The battle in the forest, due to the stubborn resistance of the German army, was fought from dark to dawn and did not end. To be on the safe side, I did not commit any new troops, except for the 71st Guards Division of Colonel Babakhin, who was fighting.

After dawn, I couldn't sit still after listening to the faint sound of gunfire outside. My eyes scanned back and forth between Chistyakov and Managarov, and I was thinking to myself who I should take with me to the forward observation post to see how the battle was going.

Take Chistyakov with you, will Managarov think that I am deliberately snubbing him; Take Managarov with him, when his troops are needed to go into battle, I am afraid that Chistyakov, who remained in the command, will not be able to command his troops. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I didn't come up with a good solution. I had no choice but to sigh secretly and said to the two: "Comrade generals, I plan to go to the forward observation post to have a look, which of you is willing to go with me?" ”

Unexpectedly, as soon as my voice fell, the two actually stood up together, and said in unison: "I'll go!" Neither of them expected the other to stand up, but after looking at each other strangely, they said in unison: "You stay, and I will go to the observation post with Comrade Commander." ”

Seeing this reaction of the two of them, I couldn't help but laugh dumbly, originally I asked them who would like to accompany me to the Frontier Observatory because I couldn't choose, but I didn't expect both of them to want to go, which would be troublesome.

"Leda," Kirillov spoke, "just let them both go with you, and if there's anything, you can call back and give orders." We will do as you command. ”

I pondered Kirillov's words. I think it makes sense. Although several commanders were absent, the chiefs of staff of the two army groups were there, and if there was anything, as long as they said it, they would accurately give the order to the troops at all levels. Thinking of this, I nodded, and then said to the two of them, "Okay, since that's the case. Comrades generals, please come with me. ”

As we passed through Dergach in the jeep, I saw that not a single building in the city was intact, either the whole building had collapsed or the wall facing the street had been blown down, and I could see the furnishings in the car. To my surprise, I saw a number of people in civilian clothes, men and women, old and young, clearly residents of the city, who were looking for something in the ruins of the collapsed buildings.

Seeing this, Chistyakov also said strangely: "Comrade commander. Did you see that? There are actually quite a few ordinary people here who do not know that our troops are shelling the city. Where are they hiding? ”

I know that all buildings in Russia have basements under them, and when the city is shelled, residents can take refuge in the basement of the building, in addition to the bomb shelters built in the unit. So he said lightly: "Maybe hide in the basement of your own home." ”

"When we attacked north of Kharkiv some time ago, we rescued a lot of residents." Managarov continued: "Those damned Germans, when they counterattacked us, tried to break through our positions by letting the captured residents walk in front of the line to block their bullets. ”

"What happened?" Chistyakov asked curiously.

"The inhabitants were rescued, and the Germans were all exterminated by us." Managarov said in a flat tone, and then refused to go any further.

Although Managarov said it lightly, I knew in my heart that on the battlefield, bullets do not have eyes, they cannot distinguish friend from foe, and many residents must have become unjustly killed. But if I think about it, even if I were in that situation, I don't think I could think of a way to keep the residents unscathed.

Soon we arrived at the observation post of the 71st Guards Division, which was located on the mound.

Seeing a few of us walking into the observation post, Colonel Babakhin hurriedly put down the binoculars in his hand and raised his hand to salute us. After returning the salute, I asked, "Comrade Colonel, how is the situation?" When will the battle end? ”

To my question, Colonel Babakhin had a look of embarrassment on his face. He seemed to want to justify something to me, but opened his mouth, but in the end nothing came out.

