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Although I was still at Mamayev Heights, I took the initiative to hand over the command of the troops to attack the city of Gorodyshev to Bandereev, but at this moment I found that his style of play was too modest. If we continue to fight according to his style of play, our siege war can easily become a war of attrition that outweighs the losses, and even if we barely capture the city, it will be a crushing victory. In order to quickly recapture the city from the Germans, I decisively took back the command of the troops from the hands of Bandereev.

After all the commanders left, I frowned again and considered if there was anything I had missed, so I thought about it, and I really found a problem, I actually forgot to take the German artillery factor into account, in the morning, the positions of the 107.5 heights and the four regiments were not less bombarded by them, if Morozov's artillery battalion opened fire, they suppressed the fire, how should we respond? Thinking of this, I hurriedly turned my head and asked Pantai Leev: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, do you know where the artillery positions of the German army are?" ”

Kirillov, who was standing next to him playing soy sauce, was nervous when he heard me ask, and hurriedly asked Bandereev: "Old man, have you figured out the location of the German artillery position?" ”

Instead of answering us right away, Pandereev turned his head to the side and shouted loudly: "Hey, Lieutenant Travkin, please come here." ”

With his shout, a young lieutenant appeared in front of us. I fixed my eyes and saw that the lieutenant who had just appeared was a scout of the Don Front, Lieutenant Travkin, who had been rescued by us some time ago. When we retreated from the city, he also returned to Mamayev Hill. Because the newly formed reconnaissance company lacked manpower, I asked him to serve as the deputy company commander in the company.

Pantai Leev walked up to Travkin and said to him with a stern expression: "Comrade lieutenant, you can report to the division commander about the situation of the German artillery that you have reconnoitred." ”

Lieutenant Travkin hurriedly turned to face me, raised his hand and saluted, and reported: "Comrade division commander, according to our reconnaissance, most of the German artillery was destroyed by our air force, and the remaining artillery. They were scattered and hidden in sturdy buildings. The two attacks we launched were thwarted because the tanks that opened the way were destroyed by the artillery fire of the Germans hidden in the building, and the infantry following behind lost cover and became the target of the enemy's fire......"

"Alright, Comrade Lieutenant." Before Travkin could finish speaking, Pandereev interrupted him impatiently and waved at him. He said, "It's none of your business here, so go back to your own troops first." ”

Although Travkin has already reported that most of the artillery of the German army has been destroyed by our air force. But Kirillov still said worriedly: "Comrade division commander, what about the enemy's artillery hidden in the building?" If we don't get rid of them completely, a new offensive will still be thwarted. ”

I understand that what Kirillov said is true, and that if we fail to clear these artillery-equipped German defensive positions, our commanders and fighters will pay a terrible price for every step forward. However, judging by the reaction of the Germans, they did not carry out a counterattack after the defeat of our attack, which proves that they either have limited forces or are frightened by our air force. Although the latter is more likely to be larger. But the sky was gradually getting darker, and the planes that had been hovering over the battlefield were flying away one after another. In the ensuing period, our new assault on the city could only be completed with the support of a very small number of tanks and artillery.

At this moment, Morozov's artillery battalion opened fire. Shells and rockets exploded on the streets of the city, and the smoke and dust raised obscured the sky. The entire city was immediately shrouded in smoke.

Suddenly Kirillov's voice came to my ears, because the explosion was so loud that although he shouted in my ear, I still felt as if it was coming from a long distance, and I couldn't really hear it. He probably saw that our shelling was too fierce, so he kindly reminded me: "Comrade division commander. If this kind of artillery fire continues, the city will be completely destroyed. ”

I ignored Kirillov's reminder, but continued to hold the binoculars and look ahead, saying in my heart that the battle has reached this point, and there is still any need to make our commanders and fighters pay a greater price in order to save a small city?

