"Comrade Brigadier, welcome back!" Before Belkin could reply, Vitkov's voice suddenly sounded at the door of the headquarters. It turned out that he had been standing at the door. Now when he saw Sokov and Belkin walking side by side, he took the initiative to say hello.
"Hello, Colonel Vitkov." Seeing Vitkov standing in front of him alive, Sokov was also very happy. He quickly stepped forward to hold the other person's hand and said enthusiastically: "I am not in command. Thank you for your hard work during this time in the ministry."
"Look what you said, I am the acting deputy brigade commander of the infantry brigade, these are what I should do." After shaking hands with Sokov, Vitkov turned his body to one side and moved out of the way: "Don't stand on The door is open, come in quickly."
Although he had only been away from the headquarters for a few days, Sokov still felt like he was in another world. He walked to his seat with ease and sat down, then looked at everything in the room to see if there were any changes.
"I said, Comrade Brigadier, where did you come from?" Witkov looked at Sokov's clothes that were wet and dripping with water from time to time. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "From the Red Cross?" When the moon factory reaches our place, there shouldn’t be any rivers, right?”
Belkin walked to the camp bed in the corner, bent down and picked up a set of his own military uniforms, turned over and came to Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, it's cold at night, so put on these clothes first, be careful not to catch a cold. ”
Sokov did not show any pretense. He took the military uniform from Belkin, walked to the corner, took off his soaked military uniform and began to change it. At the same time, he said: "I am not from the Red October Factory, but from the Red October Factory." Came from the east bank of the Volga River."
"What, you came from the other side of the Volga River?" Sokov's words surprised both Vitkov and Belkin. They asked in confusion: "When did you run to the other side?"
"It's a long story!" Sokov changed his clothes and led his troops north to Orlovka. Since he could not wait for reinforcements to arrive and his retreat was cut off by the enemy, he could only choose to break out to the north and go to Orlovka. The matter of rendezvous with the friendly forces was explained to the two of them in detail.
Although Sokov only told the two people the cause and effect of the matter in a straightforward tone, it still made them feel excited. Especially when Sokov mentioned that he was shelled by the Germans when crossing the river, Belgin asked with concern: "Comrade Brigade Commander, are you not injured?"
"No." Sokov shook his head and said lightly: "I was lucky, the enemy's shells did not hit me. But the water column raised by the shells drenched us like drowned rats."
Sokov's words aroused laughter from the two of them. After laughing, Vitkov asked anxiously: "Comrade Brigade Commander, how many reinforcements did you bring back from the other side of the river this time?"
"There was originally a Marine Corps battalion of more than 1,300 people." Sokov frowned slightly and said, "But I don't know how many casualties there will be when crossing the river. By the way, Comrade Colonel, we are at Mamayev Hill How many troops are left?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, after this period of fighting, we have suffered a huge reduction in our numbers." As the acting deputy brigade commander, Vitkov, when Sokov was away, had full command of the troops stationed at Mamayev Heights. At this moment, he heard When Sokov asked about the strength of the troops, he smiled bitterly and said: "There are still about two hundred people in the 192nd Battalion currently stationed at Beigan, and many of them are wounded who have not recovered from their injuries..."
"I know the situation of the 192nd Battalion. Captain Golya reported to me when we just passed the North Post." Sokov knew very well that he took away the 1st and 4th Battalions, leaving only the Mamayev Ridge. After dismounting the Second Battalion, the 192nd Battalion, and the Third Battalion fighting in the city, he just wanted to know how many soldiers he still had: "How is the situation of the Second and Third Battalions?"
"The Second Battalion still has more than 300 people, and there are also many wounded among them." Vitkov scratched the back of his head and said: "The situation of the Third Battalion fighting in the urban area is slightly better. They have about a thousand people."
"What, there are more than a thousand people in the third battalion?" After hearing the number Vitkov said, Sokov couldn't help but be stunned. According to his idea, the third battalion was fighting the enemy non-stop in the city, so the attrition must be severe. It would be good if there were only a hundred or ten people left. Unexpectedly, there were thousands of people. He asked curiously: "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, what is going on? The defenders on Mamayev Hill are getting more and more aggressive." There are few, but why are the troops in the city increasing?"
