It didn't take long for the tank, loaded with infantry, to approach us as it passed through the troops that were cleaning up the battlefield. About ten meters away from us, the tank stopped. When the infantry got out of the car, the top hatch of the tank turret opened, and two people emerged from it, and I recognized at a glance one as the commander of the tank crew, and the other as Gaidar, who had been missing for a long time.

The two of them helped each other jump out of the tank and walked over to me shoulder to shoulder. I thought that Gaidar would delay the fighter plane, and at this time I should be sincerely afraid, but I didn't expect that the expressions of him and the tank crew were full of spring breeze. The two of them walked up to me and raised their hands to salute me.

"Captain Gaidar, and you, a tank soldier, you still have the face to appear in front of me," I looked at the two people in front of me, my heart burned with anger, and I naturally spoke to them without any mercy, I gritted my teeth and said: "The task I gave you is to bypass the settlements and come here to assist Captain Shederikov in blocking the German reinforcements, but what about you? I didn't see anyone for a few hours, if it weren't for this artillery company commander......" I turned my head to look at the artillery company commander standing next to me, and said a little embarrassed: "Comrade company commander, I'm sorry, I don't know your name yet." What should I call you? ”

"Morozov, artillery company commander Lieutenant Morozov." The commander of the cannon company answered me loudly.

"Yes, it's Lieutenant Morozov. Had it not been for the timely destruction of a German tank by the lieutenant's artillery battery, the enemy's reinforcements, by this moment, would have broken through the line of defense of Captain Sederikov, broken through the settlement, and were driving our troops out of the settlement, step by step. ”

I've just finished speaking. Sederikov also said in a stern tone: "Captain Gaidar." I would like to remind you. If the situation described by the division commander does occur, then your fate awaits you more than just a return to the correctional camp, and you may be sent to a military court and immediately executed. ”

Gaidar ignored Xie Delikov, but looked at me and said earnestly: "Comrade division commander, can you listen to my explanation?" ”

"Say," I was unhappy with him, but I wanted to find out what was going on. So much so that they would not be able to make it to the battlefield for a long time, I raised my hand and looked at my watch, adding: "I'll give you five minutes to explain this." ”

"It won't take five minutes, at most a minute will I be able to get things clear." Seeing that I gave him the opportunity to explain the reason for his tardiness, Gaidar showed a relieved expression on his face, and he said with some emotion: "Comrade division commander, as soon as I received your order, I turned back to Captain Perstian. He was afraid that I didn't know who he was talking about, so he tilted his head to the tankman next to him, signaling that he was talking about the tankman next to him. In fact, he was right to do so. I don't know what the commander of the tank corps is called, he said so. I learned that the tank captain was called Persjian.

“…… As soon as I consulted with Captain Perstian to reinforce Captain Sedelikov, the nearest route was undoubtedly through the settlement, for the fighting was raging at the time, and Persjian, fearing that his tank detachment would be attacked by enemy anti-tank men, offered to go around the outside of the settlement, so I took his tank, withdrew from the settlement, and joined the other two tanks waiting outside.

Fearing to encounter the enemy's anti-tank men, I took two companies of infantry, some on tanks and the rest on foot, intending to bypass the western side of the settlement. As a result, we soon found out that we had taken the wrong path, and there was a swamp with a large area. If it weren't for the sharp-eyed warrior of the tank that opened the road, noticed the mistake and let the tank stop, the lead car would have been stuck in the swamp.

We had no choice but to continue our detour west, hoping to find a way to ,......"

I heard Gaidar Rory ramble for a long time, and I didn't get to the point, how did I not find out that he was such a verbose person before. Seeing that he was going to be allowed to play freely, he didn't know when he would be able to get to the point, so he interrupted him coldly: "Captain Gaidar, let me remind you, you only have five minutes. ”

When Persjian heard this, he quickly took over the conversation and said clearly: "Comrade division commander, please allow me to report to you the details of the incident. Seeing that I bowed slightly, he continued: "We went around the swamp and rushed from the northwest to the position set up by Captain Sederikov, but we did not expect to encounter a group of German patrols on the way. After some fighting, we annihilated the enemy and captured a prisoner.

