After a while in the headquarters, one of Nekrasov's subordinates walked in, bent down close to his ear, and whispered something. When I saw it, I immediately raised my voice and asked, "Comrade Colonel, what is the matter?" ”

Hearing my question, the officer quickly straightened up and turned his gaze to Nekrasov for help. The latter said with a big grin: "You can report to Comrade Commander." ”

Immediately after receiving permission from Nekrasov, the officer reported to me: "Comrade commander, our observation post has been built, where we can see Tomarovka clearly. ”

When I found out that the officer had come to report to us that the forward observation post had been built, I immediately urged Nekrasov: "Let's go, comrade division commander, let's go to the forward observation post together." ”

"But, Comrade Commander." Nekrasov persuaded with a complicated expression: "It's too dangerous there, for your safety, don't go!" ”

I waved my hand and said impatiently: "Comrade Colonel, I will be fine, you don't have to worry about my safety." Let's go, let's go and see what this city is like that we can't conquer for a long time. ”

Soon I saw Tomarovka through the binoculars, and Nekrasov was next to me and introduced me: "Comrade commander, before the war, this city was a medium-sized city with a population of 100,000, but you can see what has become of it. Factories were blown up and cities were in ruins, leaving only the ruins of buildings. ”

Our attacking troops, on the other hand, were killed and wounded by the intensive German fire as they stormed the ruins, and after paying a certain price, they all withdrew to the trenches two or three hundred meters in front of us.

The commanders and fighters who retreated into the trenches did not wait for Nekrasov to order any troops. In addition to leaving the necessary forces to serve as guards, the rest of the men began to wave their sapper shovels and began to strengthen the fortifications, which had been blown up by our artillery fire.

Nekrasov saw that I had been staring at the commanders and fighters who were digging the fortifications, and was afraid that I would be in a hurry, so he hurriedly explained: "Comrade commander, the commanders and fighters have continuously attacked two or three kilometers away from the goose. Must be tired and need to take a break before attacking again. ”

"No hurry, Comrade Division." I have just been in the telescope and found that only the troops of the 52nd Guards Division are attacking Tomarovka, while the friendly troops in the other two directions have not seen any traces. In order to avoid going deep alone, they were surrounded by the German army. So I specifically told Nekrasov: "Just let the fighters rest a little longer, and when the tank brigades behind them arrive, let them attack again." ”

As soon as I finished speaking, a staff officer next to me suddenly shouted loudly: "Tank! ”

I thought he was talking about the arrival of our tanks, and I deliberately listened with my ears sideways, but I couldn't hear the roar of the tank motors at all, except for the sound of gunfire outside. I was about to ask the staff officer if he had misheard, but the other party was anxiously shouting: "Comrade commander." You are mistaken, not our tanks. It was the German tank. It was the German tanks that rushed out of the city. ”

I looked in the direction of his finger and saw five German Tiger tanks rushing out of the city along the rubble-strewn streets towards our position. Behind them. He was followed by almost a battalion of infantry.

When Nekrasov saw the German tanks, he immediately picked up the phone and gave orders to his commanders with great speed: "...... When the German tanks approached the positions of our troops, they hit them with anti-tank rockets and fired directly at them; As for the infantry who followed behind the tanks. Just strafe with a machine gun, understand? ”

After the German tanks left the city, they immediately launched a battle formation and rushed towards our army's defensive operations with great vigour, and the infantry behind also trotted all the way to follow.

When the German tanks were only about two hundred meters from the position, the bazookas in the trenches of our troops opened fire. More than a dozen rockets flew out together, hitting the armor of the moving tank, and two tanks were directly exploded, and the detonated on-board ammunition lifted the turret high and landed in front of the infantry in the air, causing the infantry to immediately scatter and flee. Another tank was on fire, and after driving forward for dozens of meters, it stopped and burned. The remaining two tanks, which stopped for a short time and fired one shell each, continued to charge forward.

