"Comrades, facts have proven that as long as you are willing to fight for the Soviet Union and Stalingrad, we will not give up on you. You have always had the opportunity to return to the embrace of the motherland. Now is the time for you to make a decision..."
Soon, the working loudspeakers in the streets and alleys of Stalingrad were publicizing the deeds of the 5th Infantry Company.
In fact, Zhukov personally ordered a batch of loudspeakers to be transported from the east bank of the Volga River to Stalingrad for this matter, because he believed that this was an excellent propaganda opportunity. Not only for Stalingrad, but also for the entire army and even the entire Soviet Union.
.
You must know that the supply line was blocked at this time, and the fact that trumpets that could not be eaten or used for combat were being transported at this time is enough to prove how seriously Zhukov took this matter.
Then, the commendation for the 5th Infantry Company came quickly.
Sokolov was promoted to second lieutenant, and together with ten other outstanding soldiers in the infantry company, each received a Red Star medal.
This is of course what Zhukov meant.
In fact, if we just look at performance, it is normal for the officers and soldiers of the 5th Infantry Company to be promoted in rank due to their previous stains, but they have not yet reached the level where they can receive medals.
Zhukov obviously wanted to use this to prove that the 5th Infantry Company was a normal unit and was interested in creating a model unit for deserters.
These medals were awarded to them by Shulka himself.
Due to the urgent military situation, Shulka chose to award the medals to the fifth infantry company while they were withdrawing.
However, only eight were fired in the end, because two soldiers had died on the battlefield during this period.
Shulka could not forget the moment when he put medals on several soldiers. All the soldiers of the 5th Infantry Company shed tears without exception.
Their faces were blackened in the battlefield, and they wiped away tears again and again. Their whole faces were stained, and they looked a little funny, like children who had been punished after playing in the mud for a day.
But no one could laugh when they saw them like this.
Because everyone knows what they have paid for today and this moment.
It is true that soldiers from other units also contributed equally, but at least they did not experience the feeling of being abandoned and marginalized... A considerable number of deserters were unwilling to surrender to the German army.
If we consider this matter from the perspective of a "punishment camp", it can almost be said that they have no way of survival. If there is any way of survival, they must defect to the German army.
But a considerable number of people would rather die as a Soviet soldier in a "punishment camp" than live in a German prison camp.
Otherwise, they would have been better off fleeing toward the Germans rather than trying to escape through the port to the east coast.
However, this feeling of being abandoned by the motherland is very terrible. They feel that there is no place for themselves in the vast world. At the same time, they have lost their own reliance and belief in survival, just like rootless duckweeds drifting with the tide.
"Thank you, Comrade Captain!" Sokolov held Shulka's hand excitedly, and Shulka could even feel his hand trembling with excitement.
"You didn't lie to us!" Sokolov said: "You helped us win these things, honor, belief, and other things. Some things only know how precious they are after they are lost. Now, we get them again.
came back……"
"No, Comrade Sokolov!" Shulka replied: "You have earned this yourself, and you deserve it! In addition..."
With that said, Shulka took out the two medals and supporting documents that had not been sent out and handed them to Sokolov, saying: "I hope you can give these two medals to their families!"
Sokolov nodded and gave Shulka a hug to express his gratitude.
Sokolov knows what this means. Medals may be a trivial matter to others, especially the Red Star Medal. A total of 3.87 million medals have been issued. It can be said to be a very common and common medal.
However, it is of great significance to the soldiers of the 5th Infantry Company, because it is almost an affirmation of their identity, and even an affirmation of their family's identity.
If necessary, their family members can produce medals and documents to prove that they are not family members of "traitors to the motherland."
Of course Sokolov knew what Shulka meant, and so did everyone else.
So, when Shulka left, everyone spontaneously stood up to Shulka and gave a formal military salute.
Another benefit of the 5th Infantry Company becoming a model unit is that their supplies have become normalized.
This was also Zhukov's instruction, otherwise it would have been impossible to improve the supplies of a "punishment battalion" at this time.
But with reasons and orders from superiors, it is different. Even if Stalingrad is short of supplies, it will not lack the equipment of a reinforced company.
As a result, food was quickly rationed normally, and equipment such as machine guns, heavy machine guns, mortars, and rocket launchers were divided into three batches and delivered within one day.
This caught Sokolov a little off guard.
As mentioned before, the quality of the fifth infantry company is not high. The rifles used by the entire company do not require the coordination of different equipment to function normally. Once the various equipment are incorporated into the army, it becomes a bit confusing, especially the rocket launchers...
…There were not many bazooka shooters to be found among the deserters.
This is because rocket launchers were recently equipped to the Soviet Army, and rocket launchers were given priority to troops with strong combat effectiveness. Deserters and soldiers in the "punishment camp" had only heard of rocket launchers but had never even touched them.
As a last resort, Shulka could only ask Valery to pull the 5th Infantry Company from the battlefield for a few days of intensive training.
What Shulka didn't expect was that this kind of training would continue for a long time after it started and even become a tradition of the 82nd Infantry Regiment.
The reason is that there are constant deserters or "punishment battalion" soldiers escaping and fleeing to the 82nd Infantry Regiment...
That day Shulka was discussing the night counterattack with Major Mikhailovich and others over the map.
Because new situations arise in the tug-of-war on the battlefield every day, the position of the defense line, the strength of the enemy's troops, and the deployment of firepower are different. Therefore, every night's counterattack requires detailed analysis of specific issues and the formulation of a different counterattack plan based on the actual situation.
However, because the Soviet army is familiar with the terrain and there are many underground passages that can be used, it is difficult for the enemy to find the location of these underground passages even if they are reused...Climbing out of the passages in the dark, the German troops are often attacked from both inside and outside before they can react.
They were all in a ball, and there was no time to find the entrance to the passage.
Therefore, the Soviet army can always seize the initiative and gain the advantage at night.
At this moment, Andrianka reported: "Comrade Shulka, dozens of people have joined us!"
Major Mikhailovich frowned and replied without raising his head: "There is no need to report this kind of thing, Comrade Andrianka, just keep it with the prisoners of war!"
"But..." Andrianka said: "They are our own people!"