If I were to command eight or eighty people directly, I would be able to do it with ease; Commanding 800 men is a bit of a struggle; If it's 8,000 people, it's not enough. In order to manage the independent division well, the first thing I had to do was to subdue the 84 commanders in front of me and make them happy and convinced of me, so that my orders could be conveyed to every soldier in the division to the letter.

Judging from the situation just now, except for the four regiment commanders, the remaining 80 company commanders did not have the slightest sense of identity with me, and this was the most headache for me.

I walked back and forth in front of the queue with my hands behind my back, looking at the lieutenant commanders, thinking about what to say to these commanders who had come out of the camp. At this moment, a discordant voice came from the queue: "Comrade division commander, I heard that the superiors are planning to treat us as cannon fodder and let us go to the battlefield to die, is there such a thing?" ”

His words caused an uproar, and although dozens of commanders stood still, they exchanged words with each other, fiercely discussing the truth of the matter. Although the queue was as noisy as a vegetable market, the four leaders of the group did not join the discussion, but still straightened up and stood in the line without squinting.

I stood still in front of the queue and raised my right hand high in the air to signal for silence. After all, they are all commanders, and discipline is to be stronger than ordinary soldiers, and when I saw my hand raised high, the voice of the team gradually became quieter, and soon it was completely quiet.

Seeing that no one was talking, I sneered and said very dissatisfied: "Commanders and comrades. You look down and see what you're wearing. "Speaking of which. I paused deliberately. Observing everyone's reactions, seeing that most of them instinctively looked down at their military uniforms, they then said loudly: "You are not wearing civilian clothes for ordinary people, but military uniforms that represent your identity." Since we are soldiers, we must have the consciousness of defending our home and country, and we will not hesitate to sacrifice our own lives in order to defend our great motherland and our people. ”

After I said these words. Another person in the team said loudly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, we are not afraid of sacrifice, but we don't want to carry an indelible notoriety when we die heroically on the battlefield." ”

"yes, we can't die on the battlefield like this."

"We demand that our reputation be restored!"

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the words of the unknown commander immediately aroused the echo of the vast majority of commanders present. Looking at everyone's fierce appearance, I knew that if I didn't stop it quickly, the scene would get out of control. Come to think of it. I raised my right hand again and motioned for everyone to be quiet.

When the line fell silent again. I said loudly to them: "Comrade commanders, I beg you, look at me, look into my eyes!" Although they did not understand the meaning of what I said, all the people turned to me, and I bravely met their eyes and said sincerely: "No matter what reason you have been sent to the punishment camp before. But now that you are standing here and becoming my subordinates, then your own life will begin anew. As your division commander, as long as you are not greedy for life and fear of death, flee from the battlefield, or defect to the enemy, then no matter what happens, I will defend you. ”

After I finished speaking, there was still silence in the group. Seeing everyone's reaction, I feel a little unhappy, and when it comes to this, you don't even have any reaction. When I was about to get angry, I suddenly thought that these people had just been released from the punishment camp, and it was normal not to believe my words.

I took a deep breath, calmed my excitement, and tried to keep myself calm and said, "I can understand that I can't build trust between you in a short period of time, and I don't blame you. As for some people in the team just now, the commanders and fighters of our division will become cannon fodder and be sent to the most dangerous areas by their superiors to die in vain. In response to everyone's concerns, I can tell you very clearly that the battle for the defense of Stalingrad will be an extremely cruel battle, and not only us, but also people in the Stalingrad region, from generals in important positions to ordinary soldiers, may be sacrificed. When I said this, I found that the expressions on everyone's faces became solemn, "What I want to tell you is that this battle is of great significance to us, we are not only fighting for the motherland, but also for our own military honor!" ”

Originally, I thought that my words would be plain and would not resonate with everyone, but as soon as the words fell, Captain Sedjerikov took the lead in shouting: "Ula! Then Oleg, Kosga, Gaidar and other three regimental commanders also shouted: "Ula! Ulla! ”

As the four of them shouted, the commanders in the queue also shouted in unison: "Ula! Ulla!! Ulla!!! "The shouts of 84 throats were neat and rhythmic, and I couldn't help but get my blood boiling when I heard them.

When the team had calmed down, I continued: "Now, I will tell you about the establishment of the independent division. The division has four regiments, and the regiment directly commands the company, and there is no battalion in the middle. The commander of the first regiment was Captain Sederikov of Russia, and twenty commanders of the first, second and second platoons were under his command; The commander of the second regiment was Captain Oleg from Belarus, and the commander of the third and fourth platoons was under his command; The commander of the third regiment was the Ukrainian Captain Kosga, who commanded the commander of the fifth and sixth platoons; The commander of the fourth regiment was Gaidar from Kazakhstan, who commanded the commanders of the 7th and 8th platoons. ”

Sederikov asked me for instructions: "Comrade division commander, what is our next task?" ”

I pondered for a moment and then replied, "The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd regiments organize the troops for training, and the 4th regiment is responsible for setting up barracks in the forest. ”

"Excuse me, what are the training subjects of the troops?" The question was asked by the commander of the third regiment, Captain Kosgaard.

