Burning Moscow

The accidental capture of the Italian battalion brought a perfect end to the offensive and defensive battles for the incomplete settlements of our division. So when I talked with Raskin again, I heard him mention that he would report the victory of our division to the commander of the group army and the head of the front. When I was calm, there was no anxiety and lack of confidence a few hours ago. .

The biggest gain of the conversation with Colonel Ruskin was that at my request, he agreed to transfer Captain Perskin’s tank unit and Lieutenant Morozov’s light cannon company to the independent division, but it belonged to the 70th Guards Division. The guard mortar company, because he borrowed it from Colonel Lyudnikov, must be returned to construction immediately.

In this battle, the main task of the Guards Mortar Company was to fire smoke bombs into the area we were about to attack, and use the smoke to cover the troops' forward assault. Because they did not carry conventional mortar shells other than smoke bombs, they did not participate in the battle when blocking German reinforcements. Now that Ruskin let them return to the construction, let them return to the construction, anyway, there is a cannon company in the division now, which can provide us with artillery cover during the battle.

When I returned to the settlement, Sergeikov, Oleg, Morozov, and the company commander of the mortar company, who had been notified by the soldiers on duty, were already waiting for me at the entrance of the settlement. As soon as I saw me pushing the door of the jeep out of the car, Sederikov greeted me, shook hands with me and asked with concern: "Comrade Commander, you are back. How is the situation over there?"

I shook hands with him, called several other commanders in front of me, and announced to them loudly: "Comrade commanders, I want to tell you a good news. We just captured a complete Italian infantry battalion. ."

Sederikov's eyes widened. He asked in an unbelievable tone: "Is Captain Gydar all true? The commander of the Italian battalion is really waiting for you to be surrendered."

I looked at him sympathetically. Nodded, and then said: "Yes, it seems that you have blamed Captain Gydar and Captain Perskin. What they said is true. The reason why the enemy has not surrendered is because of fear of losing face. So I have to look for a step down, so I made the condition of surrendering after seeing Captain Gaidar’s superior. No, as soon as I arrived at the Italian battalion, I only talked to their battalion commander, first-ranking captain Alfonso. After a few words, he ordered his subordinates to lay down their weapons and surrender to our army."

Oleg looked into the distance and asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, why are you the only one coming back? Where are Captain Gaidar's troops and tank units?"

"Captain Gaidar is counting the prisoners in the camp and is going to **** these prisoners directly to the garrison of the 70th Guards Division. Captain Perskin’s tank unit is escorting a convoy of captured weapons and ammunition here. It is estimated that they will be there in about half an hour.” The news that a large number of Italian troops’ weapons and ammunition had been seized was told to me by Captain Perskin through his car radio, so I ordered the weapons to be sent to me. Loading ammunition. A tank unit and an infantry company escorted the vehicle together and transported it back to the residential area for storage.

Having said that. I specifically called the two artillery company commanders in front of me and smiled and said to them: "Comrades, the two artillery company commanders, as the commander of the independent division, thank you very much for your help in the offensive battle. "Speaking of this, I raised my hand to salute the two of them. When the two hurriedly returned the salute to me, I continued: "According to the order of the superior, the light cannon company of Lieutenant Morozov will be officially incorporated into the battle sequence of the independent division from today."

"What about me? Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." The mortar company commander asked with a worried expression: "Are my company and I also integrated into the battle sequence of the independent division?"

"That's not true." From the company commander's expression, I couldn't tell why he felt melancholy. I just told him the truth: "The chief of staff of the group army said that you are only temporarily lending it to my independent division, and wait until the battle is over. , Let you all reunite immediately."

Hearing what I said, there was a smile on the face of the mortar company commander, he said yes, saluted me and turned and left.

I looked at the soldiers who were strengthening the fortifications in the residential area, turned my head and asked Sederikov: "Comrade Captain, how did you deploy your troops?"

Sergeikov pointed to the soldiers who were busy outside and said to me: "Report to the commander, I asked the soldiers of the two companies to continue to dig the trenches outside the residential area, and at the same time, I am preparing to build a few firepower points. And inside the residential area. Well," he turned and pointed to the residential area again. Following the direction of his finger, I saw many soldiers cleaning up rubble, picking up soldiers or enemy corpses. He continued to say: "There are three companies of soldiers who are cleaning up. At work, the rest of the troops, except for part of them, are used as guards, and the rest are resting in those intact buildings. After all, they are exhausted after a long battle and need enough time to recover."

