The flag-presenting ceremony is over.

After a short period of enthusiasm, I felt lost in my heart, this flag presentation ceremony was too simple and child's play. Even if there was no military band playing "The Internationale" or "Holy War", even Chuikov and his speech were over with a few simple words. But it wasn't until I witnessed the presentation of the flag a few times later that I realized that I was wrong to blame Chuikov, who actually attached great importance to the flag-awarding ceremony of our division, at least he was the deputy commander of the group army, and he was personally present with the military commissar. When he presented flags to other troops, he simply handed them over to the supreme commander of that unit and simply said: "Comrade so-and-so, I grant you this glorious banner, hoping that you will protect it as if you were protecting your own life, strike hard at the enemy in battle, and establish immortal feats." "The flag presentation ceremony is complete. This is a later story, so I won't mention it for the time being.

After the ceremony, as soon as I stepped off the rostrum, Chuikov called me aside and said to me: "Oshanina, I'm here to bring you five hundred replenished recruits, as well as ten truckloads of weapons and ammunition. ”

Hearing him say this, I hurriedly asked excitedly: "Are they all veterans with combat experience?" ”

Chuikov shook his head, looked up into the distance, and whispered, "Oshanina, maybe I'm going to disappoint you." These recruits are replenished to you, like most of the fighters in your division, prisoners from the Gulag. That is, they have not undergone any military training and do not have any combat experience. It's up to you how you train them to become the main force on the battlefield. ”

Although I was a little disappointed in my heart, my superiors did give me some additional soldiers. I hurriedly called Captain Pugachev over. Commanded him: "Captain Pugachev." You go and call Commander Sederikov and ask him to take people out of the forest to receive additional troops and weapons. ”

Pugachev promised and was about to turn away, but was stopped by Chuikov: "Comrade Captain, you wait a minute." Pugachev didn't know why Chuikov told him to stay, so he stood where he was and turned his eyes to me for help.

I hurriedly said to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, I asked him to go and find the commander of the first regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Sedelikov. The lieutenant colonel was relatively familiar with the reception of soldiers and weapons and equipment, and was a suitable candidate. ”

Chuikov raised his hand and looked at his watch, and said: "Time is pressing, immediately summon your regiment commanders to the headquarters for a meeting, and I will explain to them the current situation of the enemy and the enemy." As for the matter of receiving soldiers and weapons, you can arrange for someone else to go, and Comrade Military Commissar and I will wait for you at the headquarters first. After speaking, he said to Serdyuk beside him, and the two of them left first with a group of commanders.

Since Sederikov was going to a meeting, then it was time to receive soldiers and weapons. It can only be left to someone else to do. I looked around at my subordinates and decided that Pugachev was the most suitable candidate. He called him over and ordered: "Captain Pugachev, Comrade Commander has replenished our division with five hundred recruits and ten carts of ammunition, and you can take a few people to receive it." Then I called Vera to the front and instructed her: "Vera, you go and inform the four regimental commanders, Shedelikov, Oleg, Kosga, and Gaidar, and let them immediately rush to the headquarters for a meeting. Time is pressing, let them move quickly, there you go! ”

After explaining this, I was about to go to the headquarters, but I heard someone behind me speak: "Don't you know me, Colonel Oshanina?" ”

I looked back and saw the captain who had just carried the military flag, and I felt quite familiar, but I couldn't remember who he was for a while.

"I'm Klimov, Comrade Oshanina," the captain reminded me, "it's General Chuikov's adjutant, have you forgotten?" ”

Adjutant Klimov, when I heard this address, I immediately remembered that dark moonlit night, he limped under the escort of the German army. I hurriedly stepped forward, stretched out my hand to him, and said excitedly, "It turned out to be you, Comrade Captain." Please forgive me for not recognizing you in the first place. As we shook hands, I asked with concern, "Are all your injuries healed?" ”

"Thank you for your concern, it's all right. Although the injuries on my body looked quite scary when I was rescued by you, they were actually some skin wounds, and I was completely healed after lying in the military hospital for less than ten days. ”

"Comrade Commander is still waiting for me in the headquarters, let's talk as we walk," I said, looking at my watch, "after all, I haven't seen each other for a long time." ”

"The last time we saw each other was half a month ago. Maybe your attention is focused on the military flag today, so I've appeared in front of you several times, but you didn't recognize me. ”

I smiled a little embarrassedly and said self-deprecatingly: "Yes, Captain Klimov, since you appeared, my eyes have been fixed on the military flag you are carrying, and I have automatically ignored the rest. ……”

As we talked, we unconsciously came to the door of the headquarters, and I again took the initiative to reach out to him and said: "Captain Klimov, I'm going in for a meeting." We'll have a chance to talk and see you soon. After shaking hands, I turned and strode into the headquarters.

