Before he could contact the Front Command, the phone ringing on the table rang first, and Sokov quickly picked up the microphone: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, where are you?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff," the voice of the engineer company commander came from the receiver: "...We have less than twenty kilograms of explosives and cannot blow up the two bridges on the Aksai River at the same time. Can you please add some of them to us..."
You don’t have explosives for blasting the bridge, what’s the use of looking for me? Sokov’s words came to his mouth, and suddenly he remembered that he was the chief of staff of the Southern Cluster. Although he was only a temporary agent, he really had to find a way to solve the problems raised by the engineer company commander. He thought for a while, then said to the microphone: “Comrade Commander of the Engineer Company, don’t worry, I will help you get the explosives. Now I order you to tie all the explosives in your hand to the bridge pier first, and then blow up the bridge as soon as the Germans approached."
After putting down the phone, Sokov began to think about which department to look for the explosives needed by the engineers. After thinking for a while, he remembered that Ozor had used explosives when he was excavating fortifications. Yes, he went to the City Defense Committee. There must be explosives needed by the engineers in their warehouse.
When he picked up the phone, Sokov suddenly thought that he did not know the people from the City Defense Committee except for knowing Ozor. If he wanted to get explosives, he could only ask Ozor for help. Thinking of this, he asked the communications soldiers to connect to the infantry brigade command of Mamayevgang.
When he heard Sidolin's voice coming from the receiver, Sokov immediately said loudly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, can you hear me? I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov."
"Can you hear, comrade commander." After learning that the person who called was Sokov, Sidolin asked anxiously: "Have you found comrade commander?"
"Finished, found." Sokov replied loudly, "He is all right now. But I don't know what to do, the radio station he carries cannot contact the Army Command at all. If you contact his command later, remember to tell General Shumilov that Commander Cuikov had formed a southern cluster on the left wing of the Army."
"Don't worry, comrade brigade commander, I will forward this news to General Shumilov as soon as possible so that he can feel at ease soon." After saying this, Cidolin asked tentatively again: "When will you come back?"
"I don't know when I can return to Mamayev's hill." Sokov said helplessly to the microphone: "General Cuikov has now appointed me as the chief of staff of the Southern Cluster. I am afraid I cannot go back for the time being until he removes my position. During the period when I am away, Mamayev's hill will be under the responsibility of you and the political commissar."
"I understand, comrade comrade commander." Cidolin asked respectfully: "Do you have anything else?"
"One more thing." Sokov was worried that Sidolin would hang up the phone and said hurriedly: "Major Ozor of the City Defense Committee, can you find him immediately?"
"Major Ozor was here just now, and now he has something to do with the political commissar. Comrade Brigade Commander, please wait for a while, and I will send someone to find him immediately." Soon, Cidolin's shout came from the receiver: "Come, come!"
Following his shout, a soldier walked in from outside: "Comrade Chief of Staff, do you have any instructions?"
"Go and find Major Ozor immediately, and say that the brigade commander has something important to come to him." After a brief order was arranged, Cidolin urged: "Don't stand there, go quickly."
After asking the soldiers to go out to find Ozor, Cidolin asked nervously again, "Comrade Brigade Commander, is the situation there serious?"
"Not optimistic." Sokov said to the microphone: "The German army broke through the defense zone of the 51st Army, which posed a great threat to the left wing of the front. We are currently establishing defenses on the north bank of the Axe River to test the speed of the German army's advance towards Stalingrad."
"Comrade Brigade Commander, I want to ask you." After Sidolin finished speaking, hesitated and asked: "Do you really think the Germans will rush into Stalingrad?"
"This is unquestionable, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov glanced at Cuikov, who was standing not far away, and mustered up the courage to continue, "So we must be prepared for street fighting."
After the two chatted for a few more times, Sokov heard Cidolin say, "Major Ozor is here." Then Ozor's breathless voice came from the earpiece: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I am Ozor, what's wrong with you?"
"That's right, Major Ozor, I am now the acting chief of staff of the Southern Cluster of the 64th Army. We are building fortifications on the north bank of the Aksai River. In order to prevent the enemy from using bridges to cross the river, I plan to blow up the highway bridge and railway bridges on the river. But our engineers currently lack sufficient explosives. I wonder if you can help us with a batch?"
Ozor hesitated for a moment about Sokov's request, and then asked, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, don't you know how much explosive you need?"
"Major Ozor, I'm not sure. You know, I'm an unscrupulous layman in engineering issues." Sokov replied awkwardly: "In your opinion, how much explosive is needed to blow up two bridges?"
"Ltd Colonel, where are you currently?" Ozor asked, staring at the map in front of him: "I have to figure out where the bridge is so that I can accurately calculate the amount of explosives needed."
After Sokov told Ozor the location of the troops, he also reminded him: "Comrade Major, please remember that what we are going to blow up at the same time are the road bridge and the railway bridge, and you must make sure that the amount of explosives is sufficient."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," facing Sokov's doubts, Ozor said with a stern face: "The only way to stop the German armored troops from crossing the river is to blow up the bridges on the river. I have learned this in the Doctrine."
Sokov asked, "Well, comrade Major, I want to ask, when can you send explosives to the river?"
"It will take two hours at the earliest," Ozor said in a muffled voice on the phone: "I will bring someone to deliver the explosives myself."
After implementing the explosives, Sokov personally called the engineer company commander, "Captain, I have called the people from the City Defense Committee. They will send you enough explosives in two hours. When you see the truck carrying the explosives appear, remember to arrange someone to pick you up."
