Chapter 630

While waiting for the line to be repaired, the telephone on the desk kept ringing. It turned out that all the regimental leaders were alarmed by the gunfire and called me one after another to ask for instructions.

The rest of the regiments are fine, but when Godunov, the leader of the third regiment, called me, I was surprised, because I always thought he and captain horushov were in Highland 107.5, but he went back to the residential area without asking for instructions.

After listening to his report of his position, I asked him angrily, "Captain Godunov, can you explain to me why you didn't stay on the high ground with captain horushov, but went back to the residential area without permission?"

When Godunov heard that I was angry, he replied in a panic: "report to Mr. division commander, the reason why I went back to the residential areas is that I intend to gather the troops and then take them to the new camp overnight."

Although his reasons were quite good, I still scolded him and finally said, "well, comrade Godunov, since you have assembled the three regiments, take them to the new camp as soon as possible. Once the highland is tight, send troops to support immediately. "

Now that the third regiment is going to move out, they can only let the fourth regiment fill the vacant position. So I called Gaidar, the fourth regiment leader, and told him straightforwardly: "commander Gaidar, I'll inform you something. The third regiment will be moved soon. You will immediately send troops to take over the defense area they have vacated. "

As soon as I put down the phone, kirilov came over from the operator Najia with a displeased face and said to me seriously, "look, comrade division commander, this is a telegram just sent by the headquarters of the group army."

I took the newspaper and quickly scanned the contents. I was so angry that I slapped the newspaper on the desk. Akhromeyev didn't know why kirilov and I had such an extreme reaction after reading the telegram, so we carefully took the telegram away from me.

While akhromeyev was reading the telegram, I snorted heavily and complained to kirilov discontentedly: "Comrade political commissar, what do you think is the matter? Why did the headquarters of the group army suddenly issue such an order: from now on, when all divisions communicate with the headquarters of the group army, they are forbidden to use telephone sets, and can only send telegrams or use cable phones. Moreover, in the telegram, it is absolutely not allowed to ask for instructions and discuss the next operation. Anyone who violates the above provisions will be removed from office and sent to the military court. "

Kirilov sat down at the table, lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and then said thoughtfully, "Comrade oshanina, I think the sudden order from the headquarters of the group army is not their original intention, but the order from the superior."

"Orders from the superior?" I asked tentatively, "Comrade political commissar, do you mean that this order was given by the commander of the front army?"

Unexpectedly, kirilov waved his hand and denied my guess: "I don't think even the commander of the front army himself would suddenly give such a strange order. If I had not guessed wrong, this order should have been given by the supreme commander in chief, or even by the Supreme Commander himself. "

"Comrade political commissar, you have worked in the Central Committee. Can you guess why?"

"Perhaps the supreme command was gathering new troops and preparing to carry out a major counter offensive. In order to prevent the leakage of secrets and arouse the vigilance of the German army, it gave such an order." Kirilov analyzed me solemnly.

On hearing kirilov's analysis, akhromeyev, who had just finished reading the telegram, also asked with a serious look: "Comrade political commissar, what about our telephone and walkie talkie equipped by our troops? Are the commanders and fighters prohibited from using this communication mode from today? "

I heard akhromeyev's question and stared nervously at kirilov, waiting for his answer. Kirilov picked up the telegram, read the newspaper again, pondered for a moment, and then replied: "the telegram only stipulates that when the divisions contact the headquarters of the group army, they are not allowed to use the telegraph to communicate in plain language, but it does not prohibit the divisions from using it internally. In my opinion, within the independent division, the original telephones and walkie talkies of subordinate units are still used as usual. "

"I agree with the Commissar." As soon as kirilov finished speaking, I immediately expressed my support.

Seeing that kirilov and I agreed, akhromeyev nodded and said firmly, "I have no different opinions, so I will follow the proposal of the political commissar."

Captain horushov's call finally came in again. I raised my hand and looked at my watch. It was a quarter of an hour longer than razumeyeva had promised. However, this is not the time to investigate the responsibility. After hearing horushov's voice coming from the earphone, I immediately couldn't wait to ask, "Comrade captain, what's the situation over there?"