I waved my hand and said nonchalantly, "Just let the soldiers change their rest. After all, after they have been through the night, they immediately went into battle. No one can stand it. I'm tired too. Help me find a place. have a rest."

Hearing what I said, Sergeikov quickly reached out and made a gesture of invitation, and said, "Comrade Teacher, please come with me. A place to rest is already prepared for you." I was a little surprised after hearing this. Said that the captain was really thoughtful, and even prepared a place for me to rest in such a short period of time.

Oleg and Morozov stayed where they were, while Sederikov guided me to where I was staying. On the way, I couldn't help but said with emotion: "It seems that we did not completely destroy the buildings in this residential area. We actually did it right. At least we can give the soldiers a good resting environment."

Sergeikov nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, because this battle does not cause much damage to the residential area, so many rooms can be moved in directly, so as to avoid the suffering of the soldiers. And you are going to go. It turned out to be the headquarters of the German army. The environment is very good and it is very suitable for you to rest.” After speaking, we came to a building with two soldiers standing guard outside before we walked into the building. He also raised his hand to salute us.

The command post of the German army. It is a suite. Outside is the office of the commander, and on the table in the middle is a map of the German army. The inside is where the officers slept. Looking at the neatly made beds, I nodded in satisfaction, and then told Sederikov: "Comrade Captain, I will rest here and wait for the convoy escorted by Captain Perskin. Calling me when I arrive."

Lying on the comfortable bed of the German official, I quickly fell asleep peacefully. I don't know how long I slept. I suddenly dreamed that Gaidar appeared in front of me and reported to me excitedly: "Comrade Commander, we have taken the captives to the garrison of the 70th Guards Division and handed them over to the Supervisory Team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. By the way, Has the convoy of weapons and ammunition arrived at the settlement? And, what is our next task?"

As soon as I heard the weapons and ammunition, I suddenly woke up from my dream, raised my hand and looked at my watch. It was already past four o'clock in the afternoon. My heart said it was so late, why Xiejielikov hadn't come to wake me up yet. Hasn't the convoy arrived at the residential area yet? Nothing will happen on the road, after all, this place is not far from the German residence. Thought of this. I turned over and got out of bed, put on my boots, walked to the door and opened the door.

As soon as I opened the door and saw the people standing outside, I couldn't help being stunned. In addition to Sergeikov, there were Oleg, Morozov, and even Perskin, the tank captain. Seeing everyone’s eyes looking at me, I was a little embarrassed, so I had to cough to stabilize my emotions and say hello to everyone: "Unexpectedly everyone is here, I just slept too deep. I didn’t hear you coming in.” Then I turned my gaze to Sederikov and asked: “Comrade Captain, I just told you that as soon as the convoy arrives at the residential area, I will be asked to wake me up. But from the current situation Look, you don’t seem to have done this."

Xiejielikov was blushing when I said that, and he was about to explain. Perskin had already accepted my words and said: "Comrade Commander, it is like this. When I came, Xiejiericho The captain wanted to wake you up, but I said that you have been working too hard lately. I still let you sleep a little longer, so I didn't ask him to wake you up."

I looked at the two with a bit of surprise. A few hours ago, Sederikov and Perskin almost started a fight. I didn’t expect Perstian to take the initiative to help Sederikov with a good word. For Perskin's flattery, I only said one word: "Naughty!" Having said that, I was still moved by the care they showed for me.

"The seized Italian equipment is left outside. Are you going out and have a look now?" Sergeikov asked me for instructions.

Regarding his proposal, I nodded without hesitation. I have seen the equipment of the German, Japanese, and American forces. I have only seen the equipment of the Italian army, which I have never seen before. I just used today to open my eyes. With a wave of my hand, I said loudly, "Let’s take a look together."

The Italian equipment brought by the convoy was placed on the street outside the building at the moment. Near the door were piles of rifles and submachine guns, light machine guns and heavy machine guns a little further away, and various artillery guns a little further away.

Sergeikov walked ahead and began to introduce me the equipment of the Italian army. He picked up the rifle and said, "Comrade commander, please see. This is an Italian Gano m1891 rifle with a caliber of 6.5 mm and a 6-round magazine. It is a very easy-to-use rifle."

Putting down the rifle, he picked up a shorter gun, and said to me: "This is the Gano m1891 carbine, which is developed on the basis of the m1891 rifle, and has a short body. The most obvious feature of this carbine It’s its own folding bayonet. Previously, it was only equipped with cavalry. In the past two years, it has also been equipped with infantry."

