Red Moscow

"What, your brigade commander died?" When Cuikov heard the news, he couldn't help being surprised, and hurriedly asked, "Where is his body?"

"No more," the soldier said with tears, "At that time, a group of enemies rushed to the vicinity of the building, and he personally led people to fight back. Unexpectedly, he was hit directly by a shell, and we didn't even find his body."

Chuikov took off the big-brimmed hat on his head, looked sadly at the rows of corpses in the open space, and said nothing. But Klimov, who was standing next to him, saw that his temples were bulging with veins.

Although the soldier did not know Chuikov, he knew from the three gold stars on his diamond-shaped collar patch that the lieutenant general was standing in front of him, so he asked tentatively, "Comrade general, we only have 25 people and one tank left. The ammunition is almost exhausted, and the shells of the tanks are also exhausted. If the enemy attacks again, we may not be able to stop them. Can you send us some reinforcements?"

"Comrade soldier," Chuikov said, looking at the unknown soldier, "the enemy must be blocked. Once they occupy the station, they will split the defense line of our army. I will send people as soon as possible for the ammunition you need. Send them here; as for reinforcements, I will try my best to find you."

"Comrade Commander," Klimov turned his head and glanced at Mamayev Hill in the distance, and whispered in Chuikov's ear, "Why don't you send some of Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's troops over?"

Chuikov looked at Mamayev Hill, thought for a long time, then shook his head and said: "No, we can't move the troops on Mamayev Hill. You know, it is also the focus of the German attack. As long as the enemy occupies Mamayev Yevgang, we can blockade the entire city and control the river transport line of the Volga with artillery fire, we cannot take that risk.”

Seeing that Chuikov rejected his proposal, Klimov said unwillingly: "But, comrade commander, look, there are only 25 defenders left at the station, and there is a serious shortage of ammunition. If the Germans If they attack again, they won't be able to stop them at all."

"Adjutant, I understand what you said." No matter what Klimov said, Chuikov was unwilling to use Sokov's troops easily. He looked at Klimov and said, "Or, from Fifty people from the guard battalion of the Army Group Headquarters have been dispatched to strengthen the defense here?"

"Comrade Commander, fifty people are too few." Klimov originally wanted Chuikov to send more people, but as soon as he said the words, he immediately realized that if the troops were drawn from the guard battalion, the defense at the headquarters would be greatly reduced. The strength will become weak, so he quickly changed his words and said: "If people are transferred from the guard battalion, then the strength responsible for the security work of the headquarters will become weak. Comrade commander, do you think about it again?"

"Let fifty people come here first to strengthen the defense here!" Cuikov said in an unquestionable tone: "There should be troops entering the city this afternoon, and then let them take over the defense of the station, and at the same time transfer our soldiers back. gone."

…………

In a small town more than ten kilometers west of the Central Railway Station, the division headquarters of the 24th Armored Division of the German Army is stationed. Major General Schild, who wore the Iron Cross on his chest, looked at Colonel Lengerk, the commander of the 21st Grenadier Regiment, standing in front of him with a frosty face.

After a long time, he said: "Mr. Colonel, please introduce to me. Why did your regiment attack the Central Railway Station in Stalingrad all day and night, but failed to fly, and instead lost more than 300 brave soldiers?" Imperial soldiers, and fifteen precious tanks?"

"Your Excellency, please listen to my explanation." Although the weather in September in Russia is a bit chilly, there is still dense sweat on Rengek's forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his cold sweat, and explained in a panic: "We have concentrated our forces and launched an offensive with all our strength. Who knows that the Russian resistance is too tenacious. My soldiers have rushed into the station building several times, but they were all killed They got out."

Schild felt that the failure to attack the Central Station was a shame for him. You must know that the 24th Armored Division has never lost a battle in these months of battles. On the contrary, with the strength of a battalion, a brigade or even a division of the Soviet Army was often defeated. This time, a regiment was used to attack the Central Railway Station, which was defended by only a few hundred people, but it would return in a shambles. Schilder wished to immediately remove Lengek from his position because of the disadvantage of combat.

