Sokov agreed with Bere's statement very much. Although his troops broke through the four German lines of defense, the troops that were stuck there would be constantly attacked by German troops from the west. Once a certain position was lost, his retreat would be cut off, so he agreed to let Berere reinforce friendly forces.
After receiving Sokov's order, Bere immediately returned to the tank battalion, picked out eight of the remaining tanks, took two platoons of infantry, and headed to the east to meet Colonel Gurdiev's 308th Infantry Division.
Guchakov looked at the tank troops in the distance and asked Sokov with some concern: "Comrade Brigade Commander, we only have fifteen tanks in total. Colonel Bere took eight of them at once, and the two searched in the northwest direction, and there were only five left on the position. If the Germans launched an attack at this moment, I was worried that we would not be able to withstand it."
Sokov turned his head and looked at his subordinate and said to him: "Comrade Guchakov, Colonel Beret is taking people to pick up friendly troops. Once the 308th Infantry Division can arrive here smoothly, our defense will be greatly strengthened and we will be more confident to defend here."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a crisp gunshot from the foot of the hill. Just as he was about to ask someone to ask why the gun was fired, a hoarse shout came from the fortifications under the hill: "Air raid, air raid sir. Hidden, everyone quickly find a place to hide."
Hearing the shouts, Sokov immediately thought that the gunshot he had just heard should be the guns fired by the air defense whistle he was promoting in the army. They used the gunshots to warn comrades who were still strengthening the fortifications. Sokov listened carefully, and indeed heard the roar of the engines of the planes in the sky, but it was getting louder and louder, indicating that the enemy was approaching his position. He quickly waved his hands to the soldiers standing on the top of the hill and shouted loudly: "Air raid alarm, everyone hurry up and find a place to hide."
Four German dive bombers arrived above the defensive positions of the infantry brigade, dived down and dropped bombs and strafed at the fortifications on the ground. Before they had time to dig the air raid shelter, the soldiers could only cover their ears with their hands and curled up in the trenches to avoid the bombing of enemy aircraft.
Sokov, hiding in the crater on the top of the hill, was worried that his subordinates would not look at the foot of the hill. Although the bombs dropped by enemy planes lifted up the soil, the soldiers did not run around, but stayed in the trenches to avoid air strikes, thus reducing unnecessary casualties.
Seeing this situation, Sokov suddenly felt much more at ease. He knew very well that when he was bombed by the enemy, as long as he didn't run around, the casualties of the troops would not be too great. After all, as long as the bombs dropped by the enemy planes did not hit the trenches directly, the soldiers hiding inside would not be too dangerous.
After the enemy plane left, Sokov crawled out of the crater and dusted the soil on his body. When he was about to make a count of casualties, he heard Guchakov complaining: "Hey, where is our air force? He watched us get bombed, but he didn't expect to come to support us."
"Enough, Guchakov, stop talking." Sokov interrupted Guchakov and said to him unhappily: "There is a reason why our air force cannot provide us with air cover. Now, go to the hill immediately and inform Captain Vanya and Major Tenev, so that they can count the casualties of the troops immediately." Guchakov, who was criticized, dared not refute, quickly agreed, turned around and ran down the hill, conveying Sokov's orders.
After Sokov left, he walked to the other side of the hill, raised his telescope and looked east. He was worried that the tank troops led by Colonel Beret would also be exposed to the German gap, which would cause heavy losses. However, the actual situation was more optimistic than he thought. The tanks on infantry were heading towards the east, and there was no sign of being bombarded by enemy planes.
After counting the casualties of the troops, Vanya and Tnev went to the top of the hill one after another and reported to Sokov. Vanya first said: "Comrade Brigade Commander, during the bombing just now, four people were sacrificed and 11 people were injured."
Tenev then reported: "29 casualties in my camp, 15 of whom were killed."
