When a lieutenant colonel heard me say this, he retorted with some displeasure: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, I trust my soldiers, as long as there is still one person, they will never let the enemy advance a single step, and I believe that they will be able to hold the enemy back." ”

Colonel Sazhin hurriedly introduced me: "This is the commander of the 804th Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Gogo, and his regiment has been very tenacious in the battle during this time, and has repelled countless attacks launched by the enemy. ”

When I heard the name of the 804th Regiment, I immediately remembered that I had heard Chuikov say that when the two battalions of this regiment were first put into battle, they were attacked by enemy infantry and tanks, and because they did not have time to dig trenches to evade and could not withstand the enemy's attack, they were forced to abandon the two heights of 161 and 156 and retreat to the village of Savinsky on the right bank of the Chir River. When I think of this, I can't help but worry about whether the 229th Division will be able to withstand the enemy's frenzied attack during the day tomorrow.

At this time, a captain in a sailor's uniform frowned and said: "Comrade division commander, I also believe that with the heroic and tenacious fighting spirit displayed by our commanders and fighters, we can block the enemy's crazy attack. But we are running out of ammunition, and now we have less than ten rounds per gun, and if we don't replenish the soldiers, we will have to fight the enemy with bayonets. ”

"Comrade Captain, don't worry, I'll replenish your battalion with ammunition." After Colonel Sazhin finished comforting the captain, he hurriedly introduced me again: "This captain is from the 66th Marine Brigade, and in yesterday's battle, the 66th Brigade was forced to retreat south after stubborn fighting. The lieutenant's battalion, because it had to cover the retreat of the whole brigade, was surrounded by the attacking enemy. Retreated into the defense zone of our division. ”

I smiled politely at the Captain. Then he asked Sazhen: "Comrade division commander." How wide is the defensive front of your division? ”

Saren pointed to the map and said to me: "The defensive position of our division is on this mountain, and if the enemy wants to attack, the front line can only deploy at most one company, and the slope of the hill is steep, and the tanks cannot drive up." "When I heard that the enemy was limited in the amount of troops he could put in at a time, and that the tanks could not come up, I was immediately relieved.

Unexpectedly, Sazhin then said: "The enemy can put in a limited number of troops at a time, and we can't deploy too many troops in the position. Otherwise. So many people were crammed into the narrow trenches, and the enemy was bombarded with artillery, and before they could attack, they could reimburse most of our troops. ”

Lieutenant Colonel Gogol also added: "Comrade division commander, there is another problem: now in our division's defense area, there are as many as a dozen numbers of various units, and because they were not subordinate to each other in the past, it is easy to have confusion in command during battles. Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina. You came from the army group headquarters, I don't know if you have any good ideas? ”

I could tell that Gogoli meant something difficult. But I didn't bother with him, and what he was worried about was really nothing to a time-traveler like me, so I said lightly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, this is a minor problem, you don't have to worry. In order to avoid confusion in command caused by multiple formations in battle, we reorganized all the troops into several companies, and put them into battle one by one. Because we did not hold out for a long time, each company of our company, regardless of casualties, would only fight for two hours, and then withdraw to the rear to rest and recuperate, while the company commander stayed behind as an adviser to the commander of the latter company participating in the battle. By analogy, this not only avoided confusion in command, but also enabled each company to retain a number of combat backbones. As long as we have a backbone fighter, we will be able to quickly build up our combat strength after we have been replenished and recuperated in the future. ”

As soon as I had finished speaking, the cave suddenly fell silent, and I felt that all the people, including Colonel Sazhin, Lieutenant Colonel Gogo, and the Captain of the Sailors, were watching me. I was a little embarrassed by them, and I didn't know what to do. After a while, I coughed a little embarrassedly and asked tentatively, "What, am I not right?" ”

Sazhin slammed the table and exclaimed loudly, "Great, Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, your construction is amazing." In this way, our troops will not only have the necessary combat experience, but also maintain the backbone of the battle, and even if we are fully replenished with new recruits when we withdraw to the rear to rest and recuperate, the troops will be able to form combat effectiveness in a short period of time. ”

"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." Ge Guoli, who had made things difficult for me just now, also echoed and said: "This Jian yì is really amazing, I have also fought a lot of battles, why can't I think of such a good way." Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina deserves to come from the headquarters of the army group, and the level of command is high. ”

In the face of everyone's flattery, I tried my best to keep smiling, but in fact, I was embarrassed in my heart, and I shamelessly plagiarized the tactics of the volunteers of later generations.

