"Comrade Sergeant, take him to the basement." Seeing that the Yak-1 fighter jet had made a forced landing and was gliding towards him, Sokov told the Sergeant to keep an eye on Meyer, and he rushed towards Katya. He shook his head and said: "Let's go, Katya, let's go together to welcome your captain."
After the enemy plane escaped, the women's flying squadron did not pursue it, but prepared to return. Lilia was worried about Katya's safety, so she said to Raisa through the radio: "Comrade Lieutenant, I can't go back now. I want to land at the factory to see how Katya is doing. If possible, I want to take her with me She flew back together."
Raisa heard Lilia's request and said to her quickly: "Lilia, don't worry, Katya landed in the factory area. I think she must have been rescued by our soldiers. You don't have to worry about this." Yes. Also, even if you see Katya after landing, you can’t take her back. Don’t forget, the Yak-1 fighter we are flying is a single-seat aircraft.”
"Comrade Lieutenant, just let me go." Lilia felt particularly uncomfortable when she thought of Katya being shot down by an enemy plane in order to save herself. She said stubbornly: "If I can't see Katya alive, my heart will be broken. Not grounded.”
Seeing Lilia's insistence, Raisa stopped trying to persuade her and said softly: "Lilia, although there are a lot of open spaces in the factory, there are a lot of craters after being bombed by enemy planes. You need to be more careful when landing." be safe."
Just like that, Lilia, with Raisa's permission, broke away from the flight formation and forced a landing four to five hundred meters away from the assembly workshop. While the plane was still taxiing, she saw a group of people walking out of the factory building with thick smoke billowing in front of her. She was considering waiting for the plane to stop and asking them if anyone had rescued Katya. But at this moment, she suddenly saw a soldier wearing a pilot uniform rushing out of the crowd and running towards her quickly, waving his hands desperately as he ran.
"It's Katya." Although she was still more than a hundred meters away, Lilia could still see clearly that the person running towards her was Katya, whom she had been thinking about all the time. Her eye circles couldn't help but turn red: "Katya, she is still alive. .”
Before the plane came to a stop, Lilia pushed open the hatch, waved desperately at Katya who was running over, and at the same time shouted loudly: "Katya, Katya!"
After the plane stopped steadily, Lilia climbed off the plane on her hands and knees, hugged Katya tightly and said excitedly: "Katya, you are still alive. This is great, it is great." Got it!"
After the two separated, Katya raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, and said to Lilia with a forced smile: "Lilia, it was the soldiers of the 73rd Infantry Brigade who saved me." She turned towards Suo who was walking over. Sokov and the others pursed their lips, "Well, the young officer walking at the front is the brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. By the way, he has heard of you before."
"Have you heard of me?" When Lilia heard Katya say this, she couldn't help showing a surprised expression on her face, thinking to herself: I have never known Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, how could he know me? However, seeing that Sokov was not far away from him, he didn't think too much. He quickly pulled the hem of his flight suit, adjusted his military appearance, trotted up to stand upright in front of Sokov, and reported according to the order: " Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, Second Lieutenant Lilia of the Women's Squadron of the 437th Flying Regiment is reporting to you that I have just completed a combat mission and landed specifically to look for my downed wingman pilot."
"Although Katya's plane was shot down by an enemy plane, thank God, her soldiers and horses were not injured. You can rest assured of this." After Sokov briefly introduced Katya's situation, he gave Lilia a thumbs up: "Second Lieutenant Lilia, you are really amazing. You actually shot down five enemy planes by yourself. I will report your results to your superiors and let them award you a medal."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Lilia was not too interested in the award. What she cared about most was whether Katya was safe. Now that she saw the wingman standing in front of her alive and kicking, she felt much more at ease. "Thank you for saving Katya," Sokov said.
"Comrade Second Lieutenant, you don't have to be so polite. This is just a small effort." Sokov said to Lilia with a smile: "I should thank you. If you hadn't driven away the enemy planes, they would have been bombing over us for who knows how long. .”
After the two chatted politely for a few words, Sokov suddenly thought of the captured German pilot Meyer and wanted to meet the Soviet pilot who shot him down, so he tentatively asked Lilia: "Second Lieutenant Lilia, we just captured A German pilot was shot down by you, and he wanted to meet our pilot who shot him down."
Lilia was about to reject Sokov's request, but she heard Sokov add: "By the way, I almost forgot, he is the German pilot who shot down your wingman."
Hearing what Sokov said, Lilia immediately changed her mind. She nodded and said, "Okay, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, then I will go see him and see what he has to say."
Seeing that Lilia agreed, Sokov quickly ordered the few soldiers who followed him: "You stay here and are responsible for protecting Second Lieutenant Lilia's fighter plane. Do you understand?"
Several soldiers standing behind Sokov were extremely excited when they learned that they would stay to guard Lilia's plane, and they immediately shouted in unison: "I understand!"
Sokov took Lilia to his temporary command post and introduced Lilia's identity and the results she had achieved to Zinchenko and others.
When Zinchenko and the others saw Sokov coming in with two female pilots, they all frowned in unison, wondering why there were female pilots here. After they listened to Sokov's introduction to Lilia's situation, they were all surprised. Zinchenko immediately felt guilty for his contempt for Lilia. He quickly stepped forward to hold Lilia's hand and said friendly Said: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, you are really amazing. You were able to shoot down so many enemy planes..."
While Zinchenko was talking to Lilia, Fourth Battalion Commander Brisky walked in excitedly. He asked Sokov carelessly: "Comrade Brigadier, I heard that we captured a German pilot. Is it Really?"
