Chapter 887

Our car drove for more than two hours and stopped at the side of the road. As I kept my eyes closed, I felt that as soon as the car stopped, I immediately opened my eyes and asked nervously, "what's the matter? Why did I stop? Is there another telegram? "

Kirilov laughed and said, "o'shanina, you are too nervous. We stopped, not because the communications staff came to send telegrams, but because we arrived in surovigino, where there is a newly established supply point. Let's go down and have something to eat and ask the driver to fill up the car

After listening to kirilov's words, I turned to look out of the car window. There were more than ten tents on the side of the road. There were several simple wooden tables on the side of the road, on which were large steaming pots. Several cooks were pouring the hot soup into the lunch boxes in the hands of the soldiers. The soldier took the hot soup, took a few steps forward, took the dried bread from another cook, and then found a place to squat or sit down, and began to enjoy his simple lunch.

A few minutes later, kirilov and Vitkov and I were sitting in a tent, eating the same lunch as the officers and soldiers outside. The only special thing was that the chef put some fine beef in the soup for us. After drinking two mouthfuls of soup, vetkov said with emotion, "I didn't expect that there are really capable people under Colonel bere. You see, this supply point can not only supply fuel for tanks and cars, but also prepare hot red vegetable soup for every commander and fighter. "

Although we were sitting in the tent, the cold wind blowing in from the door still made me shiver. I thought that it was so cold during the day. If the commanders and soldiers were allowed to sleep in the tent at night, I didn't know how many people would freeze to death overnight. Thinking of this, as soon as wittkov finished speaking, I immediately added: "Comrade chief of staff, it's too cold to let the soldiers live in this windy tent at night. They will freeze to death. It's better to put them in civilian houses."

"Comrade o'shanina is right." As soon as my voice dropped, kirilov went on to say, "early February is the coldest day of the year. I estimate that the temperature will drop to about minus 40 degrees tonight, so we should do a good job in keeping our commanders and fighters warm. Don't think that a few bonfires can keep the commanders and soldiers warm. You know, the chest is warm before the fire, and the wind is cold behind it. The German prisoners we took care of some time ago were frozen to death every night. Many people even sat near the campfire and were frozen to death. "

"I see," wittkov obviously had experience in this field, and quickly replied, "I'll send a telegram to the division commanders and ask them to arrange the accommodation for the commanders and fighters at night. There must be no non combat casualties caused by cold weather." With these words, he picked up the lunch box, drank all the soup left in the lunch box, and then got up and walked out of the tent.

After witkov left, kirilov saw that there were only two of us left in the room and said to me in a low voice, "Comrade o'shanina, we are old partners. I have a question for you. I hope you can answer me truthfully?"

After hearing this, I nodded, gestured to him and said politely, "excuse me, comrade political commissar."

Kirilov hesitated for a moment, and finally tentatively asked, "do you think the campaign launched this time can wipe out all the German troops in Ukraine?"

"It's impossible, comrade political commissar." When I heard his question, I immediately replied without hesitation, "this battle may cause heavy damage to the German army, but it is impossible to wipe out the German army in Ukraine," I added with a shrug of shoulders and a look of regret

"What are you talking about?! It's impossible to wipe out the German army in Ukraine? " Kirilov was startled by what I said, and his face showed an incredible expression: "Comrade oshanina, did you make a wrong judgment this time? You should know that the German allies in our two aspects are losing. Maybe in ten days or less, they will be able to completely annihilate Manstein's troops, Just like the troops that destroyed Paulus in Stalingrad the other day. "

"Yes, comrade political commissar." Although I don't know the final outcome of the battle of Kharkov, I remember that the Soviet army, in order to completely drive Germany out of its territory, pushed the war abroad and forced Germany's vassal states to withdraw from the war. From the middle of January 1944, on the line of defense about 4500 kilometers from the Barents Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, ten successive annihilating strikes were carried out against Germany and its subordinate countries, namely the famous "ten strikes". Since the German army was completely driven out of the border in 1944, it proved that this battle would be a flash in the pan. Therefore, I said with great certainty: "according to my feeling, although our army is currently in the dominant position, it is still impossible for us to completely defeat such famous German generals as Mannstein."

Kirilov and I have been dealing with each other for a long time. After listening to my words, we can't help being silent. After a long time, he asked cautiously, "if our campaign will end in failure, what are you going to do?"

What should I do? It's a real headache to hear kirilov's question. Soon after the reconstruction of the 6th group army, the cooperation among the various units is certainly not ideal. It's OK to fight a downwind battle. Once the attack is frustrated or counter attacked, it's really hard to predict what will happen. Therefore, I must take precautions and consider a way out for myself and the troops in the future.

After pondering for a long time, I raised my head and said to kirilov, "Comrade political commissar, the 22nd division of Jinwei is our old army. You and I are very familiar with both soldiers and division commanders. On the battlefield, the most reliable force is such a force. So I'm going to assign a battalion of Colonel berey's 84th tank brigade and lieutenant colonel kaverin's 266th artillery regiment to the Bantai leyev division and let them take up the main task. The battle effectiveness of the 171st division of Colonel andreushenko is the weakest. I intend to put it on the right side of the bantaileiev division. There are other forces of the group army around them. Even if the battlefield situation changes, I believe they can protect themselves. The 308th division of major general gurdyev is deployed on the left wing of the bantaileiev division. "

After listening to my plan, kirilov closed his eyes and thought about it for a while. At last, he nodded and agreed: "well, comrade oshanina, I'll do as you say. The two divisions deployed on the left and right wings, while assisting the friendly forces in fighting, must also build necessary fortifications. "

Before he had finished his words, wittkov came in. Just as he heard the following words, he couldn't help asking curiously, "Comrade political commissar, what kind of fortification do you want to build?"

