In fact, the Soviet and German armies had been fighting in the direction of the railway bridge for a while, and the fighting was very lively.
Even Golikov, the commanding officer of the Army Group, knew the significance of the railway bridge to the south of Stalingrad. After scolding Batrakov, he could only bite the bullet and send out fighters and bombers to try to bomb the railway bridge.
The Soviet Air Force rarely went into battle because it was difficult to gain advantage from the German Air Force.
It's just that the railway bridge is not a trivial matter for the Soviet army, so they can only take the risk.
The results can be imagined... The Germans were experts in air combat. They managed to seize the railway bridge, but of course they would not let the Soviets blow it up so easily. So they deployed fighter planes in the nearby airspace to intercept it early in the morning.
So much so that the Soviet bombers and fighter jets had to give up due to heavy losses before they even reached the railway bridge.
Therefore, Shulka and others did not see Soviet fighters and bombers at all.
In addition, Shulka was very soft-spoken... He was just a captain, and he was from another army. Of course, Batrakov would not and did not need to inform Shulka about the battlefield situation.
So Shulka didn't know the relevant situation until now.
"Comrade Batrakov!" After thinking for a while, Shulka said: "I think we need to meet and talk. Do you have any objection?"
"No, of course I have no objection!" Batlatev replied: "You are welcome at any time, Comrade Shulka!"
Major General Batrakov's attitude was completely different from before.
In fact, this is not surprising. This is not only because Batrakov knows that Shulka's previous judgment was correct, but also because Batrakov can no longer face such an endgame, so he needs advice and help.
And Shulka might just be able to provide him with useful help.
Although Major General Batrakov did not hold much hope for this at this time, there is a saying that "when you are sick, you seek medical treatment". People who are in despair will try their best to grab any hope, even if it is just a straw.
Otherwise, Major General Batrakov and his NKVD 10th Division would have died at the No. 1 train station... This is a feature of the Battle of Stalingrad. Although the front line used the tactics of retreating during the day and counterattacking at night, some strategic points such as the No. 1 train station
The train station is not allowed to give up or retreat under any circumstances.
At the same time, they had no choice but to retreat because the Volga River was right behind them. If they retreated north, they would also have to face attacks and pursuits from the German army.
In other words, if the NKVD 10th Division continues like this, there will be only one result, and that is the complete annihilation of the army.
It didn't take long for Shulka to find Batrakov's headquarters.
At this time, Batrakov's headquarters has changed its position... This is understandable. This does not mean "timid" or "cowardly", but that the headquarters is too close to the battlefield and can easily be taken advantage of by the enemy and lose command.
The troops will be scattered and unable to fight against the enemy.
This time, when Shulka walked into the headquarters, the guards and the staff officers he met looked at him differently.
In fact, there was no need to wait until this time to perform like this. Shulka had long been famous in Stalingrad, and many people even knew that the defense of Stalingrad was carried out according to Shulka's defense plan.
If Shulka had been trusted earlier and listened to his advice, things might not have deteriorated to this point.
The problem is that the NKVD troops are a group of troops with little combat experience but a strong sense of superiority. They do not pay attention to "other" troops from top to bottom and always regard themselves as the elite of the elite.
The reason for this phenomenon may be related to the fact that other troops are usually three points lower than themselves in front of them.
I am used to being arrogant and domineering at ordinary times, and I have developed a psychological feeling of being superior. I naturally bring this feeling to the battlefield.
They have no idea that the reason why they had this "advantage" in the past was entirely due to the power they had in their hands rather than their fighting qualities when facing the enemy.
It is precisely because of this "sense of superiority" that they don't think much of Shulka, the "breakout hero". They even believe that they can do better than the "breakout hero" on the battlefield, just like the enemy can
As if obeying their orders.
But the reality of the battlefield soon brought them back to their original shape. At this time, they had already realized this and realized the gap between them from the defensive battle fought by Shulka in the granary.
When Shulka came to Major General Batrakov, he was discussing something with several staff officers. After seeing Shulka, he told the staff a few words to dismiss them, and then stepped forward to shake hands with Shulka.
He shook hands and said: "Nice to meet you, Comrade Shulka!"
Shulka did not talk nonsense to Major General Batrakov and asked directly: "The situation is not optimistic, is it? Comrade General!"
Shulka's words actually asked Major General Batrakov to make a choice whether to let Shulka participate in the command of the 10th Division.
If so, Major General Batrakov should follow this topic and introduce the battlefield situation.
If not, then Batrakov would just say a few words or change the subject.
After all, he is the commander of the 10th Division, and Shurka does not have the authority to overstep his rank or command.
But Batrakov did not hesitate, he chose the former without hesitation.
"Yes, Comrade Shulka!" Batrakov invited Shulka to the map and said, "The Germans launched a forceful attack on us from the front. At least half of our troops were pinned down from the front and unable to move!"
Originally there were two regiments, or two-thirds of the troops, but Batrakov later forcibly transferred two battalions to reinforce the flanks, and one of the battalions was reinforced to the granary.
"But the situation is still very dangerous!" Batrakov said with a frown: "We could barely block the German attack from the front, but they drove straight into the side of the Attack train station from the flanks along the Tsaritsa River...
As you know, the 4th Infantry Brigade collapsed under its fierce attack. The loss of the railway bridge allowed them to continue to receive reinforcements and supplies. If you hadn't guarded the granary, which made them scrupulous and slowed down the attack, the whole army might have been defeated.
This line of defense collapsed!"
Shulka understood what Batrakov meant.
The defense line on the flanks of Railway Station No. 4 is mainly the river bank defense line of the 4th Infantry Brigade. The collapse of the 4th Infantry Brigade means that there are gaps everywhere in Railway Station No. 1.
Once the German troops entered the train station through these gaps, they would attack the Soviet defense line from front to back with the frontal attacking troops, and the Soviet defense line would disintegrate in a matter of seconds.
The reason why the Germans did not do this was probably because they were worried that there would be one "granary" after another in the city that would plunge them into a quagmire.
Another reason, Shulka believes, is that the railway bridge was successfully captured by the Germans. The Germans believed that time was on their side, so they did not need to rush to take risks. (To be continued)