Red Moscow

  Chapter 525 Women's Flying Squadron

  Although the anti-aircraft guns and rifles on the ground successfully shot down one enemy plane, the bombs dropped by the remaining three enemy planes still hit the factory building and caused an earth-shattering explosion. After finishing the bombing, the plane quickly pulled up the nose, ready to circle in the air, and dive again to drop the bomb.

The flight commander who led the team to carry out the bombing mission was Captain Hans Rudel, the ace pilot of the German army. Seeing that one of his planes was shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire, he notified the other two pilots through the airborne radio: "The Russians There is powerful anti-aircraft artillery fire on the ground, in order to avoid unnecessary losses to our follow-up bomber formation, we must find a way to destroy it."

  "Captain," the German pilot Leo who was flying on Rudel's left immediately replied, "I saw several anti-aircraft guns firing on the ground just now when I was doing a dive. Let's destroy them."

   "No, Second Lieutenant Karl was not shot down by anti-aircraft fire on the ground." Another pilot, Mark, retorted, "It seems to be shot down by a rifle."

   "Damn it, how could a rifle shoot down a plane?" Leo said disdainfully, "You can't be fooled."

   "Stop arguing," Rudel worried that the two would quarrel in the communication channel, and quickly stopped them: "Let's change the direction and continue to drop bombs on the factory building, and at the same time pay attention to the Russian ground anti-aircraft firepower."

   "Understood, Captain." The two pilots agreed, and after circling half a circle in the air, they chose to dive down towards the factory building from the south.

The soldiers of the anti-aircraft artillery position and the destroyer battalion were all deployed on the north side of the factory building, watching the enemy plane swoop down from the south. Due to the shelter of the factory building, they could not shoot, and could only watch helplessly as the bombs falling from the sky hit again. plant.

  Rudel knew that the Soviet army deployed anti-aircraft fire to the north of the plant, so he led the other two planes to try to avoid attacking from the north to avoid the anti-aircraft fire on the ground.

   Sokov, who was staying in the basement, frowned when he heard the rumbling explosion above his head. He picked up the phone and asked Briski: "Comrade Captain, what is our anti-aircraft fire doing? Why are the enemy bombs constantly falling on our heads and exploding?"

   "Comrade Brigadier," Briski replied with a bitter face, "the enemy seems to have noticed our deployment. In order to avoid being hit by our ground anti-aircraft firepower, the enemy planes tried their best to avoid the north when they dropped their bombs."

"Cunning German guy," Sokov cursed bitterly, put down the phone, and said to Zinchenko and the others sitting in front of him: "After we shot down a plane, the enemy has already noticed that we are The north side of the plant has deployed anti-aircraft fire that can threaten them. Therefore, they chose to drop bombs from several other directions, making our anti-aircraft fire only useless."

Zinchenko and the others couldn't help but look at each other after hearing this. After a long time, he asked: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, what should we do? You know, if we let the enemy planes continue to bomb, no matter how strong our factory building is, Sooner or later, it will be bombed down. Once the factory building is bombed down, then the tank assembly work will have to be stopped."

   "Comrade deputy factory director," Cousteau coughed lightly, and said with some embarrassment: "In fact, even if the German bombing cannot blow up the factory building, our assembly work has long since stopped."

   "What, the assembly work stopped?" Zinchenko couldn't help being surprised when he heard Cousteau's words: "When did this happen, why didn't you report it to the factory department?"

"Yesterday, the factory building was bombarded. All the walls on the north side of the factory building were blown down, and the driving track was also broken in two places." Cousteau blushed and reported, "The driving vehicle cannot be used. We can use local methods to hoist the tank. The turret. However, the German bombardment caused a large amount of bricks and rubble to accumulate on the assembly line. It will take at least a week for us to clean it all up."

   Speaking of this, Cousteau couldn't help but looked up and looked up, and then continued: "The bombing of the German army will cause more debris to accumulate on the assembly line, making our cleaning work more difficult."

  When Cousteau reported the production work to Zinchenko, Sokov was thinking in his mind that the enemy plane had changed the direction of attack, making the air defense position deployed on the north side of the factory building look like a vain one. Even if you want to change direction now, it is not realistic. If the enemy plane finds the soldiers active on the ground, as long as they drop two bombs, it will inevitably cause huge casualties. Because he was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't even hear Balshak call him.

