The battle began at the moment when the German infantry stepped on the mines laid at the foot of the heights. As soon as the mines sounded, the soldiers hiding at the foot of the mountain opened fire without hesitation, beating the German soldiers, who were overwhelmed by the mines. In order to cover the withdrawal of their infantry from the minefield, the German tanks did not hesitate to open fire in an attempt to suppress our firepower, but the fire from the shells exposed their positions and became the target of our artillery battalions.

After listening to Akhromeyev's report on the state of the battle, I asked curiously: "Comrade Chief of Staff, where did the mines buried at the foot of the heights come from?" If I'm not mistaken, we ran out of mines since last week. ”

Akhromeyev laughed at my question but did not answer, and Bandereev next to him reacted quickly, and he asked tentatively: "Chief of Staff, these mines will not be moved from outside the forward position occupied by the Fourth Regiment, right?" ”

Akhromeyev nodded and replied with a smile: "It's still the deputy division commander who guessed correctly, Major Yamin privately said to Captain Mihayev that these mines are buried behind the positions of the four regiments and one company, and they are easy to blow up their own people, so it is better to use them and let them play a little role." So Comrade Mihayev went with more than forty fighters, raised all the mines, and buried them under the 107.5 heights. ”

Due to the battle to defend the heights that was going on outside, our army was calculating or unintentional, relying on the favorable terrain on the heights, to repel the German troops coming from afar, and there should be no problem, so after listening to the report, I ordered Akhromeyev: "Comrade Chief of Staff, wait until the battle is over." You have to get a good grasp of the work of replenishing the troops and strengthening their training. Strive to do so in the shortest possible time. Let the troops form a fighting force, otherwise you and I will all wait to go to court-martial. ”

"Why do you have to go to a court-martial?" Suddenly Kirillov's familiar voice came from the door, and I turned my head to see him and the guard battalion commander Basmanov walking in from outside the door.

"I am talking to the chief of staff about urging the regiments to step up the recruitment of soldiers and strengthen training." As I spoke, I walked towards Kirillov and asked: "Comrade commissar." Have you received all the weapons and ammunition? ”

Kirillov nodded with a smile and said proudly: "I brought it back, and the commander of the logistics department, after seeing the order of the commander of the front, was very enthusiastic about me and immediately arranged for people to move weapons and ammunition for us." Because there were too many supplies for us, one of the companies I brought with me couldn't finish moving, and in the end, I asked the third regiment to transfer two companies over to help, and I finished moving the things. After that, he took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me, "Look, this is the list of supplies." ”

I took the list and opened it. I saw that it was written: "1300 rifles, 300 submachine guns." 150 pistols, 20 light machine guns, 4 heavy machine guns, 20,000 grenades, 200,000 rounds of various bullets, and 700 rounds of anti-tank gun shells......" When I saw half of it, I was overjoyed and said to Kirillov excitedly: "Political commissar, the superiors are really generous, they have replenished us with so many weapons and ammunition at once, so that we can first arm a regiment, and at the same time recruit a large number of new soldiers, and strive to form a strong combat effectiveness in a short time." ”

Kirillov replied casually, and then asked with concern: "How is the battle on the 107.5 heights going?" When I came back, I could hear the gunfire coming from there, and the battle must have been fierce, right? ”

"The Germans sent infantry to attack the high ground and stepped on mines at the foot of the mountain, and then our troops who were hidden around opened fire decisively." After a brief account of the situation on the high ground, I finally made a concluding remark: "The enemy came from afar, and before he had time to rest, he immediately threw himself into battle, and in addition to the fact that our army relied on ready-made fortifications to wait for work, I believe that they will soon be able to push them back." ”

As soon as I finished speaking, the telephone on the desk rang, because Akhromeyev was standing next to me, looking at the list I handed him, and the deputy division commander Pantai Leyev was answering the phone. After listening for a moment, he covered the microphone and said excitedly: "The division commander, the political commissar, and the deputy commander of the 2nd Regiment, Major Yaming, report that the enemy attacking the high ground has retreated in disgrace. At the foot of the hill were two destroyed tanks, an armored car, five trucks, and more than a hundred German corpses. ”

As soon as I waited for him to finish speaking, I immediately couldn't wait to ask, "Has Major Yaming figured out whether the enemy will temporarily withdraw to rest or leave completely?" ”

"Major Yameen," Bantai Laiev quickly removed the hand covering the microphone and conveyed my words to the other party. After hearing the exact answer, he put down the phone and reported to me: "Comrade division commander, I have already asked clearly, after the enemy retreated, Major Yaming sent scouts to reconnoitre, and after discovering that the enemy had retreated some distance, he regrouped and headed north. ”

Several of us breathed a sigh of relief when we heard that the Germans had retreated, and then we began to discuss how to arm our regiment as best we could, and recruit more soldiers to strengthen ourselves.

