Red Moscow

  Chapter 350 Danger is approaching (Part 2)

  Sokov looked towards the pier and saw that it was crowded with people. There were civilians carrying luggage, soldiers carrying supplies, stretchers carrying the wounded, and health workers following them.

   Seeing this situation, Belgin was a little surprised and said: "Damn, why are there so many civilians on the pier? Isn't there a rumor that in order to prevent panic, the residents of the city are not evacuated?"

"Comrade political commissar, there are policies and countermeasures." Sokov turned his head and looked at Belkin and said, "Although the superiors stipulated that no evacuation should be carried out, there are always some well-informed citizens who will go to the police station to avoid the coming war. There are various reasons to leave the city. After all, the city defense committee has no reason to refuse citizens to visit relatives and friends in other cities.”

  When he said this, Sokov secretly thought in his heart: If you can go, let as many civilians go as possible. Otherwise, in the ensuing street fighting, most of the civilians either died in the fighting between the two sides, or died tragically because of the shortage of food and medicine. And these dead citizens, even after the war, are nothing more than a series of confidential numbers.

   "Comrade political commissar, let's go and have a look." After Sokov finished speaking, he walked towards the pier without waiting for Belkin to express his opinion.

  The ferry on the Volga River, the priority is to carry the precious cultural relics to be transferred to the rear, followed by the wounded from the front line. If there are still vacancies in the end, it will be the turn of those civilians who have been waiting on the pier for an unknown amount of time. Of course, not every civilian can board the ship smoothly. They must issue a pass issued by the District Soviet, and the sailors on the ship will let them board.

Sokov saw with his own eyes a few old men carrying suitcases. After the cordon of sailors holding hands opened a gap, they rushed towards the ferry docked at the pier at a speed that did not match their age. . However, since they did not have passes, the sailors would not allow them to board at all. In response to their attempted boarding, the sailors smashed their heads with rifle butts and threw them overboard. These old people who were thrown from the boat, before they could stand up, countless residents waving passes stepped on them and rushed towards the ferry that could take them out of the city.

  The Volga, like all rivers in Russia, has a steep right bank and a flat left bank. When Sokov came to the river, he saw many engineers digging holes on the cliffs by the river, so he squatted down curiously and observed their work carefully.

  A engineer platoon leader saw two commanders squatting on the cliff, watching their work seriously, so he thought it necessary to report to them. Then he climbed up the cliff from a ladder next to them, walked up to the two men, raised his hand to salute them, and reported: "Two commanders, Lieutenant Shenikov, engineer platoon leader, reports to you! He was ordered to build an air-raid shelter on the cliff by the Volga River."

   "Comrade Second Lieutenant, what are you doing here to build an air-raid shelter?" Belkin stood up and asked curiously: "You know, if our soldiers hide here, the enemy can easily occupy our position."

"That's right, Comrade Deputy Battalion Political Commissar." The engineer platoon leader glanced at Belgin's military rank and replied dryly, "We were ordered to build an air-raid shelter here for the comrades who transported supplies at the pier, and Used by civilians waiting to board their boats."

Hearing what the second lieutenant said, Sokov stood up slowly, looked at the busy engineers below and thought, "I didn't expect the city defense committee to be very thoughtful about this matter. After the street fighting started, the Germans wanted to cut off the In connection with the left bank of the Volga River, the Soviet army continuously sent planes to bomb the ferry. If there were no such air defense fortifications, when enemy planes bombed the pier, the soldiers and civilians gathered at the pier would suffer heavy losses.”

   "Comrades, two commanders," the engineer platoon leader asked respectfully after reporting to the two: "Are you allowed to go back and continue working?"

   "Of course, it goes without saying." Belkin waved his hand at the engineering platoon leader and said, "Go on to work."

  In order not to affect the work of the engineers and soldiers, the two looked at it for a while, then turned and returned to Mamayev Post.

  While still far away from the brigade headquarters, Sokov suddenly saw an armored vehicle and two jeeps beside the tent. In the open space between the car and the tent, a group of commanders stood. Sokov saw Khrushchev in casual uniform at a glance, and quickly said to Belkin: "Comrade Political Commissar, the Military Commissar of the Front Army is here, let's go see him quickly."

   "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov." Seeing Sokov and Belkin trotting over, Khrushchev snapped at Sokov and asked, "Where did you go?"

   "Hello, Comrade Military Commissar!" Sokov quickly stood at attention, raised his hand to salute Khrushchev, and replied, "I went to the 1077th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment with Comrade Belkin, the political commissar of the brigade."

   "What did you go to the anti-aircraft artillery regiment?" Khrushchev asked, frowning.

"That's right," Sokov saw that Khrushchev's face was not looking good, and quickly explained to him: "Today, an enemy reconnaissance plane was conducting a routine reconnaissance flight over Mamayev Hill. The anti-aircraft artillery regiment suddenly fired at the enemy's reconnaissance plane, exposing the positions of at least five anti-aircraft positions. I was worried that the enemy might attack these exposed anti-aircraft artillery positions, so I went to the anti-aircraft artillery regiment specifically."

   "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," Khrushchev asked with a half-smile after hearing what Sokov said, "How did the other party answer you?"

  Sokov replied with a bitter face: "He said that as long as he found enemy planes in the sky, he would order the anti-aircraft artillery to fire!"

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the commander of the antiaircraft artillery regiment is right." A burly general with a cane limped over from the crowd and said at the same time, "As long as there is an antiaircraft artillery regiment, We absolutely cannot tolerate enemy planes hovering over our heads."

   Sokov looked at the speaking general and thought to himself: "Who is this general? How dare he interrupt my conversation with Khrushchev?"

   "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, let me introduce you." Khrushchev pointed to the general and said to Sokov with a smile, "This is the new commander of the Front Army, General Yeremenko!"

   Hearing that the person in front of him was the new commander of the front army, Sokov and Belkin quickly stood at attention, raised their hands in salute, and said in unison: "Hello, Comrade Commander!"

"Comrade Commander, let me introduce you. This young lieutenant colonel is Sokov, the commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade stationed on Mamayev Gang. And the one next to him is his political commissar Ber Kim." After introducing Sokov and Belkin, Khrushchev leaned closer to Yeremenko's ear and whispered, "He is old Misha's son."

  "Old Misha's son?" Yeremenko became enthusiastic towards Sokov when he heard Khrushchev say this. He reached out and took Sokov's hand, and said with a smile: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I really didn't expect that you are the son of old Misha. Your father is a great commander and a hero of our Red Army." He said Glancing at the medal on Sokov's chest, he nodded and continued, "It seems that you have inherited your father's good genes and will become an excellent commander."

  After the simple pleasantries, Sokov asked Khrushchev curiously: "Comrade Military Commissar, are you planning to move the Front Army Command to the city?"

   "I have this plan." Khrushchev nodded and said, "Placing the headquarters of the Front Army in the city will help us better command the troops."

  Sokov vaguely remembered that the headquarters of the Stalingrad Front was once located here on Mamayev Gang. Later, because of the critical situation, they withdrew to the left bank and handed it over to Cuikov. He didn't want Yeremenko and the others to set up their headquarters here, which would have a bad impact on the next defense.

  So he suggested to the two of them: "Commander, Comrade Military Commissar, I think the department store building in the city is very suitable as your new headquarters. If you are interested, you can go and have a look."

  (end of this chapter)