red moscow

Chapter 2975

There were over fifty boxes of anti-tank mines, anti-tank grenades, and anti-tank rifle ammunition piled up in the abandoned office.

After Klochkov counted the items, he summoned eight soldiers and ordered them to move all the items to the area where the trenches had already been dug.

At that moment, the fighting continued in the direction of Volokolamsk. Klochkov glanced in that direction, then went to his makeshift command post and asked the communications officer sitting inside, "Communications officer, have you made contact with the division headquarters?"

"Connected, First-Level Instructor!" the communications soldier quickly stood up and replied.

As soon as Klochkov got through to the division headquarters, he heard General Panfilov's hearty laughter through the receiver: "Comrade Klochkov, how is it? Have your troops entered the Duboshekovo transfer station yet?"

“Yes, Comrade Division Commander,” Klochkov replied respectfully. “My troops have successfully entered the rendezvous point and are now deploying their defenses.”

"Is there any difficulty?"

Upon hearing Panfilov's question, Klochkov didn't offer any platitudes. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Comrade Commander, we just discovered a batch of anti-tank mines, anti-tank grenades, and ammunition for anti-tank rifles in the rendezvous station office. Although we have a certain number of anti-tank weapons, we are too short-handed. Besides myself, there are only 28 people."

"What? Your troops have less than 30 men left?" Panfilov was also troubled upon learning the number of troops guarding the rendezvous point. He had brought 15,000 men to Volokolamsk, but now only a third remained. Reinforcing Klochkov would be very difficult. However, considering the importance of the rendezvous point, Panfilov thought for a moment and said into the microphone, "Comrade Klochkov, I don't have any extra troops to give you right now. But don't worry, our army is attacking the enemy today. They are too busy to attack the rendezvous point. Although you are outnumbered, you should be able to hold it. I'll try to find a way tonight to transfer troops from other places to reinforce you. The reinforcements should arrive by 10 a.m. tomorrow at the latest."

Upon learning that Panfilov would send reinforcements the next day, Klochkov's face lit up with joy. He exclaimed repeatedly, "That's wonderful, Comrade Commander! That's fantastic! If the reinforcements arrive tomorrow, I'm confident we can hold this place firmly!"

“Comrade Klochkov, you are my most trusted subordinate,” Panfilov continued. “I believe you will be able to keep your promise and hold the Duboshekovo Station.”

Klochkov put down the phone, walked out of the command post, and shouted to the soldiers around him who were repairing fortifications and moving supplies: "Comrades! Good news, I have some really good news to tell you."

Upon hearing Klochkov's voice, the busy soldiers around him stopped what they were doing and looked at him, wanting to know what good news he had to say.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Klochkov finally spoke: "I just spoke with the division commander on the phone. He told me that he will send reinforcements to us tomorrow morning, no less than a company. That means that by this time tomorrow, our strength will have increased more than fivefold."

In the phone call, Panfilov told Klochkov that reinforcements would be sent to the Duboshekovo outpost the next day, but he didn't specify the number. Given the current state of the 316th Infantry Division, sending thirty or forty reinforcements was probably Panfilov's limit. However, Klochkov said that the higher command would send a company of soldiers to boost morale, to make the soldiers at the outpost feel that they were not fighting alone, and thus to encourage them to fight bravely against the enemy's attack.

Just as Klochkov had predicted, the soldiers cheered when they heard that their superiors would be sending a company of soldiers the next day.

A young recruit nudged the sergeant next to him with his elbow and asked in a low voice, "Sergeant, is what the first-level political instructor said true?"

Upon hearing this, the sergeant glared at the new recruit and said irritably, "How could such a thing be faked? If the first-level political instructor is lying, it will affect his prestige in the army when no reinforcements arrive tomorrow."

After the sergeant's explanation, the new recruits felt much more at ease: "That's great! With reinforcements joining us, we'll have more manpower to hold the line at the crossing."

After a brief pause, the new recruit asked somewhat nervously, "Sergeant, if the enemy attacks today, I'm afraid our small force won't be able to hold out."

