Having identified the troops to serve as flank cover, in order to avoid long nights, I ordered Gurtiev to lead his troops that night and move in the northeast direction of the airfield, looking for suitable positions and constructing the necessary fortifications.

Although the main forces of the army group did not attack Zaporosh until the 19th, in order to check the construction of the defensive positions of the 308th Division, I decided to go and see it for myself, instead of staying in my own army headquarters and listening to boring reports, which was not my style. So at noon the next day, I took Yushchenko and the special guard company and hurried to the temporary defensive zone of the 308th Division.

Upon learning of my arrival, Gurtiev came out of his tent with a group of commanders to greet him. After shaking his hand, I looked at the tents behind him. These dark green military tents are particularly dazzling on the endless snow. I couldn't help but snort, and then asked angrily: "General Gurtiev, why don't you set up the headquarters in a semi-underground concealment department in accordance with the regulations?" ”

In the face of my reproach, Gurtiev laughed dryly twice, and then replied with some embarrassment: "Comrade commander, tomorrow it will be the 25th Tank Army that will cooperate with our infantry in the attack. ”

"Yes, I have known for a long time that the plains here are suitable for assault operations of armored troops." Although I didn't understand why he said this, I followed his words and then asked, "But does this have anything to do with your failure to establish a headquarters according to the regulations?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." See I'm still aggressive. Gurdiev's face flushed. He strenuously defended: "I think under the powerful attack of our army. The enemy is vulnerable. Maybe it will only take two or three hours for our troops to storm Zaporosh. Since the battle will not last long, I don't think there will be a need to create a semi-underground concealment at all. ”

"General Gurdiev," I heard his overconfident reply, and I suddenly felt a nameless anger in my heart, and I couldn't help but raise my voice, "is it because you think that our troops will be able to storm the city in two or three hours, so you don't let the troops build fortifications according to the regulations?" Since that's the case. Then why is there any need to put your division here to defend the flanks of friendly forces? ”

"However, Comrade Commander ...... "Gurdiev wanted to justify something, but I unceremoniously interrupted. I said with a straight face: "General Gurdiev, tomorrow on the Great Plains ahead, our army will launch an offensive against the Germans. Not to mention that the battle will take two or three hours, or even longer, even if the whole battle is only two or three minutes, you will have to repair the fortifications for me according to the regulations. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Gurtiev was angry when he saw me. Knowing that it would definitely not work if the bunker of the headquarters was not built in accordance with the regulations, he hurriedly agreed: "I will immediately arrange for people to build a semi-underground shelter." Aim to finish it before dark. ”

Seeing that Gurtiev took the initiative to succumb, I was no longer aggressive, but said in a slow tone: "Comrade General, where is the defense line you have built, take me to see." I hope that the field fortifications of your division will be built in accordance with the regulations. ”

Gurtiev left his commissar and staff in charge of the construction of the new division headquarters, and he took me to the front to inspect the construction of the positions.

Although Gurdiev's division headquarters had set up only a few tents on an open field, the positions built by the two regiments at the front of the division were decent. The regimental headquarters was located on the anticline of the hill, and even if the frontal position was heavily shelled by the Germans, it could ensure the normal operation of the command system here.

The other regiment, located a little further north, dug several long trenches in the wide plain, connected by communication trenches. Moreover, when I stood on a high place, I could see that the commanders and fighters on the position were not idle, and were still digging shelters and building fire points in full swing.

When I saw this scene, I nodded with satisfaction, turned sideways and said to Gurtiev: "Comrade General, the fortifications built by the two regiments of your division at the front are very good. Even if the Germans attack our defensive areas, I believe that our commanders and fighters will be able to stop them. ”

Gurtiev nodded, and then said to me: "Comrade commander, the defensive positions of the friendly forces are not far from us, less than five kilometers away, do you want to see?" ”

"Where?" Hearing that I could see the defensive zone of friendly troops on this hill could not help but arouse my curiosity, so I urged Gurtiev and said: "Comrade General, hurry up and take me to see it." ”

Gurtiev led the way in front and led us along the long trenches towards the front. After walking for a while, he pointed to a rudimentary bunker on the hill and said, "Comrade Commander, that is our observation post, and in it you can see the positions of friendly troops. ”

When we walked into the observation post, the two soldiers who were observing the battlefield turned their heads when they heard the sound, saw a group of commanders coming in, and quickly stood up straight and saluted us. Gurtiev shook his head, and the two immediately walked into the observation post with understanding.

I came to the retractable gunglass in front of the observation port, leaned down and looked out towards the camera. Soon a number of trucks were parked on the wide plains, and thousands of commanders and fighters were digging several long trenches, as if intending to use this place as a starting point for their attack.

I looked at it for a while, straightened up and asked Gurdiev: "Comrade General, which friendly unit is building fortifications?" ”

To my question, Gurtiev shook his head and replied with some embarrassment: "Comrade commander, I haven't had time to send someone to contact them, so I can't figure out the number of the other side. But one thing is clear, they were definitely one of the main forces of the 6th Army. ”

When I heard him say this, I couldn't help but chuckle, and secretly said in my heart, aren't you talking nonsense? Now that we have received an order from the command of the army group, let's cover the flanks of friendly troops. Then the troops directly in front definitely belonged to the 6th Army. The idea of sending someone to make contact. I just had it in my head. Forget about it. Because I thought that judging from the current situation, our army would not stay in the 6th Army for too long, so there was no need to deal with these friendly troops, lest those divisional commanders think that I was trying to fight for the command of the troops.

