The battalion that was concerned about Sokov and others was currently led by Captain Mikhailev and entered the Poltava-Kirovgrad highway along the fork. Here they met
Shifting German troops.
Seeing the oncoming German army, Captain Narva, who was walking next to Mikhailev, could not help but feel his heart rising in his throat. He asked nervously: "Comrade Battalion Commander, the closer we get to the city, the enemy in front will
The larger the number, I'm worried that our identities may be exposed if we encounter an interrogation."
"Don't worry, Comrade Captain." Seeing the increasing number of enemies appearing in front of him, Mikhailev's heart was getting hairy, but he knew very well that as the highest-ranking military officer in the battalion, he would not be able to do anything in this kind of situation.
It is necessary to maintain absolute calm at all times, otherwise it will have a negative impact on the commanders and fighters. He whispered to Narva: "Pass it down, stay calm, and move forward. Especially those soldiers who do not understand German,
We must not speak casually, lest our identities be exposed."
After the order was passed on, Narva asked Mikhailev in confusion: "Comrade Battalion Commander, the German troops we encountered along the way were no less than one division. It seems that they are turning in which direction. Do you know this?"
what is going on?"
"I don't know." Mikhailev, who was equally confused, replied: "I'm afraid only the headquarters knows what happened?"
"Look, do you need to ask your superiors what happened?"
What he saw before him made Mikhail realize that something had gone seriously wrong. The oncoming German army not only had a large number of infantry, but also a large number of tanks, armored vehicles and trucks transporting soldiers. In order to
To find out what happened, he decided to ask the radio operator to send a telegram to the brigade headquarters to find out what happened.
Just as a village appeared not far away, he issued an order for the troops to enter the village.
There was only one squad of German soldiers in the village, and they were ordered to maintain order on the roadside. Suddenly they saw a troop approaching, and the German corporal leading the troop naturally came over to question them. He stopped in front of the troop and asked loudly: "Stop."
, which part do you belong to, and what are you doing here?"
Second company commander Yegor, wearing the uniform of a German captain, pushed through the crowd and came to the German corporal. He put his hands behind his back and said with a straight face: "We are from the 198th Infantry Division and were ordered to take over the defense in Pavlish."
It's getting late now, and the officers and soldiers are tired from walking and want to find a place to rest. What, you don't allow us to enter the village?"
When the German corporal saw Yegor wearing a captain's uniform, how dare he offend him? He hurriedly laughed and said: "Mr. Captain, it's not that I don't let you enter the village. It's because this village has been abandoned for a long time, and there is no one living in it."
, even if you enter the village, you won’t be able to find a place to spend the night.”
"We have to reach Pavlish before dawn, and we won't spend the night in the village." Yegor knew that Mikhailev planned to find a place to send a report to the brigade headquarters, and this uninhabited village was undoubtedly
It was the most ideal place. He said to the German corporal: "You continue to stay on guard outside the village. We will rest for a while and then continue on our way."
In this way, the commanders and fighters of the first battalion successfully entered the village.
Yegor, who was the first to enter the village, waited for Mikhailev and others to enter the village. He immediately greeted them and reported in a low voice: "Comrade Battalion Commander, except for a few German soldiers at the entrance of the village, there is no one in the whole village."
"Very good." Mikhailov nodded, and then asked: "Where can I send the report?"
"Almost all the buildings in the village were burned down. We searched for a long time and only found a relatively complete wooden house." Yegor said: "You can ask the radio operator to send the report there."
"Hurry up and take us there." After Mikhailov said this, he did not forget to give an instruction: "Pay attention to setting up a warning circle and don't let the Germans at the entrance of the village enter the village. Comrades, company commanders, all follow me!"
Under the leadership of Yegor, the group came to the wooden house with no roof and only four walls. Mikhailev looked around and ordered: "The telegraph operator went to the house and sent a telegram to the brigade headquarters to report us.
The situation encountered on the road, and ask for instructions on what our next task will be."
Although this is the center of the village, it is impossible for German soldiers to pass through the layers of security of the first battalion and appear nearby. However, for the sake of safety, Mikhailev still arranged his troops within a fifty-meter radius centered on the wooden house.
