As you can imagine, this news shocked everyone, and everyone, including me, was stunned. This silence lasted for quite some time before Danilov stammered: "Comrade commander, what's the matter...... How so, didn't we just recapture Butovo not long ago? ”

My gaze swept over the crowd and finally fell on Danilov, and in these short tens of seconds, I had already made my decision. I said to Danilov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, I intend to personally go to the 67th Guards Division and urge them to retake Butovo. Here at the headquarters, I'll leave it to you with full responsibility. ”

This sentence was like cold water dripping into a hot pan of oil, and Danilov, Kirillov, and Bezikov all said in unison: "No, resolutely not." It's too dangerous there. ”

Bezikov even volunteered: "Comrade commander, if you can trust me, let me go, I will personally urge Colonel Baksov to recapture Butovo." ”

I waved my hand and said, "I've already decided, don't persuade you anymore, just follow my orders." By the way, Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately send a report to the command of the Front Army with the news of Butovo's loss. ”

Hearing my order, Bezikov hesitated, and he said slowly: "Comrade commander, can we report this matter to our superiors after we have all recaptured Butovo?" ”

"No, Comrade Chief of Staff, you can't do that." Although I haven't been dealing with Vatutin for long, I know in my heart that he will not tolerate his subordinates deceiving him, even if he has won a victory and then report his previous defeats. Today when Butovo was lost for the first time. Just because our escalation is a little slower. He also had a big rage. So I went on to say to Bezkov: "In a telegram to the command of the Front. It would also be added that I would personally rush to Butovo to find out about the situation there and command the troops of the 67th Guards Division to regain the city in the shortest possible time. ”

Kirillov sighed at my stubbornness. When Bezikov went next door to deliver the news, he said to me: "Lida, for your safety, you will go to Butovo later." Bring more people along. ”

"No need, my comrade military commissar." I knew in my heart that even if I brought a company of soldiers, if I encountered the German troops, it would probably be in vain. And even if they didn't encounter the Germans, a convoy of seven or eight vehicles would easily become the target of the German Air Force. It was for this reason that I politely rejected Kirillov's kindness: "At present, the German air force still occupies air supremacy on the battlefield, and in order not to expose the target, I still only take one jeep and two fighters with me, even if there is any danger." You can also get out in time. ”

The military situation is urgent, after I said this. Raising his legs, he walked outside, and Danilov and Kirillov hurriedly followed. Just as Bukov passed by the door, he was stopped by Danilov: "Comrade Major, the commander is going to the front, you go and pick two clever fighters to accompany her." ”

Bukov heard Danilov's order, looked at me, and asked cautiously: "Comrade commander, it's not safe on the road, or should I go with you?" ”

I did not refuse Bukov's kindness, after all, he is now the deputy head of my guard regiment, and he will accompany me, and I believe that Danilov and Kirillov will also feel at ease. So, I nodded and said, "Okay, Comrade Major, you go and pick two fighters and set off with me." ”

I pulled the door open and sat in the passenger seat, leaving Bukov and the two fighters he was leading to sit in the back. As soon as the door closed, I ordered the driver: "Go to Butovo by car." ”

Not far from the small city where the headquarters was located, I felt the atmosphere of war. As far as the eye can see, you can see black plumes of smoke rising into the air everywhere, and you can vaguely smell the smell of gunpowder mixed with blood. I turned to the side and asked Bukov, who was sitting in the back row, curiously: "Major, the Germans seem to have missed this small city where we are located, and they have not seen their planes appear until now." ”

"Comrade commander, the pilots of the Germans are not blind either, they have long sent planes to patronize here." Bukov smiled and said to me: "But they were intercepted by our self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battalion, three bombers were shot down by our artillery fire, and the rest of the planes fled in fright." ”

"Self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battalion?" Hearing what Bukov said about this force, I couldn't help but look out the window, and there were no anti-aircraft artillery positions on either side of the road, except for a few trenches defended by infantry near the forest. I couldn't help but ask curiously: "Major, where is our anti-aircraft artillery position, why can't I see it?" ”

My words stunned Bukov for a moment, and then he looked at the two fighters sitting beside him and tactfully reminded me: "Comrade commander, have you forgotten the kind of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns that appeared at the May parade?" ”

As soon as Bukov said this, I immediately understood, so I asked tentatively: "What do you mean, they do not have a fixed position, and after each battle, they transfer positions in time?" ”

"Yes," replied Bukov affirmatively, "I have never seen such a powerful anti-aircraft artillery, not only moving fast but also hitting accurately." After three enemy planes were knocked down in a row, only one vehicle was damaged, and after emergency repairs, it was able to return to the battle. ”

Air defense operations outside the city, if Bukov doesn't say it, I don't know at all. As the chief of staff, Bezikov may have known about this, but he must have felt that there was no need to report such a trivial matter to me, so he did not mention it in front of me at all. Although the German air raids were repelled by us, they will definitely not rest on their laurels, and they will definitely come again tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Therefore, the first thing I had to do when I returned to the headquarters was to dig more bomb shelters in the city to deal with possible air raids by the enemy.

Although we encountered the German flying formations several times on the road, we did not know that it was because the driver drove the car into the nearby woods in time to hide, and was not discovered by the enemy; Or the enemy planes didn't take our lonely little jeep seriously, and we drove for more than an hour. Managed to reach a small village only two or three kilometers from Butovo.

In this village. has been turned into a large barracks. Our car was driving on a bumpy inter-village road. From time to time, groups of commanders and fighters or armed men in civilian clothes passed by us.