I walked into the headquarters and saw the new commander of the communications company, Second Lieutenant Lazumeyeva, pouring tea for Chuikov and Serdyuk. Seeing her move, I couldn't help but nod with satisfaction, in the end, it came out of the logistics agency, that is, she had the eye and knew how to receive the leader.

As soon as I had a conversation with Chuikov, the four regimental commanders of Sederikov and the others walked into the command headquarters. Chuikov hurriedly greeted them: "Comrades are here, don't stand, sit down, we will have a meeting immediately." ”

After I and the four regiment commanders were seated, after announcing the opening of the meeting, Chuikov said with a stern expression: "Comrade commanders, I have unfortunate news for you. Just the day before yesterday, the enemy broke through the defensive positions of the 62nd Army in the Veldach and Biskovatka sections, into which three infantry, two motorized and one tank divisions of the enemy's 14th Tank Army and the 8th Infantry Army poured in. The vanguard of the enemy, under the cover of more than 100 tanks, had already advanced to the Volga. ”

Listen to what Chuikov said. Several regiment commanders, who did not know much about the enemy's situation, were taken aback. Began to whisper. I glared at them fiercely. Unceremoniously said: "Comrade regiment commander, please be quiet and listen to Comrade Commander continue." ”

After waiting for the room to be quiet, Chuikov continued: "The situation we are facing is extremely dangerous, and in such a situation, the slightest panic will have unimaginable consequences. It was the cunning Germans who saw this, in order to cause panic in our troops, and skillfully used this to storm Stalingrad. The enemy sent a large number of bombers to Stalingrad during the day. Almost 2000 sorties were carried out against the city.

Since the outbreak of war, the enemy has never carried out such a large-scale air raid on any of our cities. During the air raids, Stalingrad, a large city that stretches for fifty kilometers along the Volga River, suddenly turned into a sea of fire. The shadow of catastrophe and four or five looms over thousands of families of the inhabitants of Stalingrad. The enemy bombardment continued until dark, and although it inflicted heavy losses on us, the enemy's air force also paid the price, at least 120 enemy planes were shot down by our air force fighters or anti-aircraft artillery units.

The indiscriminate bombardment of Stalingrad by the fascist bandits did not cause panic and confusion among the defenders of the city. Soldiers and townspeople, at the call of the Military Council of the Front Army and the party organizations of the cities, produced weapons on the one hand. While defending the factory side by side with the troops. Veterans of the defense of Tsaritsyn, steelmakers, workers of tractor factories, railway workers, sailors on the Volga, stevedores, shipbuilders, ordinary clerks and housewives all took active action. Join forces in the battle to defend the city. At present, they have turned the famous factories of Stalingrad, such as the Tractor Factory, the 'Barricade' factory, the 'Red October' factory and the power station, into impregnable defensive fortresses. ”

When Chuikov picked up the teapot and drank water, I wasted no time in asking: "Comrade commander, I would like to ask, what is the next task of our independent division?" ”

Chuikov put down the teapot, pushed a map that had been spread out long ago in front of us, and said anxiously: "Some time ago, according to Comrade Oshanina's suggestion, our group army asked the troops in the front line to constantly send small units to harass the enemy army, so that they were too busy to take care of themselves and were unable to launch a new offensive. After I was temporarily dismissed, this small-scale harassment was stopped, and the enemy was able to calmly mobilize his troops and concentrate superior forces and artillery fire to attack the defensive areas of our army. The loss of the 158th Heights the day before yesterday was the result of the enemy's accumulation of strength.

According to the reports of the scouts, the forces of the Gothic 4th Tank Army were the main force of the offensive, and one of their units carried out its main assault from the south through Dutovo. At present, their troops have wedged up to fifteen kilometers into the junction of our army and the 57th Army in the rear. This greatly increased the danger of the Gothic Army breaking through to Stalingrad and the Volga from the south.

In order to salvage this unfavorable situation, the commander of the Front, General Yeremenko, was forced to transfer four anti-tank destroyer artillery regiments, four guards mortar regiments and the 56th tank brigade from the defensive line of the 62nd Army and the 4th Tank Army to strengthen the dangerous zone south of Stalingrad defended by the 57th Army. These units effectively stopped the offensive of the Gothic Army, but this maneuver was noticed by Paulus, who intensified the offensive and broke through the defense line of the 62nd Army from several positions.