From the mouths of the captives, we learned that not far away there was an enemy camp with almost a thousand people stationed in it. With the exception of two companies of German troops, the rest were all Italian troops. ……”

"Wait, Comrade Captain," I could not help but arouse my curiosity when I heard that they had actually found the barracks of the Italian troops: "The captives did not lie to you, why are there Italian troops stationed here?" ”

"I have interrogated the prisoners, and yes, it is indeed the garrison of the Italian army, in which a battalion of Italian troops and two companies of German troops are stationed," Persjian affirmed. ”

"And what kind of action did you take?" As soon as I heard that I had discovered that the Italian army, whose combat record was completely disproportionate to its equipment, I had an idea in my heart. It would be nice to find a way to transfer the German troops from the camp, for for me, the Italian camp without the German army is a huge prisoner of war camp, except that the enemy inside has not laid down his arms for the time being.

"We immediately went to the barracks that the captives had spoken of, trying to find out what was going on with the enemy. Unexpectedly, when we were still a kilometer away from the camp, we found that the German troops in the camp made a big move and rushed to the direction of the settlement. Seeing the enemy leave, I felt that the fighters had arrived, and that without the support of the Germans, the Italians would be vulnerable. However, to be on the safe side, I had Captain Gaidar send a scout to reconnoiter the vicinity of the camp. It was found that the Germans were all drawn in the direction of the settlements, and that only the Italians were left in the camp.

In the process of the scouts going to reconnoitre, the originally backward infantry also caught up, so that. Our infantry numbered two companies. Wait for the scout's intelligence to come back. We immediately launched an attack on the camp. ”

Although I have long known about the low combat effectiveness of the Italian army. But I don't know what kind of result they will achieve when they encounter my untrained troops, so when I heard him say that our army launched an attack on the Italian camp, I couldn't help but ask curiously: "What is your final result?" ”

"I opened the way with tanks, and the infantry followed closely and rushed towards the enemy's camp," said Pelsjian excitedly. The enemy had only two sandbag fortifications at the entrance, each with a light machine gun, and when they saw our tanks rushing towards them, they opened fire desperately. Machine gun bullets rang off on the tank's armor. But that doesn't stop us from moving forward.

Seeing that our tanks were getting closer and closer, the machine gunners did not dare to fight, so they threw down their weapons and ran to the camp, only to be knocked down by all the machine guns on our tanks. After the tanks smashed the sandbag fortifications, our troops rushed into the enemy camp. ”

Hearing him say this, my heart became much more steady, and I asked lightly: "Did the enemy soon lay down his arms and surrender to you?" ”

My words surprised Persjian, and he asked in surprise: "Comrade division commander, how do you know?" After our troops stormed the camp. The enemy rushed out of the tent with weapons in hand. I commanded the tank detachment to fire a few shots at them, after blowing up a couple of officers who were in the lead. The rest of the men raised their weapons above their heads with both hands and surrendered to us. ”

"After just a few shots, the enemy surrendered? It's incredible. After saying something with emotion, Sederikov turned his head and asked me: "Comrade division commander, do you think this is true?" ”

I looked at him for a moment, then nodded and said, "Comrade Captain, you don't have to doubt it, this is absolutely true. I remember someone saying that as long as they faced the Italian army, their morale would rise and their defenses would be breached. And a general who won two consecutive victories in Italy would be ridiculed. ”

After hearing this, Sedelikov asked tentatively: "Comrade division commander, I don't know who said this, why have I never heard it?" ”

Of course, I won't sue him, saying that I saw this sentence in a post in later generations, otherwise I wouldn't be regarded as a psychopath by them. In order to distract him, I deliberately mentioned another allusion: "When the Italians attacked Greece, the soldiers unanimously reported to their superiors that we could not attack because there were Finnish troops in Greece. Mussolini, having received the report, demanded that the Finnish allies withdraw their troops from Greece. However, after investigation, Finland found that only three Finnish soldiers and three officers were volunteers in Greece, so it replied to Mussolini that the so-called army had only six volunteers. Mussolini was so angry that he sent a telegram to Finland: "These are the people I mean!" ”

