When I came to Oleg's regiment command post, before Grimes and the militia battalion commander came, I turned to Oleg and asked, "Comrade commander, can you talk to the group army headquarters directly from your phone here?" The reason why I ask this question is that the headquarters was set up in this area in the early stage. In addition to many shelters, bomb shelters and other fortifications, the communication system is also ready-made, which is much better than that of mamayev post.
"Yes, sir." Oleg led me to the wall, pointed to a phone on the desk and said to me, "this phone can talk to the headquarters."
A strange and indifferent voice came from the receiver: "Hello, this is the headquarters of the group army. Where are you?"
I was deeply afraid that the other party would hang up the phone and quickly indicated my identity: "I am the commander of the independent division, Colonel oshanina. I have something important to report to the commander immediately."
Listening to my identity, the other party's tone became warm and took the initiative to explain the situation to me: "Hello, Colonel o'shanina. The commander and the military commissar are not in now. May I ask the chief of staff to answer the phone? "
Although they were not in the headquarters, it was the same to tell krailov my plan, so I politely said to the signalman, "OK, comrade soldier, please give me your phone number."
A moment later, krailov's deep, hoarse voice came out of the receiver: "Captain oshanina, this is krailov. You are calling at this time. What's the matter?"
Although as the head of a division, I can completely decide what tactics my troops should adopt to deal with the enemy in combat. However, the urban guerrilla warfare that I am about to adopt this time conflicts with the tactics of fighting for every inch of land stipulated by the higher authorities. If I adopt this tactics without prior communication with the leaders of the group army and their consent, even if I have achieved great results, I will still be in danger of being punished. Therefore, I can't wait to call the headquarters to report.
Instead of answering krailov's question directly, I asked tentatively, "are the chief of staff, the commander and the military commissar not here?" I want to know their whereabouts through him.
Sure enough, he said to me without warning: "half an hour ago, the 35th division of the guards suddenly lost contact with us. The commander and the military commissar rushed to the division with the guards." After a pause, he asked, "Comrade oshanina, you call the headquarters. What can I do for you?"
"Well, comrade chief of staff." Anyway, I have to report my new battle plan. In the absence of trakov, it's the same with chief of staff krailov. "I'm going to send the fifth regiment into the city to fight in the streets with the German army?"
"What, you want to fight in the streets with the Germans?" Krailov was surprised: "how to play?"
"I intend to break the five regiments into parts, take the platoon as a unit, rely on our familiarity with the terrain, and attack the German army in the solid buildings, main streets, commanding heights and other places. With this tactic, our troops can be hanged together with the German troops. In this way, if the enemy and ourselves are mixed up and gnawed with each other, the German troops will be afraid of the enemy, and the superiority of the aircraft and artillery they rely on will be lost. They have to fight hand to hand with us. "
After I finished, Krylov was silent for a moment and said anxiously, "Colonel oshanina, have you ever thought that although the enemy can't get the support of aircraft and artillery, you can't get the support of our artillery either. You can only fight against the enemy with your own strength. To tell you the truth, I personally don't agree with you to adopt this kind of war method. You should know that the German army's individual quality is higher than ours, and they also have an absolute advantage in the military strength. "
I can't help worrying about how to dispel his worries. Just when they were in a dilemma, they inadvertently saw gramus, gretka and Beckman enter the command post. They had an idea and said to krailov: "Comrade chief of staff, in addition to small units fighting guerrillas in the city, we have also trained a group of snipers who can use their expertise to snipe those enemy commanders at the commanding heights of the city, Let their command system get into chaos. "
Krailov was also moved by my reason. He asked excitedly, "sniper, do you have a sniper in your division?" Perhaps because he felt a bit out of his way, he quickly continued in his usual tone, "if the small guerrilla units in the city can get the cooperation of the snipers, then I will agree to let you have a try."
After the call with krailov, I asked all the people verol called to come. As the host, Oleg quickly asked everyone to sit down.
After sitting down, I found that the commanders attending the meeting were divided into two distinct groups. Captain trushen, commander of the militia battalion, and captain iglatov, commander of the company, were sitting on the left side of kirilov and I, glaring at the three of them sitting opposite. It seems that they still regard the former German soldiers who joined us as their mortal enemies. I'm even wondering if there would be a fight if I wasn't there.
Sitting opposite me, verol saw that all the people in the meeting were complete. After a slight cough, he reminded me: "Comrade division, all the commanders in the meeting are here. Please give us instructions."
I stood up, glanced over the commander on the spot, and found that the attention of the two hostile sides had shifted to me. Then I said without hesitation: "comrades, I think you may have known for a long time that the current situation is very unfavorable to our army. The counterattack organized by the headquarters of the group army has failed. At present, the enemy has rushed into the city from several directions and is engaged in a tough tug of war with our army in the central railway station and several important areas. "
Before I finished, Oleg could not wait to ask, "Comrade division, what is the mission of our regiment?" Seeing that I cast a reproachful look at him, I quickly explained, "two days ago, I found that the enemy passed in front of our defense area, so I led a battalion to attack from the enemy's rear with the cooperation of the tank battalion of the fourth regiment, and taught them a lesson."
