Chapter 727

Not long after mihayev left, razumeyeva, who was sitting in front of the wall's telephone, suddenly stood up and called me: "Comrade division commander, your phone is from the headquarters of the group army?"

I glanced at the motionless phone on the desk and asked kirilov in surprise: "Comrade political commissar, didn't the headquarters give an order that we could only use wired telephone instead of wireless communication, so as not to divulge secrets?"

Kirilov was stunned at first, and then replied to me, "when the headquarters was attacked by enemy artillery some time ago, all the telephone lines may have been burnt down, but they haven't been repaired yet, so they can only choose wireless communication temporarily."

I went to the walkie talkie, took the earphone handed by razumeyeva, put it on, and said loudly to the transmitter, "Hello, I'm oshanina. Who's calling, please?"

From the earphone came krailov's hoarse voice: "Mr. oshanina, it's me, krailov, chief of staff."

"Chief of staff, do you have any instructions?" I asked politely.

"It's a terrible situation, comrade oshanina." Krailov said with a heavy voice: "in the past week, the transport of materials by the Volga river fleet has been less and less, and it has stopped today, which has caused serious difficulties in our replenishment."

"How could that be? Comrade chief of staff. " I am absolutely surprised by what krailov said. Although the enemy artillery bombarded the Volga River, it was not the first time that they did so. For such a long time before, our fleet was able to transport reinforcements and all kinds of materials across the river in a steady stream under the threat of artillery and enemy bombing. Why are the materials transported less and less during this period? What's more, they even shut down today. If yelimenko and Khrushchev knew about this, wouldn't they reprimand the fleet commander? Thinking of this, I asked tentatively, "is it the commander of the fleet who arbitrarily reduced the frequency of transporting materials because of the great loss of ships?"

"It has nothing to do with the commander of the fleet. Every day, they send out the same number of ships as before to transport people and materials to the city all the time. " Krailov said solemnly, "but recently the enemy's guns are getting more and more accurate, and the number of our sunken ships has risen sharply. According to the analysis of Comrade commander and I, the enemy may be somewhere near the mamayev post, and there are artillery observers hidden, who can provide shooting coordinates to the artillery in the depth of the enemy's defense area at any time. "

"Chief of staff, may I ask, what is the task of our division?" Although I guessed that he might order me to send someone to clear out the German artillery observers, I asked specially.

"Your task is simple." Krailov said briefly: "find out the enemy's artillery observers, and eliminate them all, so that the enemy's artillery lose guidance, so as to ensure the safety of the river crossing vessels and reduce unnecessary losses."

"Yes, comrade chief of staff." Although I know that this task is not easy to complete, I still take over this task from Krylov, "we will find out the enemy's artillery observation point and destroy it in the shortest time."

After I put down the phone, Bantai leiev asked with concern: "Comrade division commander, the chief of staff of the group army has called. Is there any important task to be assigned to our division?"

Instead of answering his question immediately, I summoned kirilov to the table and solemnly said, "Comrade commander, chief of staff, general Krylov, has called to say that the enemy's recent shelling on the Volga River has resulted in the sinking of a large number of transport vessels in the Volga river fleet. They suspected that there were observation points set up by enemy artillery near the mamayev post to guide the artillery in the enemy's depth to fire. The order from the superior to our division is very clear, that is to find out the artillery observation point as soon as possible and destroy it. "

"What, enemy artillery observation point?" Akhromeyev was surprised after hearing this. After looking at the map, he pointed to the east of mamayev post and told us his analysis: "the enemy's artillery observation point is not built on the North highland, is it the oil storage tank area destroyed by the bomb? You know, we didn't deploy troops there. If the enemy hid a few people there, we really couldn't find them. "

"Then what are you hesitating about? Send someone to search there immediately and find out the enemy artillery observers as soon as possible." After listening to his analysis, kirilov immediately urged him: "call the second regiment and the fourth regiment and ask them to send a company to search the oil storage tank area from two directions at the same time. Be sure to find out the enemy artillery observation points in the shortest time."

"Yes Akhromeyev agreed, picked up the phone on the desk and began to call the second and fourth regiments.

As a result of this unexpected incident, we all automatically ignored Mikhail yev and others, and focused on the search of the troops sent by the second and fourth regiments.

Half an hour after akhromeyev's order was issued, Gaidar first called. He reported on the phone that the search troops sent by the second regiment had arrived at the oil storage tank farm and joined up with the troops sent by the second regiment. There was no sign of the enemy for the time being.

