Seeing the armored vehicle stop in front of him, the soldier seemed to grasp a life-saving straw. He raised his head and shouted loudly to Samoylov in the carriage: "Comrade commander, my division commander is seriously injured.
Please save him."
The mission accepted by Samoilov was to search and rescue Glazkov. At this moment, he heard from the soldier that a division commander was injured. He quickly turned over and jumped out of the armored vehicle. He grabbed the soldier's arm and asked excitedly:
"What's your teacher's name?"
"Grazkov," the soldier replied in a panic: "General Samoilov is the commander of the 35th Guards Division. During the transfer, we were shelled by the Germans and almost all the accompanying soldiers died.
Yes, the division commander was also seriously injured..."
Before the soldier could finish speaking, Samoylov interrupted him: "Where is your division commander?"
"It's lying in a crater not far away." The soldier saw Samoilov's intention to help him rescue the division commander. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and said quickly: "Comrade commander, I will take you there."
Seeing Samoylov walking towards the distance with the unknown soldier, the two subordinates in the carriage could not sit still, so they got out of the carriage and trotted after him.
"Comrade Commander, he's right there." After walking forty or fifty meters, the soldier pointed toward the smoke-y bomb crater not far away and said excitedly: "Our division commander is right there."
Hearing that Glazkov was in the crater, Samoylov and others quickened their pace. Near the crater, lay the bodies of several soldiers, who should have died while protecting Glazkov. At this moment
, suddenly a shell fell and exploded seven or eight meters away. When Samoylov heard the explosion, he instinctively squatted down, then stood up straight, and rushed towards the crater in three steps and two steps at a time.
In the smoking crater, there lay a dying general. It was General Glazkov that Samoilov was looking for. One of his legs was blown off, exposing his black flesh.
Samoilov lay down next to Glazkov and asked anxiously: "Comrade General, I am Second Lieutenant Samoilov of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, and I was ordered to come to pick you up. How are you doing?
Do you hear me?" After finishing speaking, seeing that Glazkov didn't respond, he turned and shouted out of the crater, "Hygiene, health worker."
The accompanying hygienist heard the shouting and jumped into the crater. After checking Glazkov's leg injury, he immediately opened the medical kit he carried with him, took out the first aid kit inside, and began to bandage Glazkov.
"How is it?" Samoylov asked cautiously when he saw the hygienist bandaging it: "Is his injury serious?"
The health worker looked up at Samoylov, shook his head, and said sadly: "His legs were blown off, he lost too much blood, and he has fallen into a coma. We can only send him to the health team as soon as possible.
Let the military doctors perform surgery on him, and there may be hope of survival."
"Here comes someone." Hearing what the health worker said, Samoilov quickly stood up and shouted to the soldiers standing by the crater: "Come in quickly and lend a hand to carry Comrade General into the armored vehicle."
Fortunately, the driver of the armored vehicle had a better mind. When he saw Samoilov and several subordinates walking towards a bomb crater in the distance, he drove behind them. He saw Samoilov and others exiting the crater.
In addition to a seriously injured commander, they quickly got out of the car and opened the rear door.
After Samoylov and others carried Glazkov into the car, the driver immediately turned the armored vehicle around, braved the German artillery fire, and drove in the direction of Mamayev Heights. On the road, Samoylov watched
When they saw another armored vehicle, it had been destroyed by German artillery fire and was overturned and burning on the roadside. Seeing that the armored vehicle that was coming with him had an accident, the driver wanted to slow down and let Samoilov and the others go down to check, but as soon as they did,
After accelerating, Samoylov knocked hard on the top of the driver's platform twice and said in a stern tone: "Don't stop and rush back to Mamayev Heights as soon as possible."
Returning to Mamayev Heights, Samoilov ordered someone to get a stretcher from the entrance, and then used the stretcher to carry Glazkov out of the car. After doing all this, Samoilov said to
His subordinates said: "Send Comrade General to the health team and ask military doctors to operate on him immediately. I will report to the brigade commander now."