"Comrade commander," kirilov stood up and said to him with a smile, "because of your decisive attack, you seized the plane in time and inflicted heavy damage on the German people, the group army headquarters specially praised you for this matter. I hope your regiment will make persistent efforts in the next battle, continue to carry forward your indomitable fighting spirit, fight resolutely with the bandits, and make new contributions for the motherland and the people.... "
How can I not know that the headquarters rewarded the fifth regiment? But now is not the time to ask these questions, so I kept silent wisely. After kirilov finished speaking, I continued: "the political commissar and I are here today to assign new combat tasks to the fifth regiment. Major Oleg, commissar verol. "
When they heard my order, they stood up and waited for my order.
"You immediately pull out the first battalion, break it into parts, and enter the city to wage urban guerrilla warfare with the German troops who rush into the city."
"Street fight?" At my command, not only the two standing people were stunned, but also the people still sitting were stunned. For those commanders who are used to regular warfare, they think this order is a bit incredible. However, due to the strict hierarchy in the army, although they were full of doubts, they did not dare to ask. They could only honestly promise: "yes!"
After they sat down, I turned around and told trushen, "Captain trushen, I want to transfer some soldiers who are familiar with the terrain from your militia camp to serve as guides for the commanders and fighters of the first battalion. I want to use their familiarity with the terrain to deal with the German army in the city and consume them little by little in the constant movement."
"Don't worry, comrade Colonel," said Captain trushen, standing up, his face firm and resolute. "I will send those soldiers who are most familiar with the terrain of the city to serve as guides for the commanders and fighters of the first battalion. To the north of the city is the factory area, where our troops have a lot of room to maneuver. "
"If you want to win in urban street battles, it's not enough to have these small teams." At this point, I turned around and asked Grimes, "Captain Grimes, how are your snipers doing?"
Grimes and gretka stood up together, one speaking and one translating: "Mr. report, so far, we have trained 100 snipers, and they are fully ready for actual combat."
I was shocked to hear that gramus had trained so many snipers in such a short time. After a while, I asked tentatively, "what's the level of these 100 snipers?"
With a look of shame on his face, Grimes explained sheepishly, "Comrade division, it's very difficult for ordinary soldiers to reach the standard of snipers because of the short time. The overall shooting level of these 100 snipers is only slightly higher than that of other companies. " When he said this, he saw a look of disappointment on my face and quickly added, "but seven of them are up to the standard of a real sniper. They have a 70% chance of hitting a target 300 meters away without a sight
It's a bit disappointing to hear that there are only seven qualified snipers, but I still comfort myself in my heart: seven are seven, which is better than nothing. In case there is a sniper elite like Vasili, it can also achieve great results. Thinking of this, I said to gramus straightforwardly, "Captain, you go and send 20 snipers to participate in the street fight of the fifth regiment. Remember, the seven qualified snipers must be on the list
After I gave the order, Oleg asked a little uneasily, "Comrade division, can we take advantage of the street fighting with the Germans?"
Instead of answering his question with certainty, I said to myself, "the narrow streets, the complex environment, the invisible enemy and the invisible gunfire will become the nightmare of the German soldiers in the city." With that, I raised my hand and looked at my watch. Seeing that it was getting late, I ordered directly: "OK, if there is no problem, go back and make preparations. I hope to see the troops enter the city in an hour
After the commanders who attended the meeting left one after another, there were only me, kirilov and Oleg left in the command post. Oleg asked cautiously, "Sir, commissar, will you stay in the headquarters or leave now?"
Kirilov rushed to the phone near the wall and said, "commander Oleg, I'll stay here with my teacher. Anyway, the telephone here can also contact the division headquarters directly, so that we can command the battle here. "
After the guerrilla troops in the city set out, there were rumbling guns from mamayev post and 107.5 highland. I immediately called the division headquarters and asked akhromeyev, "Comrade chief of staff, what's the situation there?"
"Report, sir. According to the observation post, the positions of a regiment and friendly forces are being shelled by the German forces. It seems that they are going to attack on a large scale today."
"Well, I see. Chief of staff, please report to me and the political commissar whenever you have any information. We will stay in the command post of the fifth regiment all the time today. "
After the German artillery bombardment, their infantry, under the cover of tanks, launched a fierce attack on regiment 1 and highland 107.5 at the same time.
After learning this information, kirilov asked me curiously: "Sir, what do you want to do with the German army? Yesterday, the friendly highlands were in full swing, but our side was calm. Today they are attacking the two highlands at the same time. What do they want to do? "
"The enemy's purpose is very clear," I said lightly. "It's to capture our two Highlands, open the road to the city, control the water transportation line of the Volga River, and trap us in the city."
"We won't let them do it."
