After Mihayev and Grams' had left, I remembered that I had just planned to contact Lieutenant Colonel Shederikov and arrange for him to train new soldiers, but unexpectedly, my plans were disrupted by unexpected changes.

I sighed, put the thoughts back in my head, sat down at the table, took a pen and paper from my briefcase, and began to write orders to Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov.

I wrote in the order: "Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov, the main work you have to do at the moment is mainly twofold: first, to ensure the security of the defensive line, at least until I return to the division headquarters, the main defensive area of the independent division, which cannot be captured by the Germans. 2. Strengthen the training of new recruits and enhance the overall combat effectiveness of the troops.

Since the recruits who have been replenished by the army have not undergone any military training, strengthening the military training of the recruits is the top priority of the work in the near future. All the new soldiers in the division must undergo intensive training, so that they can learn the skills of shooting, bombing, and assassination in a short period of time, and strive to improve the personal military quality of the fighters and narrow the gap between us and the German army in equipment and training. We must form a system in which untrained soldiers are not allowed to go to the battlefield, and resolutely put an end to the phenomenon of new soldiers going to the battlefield before they have touched a gun, which is a kind of expression of responsibility for the life of every soldier.

Take the new soldiers on a tour of our fortifications, and at least let them understand how to dig them. In addition, special personnel should be sent to explain to the new soldiers how to defend against the bombardment of German aircraft and artillery, how to hit German tanks, and organize targeted training. It is also necessary to tell the new warriors to make good use of the terrain when charging. With the help of obstacles, craters on the battlefield. Even the corpses of the dead on both sides. Groups of three or five alternately cover the leap. ”

Although Rory wrote a lot of ramblings, after a slight pause, I thought that there was still something unfinished, so I wrote again: "At the same time, we must also strengthen the training of grassroots commanders in the division, at present, our troops are promoted quickly and casualties, and we must boldly promote those soldiers who have passed the test of war and have excellent performances." Although they are now just squad leaders or ordinary fighters. But maybe after a while, even the company commander, platoon commander, or even the battalion commander, if they don't understand the command skills of the grassroots commander, then they won't be able to lead the troops well. On the battlefield, the wrong order issued by an unqualified commander will cost many innocent soldiers their blood and even their lives. ”

After drafting the telegram, I stood up and walked up to Shura, handed her a piece of paper full of words, and ordered: "Shura, send this telegram in the form to Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov." ”

When Shura took the note in my hand. There was a look of surprise on his face, probably wondering why I didn't have to talk in plain language. Let's send a telegram instead. But she didn't ask anything, put the note in front of her, and immediately launched the report with her hands and feet.

I returned to the table and sat down, and was about to consider the next step of deployment, when the door was pushed open, and a man in the uniform of a German second lieutenant walked in, sat down opposite me, and said angrily: "Comrade division commander, I want to ask, is it your order?" ”

"What order?" I looked at the commander of the guard battalion in front of me, Basmanov, and asked puzzled.

"Just now, the surrendered Captain Grams, together with Second Lieutenant Mihayev, came to the warehouse to find me, saying that on your order, you want to release the 38 German prisoners of the 103rd Regiment."

I nodded and said affirmatively, "Yes, I gave the order, what's wrong?" ”

"Comrade division commander," Basmanov could not help but be a little anxious when he heard me say this, and he raised his voice and said, "if these German prisoners are released, what should we do in case they take advantage of the opportunity to mutiny?" ”

I waved my hand at Basmanov's concerns and said, "Don't worry, Grams has promised me that their people will be honest and won't make trouble for you." If you're not at ease, don't put bullets in the guns you give them. ”

"What, to give them weapons?" Hearing this, Basmanov jumped out of his seat in a hurry.

I looked up at him and said unhurriedly, "Yes, since I have promised Captain Grammers to return his men to him, it is normal to give them weapons." ”

"No, no!"

