"Sorry, Comrade Shulka! We didn't know it was you!"
…
"No, there is nothing to be sorry for!" Major Gavrilov said: "You are all brave, and the motherland will never forget your dedication!"
As he spoke, Major Gavrilov stepped forward to shake hands with them.
"Comrade Shulka!" The wounded man with a head injury asked Shulka: "Are you religious?"
"No, I'm not religious!" Shulka replied.
"So, what keeps you fighting until now?" The wounded man asked: "Don't blame me for asking, I just find it incredible. I have only participated in one battle...So, your experience is just a fairy tale to me.
!”
Shulka knew what to say at this time, such as because he believed that the motherland would definitely win, because of the people's support and strong will, etc.
But Shulka didn't answer that way.
"Actually, you have just answered this question, comrade!" Shulka said.
"What?"
"What you care about is whether you can still be alive tomorrow!" Shulka replied: "This is the answer. I just hope I can be alive tomorrow. This is the reason that has supported me in fighting until now!"
The wounded man nodded thoughtfully.
Although this answer cannot eliminate their pain, it can at least give them some psychological comfort.
Because at this moment, most of these wounded people were thinking about whether they could survive. This kind of fear and pain of death was something that others could not experience... A person just disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
Quite a few of them feel pain and shame because of their fears and fears, because they are usually taught that they must face these bravely.
Until now, they have discovered that the "breakout heroes" are just like them, also afraid of death and have the same fear, so their hearts have been balanced to a certain extent.
Shulka even made a joke: "You must not know my other nickname..."
"What nickname?"
"Escape hero, they call me escape hero!"
There were several bursts of laughter in the air-raid shelter, and then more and more laughter, even though some of the wounded felt pain when they laughed and then turned into moans.
At this time, a signal soldier came in and whispered something to Major Gavrilov.
Then Major Gavrilov said to Shulka: "We should go back!"
"Nice to meet you, escape hero!"
"I hope we can meet again in the future!"
…
The wounded said goodbye to Shulka in this special way.
After walking out of the air-raid shelter, Major Gavrilov sighed: "You seem to be so popular wherever you go, Comrade Shulka!"
"No, Comrade Major!" Shulka replied: "As for me, I know the enemy will not welcome me!"
Major Gavrilov laughed heartily.
As soon as the two returned to the headquarters of the 4th Tank Brigade, Major Zahakavich said to them excitedly: "The Germans were fooled. The 3rd Armored Division left some troops to surround Tula. The main force followed the road and
Railway attack in the direction of Moscow!”
Hearing this, Shulka couldn't help but let go of his hanging heart. Before that, he had been worried that the Germans would not be fooled, because it was Guderian after all.
But now it seems that Guderian was unable to withstand the pressure and the temptation to attack Moscow.
"Shall we withdraw to Moscow now?" Major Gavrilov turned his attention to Shulka.
"No!" Shulka said, "I think we should wait!"
On the seventh day, the 3rd Armored Division only advanced 20 kilometers under Guderian's order.
This made von Bock a little dissatisfied. He urged on the phone: "General, you can only advance 20 kilometers in one day. This is not your style!"
Guderian was making excuses: "There are too many mines in their position, Marshal, and there are also roadblocks... The Russians sawed down big trees and laid them across the road. We must move forward cautiously!"
Only part of what Guderian said was true. They could actually move forward faster, but Guderian wanted to be more steady.
He did not believe that the Russians would allow him to invade Moscow so easily, so he kept widening the minefield on his back path.
On the other hand, Moscow could not sit still when it heard the news.
Stalin called Zhukov and asked: "You said we could hold a military parade, but now the military parade has not been held, and the enemy is only dozens of kilometers away from us!"
"I know, Comrade Stalin!" Zhukov replied confidently: "I will drive them out, they will not affect the military parade!"
Day eight.
The 3rd Armored Division advanced another 20 kilometers, defeating a hastily organized civil defense force.
Major General Andreas, commander of the 3rd Armored Division, reported to Guderian: "There is nothing unusual. This is a force organized by the people. They are vulnerable... They even stepped on the obstacles they laid when escaping.
Mines, you should really see what they look like, General!"
"So, do you think they have no extra troops?" Guderian asked.
"Yes, General!" Major General Andreas replied: "There is no doubt about this. I think their reserve forces are attracted by our army in the direction of Volokolamsk!"
"How many kilometers are we from Moscow?" Guderian asked.
"Seventy kilometers, General!"
"Full speed tomorrow!"
"Yes, General!"
…
So the 3rd Armored Division accelerated its march on the ninth day.
In order to ensure the sudden advance of the 3rd Armored Division, von Bock even called in the aviation force to airdrop supplies for it.
"Now is the most critical moment!" Von Bock said to the adjutant: "No matter what happens to other units, we must ensure that the 3rd Armored Division has enough gasoline, ammunition and even warm clothes!"
Then Von Bock continued to urge Guderian: "I think this is our opportunity. The muddy road has been frozen by ice and snow. We must take advantage of the severe cold in Moscow to completely destroy the enemy's defense line and their will to resist!"
"Yes, Your Majesty Marshal!" Guderian replied.
The vanguard of the 3rd Armored Division has moved forward to a position only more than thirty kilometers away from Moscow. It is said that scouts can see the red five-pointed star on the Kremlin with telescopes.
At this moment, Guderian's restless heart was also awakened. At this time, he also believed that his previous worries and hesitations were unnecessary and even missed the opportunity to fight.
Therefore, he ordered the 3rd Armored Division: "Don't let your troops stop and launch an attack overnight. If you are fast enough, your tanks will appear on the Red Square tomorrow morning!"