After putting down the carbine, he picked up another submachine gun, gently stroking the gun body, and said with some emotion: "This is the Beretta m38a submachine gun. It is a very successful submachine gun designed with dual triggers to control single and bursts. ."

Sergeikov looked familiar with Italian firearms, and he could tell exactly what it was when he picked it up. And I, a layman, can only watch the excitement. When he introduced guns, I nodded pretendingly, and put on a look that I am familiar with this kind of guns.

He walked up to the machine gun, bent over and held up a light machine gun, and said: "At this time, the Breda m30 light machine gun, with a 6.5 mm caliber, has a unique method of feeding ammunition. It uses a bullet plate to feed ammunition and requires frequent lubrication. , Not suitable for use on the battlefield."

After speaking, he sighed and put down the light machine gun. Come to a heavy machine gun and squat down. He slapped the gun body and said to me: "This is the most successful heavy machine gun in Italy. The 8mm caliber is reliable and can be used in any harsh conditions. In addition, the Italian army has also used Fiat-Raviri m1935 and Fiat- The Ravelli m1914 machine gun, with a 6.5 mm caliber, has no large-scale deployment of troops because of the high failure rate."

We finally came to the various types of artillery. I thought Sederikov would continue to introduce me, but I didn't expect him to make a gesture of invitation to Morozov. He said with a mockery: "Comrade commander, I am an infantryman, and I am only familiar with the firearms used by all kinds of infantry. As for the next artillery, I can only trouble the artillery company commander Lieutenant Morozov to introduce you."

Morozov walked to the artillery, bowed slightly to me, and said: "Comrade Commander, it is a great honor to introduce you to these seized artillery. Next, I will explain to you briefly." , He squatted down in front of a mortar, flapped the body and said: "This is the main support weapon for the Italian infantry. The 81mm 81/14m35 mortar."

Then he got up and walked to another mortar, squatted down again, put his hand on the body of the gun, and said, "This is a 45mm Brixa light mortar. It is characterized by a high rate of fire and a tail feed. ."

After speaking, he got up and came to me, straightened his body and reported: "Report to the teacher, comrade, my words are finished."

Looking at the huge number of weapons in front of me, I feel a headache. Although the number of weapons seized is large enough to arm most of the unarmed soldiers in the division, the caliber of the bullets used by these weapons is different from what we usually do. , After the bullets are all gone, there is no place to replenish them. Thinking of this, the joy of seeing these weapons and ammunition suddenly disappeared without a trace. What should I do with these weapons? Destroying directly is really a waste; hand it over to the superior, but what about the bare-handed soldiers in the division? Leave the armed fighters, what should I do if the bullets run out? It is impossible for our military enterprises to build a special bullet production line for these hundreds of guns.

"Comrade commander, how do you deal with these weapons? Should they be distributed to the soldiers or handed over to the army?" When I was struggling, Sederikov ran over to the fire and cheer.

I looked at him and said dissatisfiedly: "Comrade Captain, I want to leave these weapons to arm our soldiers, but have you ever thought about that the caliber of the weapons used by the Italian army is different from our daily caliber. The bullets are out, what should we do and where to replenish the ammunition? You must know that a gun without bullets is not as good as a fire stick." Hearing this, Sederikov closed his mouth obediently and dared not go any further. Feel free to express any opinions.

After a brief silence, Captain Perskin came out and said cautiously: "Comrade Commander, I have a suggestion. I don't know if I should say it or not?"

"If you have something to say, don't hide it." Seeing how he wanted to speak but stopped, I didn't get angry, so the tone of my speech inevitably became a little harder.

Fortunately, Perskin did not care about my attitude, he still seriously expressed his thoughts: "Comrade commander, you can report this to your superiors and listen to their opinions on the handling of this batch of weapons and ammunition."

Although this opinion is not very good, in the current situation, I can only reluctantly try this method. I took them back to the command post, and before entering the door, I also specifically asked the sentry at the door to call operator number four.

As soon as Telegraph Operator No. 4 entered the door, I told him: "Comrade Telegraph, immediately contact Colonel Ruskin, Chief of Staff of the Group Army, and say that I have important things to contact him."

