Chapter 746

The German attack lasted two days. As a result of the enemy's powerful artillery and crazy bombing, following the destruction of the 37th division of general roluev's guards, the 84th brigade of Colonel berey's tanks and the 70th division of Colonel lyudnikov's guards were also destroyed one after another.

Having lost their command post, the commanders had to take shelter in the shelter of the headquarters, but as more and more commanders poured in, the shelter became more and more crowded. In order to accommodate the new commanders, trakov had to order several telephones to be moved to the adjacent shelter to make more space.

Because these numerous commanders are in this shelter, they can only avoid shells and bombing, and have no way to command their own troops. Seeing this situation, trikov felt it necessary to evacuate the redundant personnel and departments to the other side of the river, so he immediately contacted the headquarters of the front army by radio.

When trekov and yelimenko were talking, I was standing not far from him, so I could hear their conversation clearly: "Hello, dear Andre Ivanovich!" Trikov politely addressed each other by his own name and his father's name.

"Aha! So it's comrade trakov, "yelomienko responded to him with the same warm voice," you call me at this time. What can I do for you? "

"Well, comrade commander." "Because the enemy's offensive was too fierce, many of our defensive positions were broken through by the German army, and the fighting was carried out several times near the headquarters of the group army," he said carefully. Therefore, I ask you to allow us to send some departments and personnel of the group army to the East Bank of the Volga River to set up a reserve headquarters. Of course, my premise is that all the committees of the Military Commission remain in the city. The purpose of doing so is just in case, even if the headquarters of the group army in the city is destroyed by the German army, the reserve headquarters can immediately take over the command and continue to command the troops remaining in the city. "

"No, comrade trakov, I don't agree!" Yelolmenko, who had been talking and laughing with trikov, suddenly said in a stern tone: "once the preparatory headquarters is established on the east bank, there is a possibility that the morale of the army will be shaken. At that time, your troops will be driven into the Volga River by the Germans like rabbits."

After hearing yelimenko's harsh words, trakov was silent for a moment and asked again: "Comrade commander, the main Artillery Force of our group army and all the artillery of the front army are on the East Bank of the Volga River. Can I send Comrade hogarski, the artillery commander of our group army, to cross the river alone? He can command the troops better on the east bank."

As for trekov's request, yelimenko also considered it for a while, and then reluctantly said: "well, I agree to let Comrade hogarsky come to the east bank to command the artillery, but his artillery observers must stay in the city to guide the direction of our artillery."

"I see, comrade commander." With these words, trakov put down his transmitter and earphone with a gloomy look.

He went up to the huddled commanders and coughed heavily. With his cough, the commanders who were still whispering suddenly quieted down. Trikov beckoned hogarsky to his face and said to him in a smooth voice, "Comrade hogarsky, I'm going to give you an arduous task. You immediately cross the river to the east bank, where you will direct our artillery and bombard the German army in the city. "

Facing this good opportunity to leave Stalingrad, hogarsky was not rare at all. He even held up his tears and said to trikov: "Comrade commander, I'm not going... Where you are, I'll be. If you want to die, I'll die together..."

When he heard that hogarsky was going to stay with him to live and die with him, trakov's eyes turned red. In order to hide his inner excitement, he quickly walked to the table, picked up a stack of telegrams, sniffed, turned around and said loudly to the commanders in the room, "Comrade commander, due to the crazy attack of the enemy, The current situation facing our army is very bad. Next, I will read to you the war reports of the past two days.

The battle report on October 14 is as follows:

In the area of the 112th infantry division, the 37th close guard division, the 308th and 95th infantry divisions, the group army had a hard defensive battle against the attacking enemy infantry and tanks. In other areas of the front, the enemy's small infantry and tank attacks were repulsed and the position was firmly held. Our artillery fired hard at the attacking infantry and tanks. The enemy carried out a major assault on the Stalingrad tractor factory with superior forces. Before dark, the factory was approaching and fierce fighting was now going on there.

While carrying out the main assault on Stalingrad tractor factory, the enemy, after fierce aerial fire preparation and artillery fire preparation, under the cover of a large number of aircraft, turned into the attack with the troops of three infantry divisions and two tank divisions in the first line of mokrayamechetka River and silicon products factory. A German army rushed near the headquarters of the group army, and they had to withdraw from the battle after the tenacious resistance of the guard camp.

Enemy air forces bombarded and attacked our battle formation, the whole coastal area and all ferries with continuous and intensive raids. After nightfall, the bombing continued. The enemy dispatched about 3000 planes in a day.

