As soon as Akhromeyev's report was finished, Nadya, a telegraph operator sitting nearby, also stood up, handed me the headset and microphone in her hand, and said at the same time: "Comrade division commander, the chief of staff of the group army is on the line, and he wants to speak to you." ”

I took off my headphones, handed them to Razumeyeva, and walked a few steps to Nadya's side. After putting on the headphones, I trembled into the microphone and said: "I'm Colonel Oshanina, hello, General Krylov. ”

"I'm bad!" Krylov's angry voice came from the headset: "Just now the intelligence department intercepted the enemy's telegram that they had captured the Mamayev post, I want to ask if this is true?" Why didn't you report it in a timely manner? ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, please listen to my explanation......" I defended myself.

"I don't want to hear any explanation from you." Without waiting for me to finish, Krylov unceremoniously interrupted me and continued to ask: "You only need to tell me whether the position at Mamayev Hill has been occupied by the Germans. Yes, or no? ”

Krylov asked, I really had a hard time answering, saying that it was occupied, but the southern high ground where the division headquarters was located was still in the hands of our army; Let's say that it was not occupied, but the northern slope was full of German soldiers at the moment, and some of them were even coming down the southern slope and approaching our heights.

Hearing that I had not answered for a long time, Krylov became impatient: "Hey, why don't you speak. ”

I muttered to reply: "The enemy currently occupies surface positions on the northern heights. ”

"What surface position is not surface position?!" Krylov said angrily: "It is an order from the Supreme Commander himself to let you hold the Mamayev post. If you can't hold on, you're not going to court martial instead of going to court-martial. Rather, it is the direct enforcement of battlefield discipline. Think about the fate of the commander and commissar of the 92nd Brigade. "Speaking of which. He suddenly slowed down his tone and said, "Comrade Oshanina, not only the commander and military commissar, but even I don't want any accidents to happen to you. Therefore, as your leader, I do not give orders to you, but build yì to you, taking advantage of the fact that the Germans are not gaining a firm foothold. Immediately organize troops to carry out a counterattack and recapture the lost positions from the enemy. ”

Because Krylov suddenly mentioned the fate of the commander of the 92nd brigade, the political commissar, it scared me enough, after all, I saw the fate of the two with my own eyes. When I listened to him next, I only felt that my throat was dry, and the sweat on my body couldn't stop gushing out, so I could only nod my head again and again, and I couldn't speak at all.

Finally, when Krylov hung up the phone, Kirillov and Akhromeyev, who had already heard our conversation clearly, surrounded them, and the two asked with concern: "Division commander." Now that Comrade Chief of Staff of the group army is already angry, should we immediately organize troops to carry out a counterattack? Take back the surface positions in the northern highlands? ”

As I listened to Akhromeyev and Kirillov, I thought about what to do. Thinking about it, it is very difficult to immediately launch a counterattack against the enemy in front of us, not to mention that the enemy can use our fortifications for defense, but the overwhelming artillery fire is enough to wipe out most of our attacking forces. At this time, the counterattack obviously did not have the desired effect, but increased the casualties of the troops in vain.

Before I could say what I thought, the phone on the wooden table rang. Akhromeyev hurriedly went over and picked up the microphone, listened for a while, and said with a stern expression: "I know." Then he hung up. Seeing that he put down the phone, I hurriedly asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, who is calling?" ”

"It was the commander of the second regiment, Major Pugachev, who called, and he said that the first attack of the Germans, which had already been repulsed, and now the enemy had retreated into a ravine between two heights......"

