Hase fell backwards as a Russian soldier jumped into the trench on top of him, his rifle rising up as the man bore down on him, catching him beneath his jaw, breaking it with a crack. The man fell onto the floor of the trench, screaming, his hands rising to his shattered jaw. Hase’s eyes widened as Nicu brought his clenched fist down hard onto the Russian’s chest with a sickening crack, the flash of his bayonet ending the man’s life in an instant.
Udet fired at point blank range at another Russian leaping towards him, the man’s body doubling up as the bullet hit him, killing him before he landed in the trench.
Nicu rose from his crouched position, having now attached his bayonet to his rifle, thrusting it upwards into the side of a Russian attacking the man to his right. The man screamed, falling sideways away from him before the position.
Hausser saw his three squad members struggling further along the trench, some fifteen metres away, Udet glancing frantically towards him. Rising from his crouched position, the young commander fired his MP40 at the advancing Russians, then shouted encouragement to the men surrounding him. Pushing towards Udet and Hase, he clicked a new ammunition cartridge into the base of his submachine gun, noticing some of the Russian infantry struggling with the wire in front of his position.
Hausser pushed forward, firing sporadic bursts over the trench wall, the bullets whipping past him. Seeing another wave of Russian infantry burst through the gap in the wire, he bit his lower lip, realising the situation was becoming desperate. He fired another burst, four Russian soldiers dropping back across the tangled wire.
He was now about five metres from the three men as he fired again, emptying the submachine gun magazine at the advancing enemy. He stooped, attempting to reload as he saw Russian infantry dropping into the trench before him, turning to attack Udet, with Hase beyond him.
Hase was knocked to the floor of the trench as a Russian jumped down from behind him, hitting him with his rifle on the shoulder. Hase twisted on the ground, looking up, seeing the enemy soldier lifting his weapon to strike down hard. Nicu suddenly thrust forward above Hase, the bayonet entering the Russians stomach, the man falling backwards in shrieking agony.
Udet had turned to face the Russian attacking Hase, then was knocked forward, a Russian behind him jumping onto his back as he dropped into the trench. Udet fell to his knees, a whine of frustration emitted from his lips, the weight bearing down on him, the body behind him heavy as the Russian slipped down his back, Udet’s hands clawing for the sides of the trench in a desperate attempt to support himself. Then the weight fell to the side as Hausser fell upon the Russian soldier from behind, hitting him with the butt of his unloaded submachine gun with a crack, the Russian screaming in pain and rolling onto the trench floor as Hausser raised the weapon to bring it down again with a crunch.
Udet frantically tried to raise his weapon, another Russian dropping into the trench before him, blocking him from Hase. The man turned, the glimmer of a smile on his face as he saw the German soldier on his knees. He raised his PPSH 41 submachine gun, then fell backwards as Hase’s rifle bucked, the shot tearing through his back, the blood splattering across Udet’s helmet.
Machine gun bullets zipped over the top of the trench, the gunners lowering their aim to try and prevent further Russians getting into the defences. High in the factory roof, Alessio was furiously aiming and firing his sighted Kar 98 rifle from his position. As the smoke began to clear, he could see the flashes from at least three Russian T34 tanks in the area between the lines, the tanks now waiting for the trenches to be cleared before moving forward.
Pulling the bolt back on his rifle, he raised it to his eye again, firing at the swarm of Russian soldiers before the front line trench. A man fell, then he frantically pulled the bolt back again, raising the rifle to his eye once more. More flares rose into the sky, fired from behind the German line, the machine gunners keen to target the attackers more effectively.
The machine gunner next to him slammed another ammunition holder on top of his MG34 machine gun, the adrenalin pulsing through his body. He double checked the barrel of the gun was behind the factory roof, avoiding the Russian tanks from seeing his muzzle flashes directly, then lowered himself backwards, moving his eye to the sights. As he looked, the smoke dissipated further and he saw a group of Russian infantry approaching the trench, he moved the weapon slightly to point just in front of the group and pulled the trigger. Bullets flew across the terrain, straight at the position he aimed at, cutting down most of the infantry as they ran into the fire.