Akhromeyev held the microphone in his hand, looked at me with his eyes, and asked, "Comrade teacher, what should I do next?"

On hearing his question, kirilov and bandeleev also looked at me, waiting for my order. I bowed my head and thought, maybe it was too dark for our officers and men to find the hidden enemies for the time being. Thinking of this, I told akhromeyev: "tell lieutenant colonel gedar to let the soldiers search the oil tank farm carefully, and even if they dig three feet, they will find out these damned Krauts."

Akhromeyev nodded, released his hand covering the microphone, and ordered gedar: "Comrade commander, the division commander orders, let the commanders and fighters search carefully, even if they dig three feet, they should find these hiding German men."

Before akhromeyev finished, I heard Gaidar ask again, "what should we do with these Germans?"

"Is that true?" Akhromeyev said impatiently, "we don't have the conditions to take prisoners now, so we won't take any prisoners after we find them."

Gaidar soon called again for a second time. He reported to us that the commanders and fighters of the two companies had thoroughly searched the oil tank area, but they still found nothing. Akhromeyev, who answered the phone, was worried: "what, didn't a German find out? Comrade commander, what's the matter with you? When more than 200 people search such a small area, they can let the Germans slip out of your sight? "

"According to my commander's report to me, they searched very carefully, and even stabbed the thick grease with bayonets. He assured me that there would be no hidden Germans there." Gaidar tried to argue: "will the enemy's artillery observation point is not set here at all?"

Because we all wishfully believed that the enemy's artillery observer was hiding in the oil tank farm, kirilov was angry when he heard Gaidar's explanation. He thought Gaidar was being incompetent and sophistry of his own, so he went to take the phone call from akhromeyev and said angrily, "Comrade commander, Since the soldiers of the two companies have not been able to find out the hidden Germans from here, then you can send more people to help them search. Inch by inch, slowly search for me, and be sure to find out all the land left for me

Hearing kirilov's severe order, Gaidar had no choice but to agree: "yes, I'll immediately transfer my staff to assist in the search."

"You lead the team yourself." Kirilov added angrily.

"Yes, I'll go myself." Gaidar did not dare to retort, so he had to honestly promise to go out in person.

The search went on until dawn, and there was still no progress. On the way, Gaidar called twice to report, but he was scolded by kirilov or akhromeyev, so he learned to be smart and didn't dare to call again before he found the German artillery observer.

Instead of waiting for gedar's final report, he unexpectedly waited for Mikhail. When I saw him walking into the headquarters, I knew that his operation last night was successful. I looked at him and asked with a smile, "Comrade captain, I think we got a lot last night?"

Mikhail yev replied with a happy face: "yes, sir. In last night's operation, the deputy company commander took people to take out all the mines under the river embankment and buried them on the only way behind the enemy. And I also took people to dig out about 70 or 80 mines near the riverside area and bury them under the exit of the German barracks and the forward position of the fourth regiment

Just as he was talking, the telephone on the desk rang untimely. Thinking that it might be Gaidar, he turned to look at the place where it rang. Mikhail yev saw that I was distracted, so he closed his mouth in time and didn't go on.

Indeed, the call was from Gaidar. He told us again in frustration that after repeated searches by soldiers of three companies, there was no sign of Tibetans in the tank farm. At the same time, he asked me whether we should withdraw our troops now that it is daybreak, otherwise we would be in danger of air attack when the enemy's plane arrived.

"Comrade division commander," akhromeyev looked at me and asked, "what do you think of Col. gedar's request to withdraw the troops to their positions?"

After a night's search, nothing was found. At dawn, if the troops were still searching in place, they might be bombed by enemy planes. In this case, I had to nod to akhromeyev and say helplessly: "let lieutenant colonel Gaidar leave some soldiers in the oil tank area, and the rest go back to the position first."

Seeing that a group of us were dejected, mihayev couldn't help asking me curiously: "what's the matter with you, sir? Why do you all have this kind of expression?"

Mikhail yev is not an outsider. I didn't hide this from him. I said to him directly, "well, comrade captain. According to the judgment of the superior, the enemy may set up an artillery observation point near the mamayev post to provide firing parameters for the artillery behind them, which led to the sinking of a large number of transport ships of the Volga river fleet. So the superior ordered us to find out the artillery observation point in the shortest time and destroy it, so as to ensure the safety of the transport vessels. "

"Has the enemy artillery observation point been found?" After listening, Mikhail asked carefully.

