The Soviet army in Kerch is the 50th Front... At this time, they can't actually tell which army it is, because they have gathered a large number of troops who have been withdrawn from the front line and concentrated here, and they are intertwined with each other.
The soldiers could not find their officers, and the officials could not find their soldiers, so the organization was in chaos.
After Kulik abandoned this mess and left, in principle the command was in the hands of his staff officer, Colonel Leonid, but the only troops that Colonel Leonid could actually command were the headquarters' guard companies.
Mykhlis sent a telegram to Colonel Leonid: "I hope you can organize a counterattack!"
"Comrade Maihelis!" Leonid replied awkwardly: "I hope it will be difficult to stop this harassment, let alone launch a counterattack!"
But of course, Mahlis would not listen to his explanation.
Mahlis's method of handling it is simple: "If you can't do it, just wait and become a sinner of the motherland!"
These words immediately pushed Leonid into a desperate situation.
Soviet officers were different from soldiers. If a soldier surrendered to the German army, he would most likely be listed as missing or sacrificed by the Soviet Union due to chaotic management.
But officers, especially those targeted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs...all the detailed information is recorded in books and it is difficult to escape their sight, especially when the other party is the director of the General Political Department, Mae Helis.
It doesn't matter if Leonid himself dies. If he becomes a "criminal of the motherland," it means that his family may be implicated or even sent to Siberia.
This was unacceptable to Leonid because his child was only a few months old.
Thinking of this, Leonid made up his mind. He took off the armed belt from the wall and walked out of the command post with two guards and got into the jeep.
The jeep drove all the way to Kerch Pier, where there were noisy Soviet officers and soldiers fighting for fishing boats and even making their own floating tools in preparation for escaping.
Leonid stood on the jeep and picked up the horn and shouted at them: "Stop, you idiots!"
At this point, he fired two shots into the air.
The soldiers set their sights here, but they were not afraid of Leonid.
Because Leonid only had one person and two guards, any number of them could kill him and no one knew who did it...or it could be said that they all did it together.
"Is escaping useful?" Leonid shouted through the loudspeaker: "Do you think you can go back alive like this? Even if you are lucky enough to cross the strait in the cold water, you know what is waiting for you on the other side of the strait.
What is it? Shame, death, and the pain of your family!"
What Leonid said is correct. It's a good thing he didn't escape, because it's hard to know whether he died in battle, disappeared, or for some other reason.
But if you escape the strait, it will be evidence of a deserter, even if it is a corpse.
In fact, it was not that most Soviet officers and soldiers did not take this into consideration. They were just frightened by the death and danger in front of them. In addition, they held a bit of luck and hoped that the law would not punish everyone. If the number of deserters increased, the results would be different.
.
But Leonid's next words soon made them realize that this was unrealistic.
"Do you know who is commanding on the other side of the strait?" Leonid said: "Mehlis is waiting for you over there. He just sent me a telegram, ordering us not to retreat even one step, otherwise everything will be destroyed.
A 'traitor to the motherland'!"
At this point, the officers and soldiers were stunned.
They knew who Mahlis was, and they also knew that Mahlis would never be merciful, and falling into his hands would be more painful than death.
If Maihelis on the other side of the Kerch Strait knew that he still had this role, he would probably show off his power even more.
After being stunned for a while, a soldier shouted: "Forget it, Kulik has already escaped!"
"Yes, he can escape, why can't we do that?"
…
"I don't know!" Leonid replied: "You should ask Kulik these questions instead of me. I only know that I did not escape. I am still standing here, and I am still trying to drive you to the battlefield!"
After a pause, Leonid continued: "And, I can guarantee, comrades, if you are willing to return to the battlefield with me, I will go in front of you!"
So the soldiers hesitated.
The situation at this time is actually very clear. It is death to run away, and it is death to go back and fight. The problem is that the former will also affect the family.
Then Leonid made another suggestion: "If any of you are orphans, I will pretend not to see it. Otherwise... you know what I mean, you should pick up a gun and follow me like a man!"
"
This made the soldiers completely believe in Leonid.
Because if Leonid didn't really consider the officers and soldiers, he wouldn't "pretend not to see" at all, and there is no need for him to do so.
So, soon a few people stood up with guns in hand, and then a few more, and then a few more, and more and more... This is often the case with troops, especially those with low quality. They have a herd mentality.
, when they see someone running away, they will run away in a swarm, and when they see someone standing up, they will also stand up one by one.
The reason for this is that many people don't know or are not sure which choice is the most correct. They simply think that if everyone does it, then it must be correct... Even if it is wrong, it is still wrong.
Having so many people make mistakes together makes you feel better psychologically.
But no matter what, Leonid succeeded this time. He successfully organized a force of more than 10,000 people and reported to Maihelis.
"We are ready, Comrade Maihelis!" Leonid said in the telegram: "I don't know which unit they belong to, because they have different numbers and I don't have time to reorganize them. But they have
There are more than 10,000 people, and we dug out all the equipment in the warehouse to arm ourselves!"
"Very good, Comrade Leonid!" Myhlis replied: "The motherland will know your heroic actions. I am proud of you. Then we will have an air force to cooperate with your attack..."
The next words were not important. Colonel Leonid breathed a sigh of relief and felt relaxed.
Later, Colonel Leonid fulfilled his promise and rushed to the forefront of the troops during the counterattack.
One thing that is certain is that he did not come back alive, and even his body could not be found after the war.
However, this is also not important to Colonel Leonid.