The troops moved into defense, but whether the fortifications were reinforced, whether minefields were laid, and whether barbed wire was erected. Sokov was not satisfied with the reports of the commanders of each regiment on these specific tasks, but planned to take advantage of the night to check them.
.
The person responsible for protecting Sokov was still Lieutenant Samoilov of the guard battalion. When he saw Sokov, he asked directly: "Comrade division commander, which regiment's position do you plan to inspect?"
"Go to the position of the 124th Regiment." Sokov said without explanation: "Their regiment's position is located in the middle of our division's defense area and may become the focus of the German attack. Let's start patrolling the defense from their regiment."
"Comrade Division Commander," Samoylov suggested to Sokov after hearing this: "I think we should start from the defense area of the 125th Regiment on the left, so that you can inspect from the left to the right, and there is no need to
Go back."
Sokov didn't understand in his heart that he would definitely go the wrong way if he first inspected the defense area of the 124th Regiment in the middle and then the defense areas on the left and right wings. However, he was still uneasy and worried about the defense area of the 124th Regiment.
Something happened, so after Samoylov finished speaking, he shook his head and said: "The defense area of the 124th Regiment is the most important area of the entire division. Once something goes wrong, our defense line will be separated by the enemy.
Then we will have to retreat to Mamayev Heights in despair."
Seeing Sokov's stubbornness, Samoilov sighed secretly in his heart, but on the surface he had to reply respectfully: "I understand, comrade division commander, I will escort you to the position of the 124th Regiment right now.
"
When Sokov came to the defense area of the 124th Regiment, Starcha, who had set up the regiment's command post on the second line of defense, quickly came over. While shaking hands, he asked unexpectedly: "Comrade Division Commander, why are you here?"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Sokov replied, "I'm here to check on your defenses."
"Don't worry, comrade division commander." Starcia quickly replied: "After I returned to the regiment, I have ordered the soldiers to repair the fortifications, laid out minefields in front of the positions, and pulled up barbed wire. In a word,
We have done all the preparations that need to be done. If you want to know more details, please feel free to come to the regiment command post and I will ask the regiment chief of staff to report to you."
"There is no need to go to the regiment command post." Sokov waved his hand to Starcha and said, "It would be better if you take me to the front line in person to have a look."
When Starcha heard what Sokov said, he couldn't help being stunned for a moment. He quickly shook his head and said: "No, Comrade Division Commander, absolutely not. You can't go to the front line, it's too close to the enemy's position, and something could happen at any time.
Dangerous possibilities."
"The soldiers stay at the front line and don't feel dangerous. Why can't I, the division commander, go to the front line?" Sokov said impatiently: "Okay, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, explain the work to your chief of staff, and then
Take me to the front line, I want to see your defense deployment."
"Okay, Comrade Division Commander." Sokov had already said this. Starcha knew that it was useless to say anything else, so he could only bite the bullet and said: "I'll say hello to the Chief of Staff and I'll accompany you."
Let’s go to the front together.”
While walking along the communication trench, Sokov asked Starcha: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how many sentries are usually on duty at night on the forward positions?"
"Generally, there is one squad of troops." Starcha introduced to Sokov: "They are distributed in several positions of the position in a double post situation."
"No, the number of your sentries is too small." After listening to Starcha's words, Sokov shook his head and said: "In the past, when we were at Mamayev Heights, because the enemy was unlikely to make a sneak attack, we had one person at night.
There is nothing wrong with squad duty. But now you are only a few kilometers away from the enemy, and the defense front is so large. I think it is far from enough to rely on just one squad to be responsible for night security."
"Then how many people do you think we should send on duty?"
"Increase the number of people on duty from one squad to one platoon." Sokov said solemnly: "We must ensure that there are at least four soldiers at each duty point. In this way, even if the enemy is lucky enough to get into our
In our position, it is not that easy to kill our sentries quietly."
"Yes, Comrade Division Commander." Starcha replied respectfully: "When we get to the position later, I will definitely arrange two more squads of soldiers to be on duty."
The two of them were talking and walked into the forward position unknowingly, but Sokov unexpectedly stopped. Seeing that Sokov was no longer walking forward, Starr asked with some surprise: "Comrade division commander..."