"You are right, comrade political commissar. I believe the officers and men of the first regiment will resolutely fight back their attack. "
"I have no doubt about holding a regiment's position, but what about the friendly position?" Kirilov said suspiciously, "you saw the cruel battle yesterday. Do you think the new 92nd infantry brigade can hold the highland and the Soviet street behind it? "
I gave kirilov a strange look and complained to myself that he was worried about nothing, but I could still say, "I think I can keep it. You know, they are a whole brigade, and most of the officers and men are well-trained Baltic soldiers, who can at least support two divisions of the army. "
"I hope so." Kirilov finished with a heavy sigh.
At noon, the troops entering the city reported their achievements continuously through walkie talkies they carried at any time. Although the results of each detachment were not big, only more than ten to thirty German soldiers were killed, but after all the data were collected, the data was not small.
When Oleg handed the collected information to kirilov and me, he said excitedly: "division commander, political commissar, I never knew that the battle could be so big. Although each small unit did not destroy many enemies, we had 20 small units. Adding up all the results, we actually destroyed one and a half companies of the German army."
"Comrade commander," although kirilov's face was full of joy, he specially told Oleg, "tell the soldiers that they are all good. My division commander and I are still here waiting for them to achieve greater results."
Although the results of the troops were good, I was not dazzled by the victory. When the political commissar finished, I added: "also, tell the soldiers that they should know how to preserve themselves, eliminate the enemy, and not make unnecessary sacrifices."
The fifth regiment has achieved good results, which makes me feel relieved. Then I called akhromeyev and asked him about the situation of a regiment position attacked by the German army.
Akhromeyev said in a loud voice on the phone: "report to the division commander, half an hour ago, the German troops once rushed into a regiment's position on the hillside, but were soon hit by our counterattack."
"How is the friendly highland?"
On hearing my question, akhromeyev kept silent. Unable to hear his reply, I was a little anxious and asked in a voice: "Hello, Hello, chief of staff, are you still there? Can you hear me? Talk, talk. "
Ahlomeyev sighed and replied, "Comrade division commander, the situation in the friendly Highlands is very bad. According to the report of the observation post, the enemy has rushed to the top of the hillside twice and launched a white-edged battle with the 92nd brigade, which is holding its position. There was also a German armored force, which bypassed the highlands from the west side and rushed into the Soviet street to fight with the Garrison who held on to it
As soon as I put down the phone, kirilov, who was beside me, asked me nervously, "Comrade oshanina, what's the matter? 107.5 is something wrong in Highland? "
I nodded instinctively, and suddenly felt that it was easy for kirilov to misunderstand me. Then I quickly shook my head and said to him, "the German troops who attacked the 107.5 highland attacked the position on the top of the hillside twice, but their attack was repulsed by the tenacious counterattack of our commanders and fighters. However, a cunning German armored force, from the west side, bypassed the Highlands, rushed into the Soviet street behind the Highlands, and launched a fierce battle with the defenders. "
As the battle reports of the small teams in the city kept coming, we soon forgot about the 107.5 highland and the Soviet street. We just kept looking at the battle areas of the small teams on the map and counting their achievements.
In the evening, the telephone by the wall suddenly rang. Verol, who was nearest to the phone, raised his hand and picked up the phone. After listening for a while, he covered the phone and handed it to me. At the same time, he said in a low voice, "Comrade teacher, your phone."
As I walked towards her, I asked, "is that the phone call from chief of staff akhromeyev?" I intuitively believe that this call has something to do with the 92nd brigade. Unexpectedly, verol shook his head and said to me in a low voice, "it's the call from Comrade commander of the group army." I rushed over and took the call from verol. When he thought of reporting the idea of urban guerrilla warfare in the morning, he was not there, so he subjectively inferred that he must have come to understand how the new tactics I had adopted were being implemented. So as soon as I heard his voice coming from the receiver, I took the lead in reporting: "Report commander comrade, independent division commander o'xia Nina, report to you. In the morning, I sent a battalion into the city to fight guerrilla warfare with the German army. So far, I have achieved a lot. According to the results reported by the small units in the city, we have eliminated... "" OK, don't tell me about urban guerrilla warfare. " "I've lost contact with the 92nd infantry brigade," he said angrily. Before the communication was interrupted, the brigade commander, Colonel tanasorov, reported to me that the enemy had occupied highland 107.5 and rushed into the Soviet street behind the highland. " Trikov's words startled me. When akhromeyev reported to me, he also said that the garrison had held the high ground and had launched a fierce battle with the enemy who rushed to the Soviet street. It's only been a few hours. How could the highland be lost? Seeing that trikov was angry, I didn't dare to say anything to make him angry. I had to ask carefully, "Comrade commander, what can I do?"“ Take people to reinforce them immediately and take back the position. " Trekov finished and hung up“ What's the matter? " Kirilov asked with concern, seeing that I didn't look well. I didn't care to talk to him, so I asked Oleg, "commander Oleg, does your regiment have anti tank equipment?" After I asked, I found that I was in a hurry to go to a doctor. I asked the wrong person. I should have asked the artillery battalion commander molozov. I didn't expect Oleg to answer me: "there is no anti tank gun, but there is an anti tank gun company."“ Great, "he said. I was overjoyed and immediately told him," gather up the anti tank company. I will take them to reinforce 107.5 highland. "