Sokov looked towards the dock and saw that there were people crowded with people. There were both civilians carrying luggage, soldiers carrying supplies, stretchers carrying wounded, and sanitation workers following.
Seeing this, Belkin said in surprise: "Hey, why are there so many civilians on the pier? Isn't there any rumors that in order to prevent panic, the residents of the city will not be evacuated?"
"Comrade Political Commissar, there are policies and countermeasures at the top of the board." Sokov turned his head and looked at Belkin and said, "Although the superiors stipulated that no evacuation was carried out, there are always some well-informed citizens who have various reasons to leave the city in order to escape the upcoming war. After all, the Urban Defense Committee has no reason to refuse citizens to go to other cities to find relatives and friends."
When saying this, Sokov thought in his heart: If you can leave, try to walk as many civilians as possible. Otherwise, in the subsequent street fighting, most civilians either died in the battle between the two sides or died miserably because of a shortage of food and medicine. And these dead citizens, even after the war, were just a series of confidential numbers.
"Comrade Political Commissar, let's go and take a look." Sokov finished speaking, and before he could wait for Belkin to make a statement, he walked towards the dock first.
The ferry on the Volga River is preferred for carrying precious cultural relics that are to be transferred to the rear, followed by the wounded from the front line. If there is still a space at the end, it is the turn of civilians who have not known how long they have been waiting on the dock. Of course, not every civilian can board the ship smoothly. They must issue a pass issued by the district Soviets, so that the sailors on the ship will let them board the ship.
Sokov saw several old men carrying suitcases, and after the cordons held hand in hand made a gap, he immediately rushed to the ferry docked on the dock at a speed that was not consistent with their age. However, because they did not have a pass, the sailors did not allow them to board the ship at all. The sailors smashed them with their butts to their heads and blood, and then threw them off the ship. Before they could stand up, countless residents with passes in their hands stepped on them and rushed to the ferry that could take them out of the city.
Like all the rivers in Russia, the Volga River is steep on the right bank and flat on the left bank. Sokov came to the river and saw many engineers digging holes on the cliffs by the river. He squatted down curiously and carefully observed their work.
A platoon leader of an engineer saw two commanders squatting on the cliff and watched their work seriously, so he thought it was necessary to report to them. So he climbed up the cliff from a ladder next to him, walked to the two, raised his hand to salute them, and reported: "Two commanders, comrades, Lieutenant Senikov, the engineer platoon leader, report to you! Our platoon is ordered to build an air-raid shelter on the cliff beside the Volga River."
"Comrade Lieutenant, what are you doing to build an air raid shelter here?" Belkin stood up and asked curiously: "You know that if our soldiers hide here, then the enemy can easily occupy our positions."
"That's right, comrade of the deputy battalion-level political commissar." The platoon leader of the engineer looked at Belkin's military rank and replied dryly: "We are ordered to build air-raid shelters here for those comrades who carry supplies at the docks and civilians waiting to take the boat."
When Sokov heard the lieutenant say this, he slowly stood up and looked at the busy engineer below and thought: "I didn't expect that the city defense committee was very considerate in this matter. After the street fighting began, in order to cut off the Soviet army and the left bank of the Volga River, the German army sent planes to bomb the ferry. If there were no such air defense fortifications, when enemy planes bombed the dock, the military and civilians gathered at the dock would suffer heavy losses."
"Two commanders, comrades," after the engineer platoon leader reported to the two, he asked respectfully: "Are you allowed me to go back and continue working?"
"Of course, that's all." Belkin Chong waved his hand and said, "Come on to work."
In order not to affect the work of the engineers, the two of them looked at it for a while and turned back to Mamayev.
When he was still far away from the brigade headquarters, Sokov suddenly saw an armored vehicle and two jeeps next to the tent. In the open space between the car and the tent, a group of commanders stood. Sokov saw Khrushchev in military uniform at a glance, and quickly said to Belkin: "Comrade Political Commissar, the military commissioner of the Front Army is here, let's go over and see him quickly."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov." Seeing Sokov and Belkin trot over, Khrushchev asked Sakov sternly, "Where have you gone?"
"Hello, Comrade Military Commissioner!" Sokov quickly stood at attention, raised his hand to salute Khrushchev, and replied: "I and the brigade political commissar Comrade Beerkin and I went to the 1077th Anti-Aircraft Cannon Regiment."
"What are you doing in the anti-aircraft artillery regiment?" Khrushchev asked with a frown.
"That's right," Sokov saw Khrushchev's face look bad, and quickly explained to him: "Today, an enemy reconnaissance plane was conducting routine reconnaissance flights over Mamayev's hill. Unexpectedly, the anti-aircraft artillery regiment suddenly opened fire at the enemy's reconnaissance plane, exposing the locations of at least five air defense positions. I was worried that the enemy might attack these exposed anti-aircraft artillery positions, so I went to the anti-aircraft artillery regiment specifically."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," Khrushchev asked with a smile when he heard Sokov say this, "How did the other party answer you?"
Sokov replied with a bitter face: "He said that as long as he finds an enemy plane in the sky, he will order the anti-aircraft guns to open fire!"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the commander of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment is right." A burly general limped through the crowd, and said in his mouth: "As long as there is a place for the anti-aircraft artillery regiment, the enemy's planes will never be tolerated, circling over our heads."
Sokov looked at the talking general and thought to himself: "Who is this general? How dare you interrupt the conversation between me and Khrushchev?"
"Lt. Col. Sokov, let me introduce you." Khrushchev pointed at the general and smiled and said to Sokov: "This is the new commander of the front army, General Yelemenko!"
Hearing that the person in front of him was the new commander of the Front Army, Sokov and Belkin quickly stood at attention, raised their hands to salute, and said in unison: "Hello, Comrade Commander!"
"Comrade Commander, I will introduce you to you. This young lieutenant colonel is Sokov, the commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade stationed in Mamayev Hill. And the person next to him is his political commissar Berkin." After Khrushchev introduced Sokov and Berkin, he approached Yelyemko's ear and whispered: "He is Lao Misha's son."
"The son of Lao Misha?" Yelyemko's attitude towards Sokov became enthusiastic when he heard Khrushchev say this. He reached out and held Sokov's hand, and said with a smile: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I really didn't expect that you were Lao Misha's son. Your father is an amazing commander and a hero of our Red Army." He glanced at the medal on Sokov's chest, nodded, and then said, "It seems that you have inherited your father's good genes and will become an excellent commander."
After the simple greetings, Sokov asked Khrushchev curiously: "Comrade Military Commissioner, are you planning to move the Front Command to the city?"
"I have this plan." Khrushchev nodded and said, "Putting the Front Command in the city will help us better command the troops."
Sokov vaguely remembered that the headquarters of the Stalingrad Front was once located in Mamayevgang. Later, because the situation was critical, they retreated to the left bank and handed over it to Cuikov. He did not want Yelemenko and others to set up the command here, so that it would have a bad impact on the subsequent defense.
Chapter completed!