Hearing Savchenko say that there was an artillery position in the camp of the Vostok battalion, I couldn't help but be amazed. After he finished speaking, I immediately put forward my opinion: "Political commissar and chief of staff, you see that this artillery position is exactly in the middle of the enemy's 44th and 76th infantry divisions and 113th division, and it is not too far from the three divisions. If we can send troops to seize this position, we can turn our guns and shell the surrounding German camps at will. ”

"I think it works." Kirillov first agreed, and also gave an example of the last night attack on the German 113th Division: "The last night raid team led by Comrade Oberstein succeeded in occupying the enemy's artillery position, turned the muzzle and bombarded the enemy, not only killing the adjutant of the German 113th Division, but also wounding the commander of the 389th Division. This time we have a map of the camps of several German divisions, and I am sure that the effect of the artillery will be better. ”

"Division commander, political commissar, your idea is very good, I think it needs to be further improved." Akhromeyev also said with great interest: "Before seizing the enemy's artillery camp, it is necessary to lay mines on several roads leading to the camp, which will delay the movement of the German troops......"

Although the enemy's artillery position was still under the control of the Eastern Battalion, the three of us regarded it as if it were our own, and there was no one to discuss how much artillery to send from Morozov, which regiment of infantry to send to guard, and so on, while Savchenko, who reported to us about the enemy, was left aside. Finally, when our discussion came to an end, he cautiously poured cold water on us: "Division commander, political commissar, chief of staff, although the combat effectiveness of the troops of the Dongfang Battalion is not strong. But their camp was well defended. There were not only two barbed wire fences around the camp. Minefields were also laid. There was only one passage to the camp, and according to our reconnaissance, there were at least three points of civil fire at the entrance. In this case, it is unlikely that we will succeed in a sneak attack, and we can only take the form of a strong attack. Due to the fact that it was not far from several German camps, in the event of a fight, enemy reinforcements could arrive within ten minutes. If our troops are unable to resolve the battle in a short time, they will not only not be able to seize the enemy's artillery positions. It is even possible to be surrounded by the enemy who surrounds them. ”

Savchenko's words brought the three of us to wake up from our fantasies, and then we remembered that we were discussing something that had not yet been filmed, and we couldn't help but laugh heartily.

After laughing, I asked Savchenko thoughtfully: "Comrade Savchenko, you know the situation of this Eastern Battalion best, and in your opinion, is there any way we can do it without alarming the enemy forces around us?" What about quietly seizing the camp? ”

Savchenko frowned and thought for a long time, and finally shook his head slowly. He replied with a wry smile helplessly: "Comrade division commander, I don't think there is such a possibility. To quietly seize the camp of the Eastern Battalion without alarming the enemy, unless the commander of the battalion secretly surrenders to us. ”

Savchenko's casual words, listening to my ears, were like an initiation: yes, why do I always think about fighting the enemy knife to gun, why haven't I thought about using guò political offensive to disintegrate them? Thinking of this, I turned to Kirillov and said excitedly: "Comrade commissar, I suddenly have an idea. ”

Kirillov's eyebrows rose and he asked in surprise: "Comrade Oshanina, you don't really think that there will be a miracle of the enemy secretly surrendering to us, do you?" ”

I didn't follow his words, but continued to ask Savchenko: "Do you know the name of the commander of the Vostok battalion?" In which unit of our army was it before, what position did you hold, what rank did you hold? ”

Savchenko nodded vigorously and replied, "We ambushed a patrol of five people nearby, and all but one of them were killed by Second Lieutenant Grettka. After interrogation, the captives confessed to us that the commander of the Vostok battalion was Captain Karpov, who had been captured by the Germans during the defense of Odessa, and had served under General Petrov of the Chabaev division before being captured, and had held the post of deputy commander of an artillery company. ”

"Chabaev division, General Petrov?" I silently repeated in my mind the unfamiliar number and the name of the commander, and then turned to Kirillov again: "Comrade commissar, do you know this unit and General Petrov?" ”

