Chapter 610

Although it was quiet here in mamayev post and the enemy planes stopped bombing the dock, the gunfire in the distance never stopped. It was obvious that the three army groups under the command of Zhukov were fighting with the German army to the death.

After dark, the rumbling sound of distant shells and bomb explosions became more and more clear, and the war red the northwest night sky.

I learned about the fighting in the north of the city from the combat Department of the group army through radio. As the German army firmly occupied the air supremacy of the battlefield, the counterattack of the three groups met with setbacks from the beginning. After great sacrifice, our army finally broke through the German defensive formation and advanced five to seven kilometers. However, in the afternoon, under the cover of aircraft and strong artillery fire, the German army suddenly launched a counterattack against the positions of the 24th and 66th group army. The battle lasted for several hours. Although the German army lost a large part of its troops in the battle, it successfully turned the achievements of the two groups army in the daytime into nothing. Although the 1st group army of the close guard also encountered the counterattack of the German army, under the tenacious resistance of the commanders and fighters, their vanguard troops are still wedged into the German defense area for three kilometers.

After reading the war report, Pugachev, who stayed in the headquarters with me, asked anxiously, "Comrade division, do you think the counterattack directed by general Zhukov can be successful?"

I shook my head slowly and said with some helplessness: "at present, the German army firmly controls the air control of the battlefield. When our troops launch an attack, they are bound to pay a huge sacrifice under the indiscriminate bombing of enemy planes, which directly leads to the frustration of the attack."

Although I said that, Pugachev said with a fluke: "it doesn't mean that the attack will begin when general Zhukov appears in any place? Why don't you have any confidence in this counterattack? "

After I snorted, I said, "Captain Pugachev, it's not a matter of confidence, but the strength of our army is not as good as that of the Germans. Moreover, there is no air supremacy, and there are not enough artillery and tanks to support the infantry attack. Therefore, even if there are three group armies attacking at the same time, the ideal results will not be achieved. Otherwise, there would not have been two German armored forces under Stalingrad today. If we hadn't taken timely measures, maybe the German army would have camped in the city. "

As soon as I finished, Pugachev looked around nervously, then said to me in a low voice, "Sir, you are a failure doctrine. If you are heard by the people in the interior department, you will be in trouble."

I looked at him, and then at razumeyeva sitting at the door. Seeing that she was staring at me nervously, I laughed and said easily, "don't worry, there are only two of you here. Will you report my words to the Cheka staff of the interior department?" After hearing this, they both shook their heads and said they would not betray me.

See two people's attitude so resolute, I also strike while the iron is hot, said: "you are the people I trust, I believe you will not betray me." Speaking of this, I suddenly thought of vonia's blood sickness and said to razumeyeva, "by the way, comrade lieutenant, there is something I want to tell you. There is a female soldier named wonia in the guard company. She has blood sickness and is not suitable to stay in the fighting forces. I want her to go to your communication company. What do you mean? "

Razumeyeva nodded busily and promised, "OK, sir, it's just that the communication company is short of manpower. Let her come to our company."

As soon as her words were finished, the curtain of the door was suddenly lifted, and busmanov ran in from the outside. He said to me excitedly, "good news, Mr. division chief, our political commissar is here!"

Commissar? In the afternoon, I just asked for the political commissar and chief of staff. Unexpectedly, he was very efficient, so he sent the political commissar to me in the evening. I asked excitedly, "Comrade captain, where is the political commissar?"

"Right outside the door!"

"Right outside the door?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, outside." Busmanov replied positively.

When I heard busmanov's affirmative answer, I excitedly pushed him aside, lifted the curtain and went out of the headquarters. As soon as I came out, I saw a commander in a big cornice hat standing in the trench not far away, looking at the terrain outside. Behind him stood a soldier with a submachine gun. I quickly walked over and took the initiative to say, "Hello, comrade political commissar, welcome to the independent division."

The commander heard my voice, slowly turned around and said with a smile, "Hello, Colonel oshanina, I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon!"

As the moon is not very bright, a little far away, I did not see what each other looks like. But when he turned around, I vaguely felt that he had a good face. As soon as he spoke, I immediately knew who the new political commissar was. No wonder trikov was so mysterious when he mentioned the new political commissar sent to the independent division. Since I came to meet an acquaintance, my face also showed a smile. At the same time, I extended my hand to him and said in a friendly way: "Hello, comrade kirilov, welcome to work in the independent division."

