Red Moscow

"A large number of enemy planes?!" Sokov asked instinctively after listening to Sidolin's report, "How many planes are there?"

"Hundreds of planes, Comrade Commander." Sidolin yelled a little out of composure: "Observations say there are at least five or six hundred enemy planes flying towards us."

"What, there are five or six hundred enemy planes?" After Sukov heard the number clearly, he was immediately frightened out of his wits. He quickly pointed to Sidolin and said excitedly: "Chief of Staff, give orders to the regiments immediately. Let everyone withdraw to the tunnel." After shouting this sentence, he added, "Let all the observation posts withdraw to the tunnel."

"Let all the observation posts be withdrawn into the tunnel?" Hearing Sukov's order, Sidolin hesitated for a moment, and then reminded the other party: "Comrade commander, if all the observation posts are withdrawn into the tunnel, then who will monitor them?" What about the enemy's movements?"

"My Comrade Chief of Staff." Seeing that Sidolin did not immediately execute the order, but was entangled in some details with himself here, Sokov stomped his feet anxiously: "Immediately issue an air raid siren and ask everyone to retreat into the tunnel. Otherwise it will be too late."

After finishing speaking, Sokov grabbed a telephone in front of him, shook the handle a few times, picked up the microphone close to his ear, and said to the microphone: "I am Sokov, answer the handkerchief for me immediately." Lieutenant Colonel Puchenko's regimental command post."

As soon as the phone was connected, he couldn't wait to say: "Lieutenant Colonel Papchenko? I am Sokov, and I order you to immediately withdraw all soldiers into the sewer. Bombing, let the soldiers prepare to avoid air strikes... Yes, no one will be left, and all will be withdrawn into the sewer."

After some intense work, Sidolin reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, except for the third battalion of the downsized regiment standing in the old city, the rest of the troops have all withdrawn into the tunnel."

"Very good, very good." After saying two good things in succession, Sokov sat down on the chair as if all his strength had been drained, and said to Sidolin in a trembling voice: "Staff officer Long, the Germans have dispatched so many planes, I believe their bombing will not be over for a while. You have to tell the soldiers that no one is allowed to leave the tunnel before receiving an order, otherwise I will not forgive you lightly. "

"Comrade Commander," Ivanov asked in confusion when he saw Sokov panicked, "It's not like we haven't been bombed by enemy planes before, why should we be so nervous?"

Before Sokov could answer, the phone on the desk rang. Sidolin quickly picked up the microphone: "I am Sidolin, where are you? ... Hello, Comrade Commander, what instructions do you have? ... Oh, the enemy is going to launch a large-scale air strike? Our observation post has discovered A large number of enemy planes in the sky...Yes, the division commander has issued an air raid warning, and all the troops have been withdrawn to the tunnel..."

After putting down the phone, Sidolin said to Sokov: "Comrade commander, the commander said on the phone that the enemy has dispatched a large number of planes and is preparing to bomb us intensively. Let us prepare for air defense as soon as possible."

Sokov nodded, and said to Ivanov who was sitting on the side: "Deputy division commander, did you hear that? Since the commander himself called to remind us of air defense, it proves that the bombing that the Germans are about to start will not be large in scale. Small."

A few minutes later, dozens of enemy planes that flew over Mamayev Hill began to dive and drop bombs. As the bomb fell, the entire Mamayev Hill immediately turned into an erupting crater, and the rising black smoke wrapped the hill tightly, and the sound of explosions in the billowing black smoke was one after another, and the waves rang out. wave. Looking from a distance, there are explosions and flames everywhere on the hills.

The soldiers near the exit of the tunnel felt as if they were bumping in a small boat on the turbulent sea. The strong shock wave shook the tunnel. Many people's teeth broke their tongues and lips, and even a few soldiers were killed. Stunned in the past. Seeing that the situation was not good, the commander staying nearby quickly ordered the soldiers to stay away from the tunnel entrance, and sent the stunned soldiers to the health team.

The situation at Sokov's division headquarters was much better than outside, but as the bombs exploded, dust continued to fall from the top of their heads. After a while, a thick layer of soil fell on the table and everyone's bodies.

Seeing the enemy's bombing so violently, Ivanov, who didn't care at first, seemed a little flustered. He asked Sokov loudly: "Comrade commander, the enemy's bombs won't blow up our tunnels, will they?"

"There may be some tunnels in the area that will collapse under such a fierce enemy bombardment." Seeing Ivanov's bewildered look, Sokov quickly comforted him and said, "But you are still safe staying at the division headquarters, as long as the enemy It will not be easy to destroy our headquarters without the use of penetrating bombs."