The offensive of the Don Front officially began in the early morning of the 21st.

Half an hour after the start of the offensive, the headquarters of the army group sent us a telegram saying that because of the change in the enemy situation, the offensive of the Don Front was not going well, so our division would not move for the time being and wait for further orders from the higher-ups.

After receiving this order, Akhromeyev frowned and said to himself: "Since the command of the army group ordered us to stand still for the time being, then what should we do next?" ”

"There's so much you can do, my Comrade Chief of Staff." I said angrily: "For example, go and urge the 2nd Regiment and 1st Battalion to continue to strengthen the fortifications on the 107.5 Heights, and then urge the regiments to use this precious time to strengthen the training of recruits." Akhromeyev's face flushed at what I said, and he walked to the telephone without saying a word and went to make a call.

After standing by the wall and looking at the map for a long time, Kirillov turned his head and asked me: "Comrade Oshanina, although the Mamayev Heights and the 107.5 heights are calm at present, we cannot take it lightly. If the main force goes north. Which regiment do you intend to leave for the defense? ”

Because these days are busy recruiting. I didn't bother to discuss which regiment to send north to fight, and now Kirillov asked, and I pondered for a moment, and then replied: "In this operation, without drawing one soldier and one soldier of the second regiment, and three battalions of the first, third, and fourth regiments, we will form a northward cluster, and I will lead it to join the friendly army. ”

Something about who led the troops to the north. We argued several times, and both Bandaeev and Akhromeyev wanted to go, but Kirillov reported the matter to the army group headquarters, and after I, Chuikov, and Gurov struggled, we finally agreed that I would lead the troops north.

"And what about the enemies in the city of Gorodishe?" "The enemy has tanks and artillery, and with our existing armament, it is almost impossible to break through their defensive positions," Kirillov said worriedly. ”

I also knew in my heart that with the forces and weapons we had, we were going to attack the Germans, which were well fortified and equipped with tanks and artillery. It's purely an egg hitting a stone, so come one. The tragedy at the time of the breakthrough of Liuban will be repeated again. But if my superiors really give us the order to attack, I can only rush forward with my troops. to enter, but also to die; If you don't enter, you will die, and the heroic point of simply dying is better than being shot after being tried by a military court.

While I was in a dilemma, Bandereev suddenly said: "Why should we attack the enemy? ”

"Huh?!" His words made us all stunned, and I asked in confusion: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, if we don't attack, how can we get through the enemy's defense line?" ”

Pandereev smiled slightly, walked to the map, pointed to the small city that gave me a headache, Gorodishe, and said unhurriedly: "Division commander, political commissar, you see, although this small city is blocking our way north, we are only going north to join the friendly army, not to attack the enemy's well-defended cities. Since we can't get through the city, we can consider going around the city! ”

Bantai Leev's words really woke up the dreamer, and after hearing this, I raised my hand and slapped my forehead a few times, secretly scolding myself for getting into the horns of the bull at such a time. Bandelyev was right, the superiors only ordered us to join the friendly forces going south, and did not let us attack the fortifications, which complicated the simple problem. Thinking of this, I quickly turned my head and shouted at Razumeyeva: "Lieutenant, immediately contact the reconnaissance detachment near the small city of Gorodishe, and let them try to find a way around the city." ”

In the afternoon, a telegram from the headquarters of the army group gave us a detailed account of the progress of the Don Front: General Malinovsky's 66th Army, which was in charge of a frontal attack, was counterattacked by the Germans after being wedged five kilometers into the German lines. After recovering the lost positions, the Germans took the opportunity to follow our retreating troops to the Don River, but fortunately, the commander of the 24th Army, General Galanin, sent a division in time to launch a fierce offensive against the enemy's flank, forcing the enemy to stop the offensive.

