"Comrade Political Commissar and Chief of Staff," in order to implement his orders accurately and timely, Sokov felt that he had to explain to Belkin and Sidorin: "At the beginning, I ordered the First Battalion to build a building on the front of Nangang. The defense line is based on the fact that the terrain to the west of Mamayev Heights is flat and easy to attack and difficult to defend. In order to defend here, it is necessary to expand the depth of our defense."
"That's right," Sidorin agreed with Sokov's statement: "Whether it's the South Hill or the North Hill, the hillside in front of the defense is relatively gentle, and the enemy's infantry can easily rush up. That's why you decided , pushing the front line far away from the hills."
After Sidorin repeated what he had said before, Sokov continued: "But now I find that the open space in front of Mamayev Hill is not conducive to defense. Putting a battalion of thousands of people there will only This would cause them to be completely lost under the enemy's constant bombardment. Therefore, after repeated consideration, I decided to shrink our troops and hold on to Mamayev Heights."
"Withdraw them all into the fortifications?" Sidorin asked with a wry smile: "Comrade Brigadier, you also know that the ventilation conditions in the tunnels are not ideal. Thousands of people are crowded into a tunnel. If the time is short, it will not matter. If the time is short, Over time, I'm worried that I might suffocate."
"Didn't Major Ozor help us improve the ventilation system?" Sokov remembered that last time he used surface positions to lure the enemy and blocked most of the passages in Nangang, causing a large number of wounded to suffer from hypoxia and suffocation. Major Ozor was invited to help him improve the ventilation system. At least when he stayed at the headquarters, he didn't have difficulty breathing, so he asked in surprise: "How come there is still suffocation?"
"After Major Ozor helped us improve the ventilation system last time, the ventilation situation in the tunnel was indeed in a very good state." Sidorin said with some embarrassment: "But the enemy's shelling caused us to be unable to defend the front. Individual tunnel entrances have collapsed, resulting in poor ventilation in some areas..."
What else Sidorin said next, Sokov did not hear clearly. He was thinking in his mind that the last time he implemented the enemy luring tactic, Vanya's first battalion retreated into the tunnel, and Vasily's second battalion Then he was arranged to dig fortifications at the foot of the east slope. If two battalions with basically complete structures were placed in the tunnel, plus the third battalion and the troops directly under the brigade, the tunnel would be overcrowded.
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Seeing that Sidorin was still talking, Sokov quickly raised his hand to stop him and began to give orders: "I think about it this way. After the first battalion disembarks from the defensive front, it will not enter the tunnel. Fortifications, but place them on the reverse slope to build new fortifications?”
"Anti-slope?!" When Sidorin heard the word Sokov suddenly appeared, he couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Comrade Brigadier, I don't understand what you mean?"
Hearing what Sidorin said, Sokov immediately realized that he had made a mistake again. The term anti-slope fortification seemed to have appeared only ten years later. He quickly explained to Sidorin: "The anti-slope refers to In mountain offensive and defensive battles, the side of the hillside facing away from the enemy and facing us."
After Sokov's explanation, Sidorin immediately understood: "If the hillside facing away from the enemy and facing us is called an antislope; then, can the hillside facing the enemy and facing away from us be called an antislope? Positive slope?”
"That's right, that's what it means." Seeing that Sidorin was able to draw inferences so quickly, Sokov gave him a thumbs up: "I think it is simpler and more direct to call the defensive direction of Mamayev Heights this way. .”
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Sidorin asked puzzledly after figuring out what was going on with the reverse slope: "Since the reverse slope fortifications are facing our army, why are you building fortifications here? Are you worried that the enemy will bypass the hills? Come around behind us?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you are wrong." Unexpectedly, Sokov shook his head and replied: "Building fortifications on the reverse slope is not to deal with the enemy who bypasses the rear of our army, but to deal with the enemy occupying the top of the hill. enemy."
Sokov's words confused Sidorin and Belkin. After the two looked at each other, Sidorin raised the question in his heart: "Comrade Brigadier, even if we build defenses on the reverse slope, Fortifications, but once the enemy occupies the top of the hill, they can attack us from a high position..."
Sokov took out a pen and paper, and while drawing a schematic diagram on the paper, he explained to Sidorin and Belkin: "We ordered the first battalion to build the first trench thirty meters away from the top of the hill. The soil excavated from the trenches was piled on the side of the mountain top, making the entire trench high in front and low in back.
The reason why we built the first trench so close is so that when the enemy rushes to the top of the hill, our soldiers can drop bombs from the trench, inflicting heavy damage on them, and then carry out a counterattack, killing them in one fell swoop. Retake the hills occupied by the enemy. "
"Such a close distance," Sidorin crossed his arms on his chest, stared at the sketch on the table, frowned and said, "We can throw grenades at the enemy, and so can they. And they charge from the hills. It will be much easier to come down than to feint for us.”
"Chief of Staff, the situation is not what you think." Sokov continued: "Since the soil we dug out is piled near the top of the mountain, it blocks the enemy's sight, making the grenades they throw very difficult. It is difficult to put them into our trenches. As for charging, you also know that the terrain of Mamayev Hill is gentle in the west and steep in the east. It is easier to go up the mountain than to go down. When the enemy rushes down from the steep hillside, in order to prevent falling However, the speed will definitely be affected, so they will become the target of our military commanders and soldiers."
"It makes sense, it makes sense." Belkin nodded several times when he heard what Sokov said: "It is relatively easier for our soldiers to rush up than for the enemy to rush down. And this kind of The trenches are high in front and low in the back, so even if our first trench is occupied by the enemy, we can easily recapture it when we launch a counterattack."
Sidorin picked up the sketch, looked at it repeatedly for a long time, and finally nodded and said: "Comrade Brigade Commander, your reverse slope fortification is indeed very special. Not only can it avoid enemy shelling, but it can also be used in enemy attacks." After climbing to the top of the hill, we launched a counterattack in the shortest possible time. With this kind of fortification, we are more certain to hold Mamayev Hill. I will call Captain Vanya and ask him to move the first battalion. The troops were withdrawn to the reverse slope to build new defenses."
