After Andrei waited for Susanna and Jina to leave his battalion, he asked Sokov for advice: "Comrade Commander, what other people do you want to meet? I will send someone to find them immediately."
"Comrade Captain," Sokov said to Andre: "I came here at risk not to sit in the basement and listen to people report to me. I hope to see where the battle is going."
"Comrade Commander, this is not very good." Andrei wanted Sokov to stay in the camp and listen to the report because he was worried about the dangers the other party encountered outside, so he tried his best to persuade him: "Who do you want to meet and whoever you want to hear, I will send someone to come immediately. Even if they can't come for the time being, they can still report to you by phone."
Seeing Andrei repeatedly advised him not to leave the battalion, Sokov understood that the other party was kind and afraid that he would be in danger. Sokov was quite moved by having such a subordinate who cared about his safety. However, he ventured to the old city to see with his own eyes the battle progress in the old city. If he just wanted to sit in the command post and listen to the report, it would be better to stay in Mamayev's hill.
Sokov originally wanted to say that his purpose was to go to the Vasily Building, but he saw how it was going there. But before he opened his mouth, he suddenly remembered that he had not heard about Rodimtev and the 13th Guard Division for a long time, and asked Andre tentatively: "Comrade Captain, I want to ask, are there any commanders and fighters of the 13th Guard Division in your battalion?"
"From the 13th Division of the Guards?" Andrei was stunned at first, then shook his head and said, "No, none. Comrade Commander, weren't they transferred to the north of the factory area two months ago?"
Although he had long guessed that there was no one from the 13th Guards Division here, Sokov was still a little disappointed when he heard Andrei's affirmative reply. Major General Rodimtev and his troops, who were remarkable in real history, became unknown because of his sudden emergence. Even the famous Pavlov building turned into the Vasily building.
"Comrade Commander, have you forgotten that we have saved General Rodimtev's life?" Since Sokov mentioned the 13th Guard Division, he immediately awakened the memories of this force in Andrei's mind: "At that time, he lost contact with the Army Command, and the commander ordered us to search. You took us to the old city area. After careful searching, you found that they were trapped in the basement because the house collapsed..."
Andrei's words reminded Sokov. He wanted to talk about the issue of the basement exit from the beginning of entering the door. Since Andrei mentioned it at this moment, he naturally said: "Comrade Captain, since you know the lessons of General Rodimtev at the beginning, why did your command post not have a passage outside the building? Don't you worry that one day the buildings on your head fell down in the enemy's shelling or bombing, burying you all in the basement?"
"I'm sorry, comrade in the division command, it's all my negligence." Hearing Sokov pointed out the problems in the battalion command post, Andre immediately blushed and admitted his mistake: "I mainly consider that all battalion commands may be transferred at any time, so some work is not done carefully enough..."
"Captain Andre, as a commander, even if it is just a temporary command post, you must consider the way out." Sokov said to him with a serious expression: "You have thousands of commanders and fighters under your command. If something goes wrong with your battalion, the entire old city will become a piece of loose sand because of the loss of unified command, and then there will be a possibility of being defeated by the Germans one by one. Do you understand?"
"I understand, comrade of the division commander." Andrei, who had finished Sokov, immediately replied loudly: "I will arrange personnel immediately to dig a passage to the trenches outside. In this way, even if the entire building collapses, the people staying in the basement can be transferred safely."
When Sokov and Andre arranged the manpower and began to dig out the passage outside, he stood up from the table and said to him: "Comrade Captain, I want to go to the Vasily Building. Please prepare a guide for us."
Don't see Sokov has been to the Vasily Building many times, but due to enemy shelling and bombing, the buildings along the way have turned into ruins. Sokov cannot accurately find the Vasily Building without reference objects.
"Comrade Commander, since you are going to the Vasily Building." Seeing that Sokov had made up his mind to go to the Vasily Building, Andrei knew that nothing he said was useless, so he volunteered and said, "If you don't object, why don't you be the guide for you."
"Then what's the job here?" Sokov asked back.
"I can hand over the work to the deputy battalion commander." Andrei grinned and continued, "I haven't been to the Vasily Building for a long time. I just happened to go with you to see what it has become."
After coming out of the basement, Sokov asked Selyosha to summon the accompanying soldiers, and then turned his head to ask Andre: "Comrade Captain, in the order I issued some time ago, I asked you to use the sewers in the old city to connect the various defensive positions and fire support points. Have you done this?"
"Report to the commander of the division," Andrei replied awkwardly when he heard the question asked by Sokov: "We only used the sewers in a few areas."
"Why?" Sokov asked dissatisfiedly.
"Due to the bombing of enemy planes, sewers in many places have collapsed." Seeing that Sokov was unhappy, Andrei quickly explained to him: "I once organized manpower to inspect sewers such as Nel in the defense zone. The final result was very disappointing. Most sewers either collapsed or were flooded by river water. There were only two or three sewers available for us, and the areas that could be connected were very limited."
"So do we need to enter the sewer when we go to the Vasily Building?"
"I think it's better not to enter the sewer." Andre continued: "On the way to the Vasily Building, there was a sewer of more than 800 meters that had fallen into the hands of the enemy. I have sent people many times to try to retake this sewer from the Germans, but failed, but instead sacrificed seventy or eighty soldiers."
"If you want to regain the sewer, you don't have to organize troops to launch an attack." Sokov learned that Andrei organized the battle to seize the sewer. After not succeeding, he was not only angry, but instead taught him combat experience: "You can send someone to block the two sections of that sewer so that the enemy cannot use the sewer to carry out activities. In addition, set up several snipers near the exit of the sewer, and kill them immediately as soon as the enemy comes out."