The commanders who had attended the meeting left one after another, and returned to the unit to reorganize the ranks, and when only two people were left in the cave, Colonel Sazhin and me, my expression became solemn again.

Sazhin noticed my abnormality and asked with concern: "Comrade Oshanina, what are you thinking, you look preoccupied?" ”

I saw that Saren was not an outsider, so I didn't hide it from him, and said my worries straight to the point: "Comrade division commander, I am worried about two things now. First, I think that before we break through, we should inform the commander of the 147th Division. Otherwise, as soon as we break through, his left flank will be empty, and if the enemy drives straight in and flanks them on both sides, they are in danger of being annihilated. ”

After listening to the nod, Saren said, "Well, you have a point. So what's the other thing? ”

"The big war is imminent, but the 62nd Army is changing generals on the verge of battle, which is a taboo for soldiers. The newly arrived commander Lopatin still had an understanding of the situation of the troops, so he gave the troops a dead order not to retreat even a single step, and at the same time, in order to prevent any troops from retreating without authorization, he actually blew up the pontoon bridge and cut off the only way for the group army to retreat. In doing so, the troops that were originally surrounded on three sides had to fight against the water, and in the end, it is still unknown how many commanders and fighters can successfully break out of the encirclement. ”

"Is that what you're talking about?" Sazhin asked puzzledly, "You are not the commander of the army group, and you can't object to the orders he gave at all." ”

I hurriedly waved my hand and replied, "No, the second thing I want to say is not this. I would like to say General Kol Pakchi. After all, the commander of the command has been in command for three weeks. Under his command. Our troops inflicted heavy losses and delayed the enemy's offensive. He knew the troops of the group army, and the commanders and fighters below also knew him, and if the news of his dismissal and arrest spread, it would be a fatal blow to the morale of the troops. ”

"What are you going to do?"

"I intend to report this to my superiors, and for the time being, let General Kolpakchi stay and continue to command the troops, until the troops have successfully broken out of the encirclement and crossed the Don River into a new defensive zone. Then consider the disposition of him. ”

Unexpectedly, after hearing my words, Saren actually sneered again and again, and he said unceremoniously: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, who are you?" Zhukov or Timoshenko? It's up to you to decide whether an army commander goes or stays. Let me tell you the truth, Kolpacic was removed from his post and arrested, and this was definitely with the permission of the Supreme Commander, do you think that your opinion can influence the decision of the Supreme Commander himself? ”

Hearing Colonel Sazhin say this, I knew that I had taken it for granted, and I couldn't help but become depressed. I felt as if my spine had been pulled out of my body, and I sat limply on the bench at the table.

Sazhin saw my look of loss. He came over and patted me on the shoulder, comforted me and said, "Comrade Oshanina. I know you have good intentions, too, but you and I are too low in rank to do a lot of things. ”

Although Kolpacchi had scolded me before, I didn't want to see him end up like this, so I reluctantly asked: "Comrade division commander, is there really no way to do it?" ”

Sazhin pondered for a moment, and then said in a regretful tone: "If we can contact General Chuikov and let him go out and plead with the Front Command, there may be a turning point in this matter." ”

Hearing him mention Chuikov, hope suddenly ignited in my heart again, and I stood up abruptly and asked excitedly: "Comrade division commander, do you have a walkie-talkie here?" I have the calling code for Commander Chuikov and can speak to him directly. ”

Originally, I just asked casually with a fluke mentality, but I didn't expect that Sazhin really had a walkie-talkie here. The communications soldier put the walkie-talkie on the table and started calling Chuikov according to the call code I provided.

