Although Karpov's troops had already descended east along the trenches to the bottom of the river embankment, it would take a lot of time for so many men to enter our defensive area, and in order to cover their retreat, the commanders and fighters of the Sherebryanny battalion, lacking heavy weapons, could only use their own flesh and blood to resist the fierce offensive launched by the Germans.

Captain Sherebryane's fortifications were built by the Germans in order to confront our troops, and the various fortifications on the positions were all facing the Mamayev Hill due south, while the west was their friendly position, so naturally no fortifications would be built. At this time, the Germans were attacking from west to east, and our troops were under pressure on the position, and the commanders and fighters, who did not have strong fortifications, had to lie down in the craters, or behind bunkers piled up with the corpses of their comrades, and shoot stubbornly at the enemy.

I went with Kirillov and Bandelyev to the observation post of the 2nd Regiment on the mountainside and saw the brutal battle being fought in the Sherebryan camp. Kirillov was so anxious that he walked back and forth in circles in the small observation post with his hands behind his back, and from time to time he sighed; However, Pantai Laiev stood in front of the lookout, holding the binoculars in both hands, looking at the artillery-blazing area in front of him, and was silent for a long time.

My mind was spinning rapidly, trying to figure out how I could help the Sherebryan camp. The anti-tank guns on the positions of the four regiments are okay to hit the enemy's tanks, but if you use armor-piercing shells to hit the infantry, it will be ineffective. Although we still have a big killer weapon like the "Flying Thunder Cannon", it is a bit beyond the reach of the whip to transport it now. As for the tank battalion, there is no need to think about it, the remaining seven tanks have no ammunition and no fuel, even if they want to crush the German infantry.

When I was at my wit's end. Oleg came with the commander of the artillery battalion, Morozov. Seeing the two of them coming uninvited. I asked curiously, "What are you doing here?" ”

Oleg hurriedly stepped forward. The report said: "Comrade division commander, it is like this, seeing that the enemy is launching a fierce attack on our troops, the commanders and fighters cannot contain the anger in their hearts and want to help them. ”

"Help them?" I stared into Oleg's eyes and asked dissatisfiedly: "Lieutenant Colonel Oleg, how are you going to help them?" From here to that position, there is an open field of open land up to three kilometers in between. As soon as our troops appear in that area. The enemy's artillery fire will soon rain down and wipe out all our troops in the open field. ”

Oleg, who was reproached by me, hurriedly shook his head and replied: "Comrade division commander, you have misunderstood what I meant. Our infantry lacked anti-tank weapons and heavy weapons, and even if reinforcements were sent to that position, the troops would be consumed little by little under the enemy's strong firepower. ”

"And what do you think?" When I asked this, I curiously glanced at Morozov, who was standing next to me, and said in my heart that I didn't call him again, what did he do at this time?

Oleg glanced at Morozov. He smiled and said to me, "That's right, Comrade Division Commander. Major Morozov pulled several heavy howitzers from the artillery battalion to our positions and bombarded the ranks of the attacking German infantry. ”

I turned my head to look at Morozov and asked: "Major, how many shells are left in the howitzer detachment at the moment?" ”

Morozov hurriedly stepped forward, straightened up and reported to me: "Report to the division commander, two days ago I chatted with the military representative on the dock, and by the way, I asked him for a batch of shells for heavy howitzers, and at present there are about two base ammunition per gun. ”

Hearing Morozov say this, Kirillov, who had been circling the house, stopped, walked over and grabbed Morozov's arm with both hands, and said excitedly: "Comrade Major, this is really good. With the support of howitzers, Captain Sherebryanny and they were more sure to hold their positions. ”

"Comrade Major," he heard that there was heavy artillery that could provide artillery support to the defenders in front, and even Bantai Leev, who was standing at the observation gate, could not stand, he put down his binoculars, strode over, and asked loudly: "Where is the howitzer detachment?" How long will it take for them to go into battle? ”

"Report Comrade Deputy Division Commander, the howitzer detachment is already in Proto. Under the leadership of Second Lieutenant Tiyakonov, the artillery was deployed in place, and only at the command of his superiors could he immediately open fire on the enemy. ”

"Where is the cannon?" Although I also considered that the 2nd Regiment would also have a bunker dedicated to concealing artillery like the 4th Regiment, along the way, the tunnel exits I saw obviously could not allow large artillery to enter and exit, so I couldn't help but ask Morozov, hoping that he could give me a definite answer.

