Red Moscow

Seydlitz originally planned to launch an attack on the Red October Tractor Factory at 8:00 in the morning. However, there was less than an hour left before the start of the attack, and Dr. Kofes's 295th Infantry Division was still on the way.

After hearing the news, Seydlitz was so angry that he asked the chief of staff angrily, "Chief of staff, can I get in touch with Dr. Kofes now?"

"Yes, Commander." Seeing that Seydlitz was angry, the chief of staff replied cautiously, "Although he is on the march, our radio station can call him."

"Ask him immediately, where is the army now?" Seydlitz said with a burst of anger: "Order him to enter the attack position at 7:30, otherwise I will send him to a military court."

"Understood!" The chief of staff nodded, walked quickly to the area where the radio station was placed, and ordered the female radio operator sitting in front of the radio station: "Call the 295th Division immediately and ask their division commander, Dr. Kofes, to talk to me. "

The female radio operator agreed, then picked up the microphone and started calling the 295th Infantry Division. After calling for about two or three minutes, she handed a pair of earphones to the Chief of Staff: "Chief of Staff, the call is connected."

"Dr. Kofess, where is your division now?" The chief of staff spoke to Kofess in a very polite tone: "Since your division failed to arrive at the designated position on time, Your Excellency the Commander is very angry about this."

"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff," the troops couldn't arrive at the attacking location on time, and Kofes was also anxious. When he heard the question from the Chief of Staff, he complained and said, "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, it's not that I don't want to arrive at the designated location on time." , the troops are too scattered, it took a lot of time to gather them together..."

The chief of the military staff wanted to say a few more words, but he didn't know when Seydlitz came to him, grabbed the microphone in his hand, and interrupted Kofes rudely: "Kofei Dr. Si, if within half an hour your troops are unable to reach the designated attack location and delay the task of capturing the Red October factory, then you can wait to be court-martialed.”

If he had heard Seydlitz say that before, Kofes might have gone in one ear and out the other, and didn't care about it at all. But now I dare not take it lightly. The news that the Berlin High Command issued an order to Paulus yesterday to let Paulus seize Stalingrad in the near future has already spread among the division-level officers of the Sixth Army. The consequences of Tsing Lang Kou's disobedience to military orders are very serious.

It was based on this consideration that Kofes could only bite the bullet and said: "Understood, Your Excellency Commander, my troops will arrive at the designated location within half an hour."

After finishing the call, Kofes held the microphone in a daze, silently thinking about how to increase the marching speed of the troops and reach the designated location within the stipulated time. Seeing Kofes' preoccupied look, the division chief asked with concern, "Doctor, what happened?"

The voice of the chief of staff of the division woke Kofes from his contemplation. He handed back the earphone and the microphone to the operator, and said with a wry smile: "Your Excellency Commander ordered our division to rush to the office within half an hour. Go to the designated location, otherwise I may be sent to a military court."

"It is definitely impossible for the whole division to reach the designated location within half an hour." After the division chief of staff said this, seeing Kofes's face turn livid, he added with a smile: "Dr. , Haven’t you forgotten that our vanguard is on trucks, armored vehicles and motorcycles. Let them arrive at the designated location within half an hour to receive the defense from the 100th Jaeger Division. There should be no problem of."

"However, I'm afraid it won't work if the vanguard arrives at the designated location." Kofes said embarrassingly, "It will take at least three hours for the entire division to enter the attack position."

Hearing what Kofes said, the chief of staff of the division smiled: "Doctor, Your Excellency the Commander just asked us to arrive within half an hour, but he didn't say that the whole division must arrive. Therefore, as long as the leading regiment can arrive within the stipulated Within a certain period of time, go to the designated area to take over the defense from the 100th Jaeger Division, and it will be considered as fulfilling the command of the commander.”

After being reminded by the division chief of staff, Kofes felt that something was going on, and his frown suddenly relaxed. He quickly ordered the division chief of staff: "Chief of staff, immediately notify the head of the leading regiment and let them speed up the march. , be sure to arrive at the designated place within the stipulated time.”

