Portartur. 1940. Boris Trofimov
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next morning, the second battery and the regiment marched north along the Bitzvy road. We drove slowly and carefully. Shooting chains moved in front. Along the long elevation, from its southern side, our horse rides were visible. The battery commander stopped at the edge of the road and let all the tools pass by him. After the show, he and the senior fireworker galloped forward. It was felt that the Japanese were close, that the battle was about to begin.
Podkovin looked at the hill, behind which there was an enemy, and thought: “So, the Japanese are not yet visible. We are going openly, as if in a parade.”
No matter how Calming himself, Podkovin reassured himself, but he could not restrain a nervous tremor.
About three o’clock in the afternoon the battery stopped. Dry plowed fields stretched to the right and to the left, and Mount Samson towered above them. The western slope of the massif was illuminated by the warm April sun. In the sky – not a cloud. On the right, on the road from the ravine, a group of horsemen rose up on the hill. They drove up to the battery. That was General Fok with his orderlies. Colonel Laperov, prancing on his horse, approached him.
– Before the evening, you need to find out the situation and decide how to act. The Japanese are advancing by superior forces. – Fock shrugged. – Requires extreme caution. Push the battery a little more to height. Let one of your officers get up on that hill. Give me as an orderly for your gunner, but please, well-educated.
“Call Podkovina,” the battery commander ordered the sergeant-major.
“Damn, son of a damn thing, how it goes into people,” thought the sergeant-major.
“Come to the general,” said the battery commander when Podkovin came to him.
Podkovin made a half turn and, taking a peak, stood in front of Fock.
“I have the honor to appear, Your Excellency.”
– Ordinary? That’s what, brother, you will go with me, you will have to write down orders for your battery. Can you? Briefly and clearly?
– Yes sir!..
The general rode ahead. Soon the rider appeared, galloping full speed. Fock spurred his horse. The horse hunter, having caught up with the general, handed him a package.
– Great, brother. Tell me what you saw?
– The Japanese are moving regiments, and with them artillery.
Fock waved his unopened letter, looked it up into the light, and handed it to the adjutant. The hunter’s horse stood, legs splayed, and breathed heavily. Again we moved forward and drove into the hollow. Soft soil all the time crumbled under the hooves of horses. Having dismounted, we went up to the very crest of the hill dissected by a ravine. Clouds of dust rose from the far end of the unfolding valley.
“The Japanese, Your Excellency,” said the hunter, “We have seen them more than once, but we are not shooting.” Such an order to force to find out. They are moving to Samson.
Look! Again their chief on a white horse jumped out onto the tide.
Podkovin heard the hunter, but did not see the enemy rider.
General Fock took off his cap and, stretching his neck, looked out of the ravine.
– Yes, moving there. Lieutenant, what is written in the report?
– On the thirteenth of April morning, the Japanese went on the offensive along the Bitzvoekoy road, and at 11 hours 50 minutes the battalion of the 15th regiment took Tojialin and advanced on the village of Shimmynzy. But, owing to the superior forces of the enemy, our units moved to the village of Ig-dian.
Ahead Podkovina – overgrown with bushes mound.
“A grave or a field altar? Get to it, see what’s going on there.”
Podkovin, with a horse, approached a group of officers and, stopping five steps away from them, shifted from foot to foot.
The officers talked among themselves and did not pay attention to him.
“Your Honor…”
– you what? – wearily asked Podkovina captain with glasses.
“Allow me to crawl to that tubercle.” From there you can well consider them.
The officers looked at each other.
– Do you want to crawl under the bullets?
– The Japanese are far away, they will not see beyond the hill.
– Go. Just what are you without binoculars? Take the binoculars, – and the captain, smiling, gave the Podkovin his binoculars. “And give the horse to our messenger.”
Climbing crawling on a mound, Podkovin froze. A battery galloped right through the trough to the right.
“One, two, three, four,” he gasped. – Ten guns! But the infantry!.. The white horse on the knoll on the left… What is the distance? Perhaps five miles away. That would be to move them now. See ours or not?
Podkovin looked back. The battery was half a verst. Our observers were to the right, but the toe should hide the movement of the Japanese from them. It was quite clear that the Japanese were moving significant parts to the south while evading combat.
Podkovin went down. The general stood, surrounded by officers, at the bottom of the ravine.
– Well? – turned to Podkovin Fock.
– The enemy moves to the south, Your Excellency. I counted ten guns, followed by infantry. Rotami. I missed five groups. I saw a man on a white horse.
– Well, now what are you going to do? The general grinned. – Would you shoot from your guns?
Podkovin caught the irony in the voice of the general, but you need to answer. So they taught: not to leave a single question to the authorities without an answer.
– First move to the spur of Samson. There is no safe position. In the evening, it is light to determine the place for the battery. At night, hunting teams grope the enemy. The battery cocked to stay at night somewhat away from the selected position.
– What is this for?
– The first shots – from two guns. The enemy will pay attention to them. Show himself. Then, from the other position, the other six suddenly shoot.
Fock thought. Podkovin turned his eyes to the officers. The captain, putting forward his right leg and gazing at him closely, spoke to the lieutenant standing next to him.
– To be immediate, that’s what’s important sometimes. The gunner in this case was guided by logic. He was not trained in tactics, but he feels it with his whole being… War descriptors are often surprised at the actions of the soldiers left to themselves… It is noticed that Fock often addresses the soldiers with big questions. Clever!..
The general seemed to wake up.
“So, brother, go back to Colonel Laperov and tell him what you saw and heard, but keep quiet about your projects.” And tell him: General Fok ordered his battery to return to the village of Shimnzy. Got it?
2
Our infantry detachments more and more often clashed with the Japanese. Once Konevyazov and Podkovin returned with a dangerous foraging. Seeing the Chinese on the road ahead, Orlovets started.
– Is he! Old