After hearing about the casualties of the troops, Sokov couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the German bombing did not cause too much casualties to the troops. He quickly ordered the two battalion commanders: "The enemy planes did not cause too much casualties to us because the number of aircraft they dispatched was too small. Once they dispatched several times of aircraft and bombed our positions, we might threaten the entire army to be destroyed. You two immediately urged the troops to hurry up and repair the air-raid shelter to avoid a new round of enemy bombing."
"I understand." After the two battalion commanders answered in unison, they turned around and walked down the hill, preparing to urge their subordinates to seize the time to build fortifications in the trenches.
Although Sokov once mentioned the excavation of an air raid shelter, except for the commanders and soldiers of the first battalion who followed his orders and seized time to repair the air raid shelter, the soldiers of the guard battalion were just working. As a result, when the enemy planes arrived, the number of casualties in the guard battalion was higher than that of the first battalion. At this moment, the soldiers heard Sokov's order to repair the air raid shelter, and for the sake of their own safety, they threw their arms and tried hard to dig the soil, hoping to repair the air raid shelter before the arrival of the new German air raid.
Just as the commanders and fighters who were standing in Orlovka were desperately digging the air raid shelter, the tank troops led by Colonel Bere had already arrived near the German defense line. He ordered all the tanks to stop through the radio station, then opened the hatch cover himself, poked out half of his body, raised his telescope and looked at the enemy's position not far away.
There were no permanent fortifications on the German positions, only two long trenches, and a few civil and fire points, and the shooting direction was towards the east. Berlei turned his head and rushed to the infantry commander sitting on the tank and said, "Comrade Commander, let your soldiers get out of the car, let us teach the Germans a lesson."
The commander agreed loudly, then stood up straight and shouted at the infantry on the left and right tanks: "Everyone gets out of the car, unfolds the battle formation, and follow the tanks!" A few minutes later, Bere's tank troops guided the infantry and rushed towards the enemy's positions.
The German soldiers who were shooting wildly in the trenches heard the roar of tank engines behind them, and thought their reinforcements had arrived. When they found that they were not their own people, but Soviet tanks, they caused panic. Some soldiers turned their guns and aimed at the rushing tanks and infantry shooting. Since the infantry were hiding behind the tanks, the German soldiers' bullets could not hit them, and they all hit the tanks and splashed a series of sparks.
Seeing the German army shooting on the position, the Soviet tank stopped, aimed at the location of the German fire point, and a "boom" shot over. Since the Soviet tanks used high-explosive grenades, the German soldiers near the explosion point were immediately pulled out of the trenches by air waves, threw them high into the air, and then spilled down in pieces.
The German army was able to block the attack of the 308th Infantry Division because Gurdiev's troops did not receive artillery fire when they attacked. Now they saw more than a dozen giants heading towards him. The German soldiers who lacked anti-tank weapons immediately said: The position could not be defended.
The clever one immediately ran along the trench toward both sides, trying to escape from there. But there were still some stupid German soldiers who were still in the fortifications and used their weapons to shoot at the coming Soviet tanks in vain, and then after a loud bang, they were blown to pieces.
There is no suspense in such a battle, and it is not difficult to do much. The tank troops led by Bere met with the 308th Infantry Division of Gurdiev. After receiving the order from his superiors, he asked him to lead his troops to Orlovka, he accepted Sokov's command.
At this moment, he saw a tank unit emerging from the rear of the enemy. He immediately realized that this unit might be related to Sokov. He asked Bere tentatively: "Comrade Colonel, is your unit from Orlovka?"
"Yes, Comrade Colonel." When Belle saw that the person who asked him was a colonel, he guessed that it must be the commander of the 308th Infantry Division, and nodded and said, "I am Comrade Sokov's order, come to help you."
When he learned that the tank unit in front of him was indeed from Orlovka, Gurdiev felt much more at ease. He quickly said to Bere: "Comrade Colonel, our division is ordered to reinforce Orlovka to strengthen the defensive power there. Please take us there."
"Col. Gurdiev," Bere reminded him when he saw that Gurdiev was anxious to rush to Orlovka, saying, "Should you leave a unit here to defend, so as not to be occupied by the enemy again, resulting in our retreat being cut off?"
