Chapter 113 Searching for the missing plane (Part 2)

The team carried two sledges pulled by people. The reason why Sokov ordered people to bring the sledges was not superfluous. In his words: one is to put excess weapons and ammunition on the sledges; After finding the pilot and staff, if they are unfortunately injured, they can also be pulled back with a sled.

Before departure, Sokov announced in public: "I appointed Sergeant Zhelya as my deputy. If I die in battle, he will take over my position; if he dies, Oleg will take over." Commanding the troops, the next order is..." After appointing the candidates to take over the commanding troops in turn, he waved his hand and announced loudly, "Let's go!"

  Since no one saw the missing plane and which direction it was flying from, Sokov could only gamble on his luck. He decisively chose the south direction and let the team set off in that direction.

The troops were divided into three echelons. At the front of the team were Oleg and two soldiers who had been forest watchmen. They were the first echelon and the vanguard of the squad; The third echelon consisted of Sergeant Asia and four other soldiers; the soldiers and two sleds brought by Sokov were the second echelon, and they walked in the middle of the squad. The three echelons are 150 meters apart, and if something happens, they can support each other.

  As a vanguard, Oleg observed the surrounding environment with vigilant eyes, and carefully searched and moved forward. After walking about four or five kilometers in the forest, a soldier walked up to Oleg quickly and said to him: "Oleg, I think we are going in the wrong direction."

   "Why?" Oleg stopped, turned to look at the soldier, and asked curiously.

"Look at the snow on the treetops." The soldier pointed to the trees above his head and explained to him: "If the plane passes over this forest, the airflow generated will definitely blow the air above it. And now, the snow on the treetops is intact, so I think we must be going in the wrong direction."

  Looking at the snow on the treetops, Oleg felt that what the soldier said was very reasonable, so he nodded and asked, "Then tell me, which way should we go?"

  The soldier pointed to the southeast direction with his hand and said, "Oleg, I think it should be right to go this way."

  Seeing that the soldier chose a new search direction without thinking, Oleg couldn't help but aroused his curiosity: "Why did you choose this direction?"

"Didn't you pay attention when the battalion commander explained the mission?" The soldier explained to Oleg: "He said that the destination of the plane was the friendly army station west of Susinich, but unfortunately lost his way. Flying to the south of the city. There is a German army station in the south of us, and the pilots will try their best to avoid landing there. To the southwest is the confrontation area between our army and the German army. If the plane lands there, the friendly army will definitely dispatch troops to go there Rescue, it is not our turn to take action. Therefore, we search southeast, and we may be able to find the missing plane."

  After listening to the soldier's analysis, Oleg smiled and nodded, and said convincingly: "Okay, let's change direction and search southeast."

  Assia in the second echelon did not sit on the sled, but, like Sokov, walked forward with difficulty on the knee-deep snow. She asked Sokov angrily, "Misha, we are going in this direction, right?"

Sokov shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I don't know where the plane disappeared. To find a plane in such a vast forest is simply an impossible task. Therefore, we can only do our best." , if I can't find it within two days, I will give up the search."

Asiya agreed with Sokov's statement: "In such cold weather, if the pilot is trapped in the forest, he will definitely freeze to death. If it takes more than two days, there is indeed no further search. necessary."

  Sokov took out the compass he carried with him from his pocket, and wanted to confirm the direction, but unexpectedly found that the current direction of the troops was not the south he had just chosen, but had already turned to the southeast. "Damn, what's going on?" Finding that the troops had deviated from the direction, he quickly called a soldier and told him: "You go to the front to find Oleg and ask him what's going on, why our advance The direction has already turned to the southeast." The soldier agreed, and followed Oleg and the others by jumping up and down on the footprints in the snow ahead.

   Seeing Asiya gasping for breath, Sokov ordered the second echelon to temporarily stop advancing and rest on the spot for ten minutes. When the tired soldiers were looking for a place to sit down and rest, Sokov helped Asiya sit down on the sled, and said to her in a complaining tone: "Asiya, I won't let you come, you're not here. If you want to come, you can’t bear your physical strength now, right?”

   "I'm a health worker in the camp," Assia said unconvinced after hearing this, "You are going out to perform tasks, how can you not be accompanied by a health worker?"

  Sokov knew that Assia was an unyielding character. For her safety, he had ordered her to leave the battlefield several times, which had already aroused her dissatisfaction. Seeing the unhappy expression on her face at this moment, he could only persuade her with a smile.

  The soldiers sent to the front to inquire about the situation, after returning, told Sokov what happened before. After listening to it, Sokov felt that what the soldier said was quite reasonable, and quickly asked: "Do you know which soldier's name is what order, and which company it is from?"

   "I know." The soldier replied: "His name is Matrosov, and he is a soldier of the third company. Before joining the guerrillas, he used to be a forest watcher, and he is very familiar with everything in the forest."

  Sokov silently remembered the name in his heart, raised his hand and looked at his watch, and after ten minutes had passed, he announced to the soldiers of the second echelon: "Comrades, let's continue!"

  After re-starting the road, Assia said to Sokov thoughtfully: "Misha, do you think we can find the missing plane by following the direction pointed by the forester?"

"None of us knows where the plane went." To Asiya's question, Sokov replied with a wry smile: "We can only gamble now to see if this new route can find the plane." " Then he asked with concern, "Asiya, I think you're struggling to walk, or should you just sit on the sled and I'll pull you away?"

   "No need." Assia shook her head, and said firmly: "The sled is used to pull weapons, ammunition and the wounded. I'd better walk like soldiers."

  (end of this chapter)