Lieutenant Travkin was shocked into a cold sweat when he told me that there were Romanian cavalry units stationed on either side of the route of our march the night before. Although in this wide steppe, the Germans did not use armored forces on a large scale, but it was the most suitable area for the use of cavalry. Fortunately, our movements were not discovered by the Romanians at the beginning, otherwise we would not have been able to stop them with the small troops we left near the camp to keep an eye on them. As soon as their cavalry rushed into our marching ranks, it would have turned into a one-sided massacre.

I shuddered at the thought of this possibility, and after a moment of silence, I asked earnestly: "Comrade lieutenant, have you figured out how many enemy troops there are in each of these two camps?" ”

Travkin nodded and replied with full confidence: "Report to Comrade General, after a day of reconnaissance, we have basically figured out the situation in these two camps. The cavalry unit stationed in the south was the 1st Dragoon Regiment of the 6th Cavalry Brigade of the Romanian Cavalry Division. The establishment of the regiment is: regimental headquarters, guard platoon, communications platoon, engineering platoon; four cavalry battalions, each with 4 platoons with a total of 178 soldiers and 13 light machine guns; A heavy weapons battalion consisting of 16 60-mm mortars, 12 heavy machine guns, 4 75-mm field guns. In the camp of the 20th Infantry Division on the north side, there was only one infantry company, and no other heavy weapons were found except for one heavy machine gun and four light machine guns, and in their camp, a large number of trucks were found. ”

Pantai Leev waited for Travkin to finish speaking, patted the other party's shoulder twice, and said excitedly: "Comrade lieutenant, you are really amazing. He actually made the enemy's situation so clear. "Then he asked me for yì." Comrade division commander. Do you think we are sending a force to finish off the Romanian army's truck camp? ”

"I agree," I immediately agreed, to Pantai Leyev's suggestion, "as long as we get these trucks in hand, then we can transport as much of the baggage as we can back to Mamayev Gang in the city." At the moment the supply in the city is very difficult, and it is impossible for the army group to help us much. Therefore, the supply of troops can only be solved by themselves. "Speaking of this, I habitually raised my hand and looked at it, and said in my heart that Shederikov why haven't they come back yet? When he comes, he can send a battalion from the regiment to carry out this task.

While I was still thinking about which battalion to give the task to, I suddenly heard Bandereev ask again: "Comrade lieutenant, I am curious, how did you get surrounded by the Germans?" ”

Hearing this question from Bandereev also intrigued me, and I hurriedly looked up at Travkin to hear how he had answered.

Lieutenant Travkin smiled a little embarrassed. He replied: "According to the instructions of our superiors, we were on a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines. You can't fight the enemy, you can't capture prisoners, and you can't expose them.

For the first two days, we strictly carried out the orders of our superiors. But on the third day, there was an accident. While marching through waist-deep weeds, our squad was accidentally spotted by a German convoy passing on the road in the distance, so hundreds of soldiers jumped out of the car and pressed down from all sides.

In the course of the retreat, we managed to cross a swamp after losing two fighters. Since the soldier who was responsible for carrying the whole platoon of food was also one of the victims, our small army ran out of food after passing through the guò marsh. In order to replenish our food, we had to hide near the German hospitals, attacking the wounded soldiers who had just been discharged from the hospital, and taking the limited amount of food they carried. ”

"Why did you attack the wounded?" Bandereev asked curiously.

Travkin looked at Pandereev and replied solemnly: "Comrade Colonel, this is easy to explain, because the wounded soldier has just come out of the hospital, and even if he is missing, it will not arouse suspicion, and the hospital will think that he has returned to the army, and the army will still think that he is hospitalized." ”

"Since the enemy's wounded soldiers have been silently disposed of by you," Bandereev asked, apparently dissatisfied with Travkin's answer, "and how did the enemy find out?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Colonel. According to the reconnaissance of the Air Force, it seems that at least one division of German tanks is parked at one of the railway stations in our reconnaissance area, and we have to find out what is going on. On the way to the railway station, we found several covered trucks parked on the side of the road to rest, judging from the direction they were driving, they should be heading in the direction of the station, so I asked the deputy platoon commander to bring two fighters, taking advantage of the enemy's inattention, climbed into the truck, and took the truck to the station for reconnaissance.

