Red Moscow

  Chapter 323 Cuikov

   The rescue team consists of a jeep and five trucks. After the convoy left Mamayev Gang, it drove in the direction of the black smoke. Although the City Defense Committee told Belkin that the crash site was three or four kilometers away from Mamayev Heights, the convoy had driven seven or eight kilometers, and Sokov, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, saw the burning airplane.

Sokov pointed there with his hand and said loudly to the driver: "There, drive the car over there!" I thought to myself: The plane is burned like this, if the people inside have not escaped in time, they must have been burned to coke.

The convoy stopped at a distance of more than 30 meters from the plane. Sokov got out of the car and looked at the burning wreckage of the plane. Seeing that there seemed to be no one in the cockpit, he ordered the security platoon leader running towards him: "Let Soldiers spread out and searched to find the occupants of the plane."

  After more than ten minutes of searching, a voice suddenly came from the west of the plane wreckage: "Comrade Brigadier, we have found the crashed pilot."

  As soon as Sokov heard this, he hurriedly trotted there. When they got to the place, they saw two people lying on the grass, one was a pilot wearing a black flight jacket, and the other was a general wearing a military coat. He hurriedly stepped forward, squatted down beside the general, helped him sit up, and asked, "Excuse me, are you General Chuikov?"

   "Yes, I am Chuikov." Chuikov looked at Sokov in front of him, and asked feebly, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, who are you? Why are you here?"

   "I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and I was ordered to rescue you." After speaking, Sokov turned his head and shouted to the medical team not far away: "Come here quickly!"

   After the medical team arrived, Sokov immediately ordered them: "Hurry up and check General Chuikov and the pilot to see if their injuries are serious."

The assistant military doctor who led the team quickly checked the two, and ordered the health worker to bandage the two, and then said to Sokov: "Comrade Brigadier, General Chuikov has no wounds on his body except for the wound on his forehead." Obvious external injuries, but the possibility of internal injuries cannot be ruled out, and I recommend that he be sent to the military hospital in Stalingrad immediately for examination."

"No need," as soon as the assistant military doctor finished speaking, Chuikov sat up with the help of the health worker. He waved his hand and said, "When the plane crashed, the pilot and I were thrown out of the cockpit by inertia, and the injuries should not be serious. , no need to be hospitalized anymore.”

"Comrade General, this is not acceptable." Sukov guessed that he might soon be assigned to Chuikov's command, so he decided to use this opportunity to build a good relationship with Chuikov: "If you really have internal injuries, it will endanger your life. If you really don’t want to go to the hospital, you can go to our brigade’s medical team to observe for a while. If your injuries are really all right, I’ll send someone to send you back to the front line.”

   Facing Sokov's kindness, Chuikov did not insist on his own opinion, but nodded and agreed to go to Mamayev Post to observe the health team of the infantry brigade for a period of time.

  The pilot was carried by the soldiers onto the truck of the health team, while Chuikov and Sokov returned to Mamayev Gang in a jeep. The assistant military doctor sat in the passenger seat of the jeep so that Chuikov could be rescued in time if something happened to him on the way.

  On the way back to Mamayev Post, Sokov asked Chuikov curiously: "Comrade General, may I ask, how did the plane you were on be shot down by the German army?"

"My troops are moving to a new defensive area. I decided to conduct a forward flight of the group army so that I can check our positions from the air." In his narration, Chuikov may have deliberately avoided the troops for reasons of confidentiality. The serial number and the location where he was stationed only described how his plane was in distress: "...the plane I was on encountered a German fighter jet. You must know that the plane we were on was not equipped with weapons. Facing the enemy's fighter jets, We are lambs to be slaughtered.

  German fighter jets attacked us at least ten times, but fortunately, the pilots were skilled and avoided them skillfully. We tried to land, but there was empty grassland below. Once we landed, we would be wiped out by German planes as fixed targets. In order to get rid of the enemy plane, the pilot flew in the direction of the sun, hoping to find a small village or a small forest to land, so as to get rid of the enemy plane that was chasing after him.

  Although our plane has been doing various evasive actions, it was finally hit by an enemy plane. Fortunately, before the plane landed, the pilot cleverly adjusted the angle so that when we fell, we were just thrown out of the cockpit instead of being killed on the spot. The enemy planes in the sky saw our plane on fire and probably thought we were finished, and after a circle in the air, they flew west. "

   Speaking of this, Chuikov stretched out his hand to Sokov, and said gratefully: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, thank you. If you hadn't brought people to arrive in time, I guess I might be in danger of my life."

Even though Sokov had already met quite a few big men, when Chuikov stretched out his hand to him, his heart beat suddenly accelerated. He hurriedly held the other's hand, and said a little excitedly: "Comrade General, don't worry!" Thank you. It is an honor for me and all the commanders and fighters of the infantry brigade to serve you."

  Back to Mamayev Post, Berkin learned that Chuikov had been successfully rescued, so he hurried out of his tent to greet him. Together with Sokov, he helped Chuikov out of the car, then raised his hand in salute, and said respectfully: "Hello, General Chuikov, I am Berkin, Commissar of the Infantry Brigade, very pleased to meet you here .”

   "Hello, Commissar Belkin." Chuikov shook hands with each other and said with a smile: "I am also very glad to meet you."

  Belkin originally wanted to say a few more words, but the assistant military doctor interrupted and said: "Comrade Political Commissar, General Chuikov is still injured. I need to send him to the health team for examination immediately."

  As the assistant military doctor reminded him, Belkin realized that Chuikov's forehead was wrapped in a bandage, and asked nervously, "Comrade General, is your injury all right?"

"It's nothing, just a piece of skin on my forehead. When I hit the ground, my chest and spine hurt." Chuikov turned his head and glanced at Sokov next to him, and said with a smile: "I said the injury was not serious, but yours The brigade commander insisted that I go to the health team to observe for a period of time, and then send someone to send me back to the front line."

"Comrade General, for the sake of your health, necessary examinations are still needed." Belkin waited for Chuikov to finish speaking, and said respectfully: "Now you will go to the health team with the assistant military doctor, and rest there for a while. We will send someone to send you back to the army after confirming that your injuries are all right."

   "Yes." Chuikov readily agreed to Belkin's proposal, and then said to him: "You find a way to call the headquarters of the 64th Army and tell them my whereabouts, so as not to worry them."

   "Comrade General, please rest assured." Belkin naturally agreed to Chuikov's instructions: "We will report your situation to your headquarters as soon as possible."

  (end of this chapter)