The tank with its tracks blown off stood still, smoke and fire burning next to it, but no one was seen breaking open the top of the turret or burrowing out from under the tank, its muzzle pointed at the front of the road. "Could it be that all the crew members of the tank have died?" I couldn't help but think to myself.

The tanks that followed stopped and turned their guns to fire in the direction the rocket was coming from. Under the cover of the tank's fire, the infantry who had been charging behind the tank jumped over the tank and rushed to the trench.

The infantry rushed very fast, and after a dozen more steps, they could reach a pillbox that had been blown through the top by shells and was still emitting smoke. At this moment, a volley of bullets suddenly shot out of the shooting hole, and the soldiers who rushed to the front shook their bodies for a few moments, and then fell to the ground softly. The fighters who followed closely behind hurriedly lay down and fired back at the firing holes.

I moved the lens of the telescope from the intersection where the battle was being fought to something else. Kling had no walls, and could see the scattered buildings of the city, and I knew in my heart that behind the windows of the buildings facing us, there must be countless enemies with loaded weapons. As soon as our fighters came into their range, they would not hesitate to stand in front of the window, pouring out their death on our fighters with their weapons in hand.

Outside the city, as Colonel Hapsaffo had said, there were two trenches, and a swaying figure could be faintly seen, and it seemed that there were quite a few German troops defending inside. The snow in front of the trenches was so deep that only a small part of the stakes holding the barbed wire were exposed. In front of the barbed wire, in addition to the corpses of our soldiers lying down, there were even a few tanks destroyed by the Germans burning, perhaps the first two attacks were launched from this direction, but because of the thick snow, the attack ended in failure.

I turned my attention back to the intersection where the battle was raging, and found that things were getting worse and worse. The tanks and infantry attacking from the road were attacked by the Germans in the trenches on both sides, and the dense bullets and whizzing mortar shells formed an impenetrable barrier, but the soldiers still rushed forward regardless of casualties. There were several tanks without infantry cover, and as soon as they stormed the streets of the city, they were destroyed by anti-tank men hiding in buildings.

Seeing such a futile and increasing casualties, I couldn't help but turn my head and ask Chistyakov next to me: "Which unit is attacking now?" ”

Instead of putting down the binoculars, Chistyakov replied directly: "It's the fighters of the Far Eastern Separate Division." ”

I stared at the fighters in front of me, who were constantly falling in the dense network of enemy fire, and gritted my back molars and said: "The attack must be stopped immediately, and it cannot be fought like this again." ”

"What are you doing? Comrade division commander. Chistyakov put down his binoculars and asked with some surprise: "You see how brave the fighters are, even in the face of such dense enemy fire, they are rushing forward without hesitation." ”

Faced with Chistyakov's indifference to the life and death of the fighters, I said indignantly: "If we continue to fight like this, the fighters of the independent division will die and will not be able to fight." With that, I turned my head and instructed one of the staff officers standing behind me: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, you go and inform Colonel Hapsafoe at once, that he should immediately stop this senseless attack. ”

"Yes!" The second lieutenant's staff officer was about to turn around and run away as soon as he agreed, and I stopped him and ordered: "Go and inform the commanders of several cannon regiments and tank brigades who are on standby here to come to my tent for a meeting." By the way, don't forget to call Lieutenant Colonel Valery, the deputy commander of the 7th Guards Division. ”

Seeing the staff officer running to deliver the order, I said to Chistyakov: "Let's go back and wait for them first." With that, he took the lead and walked towards the tent he had prepared for me.

As soon as I reached the door of the tent, a staff officer ran out of it and reported to me: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the commander wants to talk to you. ”

I hurriedly opened the curtain and flashed into the door, took the headset and microphone from the communication soldier sitting on the walkie-talkie, and said, "Hello, Comrade Commander! I'm Oshanina. ”

"How's Kling doing?" Vlasov's anxious voice came from the headphones.

"Very bad, Comrade Commander." I reported the situation to him with a serious expression: "The Germans strengthened their defenses with the original defensive system of our troops in Kling, and the snow and cold affected the mobility of our armored forces. So far, the Far Eastern Separate Infantry Division, with the cooperation of a small number of tanks, has launched three attacks on Kling by the road connecting the city, all of which have failed. I'm about to gather everyone to study how this battle should be fought. ”

"You're doing the right thing!" Vlasov unexpectedly praised me: "In a war, you can't just fight and rush, you have to know how to know how to brain." You should first sum up the lessons of today's battle and find out what the problem is, so that you can avoid making similar mistakes again in the next attack. ......" He chatted with me a few more words, and just as I was about to cut off contact, I couldn't help but ask: "Comrade commander, can I ask how the 16th Army is doing now?" ”

Hearing my question, he was silent for a moment, as if organizing the language, the 16th Army is our right flank, and if they are defeated, then we are at risk of being attacked by the Germans from the rear. After a long time he replied: "The situation is very bad, according to intelligence, General Rokossovsky's troops are engaged in a tug-of-war with the Germans in the area of Lialovo, and so far they have not yet entered the starting position of the counteroffensive." He also deliberately reminded me: "I suggest that you place troops in the flank and rear of the army group to monitor the enemy who is engaged in the battle with the 16th Army and prevent them from sneaking up from the rear." ”

Knowing the current situation of the 16th Army, I can't help but feel that things are a little tricky. If the Germans were to attack us from the rear, they would certainly pass through the city of Cumbre del Sol. And since the 8th Division has all participated in the counteroffensive, the defense of the city has been handed over to Leviakin's 133rd Division and the mixed regiment of cadets, their strength is limited, and it seems that I have to send troops over to reinforce it.

