USSR 1941

The battlefield environment is relatively harsh.

The main reason is that the battle on Mamayev Gang was very intense. The 82nd Infantry Regiment almost built up fortifications against the bombing of enemy shells and aircraft, and there were also logistical personnel transporting ammunition moving along the trenches. Those who transport the wounded down, those who go up for reinforcements, and so on.

However, the 82nd Infantry Regiment had built a lot of fortifications during training, so these were trivial matters for them, but a few lines of defense were almost built in half an hour.

Colonel Pavelkov and Lieutenant Lermontov built a bomb-proof hole 700 meters behind as a temporary headquarters. series of actions.

"What are they doing? Do they think they can stop the enemy from attacking with field fortifications?" Pavelkov looked at this scene with some doubts.

After a pause, he asked Lieutenant Lermontov: "Do they have any other requirements? Such as equipment, tanks?"

"No, no, Comrade Colonel!" Lermontov replied: "They only ask us to guarantee ammunition, and in addition... if necessary, they hope to have artillery reinforcements!"

"Tell them we have only one mortar battalion!" replied Pavelkov.

Colonel Pavelkov did not lie.

This is mainly because the artillery of the Soviet army suffered heavy losses in the previous battles... This is determined by the German army's control of the air. Because of the air superiority, the German army can use air power to suppress the Soviet artillery and blockade Stalingrad at the same time.

So naturally, there were fewer and fewer artillery pieces in Stalingrad, even to the point where they dared not use them during the day.

Mortar units are different, they can be spread out and move quickly.

"That's what I told them!" said Lermontov. "They said that's enough!"

Colonel Pavelkov smiled noncommittally.

This is simply a joke to him. Before that, he checked the information of the 82nd Infantry Regiment and knew that this unit was a problematic unit that escaped from the front line. They should have been included in the punishment battalion...but for some reason The reason is that it will become the security force of the Stalingrad Tractor Factory.

Whatever it was, Colonel Pavelkov did not believe that such a security force could repel the German attack without tanks, planes, or even howitzers.

"They're courting death!" said Colonel Pavelkov.

Then ordered: "Get them ready to take over the positions!"

"Yes, Comrade Colonel!"

A few minutes later, Colonel Pavelkov called the 82nd Infantry Regiment... The telephone line was temporarily pulled for the purpose of unifying the command.

"How are the preparations going?" Colonel Pavelkov asked. "The front line is almost overwhelmed!"

"We need another twenty minutes, Comrade Colonel!" Major Mikhailevich replied: "Also, we need more grenades and mortar shells!"

"No problem!" Colonel Pavelkov replied: "I will send the supplies up, twenty minutes!"

In fact, it was not possible to wait until 20 minutes in the end, and the defense line of the guard infantry on the front line collapsed at 12 minutes.

At this time, the German army launched a general offensive.

This was a shame for the Guards, especially when they were retreating in front of the 82nd.

But no unit on the battlefield can never retreat at any time, and the Guards Infantry Regiment is no exception.

"Ready for battle!" Shulka ordered loudly.

The soldiers threw down the engineering shovels in their hands one after another, and set up weapons to arrange firepower in the unfinished fortifications.

Not far away, Pavelkov shouted angrily on the phone: "No one is allowed to retreat. I order you to shoot those traitors who abandoned their positions on the spot!"

"No, Comrade Colonel!" Shulka replied: "You seem to have forgotten a little bit, I am in command here!"

"But this is number 227..."

Before he could finish Shulka, he hung up the phone.

Pavelkov on the other end of the phone roared angrily: "These bastards, cowardly cowards, I will not let these guys go!"

At this time, Pavelkov was actually a little bit annoyed... He didn't want the people of the 82nd Infantry Regiment to see his troops retreating, which was a shame to him.

Therefore, even though he had known for a long time that the line of defense on the front slope was difficult to hold, and that the soldiers on the front line would be repulsed by the Germans, he still demanded that these retreating soldiers be shot to death.

But Shulka didn't think so. In his eyes, those soldiers fought bravely on the front line, and they shouldn't be treated unfairly.

As Shulka saw, all of those soldiers were wounded, some of them were slightly or heavily wounded, and some even had their left arms blown off, and they continued to fight with pistols only after being roughly bandaged with bandages... Of course they Not cowards.

After thinking about it, Shulka shouted at the retreating infantry guards: "You should stay and fight with us, you know what will happen when you go back!"

These words seemed to remind the infantrymen of the guards. After hesitating for a while, they jumped into the trenches of the 82nd Infantry Regiment one by one. Some even fled to the foot of the mountain, and returned to the battlefield when they saw this situation.

This also made Bavetkov look better.

"Very good!" said Bavetkov. "These cowards went where they were supposed to go!"

This statement has two meanings.

The battlefield is where they should be, and so is the unit of the 82nd Infantry Regiment.

At this time, a new change appeared on the battlefield: among the Soviet infantry who fled back from time to time, there were a few German soldiers mixed in... They were chasing the Soviet army all the way up.

This is a common tactic used by both the enemy and the enemy. After defeating the enemy, they often do not kill the deserters. Even if they have the ability to do so, they follow the deserters and even drive them to attack the second line of defense, and then the third, The fourth way...

But Shulka needn't worry about that.

Only a few gunshots of "bang bang" came from behind, and the enemies among the Soviet soldiers fell down in response.

That was the sniper deployed in the rear.

With Vasily around, Shulka believed they could do it.

Sure enough, the German soldiers who followed behind were knocked down one by one, which made the follow-up German soldiers dare not act rashly.

Taking advantage of this time, Shulka ordered loudly: "Grenade!"

The soldiers guarding the ridge line immediately pulled and ignited the grenades one after another and threw them in the direction of the enemy.

The advantage of the ridgeline positions is that they are "separated by a wall" from the enemy, one side is their own position and the other side is the enemy.

The grenade can be thrown to the enemy's position on the other side with a light throw, and there is no need to worry about the shrapnel hurting yourself.

The disadvantage is that you can't see the situation and goals on the other side.

But that doesn't really matter, because the enemy also doesn't know where the grenade will go.

The battlefield is sometimes all about luck.