The 82nd Infantry Regiment did not pursue the victory.
In fact, there was no way to pursue the victory, because the German army was well prepared to build a complete line of defense at the foot of the mountain... It was a line of defense based on assault guns and tanks. There were even trenches built between tanks and the front was pulled up.
Barbed wire.
The Germans did not dare to lay mines on this line of defense because many defeated German soldiers fled back to this line of defense from the Mamayev Heights. In this case, the mines were not only ineffective but might also accidentally injure their own people.
However, even so, it would be difficult for the Soviet army to break through such a line of defense.
In other words, there is no need to break through this line of defense... Breaking through it will inevitably suffer heavy casualties. At the same time, when it gets dark the next day, the Soviet army will not only have to retreat, but also have to spit out the front slope.
"The forward slope is unsafe for us to defend!" Shurka said to the others: "We have tried it, and it is difficult to defend it even if we pay heavy casualties, but this is not the case with the reverse slope!"
Shulka said this to Pavelkov and a group of officers at the headquarters of the 39th Guards Rifle Regiment.
Shulka actually doesn't want to do this, because it is a bit jealous... They are a Guards Infantry Regiment, and they need a unit like the 82nd Infantry Regiment to pass on their experience? This feels a bit self-respecting, Shulka understands this
a little.
But Pavelkov made repeated requests and spoke several times on the phone. After being declined by Shulka, he rushed to Mamayev Heights in person to invite him.
"Comrade Pavelkov!" Shulka said helplessly: "Actually, you participated in the whole battle, so I don't think I need to say more..."
"Although you are right, Comrade Shulka!" Pavelkov replied: "But this is a battlefield. For many problems, we only know that you do it but don't know why you do it. I don't think we can win this way.
This fight!"
Pavelkov's words made Shulka look at him differently.
The fact is, as Pavelkov said, the taboo on the battlefield is "knowing it but not knowing why."
The result of not pretending to understand is that a simple change in the enemy's tactics may bring about completely different results, so you must dig deep and understand it thoroughly.
"I'm sorry for my previous attitude towards you!" Then Pavelkov handed Shulka a cigarette: "I think you don't know something yet, I have dismissed Lermontov from his post!"
"Lieutenant Lermontov?" Shulka was stunned and said: "You don't need to do this, Comrade Colonel, I won't mind this!"
Shulka told the truth.
There is a saying that "when you come back from the Five Mountains, you don't look at the mountains; when you come back from Mount Huashan, you don't look at the mountains."
Human spirit is roughly the same...
If a person lives in a small circle and has never seen big events, he is likely to be confined to a single space and worry about trivial matters all day long.
On the contrary, people who have seen the world can easily jump out of this circle and look down on these problems from another level.
Shulka's situation falls into the latter category.
If it were in the past, Shulka believed that he would have held a grudge in his heart for Lieutenant Lermontov's contempt for the 82nd Infantry Regiment and the troubles it caused... These troubles even almost caused the 82nd Infantry Regiment to lose its entire army because of the defense of the front slope.
annihilated.
However, after experiencing battles again and again, and witnessing many life-and-death situations, it would not be a big deal to go back and face such small conflicts between troops...
But Pavelkov shook his head.
"You misunderstood, Comrade Shulka!" Pavelkov said: "I did not remove him from his post because of you! I did this because I realized that if an officer like him was left at his post to continue to direct the battle If he does, more soldiers may be killed in the future...and I can’t even accuse him of anything!"
Shulka understands this.
This is indeed the case, because Lieutenant Lermontov did fight bravely on the battlefield, but he was just a foolhardy one. Then he relied on his so-called "bravery" to stand on the commanding heights and teach others, thinking that others Anyone who doesn't fight like him is a "coward."
There is nothing wrong with such a person as a soldier, and there is even a need for such a person, but he must not serve as a commander.
After hesitating for a moment, Colonel Pavelkov said with some embarrassment: "Perhaps, I should also leave the command post like him!"
"No, Comrade Pavelkov!" Shulka said: "You have this understanding. I think you should stay in the command position. This may save the lives of many soldiers!"
"This is what I want, Comrade Shulka!" Pavelkov said: "To be able to win the battle and reduce casualties at the same time... That's why I need you to teach us a lesson, for all of us!"
So Shulka no longer had any reason to refuse.
"But it is equally difficult for us to defend on the reverse slope!" A staff officer replied: "I know that we can deploy snipers, grenades, barbed wire and mines, etc., and we can also block enemy artillery fire and direct fire on the other side, but The enemy can use the same tactics as today... drive the tank up the reverse slope as a bunker, and then rush into our defense line!"
"They will become more and more difficult!" Shulka replied.
"It's getting more and more difficult?" Pavelkov asked doubtfully: "You mean...their tanks will be exhausted, right?"
"No, Comrade Colonel!" Shulka replied: "I mean, those tank wrecks can be used!"
"Tank wreckage?"
"Yes!" Shulka replied: "When we were encircling and annihilating the Germans on the reverse slope, we discovered a very interesting phenomenon. The Germans emptied the corpses in the tank wreckage and then reused the heading machine guns inside!"
"Yes!" Colonel Pavelkov nodded.
He organized the frontal attack, so of course he knew about the German army's modification and use of tank wreckage. Those machine gun fire points even caused considerable losses to the Guards Infantry Regiment.
"But it's difficult for us to use them!" Colonel Pavelkov said: "Because it is facing our defense line, and if we want to use it, it will not change the fact that it is a German bunker!"
Colonel Pavelkov originally planned to use explosive charges to blow up the remains of these tanks into parts from the inside, so that the German army would no longer be able to rely on them to launch attacks at dawn the next day.
"No!" Shulka replied: "They cannot be used by the enemy! Why don't we drag these tank wrecks into the front of our defense line? Then, we can weld the body anywhere on the body, so that it will become a fixed bunker !”