Hase fired out from the trench, felling one of the Russians running towards him, a group of around twenty rising up from cover. He swallowed, considering running, then discounting it, realising the decision would be fatal, he would be shot in the back. He reached to his belt for a grenade, ducking as bullets splattered across the front of the trench, running his hand across his belt in panic, his eyes widened as he realised there were no grenades left. Biting his lip, he heard Udet and Nicu fire either side of him before ducking back. He pulled the bolt back on his rifle, realising the gun was empty, he rose up ready to confront the enemy. Looking in awe out over many Russian bodies, the MG34 from the factory and MG42 behind him having fired low into the advancing Russian squad.
Tatu was some fifty metres south of Hausser and his men, shouting at the soldiers before him, their firing temporarily holding the Russian infantry in the destroyed buildings. He had jumped out of the trench and was now lying in the remains of a doorway behind the defensive line, using his weapon to pick off anyone who got through. His fear was rising, knowing they were fighting in the trenches to either side of his section. The chances of being overwhelmed now becoming high, a fall-back position unlikely with the strength of the Russian attackers. He knew a defender that tried to disengage and retreat to a new defensive line now would lose a lot of men, the attackers firing into the back of the retreating unit.
Raising his submachine gun, he fired a burst into the darkness as several troops in the trench reloaded. Seeing Russians in the pulsing light of the flare above them, he fired again, the enemy ducking back into cover.
Fearing the worst he shouted for the men to throw their last grenades, a few small dark obstacles rising into the air as a result. As the explosions flashed in the darkness before their position, he swallowed hard, realising the Russians would now throw everyone forward.
He tensed, clipping a new magazine drum under his weapon. Then he heard the crumps in the distance behind him, his spirits rising. German artillery was firing from outside the city in support, expending in excess of their daily ration to bolster the front line.
Udet froze as he heard the whoosh of shells passing over their heads, the subsequent explosions throwing men and equipment into the air before them as the darkness seemed to turn to day. The shells landing dangerously close to the front line, decimating the Russian infantry still advancing across the terrain to attack. The heavy artillery destroying one of the Russian tanks in the land before them, its turret being blown into the air as the tank disintegrated, the heavy artillery shell a direct hit on the T34.
The flames and fire from the explosions rose high into the air, Alessio instinctively pulled his face away from the sights of his weapon, his eyes hurting at the contrasting light from the darkness in the magnified sight. Blinking as the light subsided, he lifted the rifle again, frantically pressing bullets into the open chamber of the weapon.
Udet stood transfixed, staring at the explosion, then froze as he saw the many figures and silhouettes rising before the lights, jumping across broken and devastated walls as they advanced to towards them. The next wave of the Russian attack was on its way, forced forward by its commanders. Udet turned, shouting in panic, ‘More Russians coming!’
Tatu swallowed as he heard the distant alert, hearing the machine guns starting to fire again, the bursts changing to continuous fire. He leant forward, shouting desperately, ‘Continuous fire, bring them down!’ Petru glanced round, Ta
tu seeing fear in his eyes, then a glint as they mellowed, his Romanian friend turning back and pulling the bolt on his rifle, raising it to his face. Tatu spun round, looking to see what his countryman had seen, a fleeting grin forming on his face as he glimpsed the German infantry advancing cautiously towards them through the rubble.
Major Slusser was half crouched, his left arm raised as he urged his men from their positions. He ran forward shouting, spurring the soldiers from the reserve positions onwards, his MP40 in his right hand, ‘Keep down, get into the forward positions! Drive them back!’
He ducked as a shell burst to his left, the dirt falling across his face and uniform. Stopping by the side of a damaged wall, he crouched, urging the soldiers forward again with his left hand. Glancing back, he saw the cloud trails rise into the sky from about six hundred metres away. ‘About time!’ He whispered to himself.
