Iron Cross

ps: This chapter has 4000, and there are 1000 to make up for yesterday's update. There will be another update today, which will be released in the early morning.

The breath of early winter has also arrived at the Red Army Prisoner of War Camp No. 289 on the outskirts of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

Prisoner of War Camp No. 289 has been established for more than a year. Like the surrounding series of prisoner of war camps, it is a masterpiece of the Kiev encirclement. After that battle, more than 600,000 Red Army troops were forced to lay down their weapons and become prisoners of war. When the prisoners learned the number of captured soldiers from the German guards, everyone could not believe their ears and thought it was just a rumor spread by the fascists. But the reality was stronger than the people, and batches of comrades who were like running water and dejected poured in. There were prison camps for various units and numbers, and only then did people accept the reality that not only were they defeated, but they also became shameful prisoners.

At first, everyone was in agony. The education they received from the day they joined the army was that Soviet soldiers would rather die in battle than be captured. But how could it be so easy to die on the battlefield? Being hit by a shell or being hit by a bullet is the simplest and least burdensome way to die, but if you don't die immediately, the moaning and wailing after being injured, especially a serious injury, is the most painful and torturous torture. . People who are not sick or injured, but who are unprepared or unable to make up their mind to commit suicide, become captives in a daze. It's easy to really want to die. Just throw yourself on the electric fence around the prisoner of war camp or deliberately anger the guards, and death will be a matter of course. But the vast majority of people don't have the courage. Those who have not died after the pain, regret, and uneasiness have only one thought to support them - to live no matter what.

At the beginning, the prisoners of war still hoped that the Red Army would come to rescue them as soon as possible, but everyone was soon disappointed. One day, two days, one week, two weeks, one month, two months... When the second winter came At this time, everyone knew that the Red Army could not counterattack, at least temporarily. Many people are speculating where the Germans have occupied now. Some say they have occupied Moscow, some say they have advanced to the Ural Mountains, and some say they have reached Siberia. The only thing that is certain is that Stalin and the Red Army have not surrendered yet, otherwise The Germans had long been in jubilation. They are desperate for their future, and the shame of being captured has long since become numb. They just live like a walking zombie, mechanically every day - the longer the time, the more obvious this situation and feeling become.

Among these people, some did not think about dying when they first became prisoners, including Lieutenant Colonel Kononov, the former commander of the second regiment of the 160th Infantry Division of the 37th Army of the Red Army. At this moment, he was listening carefully to the loud loudspeakers that sounded again in the concentration camp. When there were no radios, radio stations, newspapers, or even slogans and blackboards, these loudspeakers scattered around the camp were the only way he could obtain information from the outside world. source. No matter how the Germans propagandize, he can analyze some valuable things from it, and can even deduce the rough battle lines of both sides based on relevant German battle reports. This judgment and analysis ability is already clear in his graduation thesis on German issues. "If you study the German economic and political system, you will come to a very certain conclusion: between the Soviet Union and Germany, as between two uncompromising enemies, the war was inevitable."

All the prisoners of war were very respectful to him. When he pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the tweeter, they all consciously lowered their voices for fear of disturbing his thinking and judgment. As a mid-level officer who has been in a prisoner of war camp for more than a year, he is keenly aware of the unusualness of the past month or so. He believes that the situations mentioned in the loudspeaker will change the fate and direction of the prisoner of war camp in the future. Kononov was initially captured after a failed breakout with his own guards and was dispersed. In other words, except for a few personal guards who were captured together, no one else in the prisoner of war camp could recognize him. identity. Because mid-level officers and above were held in solitary confinement, he did not know what the Germans would do to the Red Army officers, so he determined to conceal his true identity and lurk only with the rank of lieutenant. Fortunately, he had always taken good care of and loved his guards. Not only did they refuse to betray Kononov, they protected him very closely, and there had been no accidents in the past year. He was very satisfied with this situation and determined to continue hiding it. This true identity was not exposed until he witnessed the German Air Force replacing the field army as guards of the prisoner of war camp and increasing the food supply. It has only been more than a month so far. .

The German guards who had been looking after them more than a month ago suddenly changed their names and put on new faces that they had never seen before. Based on his experience, Kononov judged that most of these guards were new recruits who had never been on the battlefield, because Although they tried very hard to appear serious, fanatical, and ferocious, there was no murderous intent in their eyes, which was completely different from the original guards who had a carefree style but liked to shoot and kill people at every turn. Kononov initially thought about using this opportunity to organize a prison break, but he gave up the idea within a few days because he found that the treatment of the prisoners had improved. Although this improvement is far from reasonable and friendly, he still discovered the difference. As a Red Army officer who received a systematic education from the Frunze Military Academy and graduated with honors, he knew that the Soviet Union did not Those who joined the Geneva Convention naturally did not ask the Germans to treat themselves according to the requirements of the Convention and the treatment of prisoners of war. Moreover, they dared to swear that as long as Germans were captured, they would never be treated any better than themselves. .

After the food supply was increased on the first day, all the prisoners of war couldn't wait to gobble it up. Kononov knew the dangers of people who have been hungry for a long time and suddenly eat a lot. Regardless of the risk of exposing his identity, he tried his best to persuade the prisoners not to do this, and even He also asked his guards to join the persuasion team. But no one listened to him. Everyone who saw him stared at him with vigilant eyes, while holding their food tightly, for fear that the latter would pounce on him and rob him.

