USSR 1941

Akimovich looked up, and sure enough, he saw that the German captain had committed suicide. There was a blood hole in his temple, his head was tilted to one side, and his right hand holding the pistol was hanging down on the broken brick beside him, lifeless.

"Retreat, retreat!" Major Webb shouted and gave the order, and after throwing a grenade, he ran back under the cover of the guards.

But a bullet flew out, hitting Major Webb a second before he jumped into the cover.

"A hit?" Akimovich asked.

"We'll find out later!" Shulka replied.

He wasn't sure either, because the target rolled into cover under inertia.

The next second, the German army quickly became chaotic. They rushed to the rear in groups of three or five, and fell in groups under the guns and grenades of the Soviet army.

So Akimovich and Shulka knew that the shot had hit.

In this battle, if counted by the controlled area, the Soviet army can be regarded as a loser, because the German army successfully advanced more than 100 meters.

But if the Soviet army is considered a victory in terms of the number of casualties... The Soviet army killed and wounded 152 German troops at the cost of 67 casualties, captured 58 people, and destroyed the German army. Eight tanks.

However, in fact, none of these can be said to be victory or failure.

Victory and defeat are never measured by geography or casualty ratio, but by whether the warring parties have achieved their strategic goals.

The strategic purpose of the Soviet army was to stave off the enemy as much as possible during the day, focusing on preserving its strength. This strategic purpose was achieved, so it was undoubtedly a victory, even if it lost territory or even had more casualties than the German army.

The strategic purpose of the German army was to seize hospitals and schools in a short period of time to get in touch with the troops attacking Mamayev Hill.

This strategic goal was not achieved, so of course it was a failure.

But there was no cheering on the battlefield, because the fighting on the battlefield continued... Although the surrounded German army was annihilated, the German army quickly filled the gap.

Both the enemy and the enemy kept a contact distance of tens of meters and refused to allow each other to look for all possible places to kill each other.

Cheering or celebrating in this situation will only give away one's position,

In the next second, a grenade or a mortar shell will hit you head-on.

And there's actually little cause for celebration, because the bad news is on its way.

"Comrade Captain!" Andrianka ran to Shulka and knelt down, and reported nervously, "Mamayev Post is lost!"

"What?"

"Mamayev Post is lost!" Andrianka repeated: "Comrade Golikov wishes to speak to you!"

Shulka thought for a while, then walked towards the headquarters along the blind spot of the enemy's sight with the rifle in hand.

The phone remained connected, and Shulka took the call to identify himself.

"Comrade Shulka!" Golikov's voice sounded from the other side: "Mamayev's post was lost half an hour ago!"

"What are your next plans, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka asked.

"You know!" Golikov said: "Mamayev Post is very important to us. In addition, the Germans sent a large number of bombers to bomb the Volga River Bridge... The transportation of the bridge has been blocked, and we are doing our best to repair it!"

Only then did Shulka know why the German army did not use "Stuka" to bomb the hospital. It turned out that the bombers were sent to bomb the bridge.

This is indeed very clever.

The Germans had a clear goal of blocking supplies from Stalingrad.

They have surrounded Stalingrad from the north, west and south.

At the same time, they discovered that urban street fighting was not as easy as they had imagined.

This is especially the hospital and school that competed with the 82nd Infantry Regiment. The close combat between the enemy and us in the building caused the German army to suffer heavy losses and gain nothing.

Overall, the battle situation is not optimistic.

Although strictly speaking, the German army has achieved a certain degree of victory on the battlefield... This is determined by the overall quality of the German army.

The problem is that the German army had to bomb and scramble buildings one by one, and the air force, artillery, tanks and other equipment were difficult to participate in or were subject to various restrictions.

Therefore, the best way for the German army to take Stalingrad is to attack its supply lines.

The supply line of Stalingrad is first of all the bridge connecting the east and west banks.

And the bridge was there, a fixed target that could never escape the German bombing.

Today's bombing damage can be repaired, and tomorrow there will be another batch of bombings, and it may be completely broken and cannot be repaired for a short time.

On the other hand, once the German army occupied the Mamayev Gang, they could blockade the "No. 1 Station" and the port with artillery. (Note: The main port of Stalingrad is adjacent to "Station No. 1")

Then, as long as the Germans block the Volga with fighter planes, it means that the supplies that the Soviets can transport to Stalingrad will be pitifully small.

It won't take long for this to continue, and the defenders of Stalingrad can't even eat enough to eat, let alone fight the German army.

"But, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka said: "The loss of Mamayev Post means that the hospital and school will be attacked by enemies, and we cannot hold on here!"

"We will continue to send reinforcements to Mamayev Post to put pressure on the Germans!" Golikov said: "Don't give up. You are guarding hospitals and schools, which means that the Germans cannot get more reinforcements and supplies. Only Only in this way can we take back Mamayev Post, which is very important to Stalingrad, and it can even be said to be related to the life and death of Stalingrad!"

There is some truth to this statement.

You must know that when the supply is cut off, the German army can occupy Mamayev Post only by relying on airdrops. If Shulka abandons the hospital and school to allow the German army to restore supplies and reinforcements, then the Soviet army wants to take back Mamayev Post. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult.

From this perspective, the Soviet army really cannot give up hospitals and schools.

The problem is that ... hospitals and schools under attack have no room for mobile warfare. The hospitals and schools that have been blown into ruins are not in danger, and staying here can only lead to death.

Shulka, who put down the phone, looked at the map and fell silent.

"What's the order?" asked Mikhailitch.

"Stick to the hospital and the school!" Shulka replied.

The headquarters fell silent for a moment.

This order is what everyone is most worried about after knowing that Mamayev Post has fallen.

At the same time, this order is contrary to Shulka's training and strategy and tactics of the 82nd Infantry Regiment.

It almost killed the 82nd Infantry.

"Then!" Mikhailvich gritted his teeth: "We are ready to fight!"

"No!" said Shulka, "I'm not going to do that!"