Our anti-tank crews, having completed the first round of launches, soon fired a second rocket, which accurately hit the two tanks that continued to rush stupidly. The sound of the ammunition in the tank and the raging fire made the infantry following behind dumbfounded, not knowing whether to continue charging forward or turn back.

This is what the forward commander wanted, and he decisively gave the order to shoot. The machine guns on the position were the first to let out a roar, and then submachine guns and assault rifles joined in the fire, and the dull sound of gunfire was continuous. The German units within the range of our troops were instantly beaten to the ground and fell to the ground one after another.

Seeing that the enemy had lost its resistance, the commander gave the order to attack, so hundreds of commanders and fighters jumped out of the trenches with shouts and rushed towards the German troops in confusion. Seeing our commanders and fighters rushing towards them like tigers from the mountains, the German soldiers were immediately frightened and hurriedly turned around and ran back, while our commanders and fighters followed and rushed forward.

As soon as I saw the troops rushing into the city with the fleeing Germans, the telephone rang in the observation post, Nekrasov picked it up and listened to it, then handed me the microphone and whispered: "Comrade commander, it was the chief of staff who called." ”

I took the microphone and asked, 'Hey, Comrade Chief of Staff, is there anything going on?' ’

"That's right, Comrade Commander." Betzikov said with some excitement: "I just sent the 71st Guards Division to you, if you feel that the troops are not enough, I can send troops over." ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff, what the hell is going on?" Bezikov's words confused me, and I secretly said in my heart that I had not given combat orders to other divisions except for the 89th Guards Division, so I must ask and find out what is going on.

"Comrade Commander," Bezikov said in a proper manner, "sending the 71st Guards Division to Tomarovka is neither the meaning of Comrade Deputy Commander. Nor was it my proposal, but an order given to us by the command of the Front. ”

"I see." As soon as Bezikov finished explaining, I understood that Zhukov meant this, otherwise with Vatutin's character, he would neither overstep the ranks to give orders to the divisions below, nor would he take the initiative to put reserves into battle. Eight layers, this is still what Zhukov meant. "Send the troops over as soon as possible, I think we'll need them soon."

When I put down the phone, Nekrasov, who was in charge of the main attack of Tomarovka, suddenly became anxious, and he kept saying to me: "Comrade commander, there is no need to send reserves, really, there is no need to send reserves, with the current combat effectiveness of our division, there is no problem in taking Tomarovka." ”

"Comrade Colonel. Sending reserves here was not a decision made by the leadership of the army group. "I knew in my heart that the reason why Nekrasov had such a reaction was probably because he was afraid that someone who would come after him would rob him of his credit, so he tried his best to refuse the support of friendly forces. At such a time, I must make it clear to him, lest he have any bad thoughts in his heart: "Rather, the commander of the front army bypassed the leadership of our army group and gave orders directly to the divisions below. ”

"I see." Nekrasov knew that reinforcements were coming, and it was an unchangeable fact. He couldn't help but show a regretful expression on his face, but he still said stiffly: "Comrade commander." When they came, it is estimated that they will only be the life of the reserves, because with the strength of our division, it is completely possible to recover Tomarovka. ”

I couldn't help but feel funny when I saw Nekrasov's swollen face and fat man: "Comrade Colonel, look at it. At present, the troops attacking Tomarovka are only one of your divisions, and the other two divisions have not yet seen a shadow, and it is estimated that they have not yet broken through the peripheral positions of the German army. If only by the strength of one of your divisions. If you want to take the city, it is estimated that you will pay a very heavy price. ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Commander." Nekrasov, hearing me say this, misunderstood what I meant again, and hurriedly assured me: "Even if all our divisions are gone, we will definitely take down Tomarovka." ”

When I heard him say this, I deliberately said with a straight face: "Colonel, if your division is exhausted, and the next attack on Belgorod and Kharkov will be carried out, there will be nothing to do with your division." "After that, I deliberately observed his reaction.

