Burning Moscow

When Kolobin and the division left the headquarters, we stayed in the village of Gnielarovsky.

Early in the morning, the rumbling explosion from outside awakened us. I originally slept on the table. After being awakened by the explosion, I sat up straight and listened to where the sound came from. And Cui Koff, who was lying on the camp bed in the corner, turned over and got out of the bed. He didn't even care about his boots. He rushed to the door and shouted outside: "Klimov, Captain Klimov, where are you?" "

Following Cuikov's shout, Klimov hurried in from outside, and after a breathless salute to Cuikov, he asked respectfully: "Comrade Commander, do you have any instructions?"

Cui Kefu pointed his finger outside and asked, "What's the matter with the explosion outside? Where did it come from?"

Klimov took a habitual look outside before repliing: "Comrade Reporter Commander, the 29th Infantry Division that is slowly moving east along the banks of the Aksai River, is being bombed by enemy planes. And attack."

"What? The 29th Division was also bombed." Cui Kefu rushed out after hearing the news. I was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood that Cui Kefu thought that the 29th Division was being attacked by our air force again, and he hurriedly chased it out.

Klimov followed me and ran out. He explained to Cuikov who was raising his telescope and looking into the sky: "Comrade Commander, it is the enemy's aircraft that is attacking the 29th Division, not our air force. "

I heard that the aircraft attacking our army was a German aircraft. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was bombed and fired by enemy aircraft. If it was accidentally bombed by my own aircraft, the commander of the aviation force could be dismissed for investigation.

Raising the telescope and looking forward, I saw airplanes hovering and diving in the sky, and they were all German-standard airplanes. With each dive of the plane, the aerial bomb fell accurately in the marching queue and exploded, and the rumbling explosion sounded particularly clear on the wide grassland. Looking at so many corpses by the river, on the grassland, and the burning truck wreckage. Although I felt distressed, I was powerless to deal with the situation they were facing. Without the cooperation of the air force and air defense forces, the dozens of us rushed over. It is also to die in vain.

Klimov was a more clever adjutant. He didn’t know what to return to the command post, took out Cui Koff’s boots and put them on, and whispered: "Comrade Commander, let’s go back to the command post first. As for the troops of the 29th Division, let the front army send the air force to support them."

When the 29th Division was withdrawn, we were left with a communications squad, including a radio station. Hearing what Klimov said, Cuikov quickly told him: "Comrade Captain. Bring the radio to the headquarters, and we will immediately contact the front headquarters and request the support of the air force."

Before the radio called the General Command, the messenger Sidorin walked in with a thin, elderly major. As soon as he entered the gate, Sidorin reported to Cui Kefu, "Comrade Commander, hello. This commander is from the 255th Independent Cavalry Regiment. He said he needs to see you immediately if he has important matters.

After listening to the commander, the major took a step forward and reported: "Comrade Commander, Major Tualev, commander of the 255th Cavalry Independent Regiment, reported to you that the Cavalry Regiment was ordered to take over the defense of the 29th Infantry Division. I Waiting for your order, please indicate the next course of action."

Looking at the old major. Standing at the table, Cui Kefu had a smile on his face. He greeted each other enthusiastically: "Comrade Major, don't stand there, come to me soon."

After Tualev stood by the table, Trikov pointed to the map on the table and began to assign tasks to him: "Comrade commander. Immediately send your regiment to replace the lot left by the 29th Division, including Chosov. The two regions of Schisky and Gnielarovsky."

The major looked at the picture and said with some embarrassment: "Comrade Commander, the defensive zone you assigned to us is 15 kilometers wide, and my regiment now has only 1,000 people. The defense force is obviously not enough."

Cui Kefu seemed to have expected the major to say this a long time ago, and hurriedly comforted him: "Comrade Major, I also know that it is difficult for a cavalry regiment to defend such a wide area, but we have no other troops. Moreover, it seems that the enemy does not intend to do so. Attack us in this area because the enemy is moving troops near the railway to the northeast in order to cover its main force from the west.

According to the report of the scouts, the enemy troops crossing the Don River near the town of Upper Kurmoyarskaya were also moving to the northeast, leaving only weak cover troops on the Aksai River. The purpose of the enemy's maneuver is obvious, which is to ensure the safety of the left wing of its main force. The main force is starting from Kotelnikovo, bypassing the railway from the southeast to attack Stalingrad. "

Hearing what Cui Kefu said, the young principal heaved a sigh of relief and asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, can I understand that in front of our cavalry unit is a weak enemy army, they will not take the initiative to attack us. I What the regiment has to do is to serve as a guard in this defensive area to prevent the infiltration of the enemy's small troops?"