Bukov was afraid that I would not be able to figure out the identities of those outside, and explained to me in a low voice: "Comrade commander, the commanders and fighters of the 67th Guards Division are wearing military uniforms; Wearing civilian clothes, it should be the new regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, who has just been reorganized from the militia and has not yet had time to change their uniforms. ”

I nodded my head in understanding. Tell the driver to stop. Then I pushed open the door, but did not get out of the car, and called an officer who passed by the car: "Hey, comrade commander, which part are you?" ”

The officer, whom I had stopped, glanced at my epaulettes, quickly stood in place, and reported to me: "Comrade commander, please forgive me for not recognizing you at once. I'm Second Lieutenant Saliri of the 67th Guards Infantry Division, do you have any instructions? ”

"Where can I find your division commander, Colonel Baksov?" I asked.

Without hesitation, the second lieutenant pointed in the southwest direction and said decisively: "The division headquarters is located in a small wooden house in the south of the village. The division commander should be discussing the operational deployment with several regiment commanders at this moment. ”

"I see, thank you. Comrade Second Lieutenant. After thanking the second lieutenant, I closed the door and instructed the driver: "Go to the division headquarters south of the village." ”

The jeep drove a few hundred meters along the dirt road, and I saw a number of sentries standing guard outside a large wooden house on the left side of the road, so I pointed to that direction and said to the driver: "The division headquarters is there, drive the car over." ”

When the car stopped at the door of the headquarters, an officer on duty immediately came over, and after seeing that it was me who got out of the car, he hurriedly raised his hand to salute me and reported: "Hello, Comrade Commander, Comrade Division Commander is holding an operational meeting inside. ”

"You wait here," I said to Bukov and two of his men, who had just gotten out of the car, "there shouldn't be any danger here, I'll do it alone." ”

I, guided by the officer on duty, walked into the command of Baksov. As soon as I entered, I saw a group of commanders wearing steel helmets around the simple wooden table in the middle of the room, staring at the map spread out on it, studying something.

I walked to a stop only two paces away from them and shouted at them, "Comrade commander, what are you all doing?" ”

The people who were talking listened to it and saw clearly that it was me who came in, and everyone straightened up and stood in place. And Colonel Baksov, for his part, saluted me and reported: "Comrade commander, the 67th Guards Division is working on how to recapture Butovo. Division commander Colonel Baksov. ”

I took two steps forward, sat down at the table, followed the light of the gas lamp on the table, looked at the dirty and broken map on the spread, and casually asked, "How are you doing?" ”

Baksov, who stood straight in front of me, reported: "Judging by the current situation, our commanders and fighters are fighting valiantly to defend Butovo......"

"Wait a minute, Comrade Colonel." Hearing this, I interrupted him with some impatience: "The command of the army group already knows that Butovo is occupied by the Germans, what do you mean by 'heroic fighting'?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." "Although the Germans occupied most of Butovo, we still had a few small units holding out in the city, and I am sure they will soon break through," Baksov argued. ”

"Break through, where to break through?" Hearing Baksov's words, I couldn't help but be angry, and I couldn't remember to save face for him, and began to criticize him in front of his subordinates: "Let them all flee to this village and give the city to the Germans in its entirety?" ”

Baksov, who was criticized by me, did not say anything, but took off the steel helmet on his head and wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve.

Seeing his rather embarrassed appearance, I couldn't bear it, so I slowed down and asked, "What kind of troops are left in the city, and how many troops are there?" ”

"Comrade Commander, allow me to report back to you." Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in the room, and I looked up in the direction from which the voice came from, and saw that the person standing across the table was actually Lieutenant Colonel Sedelikov.

Seeing this old subordinate of mine, I couldn't help but have a smile on my face, and I raised my chin at him and said in a friendly manner: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, it's up to you to report." ”

"A few hours earlier, we had succeeded in driving the Germans out of Butovo, and we had fortified them in the southern direction of the city in order to meet another enemy attack." Sedelikov said in a calm tone: "Unexpectedly, the Germans attacked again while we were not on a firm foothold. Since our fortifications had been destroyed by artillery fire or bombardment in the previous battle, we were again charged into Butovo by the Germans, despite our stubborn resistance in the face of the infantry covered by tanks. However, two companies of our regiment remained in the city, relying on street fortifications and engaged in street battles with the enemy. ”

If Baksov said that the troops were fighting in the streets, I would still be worried, because whether they were attacking or defending, they would only use crowd tactics to fight the Germans for attrition, which would not help the defense of Butovo at all, except for increasing the casualties of the troops. I must know that although the Shedelikov regiment is a newly formed regiment, the commander and the backbone of the battle have all passed through the defense of Stalingrad, and the street fighting is a familiar way, even if the number is small, it should be able to hold out until our troops storm the city again.

I raised my hand and looked at it, looked up and asked Baksov: "Comrade Colonel, it's three o'clock in the afternoon, will your troops be able to recapture Butovo before four o'clock?" ”

After listening to my words, Baksov was silent, and from his frowning brow, I guessed that he was calculating whether he could complete the order I had given within the allotted time. After some deliberation, he shook his head and replied: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, I don't think I can do it. ”

"Give me a reason, Comrade Colonel." Although I tried my best to control my emotions, I still spoke in an aggressive tone.

"Comrade commander," said Baksov, "my fighters have been in a tense combat situation since the early hours of the morning, they are already very tired and need to rest. As your subordinate, I don't want to lie to you, and if we can do it, we will try to do it. If we can get artillery fire and air support, then at about ten o'clock tonight, we can drive the Germans away. But I am not at all sure that the Germans will be driven away before four o'clock. (To be continued.) )