Seeing this telegram, Kirillov sighed and said with relief: "Since the attack of the Don Front is not going well, it is estimated that our sortie will be delayed. This gives us more time to strengthen the training of our troops. ”

On the 21st, our division stood still at Mamayev Height. As a result, we waited until the next day to receive no order to attack, and it was not until the evening that we received a telegram from the headquarters of the army group saying that the 66th Army and the 24th Army had advanced only three to five kilometers each after a day of fighting. Because the distance is too far, there is little point for the independent division to attack at the moment, so let us continue to stand still, when to attack, and wait for the next notice from the superiors.

Although we were unable to send troops for two days in a row, we did not waste these hard-won two days, and after the strict training of the regiments, the newly recruited stragglers and armed citizens barely had a certain combat effectiveness, at least in the face of the enemy's attack, the troops would not blow up the group because of panic.

On the afternoon of the 23rd, Kirillov was a little anxious because he had waited for a day without waiting for an order, and he stayed by the walkie-talkie and kept saying to me: "Comrade Oshanina, you once said that it is possible for the superiors to let us attack on the 23rd. Today is the 23rd, do you think Commander Chuikov will let us attack? ”

As he spoke, the phone on the desk rang again. I thought it was a call from one of the following regiments asking for instructions, so I impatiently ordered Akhromeyev: "Chief of staff, you go and answer the phone and ask them what is the matter?" ”

Unexpectedly, as soon as Akhromeyev heard two sentences, he immediately covered the microphone with his hand and said to me nervously: "Comrade division commander, it is the phone call of General Krylov, chief of staff of the group army. ”

I looked at the phone in Akhromeyev's hand and wondered: "Strange, our telephone line here to the headquarters of the army group was not blown up, when it was repaired, why don't I know?" ”

"Yesterday, yesterday afternoon, it was fixed." Bandereev smiled next to him and said: "Because you and Comrade Political Commissar went to inspect the troops below, I don't know about this. ”

I took the phone from Akhromeyev's hand and said politely into the microphone: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff of the Army Group, I am Oshanina, the commander of the independent division, what instructions do you have?" ”

"Comrade Oshanina, the situation in the city is very bad!" Krylov said in a hoarse voice: "On October 21 and 22, the fascist forces launched an offensive against the Smehotvorov and Guryev divisions along the Commune Street and the Central Street. From this day on, the battles for the 'barricade' factory, the 'Red October' factory and the crossing of the Volga River became increasingly fierce.

The German air force again began to make 2,000 sorties a day and night, repeatedly bombing our defensive positions. In the past two days, under the stubborn resistance of our army, the enemy lost 15 tanks and more than 1,000 infantry. The German positions were so close to our positions that we could use flamethrowers. The newly equipped flamethrowers are capable of spewing fire at a distance of 100 meters, burning a living being.

Today, the enemy threw the replenished 79th Infantry Division into battle along with tanks. Covered by a large number of aircraft, they again attacked our troops. The main direction of the assault was on Central Street, Karuselnaya Street and the 'Red October' factory, and now the focus of the battle has shifted to the area from the 'barricade' factory to Bannegou.

At noon, the enemy, at the cost of huge losses, broke through to Stalinaya Avenue (to the bakery) and crossed the factory-specific railway, which was piled with wrecked wagons. About one company of enemy automatic gunners infiltrated the fan-shaped area northwest of the 'Red October' factory. The front line of the battle approached about 300~500 meters to the banks of the Volga River, posing a serious threat to the last crossing of the army group. ”

After listening to Krylov's briefing, I quickly asked: "Comrade General, what is the task of our independent division?" I said this with a drum beating in my heart, and I secretly prayed that he would not transfer us into the city again.

But fortunately, what I feared did not happen, and he simply ordered: "According to the commander's order, the troops of your division will immediately go north, go and join the friendly forces going south, and attract the enemy troops in the city." ”

"Understood, I promise to complete the mission." As soon as I put down the phone, I asked Akhromeyev to inform the commanders of several regiments and battalions participating in the battle to come to a meeting, and when the troops were assembled, I immediately took them north to join the friendly forces going south. (To be continued......)