After finishing the call with Jolujev, Trekov did not call Sokov immediately. Instead, he said to Krelov, who was busy with a microphone, "Chief of Staff, can you take a few minutes? I want to talk to you."
Krelov knew that Trekov said this must be something important. He quickly said a few words to the microphone, then put down the microphone, walked to Trekov and asked, "Comrade Commander, what's the matter?"
"The Germans rushed into the Derzhinsky factory and occupied the position of the 109th Guards." Cuikov said with a serious expression: "General Lujeff felt that he might not be able to support him, so he called me for help."
Krelov knew very well that the defenders of Derrensky's factory were short of troops, and he was mentally prepared for the loss of the position. But at this moment, when Cui Kev mentioned the fact that Ruolujev asked for help, he couldn't help frowning: "Comrade Commander, we don't have any reserve team in our hands, how can we support him?"
"General Jorujev proposed that we ask Sokov to send troops to support them."
"Comrade Commander, this may not work." As soon as Cuikov finished speaking, Krelov's head shook like a rattle: "The defense area of ​​the 41st Division of the Guards is so large, where can there be any extra troops to support the Derrensky factory?"
"There is no way. The current situation is very unfavorable to our army. If no reinforcements are sent, the factory will be lost." After a brief thought, Cuikov said in an uncertain tone: "I call Sokov and ask how many troops he can draw to support Jolujeff and the others."
After the phone was connected, when Cuikov heard Sokov's voice, he said straight to the point: "Col. Sokov, General Rulejev just called me and said that they had reached the most difficult time. I would like to ask me to send troops to support them. Do you know this?"
"I know, Comrade Commander." Sokov had known for a long time that Cuikov would call him, and had already thought about how to answer: "It's better for me to call him."
After learning from Sokov's mouth that what Rulojev said was the facts, Cuikov asked tentatively: "Col. Sokov, I want to ask, how many troops can you send to reinforce the Derrensky factory?"
"Comrade Commander, our division's defense area is too large, and it is probably impossible to draw too many troops to reinforce General Jorujev." Sokov replied briefly: "I plan to draw two companies from the troops that are stuck in the archives building to reinforce."
When he learned that there were only two companies to reinforce, Cui Kov couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He thought to himself that if a regiment of Lujeff could not resist the enemy's attack, what would it do if you send two companies to? But he knew that Sokov's situation was not much better than that of himself, and he probably did not have a reserve team to move. So he replied casually: "Okay, you can send troops as soon as possible."
Krelov saw Trekov put down the phone and immediately asked impatiently: "Comrade Commander, what does Colonel Sokov say, how many troops can he send to reinforce?"
"He could only dispatch two companies, and he was transferred from the troops that were sticking to the archives building." Cuikov sighed and said to Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, doesn't the headquarters have a guard company, so he might as well send them to factory reinforcements. In today's situation, one more person will have more strength."
Krelov was shocked when he heard that Cuikov planned to transfer the troops of the Guard Command: "Comrade Commander, this is the only established guard force left for us. If they are transferred, the safety of the Command will not be guaranteed."
"If the Derzhinsky factory is occupied by the German army, our headquarters will become their next target of attack." Cuikov looked at Krelov and said helplessly: "Can you block the enemy's fierce attack by relying on this company at that time?"
Seeing that Cuikov had made up his mind, Krelov was not good enough to say anything, so he nodded and prepared to call the guard battalion commander Major Gladshev and asked him to lead people to the Derrensky factory for reinforcements.
Seeing Krelov's frustration, Trekov said to him again: "Chief of Staff, you can send a telegram to the Front Command and answer our current dilemma to Commander Yelemenko, saying that our troops are already facing exhaustion. If reinforcements are not sent into the city, I am afraid that they will not be able to defend the city."
Sending reinforcements to Derrensky and asking for help from the Front Command were equally important for Krelov. He first called the guard battalion commander Major Gladschev and ordered him to immediately lead the only established guard company to rush to the Derrensky factory for reinforcements. Then he ordered the radio operator to send a report to the Front Command, report on the situation in the city, and also made a request for help.