Schild said angrily: "According to the information I have received, the defenders at the station only have three T-34 tanks and three or four hundred soldiers, and the equipment they use is not as good as ours. Can’t get off the station? What’s going on here?”

After wiping the sweat from his forehead again, Lengek said to Schild: "Master Commander, I assure you that if we can get more tank support, we will be able to take down the station."

Hearing what Lengek said, Schild did not immediately express his opinion, but turned his attention to a colonel sitting at the conference table: "Colonel Riber, I would like to ask, how many tanks do you have that can be put into battle immediately?" .”

This colonel named Riber is the head of the 26th Armored Regiment. After hearing Schild's question, he quickly stood up from his seat, shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and said helplessly. : "I'm sorry, Master Commander. Within a week, I don't think my armored regiment will be able to go into battle?"

Before Schild could speak, Lengek asked first, "Why?"

"Why else?!" Riber said with a wry smile, "Our tanks are out of fuel, and our high-explosive shells have also been fired. Colonel Lengek, you can't let me attack Russian infantry with armor-piercing shells, right?"

"Colonel Heim." Schild felt that the failure of the 21st Grenadier Regiment's attack on the Central Railway Station would somewhat affect the morale and morale of the troops, so he looked at Heim, the commander of the 26th Grenadier Regiment, and asked: " I plan to hand over the task of attacking the central railway station to your regiment. How is it, is there any problem?"

"Your Excellency, Commander!" Haim quickly stood up and replied, "Our regiment is too far away from the Central Railway Station. If we switch defense zones at this time, it may cause unnecessary confusion."

After hearing Heim's answer, Schild couldn't help but snorted coldly, and then said to Lengek: "Mr. Colonel, I will give you another chance, if your regiment can't capture the Central Station before it gets dark today." If you do, you will lose your colonel's epaulettes."

…………

From the observation post on the top of the hill, Sokov saw the battle that took place in the Central Station last night. Hearing the sound of guns from the station, he couldn't help but want to pick up the phone several times and ask Chuikov if he could send troops to support the defenders in the station. But in the end, reason overcame impulse. He knew that the next battle here on Mamayev Gang would be even more brutal. Even though he now had more than 5,000 troops, it was still unknown whether he could support the defense of Stalingrad until the end of the battle.

At dawn, he returned to the tunnel from the observation post and ordered the observation post to not only monitor the movement in the direction of the Central Railway Station, but also closely monitor the movement on the Volga River, and notify him immediately if he saw a large army crossing the river. .

Sokov, who stayed up all night, returned to the command post in the tunnel and felt his eyes were getting heavier and heavier, so he said to Sidolin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I'm sleepy. Sleep for a while. If there is anything urgent, wake me up."

After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Sukov suddenly felt someone shaking his shoulder vigorously. He opened his eyes in a daze, and asked sleepily, "What's the matter?"

Sidolin's voice came from next to my ear: "Comrade Brigadier, the observation post at the top of the hill has called, saying that a large number of troop carriers have appeared on the river, and it seems that a large force is crossing the river!"

Hearing that troops were crossing the river, Sokov woke up immediately. He sat up straight, put on his boots, and said to Sidolin: "It seems that the troops from the superior to the Army Group have arrived. I'm here." Take a look at the observation post above, and I will leave it to you to take charge of this place.”

When Sokov arrived at the observation post on the top of the hill, the observation post staying here immediately reported to him: "Comrade Brigadier, a unit is crossing the river." After speaking, he handed over the binoculars in his hand .

Sokov took the binoculars from the observation post and looked in the direction of the Volga River. Sure enough, he saw several ferries on the river, which were crowded with Soviet commanders and fighters. From a distance, he could only see a densely packed steel helmet.

