Red Moscow

"I don't want to!" All the commanders knew how to do such multiple-choice questions. Compared with the heavy casualties, it seemed that it was not unacceptable for the troops to stay in the sewers that smelled bad and had no light.

"Since everyone is unwilling to let their troops suffer heavy casualties, they should immediately mobilize people to form a small team." Belkin pointed at Samoilov who was standing aside: "Second Lieutenant Samoilov once He has led the troops to fight the enemy in the sewers and has rich experience, and he will lead the team later, and go to the sewers to familiarize themselves with the terrain."

Since surveying the topography of the sewer is related to the life and death of their own troops, everyone was very active. In less than 20 minutes, enough people were mobilized, and Samoilov led them into the sewer.

The two German attacks on the archives building ended in failure, not to mention the death of more than 200 soldiers, and the loss of an aircraft. For such a failure, the German commanders obviously could not accept it. After the hour-long shelling ended, they launched another attack.

As soon as he heard that the shelling outside had stopped, Sokov said to Belkin: "Comrade Commissar, call Bolkowski and ask him what the casualties are like for his troops?"

Belgin nodded, and then handed over the task to Captain Vanya, chief of staff of the regiment. After Vanya accepted the order, he immediately connected to Bolkowski's command post and asked bluntly, "Comrade Captain, what is the situation of your casualties?"

"Report to Comrade Chief of Staff," Bolkowski's ears were deafened by the continuous bombardment, and after hearing Vanya's question, he quickly replied in a loud voice: "Our company has just concluded During the shelling, nearly half of the commanders and fighters were killed or injured, and now there are 128 people left."

"Comrade Commander," Vanya quickly covered the microphone and reported to Sokov after getting the exact number, "There are still 128 people left in the company."

Sokov remembered that the company had more than 300 people when it was full, and it was almost catching up with a battalion of other troops. Now there are only 128 people left. It is conceivable how much they paid in the shelling just now. casualties. He thought for a moment, pointed at Vanya, and ordered: "Ask them, can they continue to hold their positions? If not, replace the second company."

Vanya quickly released his hand covering the microphone, and asked loudly: "Comrade Captain, the teacher asks you, can you continue to hold on? If you think it is not possible, we will immediately order the second company to replace you."

"No, Comrade Chief of Staff." Hearing that his superiors planned to withdraw his company, Paulkowski became a little anxious. Half of his soldiers died on the ground. Not only could he not avenge them, but he would be withdrawn Go down, where is he willing to do it? So he shouted into the microphone: "Please tell Comrade Commander, as long as there is one person in our company, we will never let the enemy cross our trenches alive."

"Misha," Belgin chimed in on hearing Bolkowski's determination, fearing that Sokov would withdraw the company from the outlying positions, "since Captain Bolkowski is so capable." Courage, then let them continue to stand firm. After dark, I will send the second company to take over their defense."

"Okay." Now that Belkin, the regiment leader, has expressed his opinion, Sokov naturally won't shame him, so he nodded and agreed: "Let them stay on the ground."

The company that stayed on the ground lived up to expectations, and repelled two German attacks in a row, killing and wounding more than 300 soldiers, but the whole company was also reduced to 41 people.

But the sound of gunfire and explosions outside became sparse. Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch. He saw that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon, and it was less than an hour before it got dark. According to the usual practice, the Germans would not launch an attack again. Said to Belkin: "Comrade Commissar, the first company has completed their mission, let them retreat first to rest."

Belgin nodded, and then told Vanya: "Comrade Chief of Staff, let the Second Company go to the outlying positions to take over the defense of Captain Bolkowski and the others."

When Sokov waited for Vanya to start calling, he asked Belkin: "Comrade Commissar, do you want to go upstairs with me?" Belkin thought that Sokov asked him to inspect the battlefield, so he nodded in agreement.

Unexpectedly, after reaching the roof, Sokov went straight to the east of the building, raised his binoculars and looked towards the Volga River. Seeing his action, Belkin asked in puzzlement, "Misha, what are you looking at?"

Sokov held up his binoculars and replied without looking back, "See if the pontoon bridge on the Volga River has been erected."

"Establish a pontoon bridge on the Volga River?" Belkin said in a daze, "Aren't they afraid of being bombed by enemy planes?" A move that is not worth the candle, not to mention that it takes a lot of manpower and material resources to repair the bombed pontoon bridge every day, and it will also affect the passage of ships.

Sokov put down the binoculars and saw Belkin holding up the binoculars and looking towards the location where the fake pontoon bridge was erected, so he smiled and said to him: "Comrade political commissar, you are wrong, our pontoon bridge is not in the direction you are looking."

"What, it's not in the direction I'm looking at?" Belkin put down his binoculars, pointed at the engineers who were building a pontoon bridge on the distant river, and asked in surprise, "Misha, can you tell me what those engineers are doing?"

"That's right, the engineers you saw were indeed building bridges. But the pontoon bridge they erected was for the German air force and artillery." Sukov pointed to the direction of the broken bridge, and continued: "The real pontoon bridge is here. There."

Because Belkin was not high enough, he naturally didn't know about the underwater pontoon bridge. He glanced at the broken bridge in the distance, and asked unexpectedly: "But there is only the bombed bridge over the river, and there is no pontoon bridge?"

"It's right if you can't see it, my Comrade Political Commissar." Sokov said with a smile: "Because the pontoon bridge erected is under the water surface, you naturally can't see it."

"Underwater pontoon bridge?!" Belgin was so surprised that his eyes almost fell to the ground when he heard Sokov say that. "How can people come to build a pontoon bridge underwater?"

"The deck of the underwater pontoon bridge is only 40 to 50 centimeters above the water surface, and even the exhaust pipe of a car can't be submerged." Sokov said with some pride: "The underwater pontoon bridge can not only pass people, but also pass cars. Come, we can transport more troops and supplies into the city in the shortest time..." After he introduced the underwater pontoon bridge to Belkin in detail, he explained the pontoon bridge that Belkin just saw, It was just a fake pontoon bridge to divert the attention of the German air force and artillery.

"It's great, it's really great." After listening to Sokov's narration, Belgin couldn't help but brighten his eyes when he thought that more troops and technical equipment would soon enter the city, "So, we Soon there will be a major counterattack against the enemy."

"There should be partial counterattacks. When it comes to major counterattacks, I think the time is not yet ripe." Sukov thought that the major counterattacks in real history would not be until late November, so he vaccinated Belkin in advance : "It will take at least one month to one and a half months for the superior to assemble enough troops and technical equipment to crush the enemy..."

Before Sokov finished speaking, a communications soldier who followed them walked up to Belgin with a telephone and said to him, "Comrade Commander, this is the number of the Chief of Staff."

Belkin put the headset close to his ear, and heard Vanya's anxious voice from inside: "Comrade Commander, can you go back to the command post immediately? Something unexpected happened here."

Sokov was surprised when he heard what Vanya said. He waved his hand and said to Belkin, "Comrade Commissar, let's go back to the command post immediately."