After receiving the telegram from Krelov, Yelemenko fell into deep thought. After a long time, he spoke to Khrushchev sitting opposite him and said, "Comrade Military Commissioner, the situation in Stalingrad is now very dangerous. If we do not send reinforcements as soon as possible, the factory area in the north of the city will be in danger of being lost."
"But the base camp asked us to temporarily stop sending troops into the city, and prepare to cross the river and launch a counterattack after completing the assembly of troops and technical equipment on the east bank." Khrushchev said with concern: "If we send reinforcements to the city at this time, will we be blamed by the base camp?"
"I can't care about so much." Yeliaumko said with a serious expression: "If we stop moving, once the Derrensky factory is implemented, it means that the largest tank production base in China will completely fall into the hands of the enemy and we will lose most of the tank production capacity. I think this is something the base camp doesn't want to see."
Khrushchev was a person who knew how to adapt. When he heard Yelemenko say this, he immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, what force do you plan to send into the city?"
"How about Colonel Sokolov's 45th Infantry Division?" Although Yelemenko was the commander, he would still seek Khrushchev's opinion when making some major decisions: "This division is currently full of staff. After entering the city, it can immediately be responsible for the defense tasks in important areas."
"When are you going to let them cross the river?" Khrushchev paused for a moment after asking this, and added, "When you cross the river by boat, or cross the river from the pontoon bridge under the water?"
"The speed of crossing the river by boat is too slow. I think it's better to cross the river from the pontoon bridge under the water." Yeliaumko replied very simply: "I have looked carefully. After they reached the other side through the pontoon bridge, they were less than four or five kilometers away from the Derrensky factory, and they could reach the designated location in an hour. If you cross the river by ferry, not only the distance will be further away, but it will waste a lot of time just getting on and off the boat."
"Since you have already considered the problem, then give orders." Khrushchev said: "It takes a lot of time from where they are stationed to the river, so that they can set off early and arrive at their destination early."
When the front commander began to dispatch troops, Captain Goria, deputy battalion commander of the new second battalion, led the fifth and sixth companies to the archives building and headed towards the fiercely fighting Derrensky factory.
After ten minutes of marching, they met with the remnants of the 109th Regiment. The regiment commander, Colonel Omelichenko, came out to greet Goria in person. After seeing the reinforcements clearly, he asked Goria in surprise: "Comrade Captain, are you a regiment?"
"No, comrade Colonel." Seeing that the person who brought people out to greet him was a colonel, Goria felt a little flattered, and he quickly replied, "These are only two companies."
"What, just two companies?" Omelichenko almost fell to the ground after hearing Goria's words. "My God, your two companies have more troops than our regiment."
Goria did not discuss with Omelichenko on the issue of military strength, but asked: "Comrade Colonel, I wonder where you plan to deploy us?"
"Comrade Captain!" With six or seven hundred reinforcements, Omelithenko immediately felt much more confident. He said to Goria: "Come with me, I will take you to survey the terrain."
Goria first called two company commanders and gave him a few instructions before following Omelithenko through ruins after ruins, heading towards the most intense place of the war.
"Comrade Colonel," their whereabouts may have been discovered by the enemy. Several shells fell to an explosion not far from them. Omelichenko was worried about danger, so he took Goria to hide in a hut that had not been completely destroyed. Goria heard the shells whizzing overhead and asked Omelichenko loudly: "I want to ask, do you have any anti-tank weapons?"
"No, nothing is gone." Omelichenko shook his head and said in annoyance: "Our regiment's anti-tank guns, mortars and anti-tank rifles were all destroyed in battle. To blow up the enemy's tanks, we can only rely on soldiers to rush forward and use anti-tank grenades or cluster grenades."
When Goria heard this, her heart suddenly became half-hearted. Without heavy weapons and long-range anti-tank weapons, she had to rely on the soldiers to take risks with her life. If she had good luck, it would be one-on-one; if she had bad luck, it might take more than a dozen lives to blow up an enemy tank.
Chapter completed!