Soon after getting in touch with Chuikov, Chuikov asked a little strangely: "I'm Chuikov, where are you?" ”

Sazhin stepped forward to take the microphone and replied loudly: "Hello, Comrade Commander. I'm Colonel Sazen, commander of the 229th Infantry Division, and I'm glad to be in touch with you. ”

"It's you, Comrade Colonel. How's your situation there? ”

"Very bad, Comrade Commander, our division is surrounded by the enemy. I have just consulted with Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, and I am ready to lead my troops to the south to break through the siege to-morrow evening, and then rush to the ferry to the left bank of the river. ”

"What, Oshanina, how could she be with you? I had her sent to the headquarters of the 62nd Army. You asked her to come and talk to me. ”

I took the headset handed over by Sazhin, listening to the familiar voice coming from inside, my nose couldn't help but be a little sour, I quickly took a deep breath, trying my best to make my tone steady: "Hello, Comrade Commander, I'm Oshanina. ”

"I said, Comrade Oshanina, didn't I send a driver to take you back to the headquarters of the 62nd Army? Why did you appear at the headquarters of the 229th Division? ”

"Comrade Commander, the situation is like this. When the driver took me back to the headquarters, I was just in time for Commander Kolpacchi to hold his last military meeting......"

"What? What did you say? What was the last military meeting? Before I could finish speaking, Chuikov interrupted me impatiently, asking a barrage of questions, "What the hell is going on?" You've confused me, don't worry, tell me slowly. ”

After I hurriedly returned to the headquarters of the 62nd Army, I told him exactly what had happened, and finally made a point of mentioning the matter of Kolpacchi.

After hearing this, Chuikov was silent for a moment, and then asked lightly: "Oshanina, how are you going to let me help him?" ”

I already had a thorough consideration of this matter, so I did not spare the circle, and said bluntly: "Comrade commander, if you go to General Gordorf, the commander of the Front, if you go to ask General Gordorf, the commander of the Front, it is estimated that nothing will come of it. I think you should report this to General Zhukov and ask him to make a decision. "The reason why I didn't ask Chuikov to go to Gordorf was because I felt that he was a stubborn and unproductive little old man, and he was not as reliable as Zhukov in Moscow.

Chuikov snorted and agreed with my suggestion. Then he said, "Matter of Kolpacic." I'll report to Zhukov later. Hopefully he can help with that. As for your breakthrough operation tomorrow night, you must report it to the headquarters of the 62nd Army in advance, otherwise when you withdraw from the battle, the 147th Division, which is next to you, will not know about it, the empty defense line will be exposed to the enemy, and the troops may suffer heavy losses after a surprise attack. Without waiting for me to say anything, he added, "Good luck." Bring as many troops as you can to stand out. The call was then interrupted.

The next morning, Sazhin and I were having breakfast in the cave when we suddenly heard heavy gunfire outside. The enemy's heavy artillery and tank guns hit us on the other side of the hill. Sazhin put down his breakfast and said to me, "Let's go, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, let's go to the observation post on the top of the mountain." ”

Before we could get out of the command post, the phone on the table rang suddenly. Saren rushed to the desk and grabbed the phone, and said loudly: "I'm Colonel Saren, what's the situation?" ”

The call was made by Lieutenant Colonel Gogogoly, who reported on the phone: "Comrade Division Commander. The enemy, without artillery preparation, had about a company of infantry under the cover of more than two dozen tanks. An attack was launched on our positions. ”

"You must resolutely resist and never allow the enemy to move forward. ......," Sazhin shouted into the microphone. Before he could speak, the rest of his words were drowned out by the rumbling sound of airplane motors.

A communications soldier stood at the doorway, looking up at the sky, and kept counting: "One, two, three, four...... Eighteen, nineteen. Oh my God, the Germans really think of us and send so many planes. ”

Sazhin and I walked to the entrance of the cave and saw that there were quite a few German planes hovering over the hill, and then dived down to the position on the other side of the hill.

