As soon as the German artillery began to test the firing, the commanders and soldiers of the Guard Division hid in time in the anti-aircraft shelter or cover to avoid the dense artillery attacks that followed. Several soldiers should have been left to observe the enemy's movements, but when Sokov heard that the German army carried out artillery attacks, he ordered everyone to retreat into the bunker and hide.
Although the enemy took advantage of the shelling and the possibility of attacking, if not afraid of 10,000, it was afraid of one. Sokov quickly ordered the third line of defense and the observation post at the top of the Mamayevgang hill to closely monitor the enemy's movements. Once the enemy found signs of attack, he would immediately report to the division headquarters.
Regarding Sokov's arrangement, Cidolin smiled and nodded, saying in agreement: "Comrade Commander, your method is really good. When the enemy shells the second line of defense, the third line of defense or the observation post on the top of the Mamayevgang Mountain will monitor the enemy. Not only will the field of vision be broad, it can detect the German actions in time, but the observation post does not have to worry about being bombarded by the enemy."
As soon as Sokov finished speaking, the phone ringing on the table rang. Cidolin grabbed the microphone and said loudly: "I am Cidolin, where are you?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, I am the Chief of Staff of the 125th Regiment." An anxious voice came from the phone: "The regiment commander went to the second position to inspect. He has not returned yet. I am afraid that the enemy's artillery fire will be trapped."
"What, Yershakov is on the second line of defense?" When Cidolin heard this, his brow frowned: "I'm really playing the piano. He stayed honestly at the command post on the third line of defense, and what should he do when he ran to the front?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff," the regiment chief of staff quickly explained to Cydolin: "The regiment chief said that some positions on the second line of defense had been destroyed by artillery fire when the enemy launched the first attack. He wanted to supervise the soldiers to repair the fortifications. Who knew that less than half an hour after he went there, the enemy's artillery began."
"Comrade Commander," Sidolin covered the microphone with his hands and asked Sokov for advice: "Ltd. Col. Yershakov, the commander of the 125th Regiment, went to the second line of defense to inspect, but was trapped in the position by enemy artillery fire. What should we do?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, the enemy's shelling is so fierce that if Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov is forced to leave, he may suffer unnecessary casualties." Sokov ordered without hesitation: "Let him stay in the shelter of the second-line position, and wait for the enemy's shelling to be over before returning to the regiment command post to exercise command power."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," said Sidolin to the microphone: "The division commander ordered Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov to stay in the hidden unit on the second line for the time being, and it would not be too late to return to the regiment command post after the enemy's shelling was over."
"Chief of Staff," said the regiment chief anxiously: "The enemy's shelling caused the interruption of communication between us and the second-line positions. We are not sure what the regiment commander is doing now."
Knowing that the communication between the command post of the 125th Regiment and the front position was interrupted, Sokov hurriedly walked over and took the microphone from Sidolin and asked directly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I will give you two orders now. First, once the enemy's shelling is over, you must immediately send a communications soldier to restore contact with the front position; second, once your regiment commander is injured or sacrificed and withdraws from the battle, you will take over his command. How about it, can you do it?"
The question raised by Sokov made the Chief of Staff silent for a long time before hesitating: "Comrade Commander, I have never commanded the troops alone. If I were to let me take over the command of the regiment commander, I'm afraid..."
"What are you worried about?" Sokov interrupted his later words without waiting for the other party to finish his words. "So far, you are the commander who is most familiar with the situation of the 125th Regiment. If I change to someone else to take over the position of regiment commander, he will need to spend a certain amount of time to get to know the commander and fighter below. This will be very unfavorable for commanding and combat. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Comrade Commander." The Chief of Staff of the regiment replied tremblingly: "Since this is the case, I will replace the commander of the regiment commander if necessary."
Ivanov, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but blush when he heard his old subordinates say this, and he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and drill in. He never dreamed that there would be such an irresponsible person among the regiment-level commanders. After Sokov put down the phone, he blushed and asked, "Comrade Commander, if you are not at ease with the 125th Regiment, why not send me to replace the command of the regiment."
