"A large number of enemy planes?" Sokov instinctively asked, after listening to Cidolin's report, "How many planes are there?"
"Hundreds of aircraft, comrade of the division commander." Cidolin shouted a little out of control: "The observation said that there are at least five or six hundred enemy aircraft flying towards us."
"What, are there five or six hundred enemy planes?" Sokov was frightened to death after hearing this number. He quickly pointed at Cidolin and said excitedly: "Chief of Staff, immediately give orders to the regiments to let everyone retreat to the tunnel." After shouting this sentence, he added, "Let the observation posts all retreat into the tunnel."
"Let all the observation posts retreat into the tunnel?" When Sidolin heard Sokov's order, hesitated for a moment, and then reminded the other party: "Comrade Commander, if all the observation posts are withdrawn into the tunnel, who will monitor the enemy's movements?"
"My Chief of Staff," Seeing that Sidolin did not immediately execute the order, but was entangled with himself in some details, Sokov was so anxious that he stamped his feet: "Immediately send an air raid alarm to let everyone retreat into the tunnel, otherwise it would be too late."
After saying that, Sokov grabbed a telephone in front of him, shook the handle a few times, picked up the microphone and approached it in his ear, and said to the microphone: "I am Sokov, immediately pick up Lieutenant Colonel Papchinko's regiment command post."
As soon as the phone was heard, he couldn't wait to say, "Lieutenant Colonel Papchinko? I am Sokov. I now order you to immediately withdraw all the soldiers into the sewer. The enemy may immediately bomb our defense zone, so that the soldiers can be prepared to avoid air strikes... Yes, no one left, all of them will be withdrawn into the sewer."
After some busy and busy schedule, Sidolin reported to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, except for the third battalion of the reduction regiment that was standing in the old city, the rest of the troops have all retreated into the tunnel."
"Very good, very good." Sokov said two good things, and his strength seemed to have been drained. He fell on the chair and said to Cidolin in a trembling voice: "Chief of Staff, the Germans have dispatched so many planes, I believe their bombing will not be over for a while. You must tell the soldiers that no one is allowed to leave the tunnel before receiving the order, otherwise I will never give up."
"Comrade Commander," Ivanov asked in confusion when he saw Sokov so panicked, "We have not been bombed by enemy planes, so we need to be so nervous?"
Before Sokov could answer, the phone ringing on the table rang. Cidolin quickly picked up the microphone: "I am Cidolin, where are you?...Hello, Comrade Commander, what instructions are there?...Oh, the enemy is going to launch a large-scale air strike? Our observation post has discovered a large number of enemy aircraft in the sky...Yes, the division commander has issued an air strike alarm, causing all troops to retreat into the tunnel..."
After putting down the phone, Sidolin said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the commander said on the phone that the enemy dispatched a large number of planes to carry out intensive bombing on us, so that we can prepare for air defense as soon as possible."
Sokov nodded and said to Ivanov who was sitting aside, "Deputy Commander, did you hear it? Since the commanders have called us to remind us of air defense in person, it proves that the Germans are about to start the bombing, the scale will definitely not be small."
A few minutes later, dozens of enemy planes flew over Mamayev Hill and began to dive and drop bombs. As the bomb fell, the entire Mamayev Hill immediately turned into an erupting crater. The black smoke rose up wrapped the hills tightly. The explosions in the rolling black smoke rang one after another, and waves passed. From a distance, there were explosions everywhere on the hills and fires everywhere.
The soldiers near the exit of the tunnel felt like they were riding in a small boat and bumping on the surging sea. The strong shock waves stirred the tunnel. Many people's teeth broke their tongues and lips, and even several soldiers were stunned. The commander who was staying nearby saw that the situation was not good, hurriedly ordered the soldiers to stay away from the entrance of the tunnel and sent the shocked soldiers to the health team.
The situation in Sokov's division was much better than outside, but as the bomb exploded, dust continued to fall from the top of his head. In a short while, a thick layer of soil fell on everyone's bodies on the table.
Seeing the enemy's bombing so violently, Ivanov, who had not cared about it, seemed a little panicked. He asked Sokov loudly: "Comrade Commander, the enemy's bombs will not blow up our tunnels, right?"
"There may be some tunnels in some areas that will collapse in such a fierce bombing by the enemy." Seeing Ivanov's lordless look, Sokov quickly comforted him and said, "But it is still safe for you to stay in the division headquarters. As long as the enemy does not use ground-boring bombs, it is not easy to destroy our command."
