The long-range artillery fire of the German army used large-caliber heavy artillery, and the sound of the booming explosions was not intervened, and the shells that fell on the open ground exploded one after the other without interruption, and the commanders and fighters of the two companies were engulfed in the flames and gunpowder smoke in an instant. Although I couldn't see the specific situation clearly, I knew in my heart that the commanders and fighters of these two companies were finished.

It seems that the Germans stormed the 107.5 heights and spared the Mamayev Heights, and sure enough, there was a big conspiracy. At least the open field in the middle of Heights 107.5 was within the reach of German heavy artillery fire. Perhaps their artillery observers, at the moment, were hiding in the armoured personnel carriers in the distance, and as soon as they saw our troops in action, they immediately called for artillery coverage.

And on the 107.5 heights, the enemy's firepower weakened somewhat due to the fact that the tanks at the foot of the hill were destroyed one after another by the anti-tank artillery fire of our division. The German infantry, who rushed up, were again beaten down by our valiant soldiers.

I saw through the binoculars that a political worker was leading the way in jumping out of the trench and chasing after the fleeing enemy. After running a few steps, he threw several grenades into the enemy ranks, and then fired a burst of submachine gun in his hand before continuing to charge forward. However, he didn't run far before he was hit by a machine gun on a German tank, he threw the weapon in his hand, raised his hands high, leaned his whole body back, and by virtue of inertia took a few more steps forward, and then fell to the ground. Although he fell, the soldiers beside him still rushed forward until they approached the enemy tank, were hit by the machine guns above, and fell down in pieces, and the blood that flowed red the hot ground.

German artillery. It also turned artillery fire from the open to the anti-tank gun positions of our division. The whistling of shells in the air was heard. Shells were seen exploding around the gun emplacement. I rushed to the telephone. Hearing Morozov's voice, he commanded him in a loud voice: "Comrade Captain, I order you to immediately let all those gunners withdraw for me, and we don't want those anti-tank guns." ”

But my order apparently came a little late, and a shell landed impartially in the center of the artillery emplacement. "Boom!" There was a loud bang, and the parts of the cannon and the severed limbs of the gunner were blown up in the firelight.

See our artillery positions, destroyed by enemy fire. My heart jumped violently, and I cursed in my heart: this damn German guy actually killed nearly twenty of my well-trained artillerymen in one fell swoop. But when the smoke cleared, I still held on to a bit of luck, and tried to search for the survivors with my eyes wide open.

After looking at it for a long time, except for a few relatively intact corpses next to the crater with green smoke, there was not a single active figure in sight. Kirillov was so excited that even his lips trembled violently: "Our artillery, just, that's it, that's it?!" ”

Although just now Kirillov took matters into his own hands. Let the two companies of the third regiment die in vain, but in my mind. Far less than the life and death of these twenty or so artillery soldiers, I am worried. I walked over to the table and picked up the phone, took a deep breath, and waited for my feelings to stabilize a little before instructing Morozov: "Comrade Captain, send a few people to check and see if there are any survivors on the artillery positions." ”

At this time, the German attack on the 107.5 heights began again, and judging from the situation of their attack, they would never withdraw their troops without taking this height. Because the defenders had consumed too many troops in the counter-charge just now, they were a little unable to resist in the face of the fierce German attack, and were forced to retreat little by little to the position on the top of the hill.

"Comrade Oshanina, if you continue to fight like this, the people of the 39th regiment will die." Seeing that the high ground of the friendly army was in danger, Kirillov became more and more nervous, if it were not for the annihilation of the troops he had just sent, it is estimated that he would have sent all three regiments to reinforce him. He looked at my face and cautiously said, "Look, are we taking another risk and drawing a battalion from the third regiment to reinforce it?" ”

I turned my head to look at him, and turned my attention to the dormitory area behind me noncommittally, and secretly felt that if I had let the Third Regiment stay there, I would not have been so entangled as I am now, and with just a phone call, Godunov knew to send troops out of the dormitory area to reinforce friendly troops on the high ground. Although our troops will be covered by German artillery fire as soon as they appear in the open field, we cannot afford to watch our allies lose their positions and stand by and watch ourselves.

When he was undecided, another unit ran out of the dormitory. Seeing this force of four or five hundred people, I thought I was dazzled, so I quickly put down my binoculars, rubbed my eyes, and continued to look, and found that there was really a force rushing to the high ground.

I hurriedly touched Kirillov beside me with my elbow and reminded him: "Comrade commissar, come and see, why is another unit coming out of the dormitory?" ”

Kirillov looked at it and said strangely: "What the hell, how can there still be troops coming out of the dormitory area?" I remember last night Colonel Yelin said that his regiment had only three battalions with a guard company outside. But so far, plus this newly released unit, there are five battalions, what the hell is going on? ”

Before we could figure out which part of the troops had suddenly appeared, the Germans had already rushed into the trenches on the top of the hillside and engaged the defenders inside in a hand-to-hand battle. When the two sides were inseparable, a new new force came to the top of the hillside, joined the battle group, and defeated the Germans in the shortest possible time.

