red moscow

Chapter 3059

After a search, they actually found several wounded cavalrymen in a large tent.

Upon learning that wounded cavalrymen had been discovered, Sokov immediately rushed there as quickly as possible.

Inside the tent, Sokov saw five wounded men lying on stretchers, with a female medic tending to them.

Upon seeing Sokov and his men burst in, the female medic immediately approached them and asked in an impolite tone, "Which unit are you from? Don't you know this is where the wounded are kept?"

“Comrade Medic!” Sokov stepped forward and said with a smile, “I am Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the commander of the infantry brigade. I was ordered to come and cooperate with the cavalry corps in the operation. But when we arrived here, we found that all the tents were empty and there was not a single person in sight. In order to find out where the cavalry corps was, I specially sent people to search this place. It seems that we are lucky and have actually found you.”

After figuring out Sokov's identity, the female medic became more friendly: "Oh, it's Lieutenant Colonel Sokov. I've been taking care of the wounded here and I'm not very clear about the situation outside, but they should be heading to the Ruza River."

“Comrade medic, I know General Dovator and his men may have gone to the Ruza River,” Sokov continued. “But the Ruza River area is so large, you should at least know a general area, right?”

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel, I really don't know." The female medic shook her head and said, "After all, my daily job is to take care of the wounded in the tent, and all my knowledge about the outside world comes from the wounded."

Sokov was somewhat disappointed when he couldn't get the information he wanted from the female medic.

Just as he turned to walk back, he suddenly heard a slightly hoarse voice: "Commander, are you looking for our army commander?"

Sokov looked in the direction of the sound and saw a wounded soldier lying on his right side. Judging from the uniform draped over his blanket, he was a second lieutenant. Sokov quickly knelt down beside him and asked anxiously, "Yes, I'm looking for General Dovator. Do you know his approximate location?"

“They must have gone to the village of Polashkino,” the lieutenant said with some difficulty. “It is said that a regimental headquarters of the German 252nd Division is located there. The corps commander plans to take out the enemy’s regimental headquarters and then establish defenses to completely cut off the enemy’s retreat.”

After learning where Dovator and his men were going, Sokov thanked the lieutenant, then stepped out of the tent and said to Yefim, who was waiting outside, "Comrade Captain, General Dovator and his men went to the village of Polashkino. Do you know that place?"

“Of course I know, Comrade Brigade Commander,” Yefim replied confidently. “We fought in this area in October and have some knowledge of the terrain.”

“In that case, let’s get to Polashkino village as soon as possible,” Sokov urged. “The cavalry is fighting the enemy there, and we need to help them.”

Having fought side-by-side with the infantry brigade and cavalry corps several weeks earlier in the battles to liberate Krasnopolina and defend the city of Sun Mountain, Yefim was excited to hear that the cavalry was engaged in battle with the enemy in the village of Polashkino. He ordered his troops to turn around and head towards the Ruza River to join forces with the cavalry fighting there. Before they even left the forest, they heard a cacophony of gunfire and explosions outside, indicating the intensity of the fighting. Sokov urged Yefim, "Comrade Captain, the cavalry soldiers are engaged in fierce combat with the enemy. Tell your men to hurry and get there to reinforce them."

But the snow in the forest was too deep, and although the soldiers tried to quicken their pace, in Sokov's eyes, it was still as slow as a snail's crawl.

A dozen minutes later, Sokov and his men finally reached the edge of the forest. From there, they could see the battle in progress.

The Ruza River, which they had crossed in October, was now covered by a thick layer of ice. On the opposite bank was a village, presumably Polashkino. Further away from the riverbank, a convoy was leaving the village and heading west along a snow-covered road. Near the river, numerous machine gun emplacements were firing furiously, using dense bullets to prevent the cavalry from crossing.

The river was covered with the corpses of soldiers and warhorses. The remaining cavalrymen retreated from the ice to the shore and hid in the forest, seemingly intending to regroup there and launch another attack on the enemy.

"Comrade Brigade Commander, the cavalry corps is in a bad situation." Yefim said to Sokov in a low voice, "It seems they have no chance of breaking through the enemy's defenses on the other side."

"You're right. Although the cavalry is numerous, it's unrealistic to expect to break through the enemy's lines in one fell swoop simply by relying on numerical superiority and the speed of their horses, since they lack heavy weapons to suppress enemy fire."

Yefim turned and glanced at the troops still marching through the forest, saying with emotion, "Comrade Brigade Commander, you've been very thoughtful in letting us bring those two 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft guns. They'll be perfect for taking out enemy strongpoints later."

Sokov frowned as he looked into the forest, muttering, "Captain, how long will it take for those two anti-aircraft guns to reach the edge of the forest?"

“That’s hard to say, Brigade Commander,” Yefim said with difficulty. “After all, the snow in the forest is too deep, and those two 20mm anti-aircraft guns are too cumbersome, so they can’t pick up speed at all.”

Hearing Yefim say this, Sokov was unwilling but helpless. He secretly prayed that the 20mm anti-aircraft guns would be in place before the cavalry's next attack, so that they could provide fire support for the attacking cavalry.

"Captain Yefim, send a few men to contact the cavalry. If you can find General Dovator, that would be best. That way, they can wait for us to take position before launching a new attack. Otherwise, attacking the enemy without any heavy weapon cover will only increase casualties."

“Yes, Brigade Commander, I will send someone to contact the comrades in the cavalry corps immediately.” After Yefim finished speaking, he turned and called over a young second lieutenant, instructing him: “Second lieutenant, take two men and go to the forest over there to make contact with the comrades in the cavalry corps. Tell them that the infantry assisting them in the battle will soon be in position, and hope that they can wait for us to launch the attack together.”

Watching the lieutenant and the two soldiers walk away, Sokov's heart was filled with renewed hope. If they could contact Dovator in time and ask him to wait for the infantry to be in position before launching an attack, the tragic fate of Dovator's sacrifice and the annihilation of the cavalry headquarters might be rewritten.

(End of this chapter)