Red Moscow

"No, we can help them." But Belkin said unexpectedly: "Comrade commander, have you forgotten that the troops stationed in Beigang today are from the Marine Battalion of the Northern Fleet?"

Belkin's words were like enlightenment to Sokov. He smashed a circle on the palm of his left hand with his right fist, and said, "Yes, how did I forget the sailors on the North Ridge. Speaking of being on the water Rescue, that's their forte. I'll call Captain Shamrich and ask him to send someone to the river to rescue the barge."

Sokov picked up the microphone and connected to the battalion command post in Beigang. When he heard Shamrih's voice, he hurriedly said: "Comrade Captain, there is a fleet going down the river. When the German artillery intercepted it, a barge was shot and caught fire. Now that the enemy’s shelling has stopped, you should immediately send someone to the shore to watch for any surviving soldiers washed down by the river.”

Hearing Sokov's order, Shamrich asked cautiously: "Comrade Commander, has the barge been sunk by German artillery fire?"

"Oh, not really." Sokov looked at the barge that was still glowing in the distance, and replied, "The bow of that barge was burning, but no one came out to put out the fire on the deck..."

"Comrade Commander," Shamrikh interrupted Sokov after hearing this, "maybe the entrance to the cabin was collapsed by shells or blocked by fire, so the soldiers trapped in the cabin could not come out to fight the fire. .”

After Shamrich analyzed the barge's situation, Sokov asked modestly: "Comrade Captain, what should we do?"

"Under the current circumstances, we can't do anything." Knowing that his comrades in arms were in danger, but he was powerless, Shamrih felt very uncomfortable. He said to the microphone with a bitter face: "We can only Continue to wait and see if the soldiers in the cabin can escape, otherwise, even if my men rush to the river, they will still be unable to do anything."

After a short pause, Shamrih continued: "But for the sake of safety, I will still send people to the river. If there are soldiers who fell into the water, they can be rescued."

"Then act, Comrade Captain." Sokov said cautiously: "Good luck!"

Just after hanging up the phone, before Sokov could speak to Belkin, the phone rang again. Sokov thought it was Shamrih who hadn't finished speaking, so he grabbed the microphone and pressed it to his ear and asked, "Do you have anything else to do?"

"It's me, I'm Chuikov!" After a few seconds of silence in the receiver, Chuikov's voice came out: "I received a message from the Volga Fleet, a barge boarded by soldiers of the 41st Guards Division , was unfortunately hit by German artillery fire, and is currently severely damaged, you must arrange manpower to prepare for rescue as soon as possible."

"I have arranged for the soldiers of the marine battalion to go to the river." Sokov waited for Chuikov to finish speaking, and quickly replied, "If they see soldiers washed down by the river, they will definitely rescue them."

"We must do our best to rescue." Cuikov emphasized on the phone: "If one more person is rescued, you will have more strength in the battle."

After putting down the phone this time, Sokov tentatively asked Belkin: "Comrade Belkin, do you know the structure of the barge?"

"According to my observations, cargo barges should be used to transport the 41st Guards Division." Belkin explained to Sokov: "Usually there will be several hatches on the deck, even if the soldiers enter the cabin. The hatch was damaged or blocked by the fire, and the soldiers could also come out from hatches in other places. The reason why no one can be seen on the deck now is that those hatches were also blocked by something. "

"Is there any way to solve it?" Sokov asked.

"I just took a closer look. There are three barges behind a tugboat." Belkin said thoughtfully: "If the soldiers on the two barges behind can find a way to get on the barge that is on fire, maybe It can rescue the soldiers trapped in the cabin."

"Comrade political commissar, your idea is good." Excited, Sokov couldn't help calling Belgin again with his old position: "The barge's moving speed is only a few knots, which can completely allow the soldiers on the barge behind to Swim up the river, fight the fire on the burning barge, and free the soldiers trapped in the cabin."

"I suggest that you immediately report this rescue plan to the commander and ask him to contact the sailors on the barge and ask them to send someone to that barge to rescue people."

After dialing the number of the Army Group Command, Sokov said into the microphone, "I am Colonel Sokov. Please help me find Commander Chuikov. I have something urgent to report to him."

"I'm Krylov." The voice of the chief of staff of the group army came from the phone: "The commander and Comrade Khrushchev have just left. If there is anything you can report to me."