As soon as the vehicle entered the station, and before it had time to stop, our planes appeared and bombed the station indiscriminately. And our scouts also took advantage of the chaos to get out of the car, dodging the bombs falling from the air while solving the enemy who found themselves. When they risked their lives to rush to the station with the smoke billowing from the gunpowder, they found that the tanks of the so-called tank division were nothing more than models made of a pile of wood. While the three of them were moving, they were confronted by a German officer with several soldiers. After a short battle, one soldier was killed, and the deputy platoon commander and another soldier managed to escape from the station and snatch back a bunjiàn bag from the killed German officer. Perhaps it was this operation that made the Germans discover that there were our reconnaissance units in their hinterland, so they mobilized their troops, including the SS, to encircle and suppress us. ”

"Comrade Lieutenant, in that Wen Jiàn bag that you seized," I and Bantai Leev had different concerns, he was concerned about how Travkin and they were discovered by the Germans, while I was concerned about the contents of the Wen Jiàn bag, "What important Wen Jiàn contains?" ”

When Travkin heard my question, he quickly turned to look at me and replied respectfully: "It is the deployment of the 297th German Infantry Division and the assembly point of the 24th Panzer Division. ”

Although this kind of information is important, it is of little use to us, so I nodded and said casually, "Understood." Comrade Lieutenant, let's move on to what you are going to do next. ”

Travkin agreed, and continued: "We arrived at the assembly site of the armored division mentioned in the text last night, which is an abandoned quarry eighty kilometers southwest of the city of Kongjiaoyi. Over there. We saw hundreds of tanks that had just been unloaded from the train. Assembling is underway. Our scouts in the process of conducting reconnaissance. One of the staff officers of the armored division was captured, and important texts were captured from him. My guess is that it was the disappearance of this staff officer carrying an important document that attracted the attention of the Germans, who mobilized a large number of troops to search the area of our activity in companies and platoons.

During the transfer, we encountered a German armored vehicle. I immediately ordered my warriors to lie down on the spot and hide in the weeds on the side of the road. The armored car stopped not far in front of us. The Germans in the car seemed to hear something, but they did not come down to search, but only shot at the place where we were hiding with the machine gun on board and the submachine gun in their hands.

After a burst of strafing, they saw no movement in the grass, and the armored vehicle moved forward again. However, in the enemy's strafing fire, our detachment suffered considerable losses, three fighters were killed, two were wounded, and the radio carried by the operator Nastya was damaged. In order to timely integrate the detected intelligence. Report to the superiors, after we have buried the fallen comrades. He also reversed course and advanced into the enemy's depth, preparing to seize a radio station from the enemy's hands if necessary and report the information to the division headquarters. ”

Hearing him say this, I smiled and said, "I see, Comrade Lieutenant." It seems that you quickly found the radio station and unexpectedly got in touch with us during the plain call. ”

"After daybreak, as we passed a bridge guarded by the Germans, we stumbled upon a hut on the other side of the river, in which it seemed that a German operator was in contact with his superiors. I gave the order to the soldiers to cross the river downstream, in the idea of seizing the enemy's radio station. The beginning went smoothly, and we found a gentle section of the river downstream, stripped naked and swam across the river with our heads, and of course even the captive crossed the river with us. When we got ashore, we got dressed and quietly approached the small house where there was a radio station in groups. ”

When Lieutenant Travkin said that they were all stripped naked and crossed the river, my mind shifted to Nastya's, and I wondered if the young female soldier had swam naked across the river like the male warriors. By the time I focused my thoughts again, Travkin's story had already been told later," ...... The Germans on the bridge heard the gunshots and rushed over with their weapons, and the machine gun on the opposite bridge turned around and fired at us. Seeing that they had been discovered by the enemy, the fighters also jumped out of their hiding places, and the guns in their hands rang out one after another. For a time, there was constant gunfire on both sides of the bridge, and Germans and our fighters were constantly knocked down by bullets flying indiscriminately. Desperate screams, wails kept pouring into my ears. After a while of fighting, I saw a high pile of dust rising in the distance, and it seemed that enemy reinforcements had arrived, so I ordered the troops to retreat.

