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Returning to the division headquarters, I asked Akhromeyev two questions in succession: "Comrade Chief of Staff, did Captain Klimov and Herald Sidorin go back to the headquarters of the Army Group?" What are the troops of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment currently doing? ”

"Report to the division commander," Akhromeyev reported, as if anticipating that I would ask this, without hesitation, "Yes, Captain Klimov and the herald have returned to the headquarters of the army group with our report. As for Captain Khrushov's troops, after cleaning the battlefield, they were building new fortifications on the 107.5 heights. ”

I nodded, adding: "The Germans will soon find out about our capture of the 107.5 heights." Since the high ground had been occupied by the enemy for a period of time, the wreckage of the destroyed tanks, armored vehicles, and trucks in front of the position was completely clear, and the northern side of the high ground had regained its position of being easy to attack and difficult to defend, so the first battalion must build a perfect defensive system in the shortest possible time to resist the fierce offensive that the enemy might launch. ”

"The division commander is right," the deputy division commander Bandeleyev added beside him: "The enemy is absolutely not willing to lose the 107.5 heights, and will definitely send heavy troops to fight for it." It is foreseeable that in the coming days, this high ground will become the focus of contention between the enemy and the enemy. ”

Kirillov walked over, handed Bandeleyev a cigarette, and sighed: "No way, we lack heavy weapons now." Otherwise, no matter how many enemies come, they will not be afraid. To hold this high ground. There were no strong and well-established fortifications. In less than a day, Captain Khrushov's battalion should be exhausted. ”

I stared at the map on the wall, thinking about the battle that was about to take place. In the absence of air supremacy, tanks, artillery and other heavy weapons, to fight a war of attrition with the Germans on the 107.5 heights, it is estimated that the entire second regiment will have to be thrown into it. But in this way, we will not be able to draw up enough troops to carry out the orders given by the group army command. The task of attacking to the north and converging with the Don Front was taken.

Bandereev walked up to me and asked in a low voice: "Comrade division commander, what are you thinking about?" ”

I pointed to the map and said, "Deputy division commander, come and see, the higher authorities ordered us to launch an attack on the enemy to the north on the 21st, and strive to join the Don River Front in the south. But if we want to ensure the security of the flanks of the attacking force, we must firmly hold the 107.5 heights in our hands. And to hold this high ground, we must leave at least one regiment of troops. Our division currently has only four regiments, and there are still enough troops left at Mamayev Hill to guard it. As a result, our forces for a frontal offensive are somewhat insufficient. ”

Bandereev looked at the map. He said disapprovingly: "But isn't the enemy north of Mamayev Gang still being drawn north to defend the Don Front?" Even if we only dispatched two regiments, we could easily break through a wide area of several tens of kilometers and advance to the rear of the German army. ”

I really couldn't laugh or cry at Bantai Reyev's optimistic attitude, and just as I was about to say a few words, Akhromeyev had already preemptively helped me: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, the situation is not as simple as you believe. Although the scouts reported that the Germans in the camp had largely withdrawn, this was only to say that this was the case with the areas they had reconnoitred, and that no one knew what the areas they had not reconnoitred were. In the numerous defensive areas, it may be guarded by the battalions of several client states or the eastern battalion, or it may be that the Germans are heavily guarded, so we must have a small number of troops participating in the attack, otherwise we will not be able to complete the plan of joining forces with friendly forces. ”

After listening to Akhromeyev's words, Pantai Leev's brows couldn't help frowning, and after a long time, he said slowly: "Comrade division commander, it seems that we should send people to conduct reconnaissance and understand the enemy's deployment in this area, so as to formulate a counterattack plan in a targeted manner. ”

"Chief of Staff, it's up to you to arrange this matter." Kirillov, who also came to us at some point, heard what we were talking about, so he gave instructions to Akhromeyev in time. "We must do our best to find out the enemy's deployment in this area."

"Wait a minute, Comrade Chief of Staff." When I saw Akhromeyev pick up the phone and call the troops below, I stopped him again, "Send the soldiers under Captain Grams and Captain Beckman, who are originally Germans, and the documents they keep are genuine, even if they are interrogated by German patrols, they will not be exposed." ”

"The division commander is right," Bantai Laiev echoed, "tell the commanders of the regiment that in order to prevent misunderstandings and accidental injuries, let them continue to wear the uniforms of our troops before leaving the defensive areas of our division." ”

"Understood." Akhromeyev gave a brief yes and began dialing.

"Comrade Oshanina," a familiar voice suddenly came from the door, and several of us turned our heads to look over, only to see Yeremenko, who had gone to inspect the headquarters of the group army, and his deputy, Lieutenant General Popov, hurriedly walking in.