"Huh?!" Seeing that Basmanov was so out of shape, I frowned and said unhappily: "Captain Basmanov, I remind you that the commander of this independent division is me, not you!" Whether to release the prisoners or not, whether to give them weapons or not, it's up to me to decide! ”

When Basmanov heard me say this, he immediately fell down like a deflated ball, and he sat back in his position with his head down, and asked uneasily: "Comrade division commander, what I am worried about is that these German prisoners will become unstable factors after they are released. ”

"Tomorrow there will be a new German unit stationed at the station, and if these prisoners are not released to fill the number, our fighters will easily show their flaws." To reassure him, I explained to him: "I know the Germans, and if they agree to cooperate with you, then they will do a good job in this regard, so you don't have to worry about it anymore." ”

Seeing that I had said everything to this point, Basmanov could only nod helplessly, after all, he was only my guard battalion commander, not my superior, and he was not qualified to oppose any decision I made.

Seeing Basmanov's sullen appearance, obviously not wanting to see Captain Grams's men again, I suddenly had an idea and thought of a way to place him, so I said to him: "Captain Basmanov, I have a task for you, I wonder if you can complete it?" ”

Hearing that I had a task to assign, Basmanov immediately came to his senses, he quickly stood up, and asked impatiently: "Comrade division commander, I am ready to listen to your orders at any time." ”

"Now that I'm ready, I'll leave this daunting task to you." I also stood up and said with a solemn expression: "Tomorrow there are German troops stationed at the station, and the trucks in the square in front of the station must be transferred immediately. I now order you to bring a company of soldiers to transport this batch of supplies back to the division's defense area. ”

Knowing that this was the case, Basmanov became a little hesitant. After a while, he said, "The Germans are not blind. We had such a large convoy to pass through the German defense zone in Guò. Maybe not an easy thing to do, right? ”

It turned out that he was worried about this, and I thought he didn't want to go, so I explained to him again: "It's okay, Captain Basmanov, you disguise yourself as Germans and transport this material back to our defense area." If there were Germans on the road, you would say that the train carrying arms was destroyed by the Soviets the day before yesterday, and the command could not do anything. Only then did they switch to using cars to transport weapons and ammunition that were urgently needed at the front. ”

The expression on Basmanov's face became relaxed, he grinned and replied: "Okay, since Comrade Division Commander has already made arrangements, then I will take someone on a trip to transport this batch of supplies back to our defense area." At this point, he paused for a moment, and then continued, "But Comrade Division Commander, you may have to contact Comrade Sedjerikov first. Otherwise, we managed to get through the German blockade. As a result, it was killed by the fire of his own people, and it was not worth it. ”

"Don't worry, Captain Basmanov, I'll inform Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov." Speaking of which, I also made a point of admonishing Basmanov, "Comrade Captain, you have to remember that two of the trucks are loaded with shells from heavy howitzers. If there is any accident on the road, even if all the other vehicles are lost, it is necessary to make sure that the two loads of shells can be delivered to Captain Jegonovich smoothly. There are not many shells left in the artillery battalion, and without artillery support, we will inevitably pay more for holding our positions. ”

Hearing me say this, Basmanov's expression became stern again, and he straightened up and assured me, "Please rest assured, commander, I promise to complete the task well." ”

"Well, without further ado, you can go and choose the fighters who will return to the defense zone with you. For the sake of safety, you don't have to go back when you return to the defense zone, after all, that is the focus of our defense. ”

"But, Comrade Division Commander," said Basmanov in embarrassment, "I am the commander of your guard battalion, and my duty is to protect your safety, and if I return to our army's defense area and do not come back, how can I protect your safety?" Why don't you do this task somebody else? ”

"No," seeing that he wanted to retreat, I turned my face and said sternly: "You don't have to worry about my safety, your task now is to safely transport this batch of materials back to our army's defense area." Do you understand? ”

"Understood." Basmanov replied in a whisper.

"It's too quiet to hear!"

"Got it!" Basmanov raised his voice and replied loudly.

I nodded in satisfaction, waved my hand at him, and said, "Since you understand, then you should hurry up and prepare." ”

Shortly after Basmanov's departure, Mihayev and Grams returned to my headquarters, followed by two German officers and men, who, judging by their slightly tired faces, were freshly released prisoners.

The four of them stood in a row in front of me, and after Captain Gramms raised his hand to salute me, he said again, and my royal interpreter, Mihayev, hurriedly began to interpret at the same time: "Comrade division commander, these two are my right-hand men, the platoon leader of the platoon, Second Lieutenant Gretka, and the communications squad leader, Sergeant Swartz. ”

Originally, I thought that when these captured officers and soldiers saw me, they should be enemies with red eyes, and their eyes would shoot the kind of hateful gaze that can kill people, but I didn't expect the two of them to look at me with blank expressions, without any hatred at all.