As I expected, as soon as my words fell, he became anxious and said to me excitedly: "Comrade commander, the liberation of Belgorod and Kharkov is indispensable without our division. Because in the Battle of Kharkov a few months ago, many wounded in our division were killed by the Germans when Kharkov fell, because they were not transferred out in time. Now we are finally looking forward to the day of the counteroffensive, and our division resolutely wants to fight the main attack to avenge the sacrifice of our comrades in Kharkov! ”

"Revenge!" Several other staff officers in the observation post shouted at the same time.

"Alright, alright." I raised my hand and pressed down to stop the cheers, and then said: "The time has come for the Germans to liquidate the crimes they have committed against us, so we must liberate Tomarovka before we can turn around and attack Belgorod." Do you understand? ”

"Got it!" All the commanders, including Nekrasov, replied in unison.

Because the troops were attacking too quickly, the communications troops did not have time to lay telephone lines, so the next contact could only be through walkie-talkies. Fortunately, the Germans are now in a situation where they are too busy to take care of themselves, so we can safely and boldly use plain language calls.

Nekrasov shouted at the microphone: "Hey, comrade lieutenant colonel, where has your regiment progressed?" ”

A loud voice inside replied: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, our regiment has occupied the bus station in the north of the city. I have set up the regimental command post here, and two battalions are developing to the east. ”

"How's the casualty?" Nekrasov then asked.

"The commander of the first battalion died in battle." The lieutenant colonel said a little sadly: "But I have appointed a new battalion commander, he is a member of the district Soviet, has a wealth of combat experience, and at present, the unit he leads, has rushed into the cinema, and is fighting a white-knuckle battle with the Germans who are holding on inside." ”

At the end of this call, the expression on Nekrasov's face became rich, and he smiled and said to me: "Comrade commander, you heard me. Our commanders and fighters were fighting a hand-to-hand battle with the Germans, and the result, needless to say, was certainly our final victory. Now you can rest assured, the combat effectiveness of our division must be the strongest in the whole group army. ”

Instead of pouring cold water on Nekrasov's self-confidence, I smiled and asked, "Comrade Colonel, what about the situation with the other regiment?" ”

Hearing me say this, Nekrasov immediately remembered that the troops fighting in the city were two regiments instead of one. So he contacted another regiment commander and asked about the other party's situation: "...... Hey, what's the situation with you, where is the progress of the troops? ”

"Report to the Divisional Commander." A hoarse voice came from the earpiece: "We are in the workers' quarters of the tractor factory, and we are engaged in repeated battles with the Germans. ”

"What, is the enemy's strength strong?" Hearing that the troops were engaged in a tug-of-war, Nekrasov was anxious again, "Why can't you destroy them quickly?" ”

"Comrade division commander," said the other party hurriedly, "it is a battalion of the SS that is holding on here, and its combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of ordinary Wehrmacht. Armed with submachine guns and machine guns, they hide in places that are difficult for us to detect. As soon as our commanders and fighters came into their range, they opened fire. One of my battalions, so far, has suffered nearly half of its casualties. ”

"And what measures have you taken to deal with this enemy?" Nekrasov anxiously asked: "If you continue to entangle with the Germans, then their reinforcements will come soon." ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Division." The other party swore solemnly: "I should order the mortar company to be transferred over and carry out intensive bombardment of the enemy's hidden places." I don't believe that the flesh and blood of the Germans can hold off our shells. ”

"All right, Comrade Regiment Commander." Hearing this, Nekrasov was obviously relieved, and then said: "Move quickly, you have only now occupied less than a quarter of the city, and if we do not speed up the attack, then we will not be able to recover Tomarovka from the Germans today." ”

"Comrade division commander, aren't there still friendly troops attacking from the flanks?" The regiment commander asked curiously, "Where are they now?" (To be continued.) )