Chapter 556 Food
As soon as the sky brightened the next day, the situation became even more severe...
The entire Volga River and even Stalingrad were full of German fighter planes and bombers.
The planes over the Volga River were mainly aimed at transport ships and the Soviet anti-aircraft firepower... As I said before, there are two long sandbars in the middle of the Volga River, and the Soviet army deployed a large number of anti-aircraft firepower on the sandbars.
The purpose of doing this is obvious.
On the one hand, it saves ammunition while protecting river transportation.
The so-called ammunition saving is relative to deploying anti-aircraft firepower on the banks of the Stalingrad River... If you want to deploy firepower in Stalingrad, you must transport anti-aircraft machine guns, anti-aircraft gun bullets and shells to Stalingrad, and then become Pieces hit the air in pieces.
Obviously, deploying these firepower on the sandbar will save a lot of trouble, and the pressure on logistical supplies will be much less.
On the other hand, the anti-aircraft firepower on the sandbar will reduce the pressure on the transport ship to a certain extent... Sometimes the enemy planes will let the transport ship go to attack the anti-aircraft firepower.
After all, the German pilots are not stupid. They know that anti-aircraft firepower should be preferred between anti-aircraft firepower and transport ships.
Because as long as the anti-aircraft firepower is killed, the transport ship is just a lamb to be slaughtered.
The aircraft over Stalingrad provided fire cover for the German attack in other directions.
This is what Golikov predicted last night. The enemy will exert pressure from two directions at the same time: increase the blockade while accelerating the pace of attack, so Stalingrad will soon fall into a supply dilemma.
The situation in Stalingrad is indeed not optimistic.
This can be seen from the serious shrinkage of supplies... last night's meal time was still a finger-thick piece of brown bread.
Although the taste of this black bread is not very good, especially the Soviets added grass seeds and indigestible mineral powder to the black bread to save food (Note: The indigestible mineral powder makes the stomach not so hungry).
But when you are hungry, you will not be picky eaters.
Today, there is nothing after the breakfast time, and there is still nothing after the lunch time...
The soldiers were so hungry that their chests stuck to their backs, but they only replenished a few boxes of bullets in company units.
"What's the matter?" Valery asked: "Are we going to use bullets as bread? Even if my teeth are hard enough to chew it, I am worried that there will not be enough ammunition to go to the battlefield!"
"Shut your mouth, Valery!" Major Mikhailevich responded: "That's all they gave us!"
"But Comrade Major!" Valery said: "We can't go to the battlefield with these bullets without eating anything!"
"Did you see the dirt at your feet?" Major Mikhailvich replied, "It must be much softer than bullets. I believe your teeth can chew it, and it may smell of fried noodles. In this way, You can fill your stomach again without worrying about running out of bullets! Voila, problem solved!"
There was a burst of laughter from among the troops, amused by Major Mikhailvich's words.
Soviet people have their own humor, and this humor can come across as careless and even a little rough.
For example, Major Mikhailvich's answer, he didn't explain the reason at all, maybe he didn't know the reason himself.
But these words did make the subordinates shut up.
But of course, this is not a long-term solution, and it will cause problems over time.
So Shulka added a sentence.
"Don't think too much, Valery!" Shulka said: "I think you have seen how crazy the German planes are. This is the root cause of our reduction in supplies."
"But we have to eat too, Comrade Captain!" Valery replied.
"Of course there will be!" Shulka said: "You must know that we are the 82nd Infantry Regiment. The 82nd Infantry Regiment successfully repelled the German attack on Mamayev Hill. Do you think they will easily let us starve to death?"
The soldiers nodded with proud smiles on their faces, including Valery... The 82nd Infantry Regiment at this time is no longer the same as the previous 82nd Infantry Regiment. It is no longer a "punishment" force, but It is the hero unit that should give priority to the allocation of supplies.
"I think the reason why we haven't got food yet!" Shulka continued: "Probably because the front line is fighting fiercely..."
Speaking of Shulka, he raised his head towards the sound of gunfire and artillery from the west, and then continued: "We must give priority to the distribution of food to the troops fighting on the front line, what do you think?"
"That's right!" Andrianka gave an assist at the right time: "At least we are still lying here chatting, sleeping, and drinking the leftover vodka from yesterday. But the troops on the front line, what they have to face is bullets, Shells, planes, and the German charge, do you think we should take the food from them?"
The soldiers nodded one after another.
"Yeah, we shouldn't be doing that!"
"Of course they should get the food first!"
"If one day, we are fighting the enemy on the front line, we don't want to be hungry!"
…
So the troops quickly reached a consensus, and in the end even Valery, who first proposed this, felt a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, Comrade Captain!" Valery sat next to Shulka and said, "I didn't think of this!"
"I know, Comrade Valery!" Shulka nodded.
The ideas of the Soviets are often simple and direct. For example, Valery, he only thinks about being hungry, needing food, and without food, he cannot fight...that's all.
"In principle, you are not wrong!" Shulka continued: "Because what you said is what a normal soldier would think of and would like to say... You are just speaking the voice of others!"
Valery nodded. What Shulka said was the truth, which convinced him, because other people often said some metaphysical truths.
"But!" As Shulka said, he changed the subject: "There is nothing wrong with being a soldier, the problem is that you are not just a soldier, you are also an officer, a second lieutenant battalion commander, and you command more than two hundred soldiers. Soldier, and all your words and deeds will cause similar reactions from your subordinates, then there is something wrong with what you say!"
"But, Comrade Captain!" Valery was a little confused: "That is to say, I did it wrong?"
"Yes!" Shulka nodded: "Especially as an officer of the 82nd Infantry Regiment!"
"So... what should I do?" Valery asked, "I mean, if I encounter a problem like this next time!"
"You don't need to do anything!" Shulka replied: "The words you said should be said by your subordinates!"
Valery said "Oh": "Then, I will answer with your words, shall I?"
Shulka nodded.
Valery has a good sense of perception, and this is also the only way for the 82nd Infantry Regiment to transform from a "punishment" unit to a "heroic" unit... First of all, officers can no longer whine or blame others, which will directly affect the morale of the army and affect combat effectiveness.
(end of this chapter)
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