Burning Moscow

Chapter 975: The Battle of Kyiv (Part 4) “Wait a moment, Comrade Major.” Fortunately, Vadim hadn’t let his excitement cloud his judgment; he quickly whispered a reminder to Pershyn. “The Corps Commander and the Political Commissar are still here.” Hearing Vadim’s reminder, Pershin immediately realized there were commanders of higher rank present and stopped in his tracks. He sincerely apologized to me: “I’m sorry, Comrade Corps Commander. I was a bit too overcome with emotion upon hearing that my deputy battalion commander hadn’t been killed. Please forgive me.” I knew Pershkin’s outburst was caused by his overwhelming joy at the return of a comrade from the dead, so I didn’t blame him in the least. I simply waved him off and then, looking at Vadim, asked, “Comrade Political Instructor, where is Major Prikhodko?” “Right in the hallway outside the door,” Vadim replied. “Then what are you waiting for? Take us to see him immediately.” Upon hearing that Major Prikhodko, who had just been rescued, was in the hallway outside, I first urged Vagim to lead the way, then turned to Kirillov behind me and said: “Comrade Political Commissar, let’s go take a look together.” Led by Vadim, our group walked out of the command post and into the outer corridor. I saw four stretchers lined up against one wall; each one held a person, with medics nearby bandaging their wounds. Not knowing which one was Major Prikhodko, I stopped and asked Vadim, “Comrade Political Instructor, which one is Major Prikhodko?” No sooner had I spoken than the medic crouching beside the second stretcher quickly raised his hand to signal us, saying, “The major is here.” I walked over to that stretcher, crouched down, and looked at the wounded man lying on it, his body wrapped like a mummy. I asked with concern, “Major, this is Oshanina. Can you hear me?” Hearing my voice, the wounded man—whose head was bandaged so tightly that only his facial features were visible—tried to struggle to a sitting position. I quickly pressed down on his shoulders to stop him from sitting up and said repeatedly, “Major, you’re injured. You should stay lying down.” Major Prikhodko made a couple of grunting sounds and lay back down, motionless. “Comrade medic.” After making sure Prikhodko was settled, I turned to the medic crouching beside him and asked, “Are the major’s injuries serious?” The medic shook his head and replied, “ “Apart from that bullet in his left leg, they’re all superficial wounds. He’ll be fine with a week or two of rest.” Hearing the medic’s explanation, I felt much more at ease. At least this major, wrapped head to toe in bandages, had—barring any unforeseen complications—temporarily escaped the clutches of death. After exchanging a few words with Major Prikhodko, I stood up and stepped aside, waiting for Pershyn, Vadym, and the others to take turns crouching down to comfort their comrade. When I returned to the command post, I cut straight to the chase and asked Akhroomeyev, “Major, if we order your 3rd Regiment to launch an attack across the bridge tomorrow, are you confident you can capture it?” After hearing my question, Akhromeyev fell silent for a moment, then replied cautiously: “Comrade Commander, if we were to launch an attack solely from the front, then I can tell you that even at a heavy cost, we might not necessarily be able to capture the bridge over the river.” Akhromeyev’s answer took me by surprise. I couldn’t help but furrow my brow slightly and asked coldly, “Major, why do you say that?” “According to Major Pershkin’s report, the enemy’s firepower on the opposite bank is intense, and our entire advance route lies within the range of their fire.” As he explained the reason, a look of distress crossed Akhromeyev’s face: “ “No matter how brave our officers and men may be, flesh and blood simply cannot withstand the enemy’s dense gunfire and fierce artillery barrage.” “Lida, Major Akhromeyev is right.” As soon as Akhromeyev finished speaking, Kirillov immediately chimed in: “If we simply launch a head-on assault, we will inevitably pay a heavy price.” After Kirillov finished speaking, I nodded and then asked Akhromeyev, “Major, do you have any good ideas for seizing the bridge from the Germans?” “I do, Comrade Commander.” Akhromeyev replied with confidence: “We can use boats to secretly transport a small unit across under cover of darkness. When we launch our attack at dawn, this unit can suddenly appear behind enemy lines, catching them off