In the course of the shelling. Both Persjian and his men rushed into the tanks and armored vehicles parked next to them and started the vehicles. We were in the middle of several armored vehicles, and now as soon as the vehicles started, puffs of black smoke erupted from the rear of the vehicles, forcing us to find another place.

As soon as the shelling was over, Persjian's tank battalion was the first to rush into the city, which was still under fire, followed by four regiments of infantry in tanks and armored vehicles.

Looking at the troops pouring into the city like a tidal wave, Kirillov said to me in a loud voice: "Comrade Oshanina, will our offensive be successful?" ”

"Comrade Political Commissar," I turned my head to look at him, and said helplessly, "I don't know, this has to see how effective the attack of the four regiments is, before I can draw a conclusion." ”

Due to the well-prepared shelling beforehand, the attack seemed to go smoothly, and the tank battalion and infantry quickly rushed into the smoke. Because I couldn't see clearly, I could only judge the intensity of the battle based on the sound of gunfire coming from ahead.

However, this situation did not last long, and Gaidar's information was soon transmitted back through the intercom:

"The first battalion has captured several buildings guarded by the Germans, and at the moment it is developing in depth!"

"The second battalion rushed into the bus station south of the city and was engaged in an exchange of fire with the enemy hiding in the waiting hall!"

"The third battalion is advancing towards the central square of the city under the cover of armored forces!"

“……”

Hearing this series of reports, both Kirillov and Pandereev had smiles on their faces. Kirillov also said with relief: "This Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar fought really well, and after only a long time in this battle, the fourth regiment occupied almost a quarter of the city." ”

I'm still very unhappy with the speed of advancement, knowing that it will be dark soon. Once it gets dark, the role of our artillery and tanks in street fighting is greatly reduced, so I hope they will achieve greater results before dark.

I hurriedly instructed the operator to get in touch with the Third Regiment and ask them how the situation was there. Lieutenant Colonel Oleg reported to me that after launching an offensive on the enemy's positions, they managed to capture several points of fire support of the German troops. At present, the German army is concentrating its forces and carrying out a counterattack against them. Trying to retake all these positions.

Due to the stubborn resistance of the German troops in the city, the attack from both the east and south directions was stalled. Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar reported: "...... As the 3rd Battalion approached the central square, it was blocked by German troops hiding in the church, destroying the tanks and armoured vehicles that opened the way, and the infantry that followed them suffered heavy casualties. ”

When I heard that the attack had been frustrated and that the troops had suffered heavy casualties, my heart became anxious. I simply said to Bandereev: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander. That's up to you. Then he shook his head at Kirillov, who was standing next to him, and said, "Let's go." Comrade Political Commissar, let's go to the city and have a look. ”

As soon as Kirillov and I had walked a few steps, we suddenly remembered something again, and hurriedly stopped again, and told Pantaireev: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, if the artillery battalion comes over later, you can ask Major Morozov to come to me in the city." ”

To ensure Kirillov's safety, I had one of the remaining fighters take off his body armor and put it on for Kirillov. Then he took a group of guards and soldiers to the city.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the headquarters of Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar, a building a few hundred meters from the central square. As a result of the shelling we had just fired, the building had collapsed in half, and Gaidar had set up his headquarters in a room that was still in good condition. This room has a great view, and you can clearly see the central square from the window.

I held up my binoculars and looked into the distance, with the help of the light of the burning fire. I saw that the magnificent church next to the central square, which was seven or eight meters above the ground, had been turned into a strong fortress, and all the doors and windows were blocked with masonry, leaving only cold bullet holes pointing in all directions. On the platform outside the church are barricades made of sandbags and wood. Rifles, machine guns or machine guns protrude from each of the gun holes and shooting holes, and the three-dimensional fire network in the church fortress is located. It covers the entire square and several intersections around it. The road leading to the central square was covered with the remains of the fallen commanders and fighters of our division and the wreckage of destroyed tanks and armored vehicles.