Kirilov heard wittkov's voice, looked at him and said, "chief of staff, you'd better come. Sit down quickly. We have something to tell you." After he sat down, kirilov told him again what I had just suggested.

After hearing this, vetkov frowned and began to think. After a while, he asked cautiously, "Comrade commander, do you really think our campaign will end in failure?"

"It's quite possible, comrade chief of staff." If I am not sure about my judgment just now, I am more convinced that my judgment is correct when I hear wittkov's question, so I confidently said: "although we have just won the battle of Stalingrad, it does not mean that we will win in the next battle. Don't forget how the battle of Kharkov last May failed? It was because of that defeat that the German army occupied the ideal offensive position and launched an orderly attack on Stalingrad with heavy troops. "

Seeing that I was so sure, vetkov no longer doubted my judgment. He nodded and said with certainty: "Comrade commander, although I have worked with you for less time than the political commissar, I will also choose to trust you unconditionally. When I was still the deputy chief of staff of the group army, I heard about the fortifications on the mamayev post you were holding fast to. It is because of these fortifications that our troops are able to block wave after wave of enemy attacks. So I suggest that general bandeleev send a group of experienced commanders to the other two infantry divisions to guide them in building fortifications. "

"I agree." I immediately agreed to his proposal. Out of respect for kirilov, I specially asked, "Comrade political commissar, what's your opinion?"

"I agree." Kirilov raised his hand, looked at his watch, and suggested to me, "o'shanina, we've been here a long time. Should we start?"

"Let's go," I said to the two men, standing up. "Try to get there before dark."

Because of the heavy snow and the deep snow on the road, we couldn't speed up all the time, so we barely entered the territory of Ukraine before dark and arrived at a small city called "krasnoton" in the east of Ukraine.

When I entered the city, I looked out through the window and saw that the buildings on both sides of the street were relatively intact, proving that I had not experienced the ravages of war. However, we have been driving for a long time, and we have not seen any residents in the city. It is estimated that soon after the outbreak of the war, all the people here have been evacuated.

After the troops were encamped in the city, I called Bantai leiev to the temporary headquarters to ask him about the current situation of the troops and whether the officers and men sitting on the trucks had frostbite during the 300 km journey. However, the situation is better than I expected. As there is a supply point every 100 kilometers on the road, which provides food and hot soup for the officers and men, so that they have no frostbite so far.

Next, we began to study the march route of the next day. As the headquarters of the front army has temporarily adjusted our location, some of our original plans have to be adjusted accordingly.

While we were studying the map, I suddenly heard someone calling for a report at the door. Wittkov straightened up from the table, went to the door and cried out, "come in!"

With his shouts, from the door quickly walked into a soldier covered with snow, his shoulders and helmet, are thick snow. After he came in, he didn't care to brush off the snow, but raised his hand to salute. At the same time, he reported to Vitkov, "chief of staff, deputy battalion commander of reconnaissance battalion, Captain travkin, I have finished the task of reconnaissance of the enemy around me. Please give me your instructions."

Travkin was a scout I used to dig from the Don front army. When I was promoted to commander, I transferred him from bantailiev to the reconnaissance battalion as deputy commander, and promoted him to captain. When I heard that it was him, I raised my head and asked with a smile, "Comrade captain, I don't know if you have gained anything from your reconnaissance this time?"

"Yes, comrade commander." "I found an old hunter in the forest to the southwest of the city. According to him, there were many Germans in their village, so I brought him here," he said respectfully“ Where is the old hunter? " Wittkov said in a voice: "bring him here quickly. We need to know about the German army from him."“ It's just outside the building. " "With my men, I'm going to bring him," he said, shaking his head With that, he turned and walked out of the headquarters quickly. While waiting for travkin to bring the old hunter back, the people in the headquarters were silent. It took a long time for Bantai to break the silence: "Comrade commander, since the enemy is stationed in the village, I don't think there will be too many of them."“ How many Germans are there? Who knows now? Only after asking the old hunter. " "Although they are stationed in villages, I think there are at least two companies or more," wittkov said anxiously Soon, under the leadership of travkin, an old hunter covered with snow came into our headquarters. Under the light of the steam lamp, I saw the old hunter dressed in rags, with a dog skin hat on his head and an old-fashioned shotgun on his shoulder. Seeing the old man's appearance, kirilov quickly welcomed the man who took the initiative to seize the old man and said enthusiastically, "Hello, old man. I wonder where you are from? " The old hunter coughed, looked at us carefully, and said, "my name is Matvey. I'm from Liming collective farm."“ "Collective farm of dawn," Vitkov repeated the name and came to the table. He leaned down and looked up the place the old man said on the map. But after looking for a while, he shook his head and said to himself, "strange, why isn't this village on the map?"“ Comrade commander, "Matvey said without expression," our village is too small for you to find on such a small military map. " Kirilov listened to what he said, and then he said with a smile, "master Matvey, can you tell us where your collective farm is?"“ Out of the city, go south, through a forest, you can reach our village The old hunter was still stiff and said, "it's about 15 kilometers from here." Kirilov didn't care about the expression on the old man's face, because he knew that it was not the old man's deliberate airs, but because it was too cold, and the muscles on his face had been frozen to lose their regulating function. He still asked enthusiastically, "do you know what kind of army that is and how many of them are there?" The old man frowned and thought about it. He replied, "I've heard that it's a ski camp of the German mountain infantry division. I don't know how many people there are, because we are never allowed to enter their camp. "