After finishing his correspondence with Vlasov, he looked back to see the commanders who had come to the meeting one after another, and Chistyakov was busy beckoning them to sit down around the improvised wooden table in the middle of the tent.

After waiting for another two minutes, I saw that except for Hapsafo, the commander of the independent division, who was going to school, the rest of the people came. I guess he was probably arranging for the troops to stop the offensive, so I didn't wait for him to announce the start of the meeting.

First of all, Chistyakov told everyone about the three failed attacks, and at this moment Colonel Hapsafo broke into the tent and shouted loudly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, why do you want to stop the attack, now that the fighting enthusiasm of the fighters is high, maybe in a little while we will be able to storm the city." ……”

His voice interrupted Chistyakov's narration, and everyone present looked at him with discontented eyes. I raised my hand to stop what he was going to say: "Comrade Colonel, please sit down first." Although Hapsaffo still wanted to say something, seeing everyone's reproachful eyes, he could only obediently find an empty seat and sit down.

When Chistyakov had finished, I added: "The bravery and tenacity shown by the fighters of the Separate Division in today's battle are obvious to everyone here. With that, my gaze swept over the faces of those present, and everyone nodded in agreement. Seeing that everyone affirmed the performance of the independent division in battle, Hapsafoe, as the commander of the division, was also honored, and his face was much more relaxed than just now.

Seeing that his emotions were no longer so agitated, I then shifted the subject to him and criticized him, saying, "But Comrade Colonel, we cannot let our soldiers go to their deaths at all costs because of their bravery. I pointed to the map and said, "Because of the snow and the cold, we can only attack the city along this road." But the Germans hid in their positions on both sides of the road, constantly firing at our fighters from the flanks, and we had to pay a huge price for every step we took forward. ”

"But the German army in the city is limited, as long as we continue to rush forward, we can quickly take the city." The Colonel was still a little unconvinced by my criticism, and continued to fight with me with his neck in his hands.

I quietly retorted, "Then tell me how many enemy troops there are in the city?" ”

The colonel hesitated for a moment, then replied: "According to intelligence, all the German armored units have moved south to fight the 16th Army, and there are only two infantry battalions left in the city. Two battalions, but seven or eight hundred people, one division of mine has 8,000 people, even if I fight with them, I can afford to fight. ”

I sneered and said lightly: "Comrade Colonel, don't you know that the military establishment of the Lu Daode Army is different from ours? They have a battalion of 700 to 1,000 men, including three infantry companies, an artillery company, a battalion headquarters, a communications company, and an engineer company. There may be nearly 2,000 German troops in the city today, and with their combat strength, it is possible to completely annihilate your division even in defense. ”

When the colonel heard me say this, he was dumbfounded, and opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't say it. A lieutenant colonel next to him asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, how do you say this battle should be fought?" ”

"We'll talk about the war later, and now announce the new deployment of troops." I always had in my heart the German Panzer Corps heading south, in case they were to kill the rifles, General Leviakin's 133rd Division, which was seriously understaffed, would not be able to hold the city of Cumbre del Sol, and troops must be sent to reinforce it. "The Far Eastern Independent Division immediately moved south to the city of Cumbre del Sol and joined up with the defenders of the city to prevent a sneak attack by the German armored forces. ……”

As soon as he said this, Colonel Hapsafo couldn't wait to interrupt me: "Comrade Chief of Staff, my division has been transferred, so who will attack Klin?" Besides, we have sacrificed so many fighters here, and suddenly say that we will not fight, and we have to turn in other directions, I am afraid that the soldiers will have emotions. ”

"I think it's you who has emotions!" Chistyakov next to him said in a mocking tone.

"That's it!" Seeing that Hapsaffo was showing signs of madness, I hurriedly stopped him and said coldly: "I will send other troops to Klin's attack." Your task is to cooperate with General Leviakin of the 133rd Division to firmly hold the city of Cumbre del Sol and ensure the safety of the rear of our army group. Do you understand? ”

"Yes!" Since my words have already said this, he can only reluctantly agree.

I said to a middle-aged officer next to me, who looked white and fat, "Lieutenant Colonel Valery, the task of attacking Kling will be completed by your 7th Guards Division. What are the difficulties? ”

Lieutenant Colonel Valery stood up and replied loudly: "Please rest assured, Comrade Chief of Staff, there are no problems, and our division guarantees to complete the task of liberating the city of Klin." ”

I nodded in satisfaction, and then continued, "Well, let's prepare for artillery fire first, and wait for the artillery to kill and wound the enemy's defenders in large numbers, and then attack the city with infantry." I looked at the four commanders of the cannon regiment sitting together, and asked with a smile, "There is nothing wrong with the four artillery commanders, right?" ”

The four of them stood up in unison and replied loudly: "No problem, we promise to complete the task!" ”

"Good!" I stood up abruptly and said decisively: "Then you go back to the troops immediately and get ready for battle." Remember, don't skimp on the shells, aim at the enemy's positions," said this, slamming my fist on the map, "give me a hard blow!" ”