It turns out that the group army did not send me anyone else, but kirilov, director of the Political Department of the group army, whom I am familiar with. When I shook hands with him, I was still wondering if he had made any mistakes. Otherwise, why did a good director of the political department not work, but instead transferred to an independent division to be a division commissar?

After I let kirilov into the headquarters and asked razumeyeva to pour tea, I asked curiously, "Comrade kirilov, aren't you the director of the Political Department of the group army? Why are you transferred to the independent division to be the political commissar?"

Kirilov replied with a smile, "Colonel oshanina, you don't know. I am still the director of the Political Department of the group army, but commander trakov said that your independent division lacks political workers. In order to strengthen the leadership of the independent division, he asked me to serve as the political commissar of your division temporarily."

"There is a commissar, but there is still a chief of staff." Although having a political commissar makes the burden on my shoulders much easier, it would be more perfect if I had a chief of staff.

"Don't worry, sir." After listening to me, kirilov comforted me with a smile and said, "don't worry. As far as I know, the chief of staff of the independent division will be in office in two days at most."

"Great," I said excitedly after hearing the unexpected good news. Then I asked, "Comrade political commissar, do you know who is the chief of staff and what rank?"

"Who is going to be the chief of staff," kirilov said regretfully, shaking his head. "I really don't know. But I only know that he is a captain

"What, just the rank of captain?" When I heard this, I was disappointed and murmured, "the chief of staff of the division is actually the rank of captain. Is it too low?"

"No!" Kirilov said with disapproval: "in the army a few years ago, there were many major and lieutenant commanders. What is a chief of staff of a division with the rank of captain?"

When I heard kirilov say that, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. I said, can it be compared with a few years ago? At that time, the middle and senior commanders were almost killed in the Great Purge, so they had to fill these vacancies with junior commanders. But in front of kirilov, these words can't be said casually. Maybe he was an active participant in the cleansing movement at that time.

Seeing that I was suddenly silent, kirilov changed the topic in time: "this time, I brought you an anti-aircraft machine gun company to strengthen the air defense force of mamayev post."

"Great, comrade political commissar." Hearing this news, my depressed mood suddenly rose, excitedly asked: "do not know where they are now?"

Kirilov stood up with a clear expression on his face and said to me with a smile, "I was just outside in the trench, just watching them deploy defensive positions. Come on, let's go and have a look. I understand that if you don't see the company with your own eyes, you may not be able to sleep at night. " With that, he turned and walked out.

I laughed sheepishly, followed kirilov and went out of the division headquarters again.

The two of us came to the trench, went to the position where kirilov had just stood, pointed to the distance, and then said to me, "Comrade division, you see, they are setting up air defense positions there."

I looked in the direction of kirilov's fingers and saw a group of people digging simple bunkers on the hillside to place the anti-aircraft machine guns on the supports. I watched for a while, but I could not help frowning. Judging from the location of the bunker, they were going to line up a few machine guns.

At this time, kirilov turned to me and asked, "Comrade division, do you think it's suitable for the AA machine gun company to be placed in this position?"

Due to the importance of the matter, I have no scruples to say my own view: "no, it's very difficult to shoot down the enemy plane except to become the target of the German aircraft when the anti-aircraft machine gun company is placed like this."

"What, what do you say?" Kirilov asked in surprise.

I did not care to answer him. I took busmanov out of the trench and walked quickly to them along the hillside. As we approached, the battalion commander, who had already understood my intention, cried out, "stop, stop all of you!"

The soldiers who were digging trenches stopped their work when they heard the cry and looked at us uninvited guests in surprise.

A commander with the rank of Captain ran up to me, raised his hand, saluted and said, "report to the division commander, I'm the commander of the antiaircraft machine gun company, Tarhan badirashvili, at your command."

After giving a salute, I said to the captain in a friendly way, "Comrade captain, welcome to mamayev post with your company."

"Serve the Soviet motherland!" Captain talhan asked politely, after a routine“ Comrade division commander, our company is building a defensive position for anti-aircraft machine guns. Are we allowed to continue? "

"Comrade captain, your air defense position can't be set up like this. We should know that this will not only pose little threat to enemy aircraft, but will easily cause heavy casualties in air strikes. "

Tarhan was stunned when I said this. After a long time, he murmured, "well, sir, how can we arrange air defense positions?"

