Akimovich looked at it, and sure enough, he saw that the German captain had committed suicide, with a bloody hole in his temple, his head tilted to the side, and his right hand holding a pistol hanging low on the broken bricks next to him, no longer lifeless.

"Retreat, retreat!" Major Webb shouted the order, threw a grenade and ran back under the cover of the guards.

But a bullet flew out and hit Major Webber a second before he jumped into cover.

"Did you hit?" Akimovich asked.

"We'll find out later!" Shulka replied.

He was also not sure, as the target rolled into cover under inertia.

In the next second, the Germans quickly became chaotic, and they rushed to the rear in groups of three or five, and fell under the guns and grenades of the Soviets in groups.

So Akimovich and Shulka knew that the shot had hit.

In this battle, if the territory under its control is calculated, the Soviet army can be regarded as losing, because the German army successfully advanced more than 100 meters.

But if the number of casualties is concerned, the Soviets can be considered victorious...... At the cost of 67 casualties, the Soviets killed and wounded 152 Germans, captured 58 and destroyed 8 German tanks.

However, in fact, none of this can be said to be a victory or a defeat.

Victory and defeat are never measured by geography or casualty ratio, but by whether the warring parties achieve their strategic objectives.

The strategic purpose of the Soviet army was to hold back the enemy as much as possible during the day, centered on preserving strength, and this strategic purpose was achieved, so it was undoubtedly a victory, even if the territory was lost and even the number of casualties was higher than that of the Germans.

The strategic aim of the German army, on the other hand, was to seize hospitals and schools in a short period of time to get in touch with the troops attacking the Mamayev Heights.

This strategic goal was not achieved, so of course it was a failure.

However, there was no cheering on the battlefield, because the fighting on the battlefield continued...... Although the encircled German army was annihilated, the Germans quickly filled the gap.

The two sides maintain a contact distance of dozens of meters, and each does not give in to each other, each looking for everything possible to kill the other.

In this case, cheering or celebrating will only reveal your position, and the next second a grenade or mortar shell will be smashed head-on.

And there's really nothing to celebrate, because the bad news is coming right away.

"Comrade Captain!" Andrianka ran to Shulka and lay down on his stomach, nervously reporting: "Mamayev is lost!" ”

"What?"

"Mamayev Hill is lost!" Andrianka repeated: "Comrade Golikov would like to be able to talk to you!" ”

Shulka thought for a moment, and with his rifle in his hand, he walked in the direction of the command along the blind spot of the enemy's line of sight.

The phone remained connected, and Shulka took the call to identify himself.

"Comrade Shulka!" Golikov's voice rang out on the other side: "The Mamayev Gang was lost half an hour ago!" ”

"What's next for you, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka asked.

"You know!" Golikov said: "The Mamayev post is very important to us. In addition, the Germans sent a large number of bombers to bomb the Volga bridge...... The transportation of the bridge has been blocked, and we are working hard to repair it! ”

Only then did Shulka know why the Germans did not bomb the hospital with the "Stukka", it turned out that the bombers were sent to bomb the bridge.

That's really smart.

The goal of the Germans was clear: to block supplies from Stalingrad.

They had already surrounded Stalingrad from the north, west and south.

At the same time, during the battle, they found that urban street fighting was not as easy as they thought.

This was especially the hospital and school that were fought against the 82nd Infantry Regiment, and the Germans suffered heavy losses and nothing in the close quarters of the building.

On the whole, the situation is not optimistic.

Although, strictly speaking, the Germans on the whole still achieved some degree of victory on the battlefield...... This was determined by the overall better quality of the German army.

The problem was that the German army had to bomb and fight for building by building, and it was difficult for the air force, artillery, tanks and other equipment to participate in it or to be subject to various restrictions.

Therefore, the best plan for the Germans to take Stalingrad was to attack its supply lines.

The supply line at Stalingrad was, first of all, a bridge connecting the east and west banks.

And the bridge was there, a stationary target, which would never be able to hide from the bombing of the Germans.

Today's damage can be repaired, and tomorrow there will be another batch of bombing, and it may be completely broken and cannot be repaired in a short time.

On the other hand, the Germans occupied Mamayev Hill and could blockade the "No. 1 Station" and the port with artillery. (Note: The main port of Stalingrad is adjacent to the "No. 1 station")

Then, as long as the Germans blockaded the Volga with warplanes, it would mean that the Soviet army would have very little supplies to Stalingrad.

It didn't take long for the defenders of Stalingrad to not even have enough to eat, let alone fight the Germans.

"But, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka said: "The loss of Mamayev means that the hospital and the school will be under attack, and we will not be able to hold it here!" ”

"We will continue to send reinforcements to Mamayev Hill to put pressure on the Germans!" Golikov said: "Don't give up, you stay in hospitals and schools, it means that the Germans will not be able to get more reinforcements and supplies, only then will it be possible for us to recapture the Mamayev post, which is very important for Stalingrad, and it can even be said that it is related to the life and death of Stalingrad!" ”

There is some truth to this.

You must know that in the case of cutting off supplies, the German army can occupy Mamayev Hill only by airdropping supplies, so if Shulka gives up the hospital and school to allow the German army to restore supplies and reinforcements, then it will be even more difficult for the Soviet army to recapture Mamayev Gang.

From this point of view, the Soviets really could not abandon hospitals and schools.

Here's the problem...... There is no room for sports warfare in hospitals and schools under attack. The hospitals and schools that had been bombed into ruins were in no danger to defend, and there was only one way to stay here.

Shulka, who put down the phone, looked at the map and couldn't help but fall silent.

"What's the command?" Mikhailvich asked.

"Hold on to hospitals and schools!" Shulka replied.

Command fell silent for a moment.

This order was what everyone feared most after learning about the loss of Mamayev Heights.

At the same time, this order was contrary to Shulka's training and strategy and tactics of the 82nd Infantry Regiment.

It almost put the 82nd Infantry Regiment to death.

"So!" Mikhailvich gritted his teeth: "We have to be ready for battle!" ”

"No!" Shulka said: "I am not going to do this! ”