After nightfall, I took my pilot, Popkov, and got into the jeep of Lieutenant Colonel Weinrub and went to the headquarters of the army group in the city.

When I was still at the division headquarters, I introduced Popkov and Weinlub to each other, and although the two only greeted each other politely at that time and did not say anything to each other, at the moment, although one was sitting in the co-pilot's seat and the other was sitting in the back seat next to me, they were chatting enthusiastically.

The topic of conversation was because Lieutenant Colonel Weinrubb, who was sitting next to me, saw the German night planes hovering in the air, and couldn't help but curse in a low voice: "Damn Germans, they won't stop for a while at night." ”

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Popkov, who was sitting in the front row, turned his head to pick up the conversation and said to him: "It's a pity that our air force is equipped with a limited number of night aircraft, otherwise the German air force would not be as arrogant as it is now." ”

"By the way, Comrade Captain." Wei Yinlubu asked curiously at this time, "Can I ask you a question?" ”

"Please, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Popkov said in a polite tone.

"How many enemy planes have you shot down from the beginning of the war to the present?"

Weinrubb's question also intrigued me, so I looked curiously at Popkov and waited for his answer.

Popkov grinned and replied: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, from the beginning of my joining the Air Force to the present, I have completed 117 combat sorties, 29 in the air, shot down 11 enemy aircraft. Of course, there is still a certain gap between such results and my comrades-in-arms, for example, our ace pilot, Captain Pokryshkin, who has shot down 13 aircraft so far. Two more than me. ”

Listen to Popkov mention Pokryshkin. Wei Yinlubu actually laughed. Popkov and I were stunned. Weiinlubu laughed for a long time, laughing out of his eyes, and then stopped laughing and explained to the two of us: "I have heard of this Pokryshkin before, and it is said that on the first day of the outbreak of war, his fighter plane was launched into the air for battle, because of his lack of experience, coupled with the command error of the tower. He actually shot down one of our own bombers, fortunately there were no casualties, and the complicated situation at the front at that time allowed his mistake to be mitigated. The next day, he took to the air again and shot down a German plane cleanly, which was considered a meritorious service. Speaking of this, Wei Yinlub suddenly said in surprise, "Comrade Captain, how did I hear about the ace pilots of the German army. The planes shot down are dozens or even hundreds? What the hell is going on, is there such a difference in the strength of our air force from the Germans? ”

Popkov looked down and thought about it. Then he replied slowly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, it is understandable that the German pilots shot down more planes than our pilots, but the difference in numbers is so large that it is obviously abnormal, in comparison, the technical level of our pilots is not bad at all, and they are not weak in terms of aircraft combat performance, speed, weapons and equipment, etc. In fact, the results of the German ace pilots were exaggerated by Yan zhòng.

If our numbers are lower than those of the Germans, it is only because we and the Germans have different air combat missions. The main task of our fighter planes is to ensure the smooth movement of heavy bombers, attack planes, reconnaissance planes, and airborne planes, and active air combat is in a secondary position. At that time, in order to provide air cover for ground troops, convoys, ferries, airfields, and command posts, our fighters could not leave the battle even in front of the enemy's superior forces, because air operations determined the outcome of ground battles. The Germans had different tasks, they were all 'free shooters', specializing in hunting our aircraft, especially heavy ones. However, they have achieved tactical victories in the air at the same time as they have suffered strategic defeats on the ground, and this is the essence of our air combat policy. Personally, the leadership values not the number of enemy planes I shoot down, but the number of bombers, attack planes, and reconnaissance planes that I cover. ”

As soon as Popkov finished speaking, I, who had long been unable to hold back, rushed ahead of Lieutenant Colonel Weinlub and asked curiously: "Captain Popkov, I want to know, how do you count your results?" ”

