Red Moscow

  Chapter 311 Problems Facing

  In the following days, the news that the German army was approaching Stalingrad made the residents of the city panic. Not only the aborigines began to pack their bags and prepare to evacuate. Even those civilians who had just fled to Stalingrad from other places packed up their little luggage, and only waited for the evacuation of the city to start before embarking on a long journey again.

  But what is surprising is that the evacuation order has not been issued for a long time. On the contrary, on the daily radio, people hear the bulletin issued by the Soviet intelligence agency: a torrent of troops, cars, tanks and artillery vehicles is rushing to the Volga River day and night, to The Don River Steppe rushed to stop the German army that was rushing towards Stalingrad.

  The report from the Soviet Intelligence Agency reassured the residents who were in a state of panic. Some people even think that the next development must be the same as the defense of Moscow. Even if the Germans rush to the outside of Stalingrad, they will definitely be defeated by the Soviet army that has already been waiting here, and they don't need to leave their hometown at all.

  The mood of the residents in the city has stabilized, but for insiders, the current situation is getting more and more serious. As a military engineer of the city defense committee, Ozor naturally knew more inside information than ordinary residents. The more he knew, the more he agreed with Sokov's judgment: In Stalingrad, sooner or later there will be a fierce battle with the enemy.

  Although his responsibility is only to build a defensive position for the 73rd Infantry Brigade on Mamayev Gang, he still has the opportunity to see the fortification map outside Stalingrad. He put forward a series of opinions on the site selection and construction of the fortifications, but who knows that not only were they not adopted, but they were also reprimanded by their superiors. Ozor, who was hit, drove to Sokov's headquarters alone and vented his distress to him.

  Seeing Ozor, who hadn't shown up for several days, suddenly appeared in his headquarters, Sokov's first reaction was, is there something wrong with the project? For him, the quality of the project is a matter of life and death. If the fortification is not strong, it will collapse after being hit by a few German shells, and the commanders and fighters staying inside will not be buried alive?

   It was precisely because of this consideration that he asked Ozor a little nervously: "Comrade Major, you came here suddenly today. Is there something wrong with the engineering?"

"Engineering? What's wrong with the engineering?" Unexpectedly, Ozor was stunned by Sokov's question, but he quickly understood what the other party meant, and shook his head and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, don't worry." Well, the projects I'm in charge of have never had any quality problems. I'm here today to talk to you about something else."

Hearing that Ozor had something to talk to himself, Sokov hurriedly asked him to sit down, poured a cup of hot tea in front of him, then sat down opposite him, and said with a smile: "Comrade major, you If you have anything to say, you can say it now."

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, before the construction of the Mamayev fortifications started, you mentioned many times that our army will fight the Germans in the city sooner or later." Ozor held the teacup, but did not immediately drink, but tentatively asked: "Is everything you said true?"

"That's right, Comrade Major." To Ozor's question, Sokov nodded and replied affirmatively: "I said so. But I didn't just say it casually, but carefully analyzed the dynamics of the enemy and the enemy. It was only after that that I came to this conclusion.”

"Now it seems that your analysis is correct." Ozor picked up the teacup, but the tea was hot, took a sip, and continued: "Our position outside the city cannot stop the enemy at all." of."

"What?!" Hearing what Ozor said, Sokov's face was calm, but he startled Belkin who was sitting beside him: "Comrade Major, what did you just say? You said we were in the city Those fortifications built outside can't stop the Germans at all? You can't just say these words casually."

"I'm not talking nonsense. I suspect that those who choose the site and build the fortifications are a group of out-and-out laymen." Ozor said with a look of grief and indignation: "Most of our fortifications are set up on the bare grasslands , did not take advantage of the surrounding rivers, valleys and other favorable terrain. Such fortifications are extremely unfavorable for defense, but it is conducive to the German army to take advantage of their air and tank advantages."

   Sokov believed in all that Ozor said. He remembered that he once saw the Soviet marshal complaining about Stalingrad's field fortifications in Chuikov's memoirs. The fortifications were not built in rivers and valleys, but on open grasslands. The German reconnaissance planes could clearly find the location of the ground fortifications, and then the German bombers, like training to drop bombs, dropped countless The bombs were accurately dropped into these fortifications of the Soviet army.

Seeing that Belkin wanted to question what Ozor said, Sokov stopped him in time and said at the same time: "Comrade Commissar, what Major Ozor said is true. The fortifications in the Stalingrad area are It only started in May. At that time, our army had just launched a counterattack against the German army in Kharkov. Everyone was optimistic that the main force of the enemy in this area would soon be crushed by our army, and the enemy would be driven out by us. The day of going abroad is just around the corner.

   Tell me, under such circumstances, will the Stalingrad City Defense Committee do its best when it receives orders from its superiors to build fortifications? They only need to build a group of fortifications outside the city to cope with the National Defense Committee's buildings. As for where to build them, whether they can play a real defensive role is out of their scope of consideration. "

Hearing what Sokov said, Belkin couldn't help raising his heart, and he hurriedly asked: "Comrade Brigadier, if the fortifications outside the city are really useless, how can we rely on the Mamayev we are defending?" Gang, can you stop the enemy who is trying to occupy the city?"

"I can't stop it." Sokov replied very simply: "Not only can we not stop the enemy, even if the friendly troops that have entered the city one after another, they can't stop the enemy either. The only thing we can do is try not to let the enemy The enemy crossed the Mamayev Post and rushed to the Volga wharves. If they took it, the defenders of the city would be completely helpless and destroyed. Once the defenders were all killed, the city would be destroyed. Can you keep it?"

Speaking of this, Sokov turned his attention to Ozor again: "Comrade Major, I believe you already know the current situation in Stalingrad. Whether we can hold Mamayev Post depends entirely on our fortifications." Can it be completed before the Germans storm the city."

Ozor put down the teacup in his hand, looked at Sokov, and said with a serious expression: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, please rest assured, I assure you that starting tomorrow, I will urge the workers to speed up the progress, regardless of In any case, the fortification of Mamayev Post will be completed before the Germans storm Stalingrad."

  (end of this chapter)