The Germans, unwilling to accept defeat, launched a fierce attack on our defensive positions every day.

Before the enemy's infantry crossed the river, a dozen or so planes usually bombarded our forward positions indiscriminately, followed by heavy bombardment by enemy artillery. While our commanders and fighters were hiding from air raids and artillery shelling in bomb shelters in the trenches under the powerful fire of the enemy, the enemy infantry, who participated in the attack, unhurriedly boarded the ferries on the opposite shore and headed towards us. The enemy artillery would not stop shelling until the enemy's ferries approached the pier, in order to prevent accidental damage.

Fierce defensive battles have been going on for a week. Our sailors had to repel the enemy's charge seven or eight times a day, and although the forward positions had been repeatedly contested many times, and many sections had been scorched by enemy bombs and shells, our surviving sailors and fighters still stubbornly held their positions.

As the village was bombarded by enemy aircraft, it was reduced to rubble. So our headquarters had to move back two kilometers and set up on the back of a small hill. The engineer unit dug four holes in the earth, one for the division headquarters, one for the communications room, and the remaining two for the temporary housing of the division headquarters.

Although this hill was also bombed and shelled by enemy planes, and a lot of bombs and shells fell, the command headquarters was still safe and sound because of the good choice of terrain.

That morning, Sazhin, and Panchenko and I were in the headquarters to study which unit to transfer to change guards with the sailors in the front-line positions, when there was another violent explosion outside. Panchenko glanced out of the cave, and then said with deep feeling: "Comrade Colonel, I beat us up on the words of Commander Chuikov. After communicating it to the commanders and fighters below. They have behaved very heroically these days. Although the enemy repeatedly crossed the river and stormed the positions of our troops. The battle was brutal and fierce, but the enemy could not advance a single step. If you calculate, the enemy's river-crossing troops were killed by us at least more than 2,000 people. ”

Hearing Panchenko say this, I couldn't help but grin silently, and said in my heart that this pie painted by Chuikov is for these Soviet soldiers who are hungry for honor. It's really the right medicine. In order to obtain such supreme glory, even if the commanders and fighters are asked to pay their precious lives for it, no one will have the slightest complaint.

At this time, the phone on the table rang, and Sazhin picked up the microphone and said loudly: "I am Colonel Sazhin, do you have anything to report?" ”

The other party shouted hoarsely: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, I am Second Lieutenant Kruglov, the commander of the sailor company, and the enemy, under the cover of aircraft and artillery, has begun to attack us again. "Since the sailor captain was wounded on the first day and sent to Stalingrad, the sailor battalion, which suffered heavy casualties, was reduced to a company. Second Lieutenant Kruglov, who had only just been promoted, was the highest-ranking lieutenant in the company, so he naturally assumed the position of company commander.

"Don't be in a hurry. Comrade Second Lieutenant. Saren said in a calm tone: "The enemy is attacking every day, what is there to make a fuss about. When the enemy's planes bombed and artillery bombarded, they still followed the old rules, leaving a few observation posts, and the rest of the people hid in the anti-artillery holes. Wait until the enemy's infantry has landed, and then you enter the position and start firing back. ”

Hearing Sazhin say this, I was also a little dissatisfied with Kruglov in my heart, it seems that a commander like him, who was directly promoted by a soldier just now, his command level is really not good, and at the critical moment, before the enemy has landed, he is in a mess.

While he was thinking wildly, he overheard a sentence from behind him: "...... Comrade division commander, today's situation is a bit special. In addition to the ferries transporting the soldiers crossing the river, there are also a large number of rubber boats on the river, which are rowing towards the left bank of the river. ”

"What, dinghy?!" Colonel Sazhin was shocked when he heard this, "Impossible, Comrade Second Lieutenant, you must have read it wrong." On the two-kilometre-wide and fast-flowing Don River, you can't paddle through it except by ferryboats. ”

"It's true, Comrade Division Commander." Kruglov replied excitedly: "I am absolutely not mistaken, the whole surface of the river, there are dense rubber boats, although the speed is slow, but little by little they are approaching us. ”

Colonel Sazhin threw the phone on the table and said to Panchenko: "Comrade Political Commissar, the division headquarters will be handed over to you, and Comrade Oshanina and I will go to the observation post above. As he spoke, he shook his head at me and ran out of the city first.

