Red Moscow

  Chapter 591 Defense

   As soon as it was dawn the next day, the defensive position of the 308th Infantry Division was heavily shelled by the German army.

  Sokov stood on the hill and raised his binoculars to observe the situation on the distant position. He saw clusters of dazzling flames constantly flashing across the position, and the diffuse smoke made it impossible for him to see the situation of the position clearly.

  In order to find out the situation on the ground, Sokov asked Gurdiyev about the specific situation by phone. However, due to the loud explosion of the shells, he could not hear what Gurdiyev was saying.

   Just after Sokov put down the phone in disappointment, Yakov came to his side, glanced at him, and then focused on the position that was being bombarded by the enemy. He said casually, "Misha, the enemy fires so fiercely, and Colonel Gurdiyev and the others don't have a solid position. I'm worried that their casualties during the shelling will be serious."

  Sokov smiled wryly, and said, "I wanted to ask how the situation was on the ground, but the artillery was too loud, and I couldn't hear what Colonel Gurdiyev was saying at all."

"I guess Colonel Gurdiyev is staying in his headquarters at the moment, and he doesn't know much about the outside situation than you." Yakov curled his lips and said, "You still wait for the enemy's shelling to end, Gurdiyev has counted the losses, and it will not be too late to call him to ask."

   Fortunately, the German shelling did not last long, and stopped after only a quarter of an hour. Before the smoke cleared, the German army launched an attack on the defensive positions of the 308th Infantry Division from the east and south at the same time.

   Before Sokov could call again, Gurdiyev called first. On the phone, he didn't say any nonsense, but straight to the point and shouted: "Comrade Brigadier, the situation here is very bad. The enemy attacked us from two directions at the same time. I request support, request support."

Sokov only had Vanya's 1st Battalion and Tenev's Guard Battalion in his hands. The two battalions add up to 300 people and are responsible for the defense of the west and south. Tiev. So facing Gurdiyev's request for help, Sokov could only bite the bullet and said: "Comrade Colonel, I repeat, I have no reserve team. You must rely on your own strength to resolutely block the Germans."

"Misha," Yakov said worriedly when he heard that Sokov rejected Gurdiyev's request for help, "the enemy launched an attack on the area defended by the 308th Infantry Division from the east and south at the same time. I'm worried that the position may not be defended. Why don't we deploy troops to support them?"

"No, the troops in our hands cannot be used." Sokov turned around and pointed to the west, and said to Yakov: "Yakov, don't forget that the Germans attacked us from the west yesterday. If I deploy troops to reinforce the 308th Infantry Division, the defense here will become weak. If the Germans take the opportunity to attack, I am afraid that they will not be able to hold it. Once this place is lost, we will concentrate all our troops on Gu It won't last long with Erdiyev either."

"Then what should we do?" Seeing that Sokov was unwilling to send troops to support, Yakov couldn't help asking anxiously: "Should we just watch Colonel Gurdiyev's troops being eaten up by the Germans one by one? ?”

In order not to let Yakov think that he was desperate to save him, Sokov deliberately explained to him: "Yakov, it's not that I don't want to rescue Gurdiyev. One is because the number of troops in hand is limited. If we send troops to support, then the defense here will become weak and the enemy will have an opportunity to take advantage of it; secondly, because sooner or later we will withdraw to the small village in the northwest to join Colonel Bely and the others. If Colonel Fu can't resist, he can withdraw to our place first, and then move to the northwest."

Sokov considered that the tone of his rejection of Gurdiyev just now was a bit too blunt, so he connected the phone number of Gurdiyev's division again, and said into the microphone: "Comrade Colonel, wait until the enemy's attack is overwhelmed." After repelling, you immediately arrange for people to send all the seriously injured to me."

  In a recent call, Gurdiyev heard Sokov reject his request so simply, and thought that the other party was going to give up on him. But when he heard that Sokov asked him to send the seriously wounded, he immediately realized that he might have wrongly blamed Sokov. Although Sokov had two battalions of more than 300 people, these troops were distributed among two Near a hill and a small village, if they really send reinforcements to themselves, their defense will become weak. He quickly replied: "Understood, Comrade Brigadier, after the enemy's attack is repelled by us, I will arrange manpower as soon as possible to send the seriously wounded to you."

