Stimulated by the news that the friendly forces would launch a counteroffensive in the early morning, Kirillov, Bandereev, and Shcherbina were chatting excitedly around the table while I went to sleep.

Before seven o'clock, Kirillov urged me to go to the observation post on the top of the hill, saying that he wanted to see the spectacle of the simultaneous counteroffensive of the two fronts. Although I understood that the offensive area was more than 100 kilometers away from the Mamayev Heights, and I guess I could not even hear the sound of it, but in order not to spoil Kirillov's interest, I reluctantly agreed to his request.

Walking out of the headquarters, I saw that it was dark outside, and everything around was submerged in a milky white fog. Since it was a cold morning outside, I muttered to myself as I wrapped up my coat, "Hell, it's cold." ”

In the past, it was usually me and Kirillov or Bandereev who went to the observation post at the top of the mountain, but today, in addition to the chief of staff Akhromeyev who remained on duty, Kirillov, Bandereev, and Shcherbina followed me to the observation post. The small observation post was suddenly crowded with the four of us, and it turned out that the observation post here had to go outside the house and stay with Basmanov and the others.

Waiting is the hardest thing to endure, as the minutes and seconds pass, the time to launch a counteroffensive is getting closer and closer, but the fog here is not scarce at all. Pantai Leev, who was next to him, was a little out of breath, and he was so anxious that he walked around the house, while constantly muttering: "Hell, if this fog does not disperse, then it will be difficult for us to prepare artillery fire on enemy targets, and our aviation will not be able to move." ”

As soon as Bandereev finished speaking, he did not wait for me or Kirillov to express his opinion. Sherbina made a sudden gesture of silence. I listened to the movement outside for a while. Then he said to us, "You hear, the voices outside. ”

Hearing Shcherbina say this, I thought that his hearing was good, and I heard the sound of our army's attacking artillery, so I also hurriedly listened to the sound outside. But after listening to it for a long time, I didn't hear the slightest sound of gunfire, so I asked curiously: "Commissar Sherbina, why can't I hear the gunfire from outside?" ”

"Hmm. I didn't hear any gunfire either. Kirillov said, and then asked Shcherbina: "By the way, Comrade Shcherbina, how did you hear that?" ”

"Gunshots, what guns?!" Sherbina asked in confusion. After a moment's pause, he took the initiative to explain: "I asked you to listen to the sound coming from the direction of the Volga River, the ice is constantly hitting the riverbank, and it seems that the river is starting to freeze again. ”

Although we could not see the overwhelming attack of our army here, and even the sound of the guns of the attack could not be heard, it did not affect the interest of Kirillov and his men in the slightest. You must know from the outbreak of the war to the present. In the past, the orders issued by the higher authorities were used to "block and crush the enemy's attack" and "drive them back from the vicinity of such and such a city". And this time, for the first time, the word "encirclement and annihilation" was used, how to make Kirillov not feel unusually excited.

While the three of them were discussing the spectacle of our offensive, I stood in front of the lookout, looking at the vast white fog in front of me, thinking about the movie I had seen about the Battle of Stalingrad before, and under the heavy artillery fire of our army, the ordinary officers and men of the German army were scurrying around like headless flies, while the helpless commander knelt in his headquarters, and kept drawing crosses on his chest against the icons hanging on the walls. Paulus, having received the news that his troops were under heavy shelling by our troops, promptly issued an order to his chief of staff to transfer the 16th and 24th tank divisions, which were subordinate to the 14th Tank Corps, to areas where they could be hit by our troops. At the same time, he also gave a timely message to the sleeping army general von . Baron Wicks called and informed him of the offensive of our troops.

