"Comrade Shulka will be punished because of us!" Sokolov said straight to the point: "You know why!"
The officers nodded one after another. They were not fools. They were rushed back during the charge and luckily saved a life... No one would think this was luck.
"Tell me, what should we do?" Sokolov asked.
After a moment of silence, an officer said: "Comrade Sokolov, we can't do anything, can we? We are just obeying orders..."
Before he finished speaking, Sokolov had already kicked the officer to the ground hard.
"You bastard!" Sokolov kicked him a few more times and cursed: "You must have been frightened by those orders, and you have completely forgotten how we got here. Without Comrade Shulka,
How can you, a coward, give orders here? Now, get out of your way and give orders! Get out, don’t let me see you again!”
The officer could only stumble away in embarrassment amidst the ridicule of others.
Sokolov announced his dismissal on the spot.
"Of course such a person cannot command soldiers!" Sokolov said: "Especially the soldiers of our second battalion!"
After discussing with others for a while, Sokolov and several officers decided to go to the army headquarters to find the political commissar to "rehabilitate" Shulka, and that was how the scene just happened.
After receiving permission to enter the headquarters, Sokolov first saluted Shulka and others, and then said to Zolotarev: "Comrade political commissar, it was my order to withdraw the troops.
Comrade Erka has nothing to do with it! I am willing to bear all responsibilities, as well as my subordinates..."
"Oh?" Zolotarev asked, "Did you give the order?"
"Yes!"
"Why did you give this order?"
"Because...because I am greedy for life and afraid of death!"
"Are you willing to accept any punishment?"
"Yes!"
"Including putting you into the 'punishment camp' again?"
"Yes, Comrade Political Commissar!" Sokolov stepped forward and answered without any hesitation.
Trufanov and Zolotarev couldn't help laughing.
Shulka winked at Sokolov awkwardly and said, "Go down, don't be embarrassed here!"
This left Sokolov a little confused.
"Comrade Shulka!" Zolotarev said, "Can't you see that your subordinates are loyal to you?"
Shulka didn't know how to answer, so he just ordered Sokolov: "Get out, this is none of your business!"
Sokolov was still a little reluctant, until Shulka glared and then reluctantly withdrew.
Zolotarev added before he went out: "That was my order, Comrade Sokolov!"
Sokolov was relieved.
After he went out, Trufanov and Zolotarev burst into laughter again.
"You can't tell!" Trufanov said with a smile: "There are many people who are willing to take the blame for you, not just our political commissar!"
"It makes no sense to say any of this now!" Zolotarev said: "It's time for our 'breakout heroes' to find a way to break through the enemy's defenses!"
Trufanov looked at the map and asked: "Can we continue to attack with conventional tactics? As Shulka said, as long as we break through the enemy's outer anti-tank gun fortifications, its depth will be reduced due to the lack of anti-tank gun equipment.
collapse!"
"This may not work anymore!" Zolotarev said: "Because the Germans are already prepared, their reinforcements should be on the way at this time, and before we organize a second attack, their reinforcements may have already
Arrive and fill the anti-tank gun gap!"
Shulka nodded in agreement.
This does not mean that German reinforcements will arrive in large numbers. In fact, due to transportation restrictions, it will take time for German reinforcements to arrive.
The problem is that when the German reinforcements arrive, they will replenish a batch of anti-tank guns, and when another batch arrives, they will replenish a batch... If this continues, the Soviet army may face endless obstacles.
After thinking about it, Trufanov said: "Maybe we should change our position to break through!"
"This is not realistic!" Shulka said: "We don't have that much time. I think the Don Army Group is already retreating at this time. It will only take them one day to withdraw from our encirclement.
Go. By then, even if we break through the defense line, it will be meaningless!"
Zolotarev nodded.
In fact, the Don River Army had already begun to retreat before the Soviet army launched its attack, so this time would be shorter than Shulka said.
"Then what should we do?" Trufanov complained: "Originally we hoped to seize the German train gun, but now it seems... we seem to have to watch the Germans transport it away!"
"They can't transport it away at the moment!" Zolotarev replied: "According to intelligence, if the Germans want to complete the dismantling and transport it away, it will take at least half a month!"
It took the German army more than a month to assemble it, but the disassembly process and emergency disassembly may be much faster.
"What do you think the Germans will do with this train gun?" Trufanov asked.
"More blow up!" Shulka said: "Blow it up after dismantling and transporting the important parts!"
Zolotarev agreed: "It is unlikely that they would risk guarding Milove for half a month because of a train gun!"
"In fact, they can do this!" Trufanov said: "Because we are helpless against their defense now!"
Shurka pointed to the map and said: "So far, the German troops in Miloway are still very empty. What I mean is that the main German army has not had time to withdraw in the direction of Karachi, and all the troops in Miloway are concentrated.
The north and south sides are used to deal with the attacks of our Southwest Front and Southern Front. So it is not difficult to imagine that the German army must be empty inside Miloway!"
"So what?" Trufanov spread his arms: "We just can't break through. As we can see, the German defense line is very tight!"
Shurka did not answer this question directly. He asked instead: "If the Germans encounter this situation, what will they do?"
"Germans?" Trufanov was a little confused at first, but then he quickly thought: "Airborne troops, you mean airborne troops?"
Trufanov replied: "We do have airborne troops, Comrade Shulka! It's just that they have always fought in the Guards infantry sequence!"
Shulka was speechless for a moment. The airborne troops were used as infantry... If that was the case in the early days, is it still the case now?! (To be continued)