Deži, a city in northwestern Romania, located in the northeast of Cluj County, is one of the transport hubs, with rail and road links to important cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Bayamare, and Satumare.

Garrisoned in the city of Dairi was the headquarters of the 170th Infantry Division of the 54th Army under the German 11th Army.

On the morning of June 4, the entire city of Dairi was in a panic.

To the south of the city, long marches rushed out of the city and fled along the road towards the city of Cluj-Napoca, fifty kilometers away.

In the procession, adults and children, men and women, their faces were full of panic and frustration.

Donkey carts, horse-drawn carts and bicycles are the main force of the team, and trucks and sedans are rare "animals".

The honking of motor vehicles, the neighing of donkeys and horses, and the crisp chirping of bicycle bells came and went, and dust flew from under the wheels into the air, staining every passenger and giving them a pale yellow.

From time to time, the refugees looked back and saw their hometown, in the city of Dairi, countless black plumes of smoke rose into the sky, and the sound of gunfire continued one after another.

Seven or eight planes circled and flew over the city, diving towards the city from time to time, and bombs and machine guns set off fire and smoke in the city.

The shells of the German anti-aircraft guns rushed into the sky with tracer light, like dancing electric chains, whipping the planes as much as they wanted.

In the southern part of the city, relying on the cover of antiaircraft artillery units, all the members of the division headquarters of the 170th Division were busy.

A roaring fire rose in the fireplace. The staff officers threw all the telegrams and documents that had no preservation value into the fire, and the snowflakes of white paper turned to ashes one by one, and the room was filled with heat and black ash. Everyone's face by the fireplace was roasted red.

On the street outside the room, eight Opel lightning trucks were parked in front of the divisional headquarters, and staff officers and guards ran between the trucks and the room, typewriters, radios, telephones, and bundles of telephone lines were thrown into the cars, and one truck was driven away for each full truck. conAd1();

The reconnaissance battalion of the 170 Infantry Division and reconnaissance aircraft in the air discovered that Soviet troops had captured the town of Iliangda in the northwest of Daizh and the town of Becklian in the east, both of which were less than thirty kilometers from Daizh. At any time, the city could be attacked by the Soviets from both sides.

After the 170th Infantry Division reported the danger it was facing to the military headquarters of the 54th Army, it geared up to fight the Soviet army in Dairi City. To defend this important transportation town, who knew that he received an order to retreat immediately.

Although some were unwilling, the military order was like a mountain, and the 170th Infantry Division had to pack up. Prepare for retreat.

The actions of the 170th Infantry Division caused panic among the citizens, and the sight of the Germans packing their bags and the planes with red five-pointed stars painted overhead, the wave of refugees erupted like a flash flood, and the city of Dairi was thrown into chaos.

It was busy until the afternoon, and the traffic and crowds rushing out of the city became smaller and smaller, and the sound of gunfire in the city became more and more sparse.

Twelve cross-painted fighters roared out of the clouds and pounced on Soviet planes, and a fierce air battle broke out over the city.

The anti-aircraft artillery units in the city took the opportunity to withdraw from the battle. Evacuate the city with anti-aircraft guns of various calibers in tow.

Twelve fighters quickly drove away the Soviet fighters and then hovered over the city to escort the evacuation of ground troops.

Four o'clock in the afternoon. The city fell into an eerie silence, and no sound could be heard except the roar of the engines of German fighter planes over the city.

Twenty minutes later, the German fighters departed, and the city of Dairi became a dead city.

Until it was close to five o'clock, on the road northwest of Dairi City. Three BA armored vehicles and five BT-5 fast tanks approached the city at a rapid pace, rushing until they were about three hundred meters away from the city before stopping.

A Soviet lieutenant jumped out of the armored car at the head. conAd2(); Then climbed onto the body of a BT-5 tank and peeked inside the city with binoculars.

There were no people and no vehicles moving through the streets, and there were no German soldiers, and the whole city fell into dead silence.

After hesitating for a few seconds, the lieutenant jumped out of the tank and ordered three BA armored vehicles to set off and go to explore the city.

