Burning Moscow

Section 28 In the days in Moscow (10)

The tram stopped. The conductor went to the door and pressed a button, opened all the doors, and then said loudly to us: “The tram is here, comrades. Get off the bus!”

The sergeant and I got out of the car with everyone. Looking at the unfamiliar environment around me, I asked the sergeant beside me with some doubts: “Is this the Gonchamonis Gaya?”

“Of course not. There are still two stops from Ganchamonigaya, but there is a barricade in front, and the tram can’t go through. The rest of the road…” He bent over and patted his knee with both hands. Then he said to me: “We can only walk through with our two legs.”

I followed the sergeant and walked forward along the street. As I walked, I looked at the faces of passers-by in a hurry, looked at the windows of the house with long and narrow black papers, looked at the shop windows with sandbags, and looked at the various posters on the walls.

The further we walked forward, the slower we walked, because we had to bypass barricades made of sandbags, logs, and planks from time to time. The people guarding these barricades were all dressed in plain clothes and armed with bayonet-mounted rifles. At first glance, it was a temporary militia. They stopped passing pedestrians from time to time to check the documents, but we passed the barricade without any hindrance. For those militiamen on duty, perhaps our military uniform was the best pass.

After a while, we stopped in front of a house built of stones. “I’m at the place, Comrade Commander.” Then the sergeant pointed to the front and said, “Continue along this road. The fourth house on the right side of the road is the place you are looking for.”

“Okay,” I reached out to him and said, “Thank you, we will have a period later.” After shaking hands with him, I walked along the road alone.

In a small wood adjacent to the house, I saw a group of people digging shelter there. There were about twenty people, including men and women, old and young, all standing in the pit that was already chest deep, digging the dirt with a shovel, filling buckets with dirt, and then spreading them one by one. The person above took the bucket, dumped the soil not far away, and passed the empty bucket to the pit below.

“Comrade military,” a voice suddenly came from the side. I turned my head and saw that it was a young policeman. Maybe he saw me staying here for a long time, so he came to ask. “What can I do for you?”

His question made me a little flustered. My fear of the police is still deep-rooted and cannot be changed for the time being. After a little bit of concentration, I asked, “I want to find Building 47. I don’t know where it is?”

“Building 47?” He asked rhetorically. “This is it, comrade soldier.”

“Are you the film cop in charge of this area?” I asked tentatively.

“That’s natural. What can I do for you?”

“I have a friend named Katja, I came here to find her family.”

“Maybe I will disappoint you.” He said with regret on his face: “The District Civil Affairs Bureau came not long ago and informed that Katya had died on the battlefield.”

“What about her family?” Although before I came, I guessed that Katya’s family had known about her sacrifice almost all of them, but I should go this trip at the end of her life.

“Her father joined the militia and went to the front. Her mother and sister have been evacuated to the rear.” The police saluted me and walked away.

Katya’s family could not be found, so the trip to Gonchamonis Gaya ended with regret. I stopped a passing military vehicle on the side of the road and asked the driver to take me to a place not far from the hotel, then got out of the car and walked back.

When I was approaching the hotel, I saw Korolev pacing back and forth at the door from a distance. When he saw me appear, he immediately gestured desperately, beckoning me to move faster. “Could it be that our departure time is earlier?” Thinking of this, I quickly trot towards him.

“Hurry up, Comrade General has been waiting for you for a long time. I’m thinking about where to find you.” Korolev grabbed my arm, pulled my body and walked in quickly.

“Comrade General?!” I asked a little surprised: “Which Comrade General?”

“Who else? Of course it is General Zhukov, the former commander of our front. He has been waiting for you for a long time.”

The next minute, I stood in front of Zhukov, who was wearing a black leather uniform. He had no more nonsense, and said straightforwardly: “Comrade Oshanina, between your bravery in the battle on Pulkovo Heights and your outstanding performance on the Kremlin podium, Comrade Stalin personally decided to promote you to a major. Military rank. Congratulations!”

“Serve the Soviet Union!” I already have experience in awarding honors and promotions, and I know what to say on this occasion. Although I knew that I would get a higher rank, I guessed it was a captain at best. I didn’t expect to have three consecutive ranks, and I was directly awarded the rank of major.

“Next.” After Zhukov waited for the officer accompanying me to replace the epaulettes for me, he went on to say: “Currently there are two appointments for you by your superiors. You can choose from UU reading www.uukanshu.com.”

“May I ask what kind of appointment it is?” I summoned the courage to ask boldly.

“The commander of a certain antiaircraft artillery battalion in the Kremlin, due to some special reason, has been transferred today. There is a vacancy in the position of the commander of this force. You can go to this position.”

what! I was taken aback. It seems that what Korolev said yesterday was true, because the commander in charge of air defense was indeed punished by letting an enemy plane invade the sky above the Kremlin and drop a bomb. I don’t know if it was sent to Siberia to dig coal or was shot directly? What is the fate of Bezikov? If I agree to take up this position, will I follow in their footsteps?

“How did you think about it?” Zhukov asked impatiently when seeing me not talking. “If you have any thoughts, you can just say it.”

“Comrade General,” I absolutely cannot accept the first appointment, otherwise I don’t know how to die in the end. I still care more about what the second appointment is. “Can I hear what the other appointment is?”

“Of course.” Zhukov nodded and said, “I have already served as the commander of the Western Front. I need a capable assistant to accompany me to Pologno. But let me remind you in advance: The situation there is already very difficult. ”

In my impression, Zhukov seemed to have never encountered a dangerous situation during the war, so following him, his own safety is absolutely guaranteed, so I did not hesitate to answer: “I am willing to serve as yours. Deputy, accompany you to Polokino. Comrade General!”