I shook my head and said disappointedly: "after receiving this order from the superior, we judged that the enemy's artillery observation point should be located on the mamayev post, and the most likely area is the former oil storage tank, where the vision is wide, and you can go down the east slope to the Volga River, where the enemy is most suitable to hide."

After listening to this, mihayev frowned and thought about it. Then he tentatively said to me, "Comrade division, have you ever thought that the enemy's artillery observation point may not be on our high ground at all?"

"Ah?! What do you mean, the enemy's artillery observation point is not on the high ground. " Mikhail yev's voice was not loud, but it startled Bantai leiev beside him. After a moment's meditation, he patted his thigh and said with a sudden realization: "Oh, what a word to wake up the dreamer. The division commander, the political commissar and the chief of staff, we all got to the top of our horns and thought that the enemy artillery observation point must be the highest place, so we had a preconceived idea that it was on the mamayev post. That's why we had a futile search last night. "

"Wait a minute, comrade deputy division commander." When akhromeyev heard this, he couldn't help interrupting bantaileiev's words and asked: "what do you mean is that the enemy's artillery observation point is not in our defense zone at all, and last night's action was purely useless. I say that, right? "

"Yes, chief of staff." Bantailiev nodded in agreement, and then said his own view: "if you want to provide artillery with firing parameters, then their observation point must be set at the place where they can see the target, so that they can continuously provide artillery with correction parameters. Think about it. Besides the Highlands, where else can they set up their observation points? "

"What's so hard to guess. Apart from the high ground, it is the German forward position only three kilometers away from the fourth regiment position. " Under the guidance of bantailiev, akhromeyev said the answer in his heart without thinking. As soon as the words came out, he was stunned. After a while, he asked us carefully, "did the enemy really set up their artillery observation point in that forward position?"

Akhromeyev's words made my thinking suddenly clear. Yes, when we talk about the enemy's artillery observation point, we only think of the mamayev post, but we never think of the German forward position which is only a few kilometers away from us in the north. If the enemy sets up observation points there, it can still provide accurate firing parameters for the artillery and use the artillery fire to destroy the transport fleet on the Volga River.

I nodded with a heavy heart and said to him, "this kind of possibility exists, but it can't be confirmed until we send someone to scout." At this point, I raised my hand, looked at my watch and said with regret, "it's a pity that we didn't think of this possibility earlier. Now it's daybreak. If we want to send someone to scout, we can only wait until evening."

"Don't wait until evening, sir." While our group was dejected, mihayev suddenly said, "maybe I can give you some useful information."

"Tell me, comrade captain." Bantai leiev took over the conversation and said encouragingly, "tell me what you have found. Maybe it's really useful for us."

"Yes, comrade deputy division commander." Mikhail yev respectfully said: "last night when the mines started, I followed several engineers to sneak into the German minefield. As the flare rose into the air, I vaguely saw a cannon mirror beside the observation hole of a civil engineering near the river

"Yes, it must be here." After listening to Mikhail yev's words, akhromeyev, who had been in a low mood, suddenly got excited. He said in a loud voice: "the enemy will not put a gun mirror near the river for no reason. Undoubtedly, this is the enemy artillery observation point."

Kirilov sighed and said with a little guilt: "I didn't expect that the enemy was so cunning that they put the artillery observation point there. As a result, commander Gaidar was scolded several times by me and the chief of staff

Akhromeyev was a cheerful man. After listening to kirilov's words, he simply said, "it seems that we have wronged commander Gaidar. I'll call him right now and apologize for this." Then he reached for the phone on the desk.

I raised my hand to stop him, and then told him: "Comrade chief of staff, you don't have to worry about apologizing. I'll go to the command post of the fourth regiment in person to apologize to him later. Now you call the artillery battalion commander, Mr. molozov, and ask about the caliber and range of the existing mortars, as well as how many shells are left. "

Although akhromeyev didn't understand the purpose of what I said, after he got through the phone, he told Morozov the question I asked. After listening to Morozov's reply, he just took the microphone away from his ear and reported to me: "major Morozov reported that there are three medium mortars of 81mm caliber in the artillery battalion, each of which has 20 shells, with a maximum range of 6km."

"Why are there only a few mortars left?" Kirilov asked, frowning.

Akhromeyev did not ask molozov, but directly replied, "report to the political commissar that the first and third regiments have built six new fortifications, and the artillery battalion has transferred six mortars to the two regiments."

When I saw akhromeyev turning his attention to me again, I told him: "chief of staff, tell Morozov to take the remaining three mortars and immediately go to the position of the fourth regiment to join me."