Two minutes later, the lieutenant finally relented when he saw three armored vehicles moving unhindered into the city.

Five BT-5 fast tanks then stormed the city, and fifteen minutes later, a red sickle and axe flag was raised on the flagpole of the municipal building in Dairi.

The young lieutenant solemnly looked up as the flag was raised to the top of the flagpole when he saw a BA armored car staggering into the municipal square and came to a sharp stop in front of him.

"Comrade Lieutenant, a convoy was found approaching the city in the eastern part of the city, it should be from the Southern Front."

"The superiors have explained that Dairi City is our jurisdiction, and we must welcome them as masters, and you go to greet the comrades of the Southern Front Army and bring them here." Said the young lieutenant.

Five minutes later, a convoy of BT-5 fast tanks and BA armored vehicles, also crewed into the square.

A captain jumped out of the armored car led by a captain and walked straight to the young lieutenant.

After raising his hand and saluting the lieutenant, the captain said: "I am Captain Zolonov of the reconnaissance battalion of the 20th Tank Division of the Ninth Mechanized Army of the Southern Front, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Comrade Lieutenant. ”

"I am Lieutenant Ivanovich of the Reconnaissance Battalion of the 22nd Tank Division of the 19th Mechanized Army of the Southwestern Front, Comrade Captain, and I think we should come to a hug to celebrate our great rendezvous." Ivanovich said.

Zolonov laughed and opened his arms to Ivanovic, and the two figures merged into one.

After the hug, Lieutenant Ivanovich said: "Comrade Lieutenant, the Germans and Romanians left in a hurry, leaving us with a lot of booty. conAd3(); We should collect some military supplies and hold a drinking party to celebrate our meeting, don't you think? ”

Captain Zolonov said: "I raise my hands in favor of your proposal, I was on my way here, I saw two taverns, and I immediately went there to collect military supplies. ”

"I'll take people to the southern highways to explore the road and see where the Germans have fled? I'll be back soon. ”

The two smiled and said goodbye to each other before parting ways.

Captain Zolonov commanded his BT-5 tanks, broke open the doors of two bars one after another, and then led his men to rush into the counters and cellars of the bars with cheers, and collected military supplies in preparation for the evening celebrations.

Happily wandering between bottles and barrels, Captain Zolonov laughed as he filled a swimming pool enough to finally drink without being annoyed by the ration of two taels of vodka a day.

Hey? What was that?

The smile on Captain Zolonov's face froze instantly, and he listened intently to the sounds outside the cellar.

It's quiet outside, is the explosion just now an illusion?

After listening carefully for a while, Captain Zolonov did not hear anything unusual, and immediately threw himself into the collection work.

Five minutes later, Captain Zolonov walked out of the cellar with two bottles of the Royal Salute and ran into a sergeant who hurriedly pushed the door open and broke into the bar.

"Comrade Captain, please come with me, Lieutenant Ivanovich has an accident."

When Zolonov saw Lieutenant Ivanovich again, he no longer recognized Lieutenant Ivanovich's appearance.

The lieutenant's young and handsome face was only the left half, and the right half was blurred with flesh and blood, and he was unrecognizable.

"What's going on? What happened? ”

"We had just left the city and had driven less than five kilometers into a minefield set by the Germans, and the lieutenant's armored car was the first to hit the mine, and by the time we found him in the overturned car, he had already become like this."

Captain Zolonov stared at the corpse of Lieutenant Ivanovich, his face was blue and he did not speak.

Turning around and walking to the armored car in which he was riding, he took out a bottle of royal salute from the cabin and fired twenty-one shots, walked to the body of Lieutenant Ivanovich depressedly, stuffed the bottle into the straddle pocket of Lieutenant Ivanovich's right waist, and then said to the sergeant: "Find a place to bury him, remember to spill that bottle of wine on his grave after burial." ”

On the afternoon of June 4, 1942, with the unpleasant death of Captain Zolonov, the Southwestern Front of the Soviet Union and the Southern Front triumphantly joined forces, and a new chapter in the war of the Axis bloc of the Soviet Union began. (To be continued)

PrintChapterError();