By evening, the unfortunate incident happened: many prisoners died while eating because they were too weak - they were starved to death by the food. But the other prisoners didn't know this. They thought the Germans had poisoned the food to send them on their way. When they received the dinner, they made a noise like wild beasts. He saw the faces of the guards in the prison camp changed. , more than ten MG42 machine guns on one side have been fully set up. As long as there is a spark, these nervous guards will pull the trigger. In less than 5-10 minutes, under the astonishingly high speed of the MG42, this area is full of There was little left in the prisoner camp of more than a thousand people, and he heard similar angry shouts from other prisoner of war camps in the distance, so he knew that this kind of thing would definitely happen.

At this point, he could no longer stand idly by - in fact, he could not be called idly by. He himself was crowded among the prisoners, and it was impossible for him to escape once the Germans opened fire.

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t spoken German for a long time after graduation. He rushed to the guard in charge and spoke German quickly and urgently, with a strange pronunciation. After saying it three times in a row, the prison guard in the prison camp finally understood the unassuming Russian prisoner in front of him. It turned out to be a lieutenant colonel. Not only did he understand German, he also expressed his willingness to help them calm the emotions of the prisoners of war.

If it were the guards of the Army field force, they would definitely be furious with this Russian officer who concealed his identity, and might even hit him with a rifle butt. However, the current guard leader was obviously inexperienced, and he repeatedly agreed: "Okay, Lieutenant Colonel, if you can appease them and calm them down, we will give you the treatment befitting your rank..."

Kononov smiled bitterly, he didn't want any treatment commensurate with his military rank - who knew whether it was death or another level of abuse.

"Soldiers, brothers, be quiet... I am Lieutenant Colonel Kononov, the former commander of the second regiment of the 160th Infantry Division."

"Quiet, quiet." Several guards accompanying him shouted. Their boss was finally speaking out after being dormant for more than a year. Although they didn't know why he was like this, at least they We must work hard to maintain his dignity, just like Kononov, who was famous for protecting his shortcomings in the army, always took care of them.

Under the threat of the black gun muzzle, and with the hoarse persuasion of Kononov and the guards, the crowd's commotion decreased, and then everyone stretched their necks to see this big man who appeared out of nowhere, the prisoner camp. The guard was smart and gave Kononov a large microphone surrounded by iron sheets and motioned for him to stand on the table and speak.

"The Germans did not poison the food." Kononov first bluntly expressed his judgment, "We are eating the same thing as these dead brothers. If the food is poisonous, then at least we will be poisoned. At the very least, we will be poisoned." We now feel uncomfortable and vomiting.”

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then nodded. This is correct. Apart from the fallen brothers, no one felt any other discomfort.

"But why are they dead?" someone asked loudly.

"Because they eat too much." Kononov's voice was low. "Think about it. When we distributed the food today, I advised you not to eat too much to avoid bad consequences. Unfortunately, not many people are willing to eat too much." Listen to me."

The prisoners thought about it and recalled the process, and they couldn't help but believe more than half of it. However, some people still said reluctantly, "We also ate so much, why are we okay?"

"Because the brothers who died are the weakest."

"Do the Germans also know this and deliberately send more food to harm us?"

There is no need for Kononov to refute such words. Someone next to him naturally retorted: "You idiot... As long as the Germans don't give us food, we will starve to death. Why do you still use such stupid methods as giving out more food?"

Kononov ignored this kind of wrangling and just said: "Let me tell you one thing. Recently, the Germans who are guarding us have been replaced by the Air Force. They have not participated in the battles on the Eastern Front, nor are they the German Army who fought with us. So as long as we don't violate the regulations of the prisoner-of-war camp, the Germans will not deliberately harm us."

"I don't believe that the noble Air Force master will come to guard the prisoner-of-war camp?"

"Uh..." Kononov was speechless for a moment, so he had to turn his head and ask the guard in charge, "Captain, which part of the German Air Force are you from? I'm not asking about the number, I mean..."

"Oh, you can still recognize that we belong to the Air Force?" The captain opposite laughed and nodded, saying, "It doesn't matter to tell you, we are the 7th Air Force Field Division, you are all under my control, and be honest in the future."

"Air Force Field Division? This is really a weird name." Kononov only muttered these in his heart but didn't say it out loud. The prisoners below saw the Germans and Kononov talking easily, thinking that he was not lying, and the scene suddenly became quiet.

"The Germans have admitted that they are an air force unit. You can also see the air force emblems on their chests and cuffs." He finally said in a sad tone, "Take these brothers out and bury them. Everyone should be a little careful and don't eat too much. The food the Germans give us may always remain at this level."

After the food incident was successfully resolved, Kononov's prestige in the prisoner-of-war camp was greatly improved. Even the Germans believed that this officer could control the situation and knew German. They simply appointed him as the prisoner captain and improved his treatment. Several guards were also allowed to stay in a separate barracks with him.

After the Air Force took over the guarding of the prisoner camp, in addition to the additional food, Kononov noticed that other things were also changing.

First, the all-pervasive SS and Gestapo began to retreat. At the beginning, they dragged out and shot the political commissars of the captured troops, whether they were at the division level or the battalion level, without any distinction. The continuous gunfire frightened the prisoners, which was also a fuse for Kononov to conceal his identity. Now it seems that the Germans have given up this order.

The second is that the number of prisoners began to change. The number of prisoners has been increasing and decreasing, but the keen Kononov found that the recent changes in the number are marked by ethnicity. To be precise, the proportion of Russian prisoners has increased, while the proportion of ethnic minority prisoners has decreased sharply. He has been watching this process. He found that first, the soldiers of the three former republics of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia were released one after another, and then the prisoners of Ukraine, Belarus, Cossacks, Kalmyk and other ethnic groups were released one after another.

As a mid-level officer with decisiveness and judgment, he has been guessing what happened, but he has never gotten to the point. It was not until the propaganda loudspeaker in the camp sounded that he realized that they had cooperated with the Germans.