Kirillov called Akhromeyev, who remained at the division headquarters, and said to him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, could you please check with the army group command that the troops holding the 107.5 heights, in addition to the 39th Guards Regiment, are there any other friendly units?" At this point, Kirillov paused for a moment, and then I listened to him say, "Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff, call me when you understand the specific situation." ”

As soon as Kirillov put down the phone and was about to speak to me, the telephone on the desk rang suddenly. When I heard the phone ringing, I secretly praised Akhromeyev for being so efficient and getting the information we wanted to know so quickly.

Kirillov picked up the microphone with a smile and said loudly: "Comrade Chief of Staff." You're pretty efficient. It took less than a minute to get things clear. The other party didn't know what to say. The expression on his face then became stern, and he said in a low tone, "Okay, I see." ”

He put down the phone, walked back to me, and reported to me: "The commander of the artillery battalion, Captain Morozov, called and said that after searching near the artillery position, his subordinates found only one seriously wounded who had been stunned by the shell, and the rest of the twenty or so gunners were all killed. ”

When from Kirillov's mouth. Getting the exact news of the sacrifice of more than two dozen gunners, my heart was bleeding. In this kind of defensive battle at hand, the role played by two dozen gunners was greater than that of an infantry battalion. If it weren't for the decisive action of our gunners, who destroyed a dozen or so German tanks, the heights might have been lost by this moment.

When the phone rang again, it was me who walked over to answer it. Hearing Akhromeyev's voice coming from the earpiece, I immediately asked bluntly: "Chief of Staff, have you made inquiries clearly, which unit is stationed in the family quarters of the State Union of Consumer Cooperatives?" ”

"Report to the division commander. It was the 42nd Infantry Brigade under the command of Colonel Batrakov, who had crossed the river last night with two other battalions of the 39th Guards Regiment. After logging in. After receiving an order from the headquarters, he was transferred to the family quarters of the State Consumer Cooperative Association and stationed as a reserve for the 39th Guards Regiment. ”

After hearing Akhromeyev's explanation, I understood why there was a steady stream of troops coming out of the dormitory, and it turned out that there was still an infantry brigade that had just crossed the river. I then asked, "I heard heavy gunfire in the city, how is the battle?" ”

Akhromeyev first sighed, and then said: "Comrade division commander, the current shape in the city is very unfavorable to our army. According to the battle report provided by the headquarters, in the central direction of our army, the 295th, 71st and 76th infantry divisions of the German army, under the cover of tanks, launched an attack on the central railway station and the 107.5 heights. On the left flank, the German 24th and 14th tank divisions and the 94th infantry division launched an attack on the outskirts of Minin, Kuporosnoye, and were engaged in a fierce battle with Colonel Lyudnikov's 70th Guards Division. The right flank was relatively quiet, and with the exception of a few stragglers, no formed German units were found. ”

"How's the situation with the 13th Guards Division?" I haven't heard from him since I met Rodimtsev last night, I haven't even received orders from him, and it's as if he suddenly disappeared from the world. However, thinking that he was my new superior, I asked Akhromeyev another vague question.

Akhromeyev probably had already guessed what I was going to ask about Rodimtsev, so he did his homework early, heard my question, and reported to me without hesitation: "The 42nd regiment under the command of General Rodimtsev attacked the central railway station occupied by the Germans, but before they could gain a foothold, they were beaten out by the German counterattack forces. At present, the 42nd Regiment has renewed its assault on the station.

The 34th Guards Regiment, under the cover of our heavy tanks, together with the battle group of the army group, launched an attack on the German troops entrenched in the specialist building. Although they entered the building at one point, their attack was ineffective due to their lack of experience in street fighting, and they were eventually forced to exit the Specialist Building. ”

I returned to Kirillov and repeated to him the information that Akhromeyev had told me. After introducing the current situation inside and outside the city, I hesitated for a while, and finally mustered up the courage to say to Kirillov: "Comrade commissar, I have an idea, I don't know if you would like to hear it?" ”

"Please, Comrade Oshanina, I'll listen."

"Remember what I told you about the bursting of the Volga embankment?"

