Rokosovsky introduced the current dilemma to the two division commanders, and then assigned tasks to them. He walked to Sokov and said to him: "Captain Sokov, judging from the information we have obtained, the German army intends to launch a counterattack against Sushinic, intends to recapture the city and completely cut off the supply line of friendly forces in the west of us. The enemy in the north shall be defended by the troops of the 324th Division; and the battalion in the south shall be reliably defended, and no step back!"
Sokov just heard that the German army was fighting against Sushinic, and he looked indifferent. According to his thoughts, the enemy would fight when he came; if he couldn't defeat, he would withdrew. Anyway, there was such a big city behind him. But when he heard Rokosovsky's last words, he couldn't help but sweat. In order to confirm that his guess was correct, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, if I don't understand it wrong, are you planning to let our battalion be responsible for the defense in the south?"
"Yes, that's what I mean." Unexpectedly, as soon as he said something, Rokosovsky nodded in agreement, "Although you are a battalion, you are better than any infantry regiment in the city in terms of equipment and numbers, so I feel very relieved to hand over this arduous task to you."
After figuring out Rokosovsky's true thoughts, Sokov suddenly felt his legs weak. The hundreds of German troops who attacked yesterday had only five cannons to provide artillery fire support, which made him feel embarrassed. If it was not two companies, but two battalions, and the tanks and artillery were strengthened, even if the entire battalion was all over, he would not be able to defend the nameless highland.
He lowered his head and considered whether he should explain his difficulties to Rokosovsky and let other people's troops carry out this difficult and glorious defensive task; at the worst, he should send himself several troops to cooperate in the fight. Suddenly, he heard Kazakov's voice: "Captain Sokov, there is one more thing I forgot to tell you."
Sokov looked at Kazakov with surprise, trying to figure out what the other party was going to tell him. Kazakov continued: "I just received a female anti-aircraft machine gun company yesterday evening. In order to strengthen the air defense force in the south of the city, I think I'll deploy them in the defense zone of your battalion."
"Women's anti-aircraft machine gun company?" Sokov came to this time and space for so long, and it was the first time he heard the established female soldiers. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart: "Will there be no scandals on putting a group of women on the position?"
Seeing Sokov remained silent, Kazakov thought he was unwilling to accept the troops, so he quickly explained to him: "Captain Sokov, a female army of established troops, may be the first time you have heard of it. Don't worry, although this unit has just been formed, their company commanders and instructors are all commanders and soldiers who have participated in the battle. I believe that under their leadership, the performance of the female soldiers on the battlefield will not disappoint you."
As a person from later generations, Sokov knew better than anyone else how much contribution the Soviet women had made in the great Patriotic War. He straightened his body and asked Kazakov: "Comrade General, I want to ask if this force is under my command after it is deployed in our defense zone?"
"Is this more necessary?" Kazakov turned his head and looked at Rokosovsky, and said to Sokov with a smile: "You have the highest military rank, and you will naturally have the final say in the nameless highlands south of the city."
When Sokov heard that the female anti-aircraft machine gun company was under his command, he was overjoyed. He quickly asked again: "Comrade General, don't know where the female anti-aircraft machine gun company is?"
Kazakov did not speak, but turned his inquiring eyes to Rokosovsky. After seeing the other party nodding slightly, he said to Sokov: "Let's go, Captain Sokov, I will take you there now, I hope they will not suffer any losses in the shelling just now."
Kazakov waved over a tricycle, sat in a swagger, and then asked Sokov to sit behind the motorcycle. After the two of them sat down, Kazakov said to the motorcycle: "Go to the female anti-aircraft machine gun company."
When the anti-aircraft machine gun company was stationed, Sokov was startled by the scene in front of him. Next to a two-story building that had been half-blasted and still burning, a group of female soldiers wearing steel helmets were crying. Near the location where they stood, there were many bullet craters of different sizes, and it seemed that they had been bombarded here.
Kazakov led Sokov into the crowd and asked loudly: "Where is the commander? What happened here?" Because the female soldiers cried too loudly, his voice was suppressed. Sokov quickly raised his voice and repeated Kazakov's words.
The female soldiers cried much less. A young female soldier wearing a steel helmet and slender figure came over, raised her hand to salute Kazakov and said, "Comrade General, Lieutenant Liu Ba, the commander of the female anti-aircraft machine gun company, reported to you!"
"What's going on here?" Kazakov asked with some displeasure: "Why are you crying!"
Lieutenant Liuba pointed to the ground not far away and said to Kazakov, "Comrade General, please see."
Kazakov looked in the direction of Liuba's finger and saw a row of corpses lying neatly on the ground. Not far away, more than a dozen male soldiers were digging holes with shovels. Seeing this, Kazakov's mouth twitched violently a few times, and then asked: "Comrade Lieutenant, they all died in the shelling just now?"
"Yes, Comrade General." Lieutenant Liuba nodded vigorously, and then said: "In the shelling just now, three anti-aircraft machine guns were blown up, eleven female soldiers were killed, and fifteen others were injured."
Sokov's heart suddenly sank when he heard what Liu Ba said. On the way he came, he had inquired about Kazakov and knew that the anti-aircraft machine gun company had nine machine guns and nearly a hundred girls. But unexpectedly, before the company could enter the battle, it lost a quarter of the loss under the enemy's shelling.
Liuba's report surprised Kazakov. He looked around and then asked, "Where are the other wounded?"
"I have sent someone to a nearby field hospital." Liuba looked at Sokov as he spoke, thinking that the captain was Kazakov's adjutant, so he continued to look at Kazakov and asked: "Comrade General, the Germans have killed so many of our sisters. We want to avenge them. I wonder when will you assign combat missions to us?"
Chapter completed!