"But what should we do if the enemy stays in the sewer and doesn't come out?"
"Enemy staying in the sewer, even if they carry enough ammunition. But do they have enough food and water?" Sokov sneered and continued: "In order to continue to control this sewer, they need to constantly replenish ammunition, food and water. As long as you guard the exit, one enemy comes out, you will kill one. It won't take long before the enemy in the sewer will be unable to hold on."
"I understand, comrade of the division commander." After hearing Sokov's tactics, Andrei showed a joyful expression on his face: "You don't know, I have been having a headache about how to regain the sewer in this area these days, and even considered to transfer a complete company to launch a new attack there."
"Comrade Captain, you must remember that we cannot compare with the enemy in terms of firepower configuration. Without strong firepower cover, we will attack the enemy's defense areas, which is to let the soldiers die in vain." Sokov said this, and waved his hand down suddenly and said firmly: "In my army, such unnecessary sacrifices are absolutely not allowed."
"Comrade Commander," Selyosha trotted over and asked Sokov for advice: "The troops have been assembled, can you set off?"
"Set off!"
Under Andrei's leadership, Sokov and his friends carefully passed through one ruin after another. Although they heard the sound of pulling the gun bolt from the ruins from time to time, there was no movement soon. When Sokov heard these movements, he knew in his heart that the commanders and soldiers of the Third Battalion must be the ones who were standing in the ruins.
After walking for more than half an hour, Sokov and his friends finally approached the Vasily Building. With the help of the firelight from afar, Sokov, who saw the building in front of him, was shocked. Half of the entire building had collapsed, leaving only a frame. The walls that had not yet collapsed were also filled with dense fist-sized craters, which shows how fierce the battle here was.
In order to prevent misunderstandings, everyone stopped more than 100 meters away from the building, and Andre sent someone to contact the defenders in the building and asked them to come out to respond.
After the soldiers sent to leave, Andrey explained to Sokov in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, Vasily sent people to bury a lot of landmines around the building in order to prevent the enemy's night attack. If there were no people in the building leading the way, it would be difficult to pass through this minefield."
Sokov did not feel alarmist about Andrei's statement at all. In order to guard the building, Vasily and others must have buried landmines in different locations on the roads leading to the building. If there were no people in the building leading the way, even if they carried a mine detector, they would not be able to open up a road in the minefield.
When the soldiers who went to contact came to a place more than fifty meters away from the building, a soldier holding a submachine gun suddenly emerged from a trench that had been blown and deformed. After a brief exchange between the two sides, they walked towards Sokov's location together.
When the two approached, Sokov saw clearly that the warriors that emerged from the trench were Vasily himself. He couldn't help but ask curiously: "Comrade Vasily, are you not a sniper? Why are you hiding in the trench with a submachine gun?"
"Hello, Comrade Commander." Hearing that the commander was asking, Vasily quickly replied respectfully: "I came out to check the sentry. The sentry felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach. He went to the toilet somewhere else. I was temporarily serving him for a while, but I didn't expect you to show up."
"Comrade Vasily, the division commander is here to inspect you." Andrey was worried that Sokov and Vasily would have been chatting here for a long time. Such a large group of people would be easily discovered by hidden enemies. If they called for artillery fire to bombard the place, the situation would be bad at that time. He hurriedly urged Vasily: "Why don't you take us into the building soon."
"Yes, Comrade Battalion Commander." Vasily straightened his body and said politely to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, please come for us, I will take you into the building." He emphasized specifically, "Please step on my footprints, otherwise you may step on landmines."
Although it was only more than 100 meters away from the building, because there were too many landmines along the way, everyone followed Vasily carefully and walked for seven or eight minutes before entering the building.
After Sokov entered the building, he took off his hat on his head and wiped his sweat, and asked, "Vasily, how many landmines have you buried outside the building?"
Regarding Sokov's question, Vasily thought about it and replied: "We buried more than 700 landmines around the building. In order to block us, the Germans also buried hundreds of landmines around the building. To calculate roughly, there are about 1,000 landmines."
"Oh my god," Seryosha showed a shocked expression on his face when he heard Vasily say: "You are surrounded by thousands of mines, how can you go out to move?"
Regarding Seriosha's question, Vasily smiled faintly and replied: "Comrade Lieutenant, no matter how many landmines there are in the enemy, we cannot be trapped in ours. You must know that when we go outside, we pass through the sewer most of the time."
Vasily brought Sokov to a basement and said apologetically: "Comrade Commander, we were always on the upper floors before, but due to enemy shelling and bombing, most of the floors of this building were reimbursed. We usually have to stay in the basement, and after the battle begins, we will come out of the basement and enter our respective combat posts."
"Teacher, it's the division commander." A soldier sitting at the door of the basement was startled by a group of people when he saw Hulala. When he saw clearly that the division commander Sokov and the battalion commander Andrei were standing with him, he quickly turned his head and shouted into the door: "Comrades, it's the division commander and battalion commander, come to see us."
After a few shouts, several soldiers rushed out. When they saw clearly the person standing outside the door, they were indeed the division commander and battalion commander, they quickly stood at attention, raised their hands to salute the two of them, and said loudly: "Hello division commander! Hello battalion commander!"
"Hello, comrades, thank you for your hard work!" Sokov raised his hand and returned a military salute, then raised his hand and pressed down, saying to the soldiers: "You guys are quiet, don't wake up the other comrades."
"Comrade Commander, please come in." Vasily crossed Sokov to the entrance of the basement, and after making a call, he said: "It is relatively spacious, and you can settle all the soldiers you bring."