Seeing the armored vehicle stop in front of him, the soldier seemed to grasp a life-saving straw. He raised his head and shouted loudly to Samoylov in the carriage: "Comrade commander, my division commander is seriously injured. Please save him."
The mission accepted by Samoilov was to search and rescue Glazkov. At this moment, I heard from the soldier that a famous division commander was injured. He quickly turned over and jumped out of the armored vehicle. He grabbed the soldier's arm and asked excitedly: "What is your division commander's name?"
"Glazkov," the soldier replied in a panic, "General Samoilov is the commander of the 35th Guards Division. During the transfer, we were shelled by the German army, and almost all the accompanying soldiers died. Yes, the division commander was also seriously injured..."
Before the soldier could finish speaking, Samoylov interrupted him: "Where is your division commander?"
"It's lying in a crater not far away." The soldier saw Samoilov's intention to help him rescue the division commander. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and said quickly: "Comrade commander, I will take you there."
Seeing Samoylov walking towards the distance with the unknown soldier, the two subordinates in the carriage couldn't sit still, so they got out of the carriage and trotted after him.
"Comrade Commander, he's right there." After walking 40 to 50 meters, the soldier pointed toward the smoke-y bomb crater not far away and said excitedly: "Our division commander is right there."
Hearing that Glazkov was in the crater, Samoylov and others quickened their pace. Near the crater lay the bodies of several soldiers, who must have died while protecting Glazkov. At this moment, a cannonball suddenly fell and exploded seven or eight meters away. When Samoylov heard the explosion, he instinctively squatted down, then stood up straight, and rushed towards him in three steps and two steps at a time. crater.
In the smoking crater, there lay a dying general. It was General Glazkov that Samoilov was looking for. One of his legs was blown off, exposing his black flesh.
Samoilov lay down next to Glazkov and asked anxiously: "Comrade General, I am Second Lieutenant Samoilov of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and I was ordered to come to pick you up. How are you? Can you Do you hear me?" After finishing speaking, seeing that Glazkov didn't respond, he turned and shouted outside the crater, "Hygiene, health worker."
The accompanying health worker heard the shouting and jumped into the crater. After checking Glazkov's leg injury, he immediately opened the medical kit he carried with him, took out the first aid kit inside, and began to bandage Glazkov.
"How is it?" Samoylov asked cautiously when he saw the hygienist bandaging it: "Is his injury serious?"
The health worker looked up at Samoylov, shook his head, and said sadly: "His legs were blown off, he lost too much blood, and he has fallen into a coma. We can only send him to the health team as soon as possible. Let the military doctors perform surgery on him, and there may be hope of survival."
"Here comes someone." Hearing what the health worker said, Samoylov quickly stood up and shouted to the soldiers standing by the crater: "Come in quickly and lend a hand to carry Comrade General into the armored vehicle."
Fortunately, the armored vehicle driver's mind was relatively easy to use. When he saw Samoilov and several subordinates walking towards a bomb crater in the distance, he drove behind them. Seeing Samoylov and others lifting a seriously injured commander from the crater, they quickly got out of the car and opened the door at the back.
After Samoilov and the others loaded Glazkov into the vehicle, the driver immediately turned the armored vehicle around, braved German artillery fire, and drove towards Mamayev Hill. On the road, Samoilov saw another armored vehicle, which had been destroyed by German artillery fire, overturned and burned on the roadside. Seeing that something had happened to the armored vehicle that was coming with him, the driver wanted to slow down and let Samoilov and the others go down to check, but as soon as he accelerated, Samoilov banged twice on the top of the driving platform. Next, he said in a stern tone: "Don't stop the car and rush back to Mamayev Heights as soon as possible."
Returning to Mamayev Heights, Samoilov ordered someone to get a stretcher from the entrance, and then used the stretcher to carry Glazkov out of the car. After all this was done, Samoylov said to his men: "Send Comrade General to the health team and ask the military doctor to operate on him immediately. I will report to the brigade commander now."
When Sokov saw Samoilov walking into his headquarters, he quickly put down what he was doing, went up to him and asked, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, how is the situation? Have you brought General Glazkov out?"
"Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander." Samoilov nodded and replied: "We have already taken him out."
Sidorin heard that Samoilov had taken Glazkov out, so he looked at the door curiously, but saw no one, so he asked curiously: "Second Lieutenant Samoilov, Didn't you say that you have brought General Glazkov out? Where are they?"
"In the health team, Comrade Chief of Staff." Samoilov looked at Sidorin and said: "When we found him, one of his legs had been blown off and he was lying dying in the crater. The accompanying health worker said that he His injury was too serious and required immediate surgery, so as soon as he returned to Mamayev Kurgan, I sent someone to the health team and asked military doctors to perform surgery on him."
"The general has arrived at the health team?!" Belkin heard what Samoylov said and immediately suggested to everyone: "Let's go see him now."
"Comrade Political Commissar, don't be anxious." Seeing that Bergin was about to leave, Sokov quickly stopped him and said to him: "At this time, the military doctor should be operating on the general. We have other things to do. , it’s the same thing to go see him after you’re done.” After saying these words, Sokov turned to Samoylov and asked, “Comrade Second Lieutenant, I think you should have seen the Guardsman at close range. The troops of the 35th Division, what is their situation now?"
"The organization has been completely lost," Samoilov replied: "I saw everyone running around, and no one stopped to gather the troops at all..."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Sidorin said with a frown after Samoilov finished speaking: "The situation seems to be more serious than we expected. Once the broken troops of the 35th Guards Division rush into our position , will have a negative impact on our military morale and morale. Do you think we should send people to intercept them and prevent them from entering our defense zone?"
