I just smiled faintly at Bantai Leyev's suggestion, didn't say anything, and continued to hold up my binoculars to watch the three troops rushing to the top of the hill in groups.

Seeing that I didn't reply for a long time, Bandeleyev was a little anxious, "Hey, hey, comrade division commander, can you hear me?" ”

I put down my binoculars, looked at him and smiled bitterly, and said helplessly: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, I don't know what you want to hear from me?" Did you really remove Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard and let Captain Nikolai be the commander of the 3rd Regiment? Have you ever wondered what will become of the three regiments, which were originally demoralized and unstable? ”

Bantai Leev obviously did not expect me to answer him like this, and for a moment was dumbfounded by a series of questions from me. I struck while the iron was hot and said: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you may not know that when the Independent Division was still part of the 64th Group Army, it once served the rearguard task of covering the retreat of the main force of the Group Army. Although the feints of the 3rd Regiment were not carried out decisively at the time of the start of the battle, after seeing our tanks drive over, didn't Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard personally rush forward with his guard company? The reason why he could not control the troops well was that he had been lying in the hospital for nearly two months due to his injuries, and the soldiers in the troops were not familiar with him, so it was understandable that he had poor command. Well, that's the end of this matter, don't mention it again. ”

I saw through the binoculars that both the Sherebryan battalion, which attacked the main position, and the Nikolai battalion and the 2nd battalion of the 3rd regiment, which feinted to attack the eastern and western hills. They all quickly crossed the mountainside position and climbed to the top of the mountain.

See that the victory is decided. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Originally, he wanted to talk to Bandeleyev about Kosgaard again, so that he could completely dispel the idea of letting Captain Nikolai take over the post of head of the third regiment, but his idea was completely unrealistic, not to mention whether Nikolai was capable of taking the post of regiment commander, even if he was not long in the morning, it would arouse the vigilance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

I had just called out to Bandeleyev, and before I could say anything else, the guard Zhukhovetsky ran in. nervously reported to me: "Comrade division commander, can you come out for a while?" ”

I couldn't help but be stunned when I saw the sudden appearance of the guard soldiers, and then I raised my binoculars and looked at the high ground in front of me, and saw that our troops were progressing smoothly, and nothing unexpected happened, what would happen to this Zhukhovetsky who told me? I put down my binoculars, turned around and asked Zhukhovitsky curiously: "Comrade Corporal, is there something wrong?" "Because he has been doing well lately, Basmanov has consulted me. Both he and Mikhailov were promoted to corporal.

The expression on Zhukhovetsky's face was a little flustered, and he hurriedly said: "Comrade division commander. Can you stop by the communication room? Comrade radio operator received a strange call. ”

"Got a strange call?" After listening to Zhukhovetsky's report, I turned my head to look at Bantaileyev, and seeing that he was also at a loss, and knowing that he was as ignorant as I was, I shook my head at Zhukhovetsky and said: "Let's go, Comrade Corporal, let's go and see what strange call the operator is receiving." ”

Long before the attack was launched, the commanders and fighters who were responsible for building the observation post for us built a rudimentary communication room half buried in the ground not far from the side, and moved the walkie-talkie into it. Because it was not far away, in less than a minute, I appeared at the door of the communication room, and at the same time asked the operator sternly: "What's the matter, what kind of call did you receive?" ”

The operator handed me the headphones without saying a word, and as soon as I put them on my head, I heard a young and urgent female voice coming from the headphones: "Don, Don, I am the Red Star; Don, Don, I'm the Red Star......"

I looked down and saw that the microphone was still on the table, so I whispered to the operator, "What the hell is going on?" ”

The operator also cautiously told me: "Report to the divisional commander, I received this strange call a few minutes ago. Judging by his call code, it should have been a scout sent by the Don Front. ”

"If we respond to them, will the plain phone call be leaked?" I asked cautiously.

The operator nodded, and replied, "Yes, plain language calls are easily eavesdropped by the Germans, and according to the order, we should respond to them in code." But ......" said this, and the operator shut his mouth in some embarrassment.

He spoke so much that it really made me anxious, and I hurriedly urged him: "But what, comrade newspaper operator? Go on. ”

The telegraph operator with my permission then continued: "For the sake of secrecy, there is a difference in the code language used between the various armies, and I am just worried that the code language used in the response will be wrong and will cause them to misunderstand." ”

"Since code words can't work, let's talk in plain language." I heard the female soldier shouting urgently, there should be something urgent to report to my superiors, so I didn't care if it would leak secrets, so I grabbed the microphone on the table and put it to my mouth.

I was about to shout, but I couldn't help but hesitate again, the other party kept calling "Don", but what code did I use to respond to her? While I was thinking about it, Bantai Laiev also came to the small communication room, and when he saw me wearing headphones and holding a microphone, standing next to the walkie-talkie in a daze, he pulled the operator aside and asked him in a whisper what was going on.

