Burning Moscow

Chapter 1720 Klebs’s stay

After learning that we had established telephone contact with the Nazi leaders in Hitler’s bunker, Zhukov immediately proposed a series of clauses for Germany to surrender.

Krebs listened to my narration and wrote down all the terms we proposed in his notebook. After finishing all this, he pointed to the phone just brought in by the correspondent, and asked carefully: “I can use this phone to contact Dr. Goebbels and pass on all the terms you proposed. Give it to him?”

“Of course, General Klebs.” Hearing him say that, I replied very simply: “Please, please, we are also anxious to know what Goebbels’ reply is.” After speaking, I rushed to stand. The communicator on the side winked and motioned for him to immediately connect with Hitler’s bunker.

Krebs took the call from the communicator and began to speak into the microphone. Although he speaks Russian, our translator, Captain Kleber, faithfully translated for us: “…he asked the other party to announce Himmler’s betrayal on the radio… He is reading what we have proposed. Terms: 1. The Berlin City Defense Forces surrender; 2. All surrenders must surrender their weapons; 3. The safety of all surrenders is guaranteed…”

After finally waiting for Klebs to finish the call, but from the solemn expression on his face, I knew that Goebbels did not give him a satisfactory answer, but I still asked: “General Klebs, no Know how Goebbels responded to you?”

Krebs said with a bitter smile: “Dr. Goebbels said strongly: He will never surrender, because once surrendered, the German people will lose everything. At this tragic moment in Germany, he is determined to follow the example of the head of state. He let I tell you that we will never surrender.”

Although I knew that Goebbels would never surrender, I still felt a little disappointed when I heard Klebs’s recount, because after this negotiation failed, many important Nazis chose to commit suicide. Way. Among other things, the General Klebs standing in front of me at this moment shot his own temple and became the burial object of the fascist Nazis.

I knew that Klebs would face the fate of suicide as long as he returned to Hitler’s bunker. I was considering whether to persuade him to give up the idea of ​​suicide, but I heard Cui Kefu say from the side: “General Klebs, Since you do not agree to surrender, you are not willing to stop the destruction of Berlin, and you are not willing to end the unnecessary sacrifices of both sides, including peaceful residents. Then our negotiations can only end in failure.”

Krebs didn’t say anything, but just nodded at us, picked up the military cap placed on the table and put it on his head, and left the room with his adjutant and translator.

“These stubborn Nazis.” After Klebs disappeared from the door, Cui Koff gritted his teeth and said: “I actually used fake negotiations to delay our precious time. I think we should immediately give the troops an order to fight for today. Completely seize the Reichstag and smash the resistance of the Berlin City Defense Army.”

Just when Trikov told Vladimirov to speed up the attack of the troops in front of him, Krebs unexpectedly appeared at the door. Seeing Krebs who had gone and returned, I asked in amazement: “Your Excellency General, why are you back? Did Goebbels change his mind?”

“No, General Oshanina.” Klebs said apologetically as he walked towards us, “I forgot to take my gloves. They came back to take them specially.”

I looked at the position where Krebs had just sat, and sure enough, there was a pair of white gloves on the chair. Klebs picked up his gloves and said to us a little embarrassed: “Look, I really forgot it here. I’m sorry I interrupted you, goodbye.” After that, he gave us a Nazi military salute. , Turned around and walked out of the room slowly.

Looking at the other person’s back, Cui Kefu whispered: “Damn, how could he lose everything like this, even the gloves he wears will be forgotten.”

But in my heart was another thought. Maybe Krebs knew that he would not escape death when he went back, so when he left here, he seemed a little restless, otherwise there would be no forgotten gloves.

Seeing that Trikov ordered the troops to speed up the attack, Pozharsky felt a little uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but asked anxiously: “Comrade Commander, assign some tasks to our artillery. We will definitely use intensive artillery to crush the German army. Resistance.”

“Our troops are fighting the enemy floor by floor and room by room in the Capitol.” To Pozharski’s request, Trikov had no hesitation in denying: “If the Capitol is shelled again at this time, artillery fire is possible. It will hurt our own people by mistake.”

Just as Pozharsky was full of disappointment, I suddenly heard Chief of Staff Vladimirov who was walking outside and said in surprise: “General Klebs, why are you back again?”

I quickly looked towards the door, and saw Krebs standing at the door with an embarrassed expression on his face. He heard Vladimirov’s questioning, he hesitantly said: “I…I just went out…When I went out, I posted…found mine…My briefcase…is missing…so come back and look for it!”

Forgot to bring Krebs’ briefcase? ! When I heard him say this, I immediately bent down and looked on the ground to see if he put his briefcase on the chair where he was sitting. Unexpectedly, I heard Cui Koff say again: “General Krebs, what briefcase? When you came, I didn’t even see what briefcase you brought.”

“Bring it, I definitely took it.” Krebs replied in a flustered manner: “The documents I gave you were taken out of the briefcase.”

“Don’t look for it, Lida.” Cuikov may have seen me bending over to help Klebs find the briefcase, and quickly stopped me, and then said to Klebs, “General Klebs, I am very Remember clearly, you took the three documents out of your pocket, and you didn’t bring any briefcases at all.”

I quickly sat up straight and continued to listen to the conversation between Trikov and Klebs. Krebs insisted: “General Cuikov, you must have remembered it wrong. I always carry my briefcase wherever I go. It may be because I stayed up late yesterday that made me unable to concentrate, so I was leaving. I will forget the briefcase when I am in time.

When Krebs said this, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but I caught him. Seeing him long-windedly arguing with Cui Kefu whether or not he was carrying a briefcase, I felt like a mirror in my heart. He must know that he might not escape death when he returned, so he wanted to stay. But making such a request directly to us will damage his military honor, so he can only find other reasons to prevaricate, maybe he would like us to detain him in anger, so that he does not need to go back to Hitler’s bunker. Up.

I looked at the door and saw Krebs’ adjutant Colonel Duffervanger and the translator were both standing at the door, so I stood up and waved to them, and said loudly: “Mr. Colonel, and the translator, Please come to me.”

As soon as I spoke, the whole room fell into silence. Krebs, who was arguing with Cui Koff, also listened and cast a curious look at me, trying to figure out what I asked his adjutant to do.

After Colonel Duffervenger came to me, I stood up and said in a calm tone: “Mr. Colonel, please go back with the translator. Krebs is determined to stay.”

“Why?” After listening to the translation, Colonel Duffervanger immediately opened his eyes and stared at me fiercely and asked: “Even if the negotiations between the two sides break down, you can’t detain our general.”

I waited for him to finish his fire, and said with a smile: “No one has detained your general. But after a whole night of intense negotiations, he suffered a heart attack because of his emotions, and he was in our field hospital. First aid. Please tell Dr. Goebbels about this unfortunate incident when you go back.”

Krebs’s reaction was not slow. Hearing what I said, he quickly sat on the chair next to him, covered his chest with his right hand, pretending to be in pain. Seeing Klebs’s cooperation, I continued to say to Duffervänger: “Colonel, did you see it? General Klebs’s condition is very bad and he needs to be sent to the hospital immediately for rescue.”

Colonel Duffervanger glanced at his officer, then slowly nodded, and said to me: “Understood, Your Excellency, I will report to Dr. Goebbels on the condition of the Chief of Staff.” , He raised his hand to salute us, and then left the headquarters with the translator.

Seeing his adjutant and interpreter leave, Krebs sat up straight, nodded at me, and said feelingly: “Thank you, General Oshanina, I will always remember everything you did to me. .”

Although I left Klebs on my own initiative, I couldn’t keep him in this headquarters. So I got up and walked to the high-frequency phone, called Zhukov, and reported to him that I had left Klebs behind. The Lebbs thing.

Zhukov was shocked after listening to and then complained to me: “Lida, you are really too reckless in doing things. How can you leave Klebs casually? You should let him go back and let us During the negotiation process, a detailed report was made to Goebbels to see if it would make the other party change his mind and order the troops to stop this meaningless resistance.”

“Comrade Marshal,” hearing Zhukov still have illusions about Goebbels’ surrender, I quickly reminded him: “I think anyway, a recalcitrant Nazi leader like Goebbels will never take the initiative to surrender to our army. Yes, so even if General Klebs goes back, it won’t make much difference. On the contrary, he might have to follow Goebbels and them to die for Hitler, the devil.”

“Then what is the use of him staying?” Zhukov asked after a moment of silence.

“If we ask him to issue a call to the Berlin City Defense at the right time to stop their resistance and lay down their weapons to surrender to our army, then we can reduce a lot of unnecessary bloodshed and sacrifice.” I am afraid that Zhukov would object, so I did it. Say in a positive tone: “I believe he will cooperate with us.”

Zhukov saw that I had already cut and played, knowing how to blame me, it wouldn’t help, so he could only sigh and said, “Well, I understand. You immediately send someone to send Klebs to the front army headquarters.”