The sergeant got angry, raised his hand and slapped the recruit hard on the helmet, then cursed, "Nonsense! Today is the day our troops launch a counterattack on Volokolamsk. The Germans are too busy defending themselves to launch an attack on us. I think you've been scared out of your wits by the Germans, you've become so panicked."

But the changing situation on the battlefield quickly proved the sergeant wrong. The cavalry corps, the main force of the attack, was surrounded and attacked from all sides by German troops after entering the city. Corps Commander Dovator, seeing the dire situation, knew that if the fighting continued, his cavalry corps might be wiped out within the city. He immediately contacted Rokossovsky in the rear via radio, speaking directly through the microphone: "Comrade Commander, my cavalry corps is being surrounded and attacked by the Germans in Volokolamsk. If we don't find a way to break out as soon as possible, we may be annihilated in the city."

Rokossovsky frowned upon hearing Dovator's report. The counterattack had been launched too hastily, and he had very few usable troops at his disposal, having only deployed his cavalry, best suited for field operations, to participate in the attack on the city. Now, learning that his cavalry was in danger of being encircled by the Germans, Rokossovsky had to change his original plan: "Dovator, since the situation is unfavorable for your cavalry, withdraw from the city as soon as possible to avoid being encircled by the Germans."

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Dovator felt a sense of relief upon receiving Rokossovsky's approval to withdraw his troops from the city where they were unable to maneuver. After ending the call with Rokossovsky, he called over two signalmen and instructed them: "Immediately contact the commanders of the 50th and 53rd Cavalry Divisions and tell them to cease their offensive against the Germans and find a way to withdraw to the outskirts of the city as soon as possible."

Upon receiving the notification, the cavalry division commanders immediately carried out Dovatol's orders without hesitation, halting their offensive against the German forces and beginning to break out in directions where the enemy's defenses were relatively weak, attempting to escape the German encirclement as quickly as possible.

Thus, the counter-offensive began only half a day ago, and the Soviet army, as the attacking side, stopped its offensive and switched to a defensive posture.

Klochkov saw a few cavalrymen withdrawing from the rendezvous point, their faces full of confusion. He didn't understand what was happening, why the cavalrymen who were on an offensive mission were retreating in such a panic.
He climbed out of the trench, called out to a cavalryman passing by, and asked loudly, "Comrade cavalryman, what's going on? Why are you starting to retreat?"

The cavalryman who was called back reined in his horse and bowed to Klochkov, saying, "Comrade First-Class Instructor, when we attacked the city, we were surrounded and annihilated by the German army, which was reinforced with tanks and armored vehicles. Our troops suffered heavy casualties, so the higher command ordered us to withdraw from the battle immediately and break out from the direction where the enemy's defenses were weak."

After briefly explaining the situation to Klochkov, the cavalryman spurred his horse on, shook the reins, and rode away.

Many soldiers overheard Klochkov's conversation with the cavalrymen. They quickly surrounded him, bombarding him with questions: "Comrade First-Class Instructor, why are the enemy cavalry retreating?" "If the cavalry isn't attacking anymore, does that mean the enemy is about to attack us?"

"We only have fewer than 30 people, can we hold out?"

"..."

While the soldiers around him chattered and asked questions incessantly, Klochkov remained silent.

After a long while, when things finally quieted down, Klochkov spoke up: "Comrades, based on what I understand, the cavalry that charged into the city were besieged by the Germans. The enemy has not only infantry, but also tanks and armored vehicles. Lacking heavy weapons, the cavalry will certainly not be able to continue fighting against such forces. They will have no choice but to withdraw from the city, regroup, and then launch a new attack. Everyone, go back to work. Even if the cavalry retreats, we must rely on the fortifications we just built and continue to resist the enemy's attack here."

Klochkov's words successfully calmed everyone down. The soldiers who had surrounded him dispersed and went back to their unfinished work.