Kirillov nodded and said in affirmation: "Of course, Comrade Chabaev was a hero of the Soviet Civil War and an excellent commander of the Red Army. His troops were active in the Urals, repeatedly repelled the Kolchak White Guards, and died honorably in the battle of the village of Lebiyansk on September 5, 1919, which was later renamed Chabaev by the Supreme Soviet. Although the name of the unit he commanded during his lifetime was changed to the 25th Infantry Division, people are still accustomed to calling this unit Chabayev Division. As for General Petrov, I do know that he was a military chief with excellent organizational skills and perseverance, and was one of the commanders of the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. In the second month after the outbreak of the war, he served as commander of the 25th Infantry Division of the Southern Front. In October, he was appointed commander of the Primorsky Army Group by Comrade Stalin, and is currently directing troops and the enemy in the Caucasus campaign. Speaking of this, he suddenly stopped and asked in surprise: "Comrade Oshanina, what are you asking these for, is it really the idea of fighting the Eastern Battalion?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commissar." In front of Kirillov, I did not hide what I really thought in my heart: "Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, I will try." If we can turn against the commander of the Eastern Battalion and pull this unit over to replenish the strength of our army, it will also greatly weaken the strength of the enemy's army. ”

"Is this appropriate?" Kirillov said with a nervous expression: "At such a time, if you propose to your superiors to plot against the enemy's commanders, especially traitors who have defected from the ranks of our army, are you not afraid that the Ministry of Internal Affairs will trouble you?" ”

Kirillov's words made my heart chuckle, because I had suffered many losses from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and even was once pushed to the execution ground, so when I heard the name of this unit, my feet trembled. But such a great opportunity lies ahead. Let me just give up. I'm really unwilling. Hesitation. In the end, I gritted my teeth and said to Kirillov: "Comrade commissar, I want to give it a try, whether it succeeds or not, it will not affect you." ”

After saying that, I didn't look at the expressions on the faces of Kirillov and Akhromeyev, picked up the phone on the table and dialed the army group headquarters. When I heard the stiff and hoarse voice of the soldier on duty coming from the microphone, I decisively identified myself to him: "I am Colonel Oshanina, commander of the independent division. Please let Comrade Commander Chuikov answer the phone, I have something important to report to him! ”

The soldier who answered the phone hurriedly and politely said: "Hello, Comrade Colonel. Please wait a moment, I will ask Comrade Commander to answer the phone right away. ”

After a while, Chuikov's voice came from the earpiece: "Hey, Oshanina, you have something to look for me?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." I said respectfully, "I would now like to implement a bold plan, and I hope to get your approval." ”

"Bold plans?!" Chuikov muttered dissatisfiedly: "No matter how bold your plan is, can it compare to your plan of 'replacing soldiers with water'?" The Supreme Commander himself was alarmed, I listened to General Zhukov. This plan has been completely rejected by the top. The reason is that it is better to sacrifice more than to let this city bear the name of the leader. At the same time as the German army attacked frantically, it was drowned by the Volga River. ”

Although I have long understood that my plan of "replacing soldiers with water" is very likely to be rejected, when this news was confirmed by Chuikov's mouth, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in my heart. After a few more words, Chuikov turned to the topic: "I want to know, what unexpected and bold plans you have come up with this time, let's hear about it." ”

"The reconnaissance detachment we sent behind enemy lines has returned, and the intelligence they have brought back shows in detail the area where the enemy's three divisions are deployed north of the city."

"Great, your plan will be discussed later, tell me about the enemy's deployment first."