Due to the retreat of friendly forces, our army group is currently surrounded on three sides by the enemy's Gothic 4th Tank Army and Paulus's 6th Army. In order to avoid the fate of the total annihilation of the troops after being encircled, after I and Commander Shumilov studied and decided, the troops of the army group began to retreat in the direction of Stalingrad tonight. And the task of your division is to serve as the rear guard of the whole army and cover the main force of the group army to complete this retreat mission. ”

"Comrade Commander," after listening to Chuikov's words, I know how arduous the task that our division will undertake, with the existing equipment and training process of the independent division, even if it is completely exhausted, it may not be able to stop the rolling iron flow of the Gothic tank army, so I want to take this opportunity to ask Chuikov to put forward some conditions: "Our division lacks heavy weapons, especially anti-tank weapons, and it is very difficult to block the enemy's armored forces. ”

"Comrade Oshanina, you don't have to worry about this." Serdyuk stood up and comforted me: "I know that this task is extremely difficult for your division. Therefore, tonight the troops of your division were transferred to the defense division of the former 208th Division. It was possible to receive an artillery battalion and a tank detachment with ten tanks. I hope you find this equipment helpful. ”

After sending Chuikov and Serdyuk away. With a sad face, I said to the four infantry regiment commanders and the temporarily recruited artillery company commander, Captain Morozov, and the tank company commander, Captain Persjian: "Commanders, comrades. The tasks are clear, the main forces of the group army will begin to retreat tonight, and our division will sit in the rear guard and take on the task of covering the retreat. I believe everyone understands that with the existing equipment and training procedures of our division, it can be said that it is an impossible task to block the advance of the enemy's mechanized troops. ”

"What should we do?" Sederikov looked at the silent commanders around him and asked first. "Do we know that this kind of beating is hitting a stone with an egg, and we also hit it hard?"

"Yes, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." I called him his new rank and said in an unquestioning tone, "The reason why the army group command entrusted our division with the task of covering the retreat is because of its trust in us. No matter how great the sacrifice is, we must accomplish this task to the letter. ”

As soon as my words came out, Sederikov fell silent. When I saw the commanders present, I said earnestly: "Comrade commanders. I know very well that this task is difficult and that it is possible to fight this battle after that. The independent division will have to be withdrawn to the rear for rest and replenishment, and some of us here will die. I have gathered you not to say whether we should serve as the rearguard or not, but to discuss how to fight tomorrow's battle and how to minimize the casualties of our division. ”

"How else can you fight?!" Cosgaard muttered, "Build fortifications in the main blockade and fight the enemy face to face until we are all killed." ”

Seeing everyone's low feelings, I coughed and said, "Don't be so pessimistic, the group army headquarters has not only replenished our division, but also replenished weapons and ammunition. When we go to the 208th Division's garrison in the evening, we can also receive an artillery battalion and a tank detachment. At this point, I turned my head to look at Morozov and Persjian, and said to them with a smile: "Commander of the artillery company and commander of the tank company, in this way, your troops will be strengthened." ”

"Comrade division commander," Pelsjian stood up and said straight to the point, "even if ten tanks are replenished, it is impossible to block the enemy's armored forces with just a dozen of our tanks." ”

"yes!" Morozov also stood up and chimed in: "Even with the addition of an artillery battalion, we are still at an absolute disadvantage compared with the German army in terms of firepower." As long as they carry out a round of artillery bombardment of our positions before the attack, our artillery will be finished. ”

Hearing the defeatist arguments of several people, I was so angry that I slapped the table, stood up suddenly, and shouted angrily: "I thought you would become heroes in battle, but now I know that I was wrong, you people are a bunch of cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death." ”

Perhaps my words were a bit heavy, Gaidar immediately stood up and retorted: "Comrade division commander, I am not a coward. You can rest assured that even if the other three regiments become deserters, our four regiments will follow you to the end. ”

Before I could speak, Gaidar's words had already provoked the public outrage of the other three regimental commanders. First of all, Lieutenant Colonel Sedelikov jumped out and retorted: "Commander Gaidar, how did you speak? You four regiments are not afraid of death, are we just seeds? I'm leaving here today, as long as there is still one person in the group, we will decide not to lose our positions to the Germans. ”

"Yes, there are no cowards in our second regiment who escaped." The second regiment commander, Oleg, was not to be outdone.

