The jeep in which Shederikov and I rode was at the front of the entire convoy. After following the old man's direction for some distance, we soon found that the road ahead was also blocked by the collapsed masonry and rubble of the bombed-out houses on both sides.

Our convoy stopped again, and I pushed open the door and leaned out to see if there were any other roads nearby, just as I saw a patrol of twenty or so people approaching us. I hurriedly jumped out of the car and stood next to the car quietly waiting for the patrol to arrive.

The members of the patrol were all dressed in overalls, apparently workers from a nearby factory, and it should not be wrong to ask them for directions.

Our convoy, parked on the side of the road, apparently caught the attention of the patrol as well. At the head of the line, the old man with a peaked cap and two gray beards unconsciously slowed down and turned his puzzled gaze to us. I hurriedly greeted him, and at the same time politely shouted: "Uncle! ”

Unexpectedly, my title made the patrol leader frown, he raised his hand to stop the patrol, and said in a dissatisfied tone: "Don't call me uncle, I just turned sixty years old this year, and I can still fight the Germans with a gun." ”

Looking at the old man in front of me, I couldn't help but smile, and hurriedly followed his meaning and said: "Yes, yes, as long as you take up arms to compete with the Germans, you can't be considered an old man, and you still look so young." ”

Hearing me say this, the old captain showed a smug smile on his face, and said confidently: "Back then, I fought the White Bandit Army here and defended Tsaritsyn. My comrades and I fought off such a fierce enemy. Those Germans these days. Sooner or later, we will defeat us. ”

"Comrade Captain." Sederikov walked up to me and politely asked, "We are going to Mamayev Height, but the road is cut off over there." After making inquiries, we knew that we had to go around the central train station to get to our destination. But now that the road ahead is blocked by bricks and stones, do you know where else to get around? ”

The old captain looked at our long convoy and asked thoughtfully, "Can't you abandon the car and walk?" ”

I turned my head to look at Sederikov, and when I saw him shaking his head, I turned back to the old captain and said, "No. We still have a lot of technical equipment on the car, and it is not enough to rely on people to carry such a long distance. ”

Hearing me say this, the old captain turned his head and shouted to the team: "Iglatov, come here." ”

With his shout, a middle-aged man without a hat and carrying a rifle with a spear on his back ran out of the ranks. The middle-aged man came to us, looked at us with his eyes and asked the old captain: "Comrade captain, do you have any orders?" ”

The old captain pointed to us and said, "Iglatov." This army is going to the central railway station, you know the way. Let them be their guides. ”

Iglatov agreed, handed over the rifle he was carrying to the captain, and then came to me and Shederikov, and, after scanning his eyes over our collar badges, raised his hand and reported to me: "Report to Comrade Colonel, Iglatov, a soldier of the workers' annihilation battalion, reports to you and obeys your orders." ”

I shook my head at him and said, "Get in the car, Comrade Iglatov, you sit next to the driver." Then I stretched out my hand to the old captain and said gratefully: "Thank you, comrade captain, and I thank you on behalf of all the commanders and fighters of the independent division. ”

The old captain shook my hand and said with a humble smile: "Serve the Soviet Fatherland." ”

With the help of Igratov's guide, our motorcade was driven through the streets and into small alleys where no one was seen. After driving for more than half an hour, we finally arrived at our first destination.

Iglatov turned from the front row and said to me: "Comrade Colonel, in front of you is the Central Railway Station, where there are regular troops. I can't go over without a pass. Speaking of this, he raised his hand and patted the driver's shoulder, pointed forward and said, "Comrade driver, please stop ten meters in front of you, and I will get off there." ”

When Iglatov pushed the car door and was about to get out of the car, I stopped him and said again gratefully: "Thank you, Comrade Iglatov, for showing us the way." After speaking, he took the initiative to reach out to him.

When Iglatov shook hands with me, he said in a friendly manner: "I wish you all the best of luck!" ”

After waiting for Iglatov to shake hands with me, Shederikov also extended his hand to him, and at the same time said: "And me, comrade warrior. ”

Iglatov shook hands with Shederikov and shook hands with the driver before getting out of the car. He closed the door, stepped back, stood on the side of the road and raised his hand to salute us.

