Red Moscow

  Chapter 62 Outside the Prisoner of War Camp

  Pavel returned earlier than Lin Hua expected. Just after lunch, Pavel took a soldier back to the resting place of the troops. When he suddenly saw people wearing German army overcoats in the forest, he was startled, thinking that the enemy had touched here silently. Just when he hid behind a tree and raised his gun to shoot, fortunately Lin Hua spotted him: "Pavel, you are back!"

Hearing Lin Hua's voice, Pavel put down the gun in his hand, walked out from behind the tree, and asked in a daze, "Comrade Lieutenant, what's going on, why are you all wearing German uniforms? "

"I'll explain this to you later." Lin Hua walked over and shook hands with Pavel, and asked, "Have you figured out the situation in the prisoner-of-war camp?" He glanced behind Pavel and found that there was only one A soldier added, "Where are Stepan and the others?"

   "Yes, Comrade Lieutenant, I figured it all out." Pavel replied, "The deputy platoon leader and the others are still staying near the prisoner-of-war camp to monitor the enemy's movement."

  After calling the platoon leaders together again, Lin Hua said, "Comrades platoon leaders, Corporal Pavel has completed the reconnaissance mission, now let him introduce the situation to everyone."

Pavel squatted on the ground, drew a sketch in the snow with his fingers, and reported his reconnaissance results to everyone: "The prisoner-of-war camp is square in shape and surrounded by double-layer barbed wire. The entrance is on the east side, and there are sentry boxes and There are two sandbag fortifications, and inside is a row of wooden houses, which should be where the German guards lived. There is a watchtower at each of the four corners, with searchlights and a machine gun on the watchtower...”

   "Comrade Corporal, according to your opinion, how many guards are there in the POW camp?" Vanya asked first after Pavel finished speaking.

"According to the size of the houses in the prisoner-of-war camp, there are about fifty guards." Pavel said here, with an angry expression on his face: "Apart from the houses where the Germans live, there are no other buildings. Now, our comrades-in-arms are all huddled in the open space surrounded by barbed wire, using each other's body heat to keep warm."

"What, what did you say?" Lin Hua couldn't help being taken aback when he heard this: "Pavel, what are you talking about, the comrades in the prisoner-of-war camp are all staying in the open space?" After seeing Pavel nodded in affirmation, He added, "In such a cold day, I don't know how many people will freeze to death."

   "Damn, the Communists dare to treat our comrades like this." After learning about the situation of the captured commanders, Vasily said angrily: "Comrade company commander, we can't hesitate any longer. Let's take action now?"

"I'm starting to assign tasks now." Lin Hua originally wanted to lead troops to liberate the prisoner-of-war camp when it was dark, but when he learned that the Soviet prisoners of war were locked in the open air that could not shelter from wind and snow, he changed his mind temporarily and told everyone Combat missions were issued: "The first and second platoons followed me, pretending to be German reinforcements, and tried to sneak into the prisoner-of-war camp; Savyev's third platoon served as a guard outside, cutting off all connections between the prisoner-of-war camp and the outside world; the engineer platoon Stay here and watch the sleds and supplies..."

When Vasili heard that Lin Hua had let his engineering platoon stay again, he was immediately anxious: "Comrade company commander, you didn't let us participate in the battle on the banks of the Lama River. Now you are going to liberate the prisoner-of-war camp and rescue our captured prisoners." Comrades, you let us stay again, it's not fair, I don't accept it!"

   Lin Hua ignored Vasily's complaints, but directly ordered: "The mission is clear, all platoon leaders, go back and make preparations. We will set off in a quarter of an hour."

Seeing that the other platoon leaders left one after another, while Vasily was still standing there, Lin Hua knew that he was emotional, so he walked up to him and asked, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, are you displeased with my arrangement?" Satisfied?"

  Vassily didn't speak, but just snorted heavily, rightly admitting it. Lin Hua grinned, and then said, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, even if you don't speak, I can guess what you're thinking." Having said this, he restrained the smile on his face, and said with a serious expression, "You row Although it is an engineering platoon, its combat effectiveness is not the weakest in the entire company. There is a reason why I keep you in every battle."