Kirillov didn't wait for him to finish, then rudely interrupted what he was talking about and asked dissatisfiedly: "Why didn't the 2nd Regiment take the opportunity to counterattack and destroy this group of enemies?" ”

Seeing that the commissar was on fire, Akhromeyev hurriedly told him: "After the enemy occupied the heights to the north, a lot of machine guns were erected on the top of the slope, and the positions of the 2nd Regiment on the mountainside were suppressed by their fire. Just after the enemy retreated, our commanders and fighters had just jumped out of the trenches when they were strafed by the enemy's machine guns, and many comrades were killed. ”

"What is the enemy doing in the ravine, is he adjusting his formation and preparing to attack again?" I was thinking about what Akhromeyev had just said, so I waited for Kirillov to explain it to Kirillov and then brought the topic back.

"Division commanders, political commissars, as you know, in the ravines, there are quite a few bomb shelters and craters formed by shelling and bombing, and the enemy takes advantage of these terrains to conceal themselves, and we have no way to deal with them." At this point, he suddenly remembered what he had just said, and added, "By the way, Major Pugachev also reported that the enemy had set up a horn on the high ground opposite and was shouting to our commanders and fighters in an attempt to shake our morale. ”

After hearing this, Kirillov actually laughed angrily and said disdainfully: "These fascist invaders, do you think that just by shouting a few words with their loudspeakers, they will shake the hearts of our army, and there will be cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death to raise a white flag and surrender to them?" They're naïve. ”

When I heard Akhromeyev say that the Germans were shouting at our troops, I couldn't help but be stunned, and I thought that these Germans actually knew how to carry out a military offensive while supplementing it with a political offensive. Thinking about the composition of the independent division, I am afraid that this propaganda offensive of the enemy will severely shake my military morale.

Thinking of this, I hurriedly instructed Akhromeyev: "The enemy suddenly gave us such a move, we can't take it lightly." The chief of staff, immediately called Major Pugachev and told him to pay more attention to the reaction of the fighters and avoid accidents. ”

When Akhromeyev was on the phone, I accidentally saw Razumeeva raise the headset and microphone at me, and then I remembered that the call with Shedelikov had not yet ended, so I quickly walked over in three steps and two steps, took the headset in her hand and put it on, and tentatively shouted at the microphone: "Hey, hey, Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, are you still there?" ”

The headset soon came to Shederikov's voice: "Division commander, I'm still here." ”

In order to regain the surface position on the northern heights, it is inseparable from the support of the 1st and 3rd regiments nested in the tunnel at the moment. So I got straight to the point and asked, "Tell me about it." How many people are left in the two regiments? Are the tunnels in the hands of our army? ”

"Report to the division commander. At present, there are 231 people left in the first regiment and 894 people in the third regiment. At present, all the tunnels on the high ground are still under the control of our military. ”

Although I had expected that the casualties of the 1st and 3rd regiments in the battle would be small, when I really heard the specific casualty figures, after listening to Sederikov's report, my heart couldn't help but chuckle. I paused for a moment, waiting for myself to stabilize myself a bit, and then continued to ask him, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." I plan to wait until it gets dark and send the 2nd Regiment to counterattack the high ground to the north. When the time comes, you must rush out of the tunnel, join forces with the second regiment, and take back the position. Are you having any difficulties? ”

When Shedelikov heard that a counterattack would be carried out after dark, he could not help but excitedly say: "Division commander, please rest assured, although in the vicinity of several main exits, German troops have been found. But there are still many exits that have been blocked by the collapsed earth due to shelling and bombardment. Not detected by the enemy. By the time the 2nd Regiment begins to counterattack, we can stealthily dig up these exits. Quietly enter the position and destroy all the enemies on the position. ”

"Alright, let the fighters hurry up and rest, and I'll contact you before it gets dark."