"To the north of us there are three divisions, the 44th, 71st and 113th German Divisions, and the areas where each division is stationed are ......" I reported to Chuikov about the locations that Akhromeyev had just marked on the map, and at the end I deliberately added: "At the junction of the three divisions, there is an open-air warehouse where the enemy holds military supplies, guarded by an Italian battalion; Not far from the vicinity, there was also an artillery position guarded by the Eastern Battalion. ”

Hearing what I said later, Chuikov suddenly sneered, and he said disapprovingly in a contemptuous tone: "The Italian battalion and the Eastern battalion, what combat effectiveness these units can have, is nothing more than to perform some tasks to help the German army guard warehouses or communication lines. The next time you send a small force behind enemy lines, look for an opportunity to blow up enemy warehouses and artillery positions. ”

Chuikov's words were such an understatement that I couldn't laugh or cry, he really thought that I was omnipotent and could easily blow up warehouses and artillery positions in the heavy concentration zone of the German army?

"By the way, now let's talk about your bold plan." After giving me an almost impossible task, Chuikov smiled and said, "I would like to know what you have in mind." ”

Originally, I had already thought about how to tell Chuikov about this, but when he asked me to say it, I hesitated. After hesitating for a moment, he mustered up the courage to say to him: "Comrade commander, this is the case. Our first two night raids had raised the vigilance of the Germans, and outside the camps of the Italian and Eastern battalions, not only two layers of barbed wire had been pulled, but also minefields had been arranged. In other words, it will not work if you try to take a sneak attack like before. If we were to take a strong attack, we would not be able to take the enemy's camp in a short time with only a small force, and they would be in danger of being annihilated by the reinforcements of the enemy. So I plan to send trustworthy people to the Eastern Battalion to think of plotting against the enemy's commanders. ”

"What, what did you say?" When Chuikov heard me say this, he was immediately frightened and nervous, and he lowered his voice and reproached me: "Rebellion, you have come up with such a ridiculous plan." Have you forgotten the order given by Comrade Stalin, that whoever surrenders to the enemy is a traitor to the Fatherland, and that they must be exterminated physically without mercy. And you, who actually want to recruit the enemies of the motherland, didn't you hit the muzzle of the Ministry of Internal Affairs yourself? ”

"Comrade Commander, I think so," I tried to keep my feelings steady. To convince Chuikov in a bland tone: "Although they are confused for a while. Surrendered to the enemy. But in this case at hand. I think we should unite more people who can be united and give them a chance to make meritorious contributions. If they can abandon the darkness and turn to the light on the battlefield anyway, while enriching the strength of our army, they can also weaken the enemy's strength and hit their morale. I don't know if I say that, do you agree? ”

After being silent for a long time, Chuikov let out a long sigh and asked: "Do you know the commander of the Vostok battalion, what is his name. Which army was it before being captured? ”

"The reconnaissance detachment once interrogated the prisoners of the Vostok battalion and knew that the commander of the battalion, named Karpov, had the rank of captain. He was captured during the defense of Odessa, and served as the deputy commander of the artillery company under General Petrov of the Chabaev division. Comrade commander, do you know this general? ”

"Petrov, Ivan. Yefimovich. General Petrov," Chuikov said Petrov's full name without hesitation, and then introduced his resume to me: "He was a military chief with excellent organizational skills and perseverance, and was one of the leaders who commanded the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. In July 1941, he served as the commander of the 25th Infantry Division of the Southern Front. In October, he was promoted to commander of the Primorsky Army, and in July of this year he was transferred to the commander of the 44th Army. ”

Hear that Chuikov is so familiar with the resume of General Petrov. I believe that there should still be a friendship between the two, so I cheekily begged him: "Comrade commander, I wonder if you can help me contact General Petrov to see if he knows about this Captain Karpov so that we can carry out the next rebellion work." ”

My request clearly embarrassed Chuikov, who hesitated for a while before saying, "Oshanina, I can't give you a definite answer, I can only do my best." You must know that the captain was only a deputy artillery company commander under Comrade Petrov, and whether the general knew about this person is a question, let alone his details. ”

Hearing Chuikov say this, I knew very well in my heart that he was not perfunctory to me, and quickly said politely: "Comrade commander, no matter what the final situation is, I thank you. ”

