptly, walked quickly to Razumeyeva's side, and instructed her: "Comrade sergeant, I'll give you a call code, and you call right away." ”

When Razumeyeva began to call Zhukov's special radio, Raskin was taken aback, quickly grabbed my arm, pulled me aside, and whispered to me: "Oshanina, you are crazy, you actually crossed the army group and the front level to report information to the deputy commander-in-chief. If Shumilov, Yeremenko, and Khrushchev had known, you would have been court-merial. ”

I looked him in the eye and said, "Comrade Chief of Staff, if I don't report this information so that the civilians of Stalingrad can be concealed in time, then there will be a tragic situation of blood flowing into rivers and corpses all over the city. As a soldier, my duty is to defend my country, not only our country, but also our people. I appreciate your kindness, but I will bear the consequences of any consequences. ”

After listening to my words, he wordlessly let go of my arm, slowly took a step back, and said hesitantly: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, maybe you are right. So, do it as you intended. ”

After about five minutes, Razumeyeva finally contacted Zhukov. As soon as I put on the headphones, I heard Zhukov's familiar voice coming from inside: "Hello, Leda! ”

The moment I heard Zhukov's voice, a sense of intimacy and belonging suddenly came to my face. I panicked for a moment, and hurriedly greeted him: "Hello, General Zhukov, it's nice to hear your voice." ”

"I have the impression that you never used the emergency call code I left for you." Zhukov said unhurriedly: "Now suddenly use this code, is something happening?" ”

"Yes, Comrade General." Now. I've recovered to normal. I succinctly reported to Zhukov what I had observed about the enemy. Finally, he also specially emphasized: "...... Comrade General, I would like to ask you to ask Commander Yeremenko and Military Commissar Comrade Khrushchev to issue the air raid alarm in a timely manner, so that the hundreds of thousands of residents of the city can hide as much as possible and avoid unnecessary casualties in the air raid. ”

"Are you sure what you're saying is true?" Zhukov did not answer my words, but asked to himself.

"Yes, Comrade General. These are all true. In order to add credibility to the matter, I also made a point to emphasize: "You also know that I used to be an anti-aircraft machine gunner." The type of enemy aircraft, I can distinguish just by looking at it. As for the number, I entrusted one of my subordinates to count it, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. ”

"Well, in that case, I will immediately contact Yeremenko and Khrushchev and ask them to immediately organize the civilians in the city to hide." Hearing that I was so sure, Zhukov's familiarity with me was no longer doubtful, and he immediately agreed to my request.

I looked up at my watch. The time passed an hour earlier, and I couldn't help but add in a little panic: "Comrade General." Please hurry, maybe the enemy planes are already approaching the skies over Stalingrad at this moment. As soon as the bombing really started, it was irreparable. ”

"Alright, I got it." Perhaps I said it too bluntly, which caused Zhukov's dissatisfaction, and there was a trace of impatience in his voice, "I know how to do things, and I don't need you to teach me." ”

After the end of the call with Zhukov, Razumeyeva looked up at me and nervously asked: "Comrade division commander, do you think that civilians will be able to be evacuated and concealed before the air raid on Stalingrad by enemy aircraft?" ”

I shook my head and said helplessly, "I don't know, I'm just resigned to fate." ”

When I returned to the table and sat down, I realized that the back of my military uniform was soaked with cold sweat. I put my hands on the edge of the table and gasped for breath, knowing in my heart that as soon as Zhukov's call reached the headquarters of the Stalingrad Front, then my relationship with Yeremenko and Khrushchev would be settled. Even though the two commanders have a lot of knowledge and don't have the same knowledge as me, they still plant a thorn in their hearts. As long as they remain in the position of leader of the front army for one day, then I am doomed to miss the promotion.

Ruskin, who didn't know when, sat down next to me, gently patted me on the back, and comforted me, saying, "Oshanina, don't worry too much. As long as it turns out that what you said is true, then the commander of the front army and the comrade military commissar will no longer blame you casually. ”

As she was talking, Razumayeva suddenly turned her head and called me: "Comrade division commander, the head of the front army wants to talk to you. When she handed me the headset and the microphone, she took advantage of Raskin's lack of attention, covered the microphone with her hand, and reminded me in a low voice: "It is Comrade Khrushchev, the military commissar of the Front, who is going to talk to you, you should be careful, he seems to be angry." ”

I smiled at her and thanked her. Putting on the headphones, I just said into the microphone: "Hello, I am Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, commander of the Independent Division." ……”

Before I could finish speaking, a roaring voice immediately came from the earphones: "I remind you, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, you are just a lieutenant colonel, a division commander of the 64th Army. Neither a lieutenant general nor the head of the Front, what right do you have to dictate the decisions of the Front? Don't think that if you move out of General Zhukov, everyone will concede three points to you. I sue you, no way, the decision made by me and Commander Yeremenko cannot be changed by anyone. I now officially inform you that from now on, you are ......"

As soon as he said this, it was as if something was going on in Khrushchev's office, so much so that he had to stop before he could say what he had decided. I seemed to hear a faint explosion, and then I heard him ask someone else, "What's wrong with you, why are you so panicked?" And what are you doing with a few people who broke into my office? ”

"Comrade Military Commissar," said the man breathlessly, "enemy planes, hundreds of enemy planes appeared over the city and were bombing our city. Please go to the bomb shelter immediately, it's too late! ”

"Impossible," Khrushchev still stubbornly said: "Where did the enemy find hundreds of planes, you must be mistaken, these are all rumors released by spies in an attempt to shake the hearts of our troops." ”

"Someone," the man did not talk nonsense with Khrushchev, and directly ordered his subordinates: "Hurry up and drag the comrade military commissar to the basement, move quickly, it will be too late." ”

I first heard the sound of the microphone and headphones falling on the table, and then I heard Khrushchev's hysterical shout: "What are you going to do, let go of me, I command you to let go of me." I'm a military commissar, you can't just take me from my post......"

His shouts faded away, but the sound of explosions coming from his headphones grew clearer. I took off my headphones and put them on the table, and said to Razumeyeva weakly: "Stop the call, Comrade Sergeant. ”

Ruskin also ran over and asked with concern: "How is the situation, what did Comrade Military Commissar say?" ”

I looked at him and said with a wry smile: "Comrade Military Commissar, you have been dragged to the basement by his subordinates. And now," I couldn't help but sigh at this point, "it's too late, it's too late, enemy planes are bombing Stalingrad." (To be continued......)