My words made everyone laugh, and when the laughter stopped, I then asked Pelsten, "Captain Persjian, where are the prisoners?" ”

"Still in their camp, guarded by our warriors." Speaking of this, Perstian hesitated for a moment before he continued: "Actually, not all Italians have surrendered, and there is about a company of troops, in a corner of the camp, protecting their battalion commander, who refuses to surrender to us. They sent a message that if they were to lay down their arms and surrender, they would have to negotiate with our superiors before they would surrender. ”

"Since they are willing to surrender when they see your superiors, then I will go to the Italian camp and accept their surrender by the way." So saying, I walked up to Pelstian, shook my head at him, and said, "Go, Comrade Captain, and take me to the camp of the Italians." ”

"Please wait, Comrade Division." Shederikov ran in front of me, blocked my path with open arms, and said nervously: "I think this is like a trap, no matter how vulnerable Italy is, it will not fight for only a few minutes and surrender to a force that is not as numerous as them!" ”

When I heard him say this, I was very happy, first, because of his concern for my safety; Second, these subordinates no longer just blindly obey orders, but already know how to consider problems from many aspects. I smiled and said, "Comrade Captain, your worries are unnecessary. I read from the battle report that in a battle in North Africa, a small number of British tanks charged at the Italian anti-tank gun position...... The British asked the reason afterwards, and the Italians replied with confidence: the ammunition box was not opened ...... with a crowbar. If you think about it, the desert lions, who claim to be the most powerful, will surrender at any time. to these second- and third-rate troops sent to Stalingrad by others. ”

"But." Shederikov is still in front of me. He continued to try to persuade me: "Even if these Italians do surrender." What would you do if you ran into that escaped tank on the road? At this point, he glanced at Perstian contemptuously, and then said, "You know, if you go one-on-one, our tanks may not win. ”

"Comrade Captain," Persjian, who was still smiling all over his face, was furious when he heard Shedelikov say this. grabbed the lieutenant by the collar, leaned his face over, and said viciously: "Who gave you the right to insult our tank soldiers, who is it?" Who do you say? ”

Unwilling to be grabbed by the collar like this by Pelsjian, Shederikov struggled desperately while saying loudly: "That's what I said, what can you do with me?" Hurry up and let go of your dirty hands! ”

"Stop, stop it!" Seeing that the two of them would fight if they continued to fight, I hurriedly stopped them: "What are you doing? Have the ability to fight the Germans. Instead of fighting with your own people! ”

As soon as I got angry, the two of them suddenly became honest. They all obediently took a step back, but still glared at each other fiercely.

At this moment, Gaidar, who had not spoken, came out to play a round: "Captain Sederikov, let me say a few words." Did the German tank you mentioned fleeing have a tank and an armored car? Seeing that Shederikov nodded in the affirmative, he continued: "We met the tank you mentioned on the road. Because we were returning from the direction of the Italian camp at that time, the German tanks did not expect to encounter us here, so before they came to their senses, they were killed by us, and all the German soldiers in the car were killed by us. You see," he said, turning to one side, pointing to the seven or eight fighters standing behind him, "they were carrying German equipment. ”

When I looked at it, I saw that these soldiers were all German-style equipment, not only rifles, submachine guns, but even one soldier with a machine gun in his hand, which was unloaded from the armored car at first glance.