"It's like this. Captain Andrei, commander of the third battalion, constantly took in the scattered friendly troops during the battle. At the same time, he also incorporated some fighting residents into his troops." Witkov smiled and asked Soko Husband said: "Even the building where Sergeant Vasily is located now has hundreds of armed men. They are like nails, clinging to the building so that the enemy cannot pass in front of them."
"That's really amazing." Since Vitkov had just said that the Third Battalion had incorporated many residents into combat units, there must have been many such armed residents in the Vasily Building. He smiled and said to Belkin: "Comrade Political Commissar, when there is nothing else to do in two days, let's go to the Vasily Building to have a look and express condolences to the soldiers who are standing there."
After chatting for a while, Sokov called Second Lieutenant Maxim, the commander of the communications company, over and told him: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, call the commanders of each battalion immediately and ask them to come to me as soon as possible."
After Maxim waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he asked tentatively: "Do the commanders of the third and fourth battalions also need to be notified?" There was a reason for him to ask this. The third battalion commander was commanding troops to fight the enemy in the city at the moment; The fourth battalion commander is not at Mamayev Heights, but at the Red October Factory.
"Comrade Second Lieutenant," Sokov said to Maxim with a straight face: "Didn't you hear my order clearly? All battalion commanders came to my place for a meeting. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Maxim agreed quickly and turned around to make a call.
After Maxim walked away, Sokov suddenly remembered Grisa, who had been out of touch for a while, and cautiously asked Witkov: "Comrade Deputy Brigade Commander, are the whereabouts of the fourth company commander and the others?"
Vitkov, who was originally full of joy, immediately turned gloomy when he heard Sokov's question. He shook his head and said with a grimace: "No, we have been trying to get in touch with them. But regrettably Yes, we have never been able to contact them. I estimate that they may have been completely destroyed."
Grisa was Sokov's old subordinate, and Sokov felt particularly heavy after learning that he might be sacrificed. Even though there were dozens of people under Griza, this small number of troops was enough for a sneak attack, but it would not be enough when encountering a large enemy force. Moreover, the new rockets they carried had long been exhausted, and the light weapons they carried alone were unable to compete with the enemy's main force.
Just when Sokov was feeling sad, a familiar voice came from the door: "Is Comrade Brigade Commander back?! Oh, Comrade Brigade Commander, you are really back!"
Sokov looked up and saw Chief of Staff Sidorin striding towards him. He quickly stood up, gave him a warm hug, and said, "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff! Can you see?" It’s such a joy to see you alive.”
"Me too." Sidorin said with some excitement: "Comrade Brigadier, while you were away from the headquarters, we were all worried about your safety. Now that we see you back intact, it's That's great."
After several people sat down around the table, Sidorin immediately reported to Sokov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, during the day today, the German troops opposite us are making large-scale mobilizations. But they are not to attack us, but to move north. Movement. Do you know what happened?"
"That's it, Comrade Chief of Staff. A few days ago, I led my troops to break through from Orlovka to the north, successfully captured a German defensive position, and handed it over to General Rokossovsky's troops." Considering that Sidorin was not here just now and did not hear the cause and effect he told, Sokov repeated what happened recently, and finally said: "...the German army moved north because they were worried about the people in our city. The defenders joined forces with the Don Front outside the encirclement, thereby crushing their attack on Stalingrad. Therefore, Paulus made a desperate move and transferred all the troops attacking us from the front."
"Comrade Brigade Commander, something is wrong." As a chief of staff, Sidorin's responsibility is to provide advice and guidance for Sokov. As soon as Sokov finished speaking, he continued: "Even if the Germans know that they cannot capture Mamayev Heights, if they want to move their troops north, they should at least leave some troops to monitor us on the other side. How could it be possible? Without leaving any soldiers behind, are they not worried that we will take the opportunity to launch a counterattack in this area?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Sidorin," Vitkov said: "What can you think about that the Germans can't think of? I think that after Paulus transfers the troops in front of us, he will definitely transfer new troops to continue the attack. Mamayev Heights, we can't take it lightly just because the enemy has withdrawn, otherwise we will miss the big deal."
