Chapter 568

Perhaps trekov had planned to add the 6000 recruits to our division for a long time. After listening to what I said, he said almost without thinking, "well, o'shanina, since you are willing to accept these recruits, I will ask chief Ruskin to bring them to you as soon as possible to report."

"Thank you, thank you, comrade commander." I said gratefully, "with these recruits, I'm more confident of holding on to my current position."

"Next, let me introduce to you the situation of our group army and friendly army." Trekov didn't answer me and said to himself, "in this week's battle, the 4th group army of Goth tanks, after paying a great price, captured the abganerovo station, jinguta station and 55km passing station, forcing the left wing of the 64th group army to 174 heights ZET and aberganerovo stations are located 15 kilometers northwest of casare. In addition, the German army also occupied the town of tundutovo, Southeast of abganerovo station. But they have never been able to break through the front lines of our 64th and 57th army. " When I heard the name of the commander of the 4th Army of German tanks, I noticed for the first time that trakov spoke with such a strong local accent that he called Holt Goth. However, these are minor issues of no importance, as long as you understand who he said.

I took a picture of shijerikov next to him, pointed to the map on the table and motioned him to bring it for me. Shejerikov immediately understood, ran to get the map and spread it carefully in front of me.

"Yes, I see, comrade commander." As I answered, I looked down at the map in front of me. After watching it for a minute, I asked tentatively, "judging from the map, our division is now in the kashare area. The left wing should be the unit of the 57th group army, and the right wing should be the unit of our group army?"

"It's your old acquaintance, Colonel lyudnikov's close guard 70th division and Colonel kuropatenko's infantry 157th division. With them on your division's right wing, you can rest easy in this defense. "

"Great. That way, I can concentrate my forces on the main defensive direction." I looked at the map and said, "our defense area, or defense zone, is 15 kilometers in front and 20 kilometers in depth."

"Now that you know, that's fine." Trekov continued: "I want to remind you that the town of tundutovo, which was occupied by the German army, is very important geographically. It is located close to the ground, near the riverside highland between the Red Army city and buketovka, an important area of decisive significance to the whole Stalingrad combat area. If you stand on the coastal Highlands, you can overlook the whole Volga Bay and sarpinski island. It can be said that if the German army wants to break through our defense in Stalingrad, this is the best place to carry out the assault. " Perhaps worried that I could not understand the importance of these areas, he added after a pause: "the Red Army city is a key part of the defensive position south of Stalingrad, and also the focus of the only road link between the West Bank of Volga River and Astrakhan. So no matter where the German army appears, it is not as dangerous to us as it is here. "

I looked at the map, nodded, took over the topic of trekov and said, "Comrade commander, I see what you mean. From the map, as long as the Red Army city and Buick tovka are still in our hands, it will be very difficult for the German army to attack or defend. Because this highland is higher than the Volga River, it provides a very favorable condition for observing the kalmek grassland. Our army can use this place as a gathering place for troops, and use it as a springboard to carry out counter attacks on the southern wing of the German army that attacked Stalingrad or defended there. " After finishing my opinion, I asked modestly, "Comrade commander, do you think I'm right?"

"Exactly, comrade o'shanina." "I didn't expect that you could accurately analyze the exact situation just by listening to my brief introduction. It's really not easy," he said happily. Work hard. After this battle, I promise you that you will become a general. "

After listening to trekov's words, instead of being complacent, I went on to ask a question I was interested in: "Comrade commander, are you familiar with the commander of the 57th army? Can you tell me what kind of commander he is?" I have dealt with almost all the troops of the 64th army, and I know something about their combat effectiveness. But I don't know much about the 57th army on the right wing of our division. The only impression is that some time ago, the German army bypassed the defensive zones of the 214 and 229 divisions, defeated the forces of the 57th group army, wedged into the junction of the 64th group army and the 7th group army, and cut off the connection between the two groups. It is precisely because of this that I am worried about the combat effectiveness of the friendly forces. If they can't stop the German army's crazy attack, our flanks will be exposed to the German army.

