The corporal sent out to find out the situation only took a few minutes and hurried back and reported to the battalion commander incoherently: "Comrade Major, yes, I have figured it out, it's our own people. They are from the 1st Battalion of the 124th Infantry Brigade, and they come to pick us up and break through."
"That's great, this is really great." The battalion commander confirmed from the corporal that the other party was responding to his breakthrough. He was overjoyed and immediately wanted to issue an order to break through.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a voice came from the side: "No, we can't break through!"
"Why?" The battalion commander heard that the person who was speaking was his political deputy battalion commander, so he frowned and asked back: "Comrade Deputy Battalion Commander, I want to ask why I can't break through?"
"Comrade Battalion Commander," the deputy political battalion commander walked to the battalion commander and looked at him and asked, "Did you forget Order No. 227 issued not long ago? If you do not get permission from your superiors, you will evacuate the position without authorization, and the commander of the unit will be sent to the military court."
The battalion commander was happy about the arrival of reinforcements. When he heard the deputy battalion commander say this, he felt as if someone had poured a basin of ice water on his head. He thought to himself: "Now the troops have insufficient ammunition and supplies. If they continue to stay in the fortified area, they will not be able to escape the end of being wiped out by the German army. But if they order the troops to retreat, they may be sent to the military court. What should I do now?"
The first battalion that came to pick him up was waiting outside for a long time, but he was not able to see the troops in the fortification area come out. Just as the company commander who led the team was considering whether to enter the fortification area himself and figure out what he was doing inside, he suddenly heard someone calling his order behind him, and turned his head to see that it was his battalion commander Captain Shashka.
The captain held the pistol and trotted to the company commander, and asked dissatisfiedly: "I said to Captain, why are the friendly troops in the fortification area still not breaking through? What are you rubbing against?"
"Comrade Battalion Commander," said the company commander who received criticism from Shashka, with grievance: "When they sent someone to contact me, I had already told them that we were here to pick them up and break through. But I don't know what happened, but when the soldiers who came to contact came back, there was no movement there."
"Damn, the Germans may rush over again at any time, but they are slowing down." Shashka was anxious when he heard this. He walked quickly towards the fortification area with his pistol and said, "I'll talk to their commander."
The commanders and soldiers in the fortification area were all in the trenches, looking at the friendly troops who were close to each other, but due to the order No. 227, they did not dare to give up their positions casually and go out to meet with them. Seeing a figure walking quickly towards the position of the position, a dedicated warrior shouted loudly at the figure: "Who is coming?"
When Shashka heard someone asking him, he stopped quickly and responded loudly: "I am Captain Shashka, the battalion commander of the 124th Brigade. I want to see your commander."
Not long after, Shashka was taken to the battalion command post. Here, he met the battalion commander and political deputy battalion commander who commanded the troops in the fortification area. Seeing that the other party's rank was higher than his, he raised his hand and saluted, and then asked bluntly: "Comrade Major, I want to ask, in order to support you, my troops finally broke through the German defense line before they arrived here. Why did you delay holding on? Don't you know that the enemy may counterattack at any time?"
"Comrade Captain, please don't get angry." The battalion commander glanced at the deputy political battalion commander sitting opposite him and said helplessly: "I want to retreat too, but we cannot retreat until we get the orders from our superiors."
"Can't retreat?!" Shashka was confused by the battalion commander's words. He asked in confusion: "Comrade Major, please explain to me what's going on?"
"That's right, Comrade Captain." The deputy political battalion commander interrupted: "According to the latest order No. 227, any commander who leads troops to abandon the position without permission from his superiors will be sent to the military court. If we withdraw from the fortification area before we get the order from our superiors, then what awaits us is the trial of the military court."
After learning that the troops in the Forest Area were still holding their troops, Shashka was really amused and crying. He looked at the deputy political battalion commander and asked: "Comrade First-level Instructor, can your radio station contact the superior?"
"We don't have a radio station." The deputy political battalion commander replied awkwardly.
"What about the wired phone?" Shashka continued, "Can you contact your superiors using the wired phone?"
The battalion commander quickly replied: "From the moment the battle started, our wired phone and superiors lost contact."
"Since you are not equipped with a radio station, the cable phone has lost its function." Shashka looked at the two of them and asked coldly: "How do you contact your superiors? Your fortification area has been besieged by the enemy. Even if you want to send a communications soldier outside to contact you, you can't do it at all. You don't take advantage of the opportunity in front of you and the troops to break through in time, but stay here and wait for the impossible retreat order. Isn't this a joke about your own lives and the lives of the soldiers?"
Although both the chief and deputy battalion commanders thought Shashka was justified, the obedience habit developed in the army for many years still did not dare to issue orders to retreat.
Seeing the two sitting in the same place and not moving, Shashka became anxious and grabbed the battalion commander's clothes and shouted at him: "Do you know how many soldiers under my command have died to save you? Now they are still blocking the enemy who is trying to rush over, but you are still holding their troops here. Are you satisfied only if you have to wait for all my people to die?"
Shashka's words shocked the battalion commander. He listened to the gunshots and explosions from afar, and suddenly remembered that the friendly troops who came to pick up their troops were still fighting against the enemies besieged in the fortification area. However, because he was worried about going to the military court, he did not dare to issue a retreat order and allowed the soldiers who came to rescue him to die.
Thinking of this, the battalion commander gently broke away from Shashka's hand and said seriously: "Comrade Captain, you are right. I am wrong. I shouldn't have stopped moving. I will give the troops a retreat order now." After that, he shouted to the outside, "Communication officer!"
As he shouted, a soldier with a gun ran in from outside: "Comrade Battalion Commander, what instructions do you have?"
