Red Moscow

Before he could contact the Front Army Command, the phone on the desk rang, and Sokov quickly picked up the phone: "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, Chief of Staff, where are you?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff," the voice of the engineer company commander came through the receiver: "...we only have less than twenty kilograms of explosives, and we cannot blow up the two bridges on the Aksai River at the same time. Can you give us some more? ..."

You don't have the explosives to blow up the bridge, so what's the use of asking me? Sokov's words came to his lips, and he suddenly remembered that he was the chief of staff of the southern cluster. Although he was only temporarily acting, he really had to find a way to solve the problems raised by the engineer company commander. He thought for a moment, and then said into the microphone: "Comrade engineer company commander, don't worry, I will help you get the explosives. Now I order you, first tie all the explosives in your hand to the pier, and wait for the Germans As soon as you get close, blow up the bridge immediately."

Putting down the phone, Sokov began to think about which department the engineers should go to for the explosives. After thinking for a while, he remembered that Ozor had used explosives when he was digging fortifications. Yes, just look for the city defense committee. They must have the explosives needed by the engineers in their warehouses.

Picking up the phone, Sukov suddenly thought that he didn't seem to know anyone from the city defense committee except Ozor. If he wanted to get explosives, he could only ask Ozor for help. Thinking of this, he asked the signal soldier to connect to the infantry brigade headquarters on Mamayev Gang.

When he heard Sidolin's voice coming from the receiver, Sokov immediately said loudly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, can you hear me? I'm Lieutenant Colonel Sokov."

"I can hear you, Comrade Brigadier Commander." After learning that the caller was Sokov, Sidolin asked anxiously, "Have you found Comrade Commander?"

"I found it, I found it." Sokov replied loudly: "He is all right now. But for some reason, the radio he is carrying can't get in touch with the Army Command at all. If you try again later When contacting his headquarters, remember to tell General Shumilov that Commander Chuikov has formed a southern group on the left flank of the army."

"Don't worry, Comrade Brigadier Commander, I will pass this news on to General Shumilov as soon as possible so that he can feel at ease earlier." After speaking, Sidolin asked tentatively: "When will you come back?" ?”

"I don't know when I will be able to return to Mamayev Post again." Sokov said helplessly into the microphone: "General Chuikov now appoints me as the Chief of Staff of the Southern Group, before he dismisses me , I’m afraid I won’t be able to go back for the time being. During my absence, you and the political commissar will be in charge of Mamayev Post.”

"Understood, Comrade Brigadier." Sidolin asked respectfully, "Do you have anything else to do?"

"One more thing." Sokov worried that Sidolin would hang up the phone, and said anxiously: "Major Ozor of the City Defense Committee, can you find him immediately?"

"Major Ozor was still here just now, and now he has something to do with the political commissar. Comrade brigade commander, please wait a moment, I will send someone to look for him immediately." Soon, Sidolin's voice came from the receiver. Voice: "Come on, come on!"

Following his shout, a soldier walked in from outside: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you have any instructions?"

"Go and find Major Ozor immediately, and say that the brigade commander has something important to see him." Sidolin urged after briefly laying out the order: "Don't be dazed, go quickly."

After letting the soldiers go out to look for Ozor, Sidolin asked nervously, "Comrade Brigadier, is the situation there serious?"

"Not optimistic." Sokov said into the microphone: "The German army broke through the defense zone of the 51st Army Group, posing a great threat to the left flank of the front army. We are currently building defenses on the north bank of the Axel River, trying to delay the German army's attack on Stalinger. Le push speed."

"Comrade Brigadier, I want to ask you." Sidolin waited for Sokov to finish speaking, and asked hesitantly, "Do you really think the Germans will storm Stalingrad?"

"There is no doubt about it, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov glanced at Chuikov, who was standing not far away, and continued courageously: "So we must be prepared for street fighting."