Although the commander of the Third Regiment, Kosgaard, was the last to speak, he was not far behind, and actively expressed his attitude to me: "Comrade Division Commander, I am here to express to you that if a deserter from the Third Regiment appears and escapes, you will shoot me. ”

Seeing everyone's fighting spirits, I felt a lot more at ease. I raised my hands and pressed them down to make them all sit down. After everyone was seated, I said my thoughts unhurriedly: "Our division is at a disadvantage compared with the enemy not only in terms of firepower and strength, so it has decided that our division cannot fight a tough battle in this battle, but can only fight a skillful battle......

"Clever fighting? That's a pretty new statement. Oleg was particularly surprised by my statement, so he couldn't wait to ask: "Comrade division commander, what is the way to fight?" Let's listen to it, and let us learn for a long time. ”

"Although the 208th Division originally built field fortifications, its defensive direction was mainly aimed at the enemy rushing from the west, and there were no fortifications on the south except for a few checkpoints. After we took over the defense, Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar," hearing my name be called, Gaidar quickly stood up, looked at me with unsquinting eyes, and waited for me to give the order, "After you take your regiment to take over the defense of the 208th Division, build two trenches in the south overnight, with an interval of 500 meters in between, and connect them with communication trenches. Remember, in order to reduce the damage caused by enemy artillery fire to our commanders and fighters, it is necessary to build more artillery holes in the trenches. I'll leave it to you to hold these two lines of defense. In order to speed up the construction, the newly formed engineering company is also under your command. ”

"Understood!"

I went on to name them: "Lieutenant Colonel Oleg, Captain Perstin." After the two of them stood up, I continued to give orders, "Lieutenant Colonel Oleg, you lead your second regiment to build an underground tank depot overnight on the side of the road, one kilometer south of our army's newly built trenches, to conceal Captain Perstian's tanks. When the enemy's armored forces are rushing towards our defensive positions, you will be ordered to strike at the enemy's flanks and take them by surprise. ”

"Underground tank hangar?" Perstian looked at me with a blank face, then at Oleg, and asked hesitantly: "Does this work?" It won't be discovered by the Germans, right? ”

"As for the underground tank hangar, you can ask Oleg to give you a detailed explanation later. We saw the 29th Division use this underground depot to conceal tanks yesterday when we were involved in the battle to regain Heights 158. ”

Then I called Morozov by name and instructed him: "Captain Morozov, your artillery position is located behind the second line of defense of our army. And in the battle during the day tomorrow, only use your original cannon battery, and the newly received artillery battalion will be hidden first and will not be put into battle for the time being. Seeing Morozov's pained expression, I explained to him: "According to General Chuikov, this artillery battalion has relatively powerful artillery fire, and the shells are unusually abundant. For the Germans, we naturally had to teach them a lesson with artillery, and the only thing we had to worry about was how to avoid the German planes. You must know that in the vast area between the Don and Volga rivers, except for a few forests and hills, the rest are steppes and plains, with a wide field of vision, and it is difficult to hide large troops. Therefore this artillery battalion had to wait until the evening to put them into battle, and it was better to push this artillery battalion near the enemy camp while the Germans were beginning to sleep, shell them, and make the Germans who were dreaming dance under the fire of our troops. ”

After listening to my words, Morozov was immediately relieved, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, and replied loudly: "Please rest assured, division commander, I promise to complete the task you have entrusted to me." ”

Seeing that I had assigned tasks to the 2nd Regiment, the 4th Regiment, the Artillery Company, the Artillery Company, and even the newly formed Engineer Company, the commanders of the 1st and 3rd Regiments, Sedjerikov and Koska, could not sit still, so they stood up and anxiously asked me: "Comrade Division Commander, what about the tasks of our two regiments?" ”

I glanced at the two of them, sat down unhurriedly, and said slowly: "The third regiment draws two companies to assist the newly received artillery battalion in transferring artillery. In addition, five more companies were drawn to serve as guards in the original defensive line of the 208th Division. The regimental headquarters of the Third Regiment was located in the small village where the headquarters of the original 208th Division was located. ”

Seeing that Kosjia also had a mission, and I hadn't called him yet, Sedelikov was a little anxious and asked in a loud voice: "Comrade division commander, what about our regiment, what is the task of our regiment?" ”

I took a sip of tea from the teapot in front of me, looked at him and said lightly: "As the reserve of the whole division, the first regiment will continue to stay in the forest." I'm going to decide when to use your reserve team based on how the tide of battle changes. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you to the book friend johnwinter for voting two votes in support, and thank the book friends winxxx and peterzyj for voting for it.