The war report on October 15 said:

The group army is engaged in arduous defensive warfare in the northern and middle sections of the front. The southern section is counterattacking the attack of the enemy's small infantry and tanks. The enemy put in a new force (305th Infantry Division), continued to attack south from Stalingrad tractor factory and towards "barricade" factory, and launched an attack on spaltanovka and renock, attempting to advance along the Volga River to the rear of the group army.

At 1600 hours, the forces of yermorkin and rolujaf and the right wing of gurtyev division were divided by enemy tanks and were fighting in encirclement.

Before the end of the day, the enemy captured most of the area of Stalingrad tractor factory, cut off the front of the defense between the 37th and 95th infantry divisions, and inserted its advance troops into the rear of the 308th infantry division and went out to the command post of the group army. The guard battalion of the group army command had to fight 300 meters away from the headquarters again. "

Before trakov finished reading it, krailov came in from the outside with a telegram in his hand. He went straight up to trakov and reported to him without expression: "the information just learned is that the enemy has surrounded the tractor factory from all sides, and the battle is going on in each workshop."

This unexpected news shocked every commander on the scene. It is important to know whether the tractor factory can hold on to Stalingrad or not. Trikov still asked calmly, "Comrade chief of staff, is this information reliable?" He asked this question for a reason. Because the German artillery bombardment and bombing led to poor communication, the reports from the army were often contradictory and it was increasingly difficult to find out the truth.

Krailov nodded and said with certainty: "this news has been repeatedly confirmed, and there should be no mistake." After a pause, he went on to say: "about 75% of the casualties of the fighters of the ruofje and gorishner divisions. In spite of this, many attacks of * * were repulsed and failed to move forward. Today alone, the Germans lost 33 tanks and about three battalions of infantry. Although the German offensive did not stop until dark, our army, which was cut off by the waist, continued to fight. The northern group (the 124th, 115th, 149th infantry brigades and yermorkin's first division) launched a fierce battle with the enemy's superior forces in the encirclement. The enemy started from ratashanka in the north and along the mokrayamechetka River Valley in the west, and launched an attack by the tractor factory. Due to poor communication, our contact with the cluster forces has been interrupted from time to time. "

Trikov sat at the table, tapping gently with his left finger on the table, but when he stopped, he suddenly asked, "where are the reserves to fight?"

When krailov heard this question from trakov, he turned to look at me, and then solemnly replied, "the regiment of the independent division is hidden in the north of the barricade factory. There are about two thousand troops. Once they enter the battle, they can slow down the German army's attack on the factory. You know, that's the weakest defensive front of our army. "

"What are you hesitating about? Immediately contact lieutenant colonel shejerikov and order him to lead his troops into battle. We must hold back the enemy's attack on the" barricade "factory." Trikov heard that there was a new force hiding near the battlefield, and immediately gave the order without thinking.

In these two days of brutal fighting, Elia led a battalion has been killed and injured three quarters. Seeing that the remaining two battalions of a regiment will also be filled in this "human flesh millstone", I couldn't help but be anxious, and quickly called out: "commander, chief of staff, please wait a moment."

When trekov heard my cry, he turned to look at me and asked, "Comrade oshanina, do you have anything else to say? Although this regiment is your subordinate, and I have promised you that you will not use them casually, our defense line is in danger at present. If we do not put them into battle again, once the enemy breaks through our defense, it will be too late. " Then he would continue to give orders to krailov.

I rushed to him, grabbed his arm and pleaded: "Comrade commander, you can't just throw a regiment into the battle, or they will be completely wiped out in half a day."

With a wave of his hand, trikov broke away from me and said discontentedly, "Comrade oshanina, I remind you that it's the group army commander, not the division, who commands the group army. So it's not your turn to give me any orders."

Seeing that trakov is angry, I know that it will only add fuel to the fire if he continues to plead. The only way to calm his anger is to come up with a good battle plan to maximize the role of the regiment, so that trakov will not have any objection. So I was silent, and my mind was spinning rapidly, thinking about what kind of method should be adopted to reverse the disadvantage under the current situation.

Seeing that I didn't speak, trakov snorted heavily, then told krailov to say a few words, and then urged him: "chief of staff, go to contact commander xiejerikov quickly, and let him be ready to fight and ready to fight at any time."

Krailov promised to turn around and leave. Right here, a bold plan suddenly appeared in my mind, so without thinking, I called krailov: "chief of staff, please wait a moment."

"What else do you want to say?" Trikov couldn't help glaring at me when he saw me interrupting again. I guess if he didn't know me well, I might have been dragged out to court martial“ Comrade commander, "I was afraid that he would interrupt me, so I said very quickly," I now have a bold plan for the night attack, and it may be possible to restore the position we lost. "“ A bold plan? " Trekov's face softened when I said this. He asked curiously, "what's the plan?"