"Report to division commander," said horushov in a steady voice from his earphone, "German artillery has weakened. Observation posts on the hillside report that a large number of German infantry can be seen in the distance, charging towards the high ground under the cover of tanks."

I listened to the rumble of gunfire coming from outside, and then asked, "Captain horushov, I hear the gunfire outside is still quite fierce. Where are the Germans shelling?"

"Our highlands have only been sporadically shelled, and I've ordered a company to take positions. At the moment, the enemy's main artillery fire is concentrating on the open area between here and you. Maybe it's for fear of sending reinforcements from you. "

"Keep in touch. Remember, your task is to nail the position like a nail, and you are not allowed to retreat." Although I didn't want to fight positional warfare with the German army, in the current situation, I could only give orders to horushov to defend.

Akhromeyev saw me put down the phone and nervously suggested to me: "Comrade division, we can't watch the German army attack captain horushov. We need to find some way to help them."

Before he finished, I stopped him irritably“ Chief of staff, don't you see that the German artillery fire is fierce outside? No matter how many troops are sent to reinforce us at this time, we can only die in vain. I don't want to sacrifice all the elite troops of the independent division to the gunfire of the German aggressors. "

"I don't know what happened to molozov's" Thunderbolt " Kirilov said to himself: "if the German attack, from the side of a hard hit, perhaps they can reduce the defensive pressure of horushov."

Kirilov's words gave me a wake-up call. I immediately asked akhromeyev to call Morozov and ask him to come to the headquarters immediately to see me. I want to have a detailed understanding of their progress in developing thunderguns. Although this weapon has a short range, it is a rare weapon to kill German tanks and infantry.

After receiving the order, Morozov appeared in front of us in a few minutes. From the smile on his face, I felt relieved. It seems that the artillery battalion commander is really not simple. He built the thunderbolt in such a short time. Holding back my joy, I tried to ask in a calm voice, "Captain Morozov, what's going on‘ How's the development of the 'thunderbolt'

Morozov was a little flustered when he saw that the leaders of our divisions were staring at him, but he soon calmed down and reported to us: "report to the division commander, political commissar and chief of staff. According to the division commander's ideas, we worked hard for several hours and finally succeeded in this" Thunderbolt ". Because it was tested at night, in order to avoid causing everyone's panic, the explosive bag used for throwing was not gunpowder but soil. We have tested five times. The distance of each flight is different. The landing point ranges from 100 meters to 300 meters. "

"Can you fight now?" Kirilov asked nervously.

Morozov nodded hard and gave kirilov a positive answer: "no problem, we have made eight launchers and 50 explosive packs. If we put them into battle, they can cause great damage to the German infantry."

"Very well, comrade captain. Well done. " Kirilov patted Morozov on the shoulder excitedly and praised him repeatedly. Then he said, "Comrade captain, I'll give you a task now. The German army is attacking the 107.5 highland guarded by Captain horushov. You immediately take people with these "thunderguns" to support them and destroy the enemy as much as possible. "

Hearing kirilov give orders directly over me and akhromeyev, I can't help frowning slightly and muttering to myself: my only capable artillery commander, but you don't even discuss with me, so you directly order him to carry out such a dangerous task, if he dies, Where can I find the right artillery commander to command the artillery? Thinking of this, I asked Morozov before he saluted and left: "Comrade captain, how long will it take for the thunder guns to fight?"

After listening to my question, Morozov pulled his finger and meditated for a while, and then replied, "report, sir. It's about an hour at the most."

"Why did it take so long?" Kirilov asked discontentedly.

