The end of a battle does not mean the final victory. The unexpected news that comes one after another indicates that there are more dangerous battles waiting ahead. Malashenko, who has little time to waste, must continue to move forward as quickly as possible.
"Are you all ready? Is there any latest news?"
At the same time as the battle ended, the advancing division headquarters was moved to the newly occupied position. Malashenko, who did not even have time to set up a tent, and Commissar Petrov stood in the cold wind and spread the map onto the armor of the tank.
The board served as a table, and Commissar Petrov quickly gave answers to Malashenko's questions.
"The aviation reconnaissance plane reported that the line of defense we just took down was only the outermost security position of the German army. It seems to have a lot of troops, more than a regiment of infantry, but the superiors estimate that the real role of this line of defense is only in the main position in the rear.
Building a buffer zone between us and our offensive edge can also explain the fact that the German armored forces are not here, let alone appear."
"In this way, even if the Germans in front are defeated, at least they will have a place to retreat to. If a piece of the position is lost, there will still be another piece to defend. At least they will not be defeated so completely in one fell swoop, and there will still be someone who can make a comeback.
Opportunity, that's what the Germans think."
"Sounds a very familiar strategic plan, doesn't it? Hehe, those Germans are also learning from us, learning from our echelon layout and deep defense, which means that the further back you fight, the greater the danger you may encounter.
.If the Germans notice your movements and respond in time, you must be prepared to face the main force of the Germans."
Malashenko's mission was to carry out a strategic roundabout and encircle all the German troops in the Cherkasy protrusion, arrive at the encirclement point designated by his superiors within the specified time, and successfully join up with another friendly force. This would be a declaration.
mission completed.
But those German guys are not fools. They will not sit there and wait for you to surround them. Even the live fish on the chopping board will have to jump twice when the kitchen knife cuts them, let alone
people.
If the Germans detect and capture Malashenko's main force and strategic intentions, I can't say that the Germans will definitely send a large force to try to block it, but at least the Germans will try to do something before the encirclement is closed, and it is best to jump.
go out.
In this case, it will not be so easy for Malashenko to complete his mission. Either he will play a cross-country training race with the Germans, or he will have to have a big fight near the final encirclement point. This is
The result is absolutely predictable, and this is obviously not what Malashenko wants to see.
Is there any effective solution?
certainly.
"The Germans will not be given a chance to react. The friendly forces responsible for the frontal attack will interfere with the Germans' strategic judgment and disguise our strategic intentions. I will personally lead the team to the encirclement point before the Germans try to break out of the encirclement.
That piece of land is nailed. As long as there are no problems with the encircling troops in the other direction, victory will definitely belong to us."
Political Commissar Petrov, who had a cigarette in his mouth, listened and nodded. If it were another friendly force, it might have some problems, but the Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division commanded by Malashenko has an unusual
powerful offensive energy.
The ultra-high level of mechanization is also one of the iconic features of this heroic unit. Cross-country training and speed tests are the strengths of the Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division. It should not be a big problem to use its own strengths to attack the other's weaknesses.
.
"You will do it, I believe in you, but there are other things to pay attention to."
Political Commissar Petrov, who flicked out the few cigarette butts left in his mouth, changed the topic and began to talk about more specific details with Malashenko from the strategic layout to the tactical level.
"I have also read the documents and reports that were collected in Valosha. What do you think of the new German heavy tanks mentioned above? These things have obviously been deployed in the war zone. Not surprisingly, they are near us.
Standby at a distant location."
The introduction of a new type of equipment into the battlefield will bring some unpredictable variables to the battle situation. If used well, it may even have the opportunity to reverse the entire battle situation and change the outcome. Political Commissar Petrov's worries are by no means unnecessary.
But compared to Commissar Petrov's serious expression, Malashenko, who boasted that he was confident, grinned.
"How big a problem can it be? The Germans just picked out a stronger new cat from their zoo and let it out of the cage. The final result will not change at all. They have new heavy tanks and so do we, and I don't
I think there will be more Germans than us, and I have many ways to deal with these sick cats."
Regarding equipment and specific combat matters, Commissar Petrov has always not interfered much and will not interfere with Malashenko.
As the saying goes, there is a hierarchy of knowledge and expertise. As a military commander, Malashenko naturally has his areas of expertise. Political Commissar Petrov, who has not been in a tank to participate in a battle for a long time, believes that Malashenko is in
In this regard, he knows how to measure and has better abilities than him. When the war is imminent, it is better to let Malashenko do it and perform on his own.
"Well, since you are sure, I can only wish you victory. But you still