Seeing that Sederikov turned around to leave, I hurriedly stopped him again and asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, how many troops do you have in your hands that can be used?" ”

Sederikov stopped and replied truthfully: "Report to Comrade Commander, I brought two battalions over to cooperate with the 67th Guards Division. In the attack a few hours earlier, one of the battalions we sent had lost one company, and the remaining two were trapped in the city by the Germans, and I now have one battalion at my disposal. ”

"Comrade Commander," said the commander of the 201st Guards Regiment standing next to me, "with the combat effectiveness of our regiment, there is no problem in driving the Germans out of the city. ”

Hearing his subordinates say this, Baksov really couldn't cry or laugh, and he said to the fat regimental commander: "Lieutenant colonel, do you think that with one battalion, you can drive all the Germans in the city away?" Now that you have allies willing to cooperate with you, you should be happy, why do you still look reluctant? Your battalion has paid a lot of price in the battle just now, and even if you add this battalion of friendly forces, your strength will be very limited. You immediately put the remaining two battalions into battle as well, and move quickly, otherwise as soon as the Germans increase their troops, it is easy to stalemate. ”

After the fat lieutenant colonel nodded in agreement, he walked to the telephone by the wall, picked up the phone and dialed his troops, and said loudly to the commander who remained at the regimental headquarters: "Hey, chief of staff?" I order you, immediately put the second and third battalions into battle as well. That's right, throw the whole regiment into battle, move fast! ”

Just as the lieutenant colonel was on the phone, the six tanks parked outside slowly started and drove towards the city in a column. Seeing that the tanks were starting to move, Shederikov also asked me for instructions: "Comrade commander, can I return to the troops?" ”

When I heard Sedelikov say this, I knew that he wanted to personally lead the troops to charge. He did not reply immediately. After thinking about it for a while, I said to him: "Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, don't forget who you are. You are now a regiment commander, not a company commander, and you only need to stay in the rear to command, and you don't need to personally lead the charge in person. ”

"But. Comrade Commander. Sederikov seemed a little unimpressed by my kindness, and he retorted: "During the defense of Stalingrad, didn't you often lead your troops to attack the enemy? You also said that we were able to defeat the Germans because our commanders set a good example for the soldiers. The enemy's division headquarters is generally located 10 kilometers away from the front line, and our division command post is usually only a few hundred meters away from the place where the fighting is most intense. It is precisely because of this heroic and fearless spirit of the commanders. It greatly boosted the morale of the troops. ”

When I heard Sederikov say this, I knew in my heart that I couldn't stop him, so I had to take a step forward, raise my right hand and gently pat him on the shoulder twice, and said in a calm tone: "Since this is the case, Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, then I won't stop you." I believe that if you make reasonable use of the street fighting skills you learned at Stalingrad, you can drive the Germans out of the city. It shouldn't be a difficult task. ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." After Sergelikov loudly agreed. Turned and walked out of the command post.

When Baksov and I stood at the lookout hole, we watched as Sedjerikov led his troops, lined up in four columns, and quickly marched towards the city at the speed of a rapid march. Baksov was deeply afraid that I did not know about the situation of the newly formed regiment, and he specially introduced me and said: "Comrade commander, this unit is wearing civilian clothes. It is a militia that has just been reorganized into a regular army; And those who wear military uniforms are commanders and combat backbones at all levels. Don't look at their small number, but their combat effectiveness is much higher than that of ordinary troops. ”

I looked at the troops who were getting farther and farther away, and casually asked, "Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov's troops, when you recaptured the city last time." How's it doing? ”

"Pretty good." Baksov said sincerely: "You must know that when we attacked the city center, we were blocked by the German fire points set up in the church. Bullets fired from machine guns, submachine guns, and rifles formed a net of fire on our way to the charge. Sixty or seventy meters from the church, almost no one could rush through, and our commanders and fighters were constantly killed, and it was difficult to form a limited command, as a result of which both charges were repulsed by the enemy without exception. ”

Although Baksov said it lightly, I can imagine the tragic scene at that time. It was even guessed that the reason why the troops were thwarted in their two attacks may be related to the way Baksov attacked. Perhaps they again organized a dense charge in the narrow streets, with the result that the attacking team became a living target for the Germans, and they paid a great sacrifice in vain.

Thinking of this, I asked curiously: "Comrade Colonel, since your attack was repulsed twice and suffered heavy casualties. So how did you later take the church that the enemy occupied? ”

"When our attack was repulsed, we were going to launch a third attack immediately after a short rest, but at this time, Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov appeared." Baksov said with some excitement: "He offered to me to lead the troops to seize the church. Although I was skeptical of his ability at the time, I thought that the troops he led had not participated in the battle and were considered a new force, so I agreed to his request.

As soon as the battle began, I discovered that the tactics of the Shederikov regiment were completely different from the rest of the troops. They divided into groups of three, clinging to the walls on either side, and quickly moved towards the church in the center of the city. When they were suppressed by German fire, they lay down in the blood and opened fire, and cautiously advanced forward under the cover of corpses in the streets. When the enemy's fire has weakened, jump up from the ground and run forward.

In particular, those commanders and combat backbones with rich combat experience, after jumping out of their hidden places, crawled on their waists and used various covers to rush forward. From time to time, he also threw one or two grenades, and when he used the smoke to block the enemy's view, he decisively approached the church. ”

After Sedjerikov's troops entered the city, the fighters of two other battalions of the 201 regiment were assembled. With an order, they also lined up in a four-way column and trotted all the way to the city.