"Yes, we did capture a German pilot." After Sokov confirmed Briski's guess, he pointed at Lilia and introduced him: "Comrade Captain, let me introduce to you, this is Lilia. Lieutenant Ya and her wingman, they shot down the captured pilot's plane and drove away the remaining enemy aircraft."
After learning that the female pilot in front of him actually shot down an enemy plane, Briskey was immediately in awe of Lilia. Regardless of the fact that the other party's military rank was much lower than his own, he still raised his hand and saluted, and said respectfully: "Thank you, Comrade Second Lieutenant. If you hadn't driven away the enemy plane, I'm worried that the troops would have suffered more heavy casualties. .”
Not long after, Meyer came in from the outside escorted by two soldiers. Briski only glanced at him and asked sternly: "How did you get your two first-class and second-class Iron Crosses and a Knight's Iron Cross?"
When Zinchenko heard what Briski had said, he instinctively wanted to translate his words. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, Meyer raised his hand to stop him, and said arrogantly in less than standard Russian: "No need to translate, I can Understand."
He turned to face Briski and said with a sneer: "These two first-class and second-class Iron Cross medals were obtained after I shot down your eighth plane." At this point, he pointed with his finger. That "Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross", he said proudly, "And this medal was obtained by me for shooting down three of your planes in one day some time ago."
Sokov had little research on the Iron Cross, so he didn't notice this detail at all after he captured Meyer. At this moment, when he heard Meyer talking about how many Soviet planes he had shot down, he thought to himself: Lilia was so lucky to be able to shoot down the German ace pilot.
When Briskey heard what Meyer said, he was so angry that veins popped out on his forehead. He slammed the table hard and shouted: "It doesn't matter that you are an ace pilot. You were shot down by our pilot!"
Brisky's words reminded Meyer. He looked at Sokov and asked: "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, didn't you say you wanted me to meet the pilot who shot me down? I think the pilot who can shoot me down must be Your best pilot. Although he and I are enemies, I still want to show my respect to him."
"You want to meet the pilot who shot you down." Sokov pouted at Lilia who was standing next to him and said: "Here, it's this female air force second lieutenant. It was her first time to participate in an air battle today, and she shot down including Five planes including your fighter.”
Seeing the petite, blond, and beautiful young female pilot standing next to Sokov, Meyer felt that he had been greatly insulted. He immediately roared: "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, even though I became your I am a prisoner of war, but please give me the treatment I deserve as a prisoner of war. I think I want to meet the enemy pilot who shot me down. This is not an excessive request. Please don’t humiliate me."
"Corporal," Lilia, who had remained silent since Meyer entered the door, suddenly took a step forward and said in fluent German: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov was not joking. It was indeed me who shot down the man next to me. This companion is my wingman, and she was shot down by you in the battle."
Meyer was stunned when he heard Lilia speaking proficient German. He never dreamed that he, the ace pilot of the German army, would be defeated by a young female pilot who was on the battlefield for the first time. Listening to Lilia narrating some details of the air battle, he confirmed that the female pilot in front of him was really the pilot who shot him down. He did not dare to look directly into Lilia's eyes anymore, but obediently lowered his head, his face The arrogant look on his face also disappeared without a trace.
Seeing Meyer's despair, Sokov ordered someone to take him down, and then said to Lilia: "Second Lieutenant Lilia, you can fly the plane back first. As for your wingman pilot Katya, I will arrange someone as soon as possible." Take her back to the airport."
"Thank you for your kindness, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Regarding Sokov's proposal, Lilia refused: "I landed in the factory area just to take Katya back."
"Comrade Second Lieutenant, please forgive me." Brisky couldn't help but interrupt after hearing this: "The Yak-1 fighter is a single-seat fighter. How can it seat two people?"
Before Lilia could answer, Sokov remembered a plot he had seen in a movie before. After a pilot of the Normandy regiment was shot down, another Soviet pilot landed next to his plane and took the injured The pilot stuffed himself into his cabin, and the two of them huddled together and rose into the air. Thinking of this, Sokov raised his hand to stop Brischi who wanted to continue speaking, and asked Lilia tentatively: "Lieutenant Lilia, are you planning to let Katya and you squeeze into the same cabin?"
"Yes, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you guessed it right." Seeing that Sokov had guessed his intention, Lilia replied with a smile: "Both of us are relatively thin, so there should be no problem in being squeezed into the same cabin. .”
"Okay, Second Lieutenant Lilia, since you have already figured out how to get back, let's set off quickly." Seeing that Lilia's thoughts coincided with his own, Sokov urged: "If the German aircraft fleet is destroyed again, Come here, it won’t be that easy if you want to leave.”
Lilia and Katya squeezed into the narrow cabin. After waving goodbye to Sokov and the others, they slid precariously along the empty space full of bomb craters for a hundred or two hundred meters, then staggered into the sky.
While they were still on the road, Raisa and Maria had returned to the airport. But after Raisa reported their results to Khostnikov, the colonel immediately jumped up from his seat: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."
"That's right, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you guessed it right." Seeing that Sokov had guessed his intention, Lilia replied with a smile: "Both of us are relatively thin, so there should be no problem squeezing into the same cabin. .”
"Okay, Second Lieutenant Lilia, since you have already figured out how to go back, let's set off quickly." Seeing that Lilia's thoughts coincided with his own, Sokov urged: "If the German aircraft fleet is destroyed again, Come here, it won’t be that easy if you want to leave.”
Lilia and Katya squeezed into the narrow cabin. After waving goodbye to Sokov and the others, they slid precariously along the empty space full of bomb craters for a hundred or two hundred meters, then staggered into the sky.
While they were still on the road, Raisa and Maria had returned to the airport. But after Raisa reported their results to Khostnikov, the colonel immediately jumped up from his seat: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."
Set a small goal first, such as remembering in 1 second: Shukeju
