"What, there isn't an enemy in the trench?" After hearing the soldier's report, Paulkoski showed an expression of disbelief on his face. He turned his questioning eyes to the guide aside and asked in a low voice: "This
What is going on and why are there no enemies in the trenches?"
The guide got up from the ground, hid behind a pile of rubble, looked towards the direction of the factory for a while, and then whispered to Paulkosky: "Comrade Captain, it seems that the enemy is hiding in the trench because it is too cold."
I went to warm myself by the fire in the factory. You see, there are several fires in the factory."
In fact, even if the guide hadn't told him, Paulkoski would have seen the fire in the trenches long ago, but he didn't expect that the Germans would not stay in the trenches to keep watch, but would hide in the factory to warm themselves by the fire. They were really brave.
He was so big that he didn't worry about being cornered in the factory by the Soviet army during a night attack.
The sergeant who had just been ordered to stay behind to serve as a guard saw that Paulkoski and the others had stopped moving forward, and even when the soldiers sent out to conduct reconnaissance came back to report the situation, they did not crawl back but ran back, so he guessed that the enemy's situation might have changed.
The sergeant crawled from his hiding place to Paulkoski's side and whispered: "Comrade company commander, is there an accident?"
"Didn't I ask you to be on guard at the back?" When Paulkoski saw the sergeant leaving the guard position without authorization, he glared at him and said dissatisfiedly: "Who asked you to come up here?"
"Comrade Company Commander," the sergeant said with a playful smile, "I saw you stopped here and didn't move forward. I wondered if the enemy situation had changed, so I came over to take a look. If I guessed correctly, there should be no enemies in the trenches.
?”
Seeing that the sergeant guessed so accurately, Paulkoski couldn't help but curiously asked: "Sergeant, how did you know?"
"Isn't this simple?" the sergeant pouted at the scout squatting aside and said: "If there is an enemy in the trench, when he returns from a reconnaissance mission, he will definitely crawl back instead of running back.
.Based on this, I judged that there must be no enemies in the trenches."
There were no enemies in the trenches, which meant that the original deployment had to be adjusted. Paulkoski looked at the factory buildings glowing red in the distance, wondering whether to let the sergeant and the others adjust the warning position to the trenches, and then he
Then take people to sneak attack the enemies in the factory?
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard the sergeant whisper: "Comrade company commander, do you think you can let me take the combat team there, and you and the remaining soldiers will stay in the trenches to serve as guards?"
"Okay." Paulkoski felt that the sergeant's suggestion was more reasonable, so he readily agreed: "Comrade sergeant, take your team over and have a look, and throw two grenades at each fire.
After you blow up the enemy, pull back immediately and we will provide you with cover."
After getting Paulkoski's consent, the sergeant led the combat team across the trenches and dispersed into formations to cautiously move toward the factory. But when they were still more than thirty meters away from the factory, there was a sudden "boom"
, a huge fire ball rose up in the middle of them, as if a cannonball fell and exploded in the middle of them.
Seeing four of his subordinates fall in the flames, Paulkoski couldn't help but be startled. Could it be that there were enemy mortarmen hiding nearby, and when they saw someone approaching the factory, they opened fire without hesitation? This idea just came to him.
Soon after he arrived, he denied it. If it was a mortar attack, in such a quiet night, you would definitely be able to hear the sound of the shell being ejected. If he didn't hear any sound, it must be the combat team led by the sergeant who stepped on it.
Got on a mine.
He made a prompt decision and whispered to the soldiers around him: "Follow me up and carry the wounded comrades back." As soon as he finished speaking, the enemies in the factory were already alerted, and the machine guns set up inside were firing.
He got up, but because the machine gunner was dazzled by the light of the bonfire, and he didn't know where the attacking Soviet troops were, he just shot aimlessly. The fight was quite fierce, but not a single bullet was fired.
Hit any target.
Paulkoski led several soldiers and used the cover of the bomb crater to quickly approach the position where the sergeant and the others fell. He climbed to the side of the sergeant, stretched out his hand to check his breathing, and found that the other person had stopped breathing. He followed him
Several soldiers who came with them also quickly checked the situation of the other three comrades. Soon, they reported to Paulkoski: "Comrade company commander, one person died and two were seriously injured. What should we do next?"
"Put the wounded on your back and move them immediately." Paulkoski said to them: "The enemy will chase them out soon."
The soldiers quickly carried the wounded on their backs and stumbled along the original road, running towards the trenches. Paulkovsky stayed behind, hiding in a bomb crater, preparing to block the enemies who were chasing them out of the factory.
Before the soldiers carrying the wounded ran into the trenches, a group of enemies rushed out of the factory shouting. Paulkoski, who was hiding in the crater, picked up the submachine gun in his hand, aimed at the enemies and pulled the trigger.
Half a round of bullets were fired, and the two German soldiers rushing in front fell to the ground. The soldiers following behind quickly fell down on the spot.
Seeing the enemy lying down, Paulkoski turned his head and looked around. Seeing that the soldiers carrying the wounded had entered the trench, he threw several grenades in the direction where the enemy was lying, taking advantage of the explosion.
Using the smoke as a cover, he quickly left a crater and ran towards the trench.
Paulkovsky jumped into the trench, and immediately a soldier came over and asked with concern: "Comrade company commander, are you not injured?"
"No." Paulkoski shook his head and thought in annoyance: "It's really unlucky. First, the sewer leading to the factory was blocked by the enemy, and then the combat team sent to sneak attack the factory stepped on the enemy's trap.
Mines, tonight’s operation is a complete failure.”
The German soldiers lying on the ground saw that the attacker threw a few grenades and then stopped moving. They guessed that the attacker must be trying to escape, so they crawled up from the ground one after another and rushed up shouting.
Even though the number of German soldiers rushing up was twice that of his own, Paulkoski and the others hiding in the trenches could rely on the favorable terrain to repel the enemy's attack. Paulkoski shouted loudly
He said: "Comrades, be ready for battle! Fire when the enemy is close!"
When the German soldiers were still more than thirty meters away from the trenches, and Paulkoski was about to give the order to fire, the scream of artillery shells suddenly came from the sky, and then a series of artillery shells fell on the enemy's line and exploded. In an instant
, the enemy rushing towards the trench was enveloped in firelight and gunpowder smoke.
Seeing the advancing enemies being wiped out by sudden shells, Paulkoski, who was hiding in the trench, was dumbfounded. He looked at the enemies strewn with corpses not far away and murmured: "What the hell, where did this come from?"