Popkov clearly explained to us: "The pilots of both the enemy and us use manuals to record the results of air battles, but our pilots do not attach importance to this and do not remember much, and the German pilots remember a lot and wantonly exaggerate the results of the battle, which is also the propaganda and psychological warfare of the German army, which does not correspond to the real situation." I had previously been involved in the interrogation of a captured German pilot, and he had told us personally how they had lied about their results. For example, if they have 12 planes in a squadron and shoot down 3 planes in an air battle, then each pilot will record that he has shot down 3 planes without any special explanation, so that the total number of results they have achieved is 36. ”

After listening to these words, I questioned the achievements of those famous German ace pilots in history, who shot down a total of 352 enemy planes. Hartman, does his true record have half of the legend?

At that moment, the car shook violently and then stopped. I was bumped forward by inertia, and almost hit the back of the seat in front of me, I hurriedly held on to the back of the seat and asked the driver: "Comrade driver, what happened, did it break down?" ”

The driver shook his head and said angrily: "Comrade commander, it's not an anchor, it seems that the wheels are entangled in something, I'll go down and check it." With that, he pushed the door open and got out of the car.

Seeing that the driver got out of the car, Wei Yinlubu looked outside for a moment and said to me, "Comrade Colonel, let's get out of the car and wait." Without waiting for me to reply, he added: "Although it is only more than 500 meters away from the headquarters of the army group, it is very unsafe, and in addition to being bombed by German planes from time to time, it is also attacked by cold artillery from time to time." ”

The night in September was too cold, I was going to stay in the car and wait for the driver to deal with the fault, but after hearing Wei Yinlubu say this, I didn't say a word, pushed open the door next to me and jumped off, I didn't want to stay in the car as a target.

As soon as I turned around and closed the door, I heard Wei Yinlubu jump out of the car and ask the driver loudly, "What's wrong?" ”

The driver hurriedly stood up straight and replied, "Comrade Colonel in the report, it was the telephone and telegraph lines that got the wheels entangled. ”

After hearing this, Wei Yinlubu immediately ordered him: "Deal with it quickly." We can't stay here for too long. To do your best to leave. ”

The driver agreed. He crouched down to dispose of the wires wrapped around the wheels.

Seeing that our car stopped, the jeep that followed closely behind also stopped, including Basmanov and two guards, jumped out of the car, trotted in front of me, and asked curiously: "Comrade division commander, what happened?" ”

As I looked at the craters and rubble of the streets, I casually replied, "The wires on the road are tangled in the wheels of the jeep, and the driver is dealing with it." ”

I've just finished my sentence. I heard the driver's anxious voice from the front again: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, can you help me find a bayonet or pliers?" The wire is so tightly tangled that I don't think it's going to be completely cleaned up without breaking it. ”

After hearing this, Wei Yinlubu quickly turned his head to look at us and asked, "Which of you has a bayonet or pliers or something?" ”

Seeing that my eyes were also looking at him, Basmanov hurriedly smiled bitterly and said: "Comrade division commander, the two fighters I brought with me are equipped with submachine guns and no bayonets. As for pliers, even less so. ”

I looked at the submachine gun hanging from the chest of the three of them and knew that he was not talking nonsense. Hurriedly shouted at Wei Yinlubu: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, we don't have bayonets and pliers here. ”

Suddenly, there was the whistling of cannonballs in the air. Almost at the same time, I heard Basmanov shouting: "Division commander be careful! Then he threw me to the ground, and the other two fighters pressed me down, nearly breaking my ribs.

When the shell exploded in the distance, Basmanov and the two fighters who were pressing on me also got up one after the other, and I got up from the ground with difficulty, muttering, "The three of you are heavier than a polar bear combined." ”

When Basmanov heard me say this, he scratched the back of his head and grinned embarrassedly.

I saw that there was only one person standing in front of the jeep, and I didn't see Popkov's shadow, and I knew that he was helping the driver to troubleshoot, so I glared at Basmanov and said dissatisfiedly: "What are you still doing stupidly standing here, why don't you go and help the driver comrade deal with the wires entangled in the wheels?" ”

Seeing that I was angry, Basmanov hurriedly waved at the other two fighters: "Follow me." Then he ran briskly ahead.

