After dark, the first ones to appear near Nangang were German engineers. They were ordered to open a road in the minefield to allow the troops stationed in Nangang to pass.
Sokov stood in the observation post of Beigang, using his binoculars to look at the German engineers looming in the minefield. Belkin on the side asked curiously: "Comrade Brigadier, tell me, what are the German engineers doing in such a dark night?" If you clear mines, won’t you be killed by mines?”
"I don't think so. Didn't you see that every engineer carries a flashlight?" Sokov pointed to the light group that appeared and disappeared in the minefield, and said to Belkin: "They used the flashlight to shine. After confirming where there was a mine, he immediately put out the flashlight. If there were only one or two engineers searching for mines in this way, it would not be easy for our sentries on duty to detect them. But today the Germans were a little eager for success and actually dispatched With less than one platoon of engineers clearing minefields, the noise is a bit big."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," the Fourth Battalion Commander Briski, who was standing aside, interjected: "We have mortars on our position. If we fire towards the minefield, we can eliminate at least half of the enemy."
"If we fire now, not only will we scare the enemy away." Regarding Brisky's proposal, Sokov shook his head and expressed his objection: "Moreover, the artillery fire will detonate the mines in the minefield. After repelling the enemy, we will still need to spend more money." It’s time to re-lay mines, which is not worth the gain.”
It took the German engineers almost an hour to manage to open two passages in the minefield. A company that had been waiting on the outside immediately moved quickly along the passage towards Nangang. When they reached the foot of Nangang Mountain, they stopped advancing. A German captain raised a flashlight covered with red cloth and waved it toward the top of the mountain.
After a while, a red bright spot appeared on the top of the mountain, which was also shaking. Seeing that the contact code was matched, the German captain whispered: "Pass it down and quickly seize the position on the hill!"
"Pass the message down and quickly seize the position on the hill!"
"Pass it down,..."
The captain's order was passed down orally to every soldier. Although the intelligence obtained said that the Soviet army had abandoned this position, the German officers and soldiers did not dare to take it lightly. They bent down, put their rifle butts against their abdomens, and cautiously approached the position above.
When they were still more than ten meters away from the trench, the German captain ordered the troops to stop again. He squatted in a bomb crater and shook his flashlight in the direction of the trench. After a while, a shaking red flashlight also appeared in the trench, and then a voice asked: "Is it from the 295th Infantry Division?"
The captain stopped shaking the flashlight and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am Corporal Ernst of the Special Operations Group." A voice came from the trench again: "You haven't answered me yet, are you from the 295th Infantry Division?"
The captain stood up and answered in the direction of the trench: "Yes, we are from the 295th Infantry Division. We were ordered to take over the Nangang position. I am Captain Stephen, the commander of the leading company."
"Mr. Captain, I'm coming out, tell your people not to shoot."
When the captain heard Ernst's voice, he quickly shouted behind him: "It's one of our own, no one is allowed to shoot." After giving all these instructions, he shouted toward the trench again: "Come out, Ernst." Special Corporal."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw three figures coming out of the trench. Because the light was too dark, he couldn't see the other person's face clearly. He quickly took off the red envelope covering his flashlight and looked at the other person. He found that the people walking towards him were actually three soldiers wearing Soviet uniforms. He hurriedly pointed his pistol at the visitor and shouted sternly: "Stop, if you don't stop, I will shoot!"
In the silent night, Captain Stephen's voice seemed particularly loud. The soldiers who had just lowered their guns heard the captain say this and hurriedly raised their guns to aim at the three people who came.
"Captain Stephen," the familiar voice came again, "I am Corporal Ernst. What's wrong with you? Why are you pointing the gun at me again?"
Stephen recognized that the person speaking to him was the voice that had just come from the trench, but he did not put down the gun in his hand, and continued to point at the other person and ask, "Why are you wearing Russian military uniforms?"
"What's so strange about this, Captain Stephen." Ernst said disapprovingly: "Since we are a special operations team deep behind the enemy's rear, what's the big deal about wearing Russian uniforms in order to conceal our identity?"
Ernst's words dispelled Stephen's doubts. He thought about it carefully and it seemed that it was not wrong. To carry out missions deep inside the enemy, wearing the enemy's military uniform is a means of concealing one's identity. He quickly ordered the soldiers to put down their guns, then walked forward alone, shook hands with Ernst and the other three, and said, "Thank you for your hard work!"
Ernst looked at the shadowy figures in front of him and asked Stephen: "Mr. Captain, how many of you are here?"
"A company." Stephen thought that Ernst was here to meet him, so he did not hide it from him: "The battalion headquarters and the other two companies are still behind, and they will wait until we occupy the position before coming over. Corporal, said Tell me about the situation here.”
Ernst nodded and said to Stephen: "Except for the east side, Nangang has defensive fortifications built on the other three sides. However, the Russians built a line of defense at the foot of the mountain in the east. It was originally to prevent our army from seizing the waterway. The dock was built by taking the back road of Nangang. If they find that our army has occupied Nangang, they may immediately launch a counterattack. Mr. Captain, although I have no right to give you orders, I still suggest that you send people to the mountain immediately. Build defenses to the east of the post."
Stephen deeply agreed with Ernst's statement. While he ordered the communications troops to report to the battalion headquarters that his company had entered the Nangang position of Mamayev Hill, he also directed people to rush to the east of the hill to repair the defenses.
Sokov, who was in the Beigang observation post, also saw German troops ascending to the Nangang. He was greatly disappointed when he found that there were only about two hundred enemies occupying the position. He thought to himself: What is going on? Why is there only one company of troops? Didn't the Germans say that they would send out a battalion? Could it be that the Germans discovered their intentions and deliberately sent only one company to test themselves?
Belkin only saw a group of dark figures ascending Nangang, and he asked impatiently: "Comrade Brigadier, the enemy has taken the bait. Can we inform the troops over Nangang to prepare for an attack?"
"Don't be anxious, my comrade political commissar." In response to Belkin's proposal, Sokov shook his head and said: "Currently there is only one company of enemies on the hill. Let's wait and see if any more enemies enter Nangang." surface position."
