Half an hour later, Sokov led three platoons of soldiers toward the factory area.
Shortly after leaving the tunnel at Mamayev Ridge, he heard bursts of gunfire and explosions from ahead. He quickly called the platoon leader Samoylov to him and ordered him: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, immediately Send a few people to the front to conduct reconnaissance and find out what happened."
"Comrade Brigadier," Guchakov, who had been following Sokov, quickly volunteered after hearing the order he issued: "Let me lead people to conduct reconnaissance."
Although Guchakov has now been demoted to the rank of corporal, he has rich combat experience and strong command capabilities. If he leads the team to conduct reconnaissance, he will definitely be able to figure out what is happening ahead. So Sokov nodded without hesitation and ordered him: "Okay, comrade corporal, you take a few soldiers to conduct reconnaissance. After you figure out what's going on, don't act rashly and send someone to report to me immediately."
"Understood, Comrade Brigade Commander." Guchakov agreed in a low voice, and ran forward with several soldiers bent over.
After Guchakov walked away, Samoilov said to the soldier next to him on the ground: "Pass it down and rest where you are!"
Soon his order was faithfully conveyed, and the soldiers of the guard company each chose a secluded area to rest. Samoilov came to Sokov and asked tentatively: "Comrade Brigade Commander, Corporal Guchakov, can he do it?"
"Comrade Second Lieutenant," Sokov looked at Samoilov and said, "It doesn't matter that Guchakov has been demoted, but with his ability, it is perfect for him to do such a thing. Just wait, we We’ll figure out what’s going on soon.”
Samoilov handed Sokov a cigarette and said: "Comrade Brigadier, we don't know how long we have to wait. Let's smoke a cigarette first."
"Comrade Second Lieutenant, are you desperate for your life?" Sokov said in a stern tone without taking the cigarette Samoylov handed him, "Don't you know that in the night, the light of a cigarette butt can travel very far? If we are discovered by enemy snipers, you and I will both die. Immediately order the soldiers not to smoke or make any noise."
When Samoylov heard what Sokov said, he immediately realized that he had made a fatal mistake. If he was discovered and killed by German snipers because of smoking, it would be really uneconomical. He quickly put away the cigarettes. , once again conveyed the orders given by Sokov to every soldier.
About half an hour later, there was a sudden rush of footsteps, and then Sokov heard an anxious voice shouting: "Comrade Brigade Commander, where is Comrade Brigade Commander? Comrades, who of you saw this?" Comrade Brigade Commander?”
Sokov guessed from the man's shout that it might be Guchakov who came back to report the situation, so he quickly stood up and replied: "I'm here!"
When the soldier heard Sokov's voice, he quickly ran to Sokov, stopped his body and reported: "Comrade Brigade Commander, we have figured it out. It was the Germans who took advantage of the night to sneak attack the assembly workshop. Our people are fighting with them." There's a fight going on."
"Comrade Brigadier," Samoilov listened to the soldier's report and immediately approached Sokov and suggested to him: "Let's rush to support immediately and engage in a flanking attack with the troops in the factory to annihilate these people. Enemies coming for a sneak attack."
"Comrade Second Lieutenant," Sokov turned to look at Samoilov and said to him: "I want to ask you, can you distinguish between ourselves and the enemy in the dark? If we rush to reinforce at this time, maybe we will If there is a misunderstanding with one of our own people, and we fight with our own people, it will be the Germans who benefit.”
"Then what should we do?" Samoylov heard what Sokov said, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was really the case. When the army was attacked at night, the command system would be in chaos. Maybe the other side will regard itself as the enemy, and then the two sides will have a melee, which will give the Germans an advantage. However, when he heard the gunshots and explosions in front of him, he still felt uneasy: "Are we just here doing nothing?"
"Comrade Second Lieutenant," Sokov asked Samoilov tentatively, considering that he had not asked about the security company for a long time and wondered whether they had also lost their numbers during the battle: "How many people are there in your platoon?"
