Chapter 454: trouble
The next day, when reinforcements from both sides of Germany arrived at Zhankoy, they launched a counterattack against Zhankoy under the unified command of Sponek.
The battle was fierce. Under the cover of the artillery of the Air Force, the German army of several divisions repeatedly attacked Zhankoy, but the Soviet army occupied Zhankoy and remained motionless.
The 1st Guards Tank Brigade used tanks, bazookas, and poposas to defend the city under the cover of buildings. It cannot be captured by ordinary troops and superior strength. What's more, the Soviet Air Force also fully reinforced Zhankoi. Soldiers, infantry, etc. also landed from the Sea of Azov wave after wave, and soon gained the upper hand in terms of strength.
"General!" Lieutenant General Sponeck reported to Manstein on the phone: "I think we should retreat! Although we are still attacking, it is obvious that the enemy is gathering strength!"
"Block them, Sponek!" Manstein replied weakly: "Block them anyway!"
"Yes, General!" Lieutenant General Sponeck replied, "But I did my best!"
Manstein had to admit his failure... A loss of Khoy meant that the flanks at the exit of the Perekop Isthmus were exposed to the front of the Soviet army.
As Lieutenant General Sponek said, the Soviet army is gathering strength, and then they only need one charge to completely block the Perekop Isthmus, which will kill tens of thousands of elite German troops who invaded the Crimea. completely surrounded.
However, is it too urgent to retreat now?
It takes at least one day to go from Sevastopol to the Isthmus.
This is still based on the speed of marching. If it is alternate cover and retreat, it may take at least two to three days.
This time is enough for the Soviet army to completely block the isthmus.
After thinking about it, Manstein sent a secret telegram to Sponek, telling him to make some deployments, and then ordered the troops to retreat.
Shulka on the other side didn't know this. At this time, he encountered a little trouble in Feodosia.
"Comrade Captain!" Nekrasov, commander of the engineer battalion, reported to Shulka: "We were stopped outside the warehouse, and they asked us to show our pass!"
"Pass?"
"Yes, a pass to bring gear into storage!"
Shulka and the instructor glanced at each other, and walked towards the warehouse without saying a word.
Sure enough, an officer with the rank of major stopped in front of a group of engineers and shouted something loudly.
"Comrade Major!" Shulka squeezed up and saluted the major: "It's an emergency now, I hope you let it go immediately, we need to transport it into the warehouse!"
"It's impossible, Captain!" The major replied without thinking, "You should be aware of this. Unidentified people are not allowed to store personal belongings in the warehouse unless you have a pass or an order from a superior. Otherwise, how can I I know if what you are transporting is a truckload of explosives!"
"Of course not, Major!" The instructor followed up and introduced: "This is Comrade Shulka, the 'breakout hero'. I think his name is a kind of proof, don't you think so?"
The major turned to Shulka for a look, and asked, "Are you a 'breakout hero'?"
Shulka didn't speak, just took out his military ID card and handed it over.
The major flipped through his military ID, handed it back to Shulka, and said, "Sorry, Captain! We have orders..."
"Can I make a call?" Shulka raised his head towards the nearby phone booth.
"Of course!" The major replied: "But the phone line has been blown!"
This is true. Railway stations are often bombed by the enemy, and line interruptions are the norm.
To be honest, the major's approach is also correct, because it is true that things of unknown origin should not be allowed to enter the warehouse.
So Shulka ordered the correspondent: "Contact the Front Army Command immediately!"
"Yes!" The correspondent responded and asked the communication team to deploy the radio station on the spot.
But the situation made Shulka angry and anxious... The front army command did not respond.
Shulka speculated that, on the one hand, the efficiency of the Mechlis command was low, and on the other hand, a request from the battalion radio station for materials to be admitted to the warehouse was simply ignored by the staff. There is no need to send it to the Front Army Command.
Shuerka looked at his watch, then at the slightly whitish sky in the east, and paced back and forth anxiously, but there was nothing he could do.
The instructor thought for a while, and invited the major aside, then whispered something, and then saw the major waved his hand to let him go.
Shulka was puzzled for a while, and asked the instructor: "How did you convince him?"
"It's very simple!" The instructor replied: "Everyone knows that Comrade Mechlis obeys you, I just need to tell him this... nothing can't be solved!"
Shulka gave a wry smile.
What order, what pass, or the hero Shulka, are actually not as useful as the notoriety of Mehlis, the "King of Small Reports".
Therefore, there is a saying "It is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain", I am afraid that this is what is being said.
But the major is also responsible, or it can be said to be curiosity. He followed the crowd to transport the "things" on the flatbed truck into the underground warehouse, and then asked Shulka: "Can I know what it is, Comrade Captain?"
"Sorry, Major!" Shulka replied: "I can't tell you!"
The major shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't care.
After a while, the major lowered his voice and said: "Captain, if there is a chance, I hope you can recommend it to Comrade Mehlis!"
"Okay, no problem!" Shulka answered very simply.
The major immediately became excited, and he said happily to Shulka: "My name is Yefimsh, Comrade Captain, and I am in charge of the logistics security of the railway station. If there is any need, any need... you just need to tell the people here Soldiers can, and they will immediately forward your request to my headquarters!"
"I know!"
"Then, goodbye, Comrade Captain!" The major shook Shulka's hand excitedly: "Nice to meet you, I am sorry for my behavior just now..."
Seeing all this and feeling the major's flattery, Shulka only felt a little desolate, because it was not people like Zhukov and Katukov who made meritorious deeds on the battlefield in their hands, but Mehlis. of incompetent people.
Although Shulka doesn't think it would be a good thing to have such power, for example, working next to Mehlis and even gaining his trust... This is a supreme honor in the eyes of others, but for Shulka, It's more of a burden.
(end of this chapter)