Lieutenant Colonel Wei Yinlubu walked over, put the hat in his hand on his head, and said with envy: "Comrade Colonel, your subordinates are really good, when the shells flew over just now, the three of them pounced on you without hesitation. Not to mention that the shell exploded at such a distance, even if it exploded next to the car, I don't think it would hurt you in the slightest. ”

I didn't know how to discuss this matter with him, so I quickly changed the subject: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, is this section of the road shelled by the enemy every day?" ”

Wei Yinlubu nodded, and replied with a stern expression: "No, the current battle situation is not in our favor, and the enemy from several directions is not far from the city, so they can often shell and bombard the city. ”

As we spoke, several more shells landed nearby and exploded, except for one shell that blew a large hole in the wall of a building on the side of the road, and the rest fell into the rubble, blowing up the broken bricks everywhere.

Although the place where the shells landed was far away from me, my heart began to panic, and if it were not for Weinrubb standing in front of me, I would have gone to the front and urged the driver and Basmanov to speed up, so as not to stay here in fear all the time.

When the eighth shell landed near us and exploded, and my tense nerves were about to break, the driver's voice suddenly came from the front: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the wires have been untied, you can get into the car." ”

Without waiting for Wei Yinlubu to call me, I rushed to the side of the jeep with an arrow step, opened the door and sat in, and at the same time urged Wei Yinlubu seriously: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, hurry up and get in the car, the commander has been waiting for us for so long, it's time to wait." "At the same time, I secretly prayed in my heart that the German shells would not fly again, so that we would reach the headquarters safely.

However, it backfired, and our car drove less than 100 meters when two shells landed in the front and rear of the car and exploded, and the blasted bricks and stones crackled and smashed on the roof of the car. At that moment, my heart was in my throat, and although I was wearing a steel helmet, I was afraid that the stone would break through the top and smash my head to the point of bleeding.

Fortunately, after these two shells exploded, no more shells flew, and we drove to the door of the headquarters without danger. Lieutenant Colonel Weinrubb pushed the car door open and jumped out of the car. Call a sentry at the door. Commanded him in a loud voice: "Comrade Sentinel." Send this comrade pilot to our containment team. By the way, he was also injured, so by the way, he called a hygienist to check his wounds. ”

I got out of the car and walked to Popkov's side, stretched out my hand to him, and said in a friendly voice: "Comrade Captain, it's time to say goodbye, let's shake hands one last time." ”

Popkov held my hand tightly, shook it vigorously and said, "Comrade Colonel. Thank you for taking care of me in the past two days, and I hope that we will have the opportunity to fight together in the future. ”

"There will be this day." As soon as I said this, I heard Wei Yinlubu urging me at the door: "Hurry up, Comrade Colonel, the commander should be in a hurry." I nodded at Popkov, let go of his hand, and walked briskly to the door.

Weinrub took me to Chuikov's headquarters, and when we walked in, we saw Gurov looking at Wen Jiàn, while Chuikov and Krylov were talking on the phone at one place each. See us come in. Without waiting for me to raise my hand in salute, Chuikov looked into the microphone. He waved at us and motioned for us to go out first.

After Wei Yinlubu and I withdrew from the headquarters, we stood in the corridor outside, looking at the staff officers and communication soldiers at all levels coming and going, I felt that I was standing here a little in the way, and I wanted to ask Wei Yinlubu if he could find a place to sit first, and wait until the commanders were free to come over. Unexpectedly, he preemptively said to me: "Comrade Colonel, this is the first time you have come to this new group army headquarters, or will I take you on a tour?" ”

I nodded my head again and again, and said, "Okay, okay, of course, just ask Comrade Lieutenant Colonel to show me the way." ”