As the jeep drove outside the central station, I looked at the marble-built European-style railway station, which had been tightly covered by camouflage nets, perhaps as a drop-off point after arriving at Stalingrad, and I saw from time to time groups of soldiers walking down the steps of the station in a neat line.

The road outside was littered with sandbag fortifications, each with machine guns behind the firing holes. Although the area had not yet been attacked by the Germans, the soldiers on duty were vigilantly checking the passers-by.

The jeep drove up to a stop next to a barricade fortification, and Sederikov pushed the door, leaned over and asked loudly: "Hey, I said comrade soldiers, which part of you are from?" ”

One of the commanders walked up to Shederikov and, after raising his hand to salute him, replied: "Comrade Colonel Report, we are from the 1524th Battalion of Independent Engineers, do you have any instructions?" ”

Sederikov glanced at the other party's collar badge and said politely: "Comrade second lieutenant, we have to rush to the Mamayev post, I don't know where to go directly from that road." ”

After listening to Sederikov's words, the engineer second lieutenant asked vigilantly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, what part are you from, what are you doing at Mamayev Posts?" ”

Sederikov replied with a smile: "We are an independent division, and we were ordered to go to the Mamayev post to take over the defense. Because the road was blocked by masonry and tiles, we had to go around here to find a new road. Comrade Second Lieutenant, can you help us find a guide? We've been in town for a long time. If you delay it any longer. I'm worried that I'll miss the plane. ”

The second lieutenant listened. said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, please wait!" With that, he walked back to the barricades, stooped down and picked up a telephone and placed it on the chest wall made of sandbags, shook the handle a few times, picked up the microphone and whispered, as if asking his superiors for instructions.

My guess quickly proved correct, and the ensign put down the microphone. Trotted to the jeep, bent down slightly and said to Sederikov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I have already asked the battalion commander for instructions, and he asked me to send you to the Mamayev post. ”

When Sedelikov heard that the second lieutenant was going to personally act as a guide for us, he hurriedly shook his head at him and said loudly: "Get in the car, comrade second lieutenant, you sit next to the driver." ”

As soon as the second lieutenant got into the car, he accidentally caught a glimpse of me, and immediately startled him. He hurriedly raised his hand to his forehead and said in a panic, "I'm sorry." Comrade Colonel, I just didn't notice that you were in the car. ”

I smiled and waved at him, and said disappreciatively, "It's okay, Comrade Ensign, don't care. It's getting late, so let's get started. ”

The jeep slowly passed through the passage in the middle of the barricade, and I kept looking to both sides, and if the passage was too narrow, the trucks behind me would not be able to pass. As I was watching, suddenly a strange object slipped through my line of sight, and I quickly shouted: "Stop, stop now!" ”

The driver, not knowing what was going on, stepped on the brakes and turned his head to look at me strangely, waiting for my next instructions. I turned my head to look behind me and saw that the nearest truck was also a few dozen meters away, so I told the driver: "Immediately reverse and go back to the barricade just now." ”

The driver didn't know why, but he honestly followed my orders and reversed the jeep backwards. When I got to the point where I saw the strange object, I shouted again, "Stop, stop here." When the car came to a stop, I called to the engineer lieutenant: "Comrade second lieutenant, what is in that barricade?" ”

Sederikov, the engineer ensign, and the driver all looked in the direction of my finger, and when they saw the long, black cylindrical object behind the barricade shooting hole, Sederikov and the driver had the same surprised expression as I did, while the engineer ensign had such a calm expression.