"There are 58 people in the whole platoon. Corporal Guchakov took away 5 people, leaving 52 people." Samoylov knew that Sokov would not ask this for no reason, and quickly asked: "Comrade Brigadier , what are your plans?"
"Judging from the movement in front, the enemy will not send too many people for a sneak attack, only fifty or sixty people at most. With such a small force, it is simply impossible to seize the position of the assembly workshop." Soko The husband had already thought about how to deal with this group of sneak attack enemies: "In my estimation, they will withdraw soon. We will ambush them on their only way to catch them off guard."
Hearing what Sokov said, Samoylov asked a little uneasily: "Comrade Brigadier, how do we know who are the enemies and which are our own?"
"Comrade Second Lieutenant, the Germans will definitely withdraw to their positions after completing the sneak attack mission." Sokov explained to Samoylov: "But our soldiers will not leave their positions easily. Therefore. , if you see those black figures leaving our positions and running away in the direction of the enemy, they are all enemies, so just let the soldiers shoot them."
"It makes sense, it makes sense." After listening to Sokov's analysis, Samoilov couldn't help but nodded repeatedly, and asked cautiously: "Comrade Brigadier, shall we ambush now?"
Sokov said to the soldiers who came to report: "Go back and tell Corporal Guchakov to stay there and continue to observe the enemy's movements. Don't act rashly. Once the enemy is eliminated, I will send someone to contact you." .”
Sokov led his men to the direction of the wall to ambush. As soon as the soldiers entered the crater, they saw a group of black figures running in the direction of themselves. Everyone hurriedly lay down in the crater and aimed their guns at the approaching enemy. The black shadow just waits for orders and shoots immediately.
Sokov and Samoylov lay in the same crater, raising their assault rifles and aiming at the approaching black shadow. When the black shadow running at the front was only more than twenty meters away from him, he suddenly shouted: "Fire!" and fired first, knocking the locked black shadow to the ground.
As soon as Sokov's gunshot fired, gunshots like exploding beans rang out all around. The black figures running over never imagined that there was actually a Soviet army ambushing here, and they were caught off guard. Most of the soldiers didn't even have a chance to fire a shot, and fell to the ground with multiple bullets.
The ambush lasted less than two minutes, and all the black figures that fled from the direction of the assembly workshop fell to the ground. Samoilov looked outside and saw that there was no longer a black figure standing, so he tentatively asked Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, should we go clean the battlefield?"
"Don't worry, let the soldiers continue to lie down in the crater. No one is allowed to stand up without my order." Sokov was deeply afraid that there were still German soldiers pretending to be dead. If he went to clean the battlefield at this time, he might be killed. It was a cold shot, so he decisively ordered: "Before dawn, as long as everyone sees a moving shadow, shoot immediately."
Not all of the nearby German soldiers were killed. Some took advantage of the chaos and lay down directly in the crater, planning to wait for the Soviet army to clean up the battlefield and then use the night as a cover to escape. Unexpectedly, after the gunfire stopped for a long time, no Soviet troops came to clean up the battlefield. This was far beyond their expectations. Some soldiers who couldn't keep calm climbed out of the bomb crater secretly, trying to escape from the factory area as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, before they could stand up straight, they were hit by bullets flying from nowhere, and another one was hit. I fell into the crater and could not get up again this time.
After several hours of waiting, it finally dawned. Sokov looked out of the crater and felt the current visibility. Pay attention to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and said to Samoylov: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, give orders to the soldiers, let them go out to clean the battlefield, take no prisoners, collect After finishing those weapons and ammunition that are still usable, return to the assembly workshop."
Samoilov nodded, stood up and shouted around: "Comrades, come out and clean the battlefield. The brigade commander has an order not to take prisoners. After collecting weapons and ammunition, immediately go to the defensive position of the assembly workshop."