After a short silence, trakov said carefully: "Fedor Ivanovich torbhusin, commander of the 57th army, is loyal to his duty, brave and good at fighting, and has outstanding command ability in everyone's eyes. As early as in the civil war, he accumulated rich experience in combat. Later, he went to the Military Academy of vorongzhi for further study. After graduation, he commanded a division and served as the chief of staff of a military region. After the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, he served as the chief of staff of the Transcaucasian front army, the Caucasian front army and the Kremlin front army, and began to serve as the commander of the 57th army in late July this year. He is good at organizing a solid defense, and at the same time he can carry out a bold counter attack against the enemy. Another outstanding feature of him is that he is very concerned about his subordinates. "

After listening to trakov's comments on tolbuhine, I feel more at ease. It seems that the defense of the left wing can be relieved. Next, I can concentrate all my strength on the defense of the South and continue to block the advance of the 4th group army of Holt tanks towards Stalingrad.

"Is there anything else to ask?" Trekov asked.

When I saw the flag in the corner, I suddenly remembered what happened to basmanov, the new commander of the guard battalion, and asked curiously, "Comrade commander, I heard that among the troops that carried out the anti assault against the German sixth group army, there was the 24th infantry division." As I said this, I glanced at basmanov. When he heard the name of his old army, his eyes lit up.

"Yes, there is a 24th infantry division in the fighting forces. What's the matter? Why do you ask about this army? "

Looking at basmanov, the former grass-roots commander of the 24th division, I replied: "I heard that the division was surrounded by the German army in Kiev. After highlighting the encirclement of the German army, it was disbanded because of the loss of the flag. The division commander was sent to the military court for trial, and most of the basic commanders were sent to the disciplinary camp."

"It is true that the 24th division was disbanded after losing its flag. According to the regulations of our army, if an army loses its flag, it means that it is defeated. Therefore, the division must be disbanded, and all division commanders must be sent to the military court for trial. " Trikov seemed to know something about it, but he continued, "two months ago, a guerrilla group returned to Moscow and brought back a coffin. The coffin contained the body of a commander wrapped in a flag. After checking and confirming by the staff of the interior department, it was found that the flag was lost by the 24th division and was immediately sent to repair. Soon, the Supreme Commander himself came down and reorganized the 24th division. "

"Great. Now that the troops are reorganized, can the original commanders go back to their own troops?" I can't help but feel happy for basmanov, who suffered a lot in the correctional camp, when he has the chance to return to his own army.

To his surprise, trakov sighed and said, "o'shanina, you really think about the problem too simply. Because the division once lost its flag, the original commander could not be recognized by the higher authorities. At the same time, the newly formed troops would also reassign new commanders at all levels. Even if the Division has made outstanding achievements in future operations, it will not have a chance to become a guard division. " Then he specially stressed: "since you mentioned the military flag, I think it is necessary for me to remind you that you must protect the glorious flag of the independent division as well as protect your own life. Otherwise, you will know what will happen if I don't say it."

"I understand, comrade commander." I fully understand the importance of the flag can not be lost, so I take this opportunity to make a statement to trikov: "I will protect this glorious flag as I cherish my life."

"If the independent division replenishes thousands of recruits, its combat effectiveness will be diluted. How do you plan to solve this problem?" Trekov asked with some concern.

