"Yes, we are here to help you with your defense." After Sokov gave the captain a positive answer, he asked: "Can you tell me how to get to the factory building?"
"Comrade Commander, you are going to the factory building. Please wait a moment. I will find someone to take you there." Knowing that the other party was here to help the factory, the captain's face lit up with joy. He turned and shouted to the back.
: "Hey, Genrina, come to my place."
Following the shouting, a young militiaman wearing overalls, holding a rifle and a bullet belt slung across his body trotted over and asked: "Comrade captain, what are your instructions?"
The captain pointed at Sokov and said: "Genrina, the troops are here to help us strengthen our defense. This comrade commander wants to see the factory director. You take him and his troops to the factory building."
After Reina handed over the task, he turned around and shouted to the militiamen who were still lying on the ground, "Young man, stop lying on the ground, be careful of catching a cold in your belly. Get up, we have to continue patrolling."
When Briski brought the troops over, the captain had already regrouped the patrol. He raised his hand and saluted Sokov: "Comrade Commander, I wish you good luck!" Then he shouted loudly to the patrol:
"Stand at attention! Start walking~~!" At his command, the militiamen lined up in three columns walked forward with neat steps and heads held high.
After the patrol went away, Genrina said to Sokov: "Comrade commander, please come with me. I will take you to the factory building. When walking, pay more attention to your steps. There are bomb shelters everywhere here."
and craters.”
"Bomb shelter?!" Sokov rarely heard this word mentioned. He couldn't help but feel cold for a moment, and then asked tentatively: "Do you have many bomb shelters in your factory?"
"Of course, we are often shelled and bombed by the Germans here, so bomb shelters are dug everywhere in the factory." Genrina explained to Sokov: "If the workers are bombarded by the Germans while working,
and bombing, they can quickly run out of the factory and go to the bomb shelter to avoid shelling and bombing."
Briski was eager to get to the factory building to accept the task, so as soon as Genrina finished speaking, he asked anxiously: "How far is it from the factory building?"
"There are about two kilometers left." Genrina said to Brischi quite proudly: "Our factory is equivalent to the size of a small and medium-sized city. Workers usually go to work, and as soon as they enter the factory gate, they can take a special car and go to their respective factories.
The workshop where I work." When he said this, the look in his eyes dimmed, "But since the Germans approached the city and bomb shelter trenches were dug in the factory area, the special trains were cancelled. To go from one workshop to another, you can only
Walked on two legs."
"Where are those special cars now?" Sokov heard that the Red October Tractor Factory actually had special cars for workers to move around the factory. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "Were they blown up or handed over to the factory?"
A certain army?"
"Some of them were blown up during the shelling and bombing." Genrina pointed with his hand not far away, where several burned-out vehicle remains parked with only their frames left: "The remaining vehicles were all destroyed.
They have been concealed, and according to the factory director, these vehicles will be used again when the time is right."
As for when the appropriate time would be, Sokov did not ask, because he knew that with Genrina's level, there was no way to know. He planned to wait until he met the factory director and inquire about it, and if possible, get it done.
Several vehicles returned to Mamayev Heights for transportation of soldiers and supplies.
Outside the factory building, the deputy director was waiting anxiously. He saw a group of soldiers, led by a militiaman, walking towards the building. He quickly stepped forward to greet him and asked: "Excuse me
Troops from Mamayev Kurgan?”
Although the deputy director was also wearing work clothes, Sokov could tell from his temperament that the other party was not an ordinary person, and quickly replied: "Yes, we are troops from Mamayev Kurgan. I am Brigadier Sokov.
Lieutenant Colonel Koff."
"Thank God, you are finally here!" The deputy director stepped forward and held Sokov's hand, and said excitedly: "I am the deputy director of production of the factory, and I am here to wait for you."
While shaking hands with the other party, Sokov asked curiously: "Comrade deputy director, how did you know we were here?"
"That's it, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Although the deputy director felt a little emotional about Sokov's youth, he still said politely: "We received a call from the Guards Division, saying that the troops led by you
The troops are coming to the factory building, and the factory director ordered me to come down to greet you. Please come in with me, Comrade Factory Director is waiting for you." Sokov thanked Genrina for leading the way, and followed with Briski.
The deputy director walked towards the building.
When Peter saw the deputy factory director walking in with two officers from the outside, he instinctively walked towards the older Briskey. When he got closer, he realized that the young officer had a higher rank and quickly held his hand.
