Chapter 33 chase

This pursuit was yet another glorious example of the courage and initiative of the commanders at all levels, and of the self-sacrifice of the combat troops.These troops not only suffered heavy losses, but were also exhausted, but they rushed to the southern coast of Crimea in spite of everything. Situation in Italy. By November 16, the furious pursuit was over, and the whole of Crimea, with the exception of the fortified area of ​​Sevastopol, was in our hands.The six divisions of the Eleventh Army had routed most of the enemy's two armies (a total of twelve infantry divisions and four cavalry divisions).The enemy's initial strength was about 200,000. During the fighting and pursuit, a total of more than 100,000 became prisoners of the German army. In addition, we also captured 700 artillery pieces and 160 tanks.Those Russian troops who fled into Sevastopol or crossed the Kerch Strait were just remnants, and they did not have any heavy weapons.The fact that those who had escaped into the fortresses were immediately organized into proper units was mainly due to the enemy's command of the sea, and the speed with which supplies and equipment could be brought in.

After the administration of the Eleventh Army was moved to Zimferopol, a large Russified city in the Crimea, our tactical command post was moved to Zarabus, which was A rather large village to the north of the city.The chief of staff and I live in a small farm, each with a small room.The furniture I use is also the simplest. Of course we can get some utensils from Zimenferrop, but because the general army is very miserable, the personnel in our headquarters think that we should not pay attention to any comfort. Except for a short-term transfer to the Kerch and Sevastopol fronts, we stayed here almost all the time until August 1942.After getting used to the nomadic life, this kind of settled life is a complete change for us, but this kind of life is not necessarily popular.When the headquarters of an army stand still, the inevitable result is a paper war.

Here I would like to mention a question, which I often feel very concerned about.A man who commands an army is also its supreme judge, so one of the most difficult tasks is to get him to approve a death sentence.On the one hand, it is his duty to maintain discipline, and for the benefit of the army itself, it is necessary to punish those who break the law and discipline severely.But on the other hand, it is indeed a sad thing to lose a life with a swipe of a pen.Of course, ten thousand people die every day in war, and every soldier should be prepared to die in battle.But there is a big difference between being honorably martyred on the battlefield and being shot by one's own superiors.

Of course, when a soldier commits some despicable act, which dishonors the honor of an entire army, or causes the death of a fellow soldier, he deserves death.But there are also many other situations, which are not entirely due to bad nature, but are caused by some kind of human fault, which is unavoidable.Nevertheless, the court-martial must still sentence him to death in accordance with the law. Whenever the death sentence is to be approved, I always have to study all the files carefully before making a decision.On the day of the war, two soldiers in my army raped and killed an old woman and were sentenced to death. Of course, this is an unpardonable crime.But the following situation is quite different.There was a man who had won the Iron Cross in the Polish campaign. After being wounded and discharged from the hospital, he was assigned to serve in a strange unit.On the first day he arrived, his entire machine gun squad was killed, and he lost his mind and began to flee.According to the law, he should be sentenced to death, but the plot is not without excuse.Since I cannot immediately revoke the court-martial sentence, the method I adopted in this case was to consult with the commander of the man's regiment, and after obtaining his consent, postpone the execution for four weeks.If this person can get rid of the crime within four weeks, I will cancel the sentence.If four weeks have passed, it must still be carried out.Among all those who received probation, only one had fled to the enemy, and all the others either made military exploits to atone for their crimes, or performed their duties as soldiers and died honorably on the battlefield.