Gaidar stood beside me, pointed ahead and said bitterly: "Comrade division commander, the Germans have turned this church into a strong fortress, and the shelling just now did not destroy it at all. As soon as our troops rushed to the square, they were met with condescending and frantic fire from the enemy hiding in the church. We've rushed three times. Aside from the hundreds of corpses thrown at a time, the staircase leading to the platform was inaccessible. ”

"Comrade Oshanina, what should we do?" After all, Kirillov was a political cadre, and when he saw that our offensive had been frustrated, he was a little confused, "If we don't defeat this enemy fortress, we won't be able to attack it no matter how many troops we send." ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, don't be in a hurry!" Although Kirillov and Gaidar were anxious, I calmed down at the moment, since the church opposite was the defensive support point on which the Germans depended, and if it was destroyed, the enemy's will to resist would be affected, and in the following battle, our attack would become smooth. "I've figured out a way to take out this fortress."

"Ah, you came up with a solution?" Kirillov asked rhetorically in disbelief: "The church occupied by the Germans is so strong that even our tanks can't take it, do you have any way to destroy it?" ”

Before I could speak, I heard a familiar voice at the door: "Hey, I said comrade soldier, is the division commander here?" ”

I heard that it was Morozov, so I turned to look at the door and shouted: "Is it Major Morozov?" Hurry up and get inside. ”

When Morozov entered the door, he saw that Kirillov and I were there, smiled innocently, and was about to raise his hand to salute us. I was anxious to destroy the German fortress, and I didn't bother to talk to him about these false courtesies, so I grabbed him by the arm, pulled him to the window, pointed to the church in the distance and asked him: "Comrade Major, do you see the church in front?" The Germans built a strong fortress there, blocking the path of our army's advance, do you have a way to take it out? ”

Morozov looked at the church in front of him, stretched out his hands and gestured for a long time, and finally replied regretfully: "Comrade division commander, it is very difficult. The reason why this church was not destroyed in the early shelling was that it was in a special location, most of the shells fell in its vicinity, and occasionally one or two hits were made, and the damage to it was not great. I think it's very difficult to destroy it directly. ”

When I heard Morozov say such things, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, so I had to remind him: "Comrade Major. I don't think you understand what I mean. I want you to place artillery positions in the streets and fire straight at the German fortresses. ”

Morozov's jaw almost fell to the ground in astonishment when he heard me say this, and it took him a long time to retort to me: "Comrade division commander, you must know that heavy artillery is fired indirectly at targets, and if it is fired directly, it is a serious violation of military regulations." ”

"To hell with the ordinance." I said impatiently: "Immediately place your battalion's heavy artillery on the streets." There were also those rocket launchers that were all on the line, aiming directly at the German fortresses for firing. ”

See that I have signs of anger. Morozov did not dare to refute, so he could only honestly agree, then turned around and ran out of the room to set up a new artillery position.

A quarter of an hour later, the laid artillery positions began to fire in a salvo. The sound of the cannon was deafening, the fire from the muzzle of the cannon was continuous, and the rockets with tail flames flew towards the target. In the rising firelight, broken bricks and tiles were constantly thrown into the air along with the stumps and broken arms of German soldiers, and many gun holes, shooting holes and barricades made of doors and windows were blasted away in an instant. In the course of the shelling. There were also a few surviving tanks of our army, slowly approaching the platform of the church, firing direct fire at close range with tank guns and vehicle-mounted machine guns.

As soon as the shelling was over, our commanders and fighters hidden in nearby buildings rushed out with a shout and rushed to the German positions in droves. Not many German officers and soldiers survived the close shelling of our forts, so their resistance to the swarming of our commanders and fighters was weak. It can even be negligible.