When Wei Yinlubu showed me around the new headquarters, he said to me as he walked: "Comrade Colonel, this tunnel is named 'Tsaritsyn Cave'. It is a large sheltered pit divided into ten rooms, and the ceiling and surrounding walls are lined with thin wooden panels. After the top cover is ten meters long, it takes at least one ton of bombs to penetrate individual parts of this tunnel, so it is very safe for the headquarters to be located here. ”

I followed him and walked out of command through an exit. When he saw a few concrete bunkers outside the cave and was about to ask him where they were, he pointed to the riverbed where there used to be only a small amount of water and said: "This is the bed of the Tsaritsa River, and the other exit is Pushkin Street, where we came." As soon as the enemy enters the city and storms the headquarters, the commander, comrades, they can escape from this exit. After introducing this qiē, he breathed a long sigh of relief, raised his voice and said to me: "Okay, Comrade Colonel, the time is almost up, we will go to the headquarters to see if the commander is done." ”

When I returned to the headquarters this time, except for Krylov, who was still calling the troops below, Chuikov and Gurov were already idle, and when they saw me walking into the headquarters, they hurriedly greeted me: "Comrade Oshanina is here, come and sit down quickly, and we will study tomorrow's counterattack." ”

I walked over to Chuikov and sat down, glanced at the map on the table, and asked straight to the point: "Comrade commander, if tomorrow's counterattack is formulated according to the proposal I proposed, I would like to know when the counterattack will be carried out?" ”

Chuikov habitually raised his hand and looked at his watch, and then said to me: "The plan you submitted has been studied by several of us, and we think it is very suitable for the current situation, so we did not modify it at all, and directly adopted your plan." As for the timing of the counterattack, we will start preparing for artillery fire at 3 a.m. tomorrow, and half an hour later, at 3:30 a.m., our troops will begin to carry out the counterattack. Before the battle begins, what else do I want to hear from you? ”

I was not at all thrilled to hear that he had adopted my battle plan, which had been drawn up by Chuikov, but I had stolen it and returned it to him. My mind raced to think about the problems I might encounter in a counter-attack. After thinking for a while, I looked up and said to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, in order to ensure the victory of tomorrow's counterattack operation, there are three aspects that must be taken into account: first, whether the communication between the headquarters and the participating units is unimpeded; 2. Without the assistance of the Air Force, our attacking forces could have been crushed by the bombing of enemy aircraft; Third, the troops participating in the counterattack are limited, so the results that can be achieved are also very limited. That's why I boldly propose to you that we should ask the front for additional reserves, which will strengthen the counter-attacking forces. ”

After listening to my words, Chuikov glanced at Gurov, who was sitting next to him. Hehe laughed. Just as I was confused by the laughter of the two. Chuikov restrained the smile on his face and said to me: "Comrade Oshanina. It seems that lesbians are more careful in their considerations. But don't worry, we have already considered these details. Before you arrived, I personally checked the communications and the preparations of the troops for a counteroffensive. At the moment everything is normal, except for night planes and cold artillery, there is no movement of the enemy, it seems that they are all resting or preparing for tomorrow's routine offensive operation. ”

"As for the Air Force. Comrade Oshanina, you don't have to worry either. Gurov also added: "Commander Yeremenko assured us that at dawn a powerful air force would be sent to cover our combat operations." At the same time, we have good news: the High Command is ready to equip us with the 13th Guards Infantry Division, which will begin to assemble in the Krasnosloboda area on the east bank tomorrow evening. ”

After Gurov finished speaking, Chuikov continued: "Although only one division was given to us, it was also extremely exciting news for us, so that we would have more troops to participate in the counterattack. ”

