Burning Moscow

I ate three or four dumplings one after another, both stuffed with mashed potatoes and stuffed with lamb. Because I was very hungry, I ate very fast, but I was so fast that Cui Kefu's hands were not slow. In less than two minutes, there were only two dumplings left in the lunch box. Just as I was hesitating to eat another one, I suddenly heard someone yelling: "Comrade Commander."

Cui Kefu and I turned our heads and looked in the direction of the sound. We saw a commander who was soaked and covered with mud, wearing a big brimmed hat and a general coat, was staggering down the steps and walking towards us. . Since the visitor was the same as when Cui Kefu was dug out, his face was covered with dirt, I could not recognize him at all.

The visitor walked to Cui Kefu's side, stretched out his hands to grab Cui Kefu's arm, shook it vigorously, and said loudly, "Commander, it hurts. My 37th Guards Division is thrown into battle. As long as there is one person, we must Don't step back!" After speaking, he covered his cheek and sat down at the table.

Although I still haven't seen his face clearly, from what he said, I have judged that he is Major General Ruoludev, the commander of the 37th Guards Division. Cui Koff apparently recognized the person. He glanced at Ruoludev who was sitting at the table, then handed me the lunch box in his hand and asked, "Will you have more?"

When Cui Kefu handed over the lunch box, I had already seen that the dumplings inside were covered with dust. The top ten* is that if Lu Jief just grabbed Cui Kefu and shook it, he shook the dust on his body. Although my stomach is still roaring with hunger at the moment. But let me eat dumplings covered in dust, it was really difficult to swallow, so I had to pretend to be full. He smiled politely and said to Cui Kefu: "Thank you, Comrade Commander, I'm full."

Seeing that I stopped eating, Cui Kefu was not polite with me, so he grabbed the dumplings left in the lunch box, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it after a few swallows. Wait until it's finished. He put the lunch box on the table, lowered his head and asked Ruolujefu with concern: "Comrade Ruolujefu. Have all the people in the division been rescued?"

Ruo Lujiefu shook his head and said in pain: "My chief of staff died and the political commissar was seriously injured. The combat staff and intelligence staff in the command headquarters killed three and injured seven."

At this time. Maybe a shell fell near us and exploded, and the mud on the ceiling fell down. Cui Kefu just looked up, and said lightly: "Comrade Lujiefu, my situation here is not much better. Half an hour ago, I and Oshanina, the teacher of the independent division, were also buried. Underground. Right now, two concealed units outside have been destroyed by enemy bombs. The headquarters is arranging manpower to rescue them."

Krylov suddenly ran over from the walkie-talkie, ignoring to say hello to Ruoludev. So he hurriedly said to Cui Kefu: "Comrade Commander, it's not good, our telephone communication with all the troops has been interrupted. Only the radio is working, but the signal is also unstable, intermittent, and sometimes no. I suggest sending communication immediately. Personnel, go to the various units to make contact to ensure the smooth flow of command."

Trikov heard Krylov say this. The expression on his face became more and more serious, after a moment of indulgence. Said helplessly: "Well, Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that you can only do this. You immediately send the communications or staff of the headquarters to communicate the orders of the headquarters to the troops as soon as possible. The order is simple: hold firmly. Never take a step back."

"Understood!" Krylov replied briefly, then rushed out of the headquarters.

As time went by, the German offensive not only did not weaken, but showed signs of strengthening. By three o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy's tanks had been deeply wedged into our army's defensive positions and went out to the tractor factory and the "barricade" factory area. Although the troops holding the area are incompletely formed, they still fought bravely in the encirclement and contained the enemy's actions. From the telegrams we received, we learned that they used firepower to cut off the connection between the enemy's infantry and tanks, so that the enemy tanks could not move forward without the cooperation of the infantry, and became a living target for our artillery and anti-tank gunners. However, even so, the enemy tanks still entered the front of the group army command post, only 300 meters away from us.

After hearing the bad news, Cuikov told Gladshev, who had just returned with Gurov: "Comrade Major, I order you to immediately lead the headquarter's guard battalion into battle. If the enemy gets closer, we will go personally. Fight with German tanks. Now there is no other way, we can no longer retreat, otherwise, we will lose some of the last communication and command equipment."

After receiving his order, Gladshev only agreed, but stood still. Cui Kefu looked at him strangely and asked, "Comrade Major, why are you standing here if you don't execute the order?"