guard. Then, our main force will advance from the front, pinching them between our forces to completely annihilate the enemy on the other side of the river.” “That’s a good idea.” Akhromeyev’s proposal was exactly what I had in mind, so after hearing it, I nodded in satisfaction and continued, “How many troops do you plan to send across?” “We can’t send too many, or the enemy on the other side will spot us.” After a moment’s thought, Akhromeyev said to me, “I think one company will be enough.” “Comrade Commander. ” No sooner had Akhromeyev finished speaking than, before I could say a word, Pershyn interjected: “The river is littered with broken ice floes that will smash our troop transport boats to pieces. Therefore, I ask Comrade Commander to give Major Akhromeyev’s plan careful consideration.” Pershyn’s words forced me to give Akhromeyev’s proposal serious thought: If we don’t send troops to cross secretly, then tomorrow we’ll have no choice but to send men to their deaths under heavy enemy fire; but if we do send troops, I’m genuinely afraid the small boats carrying them will be smashed to pieces by the floating ice on the river. Seeing that I was taking so long to speak, Akhromeyev grew somewhat impatient and urged me, “Comrade Commander, time is of the essence—make up your mind quickly!” “Yes, Lida, make up your mind.” ” Kirillov also urged me. “Comrade Commander, you must think this through carefully.” Before I could make a decision, Pershkin reminded me once more. A strategy that requires officers and soldiers to sacrifice their lives has never been a tactic I would adopt. So, after much deliberation, I finally decided to adopt Akhromeyev’s plan and send a small unit to cross the river secretly. When we launch the frontal assault tomorrow, they will emerge from behind enemy lines and catch them off guard. Having made up my mind, I formally announced: “Major Akhromeyev, I have decided to adopt your plan and send a small unit to cross the river secretly. However, due to the heavy ice floes on the river, you can deploy no more than a platoon. Who do you intend to command this unit?” “Captain Rosenberg. ” Akhromeyev named the commander without hesitation. Fearing I might not be familiar with him, he added, “He was originally with the 51st Army. When he returned to duty after being wounded, he couldn’t find his original unit, so he joined our Independent Division.” “Hmm, Major, I know this Captain Rosenberg; I’ve dealt with him before. He was in the unit when I led my troops away from Mamayev Hill and headed north to meet up with friendly forces.” ” Regarding the man Akhromeyev had recommended, I immediately nodded in agreement: “He is a commander with extensive combat experience. He will lead a small portion of this covert crossing.” At this point, I raised my hand to check my watch, then instructed Akhromeyev: “Major, it’s getting late. Immediately arrange boats for Captain Rosenberg and his men to make the crossing.” “Yes, sir!” Akhromeyev replied, then turned and left the command post to organize the crossing. Akhromeyev worked with great efficiency; less than forty minutes later, I received a call from him at the command post while he was by the river. He said, “Comrade Commander, the crossing unit has departed. There are three small boats carrying thirty officers and soldiers, under the command of Captain Rosenberg. Each boat is equipped with a flashlight; once they successfully reach the opposite bank, they will signal us.” ” “Very good.” After loudly praising his decisive and efficient work, I instructed him, “Keep a close watch on the river. As soon as they successfully land, report to me immediately.” “Yes.” Akhromeyev replied, “I’ll report to you right away. ” I realized this stretch of the river was only about two hundred meters wide, so the infiltration unit could reach the opposite bank in no more than twenty minutes. I kept my eyes glued to my watch, hoping to hear good news from Akhromeyev soon. The hands, which usually moved swiftly, seemed glued to the face today, barely moving at all. Just as I was growing extremely anxious, the phone on my desk rang. My first reaction upon hearing the ring, was to grab the receiver instinctively, thinking to myself: This must be Major Akhromeyev calling to report the good news. When I heard the major’s voice coming through the receiver, my spirits soared, and I asked with a smile, “Major, have our troops successfully reached the other side?” To my surprise, Akhromeyev replied in a somber