   "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," Balshak saw that after he called out twice, Sokov looked a little absent-minded, so he quickly raised his voice and called out again. Seeing Sokov's gaze turned to himself, he couldn't wait to ask: "What should we do with our air defense fighters, should we let them retreat and hide?"

   Hearing what Balshak said, Sokov almost instinctively wanted to order the fighters of the destroyer battalion to withdraw. But when the words came to his mouth, he swallowed them back, and he said to Borshak: "Major, according to the statements of the German prisoners, the enemy will definitely bomb us indiscriminately. It is absolutely impossible to send only four bombers. Therefore , it is not yet possible to allow the soldiers to withdraw."

"If the Germans bombed our place indiscriminately," Zinchenko couldn't help interjecting, "just a few anti-aircraft guns and more than a hundred rifles will not be able to stop them. Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, if there is If possible, I hope you can report to the Army Group Command and ask your superiors to dispatch planes to assist in the battle."

"Okay, Comrade Deputy Director." Regarding Zinchenko's proposal, Sokov thought for a moment, then nodded and agreed: "I will call the Army Group Command again, and hope they can find a way to provide us with air support. .”

   After connecting to the Army Command, it was Chuikov who answered the phone himself. He asked into the microphone: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, what do you need?"

"Comrade Commander," although Sokov had hit a snag in front of Chuikov a few hours ago, but in order to better defend the assembly workshop, he had to bite the bullet and said: "According to the information we have, the enemy We are about to bomb us indiscriminately, because I beg you, can you contact the command of the front army and ask the air force to send planes to support us and drive the enemy's bombers away from the factory area."

"Let the air force help?" Cuikov saw that Sokov made the same application for the second time, so he did not reply to the other party, but asked tentatively: "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, can't you think of any way to deal with it?" A German plane?"

"Comrade Commander, we have deployed an anti-aircraft firepower network composed of infantry on the north side of the factory area, and in the battle just now, we successfully shot down an enemy plane." Sokov said into the microphone: "Now the enemy The planes have learned a lesson, and they dive and drop bombs on the factory building from a position that our anti-aircraft firepower cannot reach. Now there are only three enemy planes, and we are already overwhelmed. If more enemy planes fly over, I am worried..."

"Okay, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov." From Sokov's report, Cuikov guessed that he might really be powerless now, and after hesitating for a moment, he said: "I will immediately contact the Front Army Command and ask them to send Airplanes, to drive away the enemy planes above the factory building."

  ...

  When Chuikov was on the phone with Sokov, Chief of Staff Krylov stood aside, and he vaguely heard the content of their conversation. As soon as Chuikov put down the phone, he tentatively asked: "Comrade Commander, are you really planning to call the Front Army Command?"

"If we allow the German army to bombard the Red October Tractor Factory indiscriminately and remain indifferent, the enemy may occupy a starting point for attack in the factory area." Chuikov looked at Krylov and said: "Our command center is far away. The factory is only two or three kilometers away, once the enemy occupies the entire factory, our headquarters will be exposed to the enemy, and we may be driven into the Volga River by the enemy."

"However," Krylov understood what Chuikov said, but he was worried that Chuikov's request would be rejected by Yeremenko, the commander of the front army, so he asked a little nervously: "If the superior does not agree? Send in the Air Force, so what are we going to do?"

"Comrade Chief of Staff, we can only try our luck." Chuikov said with a wry smile: "If my request is rejected by Commander Yelymenko, I will contact Major General Khryukin of the 8th Air Force Army in private. He and I have a good friendship, I think it should not be a big problem to ask him to dispatch a squadron."

   "Okay, Comrade Commander." Seeing that Chuikov had made up his mind, Krylov stopped trying to persuade him, but nodded and said, "I'll order someone to put you through the phone of the Front Army Command immediately."

  After the call was made, Cuikov took the receiver from the communications director and said nervously into the receiver, "I am Cuikov, Commander of the 62nd Army."

"It's Chuikov." Khrushchev's voice came from the receiver, and he asked anxiously: "We see the city is on fire. The battle between you and the enemy must be fierce, right? City?"

   Facing Khrushchev's question, Chuikov didn't know how to answer it for a while. He thought for a while, and then replied with a firm expression: "Comrade Military Commissar, if the Germans want to occupy the city, they can only step on our dead bodies. Even if we have only one soldier left, we will continue to fight the enemy." of."