When all three of us were seated at the table, Akhromeyev first reported to me about the phone call to Pugachev, and then took the initiative to propose his own proposal to me: "Division commander, political commissar, the enemy has set up so many machine guns on the opposite high ground, even if one regiment and three regiments cooperate, the second regiment in charge of the frontal attack will pay heavy casualties. Therefore, I propose that before the attack, the artillery on the high ground should be shelled with artillery, destroying as many enemy fire support points as possible, and then launching an attack. ”

"Chief of Staff, I think your worries are unwarranted. Our commanders and fighters are not afraid of sacrifice, and even without the support of artillery fire, they will definitely be able to break through the enemy's defenses and regain the high ground with the cooperation of friendly forces. Kirillov probably saw that our division's recent results were good, so he took it for granted that the counterattack of the 2nd Regiment would also be completed with low casualties, and specially emphasized: "There are not many shells left of the heavy howitzers we have captured, and if they are all gone, won't those guns become scrap metal?" ”

Seeing that his mention was vetoed by the political commissar, the expression on Akhromeyev's face became stiff. I waited for the two of them to stop talking, and then I said slowly, "I'll talk about my opinion." At present, as the chief of staff said, the enemy has planted a lot of machine guns on the high ground opposite, and if our troops carry out a strong attack, they will inevitably suffer heavy casualties, so the necessary fire support is still necessary. Seeing that Kirillov seemed to want to interject, I raised my hand to stop him and continued: "Comrade commissar, please listen to me. When I say fire support, I don't mean pulling up the howitzers of the housekeepers and bombarding the positions occupied by the enemy. Well, we don't have that many shells; Secondly, if the enemy discovers that there is heavy artillery on our position, then we will be under even greater pressure in the next battle. So my plan was this: the 2nd Regiment and the 1st Battalion were to take up the frontal assault, and before the attack, we fired our killer weapon, the Flying Thunder Cannon, and that guy was better at dealing with the enemy's fortifications with heavy artillery. The second battalion bypassed from the eastern side, close to the Volga River, where there were blown up oil storage tanks and a water tower, and the enemy should have had little defense. The two regiments were flanked from both sides, and the first and third regiments rushed out of the tunnels by surprise, and I do not believe that the Germans would be able to continue to hold the positions they had captured during the day under these conditions. ”

After I finished speaking, I saw that the expressions on the faces of the two of them became relaxed. Kirillov also flattered me and said: "The division commander is the division commander, and he thinks more comprehensively than us." If I were to take command, nine times out of ten I would order the troops to rush upwards at any cost, and even if the troops were exhausted, I would have to take back the high ground. ”

After listening to Kirillov's words, I just smiled bitterly and did not speak. This style of play is very common in the current Soviet army, and most of the commanders do not think about any tactics at all, but only know how to fight to the death, and use the tactics of crowds to fight and wear down the enemy's well-equipped elite troops. This is confirmed by the corpses of soldiers and workers that we saw on the way to Mamayev Hill.

After that, the three of us conducted a detailed study on how to deploy the troops after recovering their positions. Wait until we're done with this qiē. I looked up at my watch. It was an hour after I found out. Hurriedly instructed Akhromeyev: "Chief of Staff, call the commander of the second regiment and ask how his troops are doing?" ”

Akhromeyev nodded, then picked up the phone on the table and called Pugachev. At first, his expression was very relaxed, but the more he spoke, the more severe the expression on his face became, and he kept shouting at the microphone: "What do you say, say it again!" ”

At first, I thought it was a bad phone signal. But from the expression on Akhromeyev's face, I had an ominous foreknowledge in my heart, could it be that the second regiment was angry with Pugachev except for something? Thinking of this, he asked Akhromeyev straight to the point: "Chief of Staff, what happened?" ”

Akhromeyev, who was holding the microphone, heard my words and did not answer me immediately, but said into the microphone: "Comrade Major, you should personally report to the division commander." With that, he handed me the microphone.

