Red Moscow

  Chapter 1601 Search

Due to the delay in obtaining accurate information on the battlefield, Sokov naturally felt uneasy, so he agreed to Sameko's proposal without hesitation: "I think it is possible. Comrade Chief of Staff, give Colonel Koida called and ordered his 188th Division to move forward immediately and get ready to attack the Svetlovodsk district."

Just when Sameko agreed and picked up the phone to give an order to Koida, he heard Sokov continue to say: "Also, inform Major General Gritsenko of the 384th Division to order his troops to follow suit. Get ready to strike."

"What, make the 384th Division also ready to attack?" According to the prior plan, Major General Gritsenko's 384th Division should be stationed in the area to ensure the offensive after the troops occupied the Svetlovodsk area. Sameko was surprised that the safety of the troops' flanks and rear now made them ready to fight: "Is this necessary?"

"It is absolutely necessary." Sokov replied: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. We must prepare for the worst. Once the attack of the 84th Division fails, and the 188th Division fails to make any progress. , it is necessary to put the Gritzenko division into battle in order to complete the combat plan we have formulated in advance."

"Okay, Comrade Commander." After listening to Sokov, Sameko felt that what he said made sense, so he nodded, "I will inform Major General Gritsenko to prepare his troops for the battle." Prepare."

After Sameko gave the order to the two division commanders, he saw Sokov walking back and forth in the headquarters with his hands behind his back, so he put down the phone and asked tentatively, "Comrade commander, do you want to contact the Air Force and ask them to Send bombers to bomb the Svetlovodsk district?"

Sameko's proposal made Sokov stop. This is undoubtedly a good suggestion. Due to the limitation of the shooting angle, no matter how powerful the artillery fire is, it cannot destroy many ground targets, but if the bombers are dispatched, it can be solved. these questions. Just when he was about to agree to Sameko's proposal, he suddenly thought of a key question, sighed softly, and said to Sameko, "Forget it, Chief of Staff, it's useless. General Fomenko couldn't figure out what happened on the battlefield filled with gunpowder smoke. How could the bombers at high altitudes see the targets in the smoke clearly? If the bombs were dropped, they would hit German fortifications and officers and soldiers , that makes sense, what should we do if we bomb ourselves by mistake?"

   While the commanders at all levels in the rear were worried about this offensive operation, the battle was going on in the smoke-filled Svetlovodsk area. In the past, when the German army was bombarded, they always retreated to the second line of defense as soon as possible to avoid the shelling of the Soviet army. But today the situation is different, they were shelled in their sleep,

  Due to prior reconnaissance, it was confirmed that there were no residents in the Svetlovodsk district, and most of the houses were occupied by German officers and soldiers stationed here. Therefore, after the shelling of the Soviet army began, an indiscriminate attack was carried out on this place.

  Because the two artillery divisions participating in the shelling received accurate shooting parameters, the artillery observers at Height 103.9 were still waiting to provide them with corrected data during the firing process, so that the artillery units could accurately hit the target. Among them, the headquarters of the German army, the parking points of tanks, armored vehicles and military trucks are the focus of attention.

  Under the baptism of this wave of artillery fire, most of the Svetlovodsk District suffered saturated shelling, and countless German officers and soldiers were blown to ashes in their sleep.

The commanders and fighters of the 258th Regiment were the first to rush into the German defense zone. They searched the streets filled with gunpowder and saw only countless bomb craters along the way, as well as broken corpses beside the bomb craters, bombed artillery and machine gun parts. living.

  The battalion commander who led the team immediately reported the situation to the head of the regiment, Colonel Belgin: "Comrade commander, our battalion has entered the town. So far, no one has been found alive."

  Belkin is a relatively stable person. After listening to the report of the first battalion commander, he thought for a moment, and then ordered: "Continue to search the town, and report to me immediately if there is any latest situation."

  After Belkin finished talking with the first battalion, the chief of staff of the regiment standing aside tentatively asked: "Comrade commander, do you need to report this situation to the division headquarters?"