I turned to basmanov and said, "Comrade captain, let the AA machine gun company follow the triangle formation of the day. Every three antiaircraft machine guns form a small triangle, and three triangles form a large triangle. In this way, no matter which direction the enemy plane comes from, it can ensure enough firepower density and improve the hit rate of the machine gun. " Then I turned to talhan and said, "Comrade captain, do you hear me? Just arrange the machine guns in the formation I just said. " Tarhan listened, but stood still, when kirilov came to me. Captain Tarhan turned to kirilov for help. Kirilov obviously heard my deployment. After nodding, he decisively ordered the captain to say, "Comrade captain, didn't you hear the order of the division commander? Do it now. " Kirilov spoke, Captain Tarhan agreed, turned back to his troops, and basmanov, who was standing by, followed him. Although kirilov has just supported me unswervingly in front of his subordinates, when he saw that the anti-aircraft machine gun company had adjusted its formation and started to dig for a new position, he still asked with a worried face: "Comrade oshanina, is this formation really effective?" Although the hit rate of this formation is higher than that of the common air defense positions of the Soviet army, I can't guarantee that we will definitely be able to shoot down the enemy plane. I just said with a funny and ambiguous voice: "we used this formation at the wharf in the daytime and shot down an enemy plane. I think there are still some effects." After dawn the next day, kirilov, who wanted to find out the merits and demerits of the new air defense formation, pulled me out of the headquarters and found a shelter with a wide field of vision, waiting together to see if the enemy aircraft flying over our highlands would be hit by the anti-aircraft machine gun company. In order to command the antiaircraft machine gun company, he also asked the communication company to pull a telephone line directly to the air defense position in advance. At about nine o'clock in the morning, two enemy planes came from the north. Today, instead of flying directly over the highlands to bomb the docks, they circle around the mamayev post. After two circles, the enemy plane began to reduce its altitude. Seeing the enemy planes circling around the high ground, kirilov quickly dialed the anti-aircraft machine gun company and said to the microphone, "Captain Tarhan, the enemy planes are circling over your company. When they are lowered to a suitable height for shooting, they will fire decisively." Almost at the end of kirilov's words, there was a rapid and close machine gun fire on the hillside. The enemy plane, which was gradually lowering its altitude, was startled and immediately pulled up its nose in an attempt to pull it up. But it was too late. A slow-moving enemy plane had been hit by dense antiaircraft machine gun bullets, and a long black smoke came out of its tail. After the fuselage was smoothed forward for a certain distance, it was out of control and loaded down to the north side of the main position, I went to the plane that was shot down yesterday for company. Another enemy plane, which was lucky enough to be pulled up, was unwilling to leave when it saw that its companion had been hit. After circling in the air again, the plane's buttocks tilted and dived down. At the same time, bombs were dropped on the positions of the AA company. Because the bomb was dropped in a hurry, it did not hit the target. Instead, it fell into a ravine more than 100 meters away where there was no one. After the enemy plane dived down, it failed to pull up again. It was hit by the oncoming dense machine gun bullets and exploded in the air, and the burning debris fell on the hillside. Seeing that our anti-aircraft machine guns had knocked down two enemy planes in a row, kirilov excitedly praised the microphone and said, "good fight, good fight! Captain talhan, on behalf of me, I'd like to congratulate your men. They've played so well Although we shot down two enemy planes easily, my mood didn't become relaxed. I shot down one on the high ground yesterday, which confused the German army, because the pilot didn't survive. Maybe they thought it was shot down by the anti-aircraft artillery regiment on the dock. But today we shot down two enemy planes flying to the high ground. Even if the Germans are stupid, they can understand that the air defense forces on the high ground may attract their crazy revenge. After half an hour, my worry became a reality. This time, the German army arrived in two four aircraft formations, flew over the Highlands, circled for a while, and then began to dive in line and bombard our highlands. In an instant, the bomb fell on the hillside and exploded everywhere. The position of the anti-aircraft machine gun company was surrounded by smoke. In the face of the enemy's bombing, the soldiers of the anti-aircraft machine gun company all stick to their combat posts and shoot fiercely at the enemy plane.