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I was thinking about the transfer when I suddenly heard the operator shout again: "Comrade division commander, telegram." Probably to get my attention, he added in a deliberately accentuated tone: "It's a telegram from the headquarters of the army group." ”

"Thank goodness for finally getting this telegram from my superiors." Pantai Leev, who was standing near the operator, breathed a sigh of relief, took the telegram with joy, and could not wait to read it.

Unexpectedly, after a few glances, a smile froze on his face. Seeing him standing in a daze, I walked up to his side, did not speak, just pulled the telegram from his hand, looked down, and it was really not good news, only to see that it was written: "Although the meeting with the Don Front has become an impossible task." But in order to relieve the defensive pressure of the main forces of Army Group in Stalingrad, you should continue to hold out in the area of Kongpini for three to five days, and attract the Germans to draw troops back from the city. ”

After reading this telegram, my heart was also half cold, this telegram from Chuikov clearly wanted our troops to go deep behind enemy lines as bait to fish out the troops in the city who were attacking the factory area, so as to reduce the pressure on friendly forces. In this way, perhaps the offensive in the city was weakened, but our army was an outcast, and was bound to be destroyed by the German siege.

"Commander, what should we do?" Bandereev asked in a low voice.

Although neither I nor Bantai Laiev said what was on the telegram, but from our expressions. The commanders present could guess what the telegram was about. Several people immediately whispered to each other.

Calm down! Calm down! Never panic! This is the most important thing for the commander. Seeing the scene in the command post was in danger of getting out of control. I secretly reminded myself in my heart that this place must not be left behind, and that the German 295th and 297th Infantry Divisions were in the two directions behind us, and even if we did not draw troops from the city, it would be enough to wipe us out. In this case, there is little point for our troops to stay here, except for sacrificing in vain. It did little to alleviate the crisis in the city.

Thinking of this, I coughed heavily, and then scolded the commanders present with a straight face: "Quiet! Be quiet! Please be quiet! Don't forget that you are all commanders, not new recruits who have just joined the army, don't you know that you should be quiet in the command post and not make loud noises? ”

When the command post was quiet, I turned my head to look at the operator and said, "Comrade operator, prepare to send a report to the headquarters." "When he was ready, I began to dictate the telegram." Comrade commander, the Germans have concentrated superior forces today. A frantic assault on the Mamayev Heights was launched, and the 107.5 heights were in jeopardy, and if we did not return to the reinforcements, then the northern gate of Stalingrad could fall. I beseech you that, in order to ensure that Mamayev Hill is not captured by the Germans, please allow my troops to return as much as possible. ”

When the operator was delivering the telegram, Pantai Laiev asked worriedly: "Comrade division commander, can you just send a telegram to the army headquarters in this way, so that they can agree to our return to Mamayev Posts?" You ought to inform the commander of our situation, that if we do not retreat, we are likely to be encircled by the Germans. ”

I am not absolutely sure whether the army group command will allow us to return to Mamayev Height, so I can only try my luck. As for Bandereev's question, I can only say vaguely: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, I think it is better not to report to Comrade Commander what you mentioned about the possibility of being surrounded by the German army, because you must know that since the outbreak of the war, many of our troops have been surrounded by the Germans. In the end, some of the troops were annihilated, while others broke out of the encirclement. In the minds of the leaders of the army group, the troops of our division belonged to the kind of troops that could jump out of the encirclement even if they were surrounded by the German army. The reason why I mentioned Mamayev Hill in the telegram was because it was a strategic point in the north of the city, and its victory or loss would be related to the fate of the battle. If the leaders of the group army can think this clearly, they will definitely allow us to withdraw our troops. ”

As he was talking, the voice of the telegraph operator sounded again: "Report to the division commander, the call back from the group army headquarters has arrived!" With that, he handed over the telegram.

My eyes swept swiftly over the paper, and I saw that it was briefly written: "Agree, you can lead your troops back to Mamayev Posts." ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, it's done." I excitedly reported the good news to Bantaireev, and then beckoned to the commanders under him: "Comrade commander, come here, let's study the route of the troops back to Mamayev Posts." ”

With Chuikov's telegram in hand, I took the lead and walked back to my desk, looked down at the map on the table, and found that on our way back, we had to break through not only the German line northwest of Heights 107.5, but also the Romanian cavalry regiment. If they wait for our armored forces to pass through and strike from the flanks of our troops, they will deal a devastating blow to our infantry, who are lagging behind.

Thinking about the current situation of friend and foe, my heart also brightened. I threw the telegram on the table, stood up straight and looked at the commanders around me, and said in a steady tone: "Comrade commanders, if we want to follow the orders of our superiors, we can make the transfer. We will be faced with two choices: one is to abandon all the baggage and ammunition, take the infantry units in trucks, follow behind the tanks and armored vehicles, and rush forward as many as we can, regardless of casualties. The second was for Lieutenant Prulli to command the panzer to assault forward, with our tanks tearing a hole in the German line, and then the infantry in armored vehicles dismounted, occupied and widened the gap, and covered the main force carrying the baggage. With our current strength, there should be no problem in breaking through the German defenses, as long as we return to the Mamayev post, if the Germans dare to attack again, I will definitely give them a lesson that they will never forget. ”

After listening to my words, Bantai Leev said with some confusion: "Comrade division commander, how can I listen to what you said that these two choices are almost the same. The only difference is that one solution needs to get rid of the baggage. And the other does not need to be abandoned. ”

"There are still differences." I hurriedly explained to Bantai Leev. At the same time, it also made the other commanders understand what was going on, "The first option, the advantage is to ensure that the troops can return to the Mamayev post in the shortest possible time, and the disadvantage is that the captured baggage ammunition and so on have to be left behind, and even the German prisoners cannot be taken away." The second option, although it would affect some speed, would ensure that the baggage, the wounded, and the prisoners were safely transported back to Mamayev Hill. ”

