I learned that my application for promotion was rejected, and that General Zhukov, who had always taken special care of me, personally rejected it. When I heard Chuikov say this, I couldn't help but be stunned.

"Comrade Commander, this is impossible!" Biliukov, who was standing next to us, was particularly surprised when he heard Chuikov's words, and could not help but interject.

"Yes, General Biryukov." Chuikov's eyes looked at Bilyukov and he said with certainty: "The commander of the army group, General Shumilov, personally checked this with the chief of staff of the Front, Nikishev, and cannot be wrong." ”

Biryukov looked at the excitedly carried away commanders around him, tilted his head, and said, "Comrade commander, let's go outside and talk." He and Chuikov walked a few steps, turned their heads, and found that I was still standing in a daze, so he hurriedly came over and grabbed my shoulders, and said with a smile: "Let's go, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, don't stand here in a daze, let's go outside together, I still have something to say to you." ”

Out of the command headquarters, Biryukov did not stop, but directly pulled me and Chuikov into the car, and after he was in the co-pilot position in the front row, he politely said to the driver: "Comrade driver, you are tired of waiting outside for so long, right?" ”

The driver glanced at his rank, quickly straightened up and replied: "Report to Comrade General, I'm not tired." ”

Seeing that the driver's reaction was sluggish, Biryukov did not comprehend the important meaning of his words in time, so he had to wave helplessly at the driver, and said angrily: "Comrade driver, I suggest that you find a place to smoke a cigarette first, and when I call you, you will come back." ”

The driver didn't dare to answer him immediately, but turned his head to look at Chuikov in the back row. Chuikov nodded at the driver and said, "Comrade driver." Since General Biryukov asked you to leave for the time being. You're going to spend a little bit somewhere else. ”

Only then did the driver agree. Pushed open the door, jumped out of the car, and trotted away.

Seeing the driver disappear from our sight, Biryukov got down to business and began to analyze with us why Zhukov would reject my application for promotion. He said slowly: "Comrade Commander, I think about this matter this way. In fact, the rejection of Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina's promotion application is not a bad thing, on the contrary, it is a good thing. ”

"What? What do you say? General Biryukov, are you mistaken. Oshanina's application for promotion was rejected, and you still say it's a good thing? Chuikov may have been holding back the fire in his belly from just now, and when he heard Byliukov say this, he couldn't help but attack him.

Bilyukov still had a calm expression on his face, and after raising his hand to stop the agitated Chuikov, he began to analyze the cause and effect to us, only to hear him say slowly: "Comrade commander, don't be anxious and don't get angry, listen to me explain to you slowly." ”

"Say, I'll just sit here and listen to you." Chuikov replied angrily.

"If I'm not mistaken. After the creation of the 64th Army, the first chief of staff was Colonel Novikov, right? ”

"Yes. When the army group was first formed, it was indeed Colonel Novikov who held the post of chief of staff of the army group, but later he was removed from his post and sent to a military tribunal for issuing erroneous combat orders. ......" Speaking of this, Chuikov was suddenly stunned, and after a long while, he continued: "What do you mean, General Zhukov did not agree to the promotion of Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina because he was afraid that he would repeat the mistakes of his predecessor Chief of Staff?" ”

Bilyukov did not speak, but just nodded, expressing his approval of Chuikov's statement.

Chuikov patted the back of the chair in front of him and said excitedly: "No wonder, no wonder." I'll just say, Zhukov has a close relationship with Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, and most of the time it is Zhukov who supports her, so she can get to the point where she is now, and Zhukov is happy to see her promoted, how can he oppose it with such fanfare, it turns out that it is all for organizing Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina to encounter similar trouble. General Biryukov, you have a good analysis, nine times out of ten things are the kind of situation you just said. ”

After saying that, he raised his arm and gently patted me on the shoulder a few times, comforting me and saying: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, don't be depressed anymore, you didn't listen to General Biliukov that General Zhukov rejected your application for promotion out of love for you. As I said earlier, this battle with the enemy near Stalingrad will not be fought in a month or two, and it is possible that our troops will continue to passively retreat to the rear, and if the high command holds them accountable, the leaders of the group army will inevitably take the blame and will be severely punished. ”

After listening to Bilyukov's analysis and Chuikov's heartfelt words, my psychology was immediately balanced, although the deputy chief of staff of the group army sounded good, but he did not have much real power, he was simply the echo of the commander and chief of staff, and it was better to simply continue to be my chief of staff.