"You are right, Comrade Deputy Brigadier." Sidorin agreed with Vitkov's statement: "Only when the Germans capture Mamayev Hill can they completely separate our army's defense line. Therefore, they will definitely gather more troops and launch an attack on us."
"Our troops holding Mamayev Heights have been severely reduced in strength after a long battle." Now that Sokov has returned to Mamayev Heights, no matter where he will be sent by his superiors next, he first What needs to be done is to adjust the troop deployment on Mamayev Heights so that the Germans cannot easily capture it: "I have asked Second Lieutenant Maxim to inform the battalion commanders to come for a meeting, and then add some troops to them, and re- Adjust their deployment so they can hold their ground better."
"Replenish troops?" When Sidorin heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Comrade Brigade Commander, where can we supplement their troops?"
"I came back this time with a Marine Corps battalion of more than a thousand people and a guard battalion with relatively strong combat effectiveness." Sokov said expressionlessly: "I plan to disperse these troops to each battalion. To strengthen the defense of Mamayev Hills."
"Marine Corps Battalion!" When Sidorin heard this, his eyes could not help but shine. As a commander who has been in the army for more than ten years, he knows very well that the combat effectiveness of sailors is far better than that of the army. He said excitedly: "Oh my God! The combat effectiveness of more than a thousand sailors is not at all Less than an infantry division. With the help of these sailors, I believe that holding Mamayev Heights will be no problem."
Before distributing the sailors to each battalion, Sokov felt that he must first sound the alarm to several commanders of the brigade. “More than a month ago, the 92nd Infantry Brigade that came to the city to participate in the battle was a team with sailors. A force formed and commanded by the Army. However, because the commander was greedy for life and feared death, he abandoned his troops and ran away when he saw the critical situation. As a result, this force did not perform to its due level and was exhausted in the battle. Now that our brigade has added a group of sailors, I hope that similar incidents will not happen here."
"Don't worry, Comrade Brigade Commander." Sidorin waited for Sokov to finish speaking, then patted his chest and assured him: "From the commander to the soldiers of our 73rd Infantry Brigade, no one is afraid of life and death. As long as we still As long as a man is alive, he will stick to his position like a nail and not take a step back."
The words "Don't take a step back" made Sokov's heart skip a beat. Although positional warfare is a war of attrition, one should still find ways to minimize casualties. If Vitkov had not been acting brigade commander, his troops would have been twice as many as they are now. So he first looked at Vitkov, then looked at Sidorin and asked: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I would like to ask, how are you conducting defense now?"
When Sidorin heard this question, he did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Vitkov first, and then said cautiously: "When the enemy bombarded us, we left a few observation posts, and the remaining soldiers withdrew into the tunnel. Waiting for the enemy After the bombardment is over, we will re-enter the defensive position..."
"Wait a minute, Comrade Chief of Staff." Hearing this, Sokov decisively interrupted Sidorin's words and asked: "You only need to tell me where you will defend after you come out of the tunnel. ?”
"In order to kill more effective German forces," Sidorin replied with some embarrassment: "We rebuilt the trenches on the positive slope. Once the shelling is over, our soldiers will rush out of the tunnels to repair the collapsed trenches. Trenches, prepared to resist enemy attack."
"Didn't I ask you to build the position on the top of the hillside before? In this way, even if the enemy shells the hillock, the damage to our fortifications will be limited." Sokov asked with a straight face: "Why do you want to do this? Advocate to change my defense plan?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, don't blame the Chief of Staff." Seeing that Sidorin was silenced by Sokov, Vitkov quickly came out to smooth things over: "It was all my idea to change the defensive position to a positive slope. If you’re going to blame, blame me.”