"Comrade Commander, I want to ask." Political Commissar Anisimov, who has been in a transparent state for a long time, suddenly asked: "The division headquarters will not be blown up, but is there nothing wrong with the health team? You know, we can have hundreds of wounded people there. If they are blown up, many wounded people may not be able to save them."
"Don't worry, Comrade Political Commissar." Regarding Anisimov's concern, Cidolin explained to him: "When the tunnel was being built, the division commander specifically ordered the engineers to repair an extra floor below to accommodate the wounded. I'm right, Comrade Commander?" His last sentence was to Sokov.
"Ah, yes, yes, that's it." Sokov built the underground floor. He initially planned to stockpile ammunition, food and water, but later he found that there were not many supplies to store, so he simply handed over the area to the health team for use. When he heard Sidolin say this, he quickly said with a rush: "I am just worried that the enemy's shelling and bombing would cause the tunnel to collapse and injure the wounded inside again, so he ordered people to build a tunnel for use on the lower floor for the health team."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Sokov refused to continue to get entangled on this issue, so he turned to Sidolin and said, "You call Beigang and ask Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov, how is his situation there?"
After chatting with Yershakov, Sidolin and Yershakov covered the microphone with his hands, turned his head and reported to Sokov with a serious expression: "Comrade of the division commander, Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov reported that more than a dozen soldiers were worried that during the bombing, the enemy would take the opportunity to touch it, so they stayed at the entrance of the tunnel to guard, and were shocked to death by the explosion's shock wave."
When he learned that a soldier was killed by the shock wave of the explosion, Sokov's muscles twitched violently. He pointed at Sidorin with his hand and said, "Chief of Staff, tell Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov that it is impossible for the enemy to launch an attack before the bombing is completely stopped. He ordered him to evacuate everyone farther from the tunnel entrance to avoid unnecessary casualties."
Seeing Sidolin let go of his hand covering the microphone and conveyed Sokov's order to Yershakov, Ivanov whispered to remind Sokov: "Comrade Commander, no one will be left to observe the entrance of the tunnel. If the enemy really takes the opportunity to touch it, we will be blocked in the tunnel by the enemy."
"Don't worry, comrade, deputy division commander." Sokov said to Ivanov: "Now the front of Mamayev's hill is the Romanian army. They don't have the courage to attack our position before the bombing is over. Even if something happens, the enemy will touch the entrance of the tunnel, it is not easy for them to seize the tunnel. There are many exits of our tunnel. You can attack from other tunnels to teach them a lesson."
Not only the Mamayev hill where Sokov is located was violently bombed by enemy planes, but the entire factory area in the north of the city was bombed. The barricade factory and the Derzhinsky factory became the key bombing targets of the German army. Countless buildings collapsed in the explosion, causing dust to spread all over the sky.
"Comrade Commander, the situation at the Barrier Factory and the Derrensky Factory are very bad." After receiving reports from the two factory guards, Krelov reported to Cuikov with a bitter face: "The guards and workers in the factory are very casualties."
"Chief of Staff, immediately notify them to retreat to a safe place." Trikov heard that the defenders suffered heavy casualties, so he quickly issued an order to Krelov: "When the enemy's bombing is over, then re-enter the defensive position."
"It's too late." Krelov shook his head with pain and said, "Because the enemy's bombing was too fierce, all the actions of the defenders in the factory stopped, because as soon as they left the fortification, they would be attacked by enemy planes. Many wounded people could not be treated and could only temporarily park in bulletproof trenches and bunkers. After nightfall, they would be transferred to a field hospital or ambulance in the rear."
Cui Kefu raised his hand and looked at the watch, and his eyebrows immediately twisted into a bump: "There are two hours left before dark. Can the wounded support for that long? Order the sanitary officer to remove the wounded as soon as possible at all costs."
"No, Commander." Krelov heard the order from Cuikov and quickly persuaded: "In order to rescue the wounded, the 37th Guards Division sent 21 health workers in front and behind, but they all died in the bombing. Since such an order is required, it will not only be of no use, but will increase more unnecessary casualties. If our health workers are all sacrificed, then who will rescue the wounded on the battlefield in the next battle?"
"Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff." Cui Kefu sighed and said helplessly: "Then wait until dark, and then send the health workers to treat the wounded, hoping that they can hold on until that moment." He raised his hand and patted his forehead twice, saying in annoyance, "If the enemy had not controlled the air supremacy over Stalingrad and we lacked enough air defense weapons, I don't think we would watch our wounded lying in the bulletproof trench waiting to die."
Chapter completed!