Chapter 947

  At 8:05 on January 10, the Don River Front deployed 7,000 artillery pieces of various calibers in different locations and launched a fierce shelling at the German positions at the same time. The deafening rumbling sound broke the silence of the severe winter breakfast.

  After fifty-five minutes of non-stop artillery fire on the enemy's positions, the limited German artillery positions were destroyed, communication lines were interrupted, and countless firepower points and shelters were destroyed by artillery fire. Due to the lack of sufficient defense depth of the German army, when being bombarded, the officers and soldiers could not retreat to the second line of defense to avoid the Soviet artillery bombardment as before, and could only stay in their anti-bomb holes or shelters. The result was a large number of casualties.

  Batov's 65th Army was responsible for the assault mission in the main direction. Although the German army put up tenacious resistance, the Soviet commanders and fighters of the army were still advancing step by step under the cover of artillery and air force. By dark, Batov's troops had wedged five kilometers into the German lines.

  The next day, the Army Group and the 21st Army Group continued to advance in depth to the German army, and successfully advanced to the west bank of the Rossoshka River and the Karpovka area. The German army defending in this area was afraid of being divided and surrounded by the Soviet army, so they gave up their positions one after another, and hurriedly retreated to the direction of Stalingrad.

  The 57th Army, which attacked from the south, was beaten back by Huot's troops some time ago. From the commander of the army to the soldiers below, everyone was suffocating. Now that the attack was finally expected, it was natural that they would not be polite to the German army attacking the front, and the enemy was defeated.

  The most outstanding performance is the 38th Infantry Division commanded by Colonel Safi Ulin. During the offensive of the vanguard regiment, the head of the regiment reported to Safi Ulin: "Comrade commander, we have found a field airport of the German army ahead. Please instruct us on the next step."

"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the order is clear." Safi Ulin learned that the German army's field airfield was found ahead, and hurriedly said to the head of the leading regiment: "Immediately concentrate the strength of the whole regiment and launch an attack on the airfield. If nothing happens No worries, I will take the other two regiments and rush over to support you as soon as possible."

  After receiving the order to attack, the leader of the leading regiment immediately understood that the troops should adjust their direction and take the enemy's field airport as the main direction of attack. There was probably a company of German troops guarding the airport. Seeing the sudden appearance of the Soviet army, although they immediately put up a tenacious resistance.

  The vanguard's first attack was repulsed by the enemy defending the airport. After the failure of the attack, the head of the vanguard was not discouraged, and immediately regrouped the troops and led the charge in person.

  The commanders and fighters of the vanguard regiment saw that the regiment leader led the charge in person, and their morale was immediately boosted. Regardless of the casualties, they braved the enemy's bullets and went forward one after another. After a fierce battle, finally rushed into the airport.

  Safi Ulin, who had just arrived nearby, saw the planes parked at the airport through the binoculars, and immediately ordered the chief of staff around him: "Notify the vanguard immediately, and be sure to capture all the enemy planes in the airport."

  Because the head of the regiment is personally leading the team to participate in the battle, this order cannot be communicated through the radio in time. In order to prevent the head of the regiment from blowing up all the enemy planes that could be seized into scrap iron on the spur of the moment, Safi Ulin quickly dispatched a staff officer and asked him to rush to the airport by motorcycle to inform the head of the leading regiment that he must Capture the enemy plane parked in the airport.

   Fortunately, the staff officer acted quickly. When the motorcycle he was riding rushed into the airport, the battle was over. The head of the vanguard was arranging soldiers to tie explosives on the planes, preparing to blow them up to pieces.

Seeing this, the staff officer hurriedly shouted: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, wait a moment, don't blow up the plane. The division commander ordered that the enemy's plane must be completely captured." In this way, 18 German transport planes were completely preserved. .

  Safi Ulin rushed to the airport and saw that the vanguard had seized 18 transport planes, and repeatedly praised the leader of the vanguard. However, he soon discovered a problem: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, did you find any enemy pilots during the battle?"

"No." After being reminded by Safi Ulin, the head of the vanguard found that the Germans who were wiped out by him were all guards guarding the airport, and there was not a single pilot. He quickly ordered his subordinates: "Search for me immediately. , even if the German pilots are hiding in the ground, I have to dig them out for me."

  The soldiers surrounding them dispersed and looked around for the German pilots. A few minutes later, a captain who was in charge of searching the wooden house next to the runway hurried over to report to the head of the regiment: "Comrade commander, we found a hole in the wooden house. It's too dark inside and we can't see anything." clear."

  Safi Ulin heard what the captain said, and quickly interrupted to ask: "Have you seen clearly, are there any Germans hiding in the cave?"

   "No, Comrade Commander." The captain quickly replied, "It's too dark inside. We are worried that there may be an ambush inside, so we haven't sent anyone to check it out yet."

   "Hurry up and take me in to have a look."

   A group of people walked into the wooden house next to the runway. Safi Ulin saw a wooden board lifted in the middle of the house, revealing a rectangular hole. A group of soldiers stood near the hole, with their guns pointing at the dark hole.

  Safi Ulin pointed at the entrance of the cave with his hand, and told the head of the regiment: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, immediately arrange for someone to shout into the cave, telling them to put down their weapons and come out and surrender, otherwise we will throw grenades."

  The head of the regiment nodded, and called an officer who knew German to speak to the entrance of the cave. The officer squatted two feet away from the entrance of the cave and said loudly in German, "You are surrounded by us. Put down your weapons and come out and surrender immediately, otherwise we will throw grenades."

   After shouting, there was silence in the cave. The officer turned to Safi Urin, waiting for his instructions. Safi Ulin pursed his lips and said, "Since the enemy is unwilling to come out and surrender, let's destroy them. Prepare to throw a grenade into the hole."

  The soldiers around agreed, took out the grenade, opened the safety, and prepared to throw it into the hole. At this time, a broken Russian came from the hole: "Don't throw grenades, surrender, we surrender."

"Throw out the weapon." The officer in charge of shouting couldn't help being ecstatic when he heard the voice inside, but he still pretended to shout: "I'll count to three. If we haven't thrown out the weapon, we'll throw the grenade!" .”

   "No, no, we surrender." There was a voice of fear in the cave, and then a bunch of pistols were thrown out one after another.

   Seeing the enemy throwing weapons out, the officer continued to shout: "One by one, step out with your hands raised, or we will throw grenades."

After the officer shouted, he saw a white handkerchief tied to a small wooden stick slowly rising from the hole, and then a German pilot wearing a pilot uniform emerged. He said timidly as he walked: "Don't shoot, we surrender!"

   Not long after, the German pilots in the cave came out to surrender one after another. Safi Ulin counted more than 40 pilots, this is a big fish. He turned around and ordered the radio operator who followed him: "Immediately send a signal to the Army Group Command, saying that we have destroyed the German field airport near Voroponovo, intercepted eighteen transport planes, and captured all crew members."

  (end of this chapter)