"Comrade Brigadier," said the observation post at the side, "there are too many people on the ferry. If one bomb falls under German bombing, at least dozens of people will be killed or injured."

Sokov agrees very much with the statement made by the observation post. The Germans are not blind. It is no wonder that the large Soviet troops crossed the river so blatantly in broad daylight that they did not attract German bombing. "Yes, if the German planes bombed them, it would definitely cause huge casualties. However, there is no way, the situation in Stalingrad is so critical, and the superiors can only take risks and send troops into the city in broad daylight. In town."

As soon as Sokov finished speaking, two enemy planes appeared in the sky. After passing over the Mamayev Gang, they went straight to the Volga River. Seeing this situation, Sokov screamed inwardly, the enemy plane must have bombed the troop carrier. I want to help, but there is no anti-aircraft artillery fire here on Mamayev Gang, and the range of the MG34 used to fight the planes a few days ago is not enough, so I can only watch the enemy planes bomb the ships in the river.

The enemy plane swooped down towards the ferry in the river, dropping bombs and strafing. A ferry was hit by a bomb, and countless soldiers standing near the bombing point were blown away in a dazzling flame. The soldiers who were not blown away were not much better. Many people were hit by the flying shrapnel, some died on the spot, and some howled and rolled on the deck.

Although some ships were not hit by the bombs, after the bullets fired by the planes plowed through the crowd, many soldiers fell to the ground in response. Seeing this situation, many new fighters were frightened immediately. In order not to sit and wait for death on the narrow deck, they jumped into the river one after another. If the water quality is good, you can still swim desperately towards the direction of the city; if the water quality is not good, after a few splashes in the water, it sinks to the bottom of the river or is washed downstream by the turbulent river.

When Sokov saw the bombed fleet on the river, he couldn't help but think of the scene in "Soldiers Coming to the City". The ferryboat Vasily was on was also bombed and strafed by German planes while crossing the river. Many soldiers were afraid. They jumped into the water one after another to escape, only to be shot and killed by the political workers on board. At this moment, Sokov also saw many soldiers jumping into the water to escape, but he didn't see anyone standing by the boat and shooting into the water.

Two of the twelve ferry boats carrying troops were blown up and sank to the bottom of the icy Volga River together with hundreds of commanders and fighters on them. Three other ships were damaged, and more than half of the commanders and fighters on board were injured. Despite suffering such severe damage, all the ships headed towards the ferry in Stalingrad without hesitation.

After the ship docked, the commanders and fighters on the ship immediately disembarked in a file, and strode towards the city where the battle was taking place along the road that was bombed with potholes. Sokov returned the telescope to the observation post, turned around and returned to the tunnel without saying a word.

After about ten minutes, a tall and unfamiliar general, under the leadership of Seryozha, came to Sokov's headquarters. Before Sokov could speak, the general took the initiative to say: "Hello, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I am Major General Rodimtsev, commander of the 13th Guards Rifle Division. I would like to ask, where is the headquarters of the Army Group?"

Sokov remembered that in the movie about the Battle of Stalingrad, after Rodimtsev appeared, he reported to Chuikov immediately. The reason why he appeared in his headquarters at this moment was entirely because he preempted Mamayev gang, and Chuikov was squeezed into the underground headquarters on the Tsaritsa River.

Sokov hurriedly stepped forward to salute Rodimtsev and said: "Hello, Comrade General, I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade. The task of my brigade is to stick to Mamayev Post. As for Comrade Commander's headquarters is in the Tsaritsyn crypt between Pushkin Square and the Tsaritsa River. If you want to see him, I can send you a guide."

Rodimtsev waved his hand and said: "It's too late. When I just landed, I heard gunfire everywhere. It seems that the enemy has rushed into the city, and my troops need to go into battle immediately. You Can the phone here be connected to the Army Group Command? I want to get in touch with General Chuikov immediately and ask him to deploy combat missions for us."