The German Nebelwerfer unit had received the major’s desperate order to fire some moments earlier, the rocket battery commander demanding a repeat of the instruction as his men loaded the heavy rocket launchers. He received in response,
‘Fire immediately on map coordinates supplied. Russian attack threatening to break through into the factory district. Defensive line being overwhelmed with several incursions. Ammunition rationing temporarily suspended. Fire when ready. Major Slusser’s command.’
Running from his defensive bunker, the artillery commander started shouting at the crews around the rocket battery, realising if the Russians broke through, his unit would be in their line of advance. Receiving the all clear from his subordinate, he stood back, watching the crews move away from their weapons. He raised his hand, dropping it immediately, ‘Fire!’ As the fuel ignited in the rockets, the crews shielded their eyes, the rockets shooting from their firing cylinders and accelerating away across the landscape into the darkness, the smoke trails soaring into the cold sky. The wheeled guns jolted backwards as they fired, then settled between their wheel blocks.
The Nebelwerfer battery commander turned, the crews looking at him expectantly, his eyes wide with excitement, ‘Reload…Quickly!’ His exhaled breath condensed in the cold air as he gasped.
Hausser looked over his shoulder, seeing the smoke trails lit at the end, the fuel burning beneath the rockets. As the rocket trails approached, he started shouting at his men again, ‘Incoming defensive fire, take cover!’
A wall of flame rose into the air some thirty to one hundred metres before the trenches as the rockets landed amongst the advancing Russian infantry. Bodies were blown apart, broken limbs thrown into the air as the rockets exploded in clusters across the torn ground.
The surviving German and Romanian defenders in the trenches, still firing at the enemy in front of them, gasped at the spectacle of destruction, the flames tearing upwards into the night sky.
Major Slusser moved forward at a crouch, urging the men around him into the frontline trench. As the German reserves dropped into the trench, he saw Leutnant Hausser standing further down the defensive line to his left. He leapt down into the trench and ran towards him, jumping over and around the bodies lying of the trench floor.
Hearing distant whistles through the darkness, a signal for the Russian attack to end, Hausser’s relief was evident to the major, his shoulders sagging, the young commander started to move up the trench in front of him, beginning to check the wounded.
The shouts of ‘Medic!’ filled the frontline as soldiers struggled with their injuries. The moaning beginning to increase as the gunfire subsided. The cracks of rifle fire continued along the front as defenders fired after the retreating Russian infantry.
In the factory roof, Alessio fired several times, aiming at the Russian officers once he saw the infantry beginning to fall back. He grinned as one ducked behind some debris, his bullet ricocheting near the officer’s head, ‘See how you like to be targeted instead, Schwein!’ He whispered to himself.
Major Slusser caught up with the more junior commander, grasping Hausser’s shoulder. ‘We drove them back Hausser…well done!’
Hausser turned abruptly, his face grim, his eyes narrowed in almost dejected hatred, ‘Yes, but we lost a lot of good men in the process. They can replace theirs, we cannot!’ He then turned back, trudging along the trench, shouting over his shoulder despondently, ‘They will only be back!’
The Major’s eyes widened in surprise at the retort, seeing Udet and Hase look round at him from the trench wall, stunned at their commander’s aggressive response. Major Slusser moved forward after Hausser along the emplacement, seeing he was walking behind the new and existing soldiers of the frontline, the junior commander beginning to check the condition of his men and their defences, slapping shoulders in encouragement and shaking his head at the moaning wounded or still bodies.
‘Leutnant Hausser, wait there!’ The major’s raised voice was firm. As he caught up with the now stationery officer, Hausser slowly turned to face him again, the major’s demeanour becoming softer as he saw that Hausser’s face seemed utterly despondent, the man breathing heavily, ‘Look…you and your men did well, we drove them off. I will pull your unit back from the front for a couple of days, give them a rest. I just have one more effort to ask of them.’ The major seemed to be almost pleading and Hausser’s mood lightened slightly in sympathy, realising his frustration was with the war, not the major.
