Red Moscow

"Comrade Brigadier," just as Sokov watched Asya and Ulanova enter the basement, a soldier hurried over and reported to him, "The Germans are attacking!"

"What, the Germans are starting to attack?" Although Sokov knew in his heart that the Germans would launch an attack as soon as the shelling stopped, but when he actually heard the news of the enemy's attack, he felt that the enemy was coming too fast." Take me to see."

The driving track in the factory building was broken in two places. It was naturally impossible for Sokov to climb such a high position to observe the enemy's situation. He squatted behind a pile of rubble and raised his binoculars to look into the distance. I saw two or three hundred German soldiers, lined up in a sparse formation, carefully entering the factory through the blasted gap.

Briski, who was directing the soldiers to unload the goods, also hurried over after learning the news of the German attack. After he came to Sokov's side, he asked a little emotionally: "Comrade Brigadier, the Germans have started to attack. I wonder what kind of troops they dispatched this time?"

Sokov handed him the binoculars casually, and said in his mouth: "I don't know if the Germans are afraid to use our tanks because they are worried about suffering from us again, or they have lost all the tanks they can use. Hundreds of infantry were dispatched."

"Oh, only a few hundred infantry?!" Briski said in surprise, "They are under the cover of tanks, and they can't get close to the factory building of the assembly workshop. What's the use of sending a group of infantry."

Although what appeared in his field of vision was only a group of German infantry, Sokov did not dare to take it lightly. He waited for Briski to see the movement of the German army and said, "Comrade Captain, leave the 12th company as a reserve team." , the 10th and 11th companies immediately entered combat positions, and opened fire when the German army approached the factory building two hundred meters away."

"Comrade Brigadier, isn't 200 meters too strict?" After listening to Sokov's deployment, Briski said unwillingly, "I think we can bring the enemy closer."

"The German bombardment has almost cleared the barbed wire and obstacles on the north side of the factory building." Seeing that Briski didn't understand what he meant, Sokov explained to him: "When they attack, they can take advantage of the densely packed The bomb craters are used to approach our army's position, and then rush into the factory building from an area without obstacles. Therefore, we have to shoot early so as to eliminate the enemy at a farther place."

"Understood, Comrade Brigadier." Briski waited for Sokov to finish speaking, and immediately straightened his body and said: "I will order the troops to take positions and open fire when the enemy is two hundred meters away from us."

According to Sokov's idea, the troops kept the enemy two hundred meters away, and then organized a group of sharpshooters to go to the roof or the driving track to snipe and kill the enemy hiding in the bomb crater, and consume the attacking German army little by little. . Unexpectedly, the plan could not keep up with the changes. When the German army entered 400 meters, they suddenly fired a large number of smoke bombs at the location of the factory building with 50mm mortars. For a while, the inside and outside of the factory building were shrouded in thick white smoke.

"Damn! These damned Germans actually fired smoke bombs to interfere with our sight." Sokov didn't expect the Germans to fire smoke bombs. This was something he had never encountered in battle. Although the smoke blocked the sight of both sides, the situation was obviously more favorable to the Germans, because they only had to charge towards the factory building. The defensive Soviet army didn't know where the enemy would appear at all, and seemed a little panicked for a while.

Soon, soldiers who couldn't hold their breath fired into the smoke. Hearing someone shoot, the soldiers around couldn't figure out what was going on, so they pulled the triggers one after another. All of a sudden, gunshots rang out on the battlefield.

Sokov quickly grabbed the phone that was placed beside him, connected to Briski's command post, and shouted loudly: "Comrade Captain, immediately order your soldiers to stop shooting. If you shoot aimlessly like this, you will soon be killed." would use up our precious ammunition."

"Comrade Brigadier." Briski said in embarrassment: "Our position has been shrouded in smoke. The soldiers don't know where the enemy is or when they will suddenly appear in front of them. shot."

"Let them all stop and stop wasting ammunition. Maybe when you shoot, the Germans are hiding in the crater not far from them. When our soldiers run out of bullets, they will rush up." Sokov shouted into the microphone angrily: "If the ammunition is exhausted, you will have to fight the enemy with bayonets."

"Comrade Brigadier, I have a suggestion." Briski said cautiously: "Can you launch a few new rockets towards the place where the enemy may gather?"

"No, Comrade Captain, don't even think about it." Sokov rejected Briski's proposal without hesitation, and said in a stern tone: "The new rockets are used to deal with the assembled German infantry and armored units. It must not be used to attack targets that cannot be seen clearly in the smoke."

With the order issued, the gunshots like popping beans disappeared, and the entire battlefield became quiet again. Sokov silently calculated in his heart: 400 meters can be run in a minute and a half at most; but at this moment, the smoke blocked the sight of both sides. Even if the Germans would not get lost in the smoke, their forward speed would be affected to some extent. In other words, the contingency time left for Briski's troops is only four or five minutes at most. If during this period of time, no trace of the German army can be found, then it is time to fight close combat and hand-to-hand combat.

Thinking of this, Sokov took off the assault rifle he had been carrying on his back, opened the safety, and was ready to fight the Germans who suddenly appeared beside him at any time.

But fortunately, Stalingrad is a city built on the Volga River. The cold wind blowing from the river quickly thinned the smoke, so that the commanders and fighters standing on the ground can clearly see what is happening in the smoke. Black shadows moving in the sky. This time, without waiting for anyone to give an order, the gunfire rang out again from the position. This time the soldiers were not aimless. They aimed at the black shadows in the smoke, pulled the trigger calmly, and knocked down one German soldier after another.