"Comrade Commander," I was really surprised to see Yeremenko appear at this moment, I thought he had already returned to the east bank of the Volga, but I did not expect him to stay in the city. I hurriedly led everyone up to greet me, and after raising my hand to salute, I asked with concern: "Comrade commander, why are you still in the city, we all thought that we had gone back to the front headquarters on the other side of the river." ”

Yeremenko waved his hand, walked briskly to the table, picked up a teapot on the table, and drank water with a gurgling face. Taking advantage of the commander's drinking water, I quietly asked Popov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, you have been to the headquarters of the army group, how is the situation there?" ”

Popov smiled bitterly and replied: "What else, it sucks." When we went, we saw a bleak scene, the shelter where Chuikov's headquarters was located was like a large bomb crater, logs were exposed from the soil, and all the surrounding objects were covered with this thick layer of cinders and dust...... "Maybe he was nervous when he saw me when he heard this qiē, and quickly added: "But Chuikov, his political commissar, and chief of staff are not safe." ”

"Oshanina, come here." Yeremenko, who had drunk his tea, sat at the table. Stretched comfortably. Beckon me over. "I have something to ask you."

I walked up to Yeremenko and asked respectfully: "Comrade commander, I wonder what instructions you have?" ”

Yeremenko glanced at me, and then asked solemnly: "When I was at the headquarters of Chuikov, I heard that your division was preparing to attack a position occupied by the enemy, how is the situation now?" ”

Hearing him ask this, I immediately understood in my heart that Klimov and Sidorin, who were carrying the report, had not yet returned to the headquarters of the army group at this moment. Otherwise, Yeremenko could not have been unaware that we had regained the 107.5 heights. Since he asked, I quickly and honestly replied: "Comrade commander, this is the situation. After reconnaissance, we found that the defenders on the 107.5 heights on the west side of Mamayev Hill had only one company of the Germans, so we took advantage of the emptiness of the enemy's defenses to decisively mobilize three battalions of troops and launch a counterattack on the high ground. After a fierce battle, we have succeeded in retaking our positions from the enemy. ”

My report made Yeremenko's eyes light up, but he hesitated for a moment. Or asked in a skeptical tone: "Comrade Oshanina, you said that the 107.5 heights were recaptured by you?" ”

"You're absolutely right." I replied in the affirmative: "After the capture of the heights." I have ordered a battalion of the 2nd Regiment to enter the position and told them to hurry up and repair the fortifications in the shortest possible time, to build a well-established defensive system against a possible counterattack by the Germans. ”

"You're doing it right, you're doing it right." After complimenting me twice, Yeremenko suddenly changed the subject and asked: "Have you received an order from Chuikov to counterattack the Germans in the north on the 21st and join forces with the comrades of the Don Front in the south?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." When I heard Yeremenko mention this, I did not hide it and told him the problems I was facing: "Since we have to leave our troops to hold on to Mamayev Hill and the 107.5 heights, the number of troops that can participate in the counterattack will be very limited, and in addition, we do not have heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery, and if we encounter stubborn resistance from the enemy, our troops will not be able to break through the enemy's defenses in the shortest possible time. ”

"Oshanina, you know what?" Yeremenko suddenly raised his hand to interrupt me, and said to himself: "When I was chatting with Chuikov and Gurov at the headquarters of the group army, they also asked me to replenish their troops and ammunition, and said that they did not need to replenish the whole division, but only asked for some detachments. More important ammunition is more important, as ammunition is especially lacking in combat units in the city. Although I am the headquarters of the Front Army, I can meet the conditions proposed by Chuikov, but it takes time, it takes time to transport troops and ammunition, do you understand?! He said the back, grabbing his staff in excitement and slamming the ground a few times.

Seeing that he was having a seizure due to agitation, I quickly diverted the topic and cautiously asked: "Comrade commander, according to the order issued by the army group, General Rokossovsky's Don Front will launch an offensive against the German army in the early morning of the 21st, do you know how they are prepared?"

Yeremenko shook his head and said slowly: "According to intelligence, at the moment Rokossovsky is gathering his artillery and tank units. Since the Don Front adopted a defensive posture in the early stage, their artillery and tank units were scattered and relatively backward. I'm very bullish on this kind of deployment of theirs, which on the surface doesn't support the first line of defense, but it's resilient. If the Germans take the middle breakthrough approach, our troops can put the enemy in and stretch their front. If the Germans attack in an all-out way, as long as the two armies come into contact, then our army can carry out counterattack operations. ”

I heard Yeremenko say this, and habitually took over the topic: "If the Germans use the usual blitzkrieg, then our forces are too dispersed?" As soon as the words came out, I remembered that the commander of the front army was sitting in front of me, and I was actually in front of him, commenting on the deployment of another front army commander, and I was suddenly shocked into a cold sweat.