He took Sokov's hand, shook it vigorously twice, and said politely: "Comrade commander, we finally have you here. Once you come, we will be more confident in holding the factory."
Sokov briefly greeted the other party and then asked directly: "Comrade director, can you introduce to me the situation in the factory?"
Peter nodded, and after asking Sokov and Briski to sit down, he said: "The factory originally consisted of five annihilation battalions, which were organized according to the regular army organization in order to protect the factory. From commanders to soldiers
All have military ranks. Due to the needs of the war, four of the battalions were transferred to other areas at the beginning of the month. The remaining fighter battalions suffered huge casualties during the day's battle, and only one of them was left with an incomplete structure.
company."
"Comrade Factory Director, your defense is really too weak." When Sokov heard this, the muscles on his face twitched violently. He shook his head and said, "The factory is so large, and only one company can support it."
Come to defend, it's okay if the Germans don't attack, but once they attack, you won't be able to defend it at all."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are right." Before Peter could answer, the deputy factory director rushed to say: "In order to strengthen the defense of the factory, we have armed the workers in each workshop and formed a militia detachment. They will
Defend the workshops where we are located. Considering that most workers have not received systematic military training and have no combat experience, we made a request to the Guards Division and asked them to send some officers and combat cadres with combat experience to enrich our staff.
Our militia detachment.”
Hearing the deputy director's explanation, Sokov immediately understood why some of the armed men he saw in the building were wearing military uniforms while others were wearing work clothes. Those wearing work clothes were obviously workers in the factory, and
Those wearing military uniforms are the officers and combat backbones sent by the Guards Division to strengthen the militia's combat effectiveness.
Sokov knew that there were thousands of female workers in the tractor factory. If they were recruited into the militia detachment, they would be a force that should not be underestimated. He couldn't help but ask: "Are there any female soldiers in the militia detachment?"
?”
"We have more than 3,000 female workers." The deputy factory director explained to Sokov: "But there are only more than 200 people organized into the militia detachment. They are mainly responsible for being on duty at the gate or on the top floor, paying attention to light control, and rescuing air raids.
The injured person..."
"Comrades, two factory directors, I think female workers in the factory can do more jobs..."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, I wonder if you still remember the women's anti-aircraft artillery battalion we sent to protect the oil tanks on the northern hill of Mamayev Hill?" Peter didn't wait for Sokov to finish speaking.
He rushed to ask. After seeing Sokov nodded to show that he remembered the matter, he said with tears in his eyes: "That is the best girl in our factory. Who knows, after one battle, almost all of them were eliminated. There are many of them.
The person’s parents have all been evacuated to the rear, and I don’t know how to tell them the bad news.”
Briski stood up and said to Peter: "Comrade factory director, I am also very sad for the sacrifices of those female soldiers. But in order to protect our motherland and our city, sacrifices are always inevitable."
"I understand, Comrade Captain." Peter nodded vigorously and replied: "I understand everything you said. I just feel a little uncomfortable. There are hundreds of girls, many of whom are less than twenty years old. It is the life of
The best years of my life were all sacrificed like this." As he said that, he raised his hand to wipe away the tears that fell from his eyes.
"Comrade Factory Director, this is war." After Sokov said a cliche, he continued to ask: "I want to ask, where is our defense zone?"
Peter raised his hand and wiped it on his face, and said to the deputy director: "Comrade deputy director, where do you think Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and others should be deployed?"
The deputy factory director thought for a while and replied: "Comrade factory director, I think we can let them go to the assembly workshop."
"Assembly workshop?!" After listening to what the two said, Sokov asked: "Two comrades, factory directors, can you tell me where this assembly workshop is?"
"The assembly workshop is near the section of the wall where the Germans broke through today," the deputy director explained to Sokov: "There is a production line there for assembling T-34 tanks."
Knowing that there was such an important target at the location where the German army broke through today, Sokov could not sit still. He quickly stood up and said to Peter: "Comrade director, please arrange a guide for us and take us there as soon as possible."
.We must complete our defensive deployment before dawn so that we can withstand possible German attacks."
Without Peter's instructions, the deputy factory director volunteered and said: "Comrade factory director, I think it will be up to me to take Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and the others to the assembly workshop. On the way, I can also introduce him to him in detail about the factory.
The actual situation."
Seeing the deputy director volunteering, Peter had no objection and nodded: "Okay, comrade deputy director, you send Lieutenant Colonel Sokov and others to the assembly workshop, then come back as soon as possible. I also need you here."