Seeing such a result, both Kirillov and Gaidar were stunned. After a long time, Gaidar muttered: "My God, I didn't expect that heavy artillery could be used like this, and the effect achieved was so amazing." ”

I smiled at him. He said proudly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this style of play is called 'bayonet on cannon', and it is specially used against the enemy's strong fortresses. You must bear in mind that in future battles, the rational use of various technical equipment can effectively reduce unnecessary casualties among our commanders and fighters. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Division Commander." Lieutenant Colonel Gaidar replied to me with a look of ecstasy: "In the future battles." I will certainly make rational use of all kinds of technical equipment to reduce the casualties of our troops. ”

After the German fortified fortress was destroyed by our artillery fire, the morale of the defenders of the city was severely damaged. Over the next few hours of fighting, they retreated step by step to the west of the city. Seeing that the enemy was demoralized, I decisively threw the Sedjerikov regiment into battle, which was in reserve.

The accession of the Sedjerikov regiment became the last straw that broke the camel's back. By daybreak, we managed to occupy the entire city, while the surviving Germans withdrew from the west of the city, which we had deliberately moved out of.

I sent a telegram to Chuikov about the victory, giving a detailed account of the capture of the city of Gorodishe, and at the end of the telegram I begged him to contact the air force to provide us with the necessary air support in the ensuing battle to capture the city.

Chuikov's reply arrived half an hour later, with only a few short sentences: "Air Force pilots will carry out intensive assaults on the German defensive positions in your battle to seize the air pinches!" ”

With Chuikov's promise, I suddenly had a lot more confidence, so I immediately gathered several regiment commanders and assigned tasks to them. Since the first and third regiments have participated in the northward operation, in today's battle, the two regiments will play the leading role.

I said to all the commanders in high spirits: "Comrades, in yesterday's battle, everyone was very good, and the first to attack the city were the four regiments, one battalion and one company, and according to Commander Chuikov's agreement in advance, the number of the four regiments and one battalion will be named after the commander of the battalion. Seeing that everyone cast envious eyes on Gaidar, I struck while the iron was hot and said, "There are still many opportunities for meritorious service in the future, and I hope that everyone can seize this opportunity and make new contributions in the battle!" ”

Seeing that everyone's enthusiasm was aroused by me, I began to assign tasks: "The main task of the attack on the city will be carried out by the regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Sedjerikov. Since the city was blown up by German planes some time ago, I believe that there will not be too many defenders in the city, so a regiment will quickly seize the city under the cover of the air force. After the capture of the city, the 3rd Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard launched an attack on the heights north of the city. After occupying the heights, they stuck there and waited for the Don Front and our divisions to go south! ”

After the 1st and 3rd regiments set out, the 2nd and 4th regiments stayed in the city to clean up the battlefield and seize the time to rest.

At 3 p.m., Shedelikov excitedly reported to me on the intercom: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, we have taken the city of Kongjiaoyi. ”

"What about the casualties of the troops?"

"One company was killed or wounded," said Sederikov, after a brief report on his casualties, and then excitedly reported his results, "We annihilated one German battalion headquarters and two companies, killed the battalion commander, and captured the deputy battalion commander and three company-level officers. ”

Hearing such a result, I nodded with satisfaction, and then asked, "What is the situation of the third regiment?" ”

"Lieutenant Colonel Koska's troops are attacking the high ground," Sederikov replied cautiously when he heard me asking about the situation of the 3rd Regiment, "according to the report of our men, he has taken exactly the same attack as the one you commanded, and I believe that it will not be long before the high ground is taken." ”

It was said that the high ground would soon be captured, but it turned out that until an hour later, I could not contact Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard, and I was anxious that something had happened to him.

Just as I was about to ask Shederikov to send someone to check what was going on with the 3rd Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Koskaa finally got in touch. When he heard my voice, he excitedly reported: "Comrade division commander, we have seized the enemy's high ground. ”

After listening to his report, I snorted and said angrily: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, Shedelikov captured the city of Kongjian an hour ago, and you have only now captured the enemy's poorly defended position, the speed is really too slow!" ”

Unexpectedly, he suddenly said in shock: "Comrade division commander, you must not have imagined that we will be a teacher!" Reunite with your allies! (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )

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