After taking over as commander of the Front Army, Yelemenko did plan to set up his command in Mamayev Hill. After all, this is the commanding heights of Stalingrad. Once the battlefield approaches the edge of the city, he can watch the battle situation in many regions in the observation center on the hillside.
But when Sokov mentioned the city department store, his idea was shaken again. Although the view there was not as good as Mamayev Hill, the buildings were strong and could stand firm even if they were bombarded and bombed by the German army.
Khrushchev obviously thought of this possibility and quickly spoke: "Comrade Commander, I think Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's proposal is good. We can set up the command center in the department store. The buildings there are sturdy, the space inside is wide, and it can accommodate enough personnel."
"Military Comrade, since you say that, we will go and see later." Seeing Khrushchev say that, Yelemenko felt that he should put the safety of the command center first, and put it on the unblocked Mamayev's post. Perhaps a bomb from the enemy would be taken down and lose the united command, and he would definitely fall into chaos: "If the position is right, we will set the command center there."
Seeing that the two of them gave up the idea of ​​setting up a command center in Mamayev's hill, Sokov felt relieved and then said, "Commander, comrade of the military committee, I want to give you a suggestion."
"What suggestions?" Yeliaumko asked.
"There are more than a dozen huge oil tanks on the northern slope of Mamayev hill. According to my observation, it should be full of fuel." Sokov thought that in later documentaries, the oil tanks on Mamayev hill were hit by German bombs, and the entire northern slope turned into a sea of ​​fire. The fuel flowed down the hillside into the Volga River, causing the entire river to burn. In order to avoid this situation again, he suggested to the two: "Once the area where the oil tank is located is bombed or bombarded by German troops, it will cause huge losses."
After Sokov finished speaking, he asked back: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, you can report this situation to the City Defense Committee in Stalingrad. You must know that these important facilities in the city are all responsible for. What we are responsible for is military and local work, so I am not convenient for me to intervene."
Sokov thought that after he reported this issue to Yelemenko and Khrushchev, they immediately arranged personnel to emptie the fuel from the oil tanks as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, Khrushchev actually said that the matter was not under his jurisdiction and asked him to report to the City Defense Committee. Sokov thought with some amusement: "I have reported this matter to the City Defense Committee if it is effective, and even the staff who are delaying their affairs ignored me at all."
Khrushchev may have noticed Sokov's strange expression and asked with concern: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, have you reported this to the City Defense Committee?"
"Yes, comrade of the military committee." Sokov nodded and said, "I first invite Major Ozor, who came here to help us build fortifications, to convey the problems I found to the head of the city defense committee, but the other party ignored them. Then, I went to the city defense committee twice in person, but the head always avoided me."
"I already know this." Khrushchev came over and patted Sokov's shoulder twice, then said to him: "I will personally contact the head of the city defense committee later and ask them to send someone to handle this matter."
After Yelemenko and Khrushchev left in an armored vehicle, Ozor walked into Sokov's tent from outside and reported to him: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the artillery bunker you asked me to repair has been completed, and all six cannons have been hidden. If you want to use it, each cannon only needs four or five people to push the cannon to the top of the hill along a special slope."
"Great, this is great." Last time the German rapid column rushed to Mamayev's hill, Sokov wanted to use cannons to block and shoot the enemy. However, because the uphill road was difficult to walk, although the third battalion soldiers were sent to help, the cannons had not been dragged to the top of the mountain until the end of the battle. After that lesson, Sokov realized that if the cannons could not be dragged to the top of the mountain quickly, they would not have any effect in the subsequent battle. Therefore, he asked Ozor to build a special artillery bunker fortification on the hillside, which could not only protect the cannons from damage from German artillery bombardment or bombing, but also quickly drag to the top of the hillside and put into battle in the shortest time.
…………
The next morning, Sokov, who was sleeping in the tunnel, was woken up by the call from the fourth battalion commander Brisky. He heard that it was the call from Brisky, and he asked impatiently: "Comrade Captain, what happened?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Brisky said on the phone: "In front of our high ground, an anti-aircraft artillery unit appeared!"
"Anti-Air Artillery Force?" When he learned that an anti-aircraft artillery force appeared in front of the northern slope where the Brisky Camp was stationed, Sokov first thought: Could it be that the 1077th Anti-Air Artillery Regiment moved from the dock to the northern slope? Thinking of this, he hurriedly asked: "Have you figured out the number of the anti-aircraft artillery force?"
"The anti-aircraft artillery troops are full of female soldiers." Brisky said on the phone: "I sent someone to ask. They are female workers from the Red October Tractor Factory. Their mission is to protect the oil tanks above us from being destroyed by German bombers."
"Nothing, this is nothing." Sokov couldn't help but feel anxious when he heard this: "What can a group of female anti-aircraft gunners who have no combat experience do when they deploy them in you? When the enemy bombers dive, can they keep the fuel-filled tanks?"
After putting down the phone, Sokov began to put on his clothes and was about to rush over and take a look. Berkin, who was lying on another camp bed, saw Sokov intending to go out, and asked curiously: "Comrade Brigade Commander, where are you planning to go?"
"Comrade Political Commissar." Sokov sat on the edge of the bed and put on his boots, saying to Belkin: "The City Defense Committee sent a group of female anti-aircraft gunners with no combat experience, stationed next to the north slope, saying that they were preparing to ensure the safety of oil tanks on the hillside. Isn't this a mess? No, I have to go and take a look."
"Wait, comrade comrade commander." Belkin sat up from the camp bed and said to Sokov: "I'll go with you."