Just as I was about to raise my leg and walk towards the tank, I suddenly remembered something important, so I stopped and asked Gaidar sternly: "Comrade Captain, why didn't you inform me about your actions in time?" ”

In response to my questioning, Gaidar bowed his head in embarrassment and said ashamedly: "I'm sorry, comrade division commander, but my operator was unfortunately killed by a stray bullet in a battle with a German patrol. Captain Persjin has a radio station in his tank, but he doesn't know your call code, so he can't get in touch with you. ”

I heard him say this, and understood that one more operator had been lost in the battle, and that we were left with only operators No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. I pointed with my hand to the No. 4 operator not far away and ordered him, "Operator, come with me." Then he instructed Shederikov: "Comrade Captain, while I am away, the troops here will be under your command." Remember, hurry up and build up the fortifications in the settlements to prevent possible enemy attacks. ”

Before getting into the tank, Pelce insisted that I sit in the tank, but I refused. In the end, the operator got into the tank, and Gaidar and I were huddled on the body of the tank, and two fighters, afraid of being unsteady on their feet, rolled off the tank and deliberately tied themselves to the handle of the turret with their backpack straps.

The T-34 was still traveling quite fast, and it took us less than half an hour to get to the Italian barracks. The tanks carrying us passed by the four tanks that were placed on the side of the road and drove straight inside. I saw that many of the tents on the side of the road had been knocked down, and groups of Italian soldiers in boat-shaped caps were sitting on the ground, surrounded by soldiers from my division.

Gaidar pointed to a wooden house in the distance and the sandbag fortifications outside, and said loudly to me: "Comrade division commander, you see, there is the battalion headquarters of the Italians, and their battalion commander is inside. ”

The tank stopped fifty meters from the wooden house. As soon as Gaidar helped me jump out of the tank, several people came up to me, led by engineer Mihayev. He raised his hand to me and saluted, saying, "Comrade division commander, the Italian battalion commander is in the cabin, and he said that he would surrender as soon as we had a commander of high ranks. ”

"Who of us here speaks Italian?" I looked at the few standing in front of me and couldn't help but ask the most crucial question.

Both Gaidar and Mihayev shook their heads a little embarrassedly, indicating that they did not understand.

Since I don't understand it. So how did they communicate with the Italians? It can't be a gesturing, right? On the battlefield. Gesturing to enemies. Others probably don't have much interest in watching it, so I'm afraid I'll shoot you directly.

Just when I was puzzled, Mihayev reported: "Comrade division commander, there are many Italians who speak German, so I can communicate with them. ”

I glanced at Mihayev, nodded, and said: "Well, since that's the case." Then you will come with me to the wooden house and accept the surrender of the Italians to us! ”

With that, I put the submachine gun in the hands of one of the fighters and strode forward, followed by Gaidar and Mihayev, and walked towards the wooden house together.

On the way, Gaidar's heart was also a little unsteady, and he asked in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, do you think the Italians will suddenly change their minds and detain us all?" ”

"No, it won't." I affirmed, "If they want to fight." Just now it would not have been so lightly to lay down his arms and surrender, and this Italian battalion commander. The reason why we surrendered only after meeting our high-ranking commanders was also to save some face for ourselves. ”

"Comrade division commander, I don't know the Italians very well." Mihayev also said in his heart: "I don't know if they really asked to meet our senior commander before surrendering just to save face." ”

"Surely, yes." Mihayev didn't hear me say anything about Italy just now, so I told him an allusion: "On June 30, 1940, Marshal Balbo, the Italian governor in Libya, was shot down by Italy's own anti-aircraft artillery over Tobruk, Africa. And the Italians, in order to cover up this tragedy that made them lose face, actually brazenly announced that the marshal had died in an air battle with the British. Alright, Comrade Engineer, it's time to get there, you go forward and report it. ”

I saw Gaidar and Mihayev look at each other, then nodded. Mihayev then ran boldly to the sandbag fortifications and talked to a man who looked like an officer. After a while, Mihayev ran back to me and said with a smile: "Comrade division commander, I just asked the Italian officers, and he said that their battalion commander was waiting for us in the house. Let's go inside. ”

Led by Italian officers, we passed by the enemy's sandbag fortifications and swaggered into the battalion headquarters. In the middle of the room was a wooden table with maps, telephones, and even a pistol. An Italian officer sat behind the table, and when he saw us entering, he quickly stood up.