When all eyes were focused on the second lieutenant's face, he smiled and said, "Comrade commander, don't you know what this thing is?" These are two old guns, cast, to be precise when Napoleon attacked Moscow in 1812. ”

I nodded, and at the same time asked puzzledly, "Of course I know the old artillery, but why is it here, can it be useful in battle?" ”

The engineer lieutenant nodded vigorously and said affirmatively: "Of course, this kind of old-fashioned artillery that can only produce iron balls has been used in many places. In the battle a few days ago, a projectile fired by one of our artillery guns smashed two weakly armored vehicles of the German army. ”

After listening to the second lieutenant's explanation, I said in my heart that with this kind of earthen cannon, if you want to hit the target, you really need a certain amount of luck. But since everyone else had put this old cannon in the museum into the barricades, there was no need for me to point fingers, so I smiled wryly and told the driver: "Drive!" ”

On the way, while chatting with the second lieutenant, he asked: "Comrade second lieutenant, how far is it from the central railway station to the Mamayev post, and when will we get there?" ”

The second lieutenant thought for a moment and replied: "Mamayev Hill is three kilometers north of the city, and the central railway station is about four kilometers from the edge of the city. Under normal circumstances, it is about a 10-minute drive, but now the roads in many places are broken, and we may have to take a lot of detours to get to Mamayev Gang. I estimate it will take an hour at the earliest. ”

An hour later, we finally approached the rolling hills. Although the cannon was rumbling here, the second lieutenant sighed with relief, pointed ahead and said to us: "Comrade Colonel, look, there is a checkpoint at the intersection ahead. After the checkpoint is the Mamayev post, on which the headquarters of the 62nd Army is located. ”

Our car was stopped by the fighters on duty at the checkpoint, and a sergeant came over, bent down and rushed into the car to take a look. Then he asked vigilantly, "Who are you?" ”

I'll wait for him to finish. Hurriedly replied: "Comrade Sergeant." I am the commander of the independent division, Colonel Oshanina, and our division was ordered to come to Mamayev to take over the defense. Where can I find the headquarters or the headquarters of the 35th Guards Division? ”

Hearing my identity, the sergeant quickly stood up straight and saluted, then bent down and said to me: "Comrade division commander, you go up this hillside, and when you reach the top of the hill, you will find the headquarters of the group army. ”

I thanked him and got out of the car, and when I saw that Shedelikov and the engineer ensign also got out of the car, I ordered Shederikov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel. You stay here and gather the troops, and I'll go to the headquarters of the army group to report alone. ”

Shedelikov hurriedly replied loudly: "Yes!" ”

Then I said to the engineer lieutenant: "Comrade second lieutenant, thank you for being our guide. It's too far away from where your troops are stationed, and it may not be convenient for you to go back, so I'll ask the driver to take you back. After saying that, I bent down and ordered the driver: "Comrade driver, you are responsible for sending the second lieutenant back to the central railway station." ”

After this qiē, I walked up the hill alone. After walking for about ten minutes on a hillside full of bushes and some thorny plants, I suddenly heard a man in front of me whispering, "Stop! Who are you? ”

I stopped. Looking up, I saw a soldier with a rifle standing up from the grass. Vigilantly pointing his gun at me. I guessed that he might be a guard soldier of the army group headquarters, so I unhurriedly identified myself: "I am Colonel Oshanina, commander of the independent division, and I was ordered to go to Mamayev Post to take over the defense of the 35th Guards Division. When I heard that the headquarters of the group army was also here, I first came to report to the commander. ”

"Sentinel, what's going on?" Before the warrior could react, a familiar voice was heard in the distance.

The sentry hurriedly put down his gun, raised his hand to salute the comer, and reported: "Report to Comrade Military Commissar, this female commander said that she is the commander of an independent division and has come to report to the commander. ”

The military commissar nodded and said to the sentry: "Comrade sentry, she is right, she is indeed the commander of the independent division, and I know her. There's nothing to do here, you can go. ”

After the sentry saluted him again, he honestly turned and left.