The new observatory is located under a large rock on a hill, which offers a wide view and is also conducive to hiding. As soon as I walked into the observation post, I eagerly raised my binoculars and looked in the direction of the Don River, where I saw hundreds of rubber boats paddling towards the left bank of the wide river. Due to the strong current, most of the dinghy has deviated from the dock and been washed downstream.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but be very anxious, and hurriedly said to Sazhen: "Comrade division commander, you see, the enemy's rubber boat was washed downstream by the current. Once they landed, they could easily make a detour back to the flank of our division, and flank the troops of Second Lieutenant Kruglov in front of and behind the troops who had landed at the pier. ”

Sazhin put down the binoculars, nodded, and said: "You have a very reasonable point, it seems that the enemy is bound to win our position today. You see, in addition to landing downstream and detouring back behind our first line of defense from the south, their troops have also blocked the open area between the second line of defense and the first line of defense with dense artillery fire, so as to prevent us from drawing troops from the second line of defense to reinforce the front. ”

"Comrade division commander, what should we do next?" I asked calmly.

Sazhin bowed his head and thought for a moment, then instructed me: "Call Captain Lukin of the 678th Regiment and ask him to send a battalion to quietly move south to stop the enemy troops who have landed downstream. Lieutenant Colonel Gogol of the 804th Regiment was ordered to withdraw his troops to the hill where the division headquarters was located to build a new position. ”

"Withdraw Lieutenant Colonel Gogol's regiment to the hill to build a position?" I was afraid that I had misheard, so I asked rhetorically. "What about the vacated positions of the 804th Regiment?"

"Let the troops of the 678th Regiment withdraw and enter the positions of the 804th Regiment in place. At the same time, the 783rd regiment was ordered to strengthen its alert to prevent the enemy crossing the Koska River from rushing from the north. ”

Although I don't understand the series of orders he gave a little. But it is still carried out to the letter. Calls were made to the three regiment commanders respectively. Sazhin's orders were conveyed to them one by one.

After I had given all the orders, Sazhin suddenly asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, do you know why I am giving such an order?" ”

I really don't understand these orders from him, isn't this a smooth landing of the enemy and the establishment of a beachhead by the river? If the enemy had gained a foothold, we would not have been able to hold this area with certainty. Hearing him ask, I just looked at him blankly. He shook his head and said, "Comrade division commander, I don't understand your purpose in doing this. As soon as the enemy landed on the left bank and established a strong beachhead, he would continue to bring in more infantry and tanks from the other side of the river. When they are assembled, we will not be able to stop them with the equipment we have. ”

As I spoke, the enemy's kayak troops were approaching the center of the river, and I suddenly had an idea to take a countermeasure. Hurriedly said to Saren: "Comrade division commander, I have a way. It was possible to inflict heavy losses on the German troops who were crossing the river. ”

After listening to this, Saren looked at me with interest and asked curiously, "What's the way, let's hear it." ”

I pointed to the kayaks in the river and explained to him: "The enemy's rubber boats are moving slowly, and we can order the artillery battery to open fire and use mortars to inflict a large number of casualties on the Germans crossing the river." ”

Sazhin looked at the dense kayaks on the river, and said with some hesitation: "The enemy's formation is quite dense, and I also believe that mortars can kill and injure them in large numbers, but once the artillery is fired, revealing the location of our artillery company, it will inevitably attract bombardment by enemy aircraft and long-range heavy artillery bombardment." If the artillery company is exhausted, our battle will not be easy in the later battles. ”

It is undeniable that Sazhin's concerns are also justified, if there is no artillery, we will suffer a little in the next battle. However, seeing the rubber boats on the other side that were moving slowly like targets, if I didn't hit them, I didn't feel comfortable. After much deliberation, I thought Sazhin suggested: "Comrade division commander, so be it. The artillery company was ordered to open fire, and immediately after firing five rounds per gun, the position was shifted. Fighting and walking, even if the enemy spotted our artillery battery, it would not be possible to find their exact location. ”

After listening to my suggestion, Sazhin nodded with satisfaction and said briskly: "Okay, since you say so, do as you say." Remember, Lieutenant Rozhkov must be told to move his position as soon as his artillery company has fired five rounds in a row. The artillery company is the treasure of our division, and we can't afford to lose it. ”

Less than five minutes after my order was given, the artillery battery opened fire.

Mortar shells whizzed into the enemy's rubber boat ranks. Soon high columns of water rose from the ranks of the enemy's rubber boats, and some ferries full of soldiers hit by shells, mixed with fragments of human bodies and rubber boats, were blasted into the sky. The soldiers, who were lucky enough not to be hit, were so frightened that they had to stick to the rubber boat and paddle sideways desperately, hoping to get to the shore as soon as possible and avoid the artillery fire of our army.