After the two chatted for a few more words, Sokov heard Sidolin say: "Major Ozor is here." Then Ozor's breathless voice came from the receiver: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I It's Ozor, what can you do?"

"That's right, Major Ozor. I'm the acting chief of staff of the Southern Group of the 64th Army. We're building fortifications on the north bank of the Aksai River. In order to prevent the enemy from using the bridge to cross the river, I plan to blow up the road bridge on the river. and railway bridges. But at present our sappers lack enough explosives, so I wonder if you can get us some?"

Regarding Sokov's request, Ozor hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how much explosives do you need?"

"Major Ozor, I don't know very well. You know, I am an out-and-out layman when it comes to engineering issues." Sokov replied with some embarrassment: "In your opinion, it is necessary to blow up two How much explosives do you need for a bridge?"

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, where are you currently?" Ozor stared at the map in front of him and asked, "I need to find out where the bridge is so that I can accurately calculate the amount of explosives needed."

After telling Ozor the location of the troops, Sokov specifically reminded: "Comrade major, please remember that what we want to blow up are the road bridge and the railway bridge at the same time, you must ensure that the number of explosives is sufficient. "

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," Ozor said with a straight face in the face of Sokov's questioning, "The only way to prevent the German armored troops from crossing the river is to blow up the bridges on the river. Learned in the doctrine."

Sokov asked: "Okay, Comrade Major, I would like to ask, when will you be able to deliver the explosives to the river?"

"It will take two hours at the earliest," Ozor said in a low voice on the phone, "I will personally bring the explosives."

After confirming the matter of the explosives, Sokov personally called the engineering company commander, "Captain, I have already called the people from the City Defense Committee, and they will send you enough explosives in two hours. .When you see a truck carrying explosives appear, you remember to arrange for someone to pick it up."

As soon as the phone was put down here, Chuikov hurried over with a telegram and said to Sokov: "We have contacted the headquarters of the Front Army. The officer on duty said that there is an infantry division from Siberia who will be in Chilekov. Get off at the Kotelnikovo station and let us take over the troops."

"Comrade General," Sokov asked, looking at Chuikov, "who do you intend to send to receive this infantry division?"

"The place where they got off is on the south side of the Aksai River. They may encounter the German troops rushing up at any time. I don't worry about it. I'd better go there myself." Cuikov put the telegram in his pocket and walked outside Walk. But after walking a few steps, he stopped and pointed at Sokov: "You come with me."

"But, Comrade General." Hearing Chuikov's order, Sokov quickly reminded him: "I am the chief of staff of the cluster now. When you are not in the command post, I will temporarily replace you in command of the troops."

"The southern cluster is just an empty shelf at present. It doesn't matter whether we stay in this headquarters." Chuikov continued to walk outside, while ordering his adjutant Klimov: "Bring a radio station and move with us."

In this way, Chuikov took Sokov, Klimov, a signal soldier, and a squad of guard soldiers, crossed the Aksee River from the highway bridge, and drove towards the station where the infantry division got off.

On the way, Sokov asked Chuikov curiously: "Comrade General, what is the number of the new army? Who is the division commander?"

Regarding Sokov's question, Chuikov smiled wryly and said: "My chief of staff, the designation of this unit is the 208th Infantry Division. As for who is the division commander and where is the division headquarters? I have no clue about these questions." Know."

After the jeep drove on the road for more than half an hour, Sokov suddenly saw a station faintly appearing in front of him, and there were groups of commanders and fighters heading towards his direction along the rails. Seeing this scene, Sokov said a little excitedly: "Comrade General, look quickly, there are troops coming towards us in front."

Unexpectedly, when Chuikov heard what Sokov said, he just glanced at the location of the station, and then said puzzledly: "It's really strange, this should be the Gremiya Chaya station, how could there be so many troops? ? Could it be that this station is one of the drop-off points?"

With this question in mind, Sokov ordered the driver to stop the car at the railway crossing. He opened the door and jumped out, shouting at the oncoming soldiers: "Comrades, which part are you?"

