On the way, Shamrih suddenly asked an inappropriate question: "Comrade division commander, does the regiment commander know that our battalion went to fight in a friendly area?"
Shamrich's words stopped Sokov. He thought about it carefully. Whether he went to the Third Battalion last night or mobilized the Marine Battalion today, he didn't seem to say hello to their regiment leader Belkin. He shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Comrade Captain, if you didn't remind me, I would have almost forgotten the existence of the downsizing regiment. But don't worry, although I am not at the headquarters, the Chief of Staff will definitely discuss this matter with Bel Captain Jin is very cool."
In order to resolve his embarrassment, Sokov promptly changed the topic and asked: "Comrade Captain, let me ask you, how do you plan to deploy the defense line after we reach the gully?"
Hearing Sokov's question, a surprised expression flashed across Shamrih's face. He said with some confusion: "Of course, we must build at least two lines of defense in the gully to prevent the enemy from advancing along the gully. Out to the Volga."
"Wrong, Comrade Captain, wrong." Seeing Shamrih's surprised expression, Sokov said with some pride: "The gully is full of ash and slag, and it is very difficult to build a defense line. Even if it is barely possible, You have built two lines of defense, and the enemy only needs to blast them with mortars to destroy your lines of defense."
The task Shamrih received was to hold on to the ravine between the Red October Factory and the Barricade Factory, but he knew nothing about the terrain there. At this moment, when he heard that Sokov denied his plan to build a defense line, he did not lose heart, but asked tentatively: "Comrade division commander, what should we do?"
"Since it is impossible to build a defense line in the gully," Sokov said with a smile, "then you can place the main forces on both sides of the gully. After the enemy enters the gully, you can attack them from a high position. This way, you can both It can destroy the enemy without causing too many casualties to the troops themselves.”
Shamrich was dubious about Sokov's statement. He hesitated and asked, "Comrade Commander, is this possible?"
"Okay, okay, wait until we get to the gully and take a look at the terrain there." Sokov was unwilling to waste too much time with Shamrih on this issue: "Before we see the real terrain, we will make a plan. No matter how many plans there are, they are just words on paper.”
As the troops passed through the Red October Factory, they encountered a patrol inside the factory. The captain was a foreman in the assembly workshop. When he saw Sokov entering the factory with hundreds of sailors, his eyes lit up. He quickly raised his hand to ask his subordinates to stop, and then trotted all the way to Sokov. , raised his hand to salute him, and asked excitedly: "Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov!"
He tilted his head and glanced at the hundreds of sailors behind Sokov, and asked excitedly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are these the reinforcements you brought?"
"Comrade Foreman," Sokov knew the other person, but could not call him by his name and could only call him by his job title: "I am taking these soldiers to rush to the gully between your factory and the barricade factory. Defenses were deployed there to stop the enemy who might rush to the banks of the Volga."
Knowing that the soldiers Sokov brought were not here to reinforce the factory, the foreman felt somewhat disappointed. However, he still asked politely: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, do you need me to send someone to be your guide?"
Sokov had just been on the road, and he had been thinking about whether he should find a guide to avoid getting lost with his troops. When I heard what the foreman said, I quickly nodded with a smile and said, "That's great, comrade foreman. Then please find us a reliable guide to take us to the ditch."
"Woroni!" the foreman turned and shouted to the patrol standing not far away. Following his shout, a young militiaman ran out of the queue. He came to the foreman, straightened his body and waited for orders. The foreman pointed at Sokov and ordered him: "Voroni, you serve as a guide for Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and take him and his troops to the ditch!"
"Understood, Comrade Foreman." After hearing the Foreman's instructions, Voloni quickly agreed loudly.
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I wish you good luck!" After the foreman finished speaking, he shook hands with Sokov, then raised his hand in a military salute, turned back to his patrol team, and led them to continue patrolling the factory.
"Voroni," as the troops continued to move forward, Sokov saw thick smoke rising from the north and covering the sky. It was obvious that a building somewhere was burning. He pointed in the direction of the fire and asked the young man Voloni who acted as his guide: "Where is that place over there?"
"It's the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory," Voroni said, looking at the place where the smoke was billowing. "Yesterday the enemy first bombarded it with artillery, and then bombed it with planes. The fire has been burning since yesterday day and has not been extinguished until now. . These damn Germans, the crimes they committed against us, sooner or later we will have to pay them twice as much."
"Comrade Voroni, you are right." Sokov raised his hand and patted Voroni's shoulder gently twice and said, "Sooner or later we will repay this blood debt from the Germans."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Voroni looked at Sokov and said with some excitement: "You know, you are a legend in our factory!"
"Legendary?!" Sokov asked in confusion: "Comrade Voroni, how can I become a legend?"
"The fighters of the annihilation battalion, the militiamen, and the workers in the assembly workshop who have fought alongside you have seen with their own eyes the glorious achievements you have achieved." Voroni tilted his head and looked at Sokov and said with admiration: "They all Said, as long as you are in the area, no matter how many planes, tanks and artillery the enemy has, they will not be able to take a step forward."
"Comrade Woroni, this is all lies." Sokov waved his hand at the other party and said modestly: "I did command the troops to win some battles, but they are not as magical as you say."
"Just like two days ago, in order to prevent being surrounded by the enemy, the 308th Division and the 95th Division had to withdraw from the battle and move to our factory." Faced with Sokov's low-key, Voroni became even more excited: "Listen It was said that a regiment they deployed to the north to cover the breakout was almost wiped out in less than an hour. I heard those soldiers say that they thought they would not be able to retreat to the factory area, but at this moment, A regiment you sent rushed to take over the defense, easily blocking the enemy's attack, and even continuously taking counterattacks to restore a large number of lost positions..."