When Colonel Ruskin contacted me on the phone, before I could speak, he had already said: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, I have already seen the prisoners you escorted, and at the same time, I have sent the results of your division to the group army and the front army. The chief reported. It was Comrade Khrushchev, the military commissioner, who answered the call from the front army. After listening to my report, he repeatedly said: Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina is really not easy. It not only regained the settlements occupied by the enemy, but also Capture an almost complete Italian battalion."

Hearing him mention Khrushchev, my heart couldn't help but chuckle, and I waved to let Sergeikov and their commanders, including the telegraph operator, leave. When I was the only one left in the room, I lowered my voice and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you have any news about General Cui Kefu?"

Ruskin was silent for a long time before replied: "Not for the time being. But don't worry. From the analysis of the current situation, maybe Comrade Cui Kefu was only temporarily detained because I did not get the news that he was sent to the military court."

When I heard that Cui Kefu was fine for the time being, I could barely breathe a sigh of relief, and then asked: "By the way, Comrade Chief of Staff, have you interrogated the Italian prisoners? Where did they come out and why they appeared in that camp? ?"

"You are asking the right person about this. Even if you don't interrogate the Italian prisoners, I know what's going on." Raskin said triumphantly.

"Comrade Chief of Staff, you don't want to betray you, please tell me the answer quickly, so as not to affect my next battle deployment."

Hearing what I said was so serious, Ruskin no longer concealed anything from me, but told me all the information he knew: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, the situation is like this. Hungary and Romania, although both It is an ally of Germany, but the two Communists hate each other and they need to be separated far away to avoid infighting, so the Italian corps is inserted in their middle zone. The mission assigned to these troops by the Germans is defense, but considering the Italian army The combat effectiveness of the German army is limited, so the German army understands that in order for them to complete this task, they need to deploy German troops in the camp to strengthen them."

Hearing what Ruskin said, I realized it suddenly. No wonder there were two German companies in the camp. If we hadn't been wiped out by us when attacking the settlement, we still don’t know how much it would cost to capture this Italian infantry battalion. It.

Although Ruskin couldn't see it, I nodded vigorously, and then explained the problem I was facing: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I have a headache now. I want you to advise me."

"Let's just listen, as long as it is within my abilities, I will definitely help you figure out a solution." Maybe it is because my teacher won the battle today, so Raskin is in a particularly good mood, so the promise is also particularly refreshing.

I hesitated, but still hesitated to tell the truth: "My division seized a batch of weapons and ammunition at the camp of the Italian army. I originally wanted to use it to arm the unarmed fighters, but because of the caliber of these weapons, it is incompatible with our army. The standard weapons are different. I am worried that I will run out of ammunition in the future and there will be no place to replenish it, so I can’t make up my mind.”

After listening to Ruskin, he burst into laughter and stunned me. He secretly said that there is something funny about it. There is no way to replenish ammunition. I can't let the soldiers carry rifles and submachine guns without bullets to fight with the enemy. Are you desperate? Raskin laughed for a while, then stopped and said to me in a calm tone: "Lieutenant Colonel Oshanina, what should I say to you? You are really clever and confused for a while. You don't know how to send the weapon to the soldier first. Let them be familiar with the use of firearms first, and then they can change their outfits after the weapons issued to you by the group army are issued."

The words awakened the dreamer, and Ruskin's words immediately made me pause. Yeah, why didn't I think of such a simple truth? Let those soldiers who have never been in contact with weapons use Italian equipment for a while~www.wuxiaspot.com~ and wait for them to use familiar things, maybe the weapons and equipment supplemented to my division are in place, and then they will be replaced. That's it.

After finishing the call, I called in several commanders and told Oleg directly: "Comrade Captain, you immediately organize the manpower, reload the weapons and ammunition outside, and immediately transport them to the station of our division. Let Captain Corsca. Responsible for distribution to those fighters who have no weapons."

Before Captain Oleg could reply, Sederikov had already asked first: "But you just said that the caliber of these weapons is different from the caliber of our army's weapons. Once the ammunition runs out, there is nowhere to add it? "

Seeing everyone staring at me, waiting for me to say the final answer. I deliberately pointed at Sergeikov and said in a voice that hates iron and steel, "I said, Comrade Captain, you were smart before and now confused. Haven’t you thought about it, wait until the soldiers who get these weapons are familiar with it? When the weapons are used, the weapons and ammunition distributed by the group army to our division are also in place?"

Hearing what I said, everyone's faces suddenly appeared at the same time. After Oleg saluted me, he turned around and ran out of the command post and went out to perform my mission. (To be continued...)

ps: I wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!