At this moment, I suddenly heard the fat lieutenant colonel shouting, "Oops! Not good, tanks, it's the tanks of the Germans! ”

I quickly moved the telescope and found it on the left side of the city. In addition to the shadows of the two tanks, there were also many infantry shadows behind. Seeing this, my first reaction was: "Hell, how did the Germans come out of our side?" In this way, those infantry, who lack anti-tank weapons, are not going to suffer a big loss? ”

I had just turned back to Baksov to discuss what to do with the German force that was coming from the flanks. The enemy tanks had already opened fire first. Two shells fell in the dense crowd and exploded, and the air waves and sideways shrednel instantly knocked down all the dozen or twenty fighters near the explosion point.

"Hell, these damn Germans." When Baksov saw that so many of his commanders and fighters had fallen under the fire of German tanks, he couldn't help but curse viciously: "You all deserve to go to hell." After scolding, he turned his head and asked the fat lieutenant colonel: "Are there anti-tank weapons in the troops?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." The fat lieutenant colonel replied a little flustered: "We are armed with five 40 rocket launchers in each battalion, and the effect against the enemy's tanks is not bad. In a few hours of counterattacks, the enemy tank was destroyed with a bazooka. ”

After the shelled team dispersed and hidden. I saw several bazooka launchers erecting the bazookas, either in a squatting position, or directly lying in the crater to aim, ready to shoot at any time.

Since the troops who were attacked by the surprise had taken cover in time, the second shelling of the German tanks did not cause too many casualties to our troops. And as they got closer, several bazooka launchers decisively pulled the trigger, and several rockets dragged long, bright tails. Flew directly towards the two tanks that were approaching.

After a few loud bangs, the two German tanks were enveloped in smoke and flames. It didn't take long for the ammunition stored inside the turret of the tank to detonate. The turret of one of the tanks was blown into the air and landed in the middle of the infantry following the tank, smashing several hapless soldiers into meatloaf.

Seeing that the enemy's tanks had been killed, the commanders and fighters who had been lying down and hiding ran up from the ground, shouted slogans with their weapons, and rushed towards the German infantry who had been following the tanks.

See how easily enemy tanks were destroyed by our bazookas. Baksov couldn't help but applaud. The fat lieutenant colonel lost no time in patting my ass: "Comrade commander, this bazooka you equipped us with is really useful. The anti-tank guns and anti-tank rifles that were used in the past, at such a distance, even hit the enemy's tank. It doesn't necessarily destroy it. However, this new weapon can easily turn enemy tanks into flaming torches. ”

After listening to the words of the fat lieutenant colonel, I just smiled slightly, and then beckoned to the several regiment commanders standing next door, "Comrades regiment commanders, please come to me." ”

When several regiment commanders stood in front of me in an orderly manner, I pointed to the burning German tank in the distance and said: "You see, this bazooka equipped with our new equipment can not only easily destroy the enemy's tank, but also use the bazooka to destroy the enemy's stubborn fortifications when attacking the fortifications. ”

A tall, thin colonel was confused and said, "Comrade commander, isn't this equipped to fight tanks for us?" How can it still be used to fight the enemy's strong fortifications? ”

Baksov couldn't help but snort when he heard his subordinates ask such unqualified words, and then said angrily: "Who said that this weapon can only be used to fight tanks, and not to fight enemy fortifications." You must know that during the defense of Stalingrad, our commanders and fighters used to hit the enemy's tanks with anti-aircraft guns and the enemy's infantry with anti-aircraft machine guns. As a commander, you must know how to use the existing weapons rationally to destroy the enemy. Do you understand? ”

Although Baksov's voice was not loud, the colonel replied with a flushed face of shame: "Understood, comrade division commander. When I go back, I'll tell everyone about it. ”

"Okay, comrades commanders, except for the commander of the 201st regiment, let's go back to their respective units." I don't know how long I have to stay here, let these regiment commanders stand here stupidly, it is better to let them go back to control the troops, lest there be unnecessary confusion in the regiments because of the absence of the military commander of the regiment in the event of any emergency.

After the other regiment commanders left, I smiled at the fat lieutenant colonel and said, "Comrade lieutenant colonel, the soldiers of your regiment are good." Despite a surprise attack from the enemy, they did not become confused or flee, but decisively took the necessary measures to destroy the enemy's tanks and crush the enemy infantry that followed them. Yes, I'm sure that after this battle, you and your men will be honored as you right! ”

Hearing me say this, the fat lieutenant colonel's face flushed with excitement, he took a step forward, raised his chin high, and at the same time said in a loud voice: "Serve the Soviet Fatherland!" ”

I saw that he also had two medals pinned to his chest, so I nodded again and said in a friendly manner: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you have two medals, it seems that you have served well." Hopefully, after this battle, you'll get more medals. ”

After waiting for me to finish, Baksov introduced me to the situation in the city: "Comrade commander, this Butovo is a small city, and there are very few stone buildings in the city, and it is very difficult for the Germans to build strong fortifications, so it is very unlikely that there will be such a difficult offensive and defensive battle as in Stalingrad. ”

After listening to his words, my mood suddenly became depressed, and I said slowly: "Don't forget, Comrade Colonel, that many things are relative. Since the Germans could not build strong fortifications in the city, neither could we. If they attack again, there is a good chance that the city will be taken by them again. ”

Baksov, who was still a little excited, suddenly had a smile on his face when he heard me say this. After a long while, he cautiously asked, "Comrade Commander, then what should we do?" ”

"Hurry up and build a little more fortifications outside the city," to be honest, I couldn't think of a better way to hold on to such a small city, so I could only say vaguely: "Anyway, the order given to us by our superiors is to hold on here for at least three days." That is, in these three days, even if you completely destroy the 67th Guards Division, you must make sure that the city is not taken by the Germans. Do you understand? ”

"Got it!" Baksov replied with a solemn face: "Please rest assured, Comrade Commander, as long as there is still one commander and fighter of the 67th Guards Division alive, we will definitely not abandon the city." (To be continued.) )