"No." Sokov refused without hesitation about Ivanov's request: "You are the deputy division commander, not the commander, I cannot let you take risks in front of you."
Just after rejecting Ivanov's unrealistic request, the phone ringing on the table rang again. Sokov thought it was the chief of staff of the 125th Regiment again, so he picked up the receiver and put it in his ear, and said angrily: "What else is there?"
"Col. Sokov, what happened?" Cuikov's voice came from the receiver: "Why are you so angry?"
"Hello, Comrade Commander." Hearing that it was Cuikov's voice, Sokov quickly stood at attention and asked respectfully at the microphone: "What instructions do you have?"
Cui Kefu did not immediately explain the reason for the call, but asked back: "Let me tell me first, why did you get so angry just now?"
"That's right, comrade commander." Sokov quickly reported Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov to the second line of defense by enemy artillery fire, and finally said uneasy: "I'm worried that something unexpected happened to him will affect the troops' operations, so I can't help but feel a little impatient." As for the Chief of Staff of the regiment, the position of the regiment commander was not competent for the position of regiment commander, after all, it was the "family scandal" of the Guard Division, so he did not tell Cui Kov.
After figuring out what happened, Cuikov said to the microphone: "Col. Sokov, since it's a war, casualties are inevitable. Is it possible that the 125th Regiment will not fight without the commander? Just find someone to take over the position of the commander. If you really have no staff, I will send you a commander from the commander. They all have rich command experience, and it should be more than enough to be a commander."
Sokov knew very well that the commanders that Cuikov mentioned should be commanders above the brigade level who had been wiped out by the troops. It would be a bit aggrieved to let them serve as regiment commander. Sokov politely refused and said, "Thank you for your kindness. I think we can still find a suitable candidate in our division to replace the regiment commander."
After saying this, Cui Kefu remembered the purpose of calling him and asked with concern: "I heard that the enemy is launching a fierce shelling on the second line of defense. How about it, can you resist it?"
Before Sokov went to Moscow, he had instructed Sidolin and Ivanov to strengthen the fortifications of the second line of defense, so he was full of confidence in defending this line of defense. At this moment, he heard Cui Kov's question and quickly replied: "Comrade Commander, please rest assured that our soldiers can rely on ready-made fortifications to repel any size of the German attack."
"The artillery on the left bank is ready and can provide you with artillery fire support at any time." Cui Kefu said with satisfaction: "I believe that under your leadership, the comrades of the Guard Division will definitely be able to crush the enemy's attack."
Sokov reported a few more words to Cuikov about the current situation. Just as he was about to put down the phone, he suddenly heard Cuikov say, "By the way, there is another important thing. From now on, the Don Front and the Stalingrad Front will merge to form a new Stalingrad Front."
When Sokov learned that the two fronts merged at this moment, he was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "Comrade Commander, I want to ask who the commander of the new front is?"
"The new commander of the front army will be General Rokosovsky." After Cuikov finished speaking, he took the initiative to say without waiting for Sokov to ask again: "As for Commander Yelemenko and Comrade Khrushchev, there will be other appointments."
Knowing that the new commander of the Front Army was Rokosovsky, Sokov felt much more at ease. To be honest, Rokosovsky's level of commanding operations was far higher than Yelyemko, and he was responsible for the finishing work in the Stalingrad region, which was undoubtedly the best choice.
After finishing the call with Cuikov, Sokov said to Cydolin, Ivanov and other three people: "Comrades, let me tell you an important news. From now on, the Don Front and the Stalingrad Front will be officially merged and formed into a new Stalingrad Front. The front commander is General Rokosovsky."
Since the beginning of the Stalingrad defense battle, the number of troops has been changed several times, and Cidolin and others have become accustomed to this, so when they heard this news, the expression on their faces did not change at all.