Hearing the commander’s question, Gladshev turned his gaze to me and said hesitatingly: “When General Oshanina came, he also brought a guard platoon. I don’t know if they also participated in the battle.”

"Comrade Major, this is natural." The enemy has approached the headquarters, and Cui Kefu's guard battalion has gone up desperately. Can my guard platoon stay in the trenches and stand by? So if Cui Kefu couldn't speak, I took the initiative: "Incorporate them into your guard battalion. These soldiers are veterans who have participated in many battles. With their participation, the confidence of blocking the enemy's attack will be greater. "

But when the guard battalion of the headquarters went to meet the incoming German troops, radio communication with the outside world began to gradually resume. First came the good news. Colonel Bere, the commander of the 84th Tank Brigade, reported to Trikov: "Comrade Commander, there are 10 tanks of my brigade concealed in Sculpturne Park. I am. The task assigned to them was not to counterattack, but to set up an ambush to prevent the Germans from breaking through. Just now, the German tanks rushed straight into the Sculptur Park and were ambushed there. Our tankers were vicious. The ground hit the German tanks without any bullets. The enemy had already retreated in embarrassment after paying the price of ten destroyed and seven wounded."

Although Colonel Bele has brought us good news. But the battle outside the headquarters is not optimistic. Gladshev sent people to report that although the enemy had been hit by our powerful firepower, they did not care about the heavy casualties. It was still advancing continuously, and at this moment it was less than two hundred meters away from the headquarters.

When I heard the bad news, I quietly removed the magazine of the submachine gun and checked the bullets inside. If the Germans rush over later, this submachine gun is much better than a pistol. The last time I met the Germans in Mamayev Hill, there were also anti-cannon holes in the trenches to hide, and here. Unless you jump into the Volga River to escape, you will only have the fate of being captured or killed.

Just when I was ready for everything. Suddenly I heard a telegraph operator yelling: "Comrade Commander, there is a wireless phone from the 117th Guards Regiment."

The 117th Guards Regiment, upon hearing this number, I immediately remembered that a battalion of the regiment had been sent to rescue them. Since they called. It is estimated that the siege has been successfully resolved. If Krylov was there, he would definitely answer the call. But he was not there at this time, so we all turned our eyes to Cui Kefu and waited for him to answer the phone.

Unexpectedly, Cui Kefu raised his chin at me and said in a flat tone: "Comrade Oshanina, you can answer this call, maybe your subordinates are calling."

I nodded, walked to the operator's side, put on the headset and said loudly into the microphone: "Hey. I am Major General Oshanina, who is the head of the independent division, who are you?"

After a moment of silence, a familiar voice came from the headset: "It's me. Comrade teacher. I'm Ilya."

"It turned out to be Lieutenant Colonel Ilya." It turned out that I was talking to Lieutenant Colonel Ilya, the deputy commander of the first regiment. Since he was talking to me, it seems that the siege of the 117th Guards Regiment has been resolved. "How is the situation, have you rescued the commanders of the 117th Guards Regiment?"

"Comrade commander, please rest assured." Ilya said confidently: "The Guards were not wiped out by the enemy. When we arrived. At least hundreds of German corpses were lying near the regiment command post, and we were close to him. The guards continued to attack the enemy stubbornly. After our battalion arrived, they fought back and forth with the friendly forces who were sticking to the regiment command post and wiped out all the attacking enemies.

"Good job!" After I praised him, I asked, "How about the casualties in your battalion?"

"One battalion commander and another company commander sacrificed, sacrificing 71 people and wounding 153 people. However, the organization of the unit is relatively complete and can continue to fight."

After listening to Lieutenant Colonel Ilya’s report, I couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t expect that the first battalion had just been engaged in combat for more than an hour, and it actually cut two companies. I quickly told him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I order you to replace the guard immediately The command of the 117th Regiment led the troops to continue to hold on. Remember, as long as there is one person, the position must not be lost..."

Before I spoke, suddenly a hand stretched out from the side and grabbed my hand holding the microphone, and then a low male voice rang in my ear: "Comrade Oshanina, please let me give The commander of the 117th Guards Regiment said a few words."

I turned my head and saw that the speaker was actually Ruoludev, the commander of the 37th Guards Division. I suddenly remembered that I was staying at the headquarters, not my own independent division, and appointed my subordinates arbitrarily like me. Serving as the commander of the friendly forces, but breaking the military taboo.

