Although the heavy snow prevented the German reconnaissance planes from taking off and the troops moving towards the station had to slow down, the impact on the guerrillas was not small. Because the snow was so heavy, the fully loaded car soon got stuck in the snowdrift and was unable to move. All that could be heard was the futile hum of the motor.
After Misiga learned of this situation, he decisively ordered the captains: "Immediately transfer all the materials in the car to the sled. In such weather and road conditions, only sled transportation is the fastest."
After listening to Mihiga's instructions, a captain said with emotion: "Comrade Mihiga, I have long wanted to use sleds to transport supplies, so that the supplies can be pulled directly into the camp instead of unloading the truck outside the forest. , and then organize manpower to move it."
Mixiga glanced at the other party with a complicated expression, and then ordered everyone: "Time is running out, everyone hurry up. Although it is impossible for us to transport all the supplies in the station, under the current circumstances, we can transport as much as we can." No matter how much you transport, after all, these supplies will be used by you in the future."
Hearing what Mixiga said, everyone roared in agreement, and then dispersed, each calling his subordinates to carry the supplies from the car to the sled.
"Comrade Mihiga," as soon as Mihiga returned to the stationmaster's office from outside, Tavlin walked over to meet him and said with a serious expression: "I just received a telegram from Captain Guchakov. After the enemy discovered that they had been tricked, they began to quickly return to defense, and it is estimated that they will be able to reach the station before dark."
"We can arrive before dark." Mihiga originally thought that even if he spent all night moving the supplies in the station, he wouldn't be able to move much. Just when he was feeling regretful, he suddenly heard Tavlin saying that the enemy might be there. Arriving before dark, I was suddenly startled into a cold sweat: "What about the supplies at the station?"
"The supplies that were too late to be moved had to be burned or blown up." Tavlin sighed and said, "We must not let the Germans take these supplies back again."
"Comrade Sergeant," Michiga asked reluctantly after learning that the countdown to the guerrillas' evacuation from the station had begun: "Don't we have the ability to delay the enemy for a few hours? You know, the more supplies we move back to the camp now, the better In the next battle, the chance of survival will be higher."
"Captain Guchakov has sent several guerrillas to lay mines on the enemy's roads." Tavlin shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly: "You should know that the Germans are accompanied by engineers. Even if we lay mines all over the road, we won't be able to stop them for long."
"What about you?" Mihiga then asked, "What are you going to do after you evacuate the station?"
"I don't know." Tavlin shook his head, gave a negative answer, and said in an uncertain tone: "Maybe he will continue to stay behind enemy lines to attack important targets, and maybe he will withdraw to Mamayev Heights."
Michiga felt a sense of loss when he learned that the team might return to Mamayev Heights. From the bottom of his heart, he hoped that the squad could stay, at least within the area where his guerrillas were active, and lead his troops to continue attacking the Germans. If they really withdraw to Mamayev Heights, the Germans will definitely clear up the nearby area. Many camps hidden in the forest will definitely be taken away by the enemy. Although they have many subordinates, if they want to completely It is still very difficult to preserve it.
It was based on this consideration that he tentatively asked Tavlin: "Comrade Sergeant, can't you stay?" Seeing the surprised look on the other party's face, he added, "Look, this time the organization Dozens of guerrilla groups jointly acted to seize the German-occupied Cote Luban station and the 564th kilometer station. The battle went so smoothly. I hope we still have the opportunity to continue to cooperate."
"There will be a chance, Comrade Captain." Tavlin couldn't understand the meaning of Mishiga's words, and quickly said to him: "It's just whether to stay or return to Mamayev Heights, not only me but also Guchako Captain Husband, none of us can make the decision. Everything is decided by the division headquarters." He turned to look at the clock on the wall and urged, "Comrade Captain, we don't have much time left. You'd better arrange people as soon as possible. Plant explosives and oil barrels in the warehouse so that when we evacuate, we can turn this place into a sea of flames and make the Germans unable to use this station for a month or two."
Not only the stations where Tavlin and Mihiga are located have begun to place explosives and oil barrels in various warehouses, but even the Kotluban station where Guchakov is located is also doing the same work.
After Guchakov saw Vovka's reluctant look after hearing his order, he comforted him and said: "Comrade Vovka, we have no choice but to place explosives in the warehouse. The enemy from the north will arrive at the station soon, and with the combat effectiveness of the guerrillas, they will not be able to stop the enemy for long. Rather than letting the enemy recapture these supplies, it is better to completely destroy them."
"I understand, Comrade Commander." Vovka nodded and said with a reluctant look on his face: "I understand everything you said, but I just can't bear to part with it. After all, there are a lot of supplies here. If we really move them all... Going to the camp will at least allow us to sustain ourselves for a year or two without supplies."
"Comrade Vovka, since we can seize it once, it is possible to seize more materials in other places in the future." After Guchakov said this, he raised his hand and looked at the time, "I want to give him the money immediately. The division headquarters sent a telegram to ask for our next course of action. As for you, hurry up and arrange manpower to place explosives and oil barrels."
…………
After receiving the request telegram from Guchakov, Sokov felt that since the enemies from the north had returned south, if the guerrillas occupying the station did not quickly break away from contact, they would easily be entangled by the enemies. Although the guerrillas have a large number of people and have all been replaced with new equipment, they have no advantage in front of the battle-experienced German troops. In this case, it is not possible to evacuate the station early and save more information. There are many effective forces to prepare for the next major counterattack.
Thinking of this, he handed the telegram he had just received to Sidorin and Ivanov for circulation, and at the same time expressed his opinion: "Chief of Staff, Deputy Division Commander, I intend to have Guchakov and the guerrillas evacuate the station as soon as possible. , I wonder what your opinions are?”
Sidorin had no objection to Sokov's idea. On the contrary, Ivanov had some scruples: "Comrade division commander, the two stations we occupy have a large amount of supplies. If we want to give up, it will be Don’t we need to ask our superiors for instructions? After getting permission from our superiors, it won’t be too late for us to order Guchakov to evacuate.”
"I don't think there is any need to ask for instructions." Sokov knew very well that there would definitely be different opinions in the army headquarters about the evacuation of the station. If there was a dispute in the headquarters, Guchakov and the others could not evacuate in time. Evacuating and causing unnecessary losses is a bit more than worth the gain. It is out of this consideration that Sokov decided to kill first and then make the decision himself: "No matter what, Guchakov is our subordinate, and we should have the final say on how to decide their next move. "
Seeing Sokov's resolute attitude, Ivanov did not insist on his opinion, but said reasonably: "Okay, comrade division commander, since you said so, let's do what you want. Chief of Staff , immediately send a message to Captain Guchakov and let them prepare for evacuation; at the same time, before leaving the station, all materials that cannot be moved in time must be destroyed and must not be left to the Germans."
After Sidorin waited for Ivanov to finish speaking, he did not take immediate action. Instead, he turned his attention to Sokov, wanting to hear if he had any different opinions. After seeing Sokov nodded slightly and agreed with Ivanov's opinion, he nodded and said: "Okay, Comrade Deputy Division Commander, I will send a report to Captain Guchakov and let them do it." Be prepared to evacuate and blow up supplies."