"Very good, Comrade Chuikov, what you said is very good." Khrushchev said with satisfaction: "We must have this kind of fearless revolutionary spirit and heroism in order to completely defeat the Japanese invaders." After these routines, he remembered that Cuikov would not call for no reason, and quickly added, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Comrade Military Commissar," Chuikov said hastily when he heard Khrushchev's question, "the enemy is about to carry out intensive bombing of the assembly workshop of the Red October Tractor Factory. As you know, we seriously lack anti-aircraft firepower. The aircraft was blown into ruins, and I request the Front Army Command to send air force support to drive away the enemy aircraft above the factory area."

  After listening to Chuikov’s request, Khrushchev asked back: “Comrade Chuikov, if I remember correctly, the troops standing at the Red October Tractor Factory are Major General Guriev’s 39th Guards Division, right?”

   "Yes, Comrade Military Commissar." Chuikov nodded and replied: "In addition to General Guriyev's Guards Division, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov is currently leading a battalion and is sticking to the assembly workshop."

   "What, what did you say?" Khrushchev asked a little surprised: "Comrade Chuikov, you just said who led the troops to guard the assembly workshop?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov," Chuikov deliberately mentioned his name knowing that Khrushchev and the others knew Sokov. Now that Khrushchev was really asking, he replied truthfully: "It is the infantry No. Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, commander of the 73rd brigade."

"Damn it, how could it be him?" Khrushchev said angrily when he learned that Sukov personally led people to stand guard in the assembly workshop: "He is still injured, how could he be sent to such a dangerous place?" where to go?"

"Comrade Military Commissar, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov decided on his own." Cuikov deliberately pretended to be innocent, and said, "It was only after the troops settled in the assembly workshop that I realized that Lieutenant Colonel Sokov personally led the team." Yes. Under such circumstances, I can't drive him back, can I? Doing so will affect the morale of our army."

"Understood, Comrade Chuikov." Khrushchev said displeasedly: "I will discuss with the commander immediately and find a way to send the plane to the Red October Tractor Factory." After putting down the phone, Khrushchev sat opposite Yeremenko on the opposite side said, "Comrade Commander, Chuikov just called and said that according to reliable information, enemy planes are about to bomb the assembly workshop of the Red October Tractor Factory. Sokov, commander of the 73rd Infantry Brigade School, lead a battalion and stand there."

"Damn, what's going on here?" Yeremenko had the same reaction as Khrushchev when he learned that Sokov led his troops to guard the assembly workshop: "He should still be injured, why? How can I stay in such a dangerous place?"

"Comrade Commander, we will discuss where Lieutenant Colonel Sokov should stay." Khrushchev said anxiously to Yeremenko: "The most urgent task now is to send a plane to Red October. Tractor factory, drive away all the enemy planes that bombed the factory area."

Both Khrushchev and Yeremenko knew that Stalin was very interested in Sokov. If such a commander, known to the Supreme Commander himself, died due to his own negligence, he would probably die. Get yourself into unnecessary trouble. Thinking of this, Yelymenko picked up the phone on the table, dialed the headquarters of the 8th Army of the Air Force, and informed Major General Khryukin of the Air Force to immediately send a plane to the Red October Tractor Factory.

  Khryukin could hear Yeremenko's anxious tone when he gave the order, and immediately realized the urgency of the matter. As soon as he put down the phone, he called his chief of staff over and asked, "Comrade chief of staff, the superior ordered us to send planes to support the Red October Tractor Factory. Which flight regiment do you think is still on standby?"

  The chief of staff thought for a while and replied: "The day before yesterday, the 437th Flying Regiment had a new squadron. I think we can send them to the Red October Tractor Factory."

"What?" Khryukin was taken aback when he heard the chief of staff say this, "You mean the women's flight squadron?" Seeing that the chief of staff nodded in affirmation, he immediately waved his hands and said, "No, no, they fly all The Yak-1 aircraft is probably not the enemy's opponent."

   "Comrade Commander." The chief of staff reminded Khryukin: "But apart from them, we have no squadrons to use."

   "Okay." Khryukin hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "Chief of Staff, give them an order to take off immediately."

  (end of this chapter)