Then there were several more explosions, and the whistling shells hit the building again. Just now our artillery hit the target from the rear of the side of the building, and this time it was a direct hit from the front. In a series of explosions, broken masonry and wood, mixed with fragments of weapons and human limbs, scattered around the building like flowers scattered by heavenly maidens. Seeing that the building was shrouded in gunsmoke, more than a dozen commanders and fighters immediately got up from the ground, holding weapons, running in a zigzag, and quickly approached the building.

Before they could rush into the building, which had been hit by the shell, the two fighters at the front fell to the ground. The rest of the commanders and fighters hurriedly stopped, and hid behind the ruins or rubble nearby.

"Hell, what's going on, how did our fighter get shot?" Pandereev cried out in surprise when he saw our fighters fall from a bullet. "Where is the enemy's fire?"

"Comrade Deputy Division Commander," I immediately observed several nearby buildings after the soldier was shot, and I did not find any muzzle flames fired by the Germans, and immediately understood what was going on, and hurriedly said to Bandereev: "It's not a point of fire, they should have been knocked down by enemy snipers." ”

After saying this, I looked behind me and saw Yushchenko and several other fighters of the guard company standing behind us, I waved to one of the fighters and commanded him: "Comrade soldier, you immediately go downstairs to Lieutenant Colonel Shederikov and ask him to send out our sniper detachment and destroy the German snipers as much as possible." ”

When I returned my attention to the battlefield ahead, I heard Bandereev say again: "Comrade division commander, I don't understand. In this middle strip that is less than two hundred meters long. There are only seven or eight buildings that are not very sturdy. And two of them were half destroyed by German shells or bombs. But why did our two divisions attack each other for several days, but they couldn't achieve a division? ”

After listening to his words, I did not answer immediately, but turned my telescope to the Volga, and in that direction stood a row of buildings that had been blown up in battle, and it was their existence that blocked the view of our artillery on the east bank, so that our artillery could not effectively destroy these seven or eight buildings in the open area. After paying heavy casualties, the commanders and fighters of our two divisions were still unable to reach the short distance of 200 meters.

Looking at the bodies of our soldiers who died in various poses in the open field, my mind was like a movie, imagining the attack of Colonel Goryshny's 95th Infantry Division and Lyudnikov's Division. The enemy set up fire points in several buildings and fired wildly at our commanders and fighters who were pouring up like a tide. The dense firepower beat the charging soldiers to the ground and fell in pieces on the way to the charge. The undulating waves of people seemed to hit a solid flood control levee, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Although the heroic commanders and fighters of our army suffered heavy casualties, they still continued to rush to lurk, shouting and bravely rushing forward one after another, even if they paid heavy casualties, they did not retreat. Scattering flesh and blood can't stop bullets after all. In the end, they waved their hands in vain under the enemy's dense fire. Unwillingly, he threw himself on the ground.

"Comrade Oshanina, how are you doing here?" Suddenly, behind me came the familiar voice of Chuikov: "Is the attack smooth?" ”

I was taken aback by the arrival of Chuikov, and I wondered how could he come to such a dangerous place? You must know that this place is less than 200 meters away from the building in front of you, and if there are snipers lurking around the German army, then he will not be in danger? Thinking of this, I asked worriedly: "Comrade Commander, why did you come here?" ”

"I'll see how you managed to get through the middle ground." As he spoke, Chuikov walked to the hole in the wall, raised his binoculars and looked out, and then asked, "How is it going?" ”

I saw that the smoke in front of me had been dispersed by the river wind, and the building that had been shot was completely exposed, and because there was no wall to block it, I could clearly see that our commanders and fighters were searching floor by floor in the building. The sporadic attempts of the officers and men who survived the artillery fire were quickly wiped out by our fighters, after all, all the commanders and fighters of the independent division had been trained in the battle for the building.