Seeing the soldiers busily engaged in their tasks, Klochkov nodded, then strode over to the sergeant and asked, "Comrade Sergeant, with the cavalry's retreat, the enemy's attack will likely begin soon. We must hold the post station; a single, newly dug trench is simply not enough. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Among the supplies found in the office, there are thirty boxes of anti-tank mines. I think we can arrange for people to bury all of these mines. If the enemy's tanks and armored vehicles don't come, fine, but if they do, we'll make sure they don't leave alive."

Klochkov calculated in his mind: although there were more than thirty boxes of anti-tank mines, with only one mine per box, there were only about thirty usable mines. With so few mines, it would take a lot of luck to destroy the attacking German tanks or armored vehicles.

Thinking of this, Klochkov said to the sergeant, "Sergeant, you and five soldiers will start laying anti-tank mines now. Make sure you finish laying them before the enemy attacks. How about it, can you do it?"

Upon hearing Klochkov's order, the sergeant thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Comrade First-Class Instructor, according to the usual method of burying mines, it would take at least two hours to bury all these mines. I have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

"I plan to place these anti-tank mines directly in different locations, then cover them with a layer of dirt, so that the German tank crews can't see them," the sergeant said. After explaining his idea, he cautiously asked, "Comrade First-Class Political Instructor, is this feasible?"

In response to the sergeant's suggestion, Klochkov said reasonably, "Sergeant, you're right. These mines are specifically designed to deal with enemy tanks. As long as the enemy tank crews can't detect them, they can be buried however they want."

Having received Klochkov's approval, the sergeant beamed with joy, said a few more words, and then ran back to gather his men to lay anti-tank mines in front of the position.

Among the soldiers involved in laying mines was that new recruit. Seeing the sporadic cavalry retreating from the city, he asked the sergeant with some concern, "Sergeant, our men are still constantly withdrawing. Won't laying mines now cause them casualties?"

After hearing the recruit's words, the sergeant jumped onto an anti-tank mine that was placed on the ground without saying a word, scaring the recruit so much that he immediately lay down on the ground.

Seeing the recruit's disheveled state, the sergeant burst into laughter, then said to the recruit lying on the ground, "Hey kid, get up already. It's so cold, lying on the ground for too long will make you catch a cold."

The recruit scrambled to his feet, took two steps back, and looked at the sergeant standing on the landmine. He asked tremblingly, "Sergeant, you're standing on the landmine, why isn't it exploding?"

"Idiot!" the sergeant said to the recruit. "This is an anti-tank mine. It's set to take more than 180 kilograms of force to trigger the fuse. That means it will only explode if a tank, armored vehicle, or truck runs over it. As for us, we can't even stand on it, let alone jump around on it. It won't explode."

Perhaps to verify his words, the sergeant actually jumped on the landmine after saying those words, startling the recruits standing not far away. However, after watching for a while, the recruits realized that the landmine the sergeant was stepping on hadn't exploded, and they immediately felt more confident.

He squatted down in front of the sergeant and curiously examined the anti-tank mine on the ground: "Sergeant, I really didn't expect that when a person steps on it, the mine really doesn't explode."

The sergeant removed his foot from the landmine and said to the recruit, "These landmines have two types of fuses. One is a trigger fuse, which is triggered when a combat vehicle runs over it; the other is a grenade fuse, which explodes when you pull the pin and throw it."

The recruit's facial muscles twitched upon hearing this. "Sergeant, these anti-tank mines are quite heavy. Even with both hands, you could probably only throw them a dozen meters at most. If the mine explodes at such a short distance, the soldier who threw it would probably be killed, wouldn't he?"

“Yes, you’re right, that’s exactly how it is.” The sergeant’s expression turned serious. “Usually in this situation, the people who throw the mines are thinking of taking the enemy down with them. So it doesn’t matter whether the mine explodes a few meters or a dozen meters away. Our soldiers don’t think about surviving.”

After a moment of silence, the recruit asked the sergeant, "We only have about thirty landmines. If we can't stop the enemy's tanks and armored vehicles, what should we do next?"

(End of this chapter)