When he asked what was going on and turned his attention back to me, I saw that he seemed to have something to say, so I removed the microphone from his mouth, turned the earphone aside, and asked in a low voice: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you have understood the situation, do you have any good ideas now?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." Bandeleyev said empathetically: "I guess you are struggling with what code to use in response to the other party, right?" Since the other party is calling the Don River, it is obvious that it is referring to the Don River Front. And you can use the 'Volga' as the code, so that the other party can guess that it is a friendly army if they are not too stupid. ”

"Great idea!" I gave a thumbs up to Leyev, put on my headphones and moved the microphone to my mouth again, and shouted, "Hey." Red Star. Red Star. I am the Volga, hear it please answer! Red Star, Red Star, I am the Volga, hear it please answer! ”

I had just shouted a second time when the call in the headset suddenly stopped. I once thought that the other party's communication equipment was malfunctioning, but when I listened carefully, I found that in addition to the sound of various guns and grenades exploding from the earphones. It seems that someone else is whispering. I guessed that the other person was intimidated by my sudden response and was trying to figure out what was going on, so I stopped calling and waited patiently for another response.

After a while, the voice of the speaker came from the headphones again, but it was no longer the female voice just now, but a man's voice: "Hey, are you a comrade of the Stalingrad Front?" ”

"Yes." I was hesitant to reveal my identity, but in order to gain the trust of the other party more quickly, I figured out what was going on. I decisively identified myself: "I am Major General Oshanina, commander of the separate division of the Stalingrad Front, please tell me briefly. Who are you, where are you, and what dangers are you encountering? ”

Perhaps it was my identity that made the other party give up the suspicion in his heart and answer my question honestly: "I am Lieutenant Travkin, the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the 66th Infantry Division of the 99th Army of the Don River Front. We had been circling the vicinity for a whole day, and instead of getting rid of the enemy, we were besieged on a small hill about seven kilometres from Kongpiniyi. There were about a hundred Germans down the hillside, as well as three armored vehicles, and the fighters of our reconnaissance platoon were fighting stubbornly with the enemy. ”

Hearing the danger of being surrounded and annihilated at any moment, I quickly asked, "Where are you?" ”

"We are northwest of the city, about seven kilometers from the city. Just now I heard gunfire on that high ground to the southeast, as if the Germans were exchanging fire with our troops. ”

As soon as Travkin had finished speaking, I had roughly deduced their position, and I said to him in a loud voice: "Comrade Lieutenant, I know where you are. I command you to resist resolutely, and reinforcements will soon arrive! Without waiting for Travkin to say anything, I took off my headset and threw it to the operator along with the microphone, and then shouted at the door: "Captain Basmanov!" ”

With my shout, a man ran in from outside. I looked at it and saw that it was not Captain Basmanov, but Corporal Zhukhovetsky, who saw the anger on my face and quickly explained: "Report to the division commander, the battalion commander took the tank unit to reinforce the third regiment, and has not returned yet?" ”

"What about Corporal Mikhailov?" Since Basmanov was not there, I asked another person I knew well.

Corporal Zhukhovetsky shook his head and said, "He only carried out the order and has not returned." ”

In order to rescue Lieutenant Travkin and them, I did not wait for Basmanov to return, but directly ordered Zhukhovitsky: "Comrade corporal, you immediately go to a platoon of fighters, take five armored vehicles to bypass the high ground in front, continue to march northwest, about three or four kilometers further, and you will find a hillside on the side of the road, where a small part of us is besieged by hundreds of Germans, and the task I give you is to rescue them." ”

Hearing that the task was assigned, Corporal Zhukhovetsky said with some embarrassment: "Comrade division commander, since the enemy has hundreds of people, and we only have one platoon, even if we have armored vehicles to help in the battle, I am afraid it will not be easy to repel the enemy?" ”

"Why are you so stupid!" Bandeleyev pointed at Corporal Zhukhovitsky's nose and scolded: "Armored vehicles alone can't beat the Germans, but we still have tanks, when you go, bring another tank, even if you encounter the enemy's armored vehicles, not to say a word, a bombardment of the past, I don't believe that the enemy's armored vehicles can still pose a threat to you?" ”

Hearing that tank support could also be mobilized, Corporal Zhukhovitsky was immediately excited, and after raising his hand to salute me and Bandeleyev, he turned around and ran out of the communication room to carry out the order I had given.

Standing in the trench outside the communications room, I watched the armoured vehicles loaded with Corporal Zhukhovetsky and the rest of the guards company depart, praying in my heart that they would arrive in time to rescue the scouts trapped on the hillside.

Bandeleyev also came to my side and said with some concern: "Comrade division commander, is it too late?" You must know that there are hundreds of enemies besieging the hillside. At the same time, there are three armored vehicles to help in the battle. I'm just worried that our reinforcements haven't arrived yet. The reconnaissance squad was wiped out. ”

Originally, I was still worried about the fate of the reconnaissance detachment, but when I heard Bandeleyev say this, my heart became more steady. I comforted him and said, "Don't worry, reinforcements will depart from here and rush to the area where the friendly troops are trapped, at most a few minutes, I trust our fighters." It will definitely be able to hold out to the end in the siege of the enemy. ”

Since the tanks were parked in the path of the armored vehicles, Corporal Zhukhovetsky paused only a moment when they passed there, and then two tanks followed them along the road in a northwesterly direction.