Sazhin looked at me and asked, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, do you dare to go with me to the observation post on the top of the mountain?" ”

"Let's go, go to the top of the mountain." I know that there is danger in going up the mountain, but I can't show weakness in front of Saren, even if there is a mountain of swords and a sea of fire in front of me, I can only go hard.

We followed the mountain path to the observation post at the top of the mountain, from which we could clearly see that the enemy tanks were parked at the foot of the hill, shelling the positions halfway up the mountain with tank guns, and one after another dived and threw bombs at the positions, and the exploding bombs and shells raised clouds of black smoke.

At this time, the phone in the observation post rang, and Sazhin picked up the phone, only to listen to the phone and ask with concern: "Colonel Sazhin, has the enemy launched a fierce attack on your defense area?" ”

I stood by and heard clearly that it was the military commissar Gurov who was calling, and he was very polite to Sazhin. Sazhin also thought and said, "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar. Rest assured, although the enemy's offensive is fierce, it is not so easy to break through our defenses. We're going to make sure they're going to have a head to break the blood here. ”

"But you can't be careless! The enemy will not be willing to lose, and after their attack fails, they will soon launch a more fierce attack. Gurov kindly reminded, "In addition, your division does not belong to the formation of our army group, if there is a chance, I will lead you to lead the troops to stand out, and reserve some more seeds for our front army." ”

Hearing Gurov say this, Sazhin was silent for a moment before he said loudly into the microphone: "Please rest assured, Comrade Military Commissar, before we break through, we will resolutely block the enemy in front of our position, and never let them advance a single step." ”

His confident voice, which clearly pleased Gurov. The other party was silent for a moment, and then said: "Before you break through, you must first communicate with the 147th Division, so that they can prepare in advance, so as not to encounter a sneak attack by the enemy." ”

"Understood, before our division breaks through, it must contact friendly forces."

"Good luck, then!" With that, Gurov hung up the phone.

At this time, Gogol reported by telephone: the enemy's first charge had been repulsed, the infantry and tanks were retreating, and the planes in the air had flown to the defense zone of the 62nd Army. The company on the position suffered more than half of the casualties, and he asked if he could use this short time to change defenses?

Sazhin held the microphone in his hand and asked me: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, do you think it is appropriate to change the guard at this time?" ”

I hurriedly nodded and said with a smile: "Let the company commander of the company on the position stay, withdraw the troops, and replace it with a new company." ”

After listening to this, Saren said into the microphone like a herald: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, change the guard, remember to pay attention to concealment, and don't let the troops suffer unnecessary casualties when changing guards." ”

Not long after the change of defense ended, the enemy began to bombard our positions again with heavy artillery, and the withdrawn tanks and infantry, after adjusting their formation, began a second charge. Ten minutes later, Gogol called again, in which he said in a panic: "Due to the lack of ammunition, it is impossible to hold back the enemy's attacking troops, and the enemy's infantry has already rushed into the trenches and is fighting with our fighters with bayonets. ”

Saren roared into the microphone: "You idiot, immediately send another company to it, and we must drive the enemy out of the trenches or destroy them on the spot, otherwise we will hold out until dark." ”

In a short time, we saw through the binoculars that after the fresh army entered the position, the soldiers used submachine guns and rifles to destroy all the enemies who rushed into the trenches.

It was only after dark that the enemy attack completely stopped. In total, we repelled more than 20 enemy attacks during the day, and more than a dozen companies fought in one rotation, and some even fought two battles in their positions. Seeing that the enemy was no longer attacking, Sazhin hurriedly organized troops to transport the wounded and collect the weapons left by the Germans in front of the position to replenish our commanders and fighters. By the time I was done, it was already the middle of the night.

The breakthrough of the troops began, and it was the battalion of the Marine Brigade that was tasked with opening the way. It was followed by Lieutenant Colonel Gogogore's 804th Regiment, and Sazhin and I, with the rest of the troops, marched slowly as the rear guard of the whole division. (To be continued......)