Bere's words puzzled Gurdiev: "Comrade Colonel, aren't we waiting for reinforcements to arrive in Orlovka? Since reinforcements will arrive soon, what's the point of staying here or not?"
Seeing that Gurdiev was not willing to leave troops here, Beret specifically reminded him: "Colin Gurdiev, this is what Sokov brigade commander means. He felt that if we did not leave troops here, once we were counterattacked by the German army, we might be surrounded by the enemy, so..."
"Okay, comrade Colonel, you don't have to say anything." Before Bie Lei finished speaking, the political commissar Sveling, who had not spoken, interrupted and said, "You are right. It is necessary for us to leave a troops here to defend." In order to show that he was not talking nonsense, he turned around and called a captain in front of him.
Svelling said to the captain: "Comrade Captain, stay in your camp and be responsible for the defense here. Do you understand?"
"I understand! Comrade of the Political Commissar."
Bere originally planned to let Gurdievdo leave some troops to stay here, but when he heard the political commissar order a battalion commander to lead the troops to stay, it was hard to say anything else. But he never dreamed that after a series of battles, the battalion left only more than 30 people in the battalion. It was barely enough to carry out the alert mission, but when it comes to holding the position, he would be unable to meet the strength.
Bere brought the 308th Infantry Division to Orlovka, and brought Colonel Gurdiev and Political Commissar Sverin to the top of the hill to meet Sokov.
When Gurdiev saw that Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, who was commanding him, was actually a young man, he couldn't help but feel shocked. He couldn't help but wonder: What is the origin of this person? His superiors actually ordered him to obey his command.
"Misha." Before Gurdiev could speak, he heard a major standing beside Sokov say, "The defensive position here is too narrow, so many troops are placed at once. If it is bombarded or bombed by the German army, there will be little casualties. I suggest that the 308th Infantry Division be deployed in another area."
"Col. Bere," Gurdiev saw Sokov's thoughtful expression on his face after hearing the other party's words, and then tilted his head and asked Bere, "Who is this major? Why does Lieutenant Colonel Sokov seem to respect his opinions very much?"
"This is Major Yakov, from the Weapons and Equipment Department in Moscow." Although Bere knew Yakov's true identity, he did not easily reveal it to Gurdiev, but said vaguely: "He and Lieutenant Colonel Sokov are good friends."
"What qualifications do you have to make a point in the arms and equipment department?" Gurdiev was about to refute the other party, but was pulled by his political commissar. He turned his head and glanced at the political commissar and asked dissatisfiedly: "Comrade Political Commissar, what are you going to do?"
"Comrade Commander, I'm about to ask you what you are going to do? Are you refuting the other party's proposal?" Svellin sneered and said, "This major is of great origin."
Gurdiev, who was about to take off, couldn't help but be curious when he heard his political commissar say this: "Comrade Political Commissar, do you know him and know what background he has?"
Svelin hurriedly approached Gurdiev's ear and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "If I had not admitted my mistake, this should be the son of the Supreme Commander. Do you want to cause trouble for yourself?"
Sverin's words made Gurdiev sweat in a cold sweat. He thought the other party was an ordinary major, and he wanted to scold the other party because his military rank was two levels higher than the other party, but after hearing Sverin's words, he immediately dispelled the crazy idea: Just kidding, if he offended the son of the Supreme Commander, he would have to be involved in a big deal. Therefore, he kept silent tactfully, wanting to hear how Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, who was commanding his own troops, planned to arrange his own troops.
"Major Yakov is right. The fortifications here are too narrow. If too many troops are deployed, there will be heavy casualties when they are bombarded by enemy planes or German shelling." Sokov said this and turned his attention to Gurdiev and asked in a consultation tone: "Col. Gurdiev, I plan to deploy your division's troops in the southeast direction. There are also several hills there, and you can rely on the hills to build a defensive position. Do you think it's okay?"
Chapter completed!