I took the microphone. Confused, he asked Pugachev: "Hey, Major Pugachev." I'm Commander Oshanina. Tell me, what's going on? ”

"Comrade division commander, that's it." Pugachev heard that it was me, and hurriedly and respectfully reported to me: "The enemy suppressed the positions of our regiment on the mountainside with fire, so that our troops could not attack, but they did not attack, but only shouted at our fighters with loudspeakers erected on the opposite slope, saying that they could completely capture Stalingrad in one or two days, and let us lay down our arms and surrender to them, so that our personal safety could be guaranteed." ”

"Fart, can you believe the Germans?" I yelled at Pugachev, and then asked: "How is the love of the fighters?" ”

Pugachev listened to my question and was silent. After a while, he said in embarrassment: "Commander, the situation is a little bad. ”

"What's not good?" His words made my heart rise to my throat, and my heart said that the commanders and fighters of the Second Regiment would not just listen to the enemy's shouting for a while, and then want to defect collectively, right? Although this thought flashed through my mind, I still gritted my teeth and did not say it, so as not to shake the morale of the army.

"I just went to the third battalion and found that many soldiers were saying strange things, saying that the enemy had planes and tanks and artillery, but not only did we not have air supremacy, we didn't even have a few cannons, so we could only nest in the fortifications all day and night to be bombed, and it was better to surrender to the Germans as soon as possible than to wait for death like this."

Hearing him say this, I suddenly became angry, slammed my fist on the table, and asked angrily: "Major Pugachev, who is it to sue me?" Who said these bastard words? ”

Pugachev muttered: "Division commander, you also know that our regiment was replenished with more than 1,000 recruits last month, and you know better than me where these soldiers came from. Most of them had no ill feelings towards the Germans, so after listening to the propaganda of the German army, some grumbling was inevitable. ……”

"Comrade Major," I interrupted him impatiently, and ordered him at the same time, "I order you to send men at once to arrest these grumbling fighters, and find a place to lock them all up." "This is an extraordinary time, and if I really let the commanders and fighters in the division complain casually, it is very likely that the morale of the army will be shaken, and I have to take special measures to prevent it from happening.

Unexpectedly, after my order was given, Pugachev did not readily agree, but justified himself to me: "Division commander, there are hundreds of complaining fighters, you can't let me arrest them all, right?" Besides, if I capture so many people at once during the battle, I am afraid that it will cause the morale of the army to waver. ”

When I was about to speak, I suddenly felt a loosening of my hand, and the microphone in my ear was grabbed by Kirillov, who heard my order clearly, so he also said to Pugachev in a stern tone: "Comrade Major, don't you know that the orders of your superiors are not allowed to be discussed? Since the division commander has given you an order, then you can carry it out. As for the consequences of this order, that's what you should consider. Go ahead and do it now! ”

Hearing Kirillov's stern tone, Pugachev did not dare to be stubborn anymore, so he had to obediently agree: "Understood, Comrade Political Commissar, I will immediately carry it out." ”

Hearing that Pugachev agreed to carry out the order, I stretched out my hand to Kirillov and at the same time whispered to him: "Commissar, give me the phone, and I will say a few more words to the major and explain to him the reasons for my order." ”

Kirillov nodded and handed the microphone over. As soon as I put the earpiece close to my ear, before I could speak, I heard a panicked voice from inside: "Comrade Regiment Commander, Comrade Regiment Commander, something has happened!" ”

Then I heard Pugachev impatiently ask: "What are you yelling about, don't you see that I'm calling the division?" Tell me, what's going on? ”

"Report to the regiment commander, there was a squad of fighters, leaving their weapons, climbed out of the trench and ran down the hillside."

Ran down the mountain without weapons, what are these warriors going to do? Before I could figure it out, I heard Pugachev ask the fighters who came to report in amazement: "They don't want to die, they don't even have guns, they dare to attack the enemy?" ”

The soldier said with tears in his voice: "Commander, don't you understand? Instead of charging at the enemy, they threw down their weapons and climbed out of the trenches and ran to the foot of the hill, ready to surrender to the Germans there. They are defectors, they are defections! (To be continued......)

PS: I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the book friend Cloud Cat and the dead Hedgehog Children's Shoes for their precious monthly passes!