"Completely correct, Comrade Major, that's it." Cui Koff looked at the major with a smile, and in order to give him complete peace of mind, he gave him a reassurance: "According to the report of the scout, you will be facing Romania. Troops, you also know that the combat effectiveness of the army of the servant country is not worth mentioning."

I could tell from the relaxed expression on the major's face that he was completely relieved. The major straightened his body and asked Cui Kefu, "Comrade Commander, will you allow me to deploy troops?"

"Go, Comrade Major. Good luck!"

Soon after the major left, the radio contacted the Front Command. The person talking to us was General Nikishev, Chief of Staff of the Front Army. He apologized to Cuikov in a low voice and said: "Comrade Cuikov, please apologize for me to the commanders of the 208th Infantry Division. Due to our negligence in work, we accidentally bombed Our own military ranks caused unnecessary casualties. We have dealt with the responsible persons seriously and sent them all to the military court."

Cui Koff only replied vaguely, and then said straightforwardly: "Comrade Chief of Staff, our 29th Infantry Division was attacked by enemy aircraft while marching east along the Aksai River. The troops suffered heavy casualties. I beg. The front army headquarters immediately dispatched air force fighters to expel German aircraft in this area and cover the smooth transfer of troops."

"Understood, I will arrange for someone to do this right away." Then I listened to Nikishev lowering his throat and instructing the people around him, and soon his voice came from the earphone: "Alright, Comrade Cui Kefu , I have ordered someone to notify the air force to be dispatched. Do you have any enemy situation to report to me?"

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Cui Koff replied confidently: "According to the intelligence analysis I have obtained, the enemy's main force has begun to move northeast. Obviously, the enemy is trying to penetrate Stalin in order to assault Stalingrad from the south. The wing and rear of the Gele Front Army, in this way, will inevitably cut off our army’s lines of communication and supply."

After listening, Nikishev was silent for a moment, and then said: "Comrade Cuikov, please wait a moment, I will report this to Comrade Commander."

About five minutes later, Nikishev's voice came from the earphone again, and he said firmly: "Comrade Cuikov, the commander ordered that you must use your existing strength to firmly defend your position along the Aksai River. In order to strengthen your firepower, the front army will deploy the two nearby Katyusha rocket artillery regiments to you."

After finishing the conversation with the front army, Cuikov began to give orders to the various troops to defend the Aksai River area stubbornly. And check the combat readiness of artillery and mortar. At the same time, in order to avoid sudden enemy attacks, Cui Kefu also sent scouts to various directions.

The front-line combat troops are the 138th Infantry Division under the command of Colonel Lyudnikov and the 157th Infantry Division under the command of Colonel Kuropardenko. They will use their existing positions to stubbornly block the enemy’s attack when the enemy launches an offensive. go ahead.

As the reserve team are the 154th Marine Brigade and the two Katyusha rockets that have just been assigned to us. After careful camouflage, they hide in the valley and prepare to give the enemy a thunderous blow at the right time. . UU Reading www.uukANAnshu.com

In the evening, the enemy began to attack.

Among the troops participating in the offensive, in addition to the Germans, there were also Romanian troops from the servant countries. Their attack was chosen at the junction of the two divisions of Lyudnikov and Kuropatenko.

On the 8 kilometers wide front of our army's defense, the enemy's offensive troops under the cover of tanks aggressively attacked our army's position. Due to the lack of troops deployed at the junction of our two divisions, poor equipment, and lack of effective anti-tank weapons, the defensive position was breached by the enemy after only half an hour of the battle. Most of the defenders were sacrificed, and the remaining commanders and fighters were all killed. Defeated. The enemy infantry crossed the Aksai River. Except for leaving some troops to build a beachfront position and prepare to cover the tank crossing the river, the rest continued to advance and rushed to our second line of defense.

Cui Kefu and I were standing in the newly constructed observation post, and we could keep abreast of everything that happened on the battlefield. Seeing the rapid advance of the German army, I couldn't help being very anxious. If I didn't stop them, they would rush to the observation post in half an hour, and then Cui Kefu and I would be prisoners.

When I looked at Cui Kefu, who was holding a telescope to observe the enemy's situation, I found that he still had a calm face, as if what was going on on the hot battlefield outside was just an exercise.