When Cuikov learned that the Central Railway Station was lost, he was furious. He roared at Krelov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, as the central railway station in the city's transportation hub, is undoubtedly the main channel to the Volga River. As long as the enemy stands firmly there, it will not only divide our defense line into two, but also rush to the Volga River at any time, control the ferry there, and cut off our connection with the other side."
Krelov waited for Cuikov to get angry and said, "Comrade Commander, in order to launch a counterattack against the German army, we have put all the mobile troops into battle. Now we have no reserve team in our hands."
"We don't have a reserve team, but are preparing to be transferred to the river to defend the ferry." Cuikov frowned and said, "Anyway, there is Lieutenant Colonel Sokov's 73rd Infantry Brigade guarding Mamayev's Gate, so let this army take back the train station."
Krelov nodded, walked to the table and picked up the phone, and said to the microphone: "Check me the 37th Tank Brigade, find Major Hopka, the commander of the brigade. Major, I am Chief of Staff of the Group Army. The commander ordered your brigade to attack the station and be sure to eliminate the enemies entrenched in the station."
After Krelov put down the phone, he continued to Trekov: "Comrade Commander, this tank brigade has five T-34 tanks and more than 400 soldiers. It should not be a big problem to retake the station."
Half an hour later, the 37th Tank Brigade launched an attack on the station building of the central railway station occupied by the German army. Major Hopka, who was in charge of the command, thought that under the cover of the tank, his troops could easily attack the station. So he sent only one company and two tanks to attack the station occupied by the German army.
The two tanks carefully bypassed the craters in the square and rushed towards the door of the station building. More than fifty soldiers were followed by them. When more than 30 meters away from the door of the building, an anti-tank gun hidden behind the sandbag fortifications opened fire first, destroying the tank that guided the soldiers to charge. Before another tank could react, the German artillery fired again and destroyed the tank. The infantry, which had lost the cover of the tank, was immediately fiercely fired by the German army. Before even the gun could be fired, they fell one after another in a pool of blood.
Seeing one of his company rushing up, and it was wiped out by the enemy without even five minutes. Major Hopka felt something was wrong, so he quickly adjusted his attack method. He realized that the German army not only occupied the station building, but also the houses on both sides. If he continued to attack from the front, he would pay a heavy price.
This time he ordered the remaining three tanks to park on the other side of the station square and bombard the exposed fire points in the station with artillery fire. At the same time, he ordered the infantry to detour from the wings to the rear of the station building in platoons, with the help of the cover of the ruins.
As soon as the offensive battle started at the station, Sokov received a report from the scout. When he heard that the vanguard of the attack was completely wiped out by the German army in just a few minutes and lost two tanks, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that the Soviet commander's tactics were too rigid. If he followed this style of play, there would be only a few living people left in the army before he could take the station.
Sokov knew very well about the importance of the Central Railway Station. If the enemy really gained a foothold here, it would not only split the defense line of the 62nd Army into two disconnected parts, but also threaten the safety of Mamayevgang. Thinking of this, he decided to go out to see the situation and then decide whether to send troops to cooperate with friendly forces to fight and jointly retake the Central Railway Station.
When he came to the observation room at the top of the hill again, he unexpectedly found that the reconnaissance company commander Christopher was also there. Seeing Christopher raise his hand to salute him, he nodded at the other party and then asked: "Comrade Lieutenant, what's the situation? Has our friendly forces launched an attack again?"
Christopher nodded and replied: "Comrade Brigade Commander, they launched an attack again, but the commander who led the team seemed to have adjusted his tactics..."
"Adjusted the tactics?" Christopher's words aroused Sokov's curiosity. He raised his telescope and asked curiously: "How did you adjust it?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, look, there are three tanks parked on the south side of the station square, bombarding the German fortifications in front of the station building." Christopher pointed to the station filled with smoke in the distance and said to Sokov: "Their infantry used the cover of ruins to detour from the left and right sides to both sides of the station building. When they approached the enemy's firepower point, they came with an unexpected assault, using grenades to eliminate the enemies hiding in the building..."
"Interesting, interesting." Sokov looked at the three tanks that were still firing and said with interest: "It seems that the commander of this army is really not easy. He ordered the tanks to fire at the enemy's position, attracting the enemy's attention, and then sent troops to detour to both sides of the station and attack the enemy unexpectedly. It seems that it should be no problem for them to retake the station building."
As Major Hopka readjusted his strategy, the officers and soldiers of the Tank Brigade successfully occupied the station building after a fierce battle. The German troops in the station could not understand the reality of the Soviet army. In order to avoid being annihilated, the remaining troops hurriedly withdrew from the station.
After the Tank Brigade's troops occupied the station, Hopka ordered people to re-arrange their defenses, and ordered the communications soldiers to set up their phones and personally reported to Cui Kefu about the capture of the station.
When Cuikov learned that the Central Station had been recaptured, he was overjoyed: "Great, Major Hopka, you are so great that you took the station back so easily. I congratulate you, and on behalf of me, please express your gratitude to your soldiers for their achievements in the battle to defend Stalingrad. Do you have any difficulties?"
"Comrade Commander," Hopka replied, "At present, there are only three tanks left in the entire brigade and more than three hundred soldiers. I wonder if you can send some reinforcements?"
"No, Major, I can't send reinforcements to you, so I have no one in my hands." Perhaps because I was worried that it would affect Hopka's mood, Cui Kefu hesitated for a moment and then continued: "According to the notice from his superiors, a Guard Division will arrive in the city tomorrow. At that time, I will draw troops from the division to strengthen the defense of the Central Railway Station. Major, you only need to hold on to the station for 24 hours, and reinforcements will arrive."