"I think so, comrade commander. I hope you can send a group of combat backbones from other units to our division. If you come to a corporal, I will let him command a recruit class; Come a sergeant and I'll give him a new platoon. "

My suggestion made trakov laugh. He said with a smile, "o'shanina, how dare you think about it. Now the fighting is so hard, the casualties of all the troops are not small, and the veterans and battle backbones have suffered a lot. How dare you mention such conditions. Not to mention the squad leader and platoon leader, even if the company commander and battalion commander are placed there, the commanders of other troops will not be willing to transfer even one combat backbone to you. No, your method will not work. Think of other ways to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops. "

I've been prepared to run into a wall here. Since he can't count on it here, he can only wait for the arrival of meletskov's second lieutenant training team while tapping the potential inside the independent division. Of course, it's no good just waiting. Although both vasilevsky and Zhukov promised to mention this matter to meletskovsky, I'm afraid they are too expensive. I forget this matter as soon as I get busy, so I want trakov to help me urge this matter, so I said frankly, "Comrade commander, I have one more thing to ask for your help. When I was still in the front army of Volkhov, general meletzkov had offered to hand over his training team of second lieutenants to me for command. If this team is transferred and these grass-roots commanders are enriched in the army, the combat effectiveness of the independent division will be improved soon. "

"Is this possible?" Trekov said uncertainly, "as far as I know, the second lieutenant's training team is the sweetheart of general meletzkov. Will he give it to you at will?"

"I have mentioned this matter to general Zhukov and general vasilevsky, chief of the general staff. They have promised to help me with it. I just ask you to mention it to them at the right time, so that they will not forget because of the busy military affairs.

"Well, I'll take care of it. I'll let you know in time when there's news. " When trikov heard that he was just a messenger, he readily agreed.

"Well, please, comrade commander. Do you have anything else to tell me? "

"Ha ha, you are so capable. How can you teach me! Finally, good luck to you Then, trakov broke off contact with me.

I took off the earphone, put down the transmitter, and looked at basmanov standing opposite. Although I saw the disappointment on his face, I could only say to the new captain with regret: "Captain basmanov, I'm sorry that although the 24th Division has to be rebuilt after the flag is recovered, the commanders at all levels are re appointed by the superior. It seems that you can only stay in the independent division as my guard battalion commander

Basmanov raised his hand to salute me and said gratefully, "Comrade division commander, thank you for the good news. Although I can't return to the 24th division, the glorious troops can be rebuilt and those comrades in arms who died can die."

I asked everyone to come back to the table, put the map on the table and announced: "due to the change of the situation, the deployment just now needs to be readjusted." I pointed the map with a red and blue pencil and said to you, "according to general trakov's report, on the right side of our division are the 70th and 157th guard infantry divisions, while on the left side are the 57th army. In this way, our defense will focus on due south. "

"What is the mission of our regiment?" Asked one of the commanders, sergeikov, preemptively.

"The first regiment will use hills and depressions to build the first line of defense five kilometers from the division headquarters." At this point, I turned my head and looked at the third regiment commander. Kosja continued: "the third regiment should build the second line of defense of our division two to three kilometers behind the first regiment. However, the second and fourth regiments were inconvenient in their tasks, so they stayed in the rear to serve as the reserve forces of the division and took the time to train the new recruits. "

"Sir, I can speak." Pugachev said suddenly.

"Say it," I always pay attention to promoting military democracy, so when I heard that the acting head of the second regiment Pugachev had something to say, I nodded and let him say it freely: "Comrade Pugachev, if you have anything to say, just say it."

"I don't know how the division commander plans to distribute the 6000 new recruits that the group army has given us?"

"The second and fourth regiments fought very hard and suffered a lot of casualties. Therefore, I intend to allocate the newly added troops in this way: one thousand each in the first and third regiments, and two thousand each in the second and fourth regiments. "

"Comrade division commander," shejerikov suddenly interjected, "although the group army has added so many new recruits to us, it is just a matter of making up the number for us. Their participation will not only not improve our combat effectiveness, but may even dilute the combat effectiveness of our troops. "

"Sergeant chejerikov," I interrupted impatiently, explaining to the incoming recruits, "please remember that although they are prisoners from Gulag concentration camp, among them are the best intellectuals, the most skilled workers, the most outstanding engineers, though they have no military training, I don't have any combat experience. But I believe that with their intelligence, they will become the mainstay of our independent division sooner or later. "

My words embarrassed him so much that he didn't know how to answer them. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He just sat in his own place in silence.