After the sentry left, the military commissar came up to me with a smile on his face and said in a friendly voice: "Hello, Comrade Oshanina, we meet again. ”

It was none other than Gurov, the military commissar of the 62nd Army, who was also an old acquaintance of mine. Seeing him coming, I hurriedly stepped forward, raised my hand and saluted, and said to him with a smile: "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon." ”

After Gurov came over and shook my hand, he did not let go of my hand, but led me up the hill, and said as he went: "Comrade Oshanina, it seems that we have not seen each other for a long time since you were transferred to the 64th Army. ”

"Yes! Comrade Military Commissar, it seems that you and I have not met again since General Lopatin became commander. ”

"Yes, yes, Comrade Oshanina, you have a really good memory. It is true that after General Lopatin became commander, you were transferred from the 62nd Army, until now. When Gurov said this, he suddenly pointed to the front and said to me: "Look, the headquarters of the army group has arrived." ”

The command of the army group arrived. The ravine was littered with newly dug bomb shelters and shelters, and the hill in the distance was under shelling, from which the sound of artillery we had just heard was heard. Seeing this scene, I can't help but secretly sigh, this is Mamayev Gang! I guess no one would have imagined that in the near future it would become the fiercest place in the battle for Stalingrad? Who would have thought that every inch of land here would be blown beyond recognition by bombs and shells?

Under Gurov's leadership, there were no more sentries on the road, and we came to the headquarters of the army group set up in a shelter. Krylov is also an acquaintance of mine, we first met at the headquarters of the Front, and then together from the headquarters of the Front to the Don River, and we spent a lot of time together.

The shelter where the headquarters is located is not strictly speaking, but a relatively spacious bomb shelter, with many thick logs on top of it, one after the other, and between the logs is fixed with ropes. It was covered with several inches of earth, and with the explosion of shells, the dirt on the top cover occasionally spilled from the cracks in the logs.

On one side of the shelter is an earthen bench, and on the other side is an earthen table. After beckoning me to sit down on the earthen bench, Gurov handed me a teapot with a lid and whispered: "The Germans are shelling the hill ahead, but they don't seem to have taken our 35th Guards Army on the hill into account, and there is no heavy artillery in the artillery used. ”

Before we entered, there were only two people in the shelter, one was General Krylov with a telephone in his hand, and the other was a female communications soldier, who looked very young and was probably a tenth-grader before putting on her uniform.

General Krylov turned a blind eye to our arrival, and he was talking to someone in a stern tone, loud and stern, as if he was lashing out at the other party.

The female communications soldier held a telephone microphone in each of her hands and wanted to hand it to Krylov, but when she saw that the other party was talking again, she had to say into the two microphones: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff is making another call." ”

I had the impression that Gurov was a man who did not like to interfere with the commands of military commanders, and at the moment he was silently sitting on an earthen bench with me, waiting with me for Krylov to finish the call. Seeing that my attention was on the female signal soldier, she introduced me in a low voice: "That female signal soldier is called Yelena. Bakarevich, eighteen years old, is a tenth-grader student. ”

After Krylov finished the call, he looked over to me. I quickly stood up, raised my hand and saluted him, just about to report according to the regulations, but I didn't expect him to take a microphone from Yelena's hand, nod politely at me, and continue to talk to the commander on the other end of the phone.

I sat down silently, and when I heard the phone ringing from time to time, I couldn't help but look at Gurov with curiosity, wanting to ask him why the army group headquarters was so busy? And where did the commander Chuikov go?

Gurov, who was good at observing words and feelings, guessed the question I was going to ask from my eyes and took the initiative to say to me: "You see, there is not enough manpower in the headquarters of the army group now. Since we broke out of the Don River, the communications battalion has been almost completely lost, and now there are only forty or so left, so you can see that they are now working with several people at the same time. As for Comrade Commander, he had just taken a few soldiers to the defense area of the 35th Guards Division on the hill in front. ”

Hearing the sound of artillery outside, I couldn't help but nervously ask: "Comrade Military Commissar, if the commander goes to the shelling area, nothing will happen, right?" ”

Before Gurov could answer my question, Chuikov's familiar voice came from the door: "The shells that can kill me have not yet been produced." ”

Hearing Chuikov's voice, I quickly got up from my seat, straightened up and prepared to salute him. When Chuikov appeared in my field of vision, I hurriedly raised my hand and saluted, and said respectfully: "Hello, Comrade Commander. The commander of the independent division, Colonel Oshanina, reports to you that the independent division has been ordered to come to Mamayev and wait for your next order. (To be continued......)

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