Seeing that he did not speak, I continued to ask: "Comrade Colonel, why don't you answer me, are you not sure that you will drive away all the enemies in the forest?" ”

"Not so, Comrade Commander." Seeing that my face was full of displeasure, Babakhin hurriedly defended: "The area of the forest is too large, and the resistance of the German army is quite stubborn, so our progress is not smooth. Before you came, I called several regimental commanders and asked them to suspend the offensive and wait for the commanders and fighters to rest before launching the attack. ”

I walked to the lookout, raised my binoculars and looked in the direction of the forest, where black smoke was still billowing out, and then asked coldly: "Comrade Colonel, when will the troops finish their recuperation and launch a new offensive?" ”

"At least two hours, Comrade Commander." Colonel Babakhin said with some humility: "The commanders and fighters are exhausted after a night of fighting, and the ammunition is almost exhausted, and they need to be replenished......"

Chistyakov also walked to the lookout, raised his binoculars to look into the distance, and then turned around and said: "The fighters are tired, I also see this. But if you spend two hours resting and replenishing your ammunition, your morale will suffer, and when you go on the offensive again, it's hard to say whether you'll be able to attack as hard as last night. ”

After Managarov waited for Chistyakov to finish speaking, he also said: "That's right, comrade commander, if the fighters stop attacking at this time, then the morale will be affected. After the rest is over, it will take a certain amount of time for the troops to return to the offensive state of yesterday......"

As for the words of Chistyakov and Managarov, I think in my heart it makes a lot of sense, that fighting a war is a matter of one blow and then three times and then exhausted. If they stop in the middle of the attack and wait for a new round of attacks to begin, it will be difficult for the commanders and fighters to maintain their vigorous combat effectiveness.

I have the intention to let the commanders and fighters of the 71st Guards Division continue to attack, but the lack of ammunition is indeed a problem. If they are not replenished, they are forcibly ordered to charge. It is equivalent to letting them go to a white-knuckle battle with the German army. Didn't wait to rush in front of the enemy. It is estimated that the troops will be completely lost.

I thought about it for a while, then looked at Chistyakov and asked: "Comrade Deputy Commander, do you know where the troops of the 90th Guards Division are?" ”

"I know, Comrade Commander." Without waiting for Chistyakov to answer, Babakhin preemptively said: "On the right flank of our division, there is a regiment of General Chernov. ”

After listening, I walked quickly to the phone and picked up the microphone. After shaking the handle a few times, when I heard the voice of the signal soldier, I immediately ordered him: "Give me close to the commander of the 90th Wei Division." ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." The communications soldier heard that it was me, and immediately replied politely: "I will immediately connect you with General Chernov." ”

When I heard Chernov's voice coming out of the earpiece, I ordered him bluntly: "Comrade division commander, immediately put the regiment closest to the forest into battle, move quickly, understand?" ”

When Chernov heard my brainless order, he asked with some confusion: "Comrade commander." But the task of our division is to clear the German strongholds along the Ude River......"

"Comrade division commander. Now the situation has changed. I heard a little bit of pushback in his tone, so I said very politely: "The enemy can't support it at a glance, but the commanders and fighters of the 71st Guards Division are tired from fighting all day and night, and their ammunition is almost exhausted." Therefore, I have decided to send your new force out to drive the enemy out of the forest. ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." When Chernov heard my explanation, he immediately understood my intentions and immediately replied: "I will give the regimental commander below an order to attack the enemy in the forest within ten minutes." ”

"In addition to this regiment, the other two regiments must also be ready to go into battle." I then instructed him: "In order to quickly break through the German positions, the commanders and fighters in charge of assault missions must be equipped with assault rifles and machine guns, and at the same time carry more grenades, so that the enemy must be suppressed in the shortest possible time." Do you understand? ”

"Understood!" Chernov replied loudly.

Chernov said it was ten minutes, but after only five minutes, I saw dozens of trucks full of fighters rushing towards the forest at full speed. When the truck stopped next to the forest, the commanders and fighters on the truck jumped out of the car one after another, and after a brief line next to the truck, they rushed to the depths of the forest under the leadership of the company platoon commander.

The Germans panicked when they saw that we had a fresh force into the battlefield. The soldiers who were hiding in the trenches or behind the trees kept pulling the bolt and pulling the trigger as fast as they could in their lives.