When Kirillov heard me say this, he couldn't help but shudder, and quickly turned his head to look at the door, and saw that several guards and soldiers were standing a few steps away from the door, and they couldn't hear our conversation, so he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his voice and said to me: "God, comrade division commander, didn't I specifically remind you, why do you still have such absurd thoughts in your head?" ”

Pointing to the high ground where the battle was raging, I said to Kirillov earnestly: "Comrade commissar, we have been standing here all morning, and it is our commanders and fighters who use their own flesh and blood to defend themselves against the enemy's aircraft, tanks, and artillery. In just a few hours, more than a thousand living beings were left on the opposite high ground, merging with the earth. ”

Kirillov nodded. Approvingly, he said, "I see it." Commanders and fighters of the 39th Guards Regiment and the 42nd Infantry Brigade. All fought heroically. At this, he frowned and asked puzzledly, "Does this have anything to do with what you're about to say?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Political Commissar, I'll tell you what's going on?" I pointed to the open ground in front of Mamayev and explained to him my thoughts: "Suppose the German infantry, under the cover of tanks, pounce on our position. Wouldn't we be able to reduce many casualties if the Volga suddenly burst, the raging river poured in through the breach, and the future enemy drowned in the raging flood? ”

When I finished speaking, Kirillov asked tentatively: "You asked me if the Volga burst its banks and whether it would flood Stalingrad, is it because of this thought?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commissar." I replied affirmatively, "This method of my warfare is called substituting water for soldiers, and in this way." Bitter battles like this on the 107.5 heights can be avoided entirely. ”

This earth-shattering idea of mine. Kirillov obviously still couldn't accept it, he shook his head vigorously and said: "No, resolutely not. Comrade Oshanina, although your intentions are good, they are so unbelievable that I think that even if this plan were reported to the command of the army group, it would not have been approved. ”

Kirillov's words make sense, and if I had gone directly to Chuikov to propose my idea, he would probably have rejected it without hesitation. So I had to convince Kirillov first, and he would help me beat the side drum, and this plan could still be implemented. So I said to him tactfully: "Comrade Political Commissar, in your opinion, according to today's fighting method, how many troops will we use to hold the 107.5 heights?" ”

Kirillov looked at the high ground where the fierce battle was taking place, sighed, and said leisurely: "According to this style of fighting, at least one regiment of troops must be consumed every day to ensure that the position is still in the hands of our army. But," he said, with some hesitation, "even if your superiors agree to your plan, how are you going to blow up the of the Volga?" ”

Seeing that Kirillov's tone was a little loose, I hurriedly expressed my thoughts: "I plan to find a place where the embankment is relatively weak five hundred meters in front of the Mamayev Gang and blow it up with explosives. ”

Unexpectedly, after Kirillov heard this, he waved his hand and directly rejected my plan: "Comrade Oshanina, you think too simply. This section of the embankment, with a thickness of thirty meters, is impossible if you want to blow up a sufficiently wide gap without a dozen tons of explosives. Think about it, how big the target would be if these dozen or so explosives were to be planted? The Germans are not blind, they will not be able to detect such a big movement as ours. Forget it, I advise you to abandon this plan. ”

Kirillov's basin of cold water suddenly calmed me down, looking at the rushing Volga water, I couldn't help but sigh, maybe Kirillov was right, my plan was like the Golan trench I wanted to dig in the early stage. Just an unrealistic fantasy.

The battle was fought in the evening, and finally came to an end. The Germans left hundreds of corpses and nearly twenty destroyed tanks on the high ground and retreated into the distance. But the front of the Mamayev Hill was still calm, and there was neither shelling nor sighting of the German attacking troops, nor did it know what the German commander was trying to do.

The two of us returned to the headquarters and called the regimental commanders to raise their vigilance to prevent the Germans from launching a surprise attack when we let our guard down.

After dinner, Kirillov suddenly became interested in my plan to replace the army with water, and asked me in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, tell me about your bold plan again." After speaking, he waved to Akhromeyev, who was standing next to the walkie-talkie and waiting to receive the telegram, and motioned for him to come and listen together.

Akhromeyev came over and asked curiously: "Division commander, political commissar, what are you discussing?" ”

Without waiting for me to answer, Kirillov preemptively said: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the division commander has a bold plan to suppress the German fortifications north of the city, so sit down and listen to it." ”

"Really?" Hearing what the political commissar said, Akhromeyev quickly sat down, looked at me with his eyes, and said impatiently: "Comrade division commander, tell us about this bold plan." As far as I know about you, your plan, if implemented, will have an unexpected effect. ”

I just smiled faintly at the top hat that Akhromeyev gave me, and then whispered to Akhromeyev about the plan to replace the army with water.

After hearing this, Akhromeyev frowned and thought for a moment, and then asked in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, if we implement this plan, what benefit will we have?" ”

Although I saw that there was little hope of realizing this plan, when Akhromeyev asked, I patiently explained to him: "From a military point of view, breaking the of the Volga has a certain effect: first, it creates a mobile and insurmountable natural hazard, thus preventing the German attack on the north side of the city and ensuring the safety of the docks; Second, the use of water instead of troops directly eliminated the German troops who launched an attack on the Mamayev Hill and the 107.5 heights. (To be continued......)

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