Chuikov raised his hand and looked at his watch, and said to Biryukov: "Comrade division commander, go back and tell those commanders that you should immediately take your troops back to their respective defense areas, occupy positions and repair fortifications, and rush to the headquarters of the group army at seven o'clock in the evening to participate in today's battle summary." Seeing that Biliukov pushed the car door and wanted to get out of the car, he added: "As long as the military commanders of the divisions and brigades come to the meeting, the political workers will forget it." ”

On the way back, I saw groups of Germans on the side of the road with their heads in their hands, escorted by the soldiers, heading east. I couldn't help but ask Chuikov curiously: "Comrade commander, where will these prisoners go?" ”

Chuikov glanced out the window and said disdainfully, "Where else can I go?" Of course, it was sent to Stalingrad. ”

I was a little surprised and asked, "It's still more than 200 kilometers away from the city, so I won't let them just walk like this." ”

Chuikov shook his head and said: "From here about ten kilometers to the east, there is a concession station, where usually the prisoners are escorted to Stalingrad by military train. ”

Although the troops I led in the past had captured many prisoners, every time the prisoners were brought back, I always sent someone to send them to my superiors, and I never cared about the whereabouts of these prisoners anymore.

When he returned to the command of the army group, Shumilov, military commissar Serdyuk, and chief of staff Raskin were studying something around the map on the table. Seeing us enter, Shumilov straightened up and nodded at Chuikov. Said politely: "Comrade Chuikov." You're back. ”

"It's back. Comrade Commander. What are you working on? ”

"Comrade Chuikov, come and have a look. Although we won today's battle, with the character of the enemy, we are absolutely not willing to lose, and we will definitely retaliate, and they will definitely concentrate superior forces to carry out a frantic counterattack on our position in a short time. ”

"You are quite right, Comrade Commander. Things you worry about. Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina had just proposed it to those division commanders, and I believe everyone now knew what to expect. ”

"Comrade two commanders, do you need to call those division commanders right away?" Chief of Staff Raskin asked.

Chuikov waved his hand to reject his proposal and explained: "Before I returned to the headquarters, I informed the military commanders of all the participating units to come to the headquarters in the evening for a battle summary meeting. Speaking of this, he looked around and asked curiously: "Comrade commander, where did Comrade Abramov, military commissar go?" ”

"The Front has just delivered a batch of materials to our army group, and Abramov is in charge of the logistics of the army group. So he took people to receive the substance. ”

"Since Comrade Abramov is not there, then I will tell Comrade Serdyuk about this matter. Anyway, he was also the military commissar of the group army, responsible for the political propaganda work of the troops. ”

"General Chuikov, do you have any instructions?" When Serdyuk heard Chuikov mention his name, he quickly got up from his seat and asked politely.

"That's right, Comrade Military Commissar, I want to talk to you about political propaganda." Chuikov walked around the table, walked over to him, and told the military commissar in detail the story of the regimental testimony we had just heard.

After hearing this, Serdyuk clenched his fists and waved them violently, and said loudly: "Great, I will immediately ask the Political Department of the group army to sort out their heroic deeds, and then print and distribute propaganda tabloids, so that every commander and soldier of the group army can understand them, and through propaganda against them, I will boost morale and unite the combat effectiveness of the troops." ”

After Serdyuk left, Chuikov instructed Raskin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, a meeting will be held here later, and all irrelevant personnel will go out." ”

The irrelevant personnel in Chuikov's mouth refer to those communications staff officers who came to the headquarters today to answer the phone. As his subordinate, Ruskin was naturally able to comprehend what he said, and hurriedly carried out the clearance work.

The summary meeting of the battle was scheduled for 6 p.m. Half an hour before 6 o'clock, the division commanders and brigade commanders of the participating units arrived one after another. Since Chuikov and Shumilov went back to rest, I was in charge of the reception for the time being.

Maybe it was a big victory today, so every commander who came was happy. When you shake my hand, you have to say a few more words in addition to saying hello.

Lyudnikov and Kuropadenko came together. When Lyudnikov shook hands with me, he repeatedly thanked me, saying that I had won such a great honor for their division and that it could wash away the shame of their defeat in the early stage.

When shaking hands with Kuropatenko, he deliberately said to me with a straight face: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, you are really not interesting. ”

"Why do you say that? Comrade division commander. "His words left me confused.

"Our division and Lyudnikov's division have been fighting side by side, and it can be said that the battles fought and the results achieved are comparable to theirs. Why did they just promote one of their divisions to the Guards Division, and our division didn't get any honor? ”

Hearing him mention the matter of the Guards Division, I realized that Lu Dao was joking, and hurriedly replied: "Comrade Colonel, there is still a fight in this battle, if your division performs well next time, I will definitely fight for Lu superiors, so that you can also be promoted to the Guards Division." ”

"That's great, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina." Kuropatenko may have said it so casually, but I didn't expect me to give him a solemn promise, and his voice suddenly spoke excitedly, "I really don't know how to thank you, so let's give you a salute first." After speaking, he straightened his body with his legs together and saluted me with a solemn military salute.

Hearing that I had promised Kuropatenko that I would fight for a place in the Guards Division for their division in the future, the rest of the division commanders and brigade commanders quit and rushed over to me in the middle, urging me to fight for this honorable place for them at the right time.

