Akimovich looked over and saw that the German captain had committed suicide. There was a bloody hole on his temple, his head was tilted to one side, and his right hand holding the pistol was hanging down on the broken bricks next to him, lifeless.
"Retreat, retreat!" Major Weber shouted and gave the order, threw a grenade and ran to the rear under the cover of the guards.
But a bullet flew out and hit Major Weber a second before he jumped into the bunker.
"Did it hit?" Akimovich asked.
"We'll find out later!" Shulka replied.
He was not sure because the target rolled into the bunker under the inertia.
The next second, the German troops quickly became confused. They rushed towards the rear in groups of three or five, and fell to the Soviet guns and grenades one by one.
Then Akimovich and Shulka knew that the shot had hit.
If this battle is calculated based on the area controlled, the Soviet army can be considered a loss because the German army successfully advanced more than a hundred meters.
But in terms of the number of casualties, the Soviet army can be considered a victory... The Soviet army killed 67 casualties, wounded 152 Germans, captured 58 prisoners, and destroyed the Germans.
Eight tanks.
However, in fact, neither of these can be said to be victory or defeat.
Victory and defeat are never measured by geography or casualty ratio, but by whether the warring parties have achieved their strategic goals.
The strategic purpose of the Soviet army was to stop the enemy as much as possible during the day with the focus on preserving its strength. This strategic purpose was achieved, so there is no doubt that it was a victory, even if it lost territory and even suffered more casualties than the Germans.
The strategic purpose of the German army was to seize hospitals and schools in a short period of time and establish contact with the troops attacking Mamayev Hill.
This strategic goal was not achieved, so of course it was a failure.
However, there were no cheers on the battlefield, because the fighting on the battlefield continued... Although the surrounded German army was annihilated, the German army quickly filled the gap.
The enemy and we maintained a contact distance of tens of meters, refusing to give in to each other, each looking for any possible way to kill the other.
Cheering or celebrating in this situation will only expose your position, and a grenade or mortar shell will hit you the next second.
And there's actually nothing to celebrate, because the bad news will soon follow.
"Comrade Captain!" Andrianka ran to Shulka and lay down next to her, nervously reporting: "Mamaev Hill has been captured!"
"What?"
"Mamaev Kurgan has been lost!" Andrianka repeated: "Comrade Golikov hopes to speak to you!"
Shulka thought for a moment, then took the rifle and walked toward the headquarters along the blind spot of the enemy's line of sight.
The phone remained connected, and Shulka took the call and identified himself.
"Comrade Shulka!" Golikov's voice rang from the other side: "Mamayev Heights fell half an hour ago!"
"What's your next plan, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka asked.
"You know!" Golikov said: "The Mamayev Heights is very important to us. In addition, the Germans sent a large number of bombers to bomb the Volga River Bridge... The transportation of the bridge has been blocked, and we are doing our best to repair it!"
Only then did Shulka know why the Germans did not use "Stukas" to bomb the hospital. It turned out that the bombers had been sent to bomb the bridge.
This is indeed very clever.
The Germans' goal was clear, which was to block supplies from Stalingrad.
They have surrounded Stalingrad from the north, west and south.
At the same time, during the battle, they discovered that urban street fighting was not as easy as they imagined.
This was especially the case for hospitals and schools, which were contested by the 82nd Infantry Regiment. Close combat between the enemy and ourselves in the buildings caused the Germans to suffer heavy losses and gain nothing.
Overall, the war situation is not optimistic.
Although strictly speaking, the German army has generally achieved a certain degree of victory on the battlefield... This is determined by the better overall quality of the German army.
The problem is that the German army must bomb and compete for buildings one by one, and the air force, artillery, tanks and other equipment are difficult to participate in or are subject to various restrictions.
Therefore, the best way for the German army to capture Stalingrad was to attack its supply lines.
The supply line of Stalingrad was first of all the bridge connecting the east and west banks.
And the bridge was right there, a fixed target that could never escape German bombing.
The damage caused by the bombing today can be repaired, but if there is another batch of bombings tomorrow, it may be completely damaged and cannot be repaired for a short time.
On the other hand, if the German army captures Mamayev Heights, they can use artillery to blockade "Station No. 1" and the port. (Note: The main port of Stalingrad is adjacent to "Station No. 1")
Then, as long as the German army continues to use fighter planes to block the Volga River, it means that the supplies that the Soviet army can transport to Stalingrad will be pitiful.
It won't take long for this situation to continue until the defenders of Stalingrad don't even have enough to eat, let alone fight the Germans.
"But, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka said: "The fall of Mamayev Heights means that the hospital and school will be attacked from both sides, and we cannot hold on here!"
"We will continue to send reinforcements to Mamayev Heights to put pressure on the Germans!" Golikov said: "Don't give up. You guarding hospitals and schools means that the Germans cannot get more reinforcements and supplies. Only
Only in this way will we be able to recapture Mamayev Heights, which is very important to Stalingrad, and can even be said to be related to the life and death of Stalingrad!"
There is some truth to this.
You must know that when supplies are cut off, the German army can occupy Mamayev Heights only by relying on airdrops of supplies. So if Shulka abandons the hospital and the school allows the Germans to restore supplies and reinforcements, then the Soviet army wants to recapture Mamayev Heights.
I'm afraid it will be even more difficult.
From this perspective, the Soviet army cannot abandon hospitals and schools.
The problem is...the hospitals and schools that have been attacked from both sides have no room for mobile warfare. And the hospitals and schools that have been bombed into ruins are undefendable, so staying here will only lead to death.
Shurka put down the phone and couldn't help but fell silent while looking at the map.
"What are the orders?" asked Mikhailovich.
"Stick to the hospital and the school!" Shulka replied.
The headquarters instantly fell into silence.
This order was what everyone was most worried about after learning that Mamayev Heights had been lost.
At the same time, this order was contrary to Shulka's training and strategic tactics of the 82nd Infantry Regiment.
It almost killed the 82nd Infantry Regiment.
"Then!" Mikhailovich gritted his teeth: "We have to prepare for battle!"