"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he called Sokov, he was stopped by the other party. Sokov looked around, lowered his voice and asked Starcha: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, we have all entered the forward position from the traffic trench, why?"
Can’t you see anyone?”
"I think the first battalion commander may have forgotten to place a sentry in this direction." Regarding Sokov's concern, Starcha thought it was neurotic, and he said disapprovingly: "I will see him later.
Remind him."
"Comrade Commander, something is wrong." Samoylov, who had been following Sokov, suddenly came forward and said nervously: "I seem to smell blood nearby."
"Is there a smell of blood nearby?!" Starcha sneered after hearing this: "Comrade Lieutenant, there have been fierce battles here during the day. Isn't it normal to smell blood?"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Samoilov said coldly: "Do you think that it is my first time on the battlefield that I will confuse the smell of blood produced in the battle with the smell I smell?"
Sokov didn't see the sentry, so he felt that something must have been eliminated. At this moment, when Samoylov said this, he quickly ordered him: "Lieutenant, immediately take someone to search the area for the smell of blood."
origin of."
Samoilov agreed, and then led several soldiers along the trench and walked in the direction he chose. Less than two minutes later, a soldier ran over and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Division Commander
, the lieutenant asked me to come back and report to you: We found two corpses in the trench in front, both of them were our people."
"Where is the body?" Sokov first cast a meaningful glance at Starcha and then ordered the soldiers: "Take us there quickly."
Under the leadership of the soldiers, Sokov and others came to the location of the body. Seeing Sokov's arrival, Samoylov quickly stepped forward and reported: "Comrade division commander, I have checked the wound. It should be more than ten minutes ago."
One of the soldiers who was attacked before was stabbed in the chest, and another soldier's neck was cut open. The enemy cut his throat and caused a lot of blood loss, which made the smell of blood fill the air."
"Comrade Lieutenant," Starca glanced at the two corpses lying in the trench and found that their military uniforms had been taken away and they were only wearing a white hoodie. He had to look at Samoy with admiration.
Love said: "Your nose is so good, you can smell the smell of blood from such a distance."
Samoylov ignored Starcha and asked Sokov: "Comrade division commander, what should we do next?"
"Lieutenant Samoylov," Sokov did not answer directly, but asked: "If you kill these two soldiers, what will you do next?"
Regarding the question raised by Sokov, Samoylov thought for a moment and answered unambiguously: "According to my judgment, the enemy who killed the sentry should have come for reconnaissance. If they have completed their reconnaissance mission at this moment, they will
It’s time to return to their position; if the mission is not completed, they may find a place to lurk..."
"This is impossible." Starca said unconvinced: "The Germans know that we have found the sentry's body and will definitely search for it. How can they continue to stay on the position? I think they may have slipped back to their position.
." After the two of them finished speaking, they both turned their attention to Sokov, wanting to know how he judged.
Sokov felt a headache. The German soldiers who sneaked into the position not only killed their own sentries, but also pulled off their military uniforms. Even if they did not leave the position, they could not be found at all as long as they went into any shelter.
Now it is really difficult to judge whether the enemy has left or is hiding in the position.
It is a good thing that the enemy has left. But if they still stay on the position, when the battle starts during the day, they only need to sneak up near the battalion command post and throw two grenades into it, which will be enough to wipe out the first battalion headquarters. By then,
Without the unified command of the troops, they can only fight independently and cannot stop the enemy's attack.
"Comrade Commander," Seeing Sokov's delay in speaking, Starcha became a little anxious and quickly asked, "What should we do next?"
"Take us to the battalion headquarters." Sokov felt that if the enemy was really hiding in the position, and to find them out, he must get the support of the battalion commander. So he said decisively: "We need the help of the battalion commander.
"
Arriving near the battalion command post, Sokov asked Samoilov to lead people to guard outside. He and Starcha opened the curtain and walked in. When they entered the door, they saw that there were five or six people in the room, or
Lying on the table or sitting in the corner, they were all fast asleep, unaware of Sokov's arrival.