"Because our experiments were all in the open space of the destroyed oil tank, a little far away from here. Besides, there are so many big and heavy explosive bags to be moved here. It will take some time. "

"All right, Captain Morozov." This time, I took the lead of kirilov and gave an order to Morozov: "you should immediately organize people to move all the explosives and prepare for the war. As for you, there are still more important things to do. You should not take part in this battle in person, and find someone else to take your place. "

After Morozov left, kirilov asked in a puzzled way: "Comrade division, this" Thunderbolt "was developed by Morozov and let him use it on the battlefield. Isn't it easy for him to master it? Why did you suddenly announce that someone else would be in charge of the battle? "

I didn't want to turn my face with kirilov on the issue of personnel use, so I could only say politely, "my political commissar, such a battle only needs a company commander or even a platoon commander to complete the task. Is it a bit of a fuss to send a battalion commander up?"

"But..." before kirilov finished, the phone on the desk rang again.

From the earphone came the voice of horushov. At the same time, I heard the sound of explosion and dense gunfire. He told me in a loud voice: "Comrade division, the German infantry, under the cover of tank fire, have rushed to the high ground. Our troops are fighting with the enemy in the position on the top of the hillside. As the company that was first sent out suffered heavy casualties, I just sent another company of the third regiment

"Captain horushov, don't worry," I said to him. Hearing his voice, I was a little flustered. I specially comforted him and said, "the third regiment has started from the residential area and is ready to rush to the residential area behind your highland. You can support the highland at any time. Your task now is to defend at all costs... "Just in the middle of what I said, the earphone suddenly lost its sound again. I raised my voice and cried out:" Hello, Hello, Captain horushov, can you hear me, can you hear me? "

All the time, when razumeyeva saw me yelling at the top of her voice, she came over and reminded me with a red face: "Comrade division commander, maybe the telephone line has been blown off again. I'll send stringers to check the line immediately." With that, he trotted out of the headquarters.

I was so angry that I threw the phone on the table and said angrily, "what the hell, are the German shells long eyed? How long did it take to blow up our telephone line twice? "

"The German came so fast!" Akhromeyev said to himself, "just after listening to captain horushov's report that German ground troops were found in the distance, they arrived at the foot of the highland and launched an attack on the highland in just a few minutes."

"It's no surprise." I looked up at him and said, "the German infantry probably took trucks, followed the tanks and rushed to the high ground. At the foot of the high ground, the infantry will get out of the car and charge

Contact with highland was restored 20 minutes later. As soon as the phone was put through, horushov could not wait to report to me: "report, comrade division commander, the German attack was repulsed by us five minutes ago."

"Seize the time to repair the fortifications, treat the wounded and prepare for the next round of German attack."

As soon as I finished speaking, I heard another voice coming from the earphone: "report to the battalion commander, the Germans are attacking again, and their line of scattered troops is pressing towards our position."

I heard horushov telling the messenger: "I know. Go back and tell your company commander to bring the enemy closer and fight again. Then the German tanks at the foot of the mountain will not dare to fire at will." Then he told me in a low voice, "Comrade division, the Germans are attacking us again."

"Resolutely block them and never let them occupy the high ground, otherwise the troops at mamayev post will be in danger of being encircled."

"Yes, resolutely block them, absolutely do not let them forward..." horushov's words have not yet spoken, the phone again interrupted.

I threw the phone on the table and said harshly to razumeyeva, who was standing next to Najia: "Comrade lieutenant, what are you doing here? Don't you hear the phone line interrupted by German artillery fire again? Don't send the stringer to check the line soon. "

Razumeyeva did not speak, turned and ran out of the headquarters. In less than a minute, she came back with a female soldier behind her. She walked up to me and said with shame: "report to the division, even the stringers in the company have been sent out, and there is no stringer left. No one can be sent out to restore the communication line that was broken by the explosion."

At this time, the female soldier standing behind razumeyeva stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "Comrade division commander, please allow me to go."

As soon as I looked at this volunteer female soldier, I found that it was wonia, the blood sick female police guard camp. Since she was assigned to the communication company by me, I haven't paid any attention to her. I didn't expect that at such a moment, she stood up bravely.

"No, zonia." Razumeyeva took the lead in my speech, vetoed her request, and gave her reasons: "you have just arrived in the communication company, and you are not even familiar with these businesses."

"Please allow me to go. I can't do anything to stay in the communication room anyway."