In all fairness, the German tactics were completely correct. They used smoke bombs to interfere with the sight of the defenders, and then appeared in front of the defenders by surprise, catching the opponent by surprise, in order to achieve the goal of seizing the position. Unexpectedly, when the Germans fired smoke bombs, they ignored the cold wind on the Volga River, which resulted in their plan falling short.

When the smoke had almost dissipated, at least half of the attacking German army fell down, while the rest hurriedly hid in the bomb crater and fired at the commanders and fighters staying in the fortifications.

If it was just shooting at each other, the German soldiers had bomb craters as cover, and the Soviet army might not be able to do anything to them. But what they didn't expect was that a dozen sharpshooters sent by Sokov actually hid on the roof or on the driving track, condescendingly sniping and killing the German soldiers hiding in the bomb crater.

The enemy can hit you, but you don't even know where the enemy is. Sokov's tactic made the German officers and soldiers feel crazy, because they had never encountered any Soviet army that would use such a tactic that they could not even fight back when fighting them. Under such circumstances, how could the German soldiers continue to persevere? After firing their guns indiscriminately for a while, they withdrew in desperation.

The German attack on the assembly workshop ended in failure again, but the attack on the family area achieved considerable results. They and the guards fought floor by floor and room by room in the building, trying their best to They drove the Soviet commanders and fighters out of one building after another.

After Guriyev learned of this hour, he couldn't help but lock it tightly every day. He looked at Zalityuk and asked, "Comrade Chief of Staff, what's going on? Our soldiers didn't fight well before, so why are they so different now?" Vulnerable? The positions of the 112th and 117th Guards Regiments are constantly shrinking under the attack of the German army. If the fight continues like this, the family area will be completely occupied by the German army in at most two or three days."

Zalijuk picked up a piece of information he had just received, handed it to Guriyev, and said, "Comrade Commander, this is the piece of information we just got from the intelligence personnel."

"What information?" Guriyev took over the situation from Zalijuk, and said to himself, "Is the information provided by these intelligence personnel reliable?"

"It should be reliable, Comrade Commander." Zalijuk said respectfully: "After getting this information, I immediately sent people to conduct reconnaissance. If everything goes well, we will be able to figure out this in half an hour." The truth of the information."

The answer came out quickly, and Zalijuk couldn't help being surprised after reading it. But he quickly returned to normal, and he said to Guriyev: "Comrade commander, after our verification, the information provided by the intelligence personnel operating in the enemy's rear is completely correct. The Germans took Dr. Kofes's The 295th Infantry Division has also been transferred to participate in the attack on us."

"We have enough headaches to deal with the 100th Infantry Division." Guriyev said with a bitter face: "Now there is another 295th Infantry Division. We can't deal with the two German divisions. Maybe we can only deal with it." Retreat into the factory area and compete with them inside."

"Comrade Commander, I haven't finished my words yet." Zalityuk waited for Guriyev to finish his speech, and then said: "In the information, it is also mentioned that a German armored division is gathering, and it must be going north soon. , to join the attack on the factory district."

"Damn, what a hell." Guriyev slapped his hands on the table twice angrily when he heard this, and then said weakly: "The terrain in the factory area is flat, which is conducive to the deployment of armored forces. If they take the main All the power is being used here, and it is estimated that this family area cannot be defended at all."

"Comrade division commander, due to terrain constraints, our troops in the family area can completely contain the German attack." As the division chief of staff, Zalijuk felt that he had to remind the other party: "Now let us worry about , it is precisely the factory area behind us. Once Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's troops can't hold the assembly workshop, the Germans will cut off our retreat, surround us and wipe them out."

"Comrade Chief of Staff, I'll leave this to you." Guriyev stood up, picked up a steel helmet and buckled it on his head, and said to Zalijuk, "I need to go for a walk."

Seeing that Guriyev was about to leave, Zalijuk was surprised, and he asked quickly, "Comrade commander, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the assembly workshop and I'll ask Lieutenant Colonel Sokov how long they can last there." Guriyev said, "I want to find out whether they can save us from being attacked by enemies from the front and back." Tragic fate."

"What, Comrade Commander, you are going to the assembly workshop now?" Zalityuk couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise when he heard Guriyev say this: "Didn't you say to go after dark? How could that be?" Sudden advance of the time?"

"My Comrade Chief of Staff," Guriyev said with a wry smile, "the current situation of the war has changed unexpectedly. The Germans have suddenly increased their troops to our place. In other words, their combat purpose is to occupy our place. Get a starting point for the attack and directly threaten the ferry on the Volga River. I went to see Lieutenant Colonel Sokov just to find out, with his strength, he can persist there for a few days, which is related to whether we can hold the Red October tractor factory."

Zalityuk felt that what Guriyev said was reasonable, so he didn't persuade him anymore, but took the initiative to say: "Comrade commander, since you said so, then go to the assembly workshop with confidence. I have everything here. I absolutely No Germans coming in through the main gate of the factory."

After Guriyev picked up the phone and got through to the security company, he said into the microphone: "I am Guriyev, prepare two jeeps for me immediately, and take a guard squad out, and follow me to the assembly workshop. "

Not long after he put down the phone, the company commander of the guard ran in, stood up and saluted Guriyev, and said, "Comrade commander, I have prepared all the jeeps and guard squads you need, and they are ready at any time." Set off."

"Let's go, Comrade Captain." Guriyev looked at his watch, then stood up and said to his guard company commander: "It's getting late, we have to go to the assembly workshop as soon as possible." The guard company commander agreed Just as he was about to say something, he saw Guriyev striding towards the outside. He didn't dare to neglect, and hurriedly chased after him.

Seeing Guriyev and the guard company commander leave the headquarters, Zalijuk realized that he should inform the factory to let them know that Guriyev had gone to the assembly workshop, so as to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings on the way.