Looking at one after another rubber boats that were blown to pieces, as well as the corpses floating on the surface of the river, Sazhin exclaimed excitedly: "Amazing, our artillery fighters are amazing!" Comrade Oshanina, you see, after only a few rounds, at least a quarter of the enemy's rubber boats were killed. ”

Compared with Sazhin's ecstasy, I still keep a clear mind, even if half of the enemy's rubber boats are destroyed by our artillery fire, the remaining soldiers will still be a force that cannot be ignored after landing.

As soon as the enemy shelling stopped, the enemy on rubber boats and ferries came ashore one after another and charged the positions of the Kruglov sailor company.

When the enemy was still fifty or sixty meters away from the position of the sailors, there was no movement at all on the position. When I saw the big crater and the small crater, the scorched black position, my heart was pinched, and I thought: What's going on? Kruglov, why didn't they return fire, could it be that under the double blow of enemy bombing and shelling, the sailors and commanders were all sacrificed?

The German soldiers, wearing steel helmets and hunched over with guns, had slowed down and cautiously approached the trenches. At this moment, two machine guns suddenly roared from the position, knocking down more than a dozen German soldiers in front, and then dozens of grenades flew out of the trenches, falling in the ranks of the enemy and exploding. Amid the sound of explosions one after another, the enemy, who had suffered heavy casualties, was frightened and fled in all directions. Dozens of sailors stood up in the trenches, shooting fiercely at the enemy with their submachine guns and rifles. The enemy fled in confusion and fled back to where they had just started. Lie down on the river's edge and return fire to the sailors.

Although the enemy's attack was repulsed by us. But I can see it too. The casualties of the sailor company were not small. As long as the enemy launched another attack, they were almost wiped out.

At this time, Lukin called the observation post and reported to me: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the unit that is on guard to the south has been sent, it is the fourth battalion of Captain Slavin. The main forces of the regiment also obeyed your orders and all retreated to the positions of the former 804 regiment. ”

I silently put down the phone, looking at the position of the sailor company hanging alone by the river, and felt extremely sad in my heart. Seeing that these dozens of sailors were already in a situation where they had no reinforcements, once they ran out of ammunition, the only fate that awaited them was the annihilation of the entire army.

Perhaps the Germans were frightened by us, and after retreating to the river, they stopped firing after a few indiscriminate shots. Although they showed no signs of continuing their attack, there was no sign of their retreat, and hundreds of soldiers lay on their stomachs by the river, as if waiting for something.

My fears soon became reality, and several barges carrying tanks came into view. I immediately understood. It turned out that the Germans were not retreating, they were waiting for their tanks to cross the river. For our troops, which lack anti-tank weapons. A certain number of tanks will be enough to crush us.

Thinking of this, I again proposed to Sazhin: "Comrade division commander, I propose to immediately withdraw the sailor company from the forward positions. ”

"For what?" Sazhin put down his binoculars, looked at me, and asked puzzled.

"At present, the sailor company has suffered heavy casualties, there are only a few dozen people left in the whole company, and their positions are in tatters, and they cannot stop the attack of the infantry covered by tanks. If they retreat into the second line of defense, then they can rely on relatively intact fortifications to block the enemy's attack and buy time for the main force of the division to build new fortifications. ”

Saren thought about it, then nodded, and said decisively: "Okay, just do as you say." The communication trenches between the second and third lines of defense were not damaged, and if the sailors could not stop it, Captain Lukin could be ordered to send reinforcements. ”

After getting Sazhin's permission, I hurriedly called Kruglov. As soon as the phone called, I couldn't wait to say, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina." I order you, at once, lead the remaining fighters to withdraw from their positions and retreat to the second line of defense, where a new defense will be organized. ”

Kruglov listened to me and was silent without speaking. Hearing his voice, I became a little anxious and shouted loudly: "Hey, Comrade Ensign, can you hear me?" Why don't you speak? ”

He replied slowly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, we have sacrificed hundreds of brothers here, and their flesh and blood have been incorporated into the ground under my feet. But you gave me such an order at this time. No, I must not retreat, and my conscience will not allow me to retreat. ”

Hearing them say this, I immediately became angry and shouted at him angrily: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, the commander's order is not allowed to be discounted, I order you to immediately lead the remaining soldiers to withdraw." Immediately, immediately. After yelling, I put down the microphone in a rage.

Fortunately, Kruglov did not have the courage to disobey my orders, and a few minutes later, he withdrew from the trenches with dozens of fighters, taking advantage of the craters everywhere, alternately covering the retreat to the second line of defense.