Seeing that I was surrounded by water, Biliukov came to relieve me. He pulled away the commanders who were crowded in front of me and shouted at them: "Comrade commanders. What are you doing? Didn't you see that this is the headquarters of the army group. Make a scene. What does it look like? ”

When he said this, everyone closed their mouths and began to walk to their seats. I saw the commanders who were surrounding me disperse, and I just wanted to catch my breath and thank Bilyukov again. Unexpectedly, he actually came up with a sentence: "I said Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, you have been the commander of the regiment under me, and if there is any good thing to promote to the Guards Division in the future, you can't forget my 214th Division!" ”

The people around him burst into laughter when they heard what Byliukov said. Someone also said loudly: "General Bilyukov." For such a thing as being promoted to the Guards Division, you have to rely on your own strength to fight for it, but you can't say that people go through the back door. ”

Just as everyone was laughing and laughing, a stern voice suddenly came from the door of the headquarters: "Comrade commanders, please be quiet." Comrade Commander and Deputy Commander arrived. Hearing this, the command headquarters fell silent, and everyone stood in place and straightened up, waiting for the arrival of the meeting host.

After Chuikov, Shumilov, and Ruskin came to their places and took their seats, Chuikov raised his hand and pressed down on Lu, beckoning everyone: "Commanders, comrades. Don't stand, sit down. We're going to have a meeting. ”

At this summary meeting, we did not talk too much about the process of how to win, but discussed some problems in the battle.

After listening to the speeches of several division commanders, Chuikov stood up again and began to talk about some of his views on the current battle situation, and I quickly took out a pen and paper from my briefcase and began to record in order to accumulate my experience. I heard him say loudly: "Comrades, as you all know, from the beginning of the July battle, our troops were forced to retreat constantly under the enemy's powerful offensive. But the defeat in the battle did not make us lose our fighting spirit. Here, I boldly predict: one day, these invincible German field marshals and generals will become the defeated generals of our army. ……”

As soon as Chuikov's words were said here, they were interrupted by enthusiastic applause, and I hurriedly put the notebook and pen on my lap and applauded with everyone. It wasn't until Chuikov raised his hand and pressed it that the applause came to an abrupt end.

Chuikov went on to say: "The enemy's superiority is largely due to the fact that when they launched the attack, the units of our army had not yet had time to form a battle formation. Suppose we have even two or three days to organize our defense after we arrive at the designated position. If the enemy spreads out battle formations according to regiments and battalions, repairs trench bunkers, organizes fire coordination and communication liaison, replenishes ammunition, and organizes logistical supplies, then the enemy will never easily break through the defenses of our group army.

While the Germans were preparing for artillery fire on the defensive positions of our armies, I stayed in the observation posts close to the front and noticed their tactical weaknesses: their artillery and mortars were scattered and they fired only at the front and not in depth; There was also a lack of extensive maneuvering of fire in battle.

During my years of study at the Frunze Military Academy, I studied many of the battles of the Germans on the Western Front during the First World War. I understand the views of the German generals on the role of artillery in future wars (like Bernhard's ideas). Therefore, in the first days of fighting in the Don region, I thought that the enemy artillery would perform orthodox coordinated maneuvers: accurate swooping barrage fire, lightning-fast fire maneuvers and artillery maneuvers. But this was not the case, and I was disappointed to see that the enemy artillery was still using the old method, slowly gnawing at the trenches one by one.

If we had a deeper defensive depth configuration, without the addition of anti-tank reserves, we would not only be able to contain the enemy's attack, but also kill and injure the enemy in large numbers.

German tanks would not have dared to charge without the cooperation of infantry and the support of the air force. I saw that foreign newspapers often advertised how brave and resolute the German tank men were, but this time on the battlefield, I did not see these characteristics of the enemy.

The advantage of the German infantry was that their submachine guns had good performance and firepower. However, I did not see them show swift movement and bold attack on the battlefield. Because the German infantry had plenty of ammunition, they did not hesitate to attack with bullets, but often fired blindly to achieve their own courage.

The front of the German position was extremely easy to observe, especially at night, because of the many tracer grenades and signal flares of various colors flying over it. The enemy seems to be afraid of the dark, and may also feel lonely without shooting. The enemy's maneuvers were also extremely easy to monitor, since their convoys always had their headlights on when driving on the steppe.

During the battle, the enemy's air force gave full play to its combat capability, and the enemy's air force and ground forces were well organized in their contacts and coordinated actions. It can be felt that the German pilots are familiar with the tactics of both the German army and the ground forces of our army. As soon as the enemy infantry was suppressed by our artillery or machine-gun fire, German planes would soon arrive. Dive bombers lined up in a circular formation and took turns bombing our battle formations and artillery positions.

The above is the preliminary conclusion of my study of the tactics of the enemy army. I hope that all the commanders present here will also learn to observe the enemy and study their strengths and weaknesses. Familiarize yourself with their habits, so that you can know yourself and your opponent, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles. I'm done talking. ”

As soon as Chuikov's speech ended, the audience burst into thunderous applause. Everyone used their applause to express their recognition of the incisive summary he made. (To be continued......)