Burning Moscow

Chapter 146: Returning to the City to Recover As soon as the car came to a stop, Ramis flung open the door, jumped out, and headed straight for headquarters. Watching Ramis’s impatient demeanor, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. I turned to Grisa, who was driving, and said, “I’ll get out here. You find a place to park the car.” “But won’t we have to return this car to the 7th Guards Division?” Grisa didn’t pick up on the subtext in my words and asked innocently. I patted him on the shoulder with my right hand and said with a smile, “Do you know why I refused Colonel Griazhnov’s offer to assign us a driver?” ” He looked at me in confusion, frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly had a lightbulb moment: “Oh, I get it. If they’d sent us a driver, their driver would have driven the car back. But since we’re driving it back ourselves, we won’t have to return it to them.” I mimicked Leviyakin’s manner and smacked him on the back of the head, laughing as I scolded him: “You idiot, it took you this long to figure it out. “Hurry up and find a place to park the car. And don’t forget to replace the window glass.” With that, I pushed open the door and jumped out. “Got it, Comrade Division Commander,” Grisa replied, and as soon as he stepped on the gas, the car shot forward. As I walked toward the division headquarters, a sentry suddenly popped out from behind a tree. After taking a closer look at me, he immediately shouted excitedly: “ “Are you Comrade Division Commander?” “Yes, I am Oshenina, Division Commander of the 8th Guards Division—your direct superior.” Back on my own turf, I felt particularly cheerful, so I couldn’t help but joke with the sentry. The sentry stepped forward, stood at attention, and saluted, reporting: “Reporting, Comrade Division Commander. Private Zhelya is on guard duty, responsible for the security of the Division Headquarters. Please give your orders!” “Continue your duty!” I returned the salute and continued walking toward the division headquarters. About ten meters from the headquarters, I saw Political Commissar Yegorov emerge from the bunker, followed by General Levyakhin and Ramis, who had just gone to deliver the message. Seeing them come out to greet me, I quickly quickened my pace to meet them. We stopped two or three steps apart. Without regard for rank, I stood at attention and saluted the Political Commissar first. Though my nose stung with emotion, I forced a smile and said, “Comrade Political Commissar, hello! I’m back.” The Political Commissar didn’t even bother to return the salute; he came right up and pulled me into a tight embrace, patting me gently on the back as he choked out, “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back. We were so worried sick during those few hours you were missing. We’ve already lost a beloved division commander just a couple of days ago; I certainly didn’t want to lose another one so soon.” No sooner had the Political Commissar let go than General Leviadkin stepped forward and embraced me. He held me so tightly that not only did I feel a bit short of breath, but I also had the vague sensation that the wound on my shoulder had split open again. At that moment, I felt a bit resentful toward these Russian customs; for them, hugging upon meeting was as common as a handshake for us, and the more force they use, the more affection they express. We finally made it back to headquarters. As soon as I sat down at the table, without bothering with pleasantries, I cut straight to the chase and asked Leviyakin, “Comrade General, how many men did the 1077th Regiment manage to evacuate from the city?” Leviyakin happily told me that at least 1,500 men had evacuated from the city with him. Hearing this, I felt a deep sense of sadness. I recalled that when I had arrived in the city yesterday, Leviyakin had told me his regiment still numbered nearly three thousand men, yet now only half had been evacuated. I sighed and said quietly, “So, in yesterday’s battle, we lost an equal number of soldiers.” “That’s right,” Leviadkin didn’t dodge the question but honestly acknowledged the reality. “But we held out in the city for another day, wiped out a large number of enemies, and slowed their advance toward Moscow.” ” Listening to the faint sounds of gunfire and artillery coming from outside, I muttered, “But the cost is too high!” “That is war,” the political commissar replied. “To defend our country and our great capital, no sacrifice is too great.” “What’s the situation with the other two regiments?” I pressed on. “Things are going well. The 1075th Regiment is resting in the forest. The 1073rd Regiment, after establishing a new defensive line outside the city, has repelled German attacks multiple times.” The briefing came from Leviyakin. Although he had only served as my acting division commander for a few hours, he was thoroughly familiar with the division’s situation. A sudden thought crossed my mind: since the city’s defenses had been taken over by the 7th Guards Division, the pressure on my division had been greatly reduced. Meanwhile, after a series of attacks, the Germans—from officers to soldiers—were already extremely fatigued. If I could lead the rested 1075th Regiment in an offensive against them, I wondered what kind of results we might achieve. But I quickly dismissed this impractical notion. After all, without air and artillery support, launching a reckless attack with just a few thousand men against the well-equipped and highly trained German forces would, even if it yielded some initial success, soon lead us into a German encirclement—and we might even face total annihilation. Just as I was lost in these thoughts, the phone on the desk rang. The political commissar picked it up, listened for a moment, then handed the receiver to me, whispering, “It’s a call from Army Group Commander General Rokossovsky.” I picked up the receiver and said nervously, “Hello, Comrade Commander! This is Oshanina.” My heart was pounding; I had no idea why the commander was calling me at a time like this. After all, I had abandoned my unit last night to break through the encirclement on my own. If it hadn’t been for Leviyakin’s good fortune in receiving assistance from the 7th Guards Division, they might well have been wiped out. I wasn’t sure if the commander knew I’d abandoned my unit to save myself, and was calling specifically to reprimand me. “Lida,” Rokossovsky’s voice was calm, showing no hint of recrimination. “I’m glad you made it back alive to your own command post. How are your injuries?” I gave a wry smile and said, “Same as always. The wound hasn’t healed yet, and I still can’t move my left hand freely.” There was a moment of silence before his voice came through again: “I’ve consulted Comrade Zhukov. He intends to have you return to the city first to recuperate, and rejoin the 8th Guards Division once you’ve fully recovered. Do you have any objections?” “I’ll abide by the higher-ups’ arrangements. ” Although he was asking for my opinion, I knew full well that this was a done deal. Whether I agreed or not wouldn’t change the established fact, but it was better to appear obedient and leave a good impression on my superiors. “Very well!” Rokossovsky didn’t beat around the bush and continued, “While you’re away, who do you think should take command of the division?” Hearing this, I felt much more at ease; it turned out he wasn’t relieving me of my command, but genuinely sending me for medical treatment. Without a moment’s hesitation, I replied, “I believe General Leviahin is suitable for the position.” “Then it’s settled. Get some rest tonight, and set out for Moscow first thing tomorrow morning. Be careful on the road. Good luck!” With that, he hung up the phone without waiting for my response. After I put down the phone, the political commissar asked with concern, “What did the commander say?” “He told me to return to Moscow tomorrow for treatment.” After saying this, I turned to Levyakin and said solemnly, “General Levyakin, while I am away, command of the division will be transferred to you. and I hope you won’t let me down.” Leviadkin sprang to his feet, saluted me, and declared loudly, “Comrade Division Commander, rest assured! As long as there is a single man left in the 8th Guards Division, not a single German soldier will be allowed to stride unchallenged across our defensive line. ” Seeing his resolve, I nodded in satisfaction, sat back down, motioned for him to take a seat as well, and began chatting with him: “Comrade General, could you tell me about the fighting in the city last night? Although Grisa mentioned it once during the day, he didn’t go into much detail, so I’d like to hear your account.” “No problem. If you’re interested, I’ll tell you all about it.” Leviadkin agreed to my request with unusual alacrity.