A cordon was set up to prevent irrelevant persons from approaching this place.
Besides, after Askel answered Samek's call, he realized the seriousness of the problem and quickly sent someone to wake up Guchakov, who was still sleeping, and said to him: "Comrade Brigade Commander, something big may be going on."
.”
Guchakov, who had just woken up from sleep and was still in a state of confusion, yawned loudly when Askel said this, and then asked casually: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what will happen?
"
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Askel said a little anxiously when she saw Guchakov's absent-minded look: "I just received a call from Chief of Staff Samyko. He said that the situation has changed unexpectedly. To the south of the landing site
The German troops are moving northwest. Their transfer route coincides with the march route of the 1st Battalion, which means that the 1st Battalion is in danger of being exposed."
Hearing that the first battalion was in danger of being exposed, Guchakov was shocked and suddenly woke up. He quickly came to the table, looked down at the map, and drew the marching route of the first battalion with his fingers. At the end, he
He couldn't help but gasped, raised his head and asked Askel: "Comrade Chief of Staff, after discovering this problem, have you contacted the First Battalion?"
"No." Askel shook his head and said, "Don't say that the first battalion is on the march and cannot get in touch with them. Even if we can get in touch, I don't dare to send them a report casually."
"Why?"
"The reason is very simple." Askel said: "If they are passing through the German army's marching column and want to receive our telegrams at this time, they may be exposed."
"So, we can only wait here until Captain Mikhailov takes the initiative to contact us."
"Yes, Comrade Brigadier." Askel nodded and said, "Under the current situation, we can only wait."
Guchakov poured himself a cup of strong tea, took a sip to refresh himself, and asked Askel tentatively: "Does Comrade Commander know about this?"
"I know." Askel answered simply, "He is on duty tonight with Chief of Staff Sameko. Naturally, he will know the news as soon as possible."
While the two were worrying about the fate of the First Battalion, the operator sitting next to the walkie-talkie suddenly turned around and shouted: "Brigadier Commander, Chief of Staff, this is a telegram from the First Battalion."
Hearing that the telegram was from the First Battalion, the two immediately stood up and came behind the telegraph operator. Askel pointed towards the telegraph machine and told the telegraph operator: "Receive the telegram immediately."
A few minutes later, Guchakov and Askel both read the telegram sent back by Mikhailev, and their brows frowned even more. Askel, who was holding the telegram, asked Gucha with a grimace.
Kokov: "Comrade Brigadier, how should we reply to Captain Mikhailev's telegram?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, now the First Battalion is in the middle of the enemy. Whether it continues to advance or withdraws immediately, there is a great risk." After Guchakov expressed his concerns, he decided to pass the matter off to
Sokov made the decision: "In my opinion, it is better to report the matter immediately, and the comrade commander will decide whether they should stay or go."
Regarding Guchakov's proposal, Askel did not object, but took the initiative to ask: "I wonder if you will report to the headquarters, or should I make the call?"
"It's better for me to report." Guchakov was eager to know Sokov's decision, so he took the initiative and said, "I will order the communications troops to call the headquarters."
The call was quickly connected, and when Samyko's voice came from the receiver, Guchakov quickly said: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff, I am Major Guchakov. I have something important to do.
Report to Comrade Commander immediately."
Samyko wanted to hand the microphone to Sokov, but when he saw the other party waving his hand, he continued to put the microphone to his ear and said: "Comrade Major, if there is any situation, you can report it to me the same way. Is it Mihai?"
Is there any news about Captain Yev’s battalion?”
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Since Sokov did not answer the phone, Guchakov did not force himself, so he reported the contents of the telegram he had just received to Samyko in detail, and finally asked
Said: "How do you think we should reply to Captain Mikhailev?"
The question of whether to let the troops continue to advance or withdraw on the spot made Samyko feel very embarrassed. He quickly covered the topic with his hands and asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade Commander, Major Guchakov asked, since
The 1st Battalion is now among the German troops and may be in danger of being exposed if they continue to advance. Should we order them to withdraw immediately?"
"No, we cannot retreat at this time." But Sokov simply rejected his proposal: "It is precisely because the first battalion is among the German troops. If we withdraw at this time, there is also the risk of being exposed."
