When all the people came to the meeting, I was about to announce the meeting when Bantai leiev suddenly proposed to me: "Sir, comrade, do you think we can draw a map based on the information provided by sergeant adir, so it looks more vivid."
I didn't object to bandeleev's proposal. Instead, I turned to shejerikov and kosja and asked them, "who can draw?"
I didn't expect that when the two leaders heard my question, they looked at each other, shook their heads neatly, and replied awkwardly, "we don't know how to draw!" Hearing such an answer, I immediately thought that they were all promoted directly from the position of company commander. It's OK to look at the map. When it comes to drawing, it's estimated that they don't know anything like me.
The four people in the headquarters, I and the two commanders can't draw pictures, so I can only place my last hope on bantailiev. I gave him a smile and said cheekily, "Comrade deputy division commander, you see, neither I nor the two leaders can draw pictures. Can you do this for me?"
Bandeleev may have known my background for a long time. Hearing my request, he immediately leaned over the table and began to draw maps on paper with the help of candles. Shejerikov and kosja may not have seen other people drawing, so they all gathered around to watch.
I went to the operator's side, lowered his head and asked him: "Comrade operator, has the political commissar sent a telegram?"
The operator looked up at me, shook his head slowly, and said, "Mr. reporter, it's not time to receive the report. The political commissar will not send the report."
At the time of departure, I made an agreement with kirilov that in order to prevent the exposure of troops in the enemy's rear, we would only receive telegrams and not send them. We would receive them at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. I raised my hand and looked at my watch. It was only two minutes before the time to receive the report. I told the operator, "comrade, it's time to receive the report. Get ready for it." With that, without waiting for the operator to answer, I went out to the headquarters.
I came to the trench outside the headquarters, and the Sentinels standing on both sides of the gate quickly raised their hands to salute me. A second lieutenant who stayed nearby also ran quickly in front of me and asked respectfully, "Sir, do you have any instructions?"
I waved to him and said softly, "I'm just coming out to get some air. Go and do your business."
The second lieutenant saluted me and stepped aside.
I stood in the trench, looking at the prairie beyond my head in the distance, and I thought to myself, in the next few days, what direction should the troops move in order not to disturb the Germans, but also to get as close as possible to the Don front army which is advancing southward.
I thought about it for a long time, but I didn't come up with a clue. With a bitter smile and shaking my head, I turned back to the division headquarters. As soon as I stepped into the headquarters, the operator stood up and reported to me, "Comrade division commander, I just received a call from the political commissar."
I quickly took the telegram from the operator and nervously checked it. It read: "at 16:30 this afternoon, after a fierce battle, the enemy occupied the middle and southwest of the" barricade "factory. About two battalions of enemy infantry and 17 tanks were approaching the northwest gate of the Red October factory along krasno priesnyskaya Avenue. The 117th regiment of the guriyev Division launched a fierce battle with the enemy, but a few small groups of automatic Gunners of Hitler's bandits broke into the factory workshop and fought with the guards and armed workers who stuck inside. "
I came to the desk with the telegram. At this time, Bantai leiev finished drawing the simple map. He stretched his waist and asked curiously, "what does the political commissar's telegram say?"
"You see," I said, handing him the telegram. "The situation in the city is very bad. The most brutal fighting is still going on in the factory area. Our troops have been forced to move in many areas."
Bantailiev read the telegram quickly and asked in surprise, "why didn't the political commissar inform us of the information of mamayev post?"
Kirilov and I have been together for quite a long time, and I know a lot about his character. Therefore, as for bantaileiev's question, I answered lightly, "since the political commissar didn't mention our division's defense area, it proves that there is no war at mamayev post today." With these words, I changed the topic again, "Comrade Deputy teacher, have you finished drawing the map?"
Bantai leiev nodded and pushed the newly drawn map on the table to me. I quickly bent down to look at the fresh map. It has to be said that people with professional background like bantaileiev are capable. Although they are only a sketch of the area where we are stationed, they can still see at a glance what is the hill, what is the grassland, and the nearest city to us.
Seeing me staring at the map endlessly, Bantai leiev couldn't help asking, "Comrade division, the Germans have troops stationed in this city. What should we do? Do you want to find a way around or try to eliminate them? "
"No more detours, comrade deputy division commander." I replied decisively: "in order to get around gorodysea, we have left a battalion to stick to our retreat. If we bypass the city, we are bound to leave troops on guard. Our forces are limited. If we continue to divide our forces in this way, when we get close to the friendly areas, we will have few people left. If we have a sudden encounter with the superior German army, we will not even be able to fight back. "
As soon as I had finished, bandeleev could not wait to ask, "do you mean to wipe out this enemy?"