Seeing this scene, Bandeleyev said with some tears and laughter: "Comrade division commander, this Corporal Zhukhovetsky is really bold enough, you only asked him to bring one tank over, but he actually took two tanks and left at once. ”

I raised my binoculars and looked at the three hills on the high ground in front of me, and saw that the battle was nearing its end, that is, there was no artillery support. Our final victory is a foregone conclusion. Therefore, I said disapprovingly: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander. Don't worry, those tanks parked at the foot of the mountain won't be of much use anyway, take one more with you, so that our reinforcements have a better chance of winning. ”

When the tanks and armored vehicles disappeared from our sight, I returned to the communications room, put on the headphones again, picked up the microphone, and asked loudly: "Hey, Lieutenant Travkin, I'm General Oshanina, how are you doing there?" ”

"The enemy is rushing up the hillside from all directions, and my fighters have suffered heavy casualties, and there are only five people who can still fight, including the wounded, ......" As soon as he said this, his voice suddenly stopped, and then I heard the female signal soldier next to me scream, and I quickly asked: "Hey, hey, comrade lieutenant, what is the other thing?" ”

After a long while, Travkin's voice came back from the headphones, and at this moment his tone became very slow: "Comrade General, it's nothing, I was shot in the arm by a German sniper, and the wound is not serious, and Comrade Nastya, the radio operator, has already helped me bandage it." ”

"Lieutenant, tell the soldiers beside you, resist, resolutely resist!" I was afraid that the reconnaissance detachment of such friendly troops would be wiped out before the reinforcements arrived, so I said in an accentuated tone: "I have sent reinforcements, and they will arrive in a few minutes." So I command you, hold on for the last five minutes, the last five minutes! After shouting this, I suddenly felt uncomfortable, the words I just shouted were clearly the lines of the villains in film and television works.

Lieutenant Travkin smiled bitterly and said to me in a weak voice: "Thank you, Comrade General, for your kindness. But it was too late, and in addition to the enemy at the foot of the mountain, I saw reinforcements from the enemy rushing in. Farewell, my comrades-in-arms, don't forget us, remember the ...... we died heroically to defend the motherland" Before his last words could be finished, an earth-shattering explosion sounded in the earphones, and then the other party's communication was interrupted.

It's over, Lieutenant Travkin died, and that's my first reaction when I hear the explosion. Just as I was devastated by the annihilation of Travkin's squad, Travkin's startled voice was unexpectedly heard in my headphones: "Hell, how did this German tank fire at its own people?" As soon as he said this, there was another violent explosion in the headphones.

Hearing the explosions that rang out one after another, I was relieved. I smiled into the microphone and said, "Comrade Lieutenant, you are so pessimistic, from the explosion just now, I can guess that it must be the reinforcements I sent have arrived." You and your men stay on the hillside, and let my warriors destroy the Germans besieging you. ”

As soon as I said this, Lieutenant Travkin immediately understood, and he said in surprise: "Comrade General, in those German tanks and armored vehicles in the distance, it can't be the reinforcements you are talking about, right?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Lieutenant." I triumphantly said, "These are the trophies we have captured from the city of Kongyi, and now we will use them to teach those damned Germans a hard lesson." ”

The surprised voice of the operator Nastya came from the headphones: "Comrade Lieutenant, it's really good. That way, we don't have to die here. ”

"Yes, yes, dear Nastya." Lieutenant Travkin also said excitedly: "Our reinforcements are coming, and in a moment it will be the turn of the Germans to be eliminated by us." Then he opened his throat and shouted around: "Comrades, our reinforcements are coming, we must hold the enemy back, we must not let them run away lightly, and to hell with these damned German devils." ”

"Commander, where is the commander?" Suddenly, there was a loud shout from Basmanov.

I hurriedly took off my headphones and returned them to the operator, walked out of the communication room quickly, and asked Basmanov, who was hurrying over: "Comrade Captain, you are shouting here, is there something wrong?" ”

Basmanov hurriedly stood up and reported to me in an orderly manner: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, just now Corporal Zhukhovetsky said that in order to carry out your reinforcement order, you need to transfer a tank to accompany you. I was worried that if I had only one tank, I would not have enough artillery fire during the attack, so I sent him another one, and now I have come back to report this to you. ”

"Comrade Captain, you are doing a great job!" I nodded with satisfaction at Basmanov's assertion and praised: "It is precisely because of your self-assertion that our rescue operation has gone exceptionally smoothly." I think the rescued friendly commanders and fighters will be grateful to you when they find out about this. (To be continued......)