Mihayev stepped forward and spoke to him in German, and the officer listened for a while, looked at me with some surprise, and spoke to Mihayev in German for a long time, and then walked around the table and walked in front of me.

He raised his hand and saluted me, in German or Italian, and I spoke for a long time in a language I didn't understand. Mihayev saw that I was staring blankly at the Italian officer in front of me, and hurriedly came over to translate for me and said: "Comrade division commander, let me introduce to you, this is the Italian battalion commander, Mr. Alfonso, the first captain, he said that his troops were tired of the war and longed to return to their homeland as soon as possible, so they specially surrendered to the Red Army!" ”

I listened to his high-sounding reason, smiled, put my hands behind my back, and responded politely: "Congratulations, Mr. Alfonso, on the wise choice you have made, and you and your men will surely return to your homeland." First of all, please ask all the soldiers outside the gate to lay down their arms, otherwise if there is a misunderstanding with my people and an unfortunate incident of firefighting, they may not be able to return to their homeland alive. ”

Hearing me say this, Captain Alfonso immediately whispered a few words to the officer who had led us through the door, and the officer saluted, turned and ran out of the cabin.

Seeing Alfonso's actions, I understood that he really wanted to surrender, so I continued to say to him: "Mr. Alfonso, next, please gather all your men, and I will arrange for men to escort you to safety." ”

When we walked out of the hut together, the Italian soldiers, who had been outside with loaded guns, had already put down their weapons and were concentrating on the designated area.

Gaidar asked me for instructions: "Comrade division commander, what should we do next?" ”

"Comrade Captain, you and Comrade Mihayev will leave one company behind, and let Captain Perstian leave you two tanks, and when the Italians are assembled, they will be escorted back to the settlement."

"A company?!" Gaidar had a look of embarrassment on his face, and he pleaded: "Comrade division commander, can you send me more people." You must know that there are 700 Italians, and I have only 100 people, can you take care of them? ”

I saw a jeep in front of me, presumably captured by the Germans from the Soviets, so I asked Mihayev to go to Captain Perstian and ask him if he could help me find a driver to drive me back to the settlement, because I didn't want to go back in a tank.

Regarding Gaidar's worries, I smiled and said: "Comrade Captain, you are too worried. When the British were in North Africa to accept the surrender of a group of Italian soldiers with guns, they were too busy collecting the spoils of war to manage the Italian prisoners, so they shouted at them: 'Don't make a noise! Go over there! Then he continued to collect loot. With no choice but to find the British to capture them, the Italians had to walk around with their guns on their heads. Also, because there were too many prisoners of war, the British army did not have time to build a prisoner of war camp, so they asked the quartermaster to issue raw materials to the Italian prisoners of war, and let them build their own prisoner of war camp to lock themselves up. ”

Mihayev quickly found a driver, not one of Persjian's men, but one of my division's men. The jeep pulled up in front of me and I let the operator sit in the front passenger seat and myself in the back. Before I closed the car door, I leaned out and said to Gaidar: "If the Germans and Italians are in the same prisoner of war camp." The Germans would organize themselves to try to dig holes to escape from the camps, and the Italians were very cooperative even when the camp doors were not closed, only occasionally going out to harass the lovely girls in the neighborhood. ”

At this point, I slammed the door shut, and then instructed the driver: "Drive, comrade driver, we will rush back to the settlement at once." ”

"Comrade division commander, what should we do next?" Operator Number Four asked, turning his head.

Looking at this operator, who was not flexible enough to react and did not grasp my intentions in the slightest, I couldn't help but sigh, and then instructed him: "Comrade operator, your task is to contact Colonel Raskin, chief of staff of the group army, and immediately tell him the good news. After saying that, I leaned back, leaned back in the chair and began to close my eyes to recuperate, in order to fight the battle to recover the settlement, I have stayed up all night for the past few days, but I am really tired, I want to seize the time to rest and rest. (To be continued......)