He turned further, staring the major in the eye, his voice low and filled with uneasiness, ‘What do you want us to do now?’
Chapter Forty Five: Forward Planning
Major Slusser drew greedily on his cigarette, looking across the table at Hausser, ‘So, Leutnant, this is the plan.’
Hausser looked down at the roughly drawn map, his expression grim, ‘Very well, let me recap so far. We enter though two different manholes. Sweep the tunnels beneath the front lines for Russian infiltrators and drive them back if possible. Are the tunnels flooded?’
The major shook his head, swigging from his glass, the dust falling from his uniform, ‘No, the only way the tunnels can flood is from the reservoir outside the city. We have secured this, so there is no danger there.’ He leant forward pointing at the darker lines on the map extending towards the river, ‘These are the tunnels that can flood if the gates are opened at the reservoir. The water will rise in the rest of the system, but the force is so strong the water usually only passes along these routes.’
Hausser nodded, running his hand through his matted hair, ‘I see, so where are the Russians now?’
The major pointed to areas towards the river marked on the map, ‘The Russkies hold these sections, mostly the lower sections, but they know the system well, were as we do not, so they keep finding ways though.’
Hausser raised a cigarette to his lips, lighting it and blowing smoke to the side, ‘What if they attack in force when we are down there?’
The major leant back, drawing on his cigarette again, ‘I have decided to end this underground game once and for all. It has cost too many men so far, the soldiers hate the fighting and darkness down there, it is destroying morale. I also have to deploy men underground that could help us up here, and that is crucial.’
Hausser nodded slowly, sipping from the glass the major had provided. He glanced at the man before him, seeing he wished to continue, ‘Please go on Sir.’
The Major swigged from his glass again, ‘Whilst you are sweeping the tunnels, I will get engineers to place explosives in these areas…’ He leant forward again, pointing to several crosses on the creased map, ‘…when you have successfully pushed the Russians back, we will blow the side tunnels, blocking them and preventing the Russians from advancing. This will channel any advance into specific tunnels that I know I can defend successfully.’ He looked up at Hausser again, ‘The situation at present is precarious…if the Russians get behind in force through the tunnels, then they may cut us off. Supplies are low enough as it is without disruption, if they are successful in getting into our rear it will cause panic and jeopardise
the entire northern sector as they push reinforcements through. Difficult I know, but if they succeed, I have not got the men to hold the factory section and fight a rear-guard action. We may lose the factory district all together and this is the main supply route for the units north and north west of here.’
He stood back, his face grim, draining his glass and indicating to the radio operator, the man rising from his seat and retrieving another bottle of vodka. The operator topped up the major’s glass and then moved round the table towards Hausser, the young commander raising his hand to indicate he did not want any more. The sounds of distant gunfire and an explosion could be heard, a Russian patrol opening fire on German positions two hundred metres south of the administrative building.
Turning back to look at the map, Hausser frowned, ‘I don’t like the idea of having explosives blow up our only means of retreat. How will you know when to order the detonations?’
The Major smiled briefly, ‘I imagined you would be concerned, I have given strict orders for the explosives not to be blown until you and your men are out of the sewers, or we know that you are safely in one of the tunnels not to be blocked.’
Hausser looked solemnly across at Major Slusser, ‘When do you want us to start?’
The major smile broadened, ‘Immediately if you could, I have a feeling the Russians may be planning their next move as we speak. They have failed above ground tonight, they may well try below ground tonight...’
Hausser grimaced, sighing, ‘Very well, I will go and get my men.’ He leant over, picking up his helmet, his face grim.
The major saluted, ‘Thank you Hausser, this will secure our sector I hope. If we don’t do it now, it will cost lives later, and maybe the entire position. Use the men that are there already if you need to.’
Bloody Stalingrad Page 41