"Comrade Division Commander." After waiting for me to finish, Sederikov cautiously asked: "I don't know which option you prefer?" ”

"Needless to say. The second option, of course. Without hesitation, I replied: "At present, the troops holding on to the Mamayev Gang are extremely short of weapons, ammunition, food and medicine, and if we can get this batch of baggage back, we will be more sure that we will hold the Mamayev Heights." Since we had to pass near the camp of the Romanian cavalry regiment on our way back, we had to allocate sufficient forces to take up the task of interdiction. ”

After saying this, I saw that all the commanders were nodding their heads in agreement, and immediately began to give orders: "Major Terenkov's regiment and three battalions." Immediately escort all the captives south, and join the camp in the south with the remaining four regiments and three battalions. Lieutenant Colonel Sederyan led the 2nd battalion of Captain Serebryanny and the troops directly under the regiment. Load all the baggage and wounded into the car, wait until it gets dark, and go to the camp to the south with the armored troops. Immediately after the build-up, Kosgaard's 3rd Regiment and 2nd Battalion moved south, and after passing through the camp to the south, it continued southward to join up with the battalion of Captain Dubrovsky, which remained in the fortifications, to strengthen the defense of the area. ”

After I gave the order, Captain Nikolai, who I had missed, said anxiously: "Comrade division commander, the other battalions have tasks, so what is the task of our first battalion?" ”

"Captain Nikolai, don't be in a hurry." I smiled and said to Nikolai, who took the initiative to ask for battle: "I have not forgotten you, the task entrusted to your battalion is very difficult. Prepare your defensive positions before dark, in the direction facing the camp of the Romanian cavalry regiment. As soon as the enemy perceives our movements and attempts to attack us from the flanks, you must resolutely hold them back. Do you understand? ”

"Understood!" Nikolai replied loudly with a smile on his face.

"Now that the mission is clear, let's all go back to our respective units." Without hesitation, I gave the order to the commanders present to evict the guests, "Whether we can return to Mamayev Hill smoothly depends on whether you have done a good job of preparation, so you must not take it lightly." ”

The commanders saluted me and turned away.

When Pantai Leyev and the others were about to go, they asked me in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, what are we going to do next?" ”

I raised my hand and looked at my watch, and said disapprenously: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, there are still a few hours before dark, hurry up and rest, don't wait a while walking on the road and dozing off, I don't know what happened when I was captured by the Germans." ”

Originally, I was just joking with Bantai Leev to liven up the tense atmosphere, but I didn't expect him to pat the pistol on his waist and say solemnly: "Comrade division commander, my gun is full of bullets, as long as there is one bullet, I will never let the Germans take me prisoner." ”

I saw a joke of my own, which made Bantai Leev a little anxious, and hurriedly changed the topic: "Okay, comrade deputy division commander, there is not much time, hurry up and rest." After saying that, he found a place against the wall and sat down and closed his eyes.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I was woken up by Shederikov. He had already left, but he returned to the command post at some point, stood in front of me and carefully asked: "Comrade division commander, tonight we are a large army, when those armored units and trucks are moving, do they drive with the lights on or off?" ”

If Shedelikov hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about it. Since Shederikov asked at this moment, I replied unequivocally: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, tonight we are a large-scale transfer, there are so many tanks, armored vehicles and trucks, and it is unrealistic to want to hide such a big movement from the eyes and ears of the Germans. Anyway, the time we have to buy now is to let the car move forward with its headlights on when it is moving. ”

I wanted to sleep for a while, but when I was disturbed by Sederikov, I suddenly lost my sleepiness. After he left, I shook my head at Pantaileyev and said, "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you are about to leave here, don't you want to go outside to see?" ”

Pantai Leev nodded and replied, "Let's go, Comrade Division Commander, although we haven't been here for a long time, I'm really a little reluctant to let me leave now." ”

We came to the half-blown observation post, and before entering, Bandereev smiled and said: "Comrade division commander, if Captain Serebryanny had not pulled us out in time, I guess we would have been buried under this pile of masonry and rubble." ”

Hearing him say this, I didn't say anything but smiled, and was the first to walk into the observation post, holding up my binoculars and looking down the hillside. At the foot of the hill, I saw that the wreckage of the German destroyed tanks and the corpses of soldiers were scattered all over the place.

When seeing this scene, while feeling the results achieved by our army, Bandereev asked worriedly: "Comrade division commander, the Germans suffered two losses in front of our positions, do you say they will come again?" ”

I thought about this question and replied, "Not today, after all, they have been ambushed by us twice in succession under the high ground. If I were the commander of the German army, I would not rashly send troops to die, but I would have to think carefully about how to eliminate the troops lying in ambush nearby. ”

After hearing my words, Pandereev could not help but rejoice: "Fortunately, the Germans were scared by our two beatings, otherwise it would not be so easy to withdraw once our troops were entangled by them." ”

Bandereev was glad that the Germans would not attack the heights again for a short time, giving us plenty of time to calmly withdraw our troops, while I was lamenting that I could not join forces with the Don Front. Although I thought it was an impossible task when I received the order to go north, I was now standing less than a hundred kilometers from the troops of the Don Front, and the middle part of the road was filled with German infantry and tank divisions, and it became a barrier that we could not cross. When I think about this, I can't help but feel a lot of regret in my heart. (A good event for pie in the sky, cool mobile phones are waiting for you!) Follow from ~ Dian/Chinese network public account (WeChat add friends - add public account - enter ddxiaoshuo), participate now! Everyone has a prize, now pay attention to ddxiaoshuo WeChat public account! (To be continued......)