Chapter 379

Captain Gusev's analysis, like a slap in the face, woke me up from a complacent state. I stare at the map on the table and re-examine my battle plan. On the map, I seem to see that our army is full of fire and smoke under the heavy artillery bombardment of the German army. The soldiers who are dazed by the bombing are running around like headless flies, and finally fall into a pool of blood.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that Gusev called out several times before I came back to myself. I stabilized my mood for a moment and asked him modestly, "Comrade captain, if you are allowed to fight this defensive war, how will you deploy your troops?"

As for my inquiry, Gusev was not polite. He pointed to the map and said to me, "Sir, please see, there is an open area on the dirt road between our village and piatnica village, which is about three kilometers away from the village. If I were in charge of the troops, I would send a troop to build fortifications here. After digging the trench, the minefield should be arranged in front of the position as soon as possible to delay the rapid advance of German tanks. As the infantry battalions of the Shilov regiment are all formed by four companies, I will put two companies in the front, and the other two companies will hide in the nearby forest, ready to reinforce the front defenders at any time. Also, there are no rolling hills in this area, so Gusev blushed slightly, and then said with some embarrassment, "I was arrested a few years ago."

Arrested?! When I heard this word, I was stunned at first, and then I understood that what he said about arrest was not that he was arrested by the enemy, but that he had been detained and examined in the great cleansing a few years ago. However, he was lucky that he did not get rid of it, but survived and returned to the army.

Because the topic inadvertently involves the great cleansing, we are silent. Just as I was trying to find a new topic and continue our conversation, a voice came from the door. When I looked up, the chief of staff, Captain boroda, came in with the chief of staff, major Antonov, and captain aftuhov of the independent telephone company.

Seeing a few people enter the door, I quickly stood up, and Gusev also stood up. I met several people, and took the initiative to reach out to Antonov, warmly greet him: "Hello, major Antonov."

Antonov quickly stopped, first raised his hand to salute me, then extended his hand to shake hands with me.

Then I took everyone to the table, pointed to the map on the table and said to Antonov, "major Antonov, I have a difficult and glorious task to give you."

Antonov quickly straightened himself up and replied respectfully, "I'll follow your instructions, sir and comrade."

Because of the lack of time, I would not be polite to him. He said frankly, "we are going to fight against the coming German in the north of the village. After my discussion with the chief of staff, I feel that you should direct this battle. "

Listening to me, Antonov's facial expression did not change at all. He just asked faintly, "Comrade division, do I want to know what kind of forces I command?"

"Two infantry battalions of Col. sholov and two tank companies of Col. Donskoy are now available to you, and they are building fortifications three kilometers north of the village. In addition, there are the first and second companies of the guard battalion under the command of Captain Gusev, as well as a new combat battalion. "

Antonov's eyes were fixed on the map and asked: "Comrade division, I also want to ask, are so many troops placed in one line of defense, or should we prepare a second line of defense? If there is only one line of defense, I don't think we can use such a force. We should know that the German artillery fire is very fierce. If our army discharges such a dense formation, the casualties under the artillery fire are a very terrible data. "

"Where are you going to put the second line of defense?" I want to test him when I ask.

He pointed to the position of the first line of defense, then moved a little southward and said, "I think we should build a second line of defense about two kilometers away from the front, and deploy the guard battalion and the new combat battalion here. At the same time, put another tank company here. When the German infantry attack the current position, the tank can be used as a fixed fort to provide the necessary artillery support for the garrison. "

"Very good!" Seeing that his consideration was more comprehensive than mine, I immediately praised him without stint: "in this case, I will formally appoint you as the commander in chief of the former enemy to command this battle. After defeating the German attack, I personally ask the commander of the front army for your credit! "

As soon as he heard the invitation, Antonov was so excited that his eyes lit up. He snapped to attention and said in a loud voice, "please rest assured, sir and chief of staff. I promise to finish the task well."

Then boroda said, "Captain aftuhov, you are responsible for the communication between the division headquarters and major Antonov. If you can ensure the smooth communication between the division headquarters and the front line, I will personally ask the superior for your credit after the victory of the battle. "

For a soldier who is eager to make contributions, nothing is more attractive than honor. After hearing boloda's wish for him, aftuhov came to attention and said excitedly, "please rest assured, our independent telephone service will use the honor of soldiers to assure you, no matter how much sacrifice we make, We will also ensure that communication between the division headquarters and the forward positions is always unblocked during the fighting. "

"Sir, I'm still a little worried." Antonov suddenly added: "if you give so many troops to me, the defense force in the village will be greatly weakened. It is very difficult to ensure the safety of the division headquarters with only one guard company. In your opinion, should one or two companies be deployed from the front to strengthen the security work of the division headquarters? " I shook my head and said, "major Antonov, you just need to consider how to stop and eliminate the enemy. As for the safety of the division headquarters, you don't have to worry about it." At this point, I raised my hand, looked at my watch and said, "it's one o'clock at noon. It's estimated that the troops sent by 1132 and 1133 regiments will soon arrive in the village. At that time, these troops can not only undertake the task of defending the division headquarters, but also serve as the general reserve and throw into the battlefield when necessary." When I said that, boroda echoed, "yes, major Antonov, you don't have to worry about the safety of the division. It's not early. You'd better rush to the front as soon as possible to see if the soldiers of the sholov regiment have repaired the fortifications. The trench in the front should extend to both sides as far as possible, control the dirt road leading to the village, and block the areas in the forest where the Germans may bypass. "“ Yes! I see, chief of staff. " Antonov agreed in a loud voice, and then saluted us in a proper way again, asking, "division chief, chief of staff, may I leave?" I also saluted, nodded at him and said, "Comrade Antonov, you can go to the front with confidence. Remember, keep in touch with us all the time. "“ Yes He promised, then turned back and left. Capt. Gusev and Capt. aftuhov also immediately stood at attention and saluted, then turned and left with him. After several people left, I asked boroda, "Comrade chief of staff, have you heard from the Germans?" Boroda nodded, handed over a telegram and said, "this is a telegram from the guerrillas. It says that there are Germans gathering in the village of piatnica at present, because the vigilance in the village is too tight, and the guerrillas who are in charge of the reconnaissance mission can't get close to it. However, from the analysis of the German movement, there should be two or three companies, as well as a certain number of tanks and armored vehicles. " I looked at the telegraph in my hand, sighed and said to boroda, "chief of staff, I have a feeling that the battle that is about to begin will be a fierce battle."