I quickly took off the headset and handed it to Ruolujiefu, and at the same time gave Cui Kefu a guilty look at not far away. However, Cui Kefu's expression remained as usual, and he seemed to disapprove of my advocacy. I looked at Ruo Lu Jifu again. After he took the headset I handed him, he put it on his head casually, and said to the transmitter: "Hey, lieutenant colonel, I am Major General Ruo Lu Jifu, the commander of the Guards Division. Please let the commander of the regiment answer the phone, I have something to explain to them."

When I heard Ruoludev say this, I was secretly guessing what he would say, so I listened carefully with my ears sideways. After a while, there seemed to be a sound in the earphones, because the sound of guns outside was too loud, even if I were so close, I couldn't hear what was inside. Just listen to Lu Jiev calmly say: "You are the chief of staff of the 117th regiment, that would be great. I am the division commander General Ruo Lu Jifu, I now announce an appointment to you, from now on, the independent division will come. Ilya’s middle school was appointed as the head of your regiment, do you understand?"

If Lu Jieff will agree to my arrangement, this is really beyond my expectation. As soon as he put down the headset and the microphone, I quickly reached out and held his hand, shaking vigorously and gratefully said: "Thank you, thank you, Comrade General."

The other party shook hands with me and smiled and said, "Comrade Oshanina, I should be the one who thanked you. In today’s battle, the 117th Guards Regiment suffered a lot of casualties, not only soldiers, but also commanders at all levels. The staff reduction has reached one-half. Thank you for adding such an excellent commander to our division."

When I returned to the table, Cuikov and Gurov gave me approving glances, and it seemed that they also agreed with my temporary appointment just now. When I responded politely to them with a smile, I was also secretly crying, it seems that my first camp will not be long before it will be lighted up.

The German troops rushing to the headquarters did not succeed in the end. After being stubbornly blocked by the headquarters' guard battalion, they had to throw away pieces of corpses and retreated dingy. When I heard the news, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Germans didn't know that this was the headquarters of the group army. Otherwise, they would have to concentrate heavily on attacking here, and what we were facing would really be a result of burning jade and stone.

In the evening, Krylov returned to the headquarters, and at the same time, the contact with the units under the group army almost returned to normal. Only then did we get a more complete report.

Krylov took a stack of battle reports he received and read aloud to us: "In the defense of the tractor factory and the'barricade' factory, many detachments of workers and detachments fought until they were exhausted. In the end they all sacrificed on their own positions. Among these detachments of Stalingrad workers, there were participants in the Tsaritsyn battle during the Civil War, most of them were soldiers. This afternoon, defend the tractor factory and the'barricade'. The factory’s worker detachment fought fierce battles with the approaching enemy’s advance detachment. Yelmolkin’s 112th Division and General Zoludev’s 37th Division annihilated the squares in front of the factory and the streets leading to the factory. Enemy. Gorishne and Gurdiyev and the 95th and 308th Divisions, together with armed factory workers, relying on the "barricade" factory workshop, severely beat the road leading to the factory. The enemy, in the battle, they were supported by the 84th Brigade of Colonel Bere’s tanks ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ successfully repelled the enemy's attack. Now thousands of fascist corpses are lying on the square and the street. On the ground, dozens of burning and destroyed tanks blocked the streets and passages. However, the enemy still had some sporadic units bursting into the banks of the Volga River, especially the banks between the factories. General Hogarski and his artillery, The enemy was not left with a chance to take a foothold there. With the cooperation of our army’s east coast artillery, our infantrymen attacked from the two wings together, besieging the enemy’s corpses everywhere, and fled."

After listening to this telegram, Gurov said excitedly: "Great, it seems that we can repel the enemy's offensive before dark and completely wipe out the enemy wedged in our defense position."

The corners of Cui Kefu's mouth turned upwards, but Krylov interrupted him when he was about to speak. He said with a serious expression: "Comrade Military Commissioner, the situation is far less simple than you think. The enemy has broken through our army’s defenses in certain areas by relying on its powerful aviation assault force and the superiority of tanks and infantry, and consolidated its position. As a result, our army was cut off. About 1.5 kilometers between the tractor factory and the'barricade' factory was firmly controlled by the enemy. The enemy's firepower struck all the trenches leading to Denezhnaya Volozhka, and we sent The liaison officer of the United States could not cross the ditch to the tractor factory. Although we can clearly see the tractor factory from our command post, we cannot see the battle going on in the factory workshop. Fortunately, the artillery has been controlled by us personally. The support provided by our soldiers is artillery." (to be continued)