Before they could retreat to the second line of defense, the barge carrying the tanks had already docked, and several medium tanks slowly sailed from the barge to the shore. Thankfully, the tanks did not immediately cover the infantry charge, but instead gathered on the shore.

Over time, more and more infantry and tanks were landed by the enemy. In terms of numbers, the infantry has reached two battalions, and the number of tanks has increased to twenty-eight.

While the enemy was still transporting soldiers and tanks to the left bank, three tanks were already rushing towards our second line of defense, followed by about a company of infantry.

When the enemy tanks got closer and closer, several sailors crawled out of the trenches. They crawled forward and hid in a few craters in front of the position. Judging by their movements, I immediately understood that they were trying to wait for the enemy's tanks to approach and destroy them with Molotov cocktails or anti-tank grenades.

The tank at the front drove past the lurking warrior, and one of the fighters quickly stood up and smashed a Molotov cocktail into the tank's body, which was immediately surrounded by flames, and after moving forward for some distance, came to a halt next to a crater. Then the roof of the turret opened, and several men in black tank uniforms emerged from it, and as soon as they jumped out of the tank, they were knocked down by the machine guns on the position.

Seeing that the second tank was also approaching, a sailor could not wait to jump out of the crater, holding an anti-tank grenade and rushing forward. Before he could raise the grenade, the weapons of the German infantrymen who were following the tank opened fire, and the dense bullets knocked the dirt around him like a boiling pot, and the sailor's body shook and fell into the crater on his back.

As the tank ran over the crater, there was a muffled noise, and then a cloud of smoke rose from the body, and the tank stopped on the crater. Although I didn't see what had just happened, I guessed that the sailors must have pulled the strings of the grenade before they died, and they died with the enemy's tanks.

Seeing the reimbursement of two tanks in a row greatly encouraged the sailors, and the rest of the sailors desperately jumped out of the tanks and threw grenades and Molotov cocktails at the remaining tank and the enemy's infantry.

After a few dull explosions, the remaining tank was also reimbursed. After being killed and wounded dozens of infantrymen, they also retreated in disgrace.

The stubborn fighting of the sailors infuriated the enemy, and after receiving new replenishment, they attacked again.

By this time, there were already as many as thirty German tanks, and they were opening the way in front, followed by thousands of infantry, and pressed towards the positions of the sailors in a swarthy manner.

I raised my binoculars and looked at them, and saw a large number of warplanes flying from the west, clearly enemy planes. Needless to say, they came to bomb the positions of our troops.

Thinking that there were not many sailors left, if they were bombed by planes again, they would almost be wiped out. So, after consulting Colonel Sazhin, I ordered Kruglov to immediately lead the sailor company to withdraw to the third line of defense through the communication trenches.

Seeing that the enemy was strong, after receiving my order, Kruglov did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly led his men to quickly rush to the third line of defense along the communication trench to join Lukin's troops.

Not long after they left, German tanks and infantry reached our second line of defense. Having crossed the trenches, the enemy tanks stopped, waiting for the infantry, who occupied the positions of our troops, to clear their positions.

Enemy planes have reached the skies over the battlefield. I roughly counted at least thirty of them, and if they had taken turns dropping bombs, I guessed that the positions of the second line of defense would soon be flattened.

At this moment, the enemy planes dispersed in the air, changed formation, and then swooped down one after another, dropping bombs and strafing the German units that occupied our positions.

This sudden turn of events stunned not only Colonel Sazhin and me, but also the German soldiers on the battlefield. So much so that when the first wave of bombs fell, they were blown up on their backs before they could make any reaction.

After the enemy planes were raised, they did not leave, apparently taking the troops on the ground for our troops, and then dived down and continued to bomb and strafe, and their infantry and tank men were blown to the ground.

At this time, the German infantry on the ground came to their senses, and they fired dozens of white signal flares into the sky, which meant: "Own people, own people." However, the enemy planes did not rest on their laurels and continued to bomb unrelentingly, for half an hour, until there were no bombs.

After seeing the enemy planes that had dropped all their bombs and used up the bullets of their onboard machine guns climbed again, regrouped in the air and flew into the distance. Colonel Sazhin, who had been watching the excitement with me, finally couldn't help but laugh and scolded with a smile: "Damn the Germans, you also have today." You've got a taste of being bombed by planes, too. ”

After laughing, he waved his hand at me and gave the order decisively: "Comrade Oshanina, immediately call Captain Lukin and Lieutenant Colonel Gogogol, and ask them to attack on all fronts and drive the enemy into the Don River for me." (To be continued......)