I got up and walked up to Ensign Gretka, looked at the well-mannered German officer with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with a smile on my face, extended my hand to him, and said in a friendly voice: "Hello, Mr. Ensign!" Allow me to introduce myself, I am the commander of the separate division of the Soviet Army, Colonel Oshanina. ”

"Hello, Your Excellency, Commander!" Unexpectedly, Ensign Grettka spoke fluent Russian. I looked at Mihayev in astonishment, trying to figure out what was going on, and the second lieutenant continued: "Your Excellency, please don't be surprised, I studied at the Tchaikov Conservatory in Moscow for five years, so it is not surprising that I can speak Russian fluently. ”

When I heard that he had studied at the Conservatory in Moscow, I immediately felt a little fond of him, and I shook his hand vigorously and said, "I see, Mr. Ensign, no wonder you speak Russian so well." ”

After letting go of his hand. I walked up to the communications squad leader. He looked at the soldier, who looked a little old. Then I held out my hand to him, and before I spoke, I muttered to myself, this Sergeant Swartz can't know Russian too, can he?

After I shook Sergeant Swartz's hand, he muttered a few words, but I didn't understand a word, so I turned my eyes to Ensign Gretka next to me. The second lieutenant immediately understood and translated for me: "Hello. Your Excellency, I am glad to have the opportunity to serve you! ”

I took a few steps back, stood against the table, and asked a few former German officers and soldiers, "I want to ask you, have you participated in street battles before?" ”

Second Lieutenant Gretka, who first understood my words, looked nervously from side to side, then raised his hand and said: "Your Excellency, Division Commander, when I captured Kharkov, I participated in a street battle. ”

"Oh, Mr. Ensign. You've been involved in street fights. I couldn't help but be overjoyed when I heard his answer, and then asked with interest, "Can I ask you?" Did you win in the end? ”

"Of course, Your Excellency." Speaking of his exploits, Greitka became a little complacent, "Since the city of Kharkiv has been captured by us, then our street battle is obviously victorious. ”

Before I could say anything, Grams, who had just learned about my conversation with the lieutenant from Mihayev, coughed heavily, and then glared at the lieutenant beside him with a stern gaze. Gretka shuddered at his vicious gaze and obediently shut her mouth.

I understand why Grams's reasons for doing this, if they were still part of the German battle sequence, these are undoubtedly worthy of boasting, but to say such things in front of their former enemies would cause them a lot of trouble. But I didn't ask the second lieutenant on a whim, but to get an idea of the style of street fighting in the German army, which would be of use to the defense of the city of Stalingrad that was about to take place in the near future.

I hurriedly waved my hand at Grähms and defended Lieutenant Gretka, saying, "Captain Gråms, don't blame Gritka, I asked him to say this." Although we were enemies before, we are now on the same side. I asked the second lieutenant this because I wanted to learn from him about the combat experience that would be useful to us. Speaking of which, I commanded Mihayev: "Ensign Mihayev! ”

Mihayev hurriedly stepped forward and replied loudly: "Here!" ”

"You immediately run to Lieutenant Colonel Oleg and Commissar Vylol, and ask them to gather all the officers of the fifth regiment above the company level, I have something important to announce to them."

After Mihayev left, I looked at the taciturn German sergeant and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Sergeant, I want to ask how many years you have been a soldier?" ”

"Report Colonel, I've been in the army and have been a telegraph operator for eight years." After listening to the second lieutenant's translation, the sergeant of the communications corps replied loudly.

"Sergeant, what I really want to know is, why didn't you alert your superiors when our army attacked that night?"

After listening to the translation this time, the sergeant replied with some shame: "Your Excellency, the first attack of your sneak attack unit that night was the communication room set up in the box office, and I and several of my subordinates were all controlled by your people, and there was no chance to alert the nearby friendly troops or superiors. ”

Listening to his explanation, I nodded, it seems that this sergeant of the signal corps is not a waste, but because the 5th Regiment first cut off the German troops at the station from the surrounding German troops, our attack will be so smooth, and at the same time it has not been discovered by the enemy.

