When Trikov returned to Stalingrad again, he was no longer back to the main urban area in the south but to the industrial area in the north.

The reason is that the southern main urban area has almost been found as the command center, and even the Soviet army's last line of defense, which is the central ferry, will be bombed by the German army at any time.

In principle, there are no safe areas in the northern industrial zone, but the Soviet army could create several safe areas.

This safe place is the side wall of the "Red Barrier" artillery factory burned by the German army.

The east side of the "Red Barrier" artillery factory is adjacent to the Volga River, but there is a 650-foot (200 meters) high cliff.

This cliff is undoubtedly a dead end of German artillery fire, and the German Air Force was unable to bomb it. In addition, the sewage pipes of many factories, large and small, discharged sewage into the Volga River from here... There was no environmental protection during this period.

Soviet soldiers exploded several caves near the sewage pipes on the cliff as command centers, and then built several traffic trenches to connect these command centers to the ground or sewage pipes.

(Note: At this time, the sewage pipes, sewers, etc. in Stalingrad were all underground passages used by the Soviet army for guerrilla warfare)

What made Cuikov feel a little frustrated was that his command once again lacked many personnel... During the process of the command being transferred to the east bank of the Volga River and then back, many officers and staff members quietly slipped away and stayed on the east bank.

In times of crisis, people who only care about their own lives and fear death are most hated. But these officers and staff officers usually ask the soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield.

"This won't work!" said Crylov, worriedly.

"Comrade Choikov!" Krelov comforted: "If they leave, leave, we don't have to be disappointed with them!"

"What? Do you think I'm disappointed with those who fled the command?" Cuikov replied: "No, Comrade Krelov, their departure may be a good thing. You know, Stalingrad is insufficient, and we at least don't have to raise the waste with precious food!"

Krelov nodded and said, "Are you talking about Stalingrad?"

"Yes!" Cuikov nodded: "What else can I worry about except Stalingrad? The enemy has occupied Mamayev's post, and we have suffered heavy casualties and cannot retake it... This directly affects our logistics. If this continues, Stalingrad will be fully occupied by the enemy!"

Cui Kov's concerns make sense. Although it was correct for the Soviet army to use close-fits and guerrilla tactics, if the soldiers did not even have food or bullets, then no tactics would be useful.

"We can open a temporary ferry!" Krelov suggested.

"Many places are not suitable for ferries, Comrade Krelov!" Cuikov shook his head and sighed: "For example, the cliffs here and the Nihe Beaches here are suitable for opening ferries, but there is not even a highway... and it will be blocked by the firepower of enemy fighter jets, and the unloading volume is very limited!"

After pausing, Cuikov said, "So, we still have to take back Mamayev's hill!"

"But Comrade Cui Kefu..." Krelov looked at Cui Kefu in confusion.

"I know, Comrade Krelov!" said Cuikov: "We lack supply, and the enemy is still an elite force to occupy Mamayev. If we continue to attack, the 13th Guard Division will be wiped out!"

After pausing, Cuikov said, "But I think we can get this victory back somewhere else!"

What Cui Kefu mentioned other places refer to two aspects:

One is the Stalingrad Front, which is the Soviet army commanded by Zhukov, located north of the Don River.

In the previous battles, the Stalingrad Front launched an voluntary attack on the German army in order to gain preparation time for Stalingrad. Although it suffered heavy losses, it basically achieved its strategic goal.

At this time, after several weeks of rest, the Stalingrad Front restored a certain amount of combat effectiveness.

Cuikov believes that now is the time for the Stalingrad Front to take effect again.

Zhukov certainly knew that Stalingrad was in a critical moment, so he did not object and organized another fierce attack on the German northern defense line by the First Guards Army.

Paulus was a little panicked under the attack of the Soviet army... If it were before, the German army could have transferred the elite armored division to the northern defense line for reinforcement, but now the 14th Armored Army even even the 21st Armored Division, which belongs to the 4th Armored Army, is deeply involved in the Stalingrad city war.

This can also be said to be one of the reasons why the German army would fail in the Battle of Stalingrad... The entire battle was a two-line battle and even the northern defense line from Kotluban to the Volga River was actually still surrounded by three sides by the Soviet army. Once the Soviet army occupied Kotluban, the German army would be in the dilemma of being surrounded by the Soviet army at any time.

In other words, this strategic siege is only suitable for quick battles and decisions, otherwise the situation will be more unfavorable to the German army as it goes backwards... The German army originally wanted to make quick battles and decisions, but they didn't expect Stalingrad to delay for so long, and it seemed that it would continue to drag on.

In the end, there was no way. Paulus could only send the 16th MoF Division and the 298th Infantry Division, which were used as the reserve force, to reinforce the northern defense line.

In other words, the shortage of troops led to the German army having basically no reserve team in the direction of Stalingrad.

This is exactly what Cui Kefu hopes for.

At the same time, Trekov implemented a counter-raid plan in Stalingrad:

Cuikov formed a commando of one division in the northern and southern part of Stalingrad, with the main trunks of the 112th Infantry Division and the 193rd Infantry Division, and then added scattered soldiers and even armed people into these two units.

There is not much problem with the formation of these two commandos in terms of force. Although Stalingrad is short of troops, it is not a big problem to use scattered soldiers and the people to piece together the two divisions.

The bigger problem lies in the ammunition problem of these two commandos... If you want to attack, you must have enough ammunition and supplies, otherwise you will only be a death sentence if you rush up.

Cuikov's solution is to start from two aspects: one is to open a temporary ferry like Krelov said, and the other is to organize the airdrop of two transport aircraft.

This airdrop was a bit like a German airdrop in the Battle of Holm, which was carried out at night using gliders, parachutes, etc.
Chapter completed!