After looking at sjerykov sitting down, I went on to say, "although our division has not been established for a long time, and there are not enough veterans, after several battles in recent years, we can see that the commanders and fighters have grown up very quickly, and some companies have even trained a number of combat backbones. Facts have proved that our way of training is very effective. As for the recruitment of new recruits, we should not worry about the key combat personnel and grassroots commanders. General Zhukov promised to recruit several militiamen annihilation battalions from Stalingrad to supplement us. Although it is not long for these militiamen to take up arms, they have also experienced many battles and have certain combat experience, which can enrich them into grass-roots combat units. As for commanders, general meletzkov, commander of the volhoff front army, has provided us with a training team for second lieutenants. Every member of the team is an experienced commander. When they come, we will have suitable candidates for company commanders and even battalion commanders of our division companies. "

After finishing the issue of organizational structure, I continued to assign the defense forces of the independent division to you: "at present, there are only five tanks left in our division's tank unit. It is obviously unrealistic for them to confront the powerful German tank units. Captain perskin, what's your plan

Pelsky, who was named by me, stood up from his seat and replied respectfully: "Comrade division, not only are there not enough tanks in the tank unit, but now the fuel is almost exhausted, and there is no way to launch an offensive against the German army. So I would like to propose that these tanks be buried in the rear of a regiment position and used as temporary battery to provide necessary firepower cover for infantry. What do you mean, sir? "

I shook my head and said, "I have no problem." Then I looked at shejerikov and asked, "Colonel shejerikov, do you have any comment on captain perskin's proposal?"

Shejerikov did not speak, but shook his head and said he had no objection. So I nodded to captain perskin and said, "since there is no objection, do as you think. Bury the tank and use it as a fixed fort." Then I called the names of yegonovych and Morozov. When they got up, I asked in turn, "Captain yegonovych, where are you going to deploy your howitzer battalion?" Yegonovich quickly replied: "report, comrade Colonel, I have observed the terrain. There is nothing near here, only a small number of hills, so I plan to deploy artillery positions on the hills. When the battle starts, I will send artillery observers to provide us with firing data and carry out fire attack on the German troops attacking our army in the distance. "“ Good. And you, Captain Morozov? " After praising yegonovych, I asked captain Morozov that his cannon company had been lost in the blocking battle, and the surviving Gunners were now using the captured 81mm mortars“ Report to division commander, "Morozov replied dryly," because the cannons were completely destroyed by the German tank fire and enemy aircraft bombing in the battle, and what we are using now is to capture 81 mm of the German army, so we can only build mortar fire force points on the positions of a regiment and use the artillery fire to destroy the attacking German infantry. " When he finished, I nodded and said to him, "well, in that case, from now on, your artillery company will be under the command of lieutenant colonel chejerikov's regiment. I hope you can use German shells to beat those German soldiers who attack a regiment of positions and send them all to God. " My words caused a lot of laughter from the commanders present. Seeing that the dull atmosphere in the headquarters had subsided, I went on to say, "I'm here to draw the attention of all commanders. Although we are fighting a defensive war, we can't just defend for the sake of defense. Just because the Germans don't attack one day, they can't hide in the trenches and congratulate themselves. When the Germans attack, we will fight them; When the Germans don't attack, we have to fight with them. Since they don't come to fight us, let's fight them. Although our combat effectiveness and weaponry are not as good as theirs, we can reverse this disadvantage by sneak attacks and ambushes, and firmly control the initiative in the battlefield in our own hands. " My words won everyone's warm applause. As soon as the applause stopped, Pugachev asked in a loud voice: "Comrade division commander, what should we do if the newly added soldiers have no weapons? Will the superior supply us with weapons and equipment? " Pugachev's question made the relaxed atmosphere dignified. Everyone's eyes were on me, waiting for my reply.