"Cohort training doesn't have to be." I looked at the several formations standing in the depths of the forest and said lightly: "The soldiers from the Gulag camp stand in more orderly formations than the recruits who have been training for two or three months. You mainly train them how to shoot, as well as basic tactical moves. These can all come in handy in battle. "Speaking of which. I waved at everyone. He said: "Disband, everyone will go back to their respective companies, get familiar with their subordinates, and seize the time to carry out training, maybe in time, our division will be put into battle." ”

The commanders in the queue disbanded after resoundingly agreeing, and then surrounded their respective regiment commanders, first, to get to know each other. The second is to ask for instructions on the training subjects to be carried out later. From the glances they didn't glance at me from time to time, I guessed in my heart that they might still be begging their respective regimental commanders to ask me for more weapons to arm their companies and increase the combat effectiveness of their troops.

While I was in the midst of the commotion, a jeep drove up and stopped not far from me. The door opened, and out of it jumped a lieutenant, who looked around for a moment, and then ran towards me without hesitation. Although I looked like the lieutenant was a fresh face, I knew that something important might be looking for me.

I walked over to the lieutenant. Preemptively asked: "Comrade Lieutenant, are you here to find me?" ”

The lieutenant stood up and saluted. Politely asked, "Is it Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, please?" Seeing that I nodded in acknowledgement, he continued: "I am the operational staff officer of the 208th Division, and there is a phone number looking for you in the division headquarters, and the division commander, Colonel Vosley Boynikov, has specially asked you to answer the phone. ”

Hearing what the staff officer said, I thought that at the right time, I should ask Chuikov to equip our division with communications equipment, otherwise, if we rely on people to convey orders, there may be a situation where the fighters will be delayed. I asked the staff officer tentatively: "Comrade Lieutenant, do you know what to do with me?" ”

The staff officer shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, my rank is not able to know the content of Lu Dao's phone call. Please leave at once and follow me to the division headquarters. ”

I nodded, turned my head to look behind me, and saw that the commanders had dispersed, and Sederikov stood with his back to me, his hands on his hips, watching his men leave. I hurriedly shouted at him: "Captain Sederikov, come to me." ”

When the captain heard my shout, he glanced back, and saw that I was waving at him, so he hurriedly trotted in front of me and asked in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, do you have any other instructions?" ”

I shook my head at him and said, "Get in the car and follow me to the headquarters of the 208th Division." ”

"Yes, I follow your instructions!" With that, he hurried over to the jeep and opened the back door for me.

When I came to the division headquarters of the 208th Division, Colonel Vosley Boynikov and his staff officers were busy, and when they saw me enter, they pointed to a telephone on the table in the corner and said: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, it was General Chuikov who personally called you and said that there was an important combat mission. Since you're here, call the general back. ”

After thanking Colonel Lu, I picked up the phone on the table, and after shaking the handle a few times, I heard the operator's voice coming from the microphone, so I said to her: "Comrade operator, please take me to the headquarters of the group army." ”

The phone was quickly connected, and the voice of the chief of staff, Colonel Raskin, came from inside, and he said loudly: "This is the headquarters of the army group, where are you?" ”

I hurriedly said: "Hello, Comrade Colonel, I am Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina......"

Before I could finish speaking, he had already interrupted my words and hurriedly said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, why did you call so late, General Chuikov has something urgent to find you, you wait!" After that, I heard him shouting for Chuikov to answer the phone.

Soon, Chuikov's voice came out of the microphone: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, you are finally here, I have been waiting for you for more than half an hour." ”

"Comrade General," I hurriedly argued, "there is no communication equipment in the division, and it is a little far from the division headquarters of the 208th Division, so I rushed over as soon as I received the order." ”

"Okay, let's not talk about that." Chuikov said to himself: "I have an important combat mission to be entrusted to you, you listen carefully. ”

Chuikov's words made my heart chuckle, the unit had just been formed, it had not yet been put into training, and the soldiers did not even have weapons in their hands, so they had to arrange important combat missions, so didn't they let us go to death. However, he still had to say respectfully: "Comrade General, I am waiting for your instructions!" ”

"Do you have a map?" Chuikov asked.

I covered the microphone and wanted to ask Colonel Vosley Boynikov if there was a map here, and when I turned my head, I saw that the staff officer who had just come to pick me up was standing not far away. Hurriedly beckoned to him.

