Red Moscow

  Chapter 609 Change

After completing the refitting of the troops on the south side of the hillside, Gurdiyev felt that he was still not at ease, so he sent a reconnaissance team of fifteen people, led by a lieutenant, with a radio station five kilometers south of the position. Lurking in places outside, closely monitoring the movements of the enemy.

Regarding Gurdiyev's arrangement, Sokov agreed: "Comrade Colonel, you are doing a good job. You sent troops to lurk far away from the position. Once you find the enemy, you can call the police through the radio in time, so as to provide for the enemy. Comrades who stand firm gain time to prepare."

Although he dispatched a reconnaissance unit, Gurdiyev still felt that he was in a panic because the position on the south side was too simple. Except for two trenches connected by traffic trenches, there were only four or five hasty trenches. The civil firepower point was built, and the captured MG34 machine gun was mounted inside. With such a firepower configuration, it is okay to deal with the enemy's infantry, but if the enemy has tanks, it cannot be stopped at all.

   He frowned and asked Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, do you think we need to lead barbed wire and lay minefields in front of the position, so that the Germans will not rush to the front of the position in one charge."

"Colonel Gurdiyev, are you planning to tell the Germans that the position here has been occupied by our army?" Sokov waited for Gurdiyev to finish speaking, then sneered and retorted: "If we There is nothing in front of the newly dug trenches. Even if German troops appear nearby, they will not feel that this place is occupied by our army. But once they see barbed wire and minefields in front of the positions, even fools will know how to hide. The enemy is in the position. At that time, they will use artillery fire to bombard us. How many obstacles in front of the position do you think will remain after the intensive shelling is over?"

"Okay then." Seeing that Sokov insisted on not placing any obstacles in front of the position, Gurdiyev couldn't say anything more, so he could only bite the bullet and agree: "Since you said so, then I will obey your orders Don’t set up any minefields and barbed wire in front of the position.” After speaking, he sighed and added, “I hope the enemy won’t see us through.”

When Sokov returned to the command post, seeing Bely talking to Askel, he asked curiously: "Comrade Captain, you said that your division will be here to join us within three hours. But It's been three hours already, why haven't you seen them appear?"

Hearing Sokov's question, Asker couldn't help but blushed, and said with some embarrassment: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, although when I came, the division commander once said that the troops can be dispatched within three hours. Come here to take over your defense. However, the troops are scattered in different places, and it will take quite a long time just to assemble."

  Actually, Sokov did not mean to blame Askel. He knew very well in his heart that most of the Soviet troops had backward communications, and the radio stations were only equipped to the regiment level. To convey orders to the battalions and companies below, the only way to pass orders is through wired telephones or communication soldiers. It is better to concentrate the troops. If they are too scattered, it will not be easy to gather the troops, let alone a few hours, even if it takes more than ten hours.

Just when Sokov was about to ask Asker to send a soldier back to contact him, Guchakov suddenly ran in from the outside and said emotionally: "Comrade Brigadier, Second Lieutenant Samoilov, the leader of the third platoon, is leading the team." came back."

   "Oh, Samoilov is back?!" Sokov heard that Samoilov was back, so he guessed that the other party must have brought back some important news, and asked quickly, "Where is he?"

   Guchakov replied: "I saw a few of them crossing the river, maybe they will be here in a few minutes."

  Sokov couldn't sit still, so he stood up and said to Bely: "Comrade Colonel, let's go out and have a look!"

   Several people came to the trench outside and looked down the hillside. Sure enough, they saw Samoilov and several soldiers sitting on the wooden boat, paddling desperately to get to the south bank as soon as possible.

   After waiting for five or six minutes, the wooden boat that Samoilov and others were on finally docked at the south bank. But when they got off the boat and walked towards the hillside, Bely suddenly let out a long sigh. Sokov turned his head to look at Bely, and asked curiously: "Colonel Bely, why are you sighing?"

"Comrade Brigadier," Bely pointed to the bottom of the hillside, and said to Sokov, "I just calculated the time, and it took five or six minutes for Second Lieutenant Samoilov and the others to paddle across from the opposite bank. It’s no wonder that our army’s single division was unable to attack the positions held by the German battalion. I estimate that most of the commanders and fighters died under the enemy’s intensive firepower while crossing the river.”

"You're right." Hearing Bely's words, Sokov also realized the seriousness of the problem. He nodded quickly and said, "Therefore, we must try our best to hold this place, so that the enemy cannot take it again. Otherwise, we don't know how many commanders and fighters will spill blood on this land."

   "Comrade Brigadier!" As soon as Samoilov jumped into the trench, he saw Sokov and Bely standing not far away. He quickly walked over, straightened his body and reported, "I'm back!"

"Comrade Second Lieutenant," Sokov asked with some displeasure when he thought that the boy hadn't heard from him for several hours, "I asked you to look for friendly troops, but you disappeared. Tell me, what is going on here? ?”

"That's right, Comrade Brigadier." Seeing Sokov's unhappy expression, Samoilov quickly explained: "We arrived at the headquarters of the 292nd Division and got in touch with Colonel Korogotsky. , and also handed over your radio contact number to the commander of the 24th Army....I wanted to return as soon as possible, but Colonel Korogotsky said that we had worked too hard, so he left us to rest at his division headquarters..."

   Knowing that the other party came from the headquarters of the 292nd Division, Sokov asked again: "Second Lieutenant Samoilov, did Colonel Korogodsky say when his troops will arrive here?"

"According to the plan, the vanguard troops sent by Colonel Korogotsky should have arrived here. But when they found a German army moving nearby, the vanguard troops temporarily changed direction to eliminate this enemy." Samoilov told Sokov explained: "The colonel was worried that you were in a hurry, so he sent us back to report to you."

   "Are Germans appearing nearby?" Sokov hurriedly asked, "What kind of Germans are there, how many are there, and what kind of weapons are they equipped with?"

"Comrade Brigadier, don't worry." Samoilov continued: "I heard from Colonel Korogotsky that there are only about a hundred German soldiers, probably paratroopers dropped to the rear of our army, except for a few Except for mortars, they are all light weapons, which can be easily eliminated."

  Although they were only paratroopers equipped with light weapons, Sokov was worried about Yakov and the others in his heart. Although there is another battalion and guard battalion around him, there are so many wounded, which will affect the combat effectiveness of the troops to some extent, so he asked nervously: "Second Lieutenant Samoilov, on the way back, you saw Ya Major Cove have them?"

   "No, I didn't see it." Samoilov didn't realize until now that Yakov didn't seem to be by Sokov's side, so he shook his head and said, "Maybe I missed them somewhere."

  (end of this chapter)