My deputy platoon commander pushed me hard next to me and shouted: Lieutenant, you lead the people to retreat first, and I will lead the enemy away. After shouting these words, the deputy platoon commander and three soldiers opened fire on the German troops who were catching up, and ran in a different direction from us.

After we succeeded in getting rid of the enemy, we found a place to hide, and I ordered Nastya to immediately send a report to my superiors. At the same time, the number of people was counted, and it was found that only 14 people remained, and in just one day, we had 10 fighters killed. ”

After listening to this, Bantai Laiev asked with concern: "Have you contacted your superiors?" ”

"Comrade Colonel, unfortunately, no." Travkin replied with a wry smile: "Maybe the radio station was hit by a collision on the way to our transfer and malfunctioned and could not be used normally." As the position was revealed, the German search forces soon surrounded us from all sides, and we were forced to move again.

The first squad leader, Sergeant Yegol, led three soldiers in front of the spearhead, while I and the rest of the soldiers followed them from a distance. As we approached a campsite the other day, I had a foreboding premonition, and stopped to send someone to call them back to Jegol. At that moment, a cannonball whistled and landed in the middle of the front team. There was a loud bang, and the four warriors were scattered in the firelight.

'Lie down! I shouted and gave orders to the soldiers, only to see a tank emerge from the grass in the distance and appear in my field of vision, the abominable steel behemoth shaking and shaking off the floating dirt and weeds on the vehicle. Rushing towards us with a fierce momentum. Fifty or sixty German soldiers also emerged from the grass. Trailing behind the tank began to storm.

Now. I understood that we were caught in an enemy ambush, and hurriedly ordered everyone to retreat while fighting. Thankfully, not all four of them were killed, and Yegol and the other were able to fight despite being wounded, and with their cover of sacrificing their lives, we managed to get rid of the enemy.

Finding out that the return passage was tightly sealed by the enemy, we could only take the enemy in constant circles in this area until during the day we were besieged by the Germans on the nearby hillside. Comrade General. You know the rest, so I won't repeat it here. ”

I pointed to the nearby communication room and said to him, "Comrade Lieutenant, there is our radio station there, and you should be able to contact your superiors." Go there and report to your superiors what you have discovered. ”

Travkin gave me a grateful look, saluted me and Bandereev, and turned to leave.

Looking at Travkin's back as he left, my mind involuntarily remembered the Romanian military camp with only one company, as soon as we took it. With a group of commanders and fighters who can drive, I can be sure that I will be able to store most of the supplies in the city. Transported back to Mamayev Hills.

Just thinking about it, Sedjerikov and Kosga, led by Corporal Mikhailov, entered the trenches and were walking towards us. Seeing the oncoming Lieutenant Colonel Koska, I was angry, and changed Major Godunov to command the three regiments, and it is estimated that he can command better than him, after all, he has been away from the army for too long, and both the commander and the soldiers below are very unfamiliar with him, so it is strange to be able to command the troops well.

Kosga, probably noticing my ugly face, walked up to me, saluted me with Shederikov, bowed his head and said nothing, and honestly waited for my seizure.

I ignored him, but shook hands with Shederikov with a smile and praised him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, what a good job, really a good job." Your regiment is really good in today's battle, easily seizing the enemy's position, and the casualties don't seem to be significant. ”

Sederikov, who received my praise, could not help but say proudly: "Comrade division commander, have you forgotten that when our regiment was still holding the high ground in the north, you once called us to a meeting. At that time, I expressed my position to you, saying that the Germans could not attack the positions we were holding, and if we attacked the positions held by the Germans, even two, we would have taken them. Well, I'm not bragging, am I? ”

I didn't say anything about Sederikov's complacency, just smiled and nodded. Then I greeted Captain Nikolai, who was following him: "Hello, Comrade Captain. Originally, I asked your troops to make a feint, but I didn't expect that in the end, you actually turned the feint into a real attack, and without the cover of artillery fire, you took the enemy's hill in one fell swoop. ”