   "Not in a hurry." Belkin shook his head and rejected the chief of staff's proposal: "We don't know what the situation in the town is. If we report it rashly, it may cause a misjudgment by our superiors."

   Hearing what Belkin said, the chief of staff of the regiment could only choose to obey: "Well, comrade commander, we will report to our superiors after the first battalion has a new report."

  The first battalion searched the town, and the second and third battalions also entered the town one after another, but they found no trace of the enemy. Soon, the 254th regiment of Colonel Rusuf also came outside the town.

   Seeing the commander of the 258th regiment staying here, Rusuf hurried over to greet Belkin: "Colonel Belkin, what is the situation in the town?"

   "I don't know." Belkin shook his head and replied: "The three battalions of my regiment have entered the town, but so far, no trace of the enemy has been found. I am ordering them to continue searching."

Knowing that the troops that entered the town found no trace of the enemy, Rusuf showed a surprised expression on his face: "Colonel Belkin, how is this possible? You know, no matter how strong our artillery preparations before the attack were, there would be no enemy." A large number of enemies survived the shelling, how could there be no enemy here? Is this a German conspiracy?"

   Speaking of this, Rusuf couldn't help but look around vigilantly, wanting to see if there were German officers and soldiers hidden in the surrounding ruins. However, due to the heavy smog, visibility was limited, and the place beyond 20 meters was foggy, and it was impossible to see anything clearly. He tried several times, but found that he couldn't see farther, so he had to give up.

Rusuf called one of his battalion commanders and told him, "Take your battalion into the town to search. Remember, the commanders and fighters of the 258th regiment are also in the town. Don't make any misunderstandings." These words are not unfounded worries. You must know that the bombardment has not been over for a long time, and the gunpowder smoke covering the town has not yet dissipated. The surrounding visibility is limited, and it is impossible to see clearly if it is more than 20 meters away. Under such circumstances, it is entirely possible for two troops not affiliated to each other to meet in the town, and it is entirely possible for misunderstandings to occur.

  Due to limited visibility, the 258th was slow to search the town. In almost every building that was bombed, the commander leading the team would send someone in to search to see if there were any surviving German officers and soldiers. But every time the search results were the same, except for the broken and incomplete corpses, there was no living person at all.

The leading soldiers walking in the front saw a half-collapsed church in the distance, and hurriedly reported to the battalion commander: "Comrade battalion commander, there is a church ahead. It seems that we have come to the center of the town." The report is not wrong. According to the Russian architectural style, churches are usually built in the center of the city.

  But after the first battalion commander received the report, he did not believe the other party's report, but took out the map and checked it carefully. After looking at it for a while, he shook his head and said, "This is not the center of the town. This church is located in the southwest of the town. We are searching outside the town."

   "What, search outside the town." The third company commander standing next to the first battalion commander asked in surprise when he heard what the battalion commander said: "Why did we go in the wrong direction?"

Hearing the question from the third company commander, the first battalion commander replied with a wry smile: "Third company commander, almost all the buildings in the town were destroyed in the shelling. We lost our reference after we entered the town, and the gunpowder smoke filled the air. Visibility is limited, and going the wrong way is inevitable.”

   After saying this, the first battalion commander called the radio operator and told him, "Get me the regimental commander."

  When Belkin’s voice came out of the earphones, the first battalion commander reported with some embarrassment: “Comrade commander, we lost our way in the town, and now we have reached the southwest direction of the town.”

   "What, you have arrived in the southwest direction of the town?" Belkin couldn't help frowning after hearing the report of the first battalion commander: "Didn't I order you to search the center of the town? Why did you deviate from the direction?"

"Comrade Commander, there is nothing we can do about it." The first battalion commander explained to Belkin: "The buildings in the town were destroyed by artillery fire, and in addition to the heavy smoke, we couldn't find a suitable reference at all. things, so that when you walk, you get lost."