This method of the chief of staff of the division saved Kofes from the siege. The fully mechanized vanguard group was only seven or eight kilometers away from the designated location. After receiving Kofes' order, they immediately accelerated their march. Although the road was full of large and small bomb craters, it still took them just over 20 minutes to enter the starting point of the attack.

When Seydlitz learned that the 295th Infantry Division was in place, he ordered the army artillery to fire at the Red October factory. In order to prevent the 39th Guards Division from realizing their real attack direction, most of the shells landed in the dormitory area and the main entrance of the factory. Although there were not many shells falling on the northern wall of the factory area, they were all 155-caliber howitzer shells. .

When the German bombardment started, Sokov did not follow Cousteau’s persuasion and go to the basement to avoid the bombardment. Instead, he stood on the driving track of the factory building and raised his binoculars to look into the distance. Although the location he chose was not as good as the roof with a wide view, but because it was blocked by the wall, as long as the wall was not collapsed by the artillery fire, the shrapnel would not hurt him at all.

Sokov saw with his own eyes a shell roaring and falling in front of a sandbag bunker by the wall. After a loud noise, the bunker was shrouded in black smoke. When the gunpowder smoke dissipated, there was no trace of the sandbag bunker, and the few soldiers hiding behind also disappeared.

"Damn it," Briski, who was standing next to Sokov, couldn't help exclaiming in surprise when he saw this scene: "The Germans actually used 155mm caliber howitzers. These simple fortifications of the destroyer battalion simply can't handle such a thing." shells."

Sokov also agrees with Briski's statement. He knows very well that the 155mm howitzer has a damage radius of 15 meters. Within this range, even if no shrapnel hits, it will be shocked to death by the shock wave. Regardless of the limited number of artillery used by the German army, it is more than enough for the crude fortifications of the destroyer battalion.

"They should be withdrawn, otherwise everyone will be killed in the fortification before the enemy attacks." Sokov said here, turning his head and looking down, hoping to see Cousteau. But after looking at the crowd coming and going for a long time, he didn't see Cousteau, so he could only shout at the top of his voice: "Hey, comrades, has any of you seen Cousteau?"

The workers below couldn't hear what they were shouting because the cannons were too loud. Fortunately, when Briski came up, he was accompanied by a signal soldier, and he quickly ordered the signal soldier to wave a small flag to signal to the soldiers below. After the soldiers below saw the flag, they immediately went to the basement and called Cousteau out.

Cousteau climbed up the track along the stairs, came to Sokov, and asked angrily, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, what do you want from me?"

Sokov pointed to the position of the destroyer battalion that was being bombarded by the German army in the distance, and said to Cousteau: "Comrade workshop director, the enemy is bombarding the position of the destroyer battalion with heavy artillery. They don't have strong fortifications. It is advisable to stay there." Death in vain, you immediately call the battalion commander and ask them to evacuate to the workshop immediately."

Sokov originally thought that when he said this, Cousteau would rush to call the battalion commander of the destroyer battalion and ask them to retreat along the traffic trench to the factory building of the assembly workshop. Unexpectedly, after finishing speaking, Cousteau stood motionless. Seeing this, Sokov asked curiously: "Comrade workshop director, what are you still standing here for? Why don't you call?"

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you don't know something." Cousteau said embarrassingly: "The destroyer battalion is not under our jurisdiction. Even if I call the destroyer battalion commander Balshak, he may not listen to me."

Hearing what Cousteau said, Sokov couldn't help being furious. He pointed to the area shrouded in gunpowder smoke in the distance, and said sharply: "Comrade workshop director, are you going to watch your comrades, all of whom are under the enemy's control?" Did he die in vain in the gunfire?"

"Well, I can only try." Cousteau turned around, and while walking towards the driving stairs, he muttered in a low voice: "As for whether Balshak will listen to me, I don't know. "

Cousteau went back to the basement, thought for a long time, and decided to call Balshak. After the phone was connected, he didn't ask who answered the phone, but he shouted loudly: "Hello, I'm Cousteau, the workshop director, and you immediately evacuate to the workshop, or the German shells will kill you all." wiped out."