Nikolai stepped forward and saluted me and Bandereev, and said with a stern expression: "Comrade division commander, the soldiers are very encouraged by what you said at the funeral in the morning. When the troops were suppressed by enemy fire, suddenly a soldier braved the enemy's bullets and stood up bravely and shouted: 'Comrades, don't forget what the division commander said, advance, advance!' Under the leadership of this warrior, the warriors who had been lying on the ground also got up from the ground and rushed towards the enemy's position. ”

After listening to Nikolai's words, I asked with interest: "Comrade Captain, where is this fighter you are talking about?" I want to meet him. ”

Nikolai lowered his head and said with some sadness: "Report to the division commander, this soldier died heroically in battle. ”

Hearing that this warrior who bravely stood up at a critical moment died, I sighed regretfully and continued: "Captain Nikolai, although this soldier died, he used his life and blood to protect the first battalion and his own honor, and also made an indelible contribution to the defense of our motherland. Not only you, but I also want to thank him, but all the commanders and fighters of the independent division should thank him and remember his great achievements. Please relay my words to the commanders and fighters of the first battalion when the time is right. ”

Because of his emotion, Captain Nikolai's eyes turned red, and he nodded vigorously and assured me: "Please rest assured, division commander, I will definitely convey what you say to the commanders and fighters in the battalion word for word." ”

After talking to Sedjerikov and Nikolai, I turned to look at Kosga, who was standing next to me, and said angrily: "Lieutenant Colonel Kosga." Your troops are fighting well. In the early hours of the morning, when attacking the city of Kongjian. You are the troops with the fewest casualties. In the battle that just ended. The other two battalions bravely rushed forward in the face of the enemy's hail of bullets. And what about your troops? It was so good that hundreds of people were lying a few hundred meters away from the German positions, crackling and playing with their guns. Did you specifically tell the Germans that you were playing a feint tactic? Do you want to tell the Germans that the fake attack here will not pose a threat to you, and you should be confident and bold to use your forces elsewhere? ”

I'm angry at this, and Kosgaard isn't stupid. He should be able to tell my displeasure with him in the honorifics I used against him, and in the series of counter-words. As soon as I finished speaking, he immediately apologized to me with a red face: "Comrade division commander, I was wrong. I promise I will never ...... again next time"

"What, and next time?" This time it was Bandereev who pointed at Kosga's nose and scolded: "This stupid and stupid man, as the commander of the regiment, can't even command his own troops, and in the end he actually wants to charge with the guard company himself." I don't think you're worthy of being the head of the regiment. At most, be a company commander. ”

Kosga, who was scolded by Bantai Leev, turned pale, maybe at this moment. He thought that he had really been demoted from regiment commander to company commander. I saw him open his mouth, as if trying to defend himself, but in the end he didn't say anything. Although I have become calm after I scolded Kosgaard, I did not stand up and play a round when Pandereev taught him, and it is estimated that he will learn this lesson only when Pandeleev scolds him severely.

Finally, when Bandereev finished venting, I coughed and said slowly: "Alright, Lieutenant Colonel Kosga, immediately take your troops back to the city, and assist the first regiment and three battalions to move all the baggage we have captured outside the city." ”

Kosgaard didn't know if he was scolded stupidly by Bantai Laiev, and after listening to my order, he actually asked stupidly: "Comrade division commander, why did you move the baggage from the city to the outside of the city?" ”

I raised my foot and kicked him, laughing and scolding: "I think you were smart in the past and now you are confused, do you think that if we occupy the city of Kongjiao and capture a large number of military supplies from the German army, will the Germans give up?" Even if they don't send ground troops over, they will send planes to bomb them, do you want our captured materials to be reduced to ashes in the bombing? ”

Hearing me say this, it dawned on Kosgaard, and he hurriedly agreed, saluted us, turned around, and hurried away with his men.