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff." Although Chuikov was not at the headquarters, it was the same to report this matter to Krylov, and he could also contact the sailors on the tugboat and barge. "I estimate that the soldiers on the burning barge should be trapped in the cabin. I suggest that the soldiers on the two barges behind swim over to help put out the fire on the ship and rescue the trapped comrades. "

"The soldiers on the barge were trapped. This is an obvious problem." Krylov waited for Sokov to finish, and then continued: "The reason why the commander and Comrade Khrushchev left the headquarters was to rescue the barge. about the soldiers on board."

"Rescue, how to rescue?" Krylov's words confused Sokov, and he asked puzzledly: "We are all on the shore, how to rescue those trapped soldiers?"

"There are two armored boats hidden by the river near the headquarters." Krylov said briefly: "The commander and Khrushchev plan to send 30 soldiers from the guard force to board these two armored boats." , to extinguish the fire on the barge."

After finishing the conversation with Krylov, Sokov immediately raised his binoculars and looked towards the river where the headquarters was located, trying his best to search for the two armored boats that were about to set sail. Although Krylov didn't mention why there were two armored boats hidden by the river, Sukov knew very well that these must be special boats used by the superiors to transfer members of the group army headquarters when they were worried that the city would not be able to defend. Now, in order to rescue the unidentified soldiers on the barge, Cuikov unexpectedly used these two armored boats decisively. It seems that he is still very concerned about the lives and deaths of the soldiers.

Not long after, Sokov saw two black armored boats sailing out from the river next to the headquarters, going upstream and heading towards the direction the fleet came from. Seeing this, Sokov couldn't help secretly heaving a sigh of relief, and said in a low voice, "The soldiers on the barge are saved."

Belgin didn't have a telescope in his hand, so he didn't know what happened, so he asked curiously: "Comrade commander, what happened? Could it be that the soldiers on the two barges behind had already swam to the barge from the water?" Is the barge on fire?"

"No." Sokov waved his hand and said to Belkin in a low voice: "The Army Group Command dispatched two armored boats to rescue them. I believe that the soldiers on the barge will be rescued in a short time."

When Belkin heard Sokov talking to himself in a low voice, he was still a little puzzled, thinking that he was surrounded by his own people, so why should he not say something loudly, and why should he be so mysterious? After he heard clearly that the headquarters dispatched two armored boats, he immediately understood Sokov's intentions. If the soldiers knew that there were two armored boats hidden near the headquarters, it would inevitably have a negative impact on the morale of the army. negative effect.

Although the armored boats headed for the convoy were sailing against the current, they approached the burning barge in less than ten minutes. After the armored boat got close to the barge, the soldiers on board jumped over one after another. Their division of labor is very clear, some of them fight the fire, while others, with the help of firelight and flashlights, look for other hatches on the deck, trying to rescue the comrades trapped in the cabin in the shortest possible time.

Before extinguishing the fire at the bow of the ship, the guards and fighters in charge of the rescue mission found a hatch on the deck. Not only was the hatch locked from the outside, but there was also a heavy load on the cover, no wonder the soldiers in the cabin couldn't get out. A second lieutenant smashed the iron lock with the butt of his gun, and after forcefully opening the hatch cover, he shouted loudly, "Hey, is there anyone else inside?"

As soon as he shouted, someone inside immediately agreed: "Which part are you from?"

"Mine is from the Guard Battalion of the 62nd Army Headquarters." The soldier replied, "I was ordered to rescue you."

Knowing that the group army headquarters had sent someone to rescue him, an officer who was soaking wet and whose military uniform was still dripping came out of the hatch along the stairs. He grabbed the second lieutenant's hand and said excitedly: "Comrade!" , thank you, if you hadn't come to the rescue in time, I guess our whole battalion would have died in the cabin."

"Comrade Captain," the second lieutenant asked curiously after seeing the other party's military rank clearly, "how is the situation down here?"

"It's terrible," the captain replied with a bitter face, "the German shells blew out a lot of holes in the hull. Although we tried our best to plug the leaks in the cabin, we still couldn't stop the river water from pouring in from the holes. At this point, he gestured with his hand on his abdomen, "The water in the cabin has flooded to my position. If you hadn't arrived in time, we would have been drowned alive in a few minutes."

After the captain finished speaking, he bent down and shouted into the cabin: "Comrades, the group army headquarters sent someone to rescue us, come out quickly." Following the captain's shout, a voice came from the cabin There was a violent sound of water, and then one after another, soldiers who looked like drowned rats came out of the hatch in a file.

The second lieutenant turned around and shouted to the nearby subordinates: "The barge is about to sink, everyone quickly search around to see where the other hatches are, and then open them all, so that the comrades trapped in the cabin can quickly evacuate .”

The guards and soldiers standing around agreed loudly, and continued to search for the hatch covered by the cargo.