Then I talked with Ensign Gretka for a while, and we stopped talking until Mihayev reappeared at the door. Mihayev stood at the door and reported to me: "Comrade Division Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg, Political Commissar Vylol, and all the company commanders of the 5th Regiment are now in the small waiting hall of the station, waiting for your arrival." ”

"Let's go, let's go to the small waiting hall." After I had finished speaking to a few Germans, I took the lead and walked towards me. Although they didn't know why I asked them to go with me, they honestly followed my back.

The area of the small waiting room is not large, only forty or fifty square meters, and it is estimated that it belongs to the kind of VIP waiting hall of later generations, and there are a lot of benches in it. Seeing us enter, the dozen or so commanders who had been sitting in their positions, under the orders of Oleg and Vylol, stood up neatly and raised their hands to salute me.

After returning the salute, I stretched out my hands and pressed them down, and only after everyone was seated again did I speak: "Comrade commander, I have summoned you here today to let this German second lieutenant, Second Lieutenant Grettka, who is behind me, tell you how the German army fought street fighting. ”

As soon as my words fell, it was like a handful of smoke in a boiling oil pan, and it exploded. In the midst of the boiling voices, I heard a commander say dissatisfiedly: "What, why do you want the Germans to tell us about tactics?" ”

"Yes," someone continued, "these are our defeated men, or our newly released captives, and what right do they have to lecture us!" ”

"Quiet, quiet, everybody!" Seeing the frost on my face, Oleg quickly stood up and shouted at his subordinates, and when everyone present was quiet, he continued: "Everyone continue to listen to the teacher's speech. ”

I said to the commanders with a straight face: "Comrade commander, I know that you look down on these Germans behind me, and think that they are our defeated generals and prisoners, and they have no right to sit on an equal footing with us. Now I will tell you why I have invited these Germans to give you a lecture. Perhaps in the near future, our division will retreat into Stalingrad and, in the battle for the defense of the city, engage in brutal street battles with the invading enemy. I asked Second Lieutenant Grettka to tell you how the Germans fought street fighting, just to let you accumulate some experience in street fighting, so that you can effectively reduce the casualties of the troops. ”

Seeing that everyone was silent, I turned to Ensign Gretka and said, "Ensign, now it's your turn. Tell us how you fought street battles with our army in Kharkov. ”

Gretka waved his hand again and again, and said a little nervously: "Your Excellency, Commander, forget it, I won't say it." ”

"Don't worry, just tell the truth, our commanders and fighters need to learn how to fight in the streets." At this point, I turned to the commanders present and said, "Comrade commanders, let me remind you once again that Second Lieutenant Gretka is no longer our enemy, and from the moment he is released, he is one of us, and I will not allow anyone to discriminate against him. If there is anything you don't understand in the course of his speech, you can ask him questions, but you must not make a fool of yourself. Do you understand? ”

"Understood!" More than a dozen commanders replied in unison.

I turned around again, smiled and said to Lieutenant Gretka, "Lieutenant, it's all right. Next, tell us about your experience in the street battles in Kharkiv. ”

With my encouragement, Second Lieutenant Grettka took two steps forward, stood in front of the crowd, and began to tell about his combat experience in Kharkov. I hurriedly beckoned Grams, Mihayev, and the signal sergeant to find a seat and listen to the experience of Second Lieutenant Gretka.

I only heard Second Lieutenant Gretka say: "...... After the large force entered Kharkov, the 103rd Infantry Regiment, to which our company belonged, also joined the brutal street fighting. After the street fighting, the troops who had entered the city in the early stage suffered heavy casualties, and our company, which was originally a reserve, also entered the battle in advance.

At that time, the regiment ordered us to seize a block, because the field was too narrow to spread too many troops, so the company commander, Captain Grahms, sent me to attack with only one platoon. In order to strengthen the firepower of our army, my platoon was specially equipped with a pyro and an 81-mm mortar.

Before the attack, I made a special trip to the field hospital and learned a lot from the wounded soldiers there. Since a large group of tanks was not of much use in street fighting, and was easy to target the Soviet anti-tank fighters, I only needed two No. 3 tanks. ”

As soon as Second Lieutenant Grettka said this, Velore stood up and instructed her men: "I think this German second lieutenant has a point, please take note of it, comrades, commanders: in street battles, large-scale tanks are useless. A smile appeared on her face as she saw that more than a dozen commanders had taken out pen and paper and were taking notes, and then she turned to Ensign Gretka and sat down again. (To be continued......)