The one who answered the phone was the communication soldier of the destroyer battalion. He heard what Cousteau said clearly, and he didn't dare to make his own decisions. He rushed out of the command post under fire, found Borshak in the trench, and leaned close to his ear and yelled: He roared: "Comrade Battalion Commander, Cousteau, the director of the assembly workshop, called you, please take the troops to withdraw to the assembly workshop immediately."

"What, what did you say?" The successive huge explosions made Balshak's ears a little deaf. Even if the messenger approached his ears and yelled, he still felt as if his ears were stuffed with cotton. He couldn't hear clearly, so he shouted at the communication soldier: "Say it again."

The communications soldier hastily repeated what he said just now, close to Balshak's ear. Hearing clearly that Cousteau asked him to lead his troops to withdraw to the assembly workshop, Balshak couldn't help but feel a little surprised: When did Cousteau become so considerate of others? Although he didn't understand the reason why the other party did this, he knew very well in his heart that if the troops were allowed to stay in such a simple fortification and withstand the shelling of the German army, the enemy's shelling might not stop before the enemy's shelling stopped, and all the people on the position would die.

Thinking of this, Balshak felt that he should follow Cousteau's suggestion and lead his troops to withdraw to the assembly workshop building. When the enemy attacked, it would not be too late to countercharge from the factory building. Having made up his mind, he decisively gave the order to retreat.

When the third company commander heard that he was about to retreat, he was afraid that he had heard it wrong, so he went to Balshak to check it out: "Comrade battalion commander, did you give the order to retreat?"

"Yes, I gave the order." Balshak yelled at the third company commander: "If we continue to stay here, our people will die soon, so hurry up and order your people to retreat. "

"Comrade Battalion Commander," after confirming the order, the third company commander did not lead anyone to retreat, but reminded Balshak: "Did you forget Order No. 227, no one is allowed to take a step back without the permission of the superior Otherwise, they will be shot as deserters."

Why didn't Borshak know the consequences of order No. 227, withdrawing without permission from his superiors. But if they continue to stay in this crude position, before the Germans attack, everyone including themselves will be killed by shells. Therefore, as soon as the third company commander finished speaking, he said in an unquestionable tone: "The third company commander, I gave the order to retreat. If the superiors investigate in the future, I will take responsibility. Now, take your people immediately." Withdraw to the factory building of the assembly workshop."

Seeing that Balshak's attitude was so resolute, the third company commander couldn't say anything more, he could only agree, and then ran to greet the soldiers in the company to prepare for retreat. Looking at the back of the third company commander disappearing at the other end of the trench, Balshak thought to himself: I wonder how my superiors will punish me when they learn that I ordered the troops to retreat without authorization? But even if you want to shoot me, that will be a matter of the future. If we don't withdraw, we will all die now.

As the retreat order was issued, those who were still alive in the position withdrew from the position shrouded in gunpowder smoke along the traffic trench, bent over and ran towards the factory building of the assembly workshop in the distance. No one asked why they retreated. They only thought that as long as they ran to the factory, their lives would be saved.

Sokov in the workshop continued to hold his binoculars and stared at the distant position motionlessly. When he saw the figure emerging from the gunpowder, he couldn't help feeling secretly happy, feeling that the decision he made had saved many lives. But when he saw that there were only about twenty people running out of the gunpowder smoke, he couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart: why, are there only so few people left in the destroyer battalion?

After Cousteau made the phone call, he came to report to Sokov, and happened to see the soldiers running out of the gunpowder. He knew how many people were in the destroyer battalion standing by the wall, and now seeing that only one-fifth of the people had escaped, the muscles on his face twitched violently, and he thought to himself: "What if If Lieutenant Colonel Sokov didn't urge me to call Balshak and tell them to withdraw, maybe the entire annihilation battalion would have been wiped out by now."

Sokov turned his head and told Briski: "Comrade Captain, I think there are still a few wounded in the middle. You should immediately send a platoon to meet the comrades from the destroyer battalion."

After Briski nodded in agreement, he conveyed Sokov's order to the signal soldier, asking him to use semaphore to notify the troops in the factory building to go outside to meet the soldiers who had withdrawn from the position.