Seeing that everyone's reaction was different from his imagination, Sokov couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. According to his idea, if the battle to eliminate Paulus was continued to be commanded by Yelemenko, it would take at least April and May to annihilate the German Sixth Army. And Rokosovsky was commanded by Roksovsky, this goal could be achieved in early February. However, in February, Sokov could only rot him in his stomach and could not say anything to anyone, which made him very depressed.
The German shelling lasted for more than half an hour and finally stopped.
The chief of staff of the 125th Regiment, criticized by Sokov, immediately sent a communications soldier to inspect the telephone line in front, striving to restore the connection with the second line of defense in the shortest time. The communications soldier knew that the responsibility on his shoulders was heavy, and after receiving the order, he immediately set off with the coil on his back.
Seven or eight minutes later, the Chief of Staff of the regiment received a call from Yershakov from the second line of defense, and only then did he know that the enemy's artillery fire not only broke the telephone line, but also destroyed the cover where Yershakov was hiding. If the enemy's shelling time was not for the short time, the soldiers in the covert could come out to rescue him in time, I'm afraid Yershakov would have been suffocated to death in the collapsed covert.
When the Chief of Staff of the regiment learned that Yershakov was still talking, he quickly asked with concern: "Comrade Commander, you are not injured, are you?"
"I had a little bit of a minor injury on my arm, but it was not in the way." Yershakov said to his chief of staff: "The second battalion commander died in the enemy's shelling. I plan to stay here to replace his command. The regiment command post will be left to you for responsibility."
The chief of staff of the regiment lacks the ability to stand on his own. After hearing Yershakov's order, he couldn't help but be anxious: "Comrade Commander, I think you should let the deputy battalion commander of the Second Battalion commander command the troops. You should return to the regiment command post as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the division commander blames him, I can't afford to take it."
When Yershakov heard the regiment chief of staff say this, he couldn't help but ask in surprise: "What, the division commander also knows about me on the second line of defense? Who told him?"
"I told him." The Chief of Staff of the regiment said embarrassedly: "I lost contact with you at that time. I was worried that something would happen to you, so I reported this to the division headquarters."
"Chief of Staff, you are such a waste." Yershakov said with some amusement and smirk: "When the enemy was bombarded, I hid in the shelter of the Second Battalion. What could happen?"
"But, wasn't your shelter blown up by enemy shells?"
"That... that's just an accident." Yershakov replied, "You see, am I still fine?"
"Comrade Commander, I think you should go back to the regiment command post." The regiment chief advised Yershakov again: "Otherwise, the division commander blames me, I can't afford it."
"Okay, okay," seeing that the Chief of Staff of the regiment repeatedly brought Sokov out to talk about the matter, Yershakov could only say helplessly: "I will explain to the deputy battalion commander of the second battalion and return to the regiment command post immediately."
After the artillery bombardment, the German army launched another attack on the second line of defense of the Guard Division. Since the Soviet commanders and soldiers built solid fortifications here, and the enemy did not understand the distribution of the Soviet firepower, their intensive artillery attacks did not have much impact on the combat effectiveness of the defenders.
In this case, their attack on the second line of defense of the Guards Division naturally did not take any advantage. After an hour of fierce fighting, the attacking Germans were forced to retreat to their offensive starting point.
After being repelled twice by the Soviet army, Rensky was surprisingly angry. He called Paulus himself and begged to the other party: "Your Excellency Commander, please order the artillery to launch an artillery bombardment on the Russian positions again. I am going to try again."
"General Rensky." Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Paulus said in a stern tone: "Immediately stop the attack attempts against the Russian positions, and order the troops to move into defense on the spot, strengthen existing fortifications to deal with possible counterattacks by the Russians."
"Ah, go into defense on the spot?" When he heard this order, Rensky's first feeling was that he had heard it wrong. He specifically reminded Paulus: "Commander, the Russians now have limited troops and can only hide in fortifications to defend. How could they attack us?"
Chapter completed!