   "Is there a reason?" Vasili couldn't help showing a surprised expression when he heard Lin Hua say this: "What is the reason?"

"You also know that every mission we perform is very dangerous." Lin Hua looked at the soldiers who were gathering in the distance, and said to Vasily: "Your platoon is the seed I left behind. Once we are in the battle All sacrificed, Istralian will rely on you to rebuild. Do you understand?"

  Vassily didn't speak, but his breathing became short of breath. After a long while, he finally said: "Understood, Comrade Company Commander, I blamed you wrongly, please forgive me!" After speaking, he raised his hand and saluted, "I firmly obey your orders."

  After a quarter of an hour, two platoon soldiers disguised as German troops set off. Lin Hua, who was wearing the uniform of a German second lieutenant, walked in the front of the entire unit. Beside him was Ernst, who was wearing the uniform of a German captain. The German corporal looked very nervous and raised his hand from time to time to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

  Seeing that Ernst was so nervous, Lin Hua quickly comforted him and said, "Don't worry, Corporal Ernst, my people will protect your safety, and you will be fine."

   "I... I'm not nervous," Ernst said hesitantly, "I... I'm worried... I'm worried... I'll be found out... and then... I'll miss your business.”

"Ernst, didn't we just agree?" Lin Hua said to Ernst with a sideways face: "You tell the guards of the prisoner-of-war camp that we are ordered to take over the prisoner-of-war camp and let them hand over the defense to us." ...and when the guards are assembled, we surprise them and disarm them."

   Ernst raised his hand again to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and tried to say in a calm tone: "Okay, I will do my best."

   After an hour of marching, the troops came to the vicinity of the prisoner-of-war camp. The guard at the entrance saw a troop approaching him and was about to raise the alarm, but after seeing that the person was wearing a German uniform, the machine gunner in the sandbag fortification relaxed his vigilance again.

Lin Hua saw a German soldier with a rifle coming out of the sentry box, walking towards his troops slowly, and said to Ernst in a low voice: "Ernst, this German soldier will be handed over to you." You've got to deal with it." Ernst, who was still extremely nervous, miraculously regained his composure at this moment. After he nodded, he quickened his pace and walked towards the German soldier.

  The German soldier raised his hand and blocked Ernst's way, and asked blankly: "Mr. Captain, what part do you belong to, and what are you doing here?"

   "I am Captain Ernst, the commander of Company E of the 106th Infantry Division," Ernst said to the German soldiers with his hands behind his back: "We were ordered to take over the prisoner-of-war camp!"

   "Take over the prisoner-of-war camp?" Hearing what Ernst said, the German soldier froze for a moment and said, "But we have not received such an order. Mr. Captain, please show your ID."

  Lin Hua, who was standing not far away, could not understand German, but when he saw Ernst reaching out for his pocket, he knew that he was only going to show the German soldiers his ID. Seeing this situation, he couldn't help raising his throat, thinking that you don't have any documents at all, how could you get them out.

   Who knows what happened next, which surprised him. After Ernst suddenly pointed at the German soldier and said something, the German soldier stood at attention and saluted Ernst.

It turned out that Ernst knew that he couldn't produce his ID, and after pretending to dig it out for a while, he suddenly pointed to the German soldier and said, "Private first class, why didn't you salute just now? Don't you know that soldiers always salute when they see officers?" ?"

   Ernst's posturing frightened the private first class. He remembered that he did not salute the captain, stood at attention in a panic, and raised his hand to salute Ernst. Ernst said resolutely: "Go back to your superior immediately and tell him that you will be locked up for two days because you are rude to him."

  The private first class did not dare to refute, so he could only reply with his body straightened like a telegraph pole: "Yes, Mr. Captain."

   "Lead the way ahead." Ernst saw that his little trick had made the other party forget to check the documents, so he ordered: "We must take over the prisoner-of-war camp immediately."

  (end of this chapter)