Chapter 834 Shoot at me (on)

  The news that the German army launched an attack on the barricade factory soon spread to the army headquarters.

   Hearing the news, Chuikov frowned and asked Krylov: "Chief of Staff, the German attack on the factory area has been stopped for several days. Why did they suddenly launch an attack today?"

  Krylov didn’t know why the Germans re-launched the offensive. According to his thinking, the station where the Germans originally hoarded supplies was destroyed by the guerrillas. Even if there were new supplements, it would not be enough to support a storm. Then he shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not too sure. It stands to reason that even if they get new reinforcements from the rear, the amount of ammunition and supplies will not be able to support a high-intensity attack."

   Chuikov stared at the map in front of him for a while, and asked casually, "How is the situation at the Dzerzhinsky factory? How many enemies have attacked them?"

   Hearing Chuikov's question, Krylov was taken aback for a moment, and then replied: "So far, we have not received any reports of an attack on the Dzerzhinsky factory."

   "So, the only target of the enemy's attack this time is the barricade factory?" Chuikov asked in surprise, "Chief of Staff, tell me, why did they do this?"

Krylov thought for a while, and replied: "There are two possibilities. One is that the current ammunition and supplies of the German army cannot support their offensive in the two areas, and the road bridge leading to the Dzerzhinsky factory has been destroyed. They cannot use various technical equipment in the factory area, so they can only choose the attack target at the undefended barricade factory."

   After hearing Krylov's first possibility, Chuikov didn't continue. He couldn't help asking curiously: "Chief of Staff, why didn't you say it?"

"I have a bold idea," Krylov said tentatively: "The German army launched an attack on the barricade factory in order to consume our army's stockpile of ammunition. After all, among the several troops standing on the barricade factory, the veterans have been exhausted. The rest are recruits who have just joined the army. Except for a few militiamen from the original factories, most of these recruits are temporarily recruited citizens, and they have no combat experience. Once a battle starts, they will attack the enemy Panic shooting caused a lot of ammunition waste and accelerated the consumption of ammunition in our army's stockpile."

  Chuikov remembered that after more than two months of fighting, the troops that had been standing in the barricade factory had almost been lost. The only unit with a slightly complete organizational structure was Lyudnikov's 138th Infantry Division. Thinking of this, he looked up at Krylov and asked, "Chief of Staff, how many people are left in Lyudnikov's troops?"

"There are probably more than 2,000 people." Krylov said bitterly: "They have lost 6,000 people. Most of the current troops are newly recruited, and there are very few experienced veterans. If the Germans really storm the barricade factory, I am afraid they will not be able to hold it."

  Chuikov looked down at the map again, and asked, "Are there any troops nearby that can support them?"

"The 87th Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division of Colonel Sokolov is the closest to the barricade factory." Krylov pointed to the northeast of the barricade factory, and said to Chuikov: "If necessary, they can enter the factory. Assisting Colonel Lyudnikov's troops in combat."

"No, we can't use this army." After looking at the map for a while, Chuikov shook his head and rejected Krylov's proposal: "The Dzerzhinsky factory is the focus of our defense. It is best not to use the troops there. Use it easily."

"But once the Germans occupy the barricade factory," Krylov saw the German army's attempt to attack the barricade factory, he reminded Chuikov: "They can turn this into a garrison site, and go north to attack Dzerzhinsky. factory; to the south, it can threaten the flank of the Red October factory. Therefore, we must do everything possible to keep the barricade factory."

"In the Red October factory, isn't there a regiment of Sokov's?" Chuikov was worried that the barricade factory might not be able to hold on, but when he saw the red October factory below the barricade factory, it was marked with a reduced regiment. When he was numbering the number, the anxiety and uneasiness in his heart disappeared immediately. He exhaled softly and said, "Transfer this regiment to the barricade factory and let them assist Lyudnikov to guard the factory."

"Comrade Commander!" Knowing that Chuikov planned to mobilize Sokov's troops again, Krylov cautiously reminded him: "Do you need to say hello to Colonel Sokov about this matter? After the start, his unit has basically become a fire brigade, wherever the situation is tense, he will be transferred there. If it is such a big matter, if you don’t say hello to him, I’m afraid he might get emotional.”

   "This is what it should be." Cuikov knew very well that if he did not go through Sokov, he would mobilize the opponent's subordinate troops, which would be an act of leapfrog command, which might lead to chaos in the army's command system. "I called him myself and told him to send troops to the barricade."

  The call was connected soon. Hearing Sidolin's voice from the receiver, Chuikov said, "Comrade Sidolin, this is Chuikov. Let Colonel Sokov answer the phone."

   After a while, the voice in the receiver changed to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, you asked me to answer the phone. Is there any new combat mission?"

Seeing that Sokov easily guessed his intentions, Chuikov did not intend to hide it, so he nodded and said in a positive tone: "Yes, Colonel Sokov, I am calling you to transfer you to deploy in the Red Cross. Troops in the Moon Factory."

  Not long after the enemy launched an attack on the barricade factory, the observation post on the top of Mamayev Hill reported the situation to Sokov. Sokov was discussing the enemy's intentions with Sidolin, Ivanov and others, and whether the superiors would mobilize their own troops to reinforce the attacked area, when Chuikov called.

   After Chuikov finished speaking, Sokov asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I would like to ask, did the enemy only attack the Barricade Factory and not the Dzerzhinsky Factory?"

"No." Chuikov replied: "So far, we have not received any reports of the attack on the Dzerzhinsky factory. It seems that the enemy is not capable of attacking two factories at the same time." Speaking of this, he paused After a while, he turned the topic back to the mobilization of troops, "When will your troops arrive at the barricade factory?"

"Two hours, Comrade Commander." Sokov calculated in his mind the speed at which the troops assembled and advanced, and gave Chuikov an accurate answer: "My troops will enter the barricade factory on time in two hours. "

  Considering the importance of this reinforcement mission, Sokov finally proposed to Chuikov: "Comrade Commander, I intend to personally lead the troops into the barricade factory, will you allow me?"

Regarding Sokov's request, Chuikov felt very embarrassed, because the situation at the barricade factory was extremely dangerous, and if he rashly sent a promising young division commander to such a place, he might lose his life at any time, which he did not want to see of. Therefore, after repeated thinking, Chuikov said firmly: "No, Colonel Sokov, you can't go to the barricade factory. Comrade Belkin, the head of the drawdown regiment, should be responsible for the reinforcement of the barricade factory."

  (end of this chapter)