As soon as he put down the phone, Cuikov hurried over with a telegram and said to Sokov: "I contacted the Front Command. The officer on duty said that there was an infantry division from Siberia who would get off at Chilekov and Koternikovo stations and let us take over this unit."
"Comrade General," Sokov looked at Cuikov and asked, "Who are you going to send to receive this infantry division?"
"They got off the bus, south of the Aksai River, and they might encounter the Germans rushing up at any time. I'm not at ease, so I'd better take a trip myself." Cui Kev put the telegram into his pocket and walked outside. But after walking a few steps, he stopped and pointed his hand at Sokov: "You go with me."
"But, Comrade General." Hearing Cuikov's order, Sokov quickly reminded him: "I am the chief of staff of the cluster now. When you are not in the command center, I will temporarily command the troops for you."
"At present, the Southern Cluster is just an empty stand, and it doesn't matter whether we stay in this command center." Cuikov continued to walk outside while instructing his adjutant Krimov: "Bring a radio station and act with us."
In this way, Trekov took Sokov, Krimov, a correspondent soldier, and a squad of guards, and took a car from the road bridge to cross the Aksai River and headed towards the station where the infantry division got off.
On the way, Sokov asked Cui Kov curiously: "Comrade General, what is the new army number? Who is the division commander?"
Regarding Sokov's question, Cui Kov smiled bitterly and said, "My Chief of Staff, the number of this unit is the 208th Infantry Division. As for who is the division commander and where is the division command? I don't know anything about these questions."
After the jeep was driving on the road for more than half an hour, Sokov suddenly saw a station faintly appearing in front of him, with groups of commanders and fighters moving along the railway tracks in the direction he was. Seeing this scene, Sokov said excitedly: "Comrade General, look quickly, there are troops in front of him coming towards us."
Unexpectedly, when Cuikov heard Sokov say this, he just glanced at the location of the station, and then said in confusion: "It's really strange. This should be Gremiachaya Station. Why are there so many troops? Could it be that this station is one of the get-off points?"
With this question, Sokov ordered the driver to park his car at the railway crossing. He opened the car door and jumped out of the car, shouting at the oncoming soldiers: "Comrades, which part of you are?"
When he passed by several soldiers beside Sokov, he heard Sokov asking himself, and quickly answered the number of his troops and continued to walk forward. When Sokov heard that he was not from the 208th Infantry Regiment, he quickly turned his head and said to Cui Kov, who was still sitting in the car: "Comrade General, they are not from the 208th Infantry Division. I guess the troops we are looking for are still ahead, so let the driver continue to rush forward?"
"Get on the bus!" Cui Kefu said simply: "Let's continue to rush forward."
After driving forward along the road next to the railway tracks for more than ten minutes, a small station appeared again in front of him. Krimov, who was sitting in the passenger seat, immediately turned his head and said to Cuikov: "Comrade Commander, will Nebekovo let the station arrive. Will we go in and rest for a while before leaving?"
After looking forward, Cuikov said to Krimov, "Let the driver turn around here to see if our troops are active."
After hearing Cui Kev's order, the driver immediately drove around Nebekovo and asked the station to wander. As a result, when he turned south, he really found that a unit was building fortifications on the south side of the Hui Kev's station. Cui Kev pointed his hand at the busy commanders and soldiers and ordered: "Drive the car over."
After the car stopped this time, Sokov was still the first to get off the car. He pulled a soldier who was repairing fortifications and asked loudly: "Comrade Warrior, which part of you are from?"
The soldier stopped his work, turned his head to look at Sokov, and replied briefly: "We are the 208th Infantry Division."
When Sokov learned that the troops in front of him were the 208th Infantry Division, he was overjoyed. But after his eyes swept across the audience, his smile froze on his face. The soldiers who were repairing fortifications here were all over the place, with no more than 300 people. Sokov quickly asked the soldiers: "Where is your division commander and where is your commander?"
"I don't know where the division commander is." The soldier looked around and pointed at an officer and said to Sokov: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, our battalion commander is standing there to supervise the worker. If you have any questions, you can ask him."
Cuikov, who was sitting in the car, heard the soldiers ask questions and get up and get out of the car, and take Sokov to find the highest commander. The commander of the unit was a major. When he saw a general walking towards him, he quickly raised his hand to salute and said, "Hello, Comrade General. I am the battalion commander of the 208th Infantry Division. Is there anything you have to do?"
After Chrikov raised his hand and replied, he said to the major: "Comrade Major, can I tell me what happened?"
Hearing this question from Cuikov, the major said with grief and anger: "Comrade General, you don't know that the army we were riding in was air strikes from the German army just stopped at Koternikovo Station. Although the commanders evacuated the troops in time, many people died during the bombing.
Just when we fled the station and thought we could save our lives, we didn't know where several German tanks emerged, bombarded the train with tank guns, and fired at us with machine guns. If I hadn't led the troops out of the battle in time, our battalion would have been reimbursed."
"Comrade Major," Cui Kefu glanced at the commanders and fighters who were repairing the fortifications and asked with some confusion: "Can I ask you, what are you doing here?"
"Is this a question? Of course, it is building fortifications." The major retorted with dissatisfaction: "I heard that the Germans were gathering tanks near Koternikovo Station. In order not to allow these tanks to rush towards Stalingrad, I ordered the troops to build fortifications here to delay the enemy's advance towards Stalingrad."
"You are a good person, comrade Major." After praising the major who knew how to actively build fortifications, Cui Kefu continued to ask: "Since you are your own, can you tell me where the division command is and where the division command is?"
Chapter completed!