   The German army attacked from two directions at the same time. Without the cover of tanks, it was difficult for them to easily seize positions in the face of the tenacious resistance of the Soviet army. After the battle lasted for more than an hour, the German commander saw that the troops were still unable to break through the Soviet defenses, so he issued an order to retreat, preparing to go back and regroup before launching an attack on the Soviet army.

   Seeing the enemy receding like a tide, most Soviet soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. Gurdiyev called the political commissar Sverin to the front and said to him: "Comrade political commissar, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov just called me and asked us to send the seriously wounded to the hospital immediately after the enemy was repulsed. Where he is. I think it’s up to you to take care of it.”

   "Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Swerin nodded quickly and replied, "I will definitely send these wounded to the brigade headquarters safely."

  In order to transport the wounded, Gurdiyev specially dispatched a hundred soldiers and dozens of lightly wounded, and carried the seriously wounded to Sokov's position. Many of the wounded breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that they were going to retreat to Sokov's position. They found that there seemed to be no fighting there today, and wishful thinking that as long as they got there, they would definitely be safe.

   Swerin led the soldiers carrying stretchers, and after an hour's march, they finally arrived at the hill where Sokov was located. He straightened his body and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, all 39 seriously wounded of our division are here, please take good care of them."

   "Don't worry, Comrade Commissar." Sokov said to Swerin with a smile on his face: "We will settle them down properly. By the way, what are you going to do next, should you stay here or return to the position?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, of course he has returned to the position." When Swerin spoke, his eyes were fixed on the position where the gunpowder was still smoking. The enemy is desperate, but I am hiding far behind."

Seeing that Sverin was unwilling to stay, Sokov didn't force it. On the contrary, he urged him: "Comrade Commissar, if you are determined to return to the battlefield, please go there immediately, otherwise, when the enemy launches another attack, don't you think about it again." It has never been so easy in the past.”

   Sverling nodded, and walked back to the army he brought. After scanning everyone's body one by one, he said: "Comrades wounded, you have fulfilled your obligations in the past day and night. Next, you will all be sent to the field hospital, arrange You are treating your wounds in our hospital. . . . Now, I am going back to the front line, who wants to go back with me?"

  The hundred soldiers carrying stretchers immediately shouted without hesitation: "We are willing to return to the front with you."

  In addition to these soldiers, some seriously wounded lying on stretchers also shouted proudly: "Comrade political commissar, I am willing to go back with you."

"Comrades wounded," seeing many seriously wounded and wanting to follow him back to the front, Sverling's eyes couldn't help getting wet. He raised his hand and wiped his face, and then said loudly: "The seriously wounded stay here. If the lightly wounded are willing to go back with me, let’s set off together.”

  When Swerin left, in addition to the hundred soldiers, there were more than 20 lightly wounded. They also made a decisive decision to follow Swerin back to the front and continue to fight the Germans.

  Gurdiyev saw that Sverin came back with many wounded, and he couldn't help asking curiously: "Comrade political commissar, I asked you to take the wounded to the back, why did you bring them back?"

  Svering turned his head and glanced at the wounded who came back with him, grinned, and said: "Comrade Commander, since they want to come back and continue to attack the Faxi Temple invaders, we can't discourage their enthusiasm."

"Since you're back, let them all stay." Gurdiyev was having a headache about his lack of troops. Seeing that so many wounded were willing to stay and continue fighting, he said smoothly, "Let them go back to their respective positions." Go to the troops, the battle may start soon."

"Comrade Commander," Swerin recalled what Sokov had said to him in private, stopped Gurdiyev at once, and said to him, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov said, if we can't hold on here, Just resolutely abandon the position and rush over to join them, don't stay here to fight the enemy head-on, and fight a war of attrition that is not worth the loss."

Gurdiyev nodded vigorously, and said: "Don't worry, Comrade Political Commissar. Our division has dropped from more than 10,000 people to a few hundred now. I definitely hope that more fighters will survive and serve our infantry first. The 308th Division should save more seeds. I will never do such a stupid thing as confronting the enemy head-on."

Speaking of this, Gurdiyev raised his hand and patted Sverin's shoulder twice, and said with concern: "Comrade political commissar, you must be tired after running so far back and forth, go back and rest first. I can do things on the battlefield with me."

  (end of this chapter)