Chapter 619: interview
Even the Army Command, that is, Golikov, knew the significance of the railway bridge to the south of Stalingrad. After scolding Batrakov, he could only grit his teeth and send fighters and bombers to try to bomb the railway bridge.
The Soviet Air Force rarely fought, because it was difficult to get cheap under the hands of the Luftwaffe.
It's just that the railway bridge is very important to the Soviet army, so we can only take risks.
The result can be imagined... The Germans are experts in air combat. They finally grabbed the railway bridge. Of course, they will not let the Soviet army blow it up so easily. So early in the morning, fighter planes were deployed in the nearby airspace to intercept.
So that the Soviet bombers and fighter jets had to give up because of heavy losses before they flew over the railway bridge.
So Shulka and others didn't see the Soviet fighters and bombers at all.
Plus the fact that Shulka speaks lightly...he is just a captain, and he belongs to another army. Of course, Batrakov will not and does not need to inform Shulka of the battlefield situation.
So Shulka didn't know about the situation until now.
"Comrade Batrakov!" After thinking for a while, Shulka said, "I think we need to meet and talk, do you have any objections?"
"No, of course I have no objection!" Batratov replied: "You are always welcome, Comrade Shulka!"
Major General Batrakov's attitude is completely different from before.
In fact, this is not surprising, not only because Batrakov knew that Shulka's previous judgment was correct, but also because Batrakov could no longer face such an endgame at this time, so he needed advice and help.
And Shulka just might be useful to him.
Although Major General Batrakov didn't have much hope for this at this time, there is a saying that "seeking medical treatment in a hurry", people in despair will try their best to grasp any hope, even if it is just a straw.
Otherwise, Major General Batrakov and his NKVD 10th Division would have died at Train Station No. 2... This is a feature of the Battle of Stalingrad. Although the front line used the tactics of retreating during the day and counterattacking at night, some strategic points such as 2 No. Railway Station is not allowed to give up and retreat in any case.
At the same time, they had no way to retreat, because the Volga River was behind them, and they also had to face the attack and pursuit of the German army when they retreated north.
That is to say, if this continues, the NKVD 10th Division will have only one result, and that is the annihilation of the entire army.
It didn't take much for Shulka to find Batrakov's headquarters.
At this time, Batrakov's headquarters has changed its location... There is nothing wrong with this. This is not to say "cowardly" or "cowardly", but that the headquarters is too close to the battlefield and it is easy for the enemy to take over and lose command. The army will be in a mess and unable to fight against the enemy.
This time, when Shulka walked into the headquarters, the guards and the staff officers they met looked at him a little differently.
In fact, there is no need to wait until this time to have this performance. Shulka has long been famous in Stalingrad, and many people even know that Stalingrad's defense is carried out according to Shulka's defense plan.
If Shulka had been trusted to listen to his advice earlier, things might not have deteriorated to this point.
The problem is that the NKVD troops are a group of troops with little combat experience but a sense of superiority. From top to bottom, they don't pay attention to "other" troops and always regard themselves as the elite of the elite.
The reason for this phenomenon may be related to the fact that other troops are always three points short in front of them.
Usually used to being arrogant and domineering, he has developed a feeling of superiority psychologically, and he naturally brings this feeling to the battlefield.
They didn't know that the reason why they had this "advantage" before was entirely because of the power they had in their hands rather than their fighting qualities when facing the enemy.
It is precisely because of this "sense of superiority" that they don't think Shulka is a "breakout hero". They even believe that they can do better than the "breakout hero" on the battlefield, as if the enemy would also As if obeying their orders.
But the reality of the battlefield quickly brought them back to their original shape. At this time, they had already realized this and realized the gap between them from Shuerka's defensive battle in the granary.
When Shulka came to Major General Batrakov, he was discussing something with several staff officers. After seeing Shulka, he told the staff to dismiss them, and then walked forward to shake hands with Shulka. He shook hands and said: "Nice to meet you, Comrade Shulka!"
Shulka didn't talk nonsense with Major General Batrakov, and asked directly: "The situation is not optimistic, is it? Comrade General!"
Shulka's words were actually for Major General Batrakov to make a choice, whether to let Shulka participate in the command of the 10th Division.
If so, Major General Batrakov should follow this topic to introduce the situation on the battlefield.
If not, then Batrakov will just say a few words or change the topic.
After all, he is the commander of the 10th Division, and Shulka does not have the right to leapfrog or leapfrog command.
But Batrakov did not hesitate, he chose the former without thinking.
"Yes, Comrade Shulka!" Batrakov invited Shulka to the front of the map and said: "The Germans launched a strong attack from the front, and at least half of our troops were pinned to the front and unable to move!"
Originally, there were two regiments, that is, two-thirds of the troops. Later, Batrakov forcibly transferred two battalions to reinforce the flanks, and one of the battalions was reinforced to the granary.
"But the situation is still in jeopardy!" Batrakov frowned and said: "We can barely block the German attack from the front, but they drove straight from the flank along the Tsaritsa River to attack the side of No. 2 railway station... You know, the 42nd Infantry Brigade has collapsed under its fierce attack. The loss of the railway bridge has allowed them to continue to receive reinforcements and supplies. If you hadn't held the granary to make them feel apprehensive and slowed down the attack speed, it might have been the whole The line of defense has collapsed!"
Shulka understood what Batrakov meant.
The defense line on the flanks of No. 2 Railway Station is mainly the riverside defense line of the 42nd Infantry Brigade. The collapse of the 42nd Infantry Brigade means that No. 2 Railway Station is full of gaps.
Once the German army enters the No. 2 railway station through these gaps, it will flank the Soviet defense line with the frontal attacking troops, and the Soviet defense line will be scattered in a short while.
The reason why the Germans did not do this is probably because they were worried that one "granary" after another in the city would sink it into the quagmire.
Another reason, Shulka believes, is because the railway bridge was successfully captured by the German army. The Germans believed that time was on their side, so there was no need to rush to take risks.
(end of this chapter)