"But the enemy's fire was too fierce, otherwise it would not have been possible to blow up the telephone line three times in such a short period of time. I don't think you can even get to the break. "

"I can, comrade lieutenant. If you allow me to go, I promise to finish the task." Wonia persisted stubbornly in her opinion.

Razumeyeva knew that wonia used to be my guard. She didn't dare to make decisions at will, so she could only turn to me for help. I looked at razumeyeva, then at Vanya, and nodded slowly, agreeing to let vonia carry out the dangerous line search task.

Seeing that I acquiesced to her request, wonia's face showed a smile. She stretched out her hand and pinched on razumeyeva's shoulder. Then she went to Najia, who was sitting in front of the telephone. She also stretched out her hand and pinched her shoulder. Without saluting us, she quickly ran out of the finger waving part.

With the departure of wonia, razumeyeva, who is always strong in my mind, suddenly wipes her tears. No matter she is, even Najia is also wiping her tears. I was confused by their actions. I went over, held razumeyeva's face in my hands, wiped the tears from her cheek with my fingers, and nervously asked, "Lieutenant razumeyeva, what's the matter?"

I didn't expect that razumeyeva was sobbing and speechless. A long sigh came from behind me, and then kirilov said with regret, "don't you know, sir? When I leave, I pinch my friends' shoulders to say goodbye. That is to say, this parting may be a farewell

Kirilov's explanation made me understand why razumeyeva and Naga behaved so impolitely after vonia left. I didn't expect that I had changed into Rita for such a long time, but I still didn't understand many customs. Fortunately, the question I asked just now didn't arouse everyone's suspicion, otherwise I couldn't explain it clearly. I looked at the tearful razumeyeva in front of me and quickly comforted her and said, "Comrade lieutenant, don't cry any more. She will come back safe and sound. " Before lazumeyeva's crying stopped, Morozov ran in from outside and saluted me. He reported to me, "report to the division commander and political commissar, our thunder guns have been transported to the foot of the mountain, so we can start. Do you have any instructions?" As soon as I heard that the long-standing thunder gun was at the foot of the hillside, I immediately got excited. I didn't care about razumeyeva and Najia who were still wiping tears. I turned around and ran out of the headquarters and ran down the hill along the outside trench. In a panic, kirilov and akhromeyev trotted out of the headquarters, followed me and ran down the hill. I didn't expect that when I ran down the hillside, I saw four trucks parked here, with more than 20 soldiers standing by. I saw a group of us running over in a hurry and standing up straight to salute us. I turned my head and asked molozov, who was immediately behind me, "Comrade captain, where is the thunder gun?" Morozov pointed to the car and said, "it's in the car. There are two thunderguns in each car, and twelve explosive packs are taken out." Before I could express my opinion, kirilov next to me asked, "Comrade captain, you won't let your soldiers drive in trucks and bombard the Germans with thunder?"“ Well, comrade political commissar. " Morozov politely replied: "if I let the soldiers carry the thunderguns and explosives on foot, it will take at least 70 or 80 people, and it will waste a lot of time. The time can be shortened by using trucks to carry thunderguns. Our soldiers can rush to the vicinity of the Germans in the shortest time, and they will be bombarded with fury. After the fight, our soldiers can also leave the battlefield quickly. "“ If you shoot directly in the car, how are these thunderguns fixed? " I asked anxiously. Morozov confidently replied: "please rest assured, sir. We found a lot of tripods in the warehouse near the abandoned oil storage tank, which can be used to fix the torpedo."“ Comrade o'shanina, do you think this is appropriate? Is it a little too dangerous to do so? Shall we take a safe way to shoot more soldiers and help them carry these thunderguns? " Kirilov, still uneasy after listening to Morozov's words, suggested to me cautiously. After thinking about it, I waved to kirilov and said, "Comrade political commissar, don't worry. Captain Morozov is an expert in this field. If he says yes, there will be no problem. " At this point, I turned to Morozov and said, "Comrade captain, since you have figured out how to do it, then act immediately." Morozov agreed, and then yelled at the soldiers standing by the car, "listen to my command, all aboard!"