"Immediately give orders to the troops to withdraw from the passages opened by friendly forces and to the fortification areas." He may be worried that the correspondent would not be able to convey his orders in time, and he also emphasized specifically: "Tell them that the speed should be fast, and whether they can jump out of the enemy's encirclement depends on their movement speed."
"Comrade Battalion Commander," the deputy battalion commander was a little anxious when he heard that the battalion commander had issued such an order to the correspondent: "Do you know that if you do this, you are sending yourself to the military court."
"I know," said the battalion commander with a firm expression: "I can't stop giving a breakout order just because I'm worried about going to the military court, and let hundreds of soldiers accompany me to die in vain."
In this way, thanks to the persistence of the battalion commander, the troops who were standing in the fortification area successfully highlighted the German encirclement and retreated to the location of the Sokov temporary command center as the first battalion came to the reception.
The other attacking troops were even more intense. They attacked a German armored regiment, but they were discovered by the sentries on duty just as they approached the enemy's camp. Although the soldiers rushing in front killed the enemy's sentries in time, they were still one step late. After the German soldiers on duty in the armored vehicles and tanks discovered the Soviet commanders and fighters outside, they immediately fired machine guns. The dense bullets knocked down a large area of ​​soldiers rushing in front.
After finally eliminating the enemies hiding in tanks and armored vehicles, the enemies in the camp were awakened. They quickly seized the advantageous terrain and started a melee with the Soviet army rushing in.
Faced with enemies with tanks and armored vehicles, the 124th and 149th Brigades, which lacked anti-tank weapons, fought extremely hard. The sneak attack turned into a strong attack. The two brigade commanders who were supervising the battle at the front could only use the human sea tactics and launched a charge again and again at the camp occupied by the German army.
Unfortunately, their attack was shattered in the face of the German superior firepower. The five attacks launched in succession ended in failure. They did not make any progress except for leaving hundreds of wounded and corpses in front of the position.
…………
Sokov, who was in the command center, was not worried at all against the troops heading to the fortification area. He felt that they were definitely sure to rescue the trapped friendly forces. On the other hand, although the attacking forces had as many as seven battalions, it still gave him an ominous premonition.
Although he heard gunfire and explosions from both directions, he was unable to establish contact with the two fighting troops, so Sokov had no idea how the battle was on the front line.
Andrei, who was staying in the command center, saw Sokov's distraught look, took the initiative to propose: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you think we need to put our battalion into the battle immediately?"
"No, it's not time for you to come out." Sokov, who was paced back and forth, stopped immediately when he heard Andrei say this and said to him: "The preparation time for counterattack this time is too short, and there is no support from artillery fire and air force. It is very difficult to defeat the German army. I will bring your battalion with me. The main purpose is to hope that in the most critical moment, we can block the rushing enemy."
If another battalion commander heard Sokov say this, he would be panicked. After all, how can the enemy troops that could not be stopped by both brigades, relying on one of their own battalions? After hearing this, Andre nodded and patted his chest to assure Sokov: "Don't worry, comrade brigade commander, since the Germans are really rushing over, as long as our battalion is here, they will not be able to hurt you half a hair."
"Comrade Commander," said a second lieutenant officer rushed in from outside. He raised his hand to salute Sokov and reported: "I was sent by Colonel Borvinov, the commander of the 149th Brigade."
Sokov looked at the lieutenant and asked, "What did the Colonel tell you to report to me?"
"The colonel said that the enemy's firepower was too strong, and the attacks we organized were all repelled by the Germans." The lieutenant looked at Sokov and asked, "The colonel asked me to ask you for instructions, what should I do next?"
After Sokov finished speaking, he realized that he was sent by Bolvinov to ask for instructions. Sokov thought for a while and replied to the other party: "The order is very simple. To attack, continue to attack, you must rush to join the main force of the surrounded army."
As soon as the lieutenant left, Andrei immediately said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, what should we do if the attacks launched by the two infantry brigades cannot work?"
"What else can I do?" Sokov heard Andre's question and said with a wry smile: "I can only choose to let the troops retreat. As for the attack, let it hell, let the infantry attack the German armored troops. Isn't this asking them to die?"
Although the attacks of the two infantry brigades did not make much progress. However, in the encirclement, there were people listening to the gunshots and explosions coming out here. Major Ibaru, the battalion commander of the 35th Division of the Guards, immediately picked up the phone on the table and spoke to Major General Glazkov, the division commander: "Comrade Commander, there are very clear gunshots and explosions on the other side of the encirclement. I think it must be a friendly force coming to greet us. I request to attack immediately!"
Major General Grazkov agreed with Ibaru's statement. However, before he figured out the state, he felt that there was no need to act rashly. At least he had to figure out the other side of the encirclement to what size his troops were. If the number of people was too small, it would not be of much significance. Maybe before he took any action, the other party would be wiped out by the enemy besieged outside.
Ibaru was a little uneasy. Although Major General Glazkov ordered him to hold his troops temporarily, he didn't have that much time. When the scouts sent out figured out what was going on, he decided to take risks. Thinking of this, he stood up from the trenches and shouted at the soldiers beside him: "Comrades, come with me and destroy the invaders!"
When the commanders and soldiers of the teaching battalion heard the gunshots and explosions coming from the opposite side of the encirclement, they could no longer hold back. However, their superiors did not issue an offensive order, so they could only stay in the trenches and stare at the other side in a daze.
I thought this attack would cost a huge price. But when they first attacked, they found that the enemy's attention was attracted to the other side of the encirclement. In front of them was just a German platoon. Facing the soldiers rushing up like tigers from the mountain, the German army fired a random gun for a while, and then gave up their positions and fled in scattered.
Chapter completed!