Watching Kosga leave, Sederikov also hurriedly asked me for instructions: "Comrade division commander, since the third regiment went to help carry supplies, what is the task of the remaining troops of our regiment?" ”

"The 2nd battalion of Sherebryanny held the heights, and the 1st battalion of Captain Nikolai also immediately entered the city to take part in the work of transporting supplies." Speaking of which, I raised my hand and looked at my watch, and continued: "Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, remember that the Germans will not have much time left for us, and their planes will come back and bomb at any time. Therefore, you should give priority to transporting the captured guns, ammunition, food, medicine and other materials outside the city, and as for the remaining military uniforms and quilts, you can carry as much as you can. Do you understand? ”

"Understood, I promise to complete the mission." After expressing his attitude to me, Sedjerikov raised his hand and saluted, and quickly left with Nikolai and the other commanders and guards.

After seeing Shederikov and Kosga leave one after another, Pandereev said anxiously: "Comrade division commander, why didn't you assign the task of attacking the Romanian battalion to any of the regiment commanders?" ”

I waved my hand and said lightly: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, it is only a trivial matter to attack the Romanian military camp and seize the trucks inside. Our immediate task is to move supplies as soon as possible to minimize losses. ”

Seeing that I looked confident, Pantai Laiev asked tentatively: "Comrade division commander, don't you want to wait for the transportation of materials in the city to be completed, and then send a unit from it to carry out the mission?" Without waiting for me to answer, he asked himself, "After the troops have carried the supplies, they will march more than ten kilometers in a hurry to attack the enemy's camp." If the commanders and fighters participating in the battle are exhausted, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced, and as a result, our casualties in the battle will increase. ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, I know very well that the commanders and fighters of these battalions are already very tired after a long march and two consecutive battles." I said lightly: "So for the task of attacking the Romanian camps, I did not think of using these battalions at all. ”

"If you don't need these battalions, where are you going to use them?" As soon as Bantai Laiyev asked this question, he suddenly looked like he suddenly realized, "Oh, I understand, what you want to use is the fourth regiment and three battalions." ”

"Exactly. Since last night, the third battalion of the fourth regiment has been staying in that camp without moving, and it is estimated that the commanders and fighters below must not be able to hold back. If such a combat mission is entrusted to them, I believe that we will be able to achieve the desired results. ”

Hearing me say this, Bandereev looked eager to try, and after he stretched out his hand to hold his left and right, he confidently said to me: "Comrade division commander, the task of commanding the third battalion of the fourth regiment will be entrusted to me." ”

Seeing that he took the initiative to ask for battle, I didn't want to pour cold water on him, so I had to nod and agree. However, for the sake of safety, I took the initiative to propose: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, since you are going to command the fourth regiment and three battalions to carry out combat missions, then in addition to bringing a platoon of guards platoon fighters, bring all the tanks and armored vehicles we have captured." ”

Unexpectedly, after hearing me say this, Bandeleyev waved his hand again and again and said, "No, no." The Romanians were only one company of troops, and a battalion of five or six hundred of us rushed up and easily wiped them out. It's better to leave the tanks and armored vehicles behind, and if the enemy comes to attack, they can be used for a lot of purposes. ”

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander, no, resolutely not." Seeing that Bandereev was reluctant to bring tanks and armored vehicles with me, I understood in my heart that he was not troublesome, but worried that the Germans would send heavy troops to counterattack after learning that the city of Kongjian and the high ground had been lost, and leaving the tanks and armored vehicles behind could strengthen our heavy firepower. However, I was also worried about him, although the Romanians only had one company, if a light infantry without heavy weapons was allowed to attack the fortifications, the battle might be in a stalemate, and if the Romanian cavalry heard the news, they would be left to the enemy, so I insisted firmly: "You must bring both tanks and armored vehicles, so that we can destroy the enemy in the shortest possible time and seize the trucks we need." If the enemy's camp is not able to settle the battle as best as possible after an attack, you will be in danger as soon as the nearby Romanian cavalry division and the German 295th Division come to reinforce you. ”

Seeing that I was stubborn, Pantai Laiev knew that he could not argue with me, so he reluctantly agreed to my request. (To be continued......)