Red Moscow

  Chapter 349 Danger is approaching (Part 1)

  Sokov knew very well in his heart that when the Stalingrad meat grinder was about to start operating, the loss of personnel was unimaginable. The average survival time of the soldiers who came here was no more than 24 hours, and the average survival time of the officers was only 72 hours. It will be extremely difficult for me to replenish my troops in the future, so I must try my best to add all kinds of soldiers to my army while the soldiers are not too tense now.

Out of such considerations, Sokov immediately agreed to Belkin's proposal: "Since the political commissars say so, then Captain Goria will stay with your troops." In order to prevent the other party from rejecting him , He immediately added, "Don't worry, Comrade Captain, I will continue to keep your designation numbers. When the supplementary soldiers sent by the superior arrive, your division can be rebuilt immediately."

   "Keep the number?!" Goria couldn't help showing a surprised expression when he heard Sokov say this: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I would like to ask, how can we keep the number of our division?"

"Lieutenant Goria, I will not dismantle your subordinates and organize them into various companies." In order to reassure Goria, Sokov said to him: "Based on the original commanders and fighters of the original 192nd Division, I I will add another 200 people to you and form a new battalion with the designation of the 192nd Battalion, and you will be the battalion commander. How is it, no problem?"

   After listening to Sokov's arrangement, Goria's expression became relaxed. He shook his head and replied, "No problem, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel. I firmly obey your arrangement."

"Captain Goria, why are you still calling Comrade Lieutenant Colonel?" Belkin on the side said with a smile: "From now on, you are already a member of our 73rd Infantry Brigade, you should call him Brigadier Commander." .”

   "Comrade Brigadier," Captain Goria followed suit and immediately changed his address to Sokov: "I wonder where you plan to deploy our battalion?"

"Anyway, the training time of the guard company has been greatly reduced recently, and the space is still empty, why don't you camp there first." Sokov said: "When the time is right, adjust your residence. .”

"Comrade Brigadier, even if our battalion only has more than 300 people, we need at least 60 or 70 tents to house them." Golia asked with some concern, "How many tents can the brigade headquarters provide us? "

   Since most of the infantry brigade is now in the tunnels, the tents where they used to live are all vacant. When Sokov heard Goliath mention the tents, he told Sidolin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, don't we have a lot of empty tents now? First allocate 80 to the comrades of the 192nd Battalion so that they can have A good place to rest."

  Goriya originally thought that after he made the request, Sokov could solve thirty tents for himself, which was already the limit. Even in his heart, he had already planned to let ten soldiers squeeze into one tent. I didn't expect the other party to be so generous, and promised to give me eighty tents in one gulp. He hurriedly said gratefully: "Comrade Brigadier, I represent the 192nd Division... No, I am all the commanders and fighters of the 192nd Battalion, thank you!"

"Comrade Chief of Staff," after solving the accommodation problem for the 192nd Battalion in Golia, Sokov continued to say to Sidolin: "As soon as possible, no less than 200 people will be transferred from other battalions to the 192nd Battalion to ensure that In the shortest possible time, they can re-form a strong fighting force."

"Comrade Brigadier, I suggest that the soldiers of the 192nd Battalion should be recruited from the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Battalions." As the chief of staff, Sidolin knew the strength of each battalion in the brigade best. After Kefu finished speaking, he took the initiative to propose to the other party: "The third battalion has the least number of troops, so I don't think it will be transferred for the time being."

  Just as the soldiers of the 192nd Battalion were setting up tents in the area arranged for them, the roar of an aircraft engine suddenly came from the air. These soldiers who had just withdrawn from the right bank of the Don River instinctively looked for a place to hide as soon as they heard the sound.

  The soldiers of the guard company who were temporarily drawn to help couldn't help laughing when they saw the distressed appearance of the new comrades-in-arms. Some kind-hearted fighters shouted to those comrades who were looking for cover: "Don't worry, don't worry, it's a German reconnaissance plane, there is no danger."