Before I knew it, it was ten o'clock in the morning, and the fog outside was gradually thinning, and my vision gradually became wider. After analyzing and studying for several hours, the three commanders finally stopped. Bandereev picked up the phone and called the division command and asked Akhromeyev, who was left there: "Hey, Comrade Chief of Staff, I'm Bandereev, do you have the latest battle report from the headquarters of the army group?" ”

I was far away from the telephone, and I couldn't hear Akhromeyev's answer at all, but I knew in my heart that at this moment, Chuikov, like us, was anxiously waiting for the battle reports from the South-Western Front and the Don Front. Since even he did not know the specific situation of the attack, let alone Akhromeyev. Of course, I was the only one who knew how the battle was going, but unfortunately I couldn't tell anyone what I knew.

Bandereev put down the phone and said to everyone regretfully: "The chief of staff said that he has not received any information from the headquarters of the army group, and it seems that even Commander Chuikov is not aware of the current situation. ”

After Kirillov sighed, he suddenly saw me standing in front of the lookout with a calm expression, so he walked up to me and asked tentatively: "Comrade Oshanina, do you think today's counteroffensive of the Don Front and the Southwestern Front will be successful?" ”

Hell, if it doesn't succeed, you must know that this is a great turning point in World War II, I said this in my heart, but on the surface I still have to pretend to be thoughtful, pretend to think about it, and then replied: "Comrade Political Commissar, this great counteroffensive is different from any previous offensive, the higher authorities have invested in the three fronts of the army at once, and we have far surpassed the enemy not only in terms of troops, but also in the number of tanks and artillery, and we also firmly grasp the air supremacy of the battlefield. You say, in this case, can our troops still not be able to beat the enemy? ”

Bandereev and Shcherbina, who had been depressed because they had not received definite information, became elated again when they heard me say this.

After a moment of excitement, Bandereev solemnly asked me: "Comrade division commander, I wonder when our offensive will begin tomorrow?" ”

I looked at the fog outside again, which hadn't completely cleared, and casually said, "Wait until after noon." ”

"After noon?" When Bantai Laiev heard this time, he was stunned at first, and then asked rhetorically: "Comrade division commander." Will it be too late? ”

I left the lookout. Walked to the middle of the room. He said to them: "Commanders, although we all know what the offensive is today, the Germans do not know whether they will think that our counteroffensive, like many previous counteroffensives, is a hasty diversion action to save Stalingrad from falling. As far as I can assume, tomorrow the Germans will also launch an offensive on our Mamayev Heights. ”

"Huh?!" My words startled the three of them. They were stunned for a moment, and then Kirillov asked: "If the Germans really attack tomorrow, we will have a gap with them in weapons and equipment, and if we fight against them, we may suffer a big loss." ”

"Comrade Political Commissar, you are too worried." I waved my hand and said disapprehantly: "I estimate that the focus of the German attack is still the 107.5 heights. As long as the 2nd Regiment can hold firmly, when the German offensive weakens at noon, we will take the opportunity to launch a counteroffensive. Once the Germans were routed. Our infantry, under the cover of tanks, will follow the enemy's rout and rush to their defensive positions. If we're lucky. It may be possible to take the German-occupied city of Gorodishe. ”

As a veteran soldier, Pandereev considered the problem from a more comprehensive perspective than me, and as soon as I finished speaking, he immediately raised the question in his heart: "Comrade division commander, what should our attacking troops do if they encounter an air attack by the Germans?" ”

"Don't worry, my deputy commander." Hearing his concern, I smiled and replied lightly: "Since it is a major counteroffensive of our army, then the air supremacy of the battlefield will be firmly in our hands, and our air force will not give the German fighters a chance to rise into the air at all." ”

It was almost 12 o'clock, and as the sky became brighter, the thick fog that covered the land completely dissipated. In the clear sky, not a single German bomber or fighter plane was in sight. As we left the observation post and walked back along the trenches, a German reconnaissance plane appeared in the sky, circled a few times over Mamayev Hill, flapped its wings and flew westward.