A few soldiers who happened to pass by Sokov heard Sokov asking himself, and quickly answered the number of his unit, and continued to move forward. When Sokov heard that none of them belonged to the 208th Infantry Regiment, he quickly turned his head and said to Chuikov who was still sitting in the car: "Comrade General, none of them belong to the 208th Infantry Division. I guess the troops we are looking for are still there." In front, let the driver continue on the road?"

"Get in the car!" Cuikov said bluntly, "Let's continue on our way."

After driving forward for more than ten minutes along the road next to the railway tracks, a small station appeared again in front of us. Klimov, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat, immediately turned his head and said to Chuikov: "Comrade Commander, the Nebekovo Commander has arrived. Shall we go in and rest for a while before leaving?"

After looking ahead, Chuikov said to Klimov: "Ask the driver to walk around here to see if any of our troops are active."

After the driver heard Chuikov's order, he immediately drove around the Nebekovo Station. As a result, when I turned to the south, I really found that there was an army building fortifications on the south side of the station. Cuikov pointed at the busy officers and fighters, and ordered: "Drive the car over."

After the car stopped this time, Sokov was still the first to get out of the car. He pulled a soldier who was repairing the fortifications, and asked loudly, "Comrade soldiers, which part do you belong to?"

The soldier stopped what he was doing, turned his head to look at Sokov, and replied briefly: "We are the 208th Infantry Division."

When he learned that the unit in front of him was the 208th Infantry Division, Sokov couldn't help being overjoyed. But after his eyes swept across the audience, the smile froze on his face. The soldiers who are repairing the fortifications here total no more than 300 soldiers. Sokov hurriedly asked the soldiers: "Where is your division commander, and where is your commander?"

"Where is the division commander, I don't know." The soldier looked around, then pointed to an officer, and said to Sokov: "Comrade lieutenant colonel, our battalion commander is standing there supervising the work. If you have any questions, you can ask him."

Chuikov, who was sitting in the car, got up and got out of the car when he heard the soldier's question, and took Sokov to look for the supreme commander. The major who commanded this unit saw a general approaching him, raised his hand in salute, and said, "Hello, Comrade General. I am the battalion commander of the 208th Infantry Division. What can I do for you?" ?"

After Chuikov raised his hand in return, he said to the major: "Comrade major, can I tell you what happened?"

Hearing Chuikov's question, the major said with grief and indignation: "Comrade General, you don't know that the military column we were on was attacked by the German army just after it stopped at Kotelnikovo Station. Although the commander They evacuated the troops in time, but in the bombing, many people still died.

Just when we fled the station, thinking we had saved our lives, a few German tanks appeared out of nowhere, bombarded the train with tank guns, and shot at us with machine guns. If I hadn't led the troops out of the battle in time, I'm afraid our battalion would have been completely wiped out. "

"Comrade Major," Cuikov glanced at the commanders who were repairing the fortifications, and asked in confusion, "Can I ask you, what are you doing here?"

"Do you need to ask?! Of course they are building fortifications." The major retorted with some dissatisfaction: "I heard that the Germans are gathering tanks near the Kotelnikovo station. In order to prevent these tanks from rushing towards Stalinger Le, I ordered the troops to build fortifications here to slow down the enemy's advance to Stalingrad."

"You are good, Comrade Major." After praising the major who knew how to take the initiative to build fortifications, Cuikov continued to ask: "Since you are one of us, can you tell me where the division commander is and where the division headquarters is?" Where is it?"

"I don't know, Comrade General." The major shook his head like a rattle drum. When he was bombed, the commanders and fighters in the station fell into panic. With great difficulty, he withdrew to a relatively safe place with his battalion and built fortifications here. As for the whereabouts of the division commander, political commissar and others, the major really didn't know anything. "When I was bombed, I lost contact with the division and regiment headquarters. The specific situation may not be known until the communication is restored."