By the time I left the 308th Division, the semi-underground shelter used to establish the divisional headquarters was almost complete. I pointed to the shelter and said to Gurtiev earnestly: "Comrade General, no matter how long the battle will be going on tomorrow, first of all, you must ensure the safety of your command so that you will not be paralyzed by the chain of command. And there was confusion in the troops. ”

"I see, Comrade Commander." Apparently realizing that he had made a mistake that he should not have made because he was lazy, Gurtiev hurriedly assured me: "In the future, no matter what the scale of the battle, I will build fortifications in accordance with the regulations to ensure the safety of the division headquarters." ”

I nodded, waved at him, got into the jeep waiting next to me with Captain Yushchenko, and returned to the military headquarters at the airport with a truck full of soldiers of the guard company.

When I walked into the command center of the plane, Kirillov greeted me. Asked with concern: "Comrade Oshanina, how is the situation with General Gurdiev?" ”

"Not bad. Comrade Political Commissar. "Although I had just been angry at Gurtiev because of the non-compliance of the division headquarters, in front of Kirillov, I still said in an understatement tone: "The fortifications of the two regiments of the 308th Division in the front line are good, and they should be able to withstand the onslaught of the Germans. ”

"Do you need reinforcements for them?" The person who asked this was the chief of staff Vitkov, who had just arrived last night, "They don't seem to have any heavy weapons, and they don't have the ability to attack the Germans on their own initiative other than to carry out a simple defense." ”

I thought about Vitkov's statement, nodded in agreement, and at the same time instructed Vitkov: "Comrade Colonel, please invite Colonel Beray here, and I will ask how the tank brigade is doing." ”

"Okay, I'll call him." After Vitkov finished speaking, he walked over to the position of the telephone.

After a few minutes, Colonel Bere appeared at the headquarters. After raising his hand to salute us, he respectfully asked, "Comrade commander, may I ask you to come to me, do you have any instructions?" ”

"Comrade Colonel, please take a seat first!" After beckoning him to sit down, I asked straight to the point: "How many tanks do you still have in your tank brigade?" ”

Hearing my question, Bere immediately stood up and replied loudly: "Report to Comrade Commander, after this period of fighting, there are forty-seven tanks left in the brigade. Ten of them broke down and couldn't be driven, so we had to use them as stationary batteries on the north side of the airport. ”

"Comrade Colonel, leave those ten faulty tanks and continue to use them as fixed batteries." I don't know what kind of battle will take place tomorrow on the open plains, but just in case, I decided to transfer Colonel Bere's tank brigade to the reserve so that I can calmly deal with any accidents.

The attack on the Germans began at nine o'clock in the morning. Due to the recent supply difficulties of the Southwestern Front, the preparation of artillery fire before the offensive was canceled. Nearly 100 tanks of the 25th Tank Army formed a five-way column and drove mightily from behind the defensive positions of friendly troops.

Standing in the observation post with Gurdiev, I couldn't help but feel my blood boil when we saw the armored units of our army advancing in a southwestern direction with great momentum. Gurtiev said excitedly: "Comrade commander, if you look at our armored troops, with their momentum, they are not something that the Germans who have been beaten by us can resist. ”

After saying this, he still leaned down with unfinished thinking, brought his eyes closer to the lens of the gun scope, and said triumphantly: "Our armored forces have begun to assault, let me see what kind of reaction the Germans have......" He stopped abruptly halfway through his words.

I saw the twitching expression on his face and couldn't help but ask strangely: "Comrade General, what's wrong with you, what did you see in the camera?" ”

Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, I couldn't help but be nameless again, so I pushed him away, brought my eyes closer to the camera, and looked inside. This sight suddenly shocked me into a cold sweat, and I saw that high dust also appeared from the southwest direction, and the German tanks also used the five-way column to rush towards our army's position, although there were not as many tanks as our army, but at least seventy or eighty of them. Behind the phalanx of tanks was a team of motorcycles, armored vehicles, and then the black pressed infantry.

We were in the middle of the two armies, and looking at these two armored forces getting closer and closer, my heart was in my throat. I asked myself: although the Germans have fewer tanks than us, if we fight to consume them, how many tanks will be left when our troops rush under the city of Zaporosh?

Thinking of this, I immediately went to the middle of the room, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed the brigade headquarters of Colonel Bere. As soon as I heard his voice, I immediately said: "Comrade Colonel, I order you to immediately rush to the defense zone of the 308th Division with your tank brigade, you are needed here. ”

"Yes!" Colonel Bere replied loudly on the phone: "Rest assured, commander, I will rush over with my troops at once." ”

When I put down the phone and came back to look at the port, I found that the tanks of the enemy and us were less than two kilometers apart. I didn't care about grabbing the observation mirror with Gurtiev, but just raised the telescope to check the situation on the battlefield.

The five tanks of our army, which were rushing to the front, slowed down, and then there was a burst of shells, and shells whistled out, flying directly towards the German tank queue. I quickly turned the telescope and looked at the German tank phalanx, and except for one shell that missed and exploded on the ground, the remaining four shells all hit the German tank accurately.

Seeing the smoke rising from the bodies of German tanks, I secretly applauded in my heart, and at the same time heard Gurdiev also exclaim: "Great, our tankmen are amazing, five shots and four hits, to hell with these damn Germans." ”

But we seemed to be rejoicing too soon, and when the smoke cleared, the four German tanks that had been shot continued to move forward at unabated speed. Just as I was startled, the German tanks paused for a moment, and then their bodies also shook, and the tank shells were whistling towards our tank phalanx. (To be continued......)