Seeing this situation, Sokov couldn't help but sneered twice, turned to Starcha and said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the battalion command post on your forward position not only doesn't have a sentry at the door, but the people in the command post are...
He slept like a dead pig. Not to mention the sentry on the position was killed, even if the enemy came here, they probably wouldn't notice it."
Starcha's face turned green and red after being criticized by Sokov. He walked up behind an officer who was sleeping on the table, raised his hand and slapped the man on the back of the head, shouting angrily.
: "Wake up quickly!"
The officer who was woken up from his sleep had a face full of anger, but when he saw clearly that the person who woke him up was actually the regiment leader Starcha, he quickly stood up and saluted, and stammered: "Comrade regiment...comrade commander"
,You...how did you get here?"
"I accompanied the division commander to inspect the defense," Starcha said, glaring at the other party: "But when I came in, I saw you sleeping. Battalion Commander, I want you to give me a reasonable explanation."
After Starcha's reminder, the first battalion commander noticed Sokov standing next to him, quickly raised his hand to salute Sokov, and reported in accordance with the order: "Comrade division commander, commander of the first battalion of the 124th Guards Regiment, Major.
…”
"Okay, okay." Before the other party could say his name, Sokov reached out to interrupt him and asked directly: "I want to ask you, why is there not even a sentry at the door of the battalion command post? Is it possible?
Aren't you afraid of being attacked by the enemy?"
After the first battalion commander waited for Sokov to finish speaking, he grinned and said confidently: "Comrade division commander, look what you said, the enemy was beaten to a terrible state by us during the day, how dare he come to us at night."
"Huh!" Sokov saw that several other sleeping officers and soldiers in the command post were awakened. He walked to the table and sat down. He looked at a battalion commander and said: "Comrade battalion commander, are you so insensitive and careless?
, I’m afraid that if you lose your life one day, you won’t even know what happened.”
The first battalion commander heard something in Sokov's words, but for a moment he couldn't figure out what was wrong. He quickly turned to look at Starcha, trying to get the answer from him. Starcha saw the first battalion commander looking at
Xiang himself, with a pale face, said: "We just found the bodies of two sentries on the way here. They were killed by the Germans not long ago."
Starcha's words caused a battalion commander to break into a cold sweat. He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and asked nervously: "Comrade commander, the sentry somewhere was killed by the enemy?"
"As soon as we entered the front line from the traffic trench, my guard platoon leader smelled the smell of blood. He followed the smell and found the bodies of two murdered sentries in the trench." Sokov was eager to catch the German soldiers who killed the sentries.
, did not want to hold the first battalion commander accountable, but said directly: "Lieutenant Colonel Starcha and I are here because we hope you will help us catch the Germans who have sneaked into our position."
"Comrade division commander," the first battalion commander straightened his body and asked, "What should I do?"
"You have too few troops for night duty." Starcha said before Sokov: "Select two more classes to participate in tonight's duty, ensuring that at each duty point, there are no less than
Four soldiers, even if the enemy sneaks into our position and wants to kill our sentry, it will not be an easy task." When Sokov said this just now, he didn't take it seriously. When he saw the body of the sentry,
Then I realized how far-sighted Sokov was, so when assigning tasks to the first battalion commander, he instinctively repeated these words.
"Comrade Major," Sokov waited for Starcha to finish, and then added: "After we complete the work of strengthening the sentries, we will find several company commanders. We need them to help us identify those who have sneaked into our army.
enemies."
"Identify the enemies who have infiltrated our army?!" A battalion commander looked at Sokov in confusion and asked in surprise: "Comrade division commander, how do we identify them?"
"The army has recently added a lot of new recruits, and we definitely won't be able to identify them. But just because we can't identify them doesn't mean that no one knows how to identify them." Sokov explained to the first battalion commander and also to Starcha:
"But the company commanders and platoon commanders of each company are much more familiar with the soldiers' situation than we are. With their cooperation, I think we can uncover the hidden enemies very quickly."
Starcha saw that after Sokov finished speaking, the battalion commander was still standing there in a daze, so he raised his hand and pushed him, urging: "Okay, comrade major, don't be in a daze, hurry up and carry out the division commander's order."