It was not easy for the 1st Heavy Tank Brigade of the Stalin Guards to move with a lot of tanks, especially when Malashenko was not prepared in advance and suddenly received a notice. The troops in combat status wanted to move.
It would be even more time-consuming to rush over in a moving state.
"Kurbalov's side still needs at least an hour. Many of their battalion's tanks have even had their engines removed for emergency maintenance. It was originally planned to conduct overnight maintenance to prepare for the battle tomorrow morning, but the plan obviously failed to keep up with the changes.
"
Malashenko, who is rarely busy with matters related to the brigade department, has already rolled up his sleeves and gone to work personally, stuffing various scattered and trivial documents on the table into folders.
Malashenko, who did not even raise his head as he listened to the statement made by the political commissar Petrov next to him, and was only busy with what he was doing, spoke.
"What did Karamov say? There's no way he can fix this mess quickly?"
Malashenko does not often put pressure on Karamov, but when it comes to the critical moment of hiring people, Malashenko does not mind letting Karamov experience the feeling of a mountain of military orders. In a few simple sentences, through various
The specific and deep meaning that the question-like tone wants to convey is very clear.
"Karamov has already brought people there. In fact, more than half of the field maintenance battalion is now staying with the first battalion."
"Karamov explained the situation to me. The 1st Battalion was the most seriously damaged unit in today's daytime battle. In addition, the maintenance in recent days has not taken care of the 1st Battalion. The problems encountered are not easy to solve.
Yes, one hour was the final answer he gave me."
Upon hearing this, Malashenko, who had already held the last pile of documents in his hand, suddenly stopped what he was doing.
After his entire expression froze for about three seconds, Malashenko raised his head again and looked directly at the political commissar Petrov in front of him, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Go and tell Karamov, just say I said it myself. If he can't get the battalion moving within half an hour, he shouldn't be the battalion commander. Get your wrench and rag and get ready to go repair the car! I need it.
What I want is someone who can solve problems for me, someone who can handle troubles, not someone who makes excuses for me at critical moments and talks about problems. This is a task that must be completed!"
Malashenko is not a person who likes to forcefully suppress his right-hand man and his generals.
According to Malashenko's idea, everyone has put their heads in their belts and fucked the German guy for so long. Everyone has their own secrets in their hearts. When should they do something, and when should they not do it?
I know in my heart that talking too much will only make people feel irritated like a mother-in-law.
But this is not an ordinary situation but an extraordinary moment. The telegram sent from the front army headquarters clearly stated the urgency of the situation.
Looking at the way Vatutin said things in the telegram and the tone he revealed, Malashenko estimated that if he had arrived a few hours later, the Fifth Guards Tank Army might have been beaten by the Germans and the situation would have changed.
Out of control.
Who knows what terrible consequences the butterfly effect he inadvertently caused on the Germans will have.
When one considers that the current comprehensive strength of the German armored forces has far exceeded the existing historical timeline, the sight of hordes of tigers and leopards that should not have appeared until next year has been staged on the Eastern Front more than half a year in advance.
On the other hand, the research and development speed of heavy tanks has been greatly advanced, but the T34, which is the absolute main force of the tank force on the battlefield, is still in the 76-gun state, unchanged.
Malashenko, who had never considered this aspect at all, finally felt that he should find a way to contact Morozov and speed up the research and development of medium tanks. Not only should the 85 gun be put on the vehicle quickly, but also
Fortunately, we can also get the t44 and t54 in advance.
The overwhelming advantage brought by the overall strategy is more important than the local advantage of the troops under his command.
The medium tank force, which is the main force, is living a comfortable life, and the heavy tank force, which uses its elite force at key points, is bound to benefit from this and be affected.
Previously, I was only thinking about making the heavy tank troops stronger as soon as possible, strengthening my own strength, and saving my life. On the other hand, it was also because I really didn't want to get involved in the political struggle and didn't want to be involved in the overt and covert fighting between Kotin and Morozov.
Get into the whirlpool and make a mess.
But judging from the current situation, the problem is indeed in a state where we have no control over it.
Some of the subtle changes brought about by the butterfly effect have reached a level that is enough to cause qualitative changes. The new monsters of the Germans are released faster and faster day by day, and the output is higher and higher day by day. It is obviously not possible to sit back and watch the situation worsen and develop like this.
As for the First Special Design Bureau, which Morozov is in charge of, there has been no big change for some reason. T3476 has been installed except for slightly changing the shape of the cast head according to the year.
The 85mm cannon used in is1 has no trace of the t34 until now.
Based on the idea that the person who untied the bell must tie the bell, the butterfly effect caused by oneself must also be added to the fire by oneself, burning more vigorously, and further developing and completing in a direction that is beneficial to one's own side.
But now is obviously not the time to say this. Even if you have to risk offending Kotin to contact Morozov, you have to wait until this battle is over. No matter what you say if you can't survive this battle, it won't matter.
Blind in vain.
After receiving Malashenko's urgent order, Karamov did not dare to neglect at all. He led the entire field maintenance battalion almost like crazy and was busy.
The task that was originally planned to take an hour to complete took only forty-two minutes in the end. Although this was a little longer than the time required by Malashenko, Malashenko could see that Karamov had tried his best.
Ko did not say anything because of this, but simply ordered the troops to set off immediately in the direction of Prokhorovka.
At this point in time, there were only three hours left before dawn.
Malashenko had already learned that the SS troops on the opposite side were one step ahead of him. The current situation was that the support troops on both sides were working hard and rushing towards the front line.
Whichever side reaches the fighting position first, even if it is only a few hours in advance, will have an unpredictable and significant impact on the battle situation, so a complete victory is not impossible.
Malashenko, who was so anxious that he kept looking at his watch along the way, leaned his upper body out of the turret and kept scanning back and forth. In the dark night, the long march of steel dragons was endless under the dim moonlight.
Heavy tanks, which have no advantage in speed, are really much slower than medium tanks. When I think about the Germans' group of Black Panthers who are famous for their maneuverability, they may be much faster than me.
Malashenko, who did not dare to place his hopes on the fact that a large number of his opponent's engines would break down midway, once again urged the troops to speed up their march, even if it meant destroying the engines.