tone: “I’m sorry, Comrade Commander, our crossing attempt has failed.” “Failed?” Akhromeyev’s report left me baffled. I strained my ears to listen outside but heard no gunfire or explosions; they likely hadn’t been spotted by the enemy. So I pressed him, “Major, what exactly happened? Tell me everything in detail.” “Reporting to you, Commander,” Akhromeyev replied respectfully. “One of the small boats had barely left the shore when it was pushed back toward the bank by floating ice on the river.” “A boat was pushed back to shore by the ice.” This bad news put me in a gloomy mood, but remembering there were still two boats left, I asked, “What about the other two boats?” “The other boat was in the middle of the river when it was smashed by the ice; all the officers and soldiers on board fell into the water.” Akhromeyev took a deep breath as he spoke, “ Thanks to our rescue efforts, everyone was saved. However, eight were injured—one critically—and one soldier was killed.” “What about Captain Rosenberg?” Hearing that two boats had failed in their crossing, I could only pin my hopes on the last one. I pressed him urgently, “Which boat was Captain Rosenberg on? Is he all right?” In response to my urgent questions, Akhmetov quickly replied, “Comrade Commander, we have currently lost contact with Captain Rosenberg’s boat. The soldier assigned to observe the river has not yet spotted any light signals from the opposite bank.” “I see. Comrade Major,” I instructed him weakly. “Send men downstream to search and see if the captain and his men have been swept downstream.” “Yes, Comrade Commander,” Akhromeyev replied respectfully. “I’ll dispatch men to search along the river immediately.” ” Seeing my dejected expression after I hung up the phone, Kirillov immediately realized that tonight’s crossing was likely doomed. To confirm his suspicion, he hurriedly asked, “Lida, has something happened to the small unit making the crossing?” After hearing his words, I glanced at Pershkin beside me, thinking to myself that if only I’d listened to him, tonight’s crossing wouldn’t have failed. Then I turned to look at Kirillov, nodded, and said helplessly, “Yes, Comrade Political Commissar, the small unit’s crossing operation has completely failed.” I then recounted the contents of the phone call to him, Pershkin, and Vadim. After hearing my account, Kirillov’s expression grew somber. He scratched the back of his head, sighed, and said regretfully, “Ah, what a pity. Since tonight’s crossing has failed, we’ll have no choice but to sacrifice lives in tomorrow’s assault.” “Major Pershkin. ” The thought of sending so many officers and soldiers into the line of fire made me feel a pang of reluctance, so, clinging to a sliver of hope, I asked Pershyn: “How many tanks does the tank brigade have left?” Pershyn immediately stood up from his seat, stood at attention, and reported to me: “Comrade Commander, the entire brigade currently has four tanks remaining, along with over six hundred tank crewmen without tanks. “If necessary, every officer and soldier in our brigade can be thrown into tomorrow’s offensive.” “Using well-trained tank crews as infantry?” I responded sternly to his suggestion: “I absolutely will not do such a thing. The task I am assigning you is to provide the necessary artillery support for the Third Regiment launching an attack across the Chao River.” “Comrade Commander, please rest assured,” Vadim stepped forward to express his determination. “Although we have only four tanks, we captured eight mortars from the Germans’ armory today. During tomorrow’s attack, in addition to using our tank guns to bombard enemy positions, we can also use the mortars to suppress enemy firepoints and provide cover for our troops as they launch the assault.” “Excellent, that’s truly excellent.” I had originally assumed that the officers and soldiers of the Third Regiment would receive only limited tank fire support during tomorrow’s offensive. I hadn’t expected that eight mortars would suddenly become available, which would greatly strengthen our firepower to cover the infantry’s advance. But my joy was short-lived. A critical question came to mind, so I asked Vadim again, “Do we have enough artillery personnel?” “Comrade Commander, please rest assured.” Addressing my concern, Vadim immediately put my mind at ease: “We have plenty of qualified gunners among our tank crews. If we entrust these mortars to them, they’ll perform just as well as professional artillerymen.”