When Hopka learned that reinforcements were coming within one day, he felt much more at ease when he felt relieved. He said to the microphone: "Comrade Commander, please rest assured that we will definitely defend our position before the friendly troops arrive tomorrow."
Sokov, who was standing in the Mamayev hill observation center, gave up his plan to send troops when he saw the red flag inserted into the station building again. Since the friendly forces had taken the station, he sent troops there at this time, and he was somewhat of a fight for merit. He only said to Christopher: "Continue to let people observe the movements in the direction of the station." Then he returned to his command center staggeringly.
Seeing Sokov coming in from outside, with a smile on his face, Sidolin asked tentatively: "Comrade Brigade Commander, you seem to be very happy. Do you have any good news to tell us?"
"Yes, I have good news to tell you." Sokov walked to the table and sat down, saying to Sidorin and Belkin: "Our troops have taken the Central Railway Station back from the enemy."
"What, the Central Railway Station has been recaptured?" When Cidolin heard the news, he showed a surprised expression on his face: "But not long ago, the attack launched by friendly forces was not defeated by the Germans. Not only did the entire army be destroyed, but he also lost two tanks."
"Chief of Staff, you are right. The first attack of friendly forces did end in failure." Sokov did not deny the failure of the first attack of the Tank Brigade: "But in the following attack, they adjusted their strategies in time and used the remaining three tanks to bombard the station building occupied by the enemy to attract the attention of the defenders. At the same time, the infantry used the cover of ruins to approach the station building from both sides, used grenades to eliminate the enemy's firepower points, and after a fierce battle, they successfully occupied the station building. The enemies in other places of the station, because they could not understand the reality of our army, saw that the station building was lost, and they fled out of the station in a hurry."
After confirming the news that the Central Railway Station was recaptured, Cidolin also breathed a sigh of relief. In this way, the enemy could not threaten Mamayev's hill from the flanks, so that he could do his best to deal with the 295th Infantry Division of the German Army that was attacking head-on.
The enemy who occupied the station was driven out of the station by the Soviet army. Major Feng Haidn, the German battalion commander, returned to the regiment headquarters in shame and reported the news of the lost station to the regiment commander. Such important information was naturally not dared to hide it, and he quickly called the division commander.
"Take it back and immediately take back the Central Railway Station in Stalingrad for me." After hearing the news, the German commander threw the teacup in his hand and ordered in anger: "As long as there is one person in your grenade regiment, you must not stop attacking the station. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Master." Hearing the commander of the division commander, the commander respectfully replied: "I will immediately organize the troops and launch an attack on the station."
Although it was getting late, in order to re-occupate the station, the German army launched an attack on the station overnight. For a moment, dense gunfire and explosions sounded inside and outside the station.
Although Hopka had more than 300 people left, he was responsible for the defense of so many locations at the station, so his troops seemed a little weak. The cunning Germans used the weak enemy with the dispersed Soviet troops to carry out feint attacks in several places to restrain the Soviet troops, and concentrated their forces to rush directly to the station building along the railway.
The commanders and fighters who were standing in the station building shot at the enemy from a high place from the window. The tanks parked outside the building also opened fire at the enemy's place. Pukhov looked out from the window and saw enemies everywhere. He was worried that with his existing troops, he could not defend the station building at all. He quickly called Cui Kefu and asked him for help: "Comrade Commander, the enemy is launching a fierce attack on the station. Our troops are too small and we are almost unable to withstand it. Please send someone to support immediately and send someone to reinforce us immediately!"
"Major Hopka," Cuikov said angrily after hearing the call from Hopka: "Didn't you promise me confidently that you can hold on to the station for 24 hours? Now only seven hours have passed, you actually told me that you cannot hold your position..."
"Comrade Commander," said Hopka with a sad face: "The enemy launched an attack from several directions at the same time, restraining our troops. Now they have arrived outside the station building and are trying to seize the building?"
"Comrade Major, is your tank still there?" Cuikov asked coldly after Hopka finished speaking.
"It's here, it's here." Hopka quickly replied, "The remaining three tanks were parked outside the station building, and used artillery fire and machine guns to prevent the enemy from approaching our building."
"Since the tank is still there, then listen carefully to the orders I gave." Cuikov said loudly on the phone: "You immediately bring all the soldiers in the building around the tank and guard the entrance of the building. If you can't keep it, I will shoot you personally, no matter whether you are a brigade commander or a division commander."
Hearing Cui Kov's orders to himself in such a stern tone, Hopka could only grit his teeth and answer: "I understand, comrade Commander, I immediately organize people to hold on to the entrance of the station building and never let a German rush into the building."
After putting down the phone, Hopka called two correspondents and loudly ordered them: "Immediately, you will gather people from other places to the station building. We will fight to the death with them here, do you understand?"
"I understand, comrade comrade commander." The two correspondents quickly agreed loudly, turned around and ran out of the room, went to every corner of the station, and informed the defenders to retreat to the entrance of the station building.
The battle lasted until dawn. Seeing that the Germans were unable to occupy the station, they had to retreat in shame. The officers and soldiers of the tank brigade who were standing in front of the station building were also seriously injured and injured. The brigade commander Major Hopka was unfortunately shot and died. Only one tank and 25 officers and soldiers were left in the brigade.
When Cuikov learned that the station had been guarded, he hurried to the station with several soldiers, preparing to praise Hopka in person. However, when he arrived outside the station building, he saw the remains of hundreds of dead commanders and soldiers neatly placed on the ground. Seeing this, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and he quickly grabbed a passing soldier and asked, "Where is your brigade commander Major Hopka?"
The soldier glanced at Cui Kefu and replied with a dull look: "Sacrificed. Comrade Commander died in the battle."