   After figuring out why the first battalion lost its way, Belkin did not get angry, but simply ordered the other party: "First battalion commander, you temporarily stop searching, stay where you are and wait for our further orders."

  When Belkin finished talking with the first battalion, the chief of staff of the regiment asked inexplicably: "Comrade commander, why did you order the first battalion to stop advancing?"

Belkin glanced at his chief of staff and explained to him: "Since the first battalion lost its way in the smoke, it means that the second and third battalions may also have a similar situation. Now I want to understand the current situation of the second and third battalions. In what position, lest they clash in the smoke."

  The chief of staff of the regiment accepted this task obligatoryly, and contacted the second and third battalions through the walkie-talkie to find out where they are now, so as to avoid getting lost again.

   And Belkin reminded Rusuf who was standing next to him: "Colonel Rusuf, I suggest you also contact the troops carrying out the search mission in the town to find out if they have also lost their way."

"Colonel Belkin, what you said is very reasonable." Although both of them are colonels, Belkin still holds the post of deputy division commander, so Rusuf treats him very respectfully: "I will order someone immediately Get in touch with the search unit and find out where they are."

   After contacting the second and third battalions, the chief of staff of the regiment reported with a somewhat embarrassed expression: "Comrade commander, your analysis is correct. The second and third battalions also lost their way and deviated from the designated search route."

  Belkin couldn't help but frowned after hearing this, and asked, "Where are they now?"

  The chief of staff of the regiment quickly pointed out the location of the second and third battalions on the map with his hands, and asked for instructions with a solemn expression: "Comrade commander, what should we do next?"

  After seeing the locations of the battalions clearly, Belkin did not issue an order immediately, but said to Rusuf on the side: "Colonel Rusuf, come and take a look at the current location of our regiment."

After Rusuf approached, Belkin pointed to the map and said to him: "Look, the three battalions of my regiment have completely deviated from the original search route because they lost their way in the town. Look, can you Do you want your troops to conduct search missions in these areas?"

   After seeing the location on the map clearly, Ru Sufu couldn't help feeling ecstatic. According to the original plan of the division headquarters, after the troops launched an attack on the town, Belkin's 258th Regiment took the lead. The goal was to occupy the church in the center of the town and put up the red flag to announce that the 84th Division had officially occupied Svetlo Watsk District.

  But now that the troops of the 258th regiment are in action, they have deviated from the original route. Belkin ordered his troops to search the center of the town, tantamount to ceding the honor of occupying the Svetlovodsk district to his regiment. Thinking of this, Rusuf nodded vigorously and replied, "Don't worry, Colonel Belgin, I will immediately order my troops to advance towards the center of the town, and strive to plant the red flag above the church in the center of the town as soon as possible."

Belgin was not a stingy person, but he was not angry at all when he heard Rusuf's tone that was obviously robbing credit. Instead, he raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Colonel Rusuf, It seems that the task of capturing the Svetlovodsk district can only be completed by your regiment."

  Russov was seen through by Belkin, and couldn't help but blush, and said with some embarrassment: "Colonel Belkin, it's really not that I want to take credit, it's just a small accident."

   "I understand, Colonel Rusuf." Belkin said reasonably: "You don't have to have any psychological burden, just go and occupy the church with confidence."

   Before Rusuf could speak, the operator on the side suddenly called Belkin: "Comrade Colonel, the teacher is online, and he wants to talk to you. Please come here."

  Belkin walked up to the operator, took the microphone and earphones: "Hello, Comrade Commander, I'm Belkin."

   "Colonel Belkin," Fomenko's anxious voice came from the earphones: "how is the situation in your place? Why can't you hear anything?"

"Comrade Commander," Belkin reported to Fomenko, "our troops entered the town and conducted a thorough search. Unfortunately, among all the destroyed buildings, only the dead bodies of the enemy were found. Or the weapons that were blown up, and no living person was found. Our commanders and fighters are conducting a more detailed search of the remaining areas."

  (end of this chapter)