Pantai Leyev, who was walking in front of me, stopped, looked up at the departing reconnaissance plane, and said thoughtfully: "Comrade division commander, seeing the attack of friendly forces is very smooth, and it has attracted the enemy's air force. ”

"That's a good sign, old man." Kirillov, who was following me, also stopped, and said excitedly: "It proves that the enemy's air force cannot bear it, so they are all concentrated in the west, and there is no time to take care of our Mamayev post." When I heard Oshanina talk about tomorrow's attack, I was worried that the German planes would come to cause trouble, but now it seems that this worry is superfluous, and I believe that the enemy will be crushed by us. ”

When our group returned to the headquarters, Akhromeyev immediately greeted us, handed me a telegram, and at the same time excitedly said: "Comrade division commander, this is the telegram that has just been received, the latest battle report of the Soviet intelligence bureau forwarded by the headquarters of the army group. ”

"The latest battle report?!" Hearing this word, I looked curiously at the telegram in my hand, and saw that it simply read: "Today, November 19, 1942, our great Red Army has turned to the offensive in the Stalingrad region. Although it was just such an ominous battle report, it still made Kirillov and the others burst into tears.

Akhromeyev then handed me another envelope and said: "Comrade division commander, this is someone who has just been sent by the army group headquarters, saying that you will be asked to sign it before sending someone back." ”

I took the envelope from Akhromeyev's hand and pulled out a piece of paper from it, only to see that on it was Chuikov's handwriting: "Dear Comrade Stalin, we, the defenders of Stalingrad, now write to you and convey to the people of the Soviet Union that our feelings are high and strong-willed, and our hands are constantly fighting the enemy. We are writing this letter on the cliffs of the great Russian river Volga, and we are determined to hold on to the city of Stalingrad, and from the trenches we swear that we will hold Stalingrad and not let the enemy enter the Volga before our heroic elders who defended Tsaritsyn, before our comrades on every front, in front of the flag of our Red Army, in front of the people of the entire Soviet Union: to the last drop of blood, to the last breath, to the last beat of the heart, we will hold Stalingrad and not let the enemy enter the Volga. ”

It turned out to be a letter written by Chuikov to Stalin, and the back of the letter was signed by many people, with Chuikov at the front, followed by Gurov, Krylov, Vasilyev, Khogarsky, and the signatures of Rodimtsev, Lyudnikov, Guryev and other division commanders. With the letter in my hand, I walked briskly to the table, picked up the pencil on the table, and neatly wrote my name on the back.

After signing the name, I saw that there was no signature of the political commissar or deputy division commander of the division except for the names of the division commanders, so I did not ask Kirillov to sign it, but only asked a few people to circulate the letter. When they had read it, I carefully put the letter back into the envelope, handed it to Akhromeyev, and solemnly instructed him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, this letter is very important, immediately send a squad of fighters to deliver it to the headquarters." ”

"Comrade division commander," Hearing that the letter was to be sent back to the headquarters of the group army, Bantai Laiev took the initiative to ask: "It is better for me to personally lead someone to deliver the letter." ”

"No, no!" As soon as Bantai Leev's words came out, I immediately stopped him, how could I get a deputy division commander to deliver the letter, and what if something happened on the way? My eyes swept to Basmanov, who was standing nearby, and I called him to him and entrusted him with the difficult task of delivering the letter.

After Basmanov left, a few of us gathered around the map at the table and began to study the battle plan for tomorrow. Bandereev: They spent half a day at the observation post on the top of the mountain, and they gained a lot. He first pointed to the map and expressed his opinion: "Comrade division commander, I think so, tomorrow after our artillery preparations are made, the troops that launch a counterattack should be divided into two. On the right flank, the 4th Regiment was the main force, and it went straight to the forward positions of the German army on the north side of the heights. After seizing the position, the following regiment drew enough troops to hold on, and the main forces of the two regiments continued to advance northward.

And the troops of the 2nd and 3rd regiments, under the cover of tank battalions, advanced into the depth of the German army, striving to rush outside the city of Gorodishe within two hours and prepare for the siege. ”

After listening to Bandereev's plan, I did not express any opinion, but asked several other commanders: "Do you have any different opinions on Colonel Bandereev's plan?" ”

"Nope!" All replied neatly. (To be continued......)