When Sokov saw Samoilov walking into his headquarters, he quickly put down his work and went up to him and asked: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, how is the situation? Have you brought General Glazkov out?"
"Yes, Comrade Brigade Commander." Samoilov nodded and replied: "We have already taken him out."
Sidorin heard that Samoilov had taken Glazkov out, so he looked at the door curiously, but saw no one, so he asked curiously: "Second Lieutenant Samoilov,
Didn’t you say that you had brought General Glazkov out? Where are they?”
"In the health team, Comrade Chief of Staff." Samoilov looked at Sidorin and said: "When we found him, one of his legs had been blown off and he was lying dying in the crater. The accompanying health worker said that he
His injury was too serious and required immediate surgery, so as soon as he returned to Mamayev Kurgan, I sent someone to the health team and asked military doctors to perform surgery on him."
"The general has arrived at the health team?!" Belkin heard what Samoylov said and immediately suggested to everyone: "Let's go see him now."
"Comrade Political Commissar, don't be anxious." Seeing that Bergin was about to leave, Sokov quickly stopped him and said to him: "At this time, the military doctor should be performing an operation on the general. We have other things to do.
, it’s the same thing to go see him after you’re done.” After saying these words, Sokov turned to Samoylov and asked, “Comrade Second Lieutenant, I think you should have seen the Guards at close range.
The troops of the 35th Division, what is their situation now?"
"The organization has been completely lost," Samoilov replied: "I saw everyone running around, and no one stopped to gather the troops..."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," Sidorin waited for Samoilov to finish and said with a frown: "The situation seems to be more serious than we expected. Once the broken troops of the 35th Guards Division rush into our position
, will have a negative impact on our military morale and morale. Do you think we should send people to intercept them and prevent them from entering our defense zone?"
"How can this be done?" Sokov expressed his opposition to Sidorin's proposal without hesitation: "If we do not allow them to enter our defense area, are we allowed to allow them to be destroyed by enemy artillery fire? Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately
Call the fourth battalion commander and order them to send a company to take in the scattered friendly troops."
After explaining all this, Sokov picked up the high-frequency phone and reported the rescue situation to Chuikov. After hearing Chuikov's voice, he immediately said: "Comrade Commander, General Glazkov has been rescued.
But he was seriously injured and may not be able to survive for long..."
"What, Glazkov is seriously injured?" Chuikov was shocked by the information provided by Sokov, and quickly asked: "How was he injured?"
"When the 35th Guards Division retreated, it was shelled by the German army." Sokov replied: "General Glazkov was injured in the shelling. Now my military doctors are rescuing him. Can he survive?
, it depends on his luck."
After Chuikov put down the phone, he said to Krylov who was on the phone: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I want to go to Mamayev Heights, and I will leave this place to you."
When Krylov heard that Chuikov was about to go out, he quickly covered the microphone with his hand and asked curiously: "Comrade Commander, has something happened?" There was a reason for him to ask that. Chuikov usually stayed at the headquarters.
, I would not go out easily if there was nothing, but I was in a hurry to rush to Mamayev Heights at this moment. Something unexpected must have happened.
"When Glazkov was being transferred, he was shelled by the Germans and was seriously injured. His life is now in danger." Chuikov said while putting on his hat: "I'm going to see how he is doing."
…………
More than half an hour later, Chuikov appeared in Sokov's headquarters.
Seeing Chuikov walking in, everyone stood up quickly and raised their hands in order to salute. Chuikov raised his hand to his forehead as a return salute to everyone, and then asked: "How is Glazkov's situation?"
Fortunately, before Chuikov arrived, Sokov had sent someone to the health team to understand the situation, so he replied without hesitation: "General Glazkov is still under rescue, and he has been transfused with two bags of plasma.
Whether he can survive depends on his luck."