  Hearing the shouts of the guard company soldiers, the terrified soldiers gradually calmed down. They stood up from their hiding places, looked up at the sky, and saw clearly the enemy plane circling in the sky. It was indeed an unarmed reconnaissance plane, hanging in their throats, before putting it back into their stomachs.

Sokov heard the sound of the plane engine, stepped out of the tent, looked at the sky and asked Sidolin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the enemy's reconnaissance planes visit the Mamayev Hill every day. You said they found the place we built. Is the work done?"

   "The surface fortifications on the hillside must have been detected. And the fortifications in the tunnels, unless the German pilots have a perspective eye, they can't be found at all." Sidolin said here, suddenly hesitantly said: "But..."

Seeing Sidolin hesitate to speak, Sokov asked a little anxiously: "But what? Comrade Chief of Staff, if you have anything to say, just finish it at once, don't say half of it and keep half of it, which makes people anxious. "

"Comrade Brigadier, the tunnel connecting the north and south slopes has not been completely completed so far." Sidolin replied: "There is no problem with the tunnel dug by the underground method, and the German pilots will never be able to find it." But the tunnel using the open-cut method has been reconnaissance repeatedly by German reconnaissance planes, and I am worried that once the battle starts near Mamayev Hill, the location of that tunnel will become the focus of German bombing.”

Regarding Sidolin's worries, Sokov waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff. Even if the enemy finds the tunnel that uses the open-cut method, they won't care. It will be used as a trench or anti-tank trench dug by us, and their precious bombs will not be wasted casually."

  Seeing the reconnaissance plane circling continuously over the Mamayev Hill, Sokov said to Sidolin and Belkin who were standing aside: "There is nothing to see, let's go back to the tent first."

  The three of them had just walked into the tent when there was a rumbling cannon outside. Hearing this voice, Sokov's heart sank suddenly, thinking to himself: Could it be that the Germans started shelling Mamayev Gang? But he soon discovered that the ground did not feel the vibration, and the gunfire came from the air.

"Damn it, this is the anti-aircraft artillery deployed on the pier, firing at the enemy's reconnaissance plane." Sokov roared dissatisfied and rushed out of the tent, looked up into the sky, and indeed saw the surroundings of the reconnaissance plane, A black puff of smoke bloomed, but was quickly blown away by the wind.

   "Comrade Brigadier, what happened?" Belgin saw Sokov rushing out of the tent, thought something had happened, and rushed out too. When he saw the puffs of smoke blooming in the air, he couldn't help laughing and said: "Great, our anti-aircraft artillery is really great. As long as they can shoot down the enemy's reconnaissance planes, no enemy planes will dare to appear in Malawi in the future." over Mayev's hill."

"How can the anti-aircraft artillery fire casually?" After seeing the German reconnaissance plane being driven away by the artillery fire, Sokov said angrily: "It's just a reconnaissance plane, and there are at least five anti-aircraft guns firing now. Expose the target?" He turned his head and asked Sidolin who had just stepped out of the tent, "Chief of Staff, what is the number of the anti-aircraft artillery deployed on the dock?"

   "Reporting to Comrade Brigadier Commander," Sidolin quickly replied, "It's the 1077th Women's Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Gorman. His headquarters is located in the building next to our health team."

"Comrade Brigadier, what do you want to do?" Belkin and Sokov spent a long time together. Hearing him ask this question, he guessed that he must be thinking of the Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, and went to talk to the commander of the Gorman regiment. , quickly stopped him and said: "The anti-aircraft artillery regiment and us are just adjacent to the defense zone, but they have no affiliation. Even if you go, the other party will not pay attention to what they say to you."

"Once a battle breaks out here, the air defense must rely on them." Sokov straightened the helmet on his head and continued: "But if the anti-aircraft artillery regiment suffers unnecessary losses due to premature exposure of the target, Our commanders and fighters can only squat in the fortifications every day to be bombed!"