This was the first time Shamrih had heard of what Woroni had told him. In order to understand the fighting situation at that time, he deliberately walked beside Voroni, fearing that if he missed a word of the other party, he would not hear the complete story.
After telling the story he knew, Voroni said excitedly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, if your troops hadn't taken action in time, I'm afraid the factory area wouldn't be as peaceful as it is now. Maybe we are somewhere with the intruders." The enemies in the factory area are starting a battle. Comrade Lieutenant Colonel..."
At this point, Voroni suddenly paused. He had just seen Sokov's collar badge clearly. There were not three vertical bars representing military rank, but four. Therefore, after a while, he said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Comrade Colonel, I didn't see your rank clearly just now!"
"It's okay, Comrade Woroni." Sokov waved his hand and said easily: "I also just obtained the rank of colonel not long ago. When I was fighting in the Red October Factory, I was indeed a lieutenant colonel."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov... no, it's Comrade Colonel." Seeing that Sokov did not blame himself, Voroni asked cautiously: "Will you still bring troops to our factory to participate in the defense?"
"I'm sorry, Comrade Vorony, I can't answer you this question." When Sokov said this, he glanced in the direction of the smoke-filled Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory, and then said: "Some time ago, the enemy The focus of the attack was on the Red October Factory. My superiors saw that my troops were close, so they sent me to support them. Now the enemy seems to be more interested in taking over the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory, so they are taking the next step. In the coming days, that should be the focus of our army’s defense.”
Although Sokov did not explicitly say whether he would return to the Red October Factory, Voroni still heard what he wanted to express from his words, and said regretfully: "That's such a pity. Since you After you become a legend, the workers in our factory want to know you. I think everyone will feel sorry if you don't come to our factory again."
"Comrade Woroni," Sokov heard what Woroni said and replied with a smile: "This battle will not be over soon. In other words, we will have many opportunities to fight side by side in the future. By then, your factory The workers here can see me.”
"That's great." Woroni said excitedly: "When I return to the factory, I will definitely tell my co-workers what you said. They will be very happy."
The conversation between the two made Shamrih marvel at the conversation. From Voroni's story, he learned about a series of results achieved by Sokov, which gave him a better understanding of Sokov. . In the past, he obeyed Sokov because he was dissatisfied because of his superiors and subordinates; but now, he is sincerely convinced by Sokov.
Sokov was busy talking to Voroni and did not notice the change of expression on Shamrih's face: "Comrade Voroni, please introduce to me the terrain in the gully."
"Comrade Colonel," Voroni heard Sokov's question and quickly and respectfully replied: "The gully was formed by the impact of the river. It is about three kilometers long, two hundred meters wide, and narrow. The area is also seventy or eighty meters long. Since there is no river water in the ditch, our factory and the barricade factory both dumped the ash and slag produced in the ditch..."
While listening to Voroni's story, Sokov imagined in his mind how the troops should deploy their defenses. After he waited for Voroni to finish speaking, he asked: "Comrade Voroni, can tanks or armored vehicles be driven in the ditch?"
"No," Voroni heard Sokov's question and immediately shook his head like a rattle: "Although the width of the gully ranges from 70 to 80 meters to 200 meters, it is because the ditch is full of furnaces. There is only a two- to three-meter-wide path in the middle of the ash slag, which is paved with tracks for the passage of mine carts dumping furnace ash.”
After Voroni's narration, both Sokov and Shamrih had a perceptual understanding of the terrain of the gully. Shamrih thought to himself: "It seems that Comrade Division Commander's idea is correct. It is impossible to build strong defenses in the gully. Even if he reluctantly builds two lines of defense according to his own ideas, the German army only needs to use mortars to A cannon blast will quickly overwhelm you."
"Comrade Captain," just as Shamrih was thinking wildly, he suddenly heard Sokov calling him. He quickly turned to look at Sokov, only to hear the other party ask: "After Comrade Woroni's introduction, you Now that you have a certain understanding of the terrain of the gully, tell me how you plan to organize defense in the gully?"
"Comrade division commander," Shamrih is also an experienced commander. After understanding the terrain, he quickly thought of a defense plan in his mind. When Sokov asked himself, he immediately said: " I plan to place a company in the middle of the gully for frontal defense, while the main force of the battalion will ambush on both sides of the gully, waiting for the enemy to enter the ambush circle, and then give them a severe blow by surprise."
Regarding Shamrih's plan, Sokov still raised questions: "Comrade Captain, what kind of fortifications do you plan to have the company deployed in the gully build?"
Shamrich turned his head and glanced at Woroni, and then said: "Comrade division commander, this Woroni just said that there is a track for the passage of mine carts in the middle of the ash in the ditch. I plan to put it there." These mine carts are placed across the middle of the road, and then sandbags are piled next to them to quickly form a simple fortification. Although such a fortification is simple, it may not be easy for the Germans to pass."
Sokov thought to himself that the gully was filled with furnace cinders. The Germans could not walk on those furnace cinders and could only advance through the middle path. If Shamrich and the others really used mine carts and Sandbags build a line of defense, which can indeed block enemy attacks. When the enemies are crowded in the gully, and the troops ambushing on both wings are attacking, the enemies who enter the gully will be severely damaged, if not completely wiped out.
"Comrade Captain, you are very thoughtful." Sokov nodded and agreed with Shamrih's plan: "When we arrive at the gully later, we will deploy defenses according to your plan."
The troops walked forward for more than 20 minutes and finally arrived at the gully. Sokov stood on the edge of the gully and looked into the ditch. He saw a mountain of furnace ash at least seven or eight meters high. In the middle was a path for the mine carts that dumped the furnace ash to pass. After looking at the terrain, Sokov turned around and said to Shamrih: "Comrade Captain, first familiarize yourself with the terrain with your company commanders, and then immediately start deploying defenses."
