The German plane flew away, leaving corpses and burning steel wreckage on the ground. The smell of death and blood was everywhere here, with an unlimited supply.
Malashenko and Lavrinenko staggered out of the shell-proof hole while holding on to the earthen wall. Their relatively new clothes, which were quite passable at first, now looked like natives all over their bodies, including their noses and mouths.
His body, ears, and eyes were full of dust. The first thing Malashenko did when he emerged from the shell-proof hole was a big sneeze.
Ah sneeze!!!
"What a bunch of German sons of bitches! Bah! A bunch of cowards who call planes if they can't fight!"
Malashenko rubbed his nose and remained silent, as if turning a deaf ear to Lavrinenko's complaints next to him. His eyes were only focused on the scorched earth in front of him that had just been hit by an air raid.
"Okay, stop scolding, it's useless. Do you still expect the German planes to come to the ground and charge with you?"
Before Malashenko could finish his words, Commissar Petrov, who had not been seen before, ran over from a distance with his big hat on his head. Before anyone could reach him, the words had already followed him.
"Malashenko, Lavry, how are you? Are you injured!?"
Comrade Political Commissar trotted all the way up to him. Lavrinenko, who was picking his nose and digging out dirt to ventilate his nose and eyes, waved his hands, changed his expression and started joking.
"There are no parts missing, everything is in good condition! The Germans' bombs were thrown everywhere, but they couldn't hit the heads of the Soviet heroes. I just took some light."
Perhaps influenced by Malashenko's optimism, in short, I don't know when, Iushkin and Lavrinenko, the two people closest to Malashenko, gradually became close to Comrade Brigadier
The role of funny person.
When Lavrinenko is away, Iushkin is responsible for telling a couple of Malashenko-style sluts that are in line with the characteristics of the times. On the contrary, when Iushkin happens to be absent, Lavrinenko will take over this important task.
Come take the initiative and speak.
Is it useful to say a few sarcastic words out of nowhere? Of course it is.
For example, everyone, including Malashenko, Commissar Petrov, and Kulbalov behind him, looked at Lavrinenko's slightly funny actions and heard the same words, and they all said the same thing.
He showed a knowing smile.
Even in times of crisis, optimism is always one of the essential ingredients for victory.
"What about the casualties of the troops? Are there any approximate statistics?"
Hearing Malashenko's question, Commissar Petrov's expression changed to one of talking about business, and he spoke immediately.
"Almost all the combat staff and communications staff at the brigade have been dispatched, leaving only the minimum number of people in necessary positions. Statistics should be available soon."
"But judging from what I saw along the way here, you'd better be mentally prepared early. Some soldiers said that some German Stukas were not quite right, and they installed them under the wings. Well, I don't know what to say.
Whether it's suitable or not, but the original words are "two cannons", you can try and analyze the possibilities yourself."
"The Third Tank Battalion is the main target of the German air raids. When I came over just now, I saw several tanks on the roadside with very terrible bullet holes. They were all pointing upwards or vertically.
This is not the effect of aerial bomb fragmentation, it can only be an armor-piercing kinetic energy weapon."
"Fortunately, no one was in the tank at the time, and all the tank crews got out of the vehicle to avoid the air attack. So if these tanks that were penetrated by armor did not have any major mechanical damage, they should be able to continue to fight soon. However, there are also some tanks that are
They were completely destroyed by aerial bombs. The number is relatively small, and the impact on us should be within the acceptable range."
"A Stuka with two cannons?"
Before Commissar Petrov finished speaking, Lavrinenko, who was really surprised, started laughing.
"Don't be kidding, Comrade Political Commissar, how could there be a cannon on the plane? I bet our soldiers must have made a mistake. The most they can do is carry a machine cannon. Don't Germans always like to do this kind of thing?"
Not only Lavrinenko thought so, but Kulbalov on the side also looked in agreement.
It has indeed happened in the past that some soldiers regarded the German 109 as a fighter jet with a cannon. The two seemingly large 20mm cannon pods under the wings opened fire, causing tracer bullets to fly everywhere.
It's indeed a bit bluffing.
Of course, Lavrinenko believed that this time it was because the soldiers were dazzled or did not understand the German aircraft at all, which was why they made the illusion of "a Stuka with two cannons".
But in sharp contrast to this, Malashenko's indifferent expression was on the side as he took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket.
"There's no need to doubt it. It's true. I saw it with my own eyes when I ran towards the bomb shelter."
"The Germans added two 37mm anti-tank gun pods under the wings of the Stuka, which can fire simultaneously from the sky to hit tanks on the ground. The price is that this modified Stuka cannot carry aerial bombs. Just now
There were such modified Stukas among the incoming air raids. This time it was not the soldiers who were dazzled but the Germans who were really crazy."
Mount two 37mm anti-tank guns on the Stuka? This is probably good. Since it was Comrade Brigade Commander who said it, there must be nothing impossible. Comrade Brigade Commander never lies.
Lavrinenko, who has long been accustomed to driving tanks on the ground, has always subconsciously believed that something with a caliber of 37 mm cannot be mounted on an aircraft. For every 10 mm increase in caliber, the weight, volume and recoil will increase exponentially.
The increasing number of large-caliber weapons is not just a dozen or twenty millimeters of machine cannon. If you really want to put this thing on an airplane, you have to fire one shot and it will fall apart?
Lavrinenko couldn't figure out why, and Kulbalov on the side had almost the same mentality.
Commissar Petrov, who was walking with him, noticed Malashenko's expression. The frown that had been frowning since the beginning has not relaxed yet.
"According to the battle plan we just discussed, we should immediately reorganize the troops and start taking action. If the third tank battalion suffers too many casualties, we will transfer troops from the second battalion to make up for it. The defense in the west will be left to you, Lavry, remember to keep your guard up at all times.
Contact and communicate.”
"As soon as the air raid here ends, the Germans' ground offensive will start soon as expected. Act quickly! We have been caught off guard by the sky, and we must not suffer any more losses on the ground!"