"Yes," I said with certainty, "we will send another reconnaissance unit tonight to conduct reconnaissance outside the city where the enemy is stationed. We must try every means to find out the enemy's strength and deployment in the city."
"Whose troops will be sent?" Bantelayev asked.
As soon as I cast my eyes on xiejerikov and kosja, they volunteered one after another and said, "Comrade division, let the reconnaissance unit of our regiment complete this task. We will never fail your trust."
"Sir, let the third regiment complete this task. Although sergeant adir's reconnaissance mission failed, our regiment's reconnaissance scope is beyond the city. We have the ability to complete this task."
"Well, don't argue any more." I interrupted the two commanders and said to myself, "I'll give this reconnaissance mission to a regiment. Lieutenant sergeant chejerikov, you will call captain Nikolay in a moment, and you will send people from his camp to form a small and capable team to go to the city quietly in the dark to find out the distribution of the enemy's forces. "
After listening to my arrangement, chejerikov showed a proud smile on his face. He said confidently, "yes, sir, I'll call captain Nikolay over later, and you will personally deploy the reconnaissance to him." Although I promoted Nikolay from captain to captain when I put him under the command of a regiment, I used to call him captain. Xie jerikov, a flatterer, didn't correct me when he heard that I called him the wrong rank. He also called him the captain in my voice.
Without waiting for me to speak, the voice of the sentry suddenly came from outside: "who? Stop, command
A voice that sounded familiar to me replied, "Hey, comrade sentry, I'm not from your guard company. How can I know what your password is?"
Outside came the sound of the sentry pulling the bolt of the gun, and then he snapped, "command, if you don't answer, I'll shoot."
"I'm captain Nikolay, the first battalion commander of a regiment. Next to him is my deputy battalion commander, Captain kostrov. We have something important to report to our teacher. "
As soon as the people outside show their identity, I know who they are. So I quickly walked to the door, first let the guard put down his gun, and then yelled at Nikolay and kostrov, who were not far from the headquarters: "Hello, is that Comrade Nikolay and kostrov? Come here. " With that, I turned and went back to the headquarters.
As soon as Nikolay and kostrov entered the headquarters, Xie jerikov took the lead in asking strangely, "battalion commander, what are you two doing here?"
I saw Nikolay wink at kostrov, who quickly stepped forward and reported to us in a loud voice: "report commander, we have just found that two enemy armored vehicles have entered the deserted village."
"What, the enemy's armored car entered the deserted village?" I was sitting, and when I heard the astonishing news reported by kirtrov, I jumped out of my seat. I went up and grabbed kostrov's arm and asked aloud, "besides these two armored vehicles, have you found any other enemies?"
"No," Nikolay and kostrov shook their heads together, and Nikolay replied, "we have observed carefully, and found no other enemy except these two armored vehicles."
"Are you wrong?" Asked chejerikov nervously.
Nikolay shook his head again and replied, "absolutely not, comrade commander. You know that our position is on a hill with a wide field of vision. If the enemy wants to approach, we can find it from a long distance. Except for the lights of the two armored vehicles, no other lights were found
After learning that only two lonely armored vehicles had entered the deserted village at the foot of the mountain, Bantai leiev seemed to have some idea. He came to me and asked in a low voice, "what do you think, sir?"
I was thinking fast in my mind that if there were only 20 people on two armored vehicles, we could easily wipe out the enemy. Moreover, it is more than ten kilometers away from the enemy's city. Even if there is gunfire, the enemy in the distance can't hear it. The only thing to be on guard against is that there may be a radio station on the enemy's armored vehicle, which can contact the distant troops at any time.
"Have you thought about it, sir?" Bandeleev asked again in my ear.
At this moment, I made up my mind, so I nodded, and then decisively began to give orders: "commander xijerikov, you send a battalion of troops to sneak into the village and kill all the Germans."
"Yes Without waiting for me to finish, xiejerikov replied loudly, "please don't worry, sir. I promise to finish the task."
"Wait a minute, I haven't finished. What are you panicking about?" Because he interrupted me, I said in a dissatisfied tone: "there are only about 20 Germans at most. Although they are inferior to you in military strength, you can't take them lightly. When fighting, we should find a way to control the armored vehicles as soon as possible. On the one hand, we can reduce the casualties of the troops; on the other hand, we can prevent the Germans from using the armored vehicles to escape or using the car radio to report to the outside world. "
"I see." Then he asked me, "which battalion should I send to carry out this mission?" His question really made me laugh and cry. I even had to ask for instructions on such trifles. I really wanted to kick him hard at that time. But to keep my image in the eyes of the officers and men, I said with ease, "Comrade lieutenant colonel, since I have given this task to your regiment, as to which battalion to send to carry out this task, it is of course your head of the regiment who has the final say."