"How can this be done?" Sokov expressed his opposition to Sidorin's proposal without hesitation: "If we do not allow them to enter our defense area, are we allowed to allow them to be destroyed by enemy artillery fire? Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately Call the fourth battalion commander and order them to send a company to take in the scattered friendly troops."
After explaining all this, Sokov picked up the high-frequency phone and reported the rescue situation to Chuikov. After hearing Chuikov's voice, he immediately said: "Comrade Commander, General Glazkov has been rescued, but he was seriously injured and may not last long..."
"What, Glazkov is seriously injured?" Chuikov was shocked by the information Sokov provided, and he quickly asked: "How was he injured?"
"When the 35th Guards Division retreated, it was shelled by the German army." Sokov replied: "General Glazkov was injured in the shelling. Now my military doctors are rescuing him. Can he survive?" , it depends on his luck."
After Chuikov put down the phone, he said to Krylov who was on the phone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I want to go to Mamayev Heights, and I will leave this place to you."
When Krylov heard that Chuikov was about to go out, he quickly covered the microphone with his hand and asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, has something happened?" There was a reason for him to ask that. Chuikov usually stayed at the headquarters. , I would not go out easily if I had nothing to do, but now I was in a hurry to rush to Mamayev Heights. Something unexpected must have happened.
"When Glazkov was being transferred, he was shelled by the Germans and was seriously injured. His life is now in danger." Chuikov said while putting on his hat: "I'm going to see how he is doing."
…………
More than half an hour later, Chuikov appeared in Sokov's headquarters.
Seeing Chuikov walking in, everyone stood up quickly and raised their hands in order to salute. Chuikov raised his hand to his forehead as a return salute to everyone, and then asked: "How is Glazkov's situation?"
Fortunately, before Chuikov arrived, Sokov had sent someone to the health team to understand the situation, so he replied without hesitation: "General Glazkov is still being rescued, and two bags of plasma have been transfused to him. Whether he survives depends on his luck."
Chuikov's expression was ugly. After walking a few steps back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, Chuikov looked up at Sokov and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, accompany me to the health team to have a look."
Someone had to be left on duty at the brigade headquarters, so only Sokov and Belkin followed Chuikov to the health team, while Sidorin stayed behind to handle daily work.
As the three of them walked along the corridor, Sokov reported to Chuikov in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, the military doctor reported to me that in addition to his legs being blown off, several pieces of shrapnel were shot into his chest. Attempts are being made to remove the shrapnel from the wound."
When Chuikov heard this, he immediately stopped, looked at Sokov and said displeasedly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, why didn't you report such important information to me just now?"
Faced with Chuikov's questioning, Sokov did not dare to say a word, lest he provoke the other party's thunderous wrath. Fortunately, Chuikov did not continue to struggle with this matter. Instead, he strode forward and continued: "Since Glazkov can no longer command the troops, wait until the deputy division commander, Colonel Dubyansky, arrives. , he will temporarily act as the division commander."
"Understood." When Sokov answered, he thought to himself: "This Colonel Dubyansky will not be as unlucky as Glazkov and be killed by an artillery shell, right? In that case, the 35th Guards Division Aren’t they all leaderless?”
When we arrived at the health team, the military doctor had already finished the operation and was talking quietly to a health worker. Sokov walked over and asked: "Comrade military doctor, how is General Glazkov's condition?"
"The operation has been completed," military doctor Pavlov shook his head and said, "but the situation is not optimistic. The several pieces of shrapnel that hit his chest have smashed his lungs. Whether he can survive depends on It’s his own luck.”
"Where is General Glazkov?" Chuikov's eyes turned red when he heard what Pavlov said. He asked with some choking, "I want to see him."
Pavlov led everyone to a separate ward not far away. Although the room was illuminated by a gas lamp, it was still dark. In the middle of the room, there were two wooden boards set up on mounds of earth, which were simple hospital beds. On one of them lay a man, General Glazkov, whom Chuikov wanted to visit.
Chuikov came to Glazkov's bedside, squatted down and leaned close to his ear, and whispered: "General Glazkov, I am Chuikov. Can you hear me?"
However, Glazkov lay motionless on the hospital bed and showed no reaction at all. But Chuikov did not care about this, but continued: "General Glazkov, you and your soldiers have performed very bravely. The enemy paid a huge price to capture your position. Get well soon, Your soldiers are still waiting for you to command them to fight!"
Sokov, who was standing aside, suddenly saw Glazkov's lips moving slightly a few times, and he quickly said excitedly: "Comrade Commander, General Glazkov seems to have something to say?"
Chuikov quickly put his ear against the opponent's chapped lips and said at the same time: "General Glazkov, if you have anything to say, just say it, I'm listening. ... What did you say, have the troops withdrawn?"
"Withdrawn, General Glazkov." In order to comfort Glazkov, Sokov quickly said: "The commanders and fighters of the 35th Guards Division have withdrawn, your deputy division commander Colonel Dubyansky We are on the nearby hill, collecting troops with my people."
"Thank...thank you!" Glazkov said the word with difficulty, expressing his gratitude to Sokov.
Chuikov continued to talk to the other party, but this time Glazkov did not react at all. Pavlov, who was standing nearby, quickly leaned down, opened Glazkov's eyelids, shined a light on it, then reached under his nose to check for breath, and then said to Chuikov with a look of regret: "Commander. Comrade, he has died."
"This is impossible." Chuikov heard Pavlov say this and immediately became angry: "You must be mistaken. He is not dead. He was still talking to me just now."
"Comrade Commander, how can you doubt my professionalism?" Seeing Chuikov questioning his judgment, Pavlov said in a dissatisfied tone: "Now he is no longer breathing and his pupils are dilated. These are all Death symptoms, don’t you still trust my judgment?”
