When the guide sent by the division headquarters led Sokov's battalion to the designated location, it was already eleven o'clock in the evening.
It was pitch black everywhere. In order to prevent accidentally breaking into the German fire damage range, Sokov stopped the troops and followed the guide himself, using the flashlight of the flashlight to carefully advance towards the position of the 972nd Regiment.<
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"Are they the troops coming from the city?" The two were walking forward when a deliberately low voice suddenly came from the darkness.
"Yes, we are coming from the city!" the guide asked in a low voice: "Where is Colonel Sergeyich?"
"The colonel sent me to wait for you here," the other party replied: "Follow me!"
"Wait a minute," Sokov whispered: "My troops are still nearby."
"Don't worry, I will send someone to settle them." The other party muttered a few words to a person next to him, and then said to Sokov and the others: "Everything has been arranged, let's go!"
Sokov and the guide followed this man, who was not known to be an officer or a soldier, along a communication trench, one step deeper and one shallower. Finally, they came to the entrance of a relatively hidden semi-underground shelter not far away.
A sentry stood at the door. With the help of the light coming from the side of the curtain at the door, after seeing the person leading the way clearly, he quickly lifted the curtain and said in a low voice: "Go in, the regiment leader is waiting anxiously inside.
”
"Comrade Commander, come with me." The man led Sokov into the shelter. After entering the shelter, Sokov finally saw clearly that the person leading the way was a lieutenant, and the colonel he had seen during the day was
Sitting at the wooden table with two other commanders.
Sokov quickly stepped forward and saluted Sergei Ichi: "Comrade Colonel, Captain Sokov, commander of the Istria Battalion, is reporting to you that our battalion has been ordered to provide support and cooperate with you in seizing the enemy's stronghold." p>
"Cooperate?!" The colonel couldn't help but frowned when he heard the word Sokov used. "So, doesn't it fall under our command?"
"Yes, Comrade Colonel." As the saying goes, enemies are extremely jealous when they meet each other. Seeing the colonel in front of him who had taken away the honor of the Istrian battalion, Sokov's heart was filled with hatred. He wanted to raise his hand and give him
The other party slapped him twice. But at this moment, he still tried hard to control his emotions and said: "We were ordered to come here. We only cooperate with your regiment's attack and are not under your command."
"Comrade Captain," Sergeyich asked Sokov with squinted eyes: "It looks familiar. Have we met somewhere?"
"Yes, Comrade Colonel, we have met." Sokov nodded and said affirmatively: "I also said a few words to you in the central square in Susinich during the day, next to the statue of Peter the Great.
What are the words?"
"Oh, it turns out it's you, Comrade Captain." Hearing Sokov say this, the colonel suddenly became enthusiastic: "Stop standing, sit down quickly."
After Sokov sat down, the colonel said to a major sitting opposite: "Commander of the third battalion, tell the captain...by the way, what's your name? I didn't hear it clearly just now." What he said after that was a question.
Cove.
"Sokov!" Sokov quickly replied.
After hearing Sokov's name clearly, the colonel continued: "Third Battalion Commander, please introduce the situation to Captain Sokov so that he can be aware of it."
"Captain Sokov," the battalion commander opposite stood up, pointed out a location on the map with his hand, and said to Sokov: "The target we want to capture is here. The German position is built on the hillside. Although the slope is
It is gentle, but because there are no trees to cover it, the enemy's machine gun fire blocks the entire hillside, exposing our offensive troops to the range of firepower..."
After the major finished speaking, Sokov turned to ask Sergeyich: "Comrade Colonel, didn't you use artillery fire to suppress the firepower of the enemy's position during the attack?"
Hearing Sokov's question, Sergei smiled bitterly and said: "The mortars in our regiment have long been out of shells. Even guns and ammunition are in short supply. Many soldiers only have a dozen rounds left."
Bullet."
Sergeyitch's words made Sokov understand that the reason for the failure of the 972nd Infantry Regiment's attack was not only the Germans' occupation of favorable terrain, but more importantly, the lack of ammunition. If they had enough ammunition, they would have taken it long ago.
After leaving the German position. Thinking of this, he asked again: "Comrade Colonel, I would like to ask, when do you plan to launch another attack tomorrow?"
"At eight o'clock tomorrow morning, our regiment will launch another attack on the German army." Sergeyich said somewhat gloomily: "The division headquarters ordered us to capture this German stronghold before noon tomorrow. We must seize the time." "Comrade Colonel," thinking that the 972nd Regiment was short of ammunition, if they launched an attack forcefully, it would be like letting the soldiers die. Considering this, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted. So he took the initiative to tell Sergei
Qi said: "I think tomorrow's attack should be left to our battalion."
"How many people are there in your camp?" Another captain, who had never spoken, asked unexpectedly.
"Our battalion is a reinforced battalion," Sokov said slowly as he looked at the other party: "The whole battalion has three infantry companies, one machine gun company, and a number of directly affiliated troops. The total strength of the whole battalion is 700 people."<
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Hearing the numbers mentioned by Sokov, Sergei Ichi couldn't help but said in surprise: "There are so many people. How is your weapons and equipment?"
"Because our battalion captured a lot of weapons, the commanders and fighters of the entire battalion are basically equipped with German-made weapons. Half of the soldiers use submachine guns. In addition to the twenty machine guns in the machine gun company, every squad in the infantry company has
There is an MG34 general-purpose machine gun."
When Sergeyitch heard this, he showed an envious look on his face: "The remaining commanders and fighters of our regiment are not as many as your battalion, let alone the weapons and ammunition. By the way, what time do you plan to launch the attack tomorrow?
Huh?"
"Comrade Colonel, I plan to launch the attack after dawn!" After Sokov said this, he noticed that Sergeyitch frowned. He immediately understood that the daybreak in winter is late, at least nine o'clock.
It was only when the sky was fully lit that the opponent thought it was too late for his attack. So he specifically explained: "I have to wait for daybreak and see the nearby terrain clearly before I can formulate a corresponding attack plan."
Although Sokov had spoken clearly, Sergeyitch still had a disappointed expression on his face. He thought for a moment and said to Sokov: "Captain Sokov, I see it this way.
To be on the safe side, our regiment will launch an attack on the enemy's position according to the original time. If our attack does not go smoothly, it will not be too late for you to launch another attack."