Chuikov's expression was ugly. After walking a few steps back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, Chuikov looked up at Sokov and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, accompany me to the health team to have a look."
Someone had to be kept on duty at the brigade headquarters, so only Sokov and Belkin followed Chuikov to the health team, while Sidorin stayed behind to handle daily work.
As the three of them walked along the corridor, Sokov reported to Chuikov in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, the military doctor reported to me that in addition to his legs being blown off, several pieces of shrapnel were shot into his chest.
Attempts are being made to remove the shrapnel from the wound."
When Chuikov heard this, he immediately stopped, looked at Sokov and said displeasedly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, why didn't you report such important information to me just now?"
Facing Chuikov's questioning, Sokov did not dare to say anything, so as not to arouse the other party's thunderous wrath. Fortunately, Chuikov did not continue to struggle with this matter, but strode forward and continued: "
Since Glazkov can no longer command the troops, he will temporarily act as the division commander until the deputy division commander, Colonel Dubyansky, arrives."
"Understood." When Sokov answered, he thought to himself: "This Colonel Dubyansky will not be as unlucky as Glazkov and be killed by an artillery shell, right? In that case, the 35th Guards Division
Aren’t they all leaderless?”
When he arrived at the health team, the military doctor had already completed the operation and was whispering something to a health worker. Sokov walked over and asked: "Comrade military doctor, how is General Glazkov's condition?"
"The operation has been completed," military doctor Pavlov said, shaking his head, "but the situation is not optimistic. Several pieces of shrapnel that hit his chest have smashed his lungs. Whether he can survive depends on
It’s his personal luck.”
"Where is General Glazkov?" Chuikov's eyes turned red when he heard what Pavlov said. He asked with some choking, "I want to see him."
Pavlov led everyone to a separate ward not far away. Although the room was illuminated by a gas lamp, it was still dark. In the middle of the room, there were two wooden boards placed on mounds of earth. These were simple hospital beds.
There was a person lying on one of them, General Glazkov, whom Chuikov wanted to visit.
Chuikov came to Glazkov's bedside, squatted down and leaned close to his ear, and whispered: "General Glazkov, I am Chuikov. Can you hear me?"
However, Glazkov was lying on the hospital bed motionless and did not react at all. But Chuikov did not care about this, but continued: "General Glazkov, you and your soldiers have acted very bravely.
The enemy has paid a huge price to seize your position. Get well soon, your soldiers are still waiting for you to command them to fight!"
Sokov, who was standing aside, suddenly saw Glazkov's lips moving slightly a few times, and he said excitedly: "Comrade Commander, General Glazkov seems to have something to say?"
Chuikov quickly put his ear against the opponent's chapped lips and said at the same time: "General Glazkov, if you have anything to say, just say it, I'm listening... What did you say, have the troops withdrawn?"
"Withdrawn, General Glazkov." In order to comfort Glazkov, Sokov quickly said: "The commanders and fighters of the 35th Guards Division have withdrawn, your deputy division commander Colonel Dubyansky
We are on the nearby hillock, collecting troops with my people."
"Thank...thank you!" Glazkov said the word with difficulty, expressing his gratitude to Sokov.
Chuikov continued to talk to the other party, but this time Glazkov did not respond at all. Pavlov, who was standing next to him, quickly leaned down, opened Glazkov's eyelids, shined a flashlight, and stretched out his hand again.
He checked for breath under his nose, and then said to Chuikov with a look of regret: "Comrade Commander, he has died."
"This is impossible." Chuikov heard Pavlov say this and immediately became angry: "You must be mistaken. He is not dead. He was still talking to me just now."
"Comrade Commander, how can you doubt my professionalism?" Seeing Chuikov questioning his judgment, Pavlov said in a dissatisfied tone: "Now he is no longer breathing and his pupils are dilated. These are all
Death symptoms, don’t you still trust my judgment?”