The two arrived at the north slope and saw Brisky waiting here. Sokov looked around first and saw fifteen anti-aircraft gun positions surrounded by sandbags on the open ground in front of the north slope defense position, equipped with all 85mm anti-aircraft guns. After seeing the distribution of the anti-aircraft gun positions, Sokov asked Brisky directly: "Comrade Captain, where are their commanders?"
"In the tent over there." Brisky quickly pointed at a tent dozens of meters away and said, "The commander is a female lieutenant. It seems that he has participated in the battle and has some combat experience."
The three of them spoke and came to the tent. Because they were worried that the female commander was sleeping or changing clothes, Sokov signaled Brisky to go and say hello. Brisky came to the door of the tent and shouted inside: "Comrade Commander, are you here? Our brigade commander is here to visit you."
After the first time, there was no movement in the tent. So Brisky shouted again. As soon as his voice fell, the tent was lifted out of the tent. A female officer with a somewhat thin figure walked out of the tent. She looked at Belinsky and asked unhappily: "Comrade Captain, I wonder where your brigade commander is?"
"There's there!" Brisky pointed at Sokov and Belkin's position and said, "Not only our brigade commander has arrived, but also the political commissar has arrived."
The female officer saw Sokov and Berkin standing aside, quickly sorted out their military appearance, walked over to salute the two of them, and reported: "Two commanders, comrades, Lieutenant Ulanova, the commander of the artillery battalion, report to you!"
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and this is my political commissar Berkin." Sokov raised his hand and gave a greeting: "The defense area of ​​our brigade is here."
"Comrade Lieutenant," asked Belkin curiously, "I want to ask you why you need to establish an air defense position here?"
"Comrade of the Deputy Battalion-level Political Commissar," Ulanova glanced at Belkin's political rank and replied: "Our battalion was ordered by the City Defense Committee and drove here to garrison overnight. Our mission is to defend the oil tanks on the top of the hillside and not be bombed by the German army."
"Lt. Ulanova," Sokov and others said coldly after saying that, "Do you think your existing fifteen artillery can stop the German bombing? What's more, the anti-aircraft artillery battalion you lead is a recruit with no combat experience."
Perhaps Ulanova was irritated by Sokov's contemptuous tone. She frowned and said dryly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, our battalion came here to deploy defenses under the order of the City Defense Committee. As long as a fire can still be fired, we will never let the enemy approach the oil tank on the top of the hillside."
"Courtesy, but extremely stupid." Sokov continued: "You are at the front of the defense of the northern slope. If the German army had only the air force to bomb Mamayev's hill, your anti-aircraft artillery could pose a certain threat to them. But if the enemy was bombing and dispatching ground troops while they were bombing, wouldn't you be targeted for German tanks or artillery?"
Sokov's words silenced Ulanova for a moment, but she quickly said with striking remarks: "As long as the Germans can be stopped from bombing the oil tanks on the hillside, it is worth it even if we sacrifice them all."
Sokov felt a little amused and amused when Ulanova's words: "Lt. Ulanova, have you ever thought that if you all died in the German artillery fire, then who will provide air defense for the oil tanks on the north slope?"
Sokov tried to convince the other party to transfer the anti-aircraft gun positions to a safer place, at least in the position where the enemy's tank guns and artillery could not be directly aimed at and fired. However, Ulanova was stubborn and said that the air defense positions could not be changed in any form without permission from the City Defense Committee.
Sokov's concerns were fulfilled in the evening. A German tank unit appeared two or three kilometers away from the north slope. When he learned that German tanks had appeared, Sokov was worried that there would be problems with the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion, so he quickly ordered his subordinates to drag the artillery hidden in the fortifications to the top of the mountain, trying to destroy the rushing German tanks.
The female anti-aircraft artillery battalion was immediately discovered by the German army. The German tanks quickly sailed to a place seven or eight hundred meters away from them, stopped and started bombarding with tank guns. For skilled and rich combat experience, it was not difficult to accurately hit fixed targets of several hundred meters. Under their artillery fire, the artillery positions of the female anti-aircraft artillery battalion were destroyed one after another, and the female soldiers who were staying in the artillery position were also blown to pieces.
Sokov stood in a trench on the south slope, raised his telescope and looked at the location of the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion. Seeing that the cannons surrounded by sandbags were destroyed one by one by one by the German tank fire, the girls did not fight back. Seeing that the girls were all staying in the cannon and were beaten but did not fight back, Sokov couldn't help but jumped in a hurry: "Why don't these fools fight back!"
He called Brisky and asked angrily: "Comrade Captain, please send someone to ask the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion what they are going to do, why the enemy's tank guns are constantly bombarding, but they do not fight back!"
"Don't worry, comrade comrade commander." Brisky heard Sokov say this and quickly replied: "I'll send someone to find out what happened."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Sokov just dropped the phone, and a soldier ran over to report: "The artillery company is in place. Lieutenant Alitai asks for instructions whether to fire the enemy immediately!"
"What are you still hesitating? Immediately fire the cannons and knock out all the enemy tanks!" Sokov was particularly anxious when he saw the girls in the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion, and saw that the warriors who were sending the order were too slow, so he kicked him in the waist: "Hurry up, if you don't fire the cannon, the girls will be over."
About two minutes later, a few mud pillars soared into the sky next to the tanks lined up, and Sokov knew that it was the artillery company that opened fire. In order to facilitate command, he called a communications soldier and asked him to immediately lead a telephone line to the artillery position. He wanted to keep in touch with Lieutenant Alitai.
Chapter completed!