"Since this is the case, Comrade Brigadier Commander, then I will accompany you." Belkin worried that Sokov would go to someone else's territory and get angry at the other commander for such a thing, so he offered to go with him. "As for the affairs of the brigade, leave it to the chief of staff to take full responsibility."

  The station of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment is not far from Sokov's brigade headquarters, and it takes only ten minutes to walk there.

There were two female soldiers standing guard at the gate of the regiment command post. When they saw two friendly army commanders approaching, they quickly blocked their way and asked politely, "Comrade two commanders, may I ask which part you belong to? Is there anything going on here?"

"I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and this is my political commissar Belkin. Our troops are stationed at Mamayev Hill." After introducing himself, Sokov asked who was standing in front of him The female soldier in front of her: "I have something urgent to see your regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Gorman, is he in there?"

"Yes, Comrade Commander, the commander is resting inside." After knowing the identities of Sokov and Belkin, the female soldier hurriedly said respectfully: "Please wait here for a while, I will go in to report One sound."

  The female soldier came out within two minutes after entering, and an elderly lieutenant colonel came out with her. Sokov first raised his hand to salute the other party, and said politely: "Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Gorman, I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and I am here to visit you specially. This is Belkin, my commissar."

   "Hello, commanders and comrades." After Gorman raised his hand in return, he asked curiously, "I heard from my subordinates, what do you want from me?"

   "Yes, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I have something to talk to you about." Sokov glanced at the female soldier standing guard at the door out of the corner of his eye: "Can we go in and talk again?"

"Please come in, comrade commanders." Gorman invited the two into his room, called them to sit down on the bench by the wall, tidied up the somewhat messy camp bed, then turned and asked the two Person: "I don't know if you have come to find me on a special trip. Is there anything important?"

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Belkin was worried that Sokov might talk to the other party directly, and the matter might collapse, so he said first: "When the enemy's reconnaissance plane was reconnaissance over Mamayev Hill today, you The anti-aircraft artillery regiment used no less than five anti-aircraft guns to bombard."

   "There is such a thing, we can't let the enemy's reconnaissance planes scurry around the Volga River unscrupulously." Gorman was sleeping, but the rumbling gunfire woke him up. After he woke up, he went to the door to inquire, and learned that it was his anti-aircraft gunner who was attacking the German reconnaissance plane, and went back to sleep with his head covered. "Why, comrades two commanders, is your arrival related to our attack on the German reconnaissance plane?"

"That's right, that's true." It was Sokov who spoke this time, and he said to Gorman: "The German reconnaissance planes fly to Mamayev Hill every day. I'm afraid they have already detected what they want to reconnaissance. It’s almost there. But you fired without permission today, which has exposed all your anti-aircraft artillery positions. Once the German army bombs the Mamayev Hill area, I’m worried that your area will become the focus of attack.”

  Gorman laughed out loud after Sokov finished speaking. After laughing, he said to Sokov: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I think it is necessary to remind you that since we are anti-aircraft artillery, the only thing we can do to the enemy planes that appear over the defense zone is to use guns." Boom it down, or drive it far away.

  As for your worry that the enemy will use our area as a key bombing area, that's really great. We can take advantage of the opportunity of the enemy bombers gathering to shoot down more enemy planes to ensure the safety of the city. "

   This meeting broke up in the end. Sokov stormed away indignantly, and Belgin and Gorman followed suit after a few words on the scene. He caught up with Sokov and said to him: "Comrade Brigadier, don't be angry. The anti-aircraft artillery regiment is not under our control. They are free to fire whenever they want, and we have no right to interfere."

"I understand, Comrade Political Commissar, I understand what you said." Sokov said helplessly: "In order to expel a reconnaissance plane today, at least five artillery positions of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment were exposed. I am worried The most important thing is that in the near future, the German army will bomb here, and those exposed anti-aircraft artillery positions will bear the brunt."

  Belkin sighed, and said helplessly: "Comrade Brigadier, under the current circumstances, we only need to do a good job in our own air defense work. For other friendly forces, let everything take its course."

  (end of this chapter)