"Comrade commander, I want to ask." Anisimov, the political commissar who had been in a transparent state for a long time, suddenly asked: "The division headquarters will not be blown up, but what about the health team? You know, we can have several Hundreds of wounded are there, and many wounded may not be able to survive if they are bombed and collapsed."

"Don't worry, Comrade Political Commissar." Regarding Anisimov's worries, Sidolin explained to him: "When the tunnel was being built, the division commander specifically ordered the engineers to build an extra layer underneath to accommodate the wounded. Am I right, Comrade Commander?" His last words were addressed to Sokov.

"Ah, that's right, that's what happened." Sokov originally planned to store ammunition, food and water when he built the basement floor, but later found that there were not many supplies that could be stored, so he simply put this The area was handed over to the health team. Hearing what Sidolin said at this moment, he hurriedly said: "I was just worried that the enemy's shelling and bombing would cause the tunnel to collapse and the wounded inside to be injured again, so I ordered people to take it down to the ground. Tunnels were built for the health teams."

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov didn't want to continue entanglement on this issue, so he turned to Sidolin and said, "Call Beigang and ask Lieutenant Colonel Ershakov how the situation there is. ?”

After chatting with Ershakov for a few words, Sidolin covered the microphone with his hand, turned his head and reported to Sokov with a serious expression: "Comrade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ershakov reported that there were more than a dozen soldiers Worried that during the bombing, the enemy would take the opportunity to touch it, so he stayed at the entrance of the tunnel to be on guard, but was shocked to death by the shock wave of the explosion."

Knowing that some soldiers were killed by the shock wave of the explosion, the muscles on Sokov's face twitched violently a few times. He pointed at Sidolin with his hand and said, "Chief of Staff, tell Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov that it is impossible for the enemy to attack until the bombing stops completely, and order him to evacuate everyone from the tunnel entrance." Stay far away to avoid unnecessary casualties."

Seeing Sidolin let go of the hand covering the microphone and conveying Sokov's order to Ershakov, Ivanov reminded Sokov in a low voice: "Mr. Once the enemy really takes the opportunity to touch it, then we will be blocked in the tunnel by the enemy."

"Don't worry, Comrade Deputy Division Commander." Sokov said to Ivanov: "Now the Mamayev Post is facing the Romanian army. They don't have the guts to attack our position before the bombing is over. Even if it happens What an accident, let the enemy touch the entrance of the tunnel, it is not easy for them to seize the tunnel, we have a lot of tunnel exits, we can attack from other tunnel entrances, and teach them a lesson."

Not only Mamayev Gang, where Sokov was located, was violently bombed by enemy planes, but the entire factory area in the north of the city was bombed, and the Barricade Factory and Dzerzhinsky Factory became the key bombing targets of the German army. The object collapsed in the sound of the explosion, setting off dust all over the sky.

"Comrade Commander, the situation at the Barricade Factory and the Dzerzhinsky Factory is very bad." After receiving reports from the defenders of the two factories, Krylov reported to Chuikov with a bitter face: "The defenders in the factory and worker casualties.”

"Chief of Staff, tell them to retreat to a safe place immediately." Chuikov heard that the defenders had suffered heavy casualties, and quickly issued an order to Krylov: "Re-enter the defensive position after the enemy's bombing is over."

"It's too late." Krylov shook his head in pain, and said: "Because the enemy's bombing was too violent, all the actions of the defenders in the factory area were stopped, because as soon as they left the fortification, they would be attacked by enemy planes." Many wounded cannot be treated, so they can only be temporarily parked in bunkers and bunkers, and after nightfall, they will be transferred to field hospitals or ambulance stations in the rear.”

Chuikov raised his hand and looked at his watch, his brows immediately twitched into a pimple: "There are still two hours before dark, can the wounded survive for such a long time? Order the health workers to remove the wounded as soon as possible at all costs." .”

"No, Comrade Commander." Hearing Chuikov's order, Krylov hastily persuaded him, "The 37th Guards Division sent 21 health workers successively to rescue the wounded, but they all died in the bombing. Since it is necessary to issue such an order, not only will it not help, but it will increase unnecessary casualties. If our health workers are all sacrificed, who will rescue the wounded on the battlefield in the next battle?"

"Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff." Chuikov sighed, and said helplessly: "Then wait until after dark, and then send health workers to treat the wounded. I hope they can persist until that time." He raised his hand and pressed hard on his forehead He patted the ground twice, and said angrily, "If the enemy hadn't held the air superiority over Stalingrad and we lacked enough anti-aircraft weapons, I don't think we would have watched our wounded lie in the bunker waiting to die. .”

"Comrade commander, don't worry, it will be fine." Krylov comforted Chuikov and said, "When the pontoon bridge is erected, new reinforcements and various technical equipment will continue to enter the city. It's time for revenge."