Just as I was about to hang up the phone, Chuikov suddenly said again: "By the way, there is one more thing that I forgot to tell you." In order to strengthen the defenses of the city, the Front decided to replenish us with two new divisions. In the midst of the battle for the defense of Mamayev Hill in the independent division, the number of soldiers tended to be exhausted, so after my study with Comrade Military Commissar, it was decided to replenish you with a new regiment. Without waiting for me to cheer at the good news, he continued, "Both divisions are newly formed and have not undergone the necessary training. The fighters of the troops were recruited from the cities and collective farms of Kazakhstan, and although they had no problem with loyalty, they did not have the ability to use weapons. There is also a very strict problem, that is, most of them do not understand Russian, which will make it difficult for us to train soldiers and command operations, and it will take time to overcome such a difficulty that complicates the work, and what we lack most now is time. ”

When Chuikov hung up the phone long after, I was still holding the microphone in a daze. Seeing my expression, Kirillov gently patted me on the shoulder and asked with concern: "Oshanina, what's wrong with you?" What did the commander say about your plans? ”

I quickly put down the phone and replied to him: "General Petrov has now been transferred to the post of commander of the 44th Army, and Commander Chuikov promised to contact him immediately to find out the details of Karpov. Seeing that both Kirillov and Akhromeyev nodded with relief, I continued, "The commander also said that he would give us a new regiment in the near future. These new warriors hail from the cities and farms of Kazakhstan, and while they have no problems with loyalty, they have no mastery of using weapons. There is also a very strict problem, that is, most of them do not understand Russian, which will make it difficult for us to train soldiers and command operations, and it will take time to overcome such a difficulty that complicates the work, and what we lack most now is time. ”

After my words came out, both Kirillov and Akhromeyev fell into deep thought. Instead of interrupting their train of thought, I sat down and watched them silently, waiting for them to come up with a good solution.

After a while, Akhromeyev was the first to express his position: "Comrade division commander, in order to help the team overcome this difficulty, I have proposed to transfer cadres who have mastered both Russian and Kazakh languages from the existing political workers in the division. I believe that these staunch party workers will certainly be able to accomplish their translation tasks brilliantly. ”

I did not object to Akhromeyev's suggestion, but only expressed my scruples: "Among the existing political work cadres, there are not too many people who know how to fight, and so many cadres are transferred, and it is necessary to have a commander who understands politics and military command to lead them. However, among the so many political work cadres in the division, who should be responsible? ”

"I think Comrade Oberstein, the political commissar of the first regiment, is good." Kirillov said without hesitation that he was the ideal candidate.

Then Akhromeyev also chimed in: "I agree with the commissar. While the 1st Regiment was still holding the heights to the north, Comrade Oberstein often stayed at the front to direct the troops, and twice led night raiders to attack the enemy's rear. Judging by the results achieved, his military command ability is very strong. As for the political and ideological work, I think there is no problem, otherwise General Meretskov would not have specially transferred him to serve as the political instructor of the second lieutenant training team. ”

When I saw that both of them were recommending Oberstein to me, I agreed with me, and then instructed Razumayeva, who was sitting at the intermediate: "Comrade lieutenant, immediately get in touch with the 1st regiment and ask both Lieutenant Colonel Shederikov and Commissar Oberstein to come to me." ”

When Razumeyeva reported to me that Shederikov and Oberstein, who had been notified, were on their way, Nadya came up to me, handed me a telegram with both hands, and said: "Comrade division commander, the telegram you just received. ”

As I picked up the telegram in her hand, I casually asked, "Who is the telegram?" ”

Unexpectedly, Nadya hesitated for a moment before she hesitated and said, "It's a telegram from the Black Sea Army Cluster Command of the Transcaucasian Front, but we don't seem to have contacted them before, maybe they sent this telegram in the wrong place." ”

"Impossible, such a thing as sending the wrong telegram is absolutely impossible." Kirillov spoke aloud, pulled the telegram from my hand, brought it to my eyes, and read the signature under the telegram in public: "Commander of the Black Sea Army Cluster of the Transcaucasian Front, Ivan. Yefimovich. Admiral Petrov! (To be continued......)