The three of us easily found the communication van parked in the middle of the forest.

The car is very spacious and well-equipped, with a lot of telephones, transmitters, and walkie-talkies. In addition to several communications corps, there was Major Dulov of the 1077 regiment. When he saw us getting into the car, he immediately stood up and saluted and beckoned us to take a seat.

Captain Yushchenko, who was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who served as a guard. Although I was particularly disgusted with the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, before I got into the car, I still felt my eyes light up when I saw Yushchenko on duty, and just now in the command post, because of the large number of people, I didn't see what he looked like. This time, I looked him up and down by the light from the car, and found that he was not only handsome and tall, but also a standard soldier. Whether he walks, stands upright, or salutes, his every move is completely the style of a professional soldier. Not only him, but also the soldiers on duty under him were all in good spirits and stood straight in their guard positions.

I looked at Dulov and quietly asked, "Why are people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on guard outside?" ”

"Report to the division commander," Dulov replied in a low voice: "This is the guard unit sent to the division headquarters by the higher authorities today, and General Leviagin felt that they had strong combat effectiveness and only served as guards at the division headquarters, which was a bit overkill, so he sent them here." ”

Listening to the Major's words, I nodded thoughtfully, thinking to myself that General Leviagin had sent people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs here, could it be that he also intended to borrow the sword of the Germans and kill them?

While he was thinking about it, the roar of a tank motor could be heard in the distance. In the silence of the night, the sound has the effect of being amplified, and although it is two kilometers away from Cumbre del Sol, I am still worried that the movement here will be heard by the enemies in the city.

Commissar Slavkin was a little breathless and asked worriedly: "Is the sound of the tank's motor so loud that it will be discovered by the enemy?" If they had prepared in advance, the tank units could have suffered heavy losses when they attacked later. ”

"My comrade commissar, you don't have to worry," Lieutenant Colonel Mlagintsev, who was sitting next to him, comforted him, "and at the meeting just now, didn't anyone say that even at night, as long as the distance is more than 1,500 meters, the Germans will not be able to hear it." ”

"Yes, Comrade Commissar." Dulov chimed in: "We are separated from the enemy by two kilometers here, and they cannot hear it. The cross-country speed of the T-34 is 25 kilometers per hour, and by the time the enemy hears the movement, the tank has already rushed in front of them, and it can still catch them by surprise. ”

As we chatted, we heard the roar of the tank motor outside. I calculate the distance, two kilometers of road, the infantry will have to walk for ten minutes, it's time for them to go. So I asked Major Dulov to call Chistyakov, and I gave the order to attack: "Colonel Chistyakov, the tank unit has begun to assault, you should also immediately lead the mixed regiment and set off." Remember, once General Katukov has broken through the German lines, your infantry should quickly rush forward, tear the breach wide, and occupy a favorable offensive position for the follow-up troops! ”

"Understood!" Chistyakov said yes and hung up.

Time is waiting, minute by minute. Just five minutes later, an explosion was heard in the distance, followed by another one, and soon the explosion was loud. I walked to the door of the car and looked in the direction where the explosion was coming from, where fireballs were rising one after another, lighting up half of the sky.

I turned to Lieutenant Colonel Mlagintsev and Commissar Slavkin, who were also standing up, and said: "Comrade commanders, it's time for you to strike. Remember, the action must be fast and fierce, as long as the enemy is out of breath, and the initiative of the battle must be firmly in our hands. Do you understand? ”

"Yes! Guaranteed completion of the task. After the two of them finished speaking, they saluted, and then passed me and got out of the car to mobilize their troops.

The battle began, and I began to feel uneasy. This attack was the product of my whim. Although this move was in line with the intention of the superiors to launch a counteroffensive against the enemy, I did not know what kind of results Lu Dao would achieve, nor what measures should be taken if Lu Dao's attack was frustrated; Even what should we do if the enemy withstands our attack and begins to fight back frantically? Fortunately, the commanders who participated in the battle today all have a certain amount of actual combat experience, and their success or failure depends entirely on their command level and their performance in battle.

In order to hide my nervousness, I asked Dulov curiously: "Comrade Major, this communication vehicle looks quite advanced, where did it come from?" ”

"Report to the division commander," Dulov replied respectfully, "this is what was just assigned to the troops a few days ago, and it is said that it is all the aid provided to us by our American allies. ”

I thought to myself, this American aid is coming so quickly, first in jeeps, now in communication vehicles, will the next step be to provide us with a large number of much-needed tanks?

While he was thinking about it, the walkie-talkie rang, and the voice of General Katukov came from inside. Because of the great interference, his voice was intermittently inaudible, and it took a lot of effort for the communications soldiers to convey his meaning to me completely: "Our army's tank assault was successful, and all the forty tanks assembled by the German army in the south of the city were destroyed, and there were no casualties among themselves. ”

When I heard Katukov's news, I felt much more at ease, and immediately used a walkie-talkie to get through to the division headquarters and talk directly to Rokossovsky. As soon as I heard Rokossovsky's voice, I excitedly reported to him: "Comrade report commander, General Katukov's tank brigade, which has broken through the enemy's first line of defense, is now advancing into the enemy's depth. I beg you to hasten and order the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps of General Pliev to strike back again at the three settlements lost during the day, in conjunction with the attack of our division. ”

Rokossovsky was also very happy to hear my good news, and he praised it very cheerfully: "Fantastic, Leda! You're amazing! You did a good job, you took the enemy by surprise, and I immediately gave the order to General Pliev to immediately organize and start the offensive. ”