Lieutenant Colonel Edmond was currently resting on the bed in the lounge inside the headquarters.
This battle was completely beyond Lieutenant Colonel Edmund's expectation. From the moment he attacked the hospital, he thought the battle would end quickly, and then when he attacked the cemetery, he thought it would end quickly.
Mayevgan...
The Germans have great advantages in every battle. For example, in the battles at the hospital and the cemetery, they have absolute troop superiority, and in the Mamayev Kurgan, they have air superiority. They also have advantages in artillery, tanks, etc.
On the battlefield, the German army often defeats the strong with the weak, and the small with the small. Therefore, when he has the advantage, Edmund always thinks that it will be over in a short time, so he always thinks about winning or the battle coming to an end.
Rest again.
However, he seems to have fallen into a trap, one after another that never ends.
Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Edmond couldn't stand it anymore. After several days of almost non-stop command, he walked into the lounge and lay down on the bed without even taking off his uniform, and fell asleep.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond was sleeping so deeply that when the adjutant reported to him that the enemy had begun to attack, he only asked a question.
"Attack the position on the top of the mountain?" Lieutenant Colonel Edmond sat up and asked vaguely.
"Yes!" replied the adjutant.
"Lieutenant Colonel Ball has the sole authority to handle it!" Lieutenant Colonel Edmond ordered.
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!" the adjutant responded and went out.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond lay back on the bed and continued to sleep, even though the sound of artillery was booming from the other direction.
This is because Lieutenant Colonel Edmond is very confident about the defense line on the top of the mountain. Before this, he had seen the defense map sent back by Major Klein, and there were no omissions.
In particular, the use of assault gun wreckage can be regarded as a stroke of genius.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond commented on this: "If the Russians really attack our defense line and plan to take Mamayev Heights back at night, then they will be disappointed!"
This is the reason why Lieutenant Colonel Edmond lay down and continued to rest with peace of mind. He hoped to take this time to replenish some physical strength and energy to cope with the final battle of the next day... If nothing else happens, the sky will light up.
They will be able to completely occupy Mamayev Heights and block Stalingrad's supply lines accordingly.
But before Lieutenant Colonel Edmond could sleep for long, he was woken up again by his adjutant.
"I said!" Lieutenant Colonel Edmond, who was awakened, roared at the adjutant: "Let Lieutenant Colonel Ball have full command!"
"But, Lieutenant Colonel!" the adjutant replied quietly: "It was Lieutenant Colonel Ball who asked me to wake you up!"
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond couldn't help being stunned when he heard this, then he rolled over and sat up, took his hat from the table next to him, put it on, and strode towards the headquarters.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond knew that if Lieutenant Colonel Ball woke him up, it would mean that there were changes on the battlefield or some accidents that required him to make a decision.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Edmond never thought that Lieutenant Colonel Ball did not need him to make a decision, because it was too late to make any decision at this time and everything happened too fast.
"What's going on?" Lieutenant Colonel Edmond asked after walking into the headquarters.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmund was stunned on the spot, and then he laughed: "This is impossible, Bauer... Could it be that I overslept and forgot the time?"
As he spoke, Lieutenant Colonel Edmond looked at his watch, and then became even more confused: "If I'm not mistaken, it has been less than an hour since they launched the attack, and it only took them one hour to break through our defense line?
"
"Yes!" Lieutenant Colonel Ball replied with a pale face: "They are not attacking from the front, but from the flank..."
As he spoke, Lieutenant Colonel Ball pointed to the map and said: "From here, it only took them more than ten minutes to break through our defense line under the cover of artillery. Our deployment near the top of the mountain did not work at all!"
"Quick!" Lieutenant Colonel Edmond ordered: "Immediately provide reinforcements for the positive slope! At the same time, order Major Klein to flank the enemy!"
"We've already done that!" Lieutenant Colonel Ball replied, "but I think it's too late!"
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond looked at Lieutenant Colonel Ball blankly, speechless for a moment.
"We must be prepared to be completely lost!" Lieutenant Colonel Ball said: "I mean Mamaev Hill. In other words, we should build a line of defense at the foot of the mountain, otherwise..."
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond knew what Lieutenant Colonel Ball meant.
If a line of defense had not been built at the foot of the mountain, the Russians would probably have occupied more than just Mamayev Hill.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond nodded helplessly and ordered a defense to be organized at the foot of the mountain.
Facts have proved that the choices of Lieutenant Colonel Edmond and Lieutenant Colonel Ball were correct.
Because when the 82nd Infantry Regiment broke through the German defenses from the flank and entered the front slope, it had already completed the encirclement of Mamayev Hill.
At this time, Major Klein, who was on the position, didn't even know this... The Russian Guards Infantry Regiment was launching a fierce attack on his defense line.
You must know that this is the Russian Guards Infantry Regiment, and it is still at night.
Therefore, although Major Klein was fully prepared, he still did not dare to slack off at all.
Then, the connection between the front finger and the rear regiment headquarters was suddenly severed.
"What's going on?" Major Klein had an ominous premonition.
"The Russians bombarded my rear with intensive artillery fire!" the adjutant reported: "Maybe these shells blew out the phone lines!"
Major Klein nodded.
He was not surprised that the Russians were bombing the rear, as this was a common battlefield tactic...using artillery fire to prevent enemy reinforcements and supplies from reaching the front lines.
"Fix these phone lines immediately!" Major Klein ordered.
Although there is radio, due to signal interference and other reasons, short-distance communication is faster and more economical than using the telephone.
"Yes, Major!" the adjutant replied, and immediately got out of the shell-proof hole to convey the order.
But only two minutes later, he ran back and reported with a changed expression: "Major, I think this is not just a matter of artillery fire blowing up the telephone lines. The front slope seems to have been penetrated by the enemy!"
"What did you say?" Major Klein's eyes widened: "There are enemies on the front slope?"
"Yes!" the adjutant replied: "I heard shouting and gunshots from that direction!"
It's normal to hear explosions, but if there's gunfire... it means there's fighting going on in that direction.
Major Klein rushed out of the shell hole without saying a word, then stuck his head out a little to look behind.
Sure enough, bursts of fierce gunfire came from the direction of the slope.
"No, Hans!" Major Klein said: "That's not the enemy infiltration, that's the enemy rushing into the front slope and surrounding us!"