"But if they continue to move forward, the risk of exposure will be greater."
Sokov thought for a moment, and then said to Samyko: "Aren't Captain Mikheyev and the others resting in a village? Then let them continue to rest, and then continue towards Pavli after the number of German troops on the road is reduced.
It’s not too late to move forward. However, they cannot relax their vigilance. They need to build defenses in the village without alerting the enemy to prevent any accidents from happening.”
Sameko released his hand covering the microphone: "Comrade Major, the commander's intention is very clear. Let the first battalion stay in the village to rest and recuperate. After the number of German troops on the road is reduced, they can continue to move towards Pavlish. At the same time,
, during the rest and recuperation process, we must not relax our vigilance, and we must arrange fire support points to prevent accidents.”
After Guchakov finished the phone call, he said to Askel: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that the commander's method is the safest. Let's convey the superior's intention to Captain Mikhailev.
.”
"Yes, I think so too." Askel nodded and said with emotion: "As expected of the commander, he actually solved the problem that gave us both a headache in such an understatement." After that, he
Orally dictate the message to the operator and ask the other party to send it as soon as possible.
After dictating the message, Askel said to Guchakov: "Comrade Brigade Commander, if the Germans really move on a large scale, then the attack the first battalion will endure after seizing the material transfer warehouse will be greatly weakened.
"
"Not only will the pressure on the first battalion be greatly reduced," before Askel finished speaking, Guchakov continued: "And when we broke through the German defense lines and rushed to join the first battalion, we suffered
Resistance will also be greatly weakened."
"Brigadier Commander, Chief of Staff." After the operator finished making the call, he turned to report to the two of them: "The telegram has been sent."
Askel hummed, and then told the other party: "If you call me back, remember to notify me in time."
Mikhailev, who received the telegram, couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief after reading the above content. He knew very well that if his troops continued to march along the road and faced the large number of German troops, their identity would be exposed.
It was a matter of time. But now the telegram sent by the brigade headquarters helped me solve this problem.
He quickly whispered to the three company commanders: "Comrades, company commanders, the brigade headquarters has sent us a telegram back. In view of our special situation now, we have been specifically ordered to stay in the village to rest and wait for the number of German troops on the road.
After it decreases, continue towards Pavlish.”
After everyone listened to the contents of the telegram, they couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They all knew in their hearts that if they continued to march towards Pavlish without hesitation, it would definitely arouse the suspicion of the enemies coming from the opposite side. Once their identities were exposed, the consequences would be severe.
It was unthinkable. Now his superiors ordered him to stay in the village to rest temporarily, which was enough to minimize the danger.
After the surroundings were quiet, Narva asked in a low voice: "Comrade Battalion Commander, what else did the brigade headquarters give you?"
"The brigade headquarters reminds us that we cannot relax our vigilance when resting in the village, and we must appropriately arrange some fire support points to prevent the worst situation from occurring."
Just when several company commanders agreed and were about to return to their respective companies to deploy fire support points, Mikhailev stopped them again and said in a low voice: "Comrades, company commanders, don't forget that there are still fire support points at the entrance of the village.
There are quite a few German soldiers. When you place your firepower points, be sure not to attract their attention."
"Comrade Battalion Commander, don't worry." The three company commanders replied in unison: "When we arrange our fire support points, we will never let the enemy at the entrance of the village discover us."
However, fate is not as good as fate. Just as each company was quietly setting up fire support points in the village, a German lieutenant led a dozen soldiers and walked towards the location of the village.
These German officers and soldiers were nearby defenders. They received reports that an army of several hundred people had entered an abandoned village on the roadside. The German commander felt it was necessary to know which part of this army belonged to, so he
Send an officer with a dozen soldiers to check.
The German corporal guarding the entrance to the village saw a lieutenant coming with a dozen soldiers and quickly stepped forward to salute him.
After the officer returned the salute casually, he asked, "Did an army just enter the village?"
The German corporal took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and handed it to the officer, and replied: "Yes, Mr. Lieutenant."
"What part are they from?"
The corporal lit a match and helped the lieutenant light his cigarette, then respectfully replied: "The captain leading the team told me that they are from the 198th Infantry Division."