However, Yeremenko said indifferently: "In the current situation, as a defensive side, it is not advisable to concentrate forces too much. Because if we concentrate our forces at will, we are very likely to be attacked by the Germans in the event of loss of air supremacy. What you say also makes sense, such a scheme requires extremely high mobility of the troops. If the enemy is put in, it is not possible to organize a local battle in time and time. Battlefield shì is more prone to deterioration. ”

See that Yeremenko did not blame me. I secretly wiped the sweat from my forehead, and then asked: "Comrade commander, is there our air force to cooperate with the offensive of the Don Front?" ”

"Division Commander Oshanina, air support can't be counted on." Answering my question was Lieutenant General Popov, who said with a stern expression: "Originally, according to the plan, the 16th Army of the Air Force, under the command of General Rudenko, was to launch an offensive on the Don Front. Provide air cover for ground forces and bomb fortified defensive strips of the enemy. Unfortunately, however, it seems that God is deliberately trying to make things difficult for us, and at a time when the strong support of the pilots is needed, the epidemic of cholera, a rat-borne disease, is so widespread in the air force that special measures have to be taken to protect the personnel from infection and the aircraft from damage. Because, wherever the rats go, they always gnaw on the rubber insulation. ”

Listen to Popov. Suddenly, I felt that it was pitch black in front of me, and my whole body went limp. I didn't even have the strength to speak, and I could intuitively judge the tremendous destructive power that this vicious event would bring to the battle. The Don Front, which had lost air supremacy, no matter how heroic its commanders and fighters were, and had the support of tanks and artillery, could not achieve its goal of joining forces with the 62nd Army under the heavy air fire and ground artillery fire of the German army.

Perhaps seeing my dejected appearance, Yeremenko asked with concern: "Comrade Oshanina, what's wrong with you, is there something wrong with you?" ”

I tried to squeeze a smile on my face, straightened up and assured him: "Comrade commander, no matter how brutal the next battle is, on behalf of the Independent Division, I will express to you that we will definitely fulfill the orders given to us by our superiors and join the division of the Don Front going south." ”

Yeremenko nodded with satisfaction when he heard my expressions of determination, and then asked with a smile: "Do you have any difficulties?" ”

"Difficulties, there must be." I said carefully, "There are not enough troops, and we can find a way to arm some of the citizens or contain the scattered stragglers." But we can't solve the problem of weapons that we currently lack. You must know that the whole division lacks ammunition, and a considerable number of commanders and fighters do not have weapons in their hands at all. So I beg you if you can give us some of the weapons and ammunition as much as possible, so that we can better fulfill the task assigned to us by our superiors. ”

After I had finished saying these few words, Yeremenko stared at me with a blank face, and I was nervous, and I was afraid that he would send out an evil fire for no reason as he had just done. Unexpectedly, after a while, he laughed twice, pointed at me with his finger and said, "Comrade Oshanina, you have been bitter in front of me for a long time, don't you just want me to give you some ammunition." No problem, I can't replenish you with soldiers, but in terms of ammunition, I can give priority to your division. At twelve o'clock tonight, a batch of weapons and ammunition should be delivered, and you should send someone to the commander in charge of logistics at the dock and ask him for a batch of ammunition. With that, he looked around with his cane in his hand.

I didn't know what he was looking for, so I hurriedly asked, "Comrade Commander, what are you looking for?" ”

Before Yeremenko could answer me, General Popov, who was next to me, had already taken out a pen and paper from his briefcase and handed it over. Yeremenko took the pen and paper from the general's hand, glanced at me with contemptuous eyes, and began to write down the order. After writing, he tore off the page on it, stuffed it into my hand, and said, "Okay, tonight you send someone to the dock to find the logistics chief, give him this order, and you should be able to get the weapons and ammunition you want." With that, he stood up on the edge of the table, paused on the ground with his cane in his left hand, then stretched out his hand to me and said, "Comrade Oshanina, it's not too early, I should go back too." Good luck! ”

After Yeremenko and Popov left, I unfolded the warrant in my hand, only to see that it was written: "Seeing this order, the weapons and ammunition that are about to arrive at the Volga dock will be allocated to the separate division." Commander of the Stalingrad Front, Andrei. Ivanovich. Colonel-General Yeremenko. October 18, 1941. ”

After reading the warrant, I smiled and handed it to Kirillov, and at the same time said to him: "Comrade commissar, these are all right, we will no longer worry about the matter of weapons and ammunition." After saying that, I turned around and asked Akhromeyev in the back: "Chief of Staff, has the reconnaissance unit been arranged?" ”

Akhromeyev hurriedly replied: "It has been arranged, and I have prepared five reconnaissance teams, each of which has 10 people, all of whom are equipped with communication equipment and can give feedback on the reconnaissance situation at any time." ”

"Are these people reliable?" I was thinking about military matters, while Kirillov was thinking about political matters, "Don't let these former German soldiers take advantage of the opportunity to defect from reconnaissance, then the Germans will be able to learn our details from the mouths of these traitors, and they can't help but guard against it." ”

"Please rest assured." Akhromeyev seemed to have thought about these things for a long time, so he replied confidently: "Half of each scout is our own men, and there is also one political worker in each team, and what you said will not happen." (The novel "Burning Moscow" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there will also be a 100% lucky draw gift for everyone!) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner "Add Friends", search for the official account "ddxiaoshuo" and follow, hurry up! (To be continued......)