From time to time, the soldiers were knocked down by the dense rain of bullets of the German army, but the troops who had just entered the battle were numerous, and they threw rows of grenades at the enemy's hiding place as they charged, blasting the front like an erupting volcano.

With the help of the smoke and dust from the explosion, the machine gun shooters held fire-breathing machine guns, charging and strafing; Armed with assault rifles, the fighters rushed through the smoke with reflective bayonets and rushed at the enemy in front of them. The soldiers who rushed to the front shook their bodies and fell to the ground in the fire net formed by the enemy's dense firepower, but the commanders and fighters behind still continued to launch a fierce charge without fear of death.

Our fighters are falling, and the defenders are losing casualties. The red points of light shot from the muzzles of their respective guns by the attackers and defenders intertwined with each other, forming an impermeable web of fire. Our commanders and fighters rushed closer and closer to the enemy's position, and among the densely swaying figures, grenades thrown at each other rained down, and in the explosions one after another, bursts of fire flashed, setting off groups of figures.

The Germans in the trenches, armed with rifles loaded with bayonets, tried to launch a counter-charge, and were often swept to death by our commanders and fighters with machine guns in rows as soon as they jumped out of the trenches. However, the German officers and men, who were strong in combat, rushed up in rows with howls and bayonets, and killed those commanders and fighters who had empty ammunition with bayonets, but they were immediately beaten into a sieve by the commanders and fighters who arrived later, with the weapons in their hands.

The commanders and fighters of the 71st Guards Division, who were resting in the occupied fortifications, saw that both the offensive and defensive sides were fighting hard. couldn't bear it, and under the leadership of his company platoon commander, he also rushed out one after another and rushed into the battle group that was fighting fiercely.

After forty minutes of fighting, the German resistance gradually weakened.

Seeing this, I breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Chistyakov and Managarov, and said: "Comrade generals, it seems that the Germans in the forest will not be able to support them, and in a few minutes at most they will retreat." ”

As soon as I finished speaking, Babakhin suddenly said again: "Comrade commander, I still have two battalions of reserves in my hands, do you need to throw them into battle now?" ”

"What, you still have two battalions of reserves in your hands?" When Chistyakov heard him say this, he immediately became angry, raised his leg and kicked him, and then scolded: "Then what are you still doing in a daze, why don't you let them into battle quickly." ”

"Yes!" Colonel Babakhin agreed, then picked up the phone on the table and instructed his chief of staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, the time is almost up, let our reserves attack!" ”

As soon as he put down the phone on his side, the troops of the second regiment of the 90th Guards Division on the other side had already rushed into the forest with a shout. This new force became the last straw that crushed the German army, and before they could rush close to the German fortifications, the battlefield that was still in the melee suddenly became quiet.

Looking at the German officers and soldiers who laid down their arms and surrendered to our troops in the distance, Managarov said in surprise: "Hell, why did these Germans suddenly surrender?" ”

I pointed to the troops who were rushing forward with a shout, and said to him: "Comrade General, the Germans may have seen that we have another fresh force into battle, which they cannot resist with their present strength, so they have laid down their arms and surrendered to us. ”

As soon as I finished saying this, Chistyakov said to me: "Comrade Deputy Commander, after this storm, we can see many of our shortcomings. ”

"What are the shortcomings?" Having repeated Chistyakov's words, I asked curiously: "I wonder what we still have shortcomings?" ”

"The first is that we are not prepared for the attack." Chistyakov pointed to the tanks of our army parked in the forest and said: "These tanks may have been somewhat useful in the early stage of the storm. But when the shells and machine-gun bullets were finished, they became decorations, and not only could not provide the necessary fire support for the infantry, but on the contrary, the infantry had to be manned to protect them. ”

"Anything else?" I knew he was telling the truth, so I asked, "What else needs to be improved?" ”

"The ammunition of the artillery was also not prepared enough." Chistyakov said with some dismay: "They provided the infantry with up to two hours of artillery preparation, and we didn't even think to replenish them with ammunition." (To be continued.) )