Heard that General Rodimtsev's Guards Division was coming. My heart started beating faster. In the history I know, Stalingrad had a fate for a while. It was firmly in the hands of the division. Now that the troops holding the Mamayev Heights have become independent divisions that do not exist in the history of the Zài under my command, then the Guards Division can draw enough troops to participate in the counterattack. Perhaps, in this case, there will be hope for success in the counterattack operation that Chuikov will carry out tomorrow. After the two of them finished singing and harmonizing, I tentatively said to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, should we send someone to meet the Guards Division, lest they cross the river and accidentally intrude into the enemy's artillery strike area and suffer unnecessary casualties." ”

"Colonel Oshanina, you don't have to worry about this." Krylov, who had finished the phone call at some point, also walked back to the table, and continued my topic: "I have just called Colonel Tupichev, the chief of the engineering troops of the army group, and asked him to lead the staff group of the army group to cross the river overnight to the Krasnosloboda area to meet the Guards Division. ”

Seeing that Chuikov had already taken into account all the things that should be considered, I no longer worried about tomorrow's counterattack battle, and then I reflected the difficulties faced by the 107.5 heights to several commanders of the group army.

After listening to this, Chuikov looked up and asked Krylov: "Chief of Staff, what do you think about this matter?" ”

Krylov stared at the map on the table, tapped his fingers on the table, pondered for a long time, and then replied: "The independent division is currently the most complete and most combat-effective unit in the group army, and if we consume our elite troops little by little in order to hold on to the 107.5 height, I don't think it is cost-effective." So I built yì, when the higher authorities sent us new troops, let them take over the defense of the 107.5 heights, so that after the scattered forces of the independent division could be concentrated, we could turn the Mamayev hill and the adjacent dock into a fortress that the Germans could not overcome. ”

Hearing that Krylov held me so high, I had to smile bitterly and say: "Please rest assured, commander, military commissar, and chief of staff, as long as the troops of the independent division are concentrated, they will become a force that the enemy will not dare to underestimate." In addition to holding our ground, we will not constantly launch counterattacks against the enemy in front of us, so that they will not be able to draw their forces to join up with the friendly forces attacking our city. ”

My statement made Gurov smile, and he nodded and said with satisfaction: "Well, very good, Comrade Oshanina, since you have such determination, I am relieved." Next, we move on to tomorrow's counteroffensive operation. ”

The shelling before the counterattack was fired punctually at 3 o'clock.

However, due to the insufficient reserve of shells, the shelling, which was scheduled for thirty minutes, was carried out for only fifteen minutes. Chuikov, who received the report from the artillery commander, decisively gave Krylov an order: "Comrade Chief of Staff, order all units to immediately take action and launch a fierce attack on the enemy in front of you!" ”

Krylov nodded, walked to a walkie-talkie by the wall, took the headset and microphone from the operator's hand, and shouted loudly: "Comrade commander, the commander orders, in order to defend the great Stalingrad and eliminate the fascist bandits, let's all act!" Advance and immediately charge towards the enemy's positions! ”

After the order to attack was issued, more than a dozen troops launched a fierce attack on the German troops entrenched outside the city from their respective starting positions.

From 4 o'clock onwards, a steady stream of battle reports was sent back to the headquarters, and the commanders of each unit reported that their troops had broken through the German positions in front of them and had penetrated into the enemy's line of defense for several kilometers. Hearing these good news, both Chuikov and Gurov had happy smiles on their faces.

By 6 o'clock, the battle reports from the various units came and the situation was a little worse. Almost unanimously said that the German fortifications had been found ahead, and the infantry, lacking heavy weapons and without artillery support, had been thwarted in several attacks. In order to reassure the people, Krylov gave them a shot in the arm, telling them to hold on a little longer, as long as it was dawn, as soon as our air force appeared, we would be able to break through the enemy positions that were blocking the front.

But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and half an hour later, a telegram from the commander of the front army dashed everyone's hopes. The telegram was briefly written: "The Air Force is unable to provide the necessary support to your attacking forces because of the lack of fuel and ammunition. (To be continued......)

PS: I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the book friend Nebula Hunter Children's Shoes for the support of the two valuable monthly passes!