The staff officer walked up to my side. Politely asked: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." What are your instructions? ”

"Is there a map here?" As soon as the words came out, I found that what I said was not very accurate, and in front of the colonel, who was studying something with his subordinates, wasn't there a big map, and I was afraid that the staff officer would run over and take the map, so I quickly explained: "Comrade lieutenant, I mean is there any extra map?" ”

The staff officer's eyes looked at me and he continued to ask: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." I don't know what area you want a map? ”

I hurriedly removed my hand from the microphone and asked Chuikov: "Comrade General, what is the map of the region?" ”

"Map of the Orlovka region."

I hurriedly repeated Chuikov's words to the staff officer: "I want a map of the Orlovka area." ”

"Yes, please wait!" The staff officer said, turning and leaving the division headquarters.

During the short time I waited for the staff officer to get the map, I began to complain to Chuikov: "Comrade General, our division now needs not only to replenish a large number of weapons and arm the soldiers, but also to equip them with the necessary communications equipment......

"Alright, alright." Chuikov laughed angrily at me, and he teased: "When you used to run before and after me. I've never seen you so verbose. Why did you keep asking me for this and that? You know, I'm not Aladdin's magic lamp, and I can't fulfill all your wishes. ”

"But without weapons, you can't let my warriors fight the enemy with bare hands." I don't need communication equipment for the time being, but I can't do without weapons. Even if the superiors can't issue any heavy weapons to our division, at least we must ensure that every soldier has a weapon.

At this time, the staff officer hurriedly walked in from outside and handed me a map: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this is the map you wanted." ”

I smiled at the staff officer and nodded, and then said to Chuikov: "Comrade General, the map has been brought, please give an order." ”

"Five kilometers from the front of the 70th Guards Division, there is a settlement, which is currently occupied by the Germans. My first order to your division was to try to retake this settlement from the enemy. ”

"What will we do after we recapture the settlement, will we hold it?" I looked at the map and asked seriously, saying that the enemy could use this settlement as a starting point for attack, and if we want to hold this settlement far from our army's defense line, we must invest a lot of troops, otherwise it will be easy for the enemy to cut off the connection with the rear.

"No, the task of your division is to take this settlement from the enemy." After Chuikov gave a simple order, he took the initiative to ask for my opinion: "Oshanina, how are you going to fight?" ”

I looked at the settlements on the map and said carefully: "Comrade General, this kind of battle for settlements excludes the possibility of using large forces, so only small units of infantry and a small number of artillery and tanks can be used to fight. I intend to draw troops and organize capable detachments to attack the enemy with swift assault and recapture every building that the enemy occupies. ”

"Well, Comrade Oshanina, you have a good idea." Chuikov said approvingly: "When the settlements are recaptured, you can sum up these useful experiences and promote them in the street battles in Stalingrad in the future." ”

Hearing Chuikov say this, I couldn't help frowning slightly, and said in my heart that I didn't expect Chuikov to realize that we couldn't stop the enemy's crazy attack at all, and the battle would start in Stalingrad sooner or later, and he was already planning for future street battles.

At this moment, Shederikov's voice came from behind him: "Comrade division commander, I have a personal opinion, I don't know whether to say it or not?" ”

"Oshanina, who's talking to you?" Chuikov asked unceremoniously in the microphone.

"Comrade General, the commander of the first regiment, Captain Sedjerikov, would like to talk about his views on this operation. I think we should listen to his opinion as a commander with a lot of combat experience. "I was afraid that Chuikov would blame Sederikov for casually interjecting, and hurriedly said good things for the captain.

"Let him speak, I'll listen." Chuikov said angrily, although he didn't blame the captain for my face, but from his tone, I still heard a trace of dissatisfaction.

The lieutenant didn't care about this, and said to himself: "The first thing that should be paid attention to in the battle for the settlement is the number of troops used. If the enemy had just captured a settlement, they would not have had time to build fortifications and establish a strong defense. In this case, it is possible to act in small groups of troops, and to act independently, if the enemy has occupied it for one or two weeks, and if its defense is guaranteed by strong fortifications and well-placed fire networks, then the possibility of achieving results by fighting independently with small forces is very small, in which case small forces can only be used as sharp knives of large forces......"

Before the captain finished speaking, Chuikov was already amazed, and said yes in the microphone repeatedly, and he said to me excitedly: "Oshanina, I didn't expect that there are really talents among your subordinates." Tell him that, if I succeed in seizing the settlements, I will personally promote him to the rank of major and appoint him deputy commander of the independent division. At this point, he paused, changed the subject, and asked, "When do you think your division will be able to enter battle?" ”

I did not answer immediately, but turned my head to look at the captain, and saw that he held out three fingers at me, so I replied decisively to Chuikov: "Comrade General, please give me three days. After three days, the trained commanders and fighters will be ready for battle. ”

"Okay, three days is three days!" Chuikov said briskly: "Tomorrow I will send someone to transport the remaining weapons to your division." Also, in about an hour, the communications equipment for your division will arrive, and you will be left behind to receive it. (To be continued......)

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