"We built several concealed gun emplacements between the hillside position and the hilltop position." Morozov said and turned and pointed upwards, and looked in the direction of his finger, only to see that there were three holes one meter square on the hillside, and the muzzles of the black holes protruded from them. "The artillery can be there, condescendingly firing at the enemy. If they encounter enemy shelling or bombardment, they will pull their artillery into deeper holes to hide. ”

"Alright, Comrade Major, don't say anything." Kirillov hurriedly said: "You immediately order the artillery to open fire on the enemy's battle ranks, first knocking out their mortar positions, and then their infantry." If the enemy sends out tanks, you are also responsible for knocking them out. Although he had already given detailed instructions, he was still not at ease, and turned to Pandereev and said, "Old man, I think it is better for you to go to the gun emplacements yourself and instruct them on how to provide the necessary artillery support for our infantry. ”

The pressure on the Sherebryanny battalion was greatly reduced as the heavy artillery in the hidden gun emplacements opened fire, destroying the enemy's mortar positions, and then shelling the attacking German infantry. I saw through the binoculars that there were units of formation, from the very front, along the trenches towards the Volga. Halfway through the retreat, they relied on existing fortifications, trenches, and craters to build a new line of defense. After they were all deployed, the troops left behind in the front line withdrew from their positions one after another and also withdrew to the river. Seeing that the Sherebryan camp began to retreat to the river in an orderly and alternate cover, my heart felt a little more steady.

I was going to stay in the observation post and leave after seeing that the Sherebryan camp had safely withdrawn from the battle, but I didn't expect Akhromeyev to call me first and tell me: "Comrade division commander, can you and the political commissar come back immediately?" Captain Karpov has now arrived at the division headquarters. ”

Hearing this good news, I didn't even have time to put down the phone, so I couldn't wait to say to Kirillov: "Good news, Commissar, Captain Karpov has now arrived at our headquarters. Let's go, we'll go back to him now. After saying that, he put the phone on the base and pulled him away.

By the time we returned to the headquarters, there were several officers and men in German uniforms with white towels tied to their left arms. Hearing the sound of us entering the door, several people turned around in unison. The moment they turned around, they recognized Karpov standing in the middle of them, and hurriedly stretched out his hands and walked forward quickly. He grabbed Karpov's hand and shook it vigorously and said, "Great, this is great." Welcome, Captain Karpov, and welcome back to our camp with your troops. ”

Karpov's eyes were red, and tears almost burst out of his eyes. He closed his eyes vigorously and held back his tears before he choked up and said to me: "I'm sorry, Comrade Division Commander, I didn't pull all the troops out. Because we left too suddenly, we did not have time to explain our whereabouts to all the soldiers, and many officers and men were wavered or even escaped when they were pursued by the Germans. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of the receiving force you sent, it is estimated that my battalion would have collapsed. ”

Savchenko, who was in charge of contacting Karpov, also stepped forward, saluted me after standing upright, and said with a shy face: "I'm sorry, comrade division commander, I didn't complete the task well. In addition to the officers and men who were scattered and killed and wounded, there were only more than 200 people left in the entire Eastern Battalion, and the number of attrition reached half. ”

Although I was slightly disappointed when I heard that the number of people who finally arrived at our position was only two hundred, I was quickly relieved. Anyway, the political significance of the Karpov battalion is far greater than its military significance, even if Karpov only comes over alone in the end, the blow to the enemy's morale will be fatal, and it will shake the officers and soldiers of the Eastern Battalion, who were already facing Qin and Duchu.

With a smile on my face, I said to the two of them: "Captain Karpov and Comrade Savchenko, although there are many casualties and attrition of the troops anyway, it is a remarkable thing that you were able to successfully bring so many troops to Mamayev Hill under the pursuit of the enemy. I congratulate you! I will do my best to report this matter to the head of the army group, so that they can bestow you the honor you deserve. ”

While I was talking about the head of the group army, Razumeyeva suddenly called me: "Comrade division commander, a call from the headquarters of the group army. ”

After I put on the headphones, I just yelled at the microphone and said, "Hey! Before he could say anything else, he was interrupted impatiently by Chuikov, and his stern voice came from the earphones: "Comrade Oshanina, did your division frequently use the walkie-talkie to make plain phone calls today?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander!" This is a fact, it is an urgent matter, and we have to repeatedly call the Guò walkie-talkie to the Sherebryan camp, and even to the Karpov camp to have a wireless call, so when Chuikov asked, I did not deny it, and honestly replied: "We have had many wireless calls today, because the matter is urgent, and we all use plain language calls. ”

Chuikov snorted and only said, "You wait, I'll go to you right away." After saying that, the communication was interrupted, and I was left stupidly holding the microphone and there in a daze. (To be continued......)