I pointed to the building, which had been almost occupied by our troops, and said to Chuikov: "Comrade commander, please see, our commanders and fighters are clearing out the remnants of the enemy in the building, and it won't be long before they can launch an attack on the next building. ”

Chuikov looked at it for a while, then put down his binoculars and turned his head to ask me, "Why are there so few of you?" I counted that there were about 40 people searching in the building, and there were only about 200 people waiting outside. What about the rest? ”

"Report to Comrade Commander," seeing the disgruntled expression on Chuikov's face, I hurriedly explained to him in detail: "Since the enemy occupies several buildings in the middle of the open field, it is possible to suppress the fire of our attacking troops from a high position, and if we invest too many troops at one time, it is easy to cause large casualties. ”

"You're not going to just fight for it from floor to floor, are you?" Chuikov asked briefly.

"Yes, Comrade Commander." In front of Chuikov, I did not hide my true intentions: "I plan to send troops to fight floor by floor, and consolidate one place if I occupy one place, and there will be absolutely no possibility that the enemy will retake it." Although the pace may be a little slower, the effect is obvious, and I am confident that I will be able to meet the troops of Lyudnikov's division at noon. ”

As I was talking, the rumbling of artillery sounded outside, and I didn't care to say anything more to Chuikov, so I hurriedly looked outside to see where our artillery was shelling. I saw that another building thirty or forty meters west of the building was hit by artillery fire, and the shells exploded on the wall with bursts of fire and smoke, and the violent explosion carried countless German limb fragments and weapon parts in the building into the air, and flew into the sky together with the collapsed cement bricks.

Seeing that our fighters rushed to the building, which had just been shelled and the smoke had not yet dispersed, Chuikov, holding a telescope, exclaimed: "Comrade Oshanina, you guys are amazing. How did you come up with such a good idea for direct artillery fire? Under the blows of our direct-aim artillery fire, the enemy's fortifications were like papier-mâché. ”

I hurriedly put down my binoculars and introduced him in detail: "Comrade Commander. Our style of play is battle-tested. Very effective in street fighting. These buildings occupied by the Germans. Although it was vulnerable to artillery fire, it became an indestructible point of fire in the face of the attack launched by our army, which was not covered by tanks and artillery. ”

Chuikov nodded and agreed with my statement, pointing to the buildings and saying, "These buildings have been rebuilt according to the new defensive positions invented by your division. According to reports from Lyudnikov and Gorishny, their fighters managed to brave the enemy's dense fire and rushed under the building, but all the doors and windows were blocked by masonry. Only firing holes remained, and grenades could not be thrown into them, and there was nothing to do with these fortifications. ”

"Comrade commander," as soon as Chuikov's words were finished, Bandereev next to him suddenly said: "May I ask you a question?" ”

I don't know what Bandellev would ask Chuikov at such a time, and after looking at him curiously, he turned his gaze to Chuikov to see how he reacted.

Chuikov turned to look at Pantai Leev, nodded, and said, "Ask." Comrade Colonel. ”

Pantai Leev's eyes looked at Chuikov and asked: "Comrade commander, since we have opened the ice transport line. Why not pass through the ice on the Volga and send reinforcements and supplies to Colonel Lyudnikov and them, so that they have the ability to break the German encirclement on their own? ”

When Bandereev asked, I also suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Captain Mihayev and the others used a huge block of ice floating down upstream to build an ice transportation line that could travel freely with the east coast, but Chuikov and the others didn't make good use of this rare transportation line, I really couldn't understand.

After hearing this, Chuikov smiled bitterly and said with a bitter face: "Do you know? Yesterday morning, we replenished Lyudnikov with some ammunition and transported 150 wounded on the Guò ice transport line. Just as we were preparing to bring in more ammunition and bring out more wounded, the ice broke due to the rising temperatures and the incessant shelling of the city from the east coast. Many of the commanders and fighters who were transporting ammunition fell into the icy water, and although most of them were rescued, all the valuable ammunition they were carrying was lost. Under these circumstances, after the discussion of the military council of the army group, it was temporarily decided to transfer your independent division back to relieve the siege of the Lyudnikov division. ”

"Will the Lyudnikov division attack from the opposite side and respond to our attacking forces?" After looking at the battle situation of the 2nd Battalion with a telescope, Bandereev continued: "Attacking from both sides at the same time can greatly speed up the advance of the troops. ”

"Seeing that the attack on your side is going well, I believe that Colonel Lyudnikov will definitely cooperate with you in launching an attack." After saying this, Chuikov turned to me and asked: "Comrade Oshanina, your troops have captured two buildings in a row and are attacking the third building, and I believe that it will not be long before they recapture this building occupied by the Germans." Judging from the current situation of the battle, even if you don't send infantry to cooperate, just using your artillery battalion, it is estimated that you can still wipe out all the German troops in the middle zone. ”

"You can't say that," I replied with some impatience when I heard Chuikov say this: "We can't treat artillery as infantry, in close combat, the combat effectiveness of an artillery battalion is estimated to be less than that of an infantry platoon......" As soon as these words came out, I suddenly remembered that I was not speaking to my own subordinates, but to Chuikov, how could I use such a stern and impatient tone, so I immediately apologized to Chuikov and said: "I'm sorry, Comrade Commander. ”

Chuikov didn't care about my attitude, waved his hand casually, and continued to ask, "Why?" Tell me your reasoning! ”

I was secretly relieved to see that Chuikov was not angry. Seeing that the doubts on the other party's face did not dissipate for a long time, I had to explain myself: "Comrade commander, the role of artillery is not to defeat and destroy all the remnants of the enemy alone, but to ensure that the infantry can continue to advance and squeeze the living space of the German army step by step. Because even if they destroy the entire building, there will definitely be survivors inside, and in this kind of thing, the infantry will need to search and clean up the remnants of the enemy. You see, with the cooperation of artillery, the infantry of the second battalion advanced very quickly, and in just half an hour, they occupied two buildings, and are now attacking the third building, believing that they will soon be able to occupy it. ”

The offensive we launched attracted the attention of the Lyudnikov division on the opposite side. Perhaps seeing the attack from our side, Colonel Lyudnikov wanted to help us and sent the division's troops on the offensive. When I saw one or two hundred meters of commanders and fighters rushing out of their hidden fortifications or buildings with weapons in their hands, my heart rose to my throat, and I scolded Lyudnikov in my heart: At such a time, what are you sending people to rush blindly? In half an hour to an hour at most, my troops will be able to clear the remnants of the enemy in the middle ground. Didn't you send your troops to rush like this, not to increase casualties in vain?

As the Lyudnikov division charged, dozens of German soldiers rushed out of the building closest to them, hid behind the piles of rubble in front of the building, set up their weapons, and waited for the approach of the Lyudnikov division.

Seeing this, I quickly turned around and instructed Yushchenko, who was standing behind me: "Comrade Captain, you immediately go and inform Lieutenant Colonel Sedelikov and ask him to immediately put the first and third battalions into battle and end the battle in the shortest possible time." Go for it. ”

Chuikov looked at the back of Yushchenko's departure and asked in surprise: "Comrade Oshanina, why did you suddenly order a regiment to throw all the remaining forces into battle?" ”

I pointed to the commanders and fighters of the Lyudnikov division, which was rushing towards the Germans, and said anxiously: "Comrade commander, look, the Lyudnikov division has launched an attack on the enemy's fortifications, and with their current strength, they will not be able to capture the German positions except for vain sacrifices. ”

"What can I do?" When Chuikov heard me say this, he immediately asked with a stern expression.

"Please give Colonel Lyudnikov an order to immediately stop this ineffective sortie." I hurriedly said, "Let them return to their starting positions and wait for our troops to pass and join them." ”

For my Tiyì, Chuikov had no objection. He turned his head to look at the operator he had brought, and instructed him: "Comrade operator, immediately get in touch with Colonel Lyudnikov and say that I have something important to look for him." ”

The operator quickly got in touch with Lyudnikov, and Chuikov picked up the microphone and said loudly: "Hey, Colonel?" I am Chuikov, and I order you to immediately withdraw your troops to the point of departure for the offensive. (To be continued......)

PS: Heartfelt thanks to book friends Jamestf, Foot Bend, Zhaojingchao, Peterzyj, and the two votes for the children's shoes! Thank you for the precious monthly ticket voted by the old godfather, the blue sky, and the dead piggy children's shoes! Thank you for the book friend Lonely Night God No Children's Shoes Tip 588!