The first and second batteries never arrived at the height of the battle. The enemy attacked in thick columns: he understood our artillery impotence. On the left flank they wounded General Nadein, and on the right flank General Fock went out of himself. Lieutenant Sadykov stopped two field guns of the retreating third battery and took command of them.
Let them go now, he grunted to himself. We will beat for sure and wait for support.
2
The fight subsided. Enemy guns were silent, not visible, and the chains of infantry. At this time, the battalions of the 13th regiment and the platoon of the first battery approached the railway bridge. Long before sunset, we moved away from our original positions. The departure deeply stirred the soldiers. Especially struck by all the careless attitude to the artillery. The third battery lost almost half its entire staff of officers and gun maids.
In the evening, wounded officers, soldiers, and gunners gathered at the Tafashin station waiting for the train.
I dont understand why we have a bad connection, said Lieutenant Pushkov. One battery is shot, and the rest somewhere far in reserve. They say that in the morning they were given the order to move to the bridge, but then some kind of confusion happened, and all because of an oral, rather than a written order. And now they do not know who messed up: the orderly, the adjutant of the general or the general himself.
The command of the battery is also not at the height of his vocation. They installed the guns in the open, so much so that there is no place to remove them, said Second Lieutenant Bordyug.
But they fought perfectly, continued Pushkov. Imagine shrapnel from twenty-four cannons that shot with quick fire fell on them. Lets calculate how many bullets are per second. A modern field gun can launch about ten shells per minute without warming up the body. In each projectile two hundred sixty bullets. Within half an hour about two million lead bullets on the heads of forty people! Despite the huge decrease in people from the lead rain, our gunners responded with almost four shells per minute from each of their guns Resistance showed extraordinary. For some reason I think that the Japanese would not have sustained such a murderous fire and would immediately abandon their guns.
We dont know our soldiers well, Captain Benoit responded to the officers conversation. In peacetime, we are far from them. Daleks, I would say, with their drinking and smartness. It would seem that they should boil malice towards us. It would seem that they should have left us in a difficult moment. But we see the opposite. Why? Soldiers consider us to be idlers, an inevitable evil, and their work sacred. When the danger of the country not the time to settle personal scores. This formula must be firmly seated in their being. For them, the honor of the country, the nation is dear Our soldiers are an amazing people. They are in the excitement. In my eyes, the gunners worked after being injured. If only arms and legs were intact.
What did we pursue by engaging in battle today? asked Pushkov.
It was necessary to find out the strength of the enemy and his intentions, said Staff Captain Steding. As far as I know, we assumed to go on the offensive in the morning, but the Japanese warned us, so we had to stop on defense. But still the Japanese and the third of May did not count on resistance. Only this can explain the movement of significant Japanese columns in the field of our artillery fire. They did not advance their artillery sufficiently, apparently, concealing it for more active operations at Kinzhou. If we had three batteries near the front line, we would have done a lot of damage. It is clear, with patient waiting and from closed positions!
We have poor intelligence set. Horse hunting teams are poorly organized. The enemy groped, but did not study his movements, clusters, kind of weapons. Each team acts at its own risk.
In the group of our commanders. noticeable confusion. Some extraneous thought oppresses General Fok. Apparently, there is some disappointing information from the north. In fact, why not hit the Japanese directly from Bitszyo from there? And we would support.
Philosophy, said Studing. One battery enters the battle. The enemy shoots her
We have already spoken about this, said Lieutenant Ouspensky.
They said Look at the morale of the gunners and gunners now. They the devil knows that they will weave And already weave The orderlies carried me on a stretcher. Under what circumstances I fell on a stretcher I do not remember. On the way I woke up. Medics stand and smoke. I hear their conversation:
Sold out, one says hoarsely. By all means. Look, you put the battery on. Bay, Japanese! And the rest of the guns sent away.
Really?
Is it possible to let the whole battalion through an open area without a reservation? Where have you seen it? The Japs with the ceremonial march were allowed to enter, but they did not beat them. There were no cannons, they were held in Nangualine, the orderly wheezed.
They are what! They only have money for their pleasures and clothes.
I could not stand it and turned. A terrible pain pierced my bullet punched hand, and I again fell into oblivion We should find this youngster. I recognize him by a hoarse voice.
Do not try! exclaimed Pushkov. There are thousands, tens of thousands! This morning I laughed at the reasoning of the soldier He see, he would have done things quite differently than his superiors. I would, he says, attack the Japanese at night. Each company would give a plot: study it during the day before the arrival of the enemy, consider what everyone should do during the battle. All the grooves, all the pits would know my arrows. Then he would lure the Japanese to this position and strike on them. So much so that none of our people dare to go beyond their limits, so that, therefore, they cannot touch their darkness. And in advance to take artillery a sight. And as soon as the enemy trembled a signal to her, she would have showered them with shrapnel.
Here common sense is heavily seasoned with fantasy, the staff captain chuckled.
But, they say, the gunner of the second battery a few days ago puzzled his response to our divisional general. Fock, in his habit of making fun, asked the gunner what he would do in this position. And he is calm: first go to the spurs of Samson. The Japanese will press on the right flank they need a mountain to observe and lead the battle at Kinzhou. Six guns should be set to shoot at an invisible target, and two from each battery to push, but not for long. They will attract the attention of the enemy, he will reveal his batteries, and then shoot the rest. Dexterously! Imagine how much savvy the people!
And what?
He was very pleased with the answer. And, apparently, this advice wanted to use today. Fock ordered the bullish battery to become exactly in a place from which she could demonstrate. But there was confusion. Some speak about the guilt of the orderly, others the adjutant There are voices also because the general himself hastily mixed up the names of the stations They say that Fok is very afraid of the landing south of Kinchzhou and therefore keeps impressive reserves there.