"Thank you for being here, Comrade Malashenko. If your troops hadn't dared to come to support us, I simply can't imagine how our division could have jumped out of this encirclement on its own. Your brigade's tanks and cars are simply better than any division I've ever seen.
There are so many first-level troops, it’s really enviable.”
If it was a peaceful chat, Malashenko would probably brag to Commander Suvorov.
Brother, what you see now is not that our brigade is fully equipped with equipment. After fighting several tough battles, we only have this little possessions left. Otherwise, it would be no problem to load all of your division directly into the truck and take it away.
Comrades outside the tank must be careful not to be squeezed out of the vehicle.
However, the current situation is not a time for bragging. Enemies like vicious dogs may appear in any direction at any time, and dangers are everywhere.
With the map of the war zone unfolded in his hand, Malashenko did not have time to get out of the car and started a combat meeting directly on the turret. He used the turret dome as a conference table to spread out the map and held it with his hands while the tank was moving.
The open top cover blurted out to Division Commander Suvorov on the engine room at the rear end of the turret.
"We'll talk about unnecessary things later, comrade division commander, now we have to pay attention to the situation on the battlefield."
"If there is no deviation between our planned retreat direction and the actual marching route, it will take us two hours to round up with the nearest rear troops at the current marching speed. The entire Prokhorovka attack force has been scattered
, there may be evacuating friendly troops and German pursuers everywhere, but we just didn’t encounter them along our route.”
"We don't know the specific situation now, but we have to consider the worst case scenario. The probability of hitting the Germans will increase linearly in the next two hours. I mean our front, not the rubbish of the Guardsmen behind us.
They catch up. Considering the possibility that the enemy's encirclement has been successfully encircled, I think we must be prepared for battle."
Malashenko pointed at the map and spoke quickly, explaining his judgment and opinions as if he were holding a candy ball in his mouth. He held his hand on the specially welded end of the turret, and stabilized his posture with the steel handrails that were convenient for infantry to use.
Commander Suvorov, whose eyes were all focused on the map, nodded frequently.
"My opinion is the same as yours, Comrade Malashenko. Looking back on the battle just now, it is obvious that the group of SS bastards were trying to delay our retreat and buy time for their encirclement to close.
They want to eat us all in one go. Hmm, the Germans have a big appetite, but they don’t have that much ability yet.”
The 1st Stalin Guards Heavy Tank Brigade is a force with extremely strong offensive energy. Even if such a force is retreating, it is very difficult to intercept it through mobile warfare.
Especially when the Skeleton Division and the Imperial Division had just joined forces and closed the encirclement, and Malashenko led his men to rush over like this, there was even a danger for the Germans that the encirclement would be broken through. And if the encirclement was like this
Once it is broken, more than one or two troops may rush out from this gap, and the entire encirclement plan that has been painstakingly planned has the risk of losing everything.
To be on the safe side, it seemed like a good idea to force the Russian steel monster into a position where it could not move. This was also the situation that Malashenko encountered in the end.
The Guards Division paid a high price for this, but what it may have gained in exchange was a perfect encirclement, which contained all Soviet troops in the entire theater.
Seeing that Division Commander Suvorov could understand what he meant and had the same view, Malashenko nodded briefly and was about to discuss in detail how to coordinate the attack deployment to win a battle if he encountered an enemy that successfully encircled him.
Rush out with a breath.
But before he could say anything, Iushkin, who had returned to the turret saying he was going to get a pack of spare cigarettes, made some noise and walked straight out of the turret holding a wired wireless transmitter in one hand.
"Comrade Political Commissar is looking for you. It seems that the leading investigation team has discovered it."
"Comrade Political Commissar?"
Malashenko, who seemed to have a question mark on his face, glanced at Iushkin's head sticking out of the turret. Political Commissar Petrov indeed asked to lead the vanguard in person to facilitate communication and command, but instead placed him in the middle with Suvoro.
Malashenko, who was staying with his husband's division commander, was left behind. But he was with Lavrinenko, and it shouldn't be the front-line reconnaissance force.
Malashenko, who imagined that Comrade Comrade Political Commissar would lead the investigation in person, was a little scared. What the hell would it be like if he encountered some unexpected situation? He quickly turned around and took the microphone from Iushkin's hand and pressed the button.
Clicked the button.
"I'm Malashenko, please speak!"
"The situation is not good, Comrade Brigade Commander. The reconnaissance force discovered the enemy about five kilometers away from your current position. A group of Germans are building a position outside the ruins of a village on our only way. Depending on the situation, the enemy
It's already faster than us, and the encirclement may have been completed."
Comrade Political Commissar's voice was all too familiar. Malashenko, who was holding a microphone in his hand when he heard the news, felt his heart skip a beat. After all, he could not believe that the deterioration of the situation was indeed as bad as he had expected.
.
"How many people are there? Do they carry heavy weapons? Have anti-tank positions been deployed and armored troops have appeared? Is the terrain of the entire village conducive to a breakthrough?"
Malashenko asked this series of questions almost without thinking. The political commissar who knew Malashenko very well was already prepared on the other end of the microphone, and then pressed the button again to give the answer.
"There are not many of them, probably only one battalion. The tanks have arrived outside the village. They are the latest Panther tanks, but they are in a minority. Most of the rest are old No. 3 and No. 4 tanks. You can see
There are about ten or so vehicles in total, and I don’t know if there are other invisible ones hidden in the blind spot.”
"The anti-tank gun position was being built. Some soldiers saw the enemy unloading the artillery from the tractor. They must have just arrived. Heavy artillery and other heavy weapons were not seen. Lavery was leading people to prepare for the first wave of attack. He
The tanks have been warmed up and started up, and the Germans have also discovered us. The outside of the village is very lively now."
One battalion plus a dozen tanks carried no other heavy weapons other than anti-tank guns.
With the support of these key information, it can at least prove that even if the enemy's encirclement has been closed, it has just been completed.
If it is only this level of strength at the junction, then Malashenko still has hope of breaking through and fighting out. The key lies in how many German follow-up troops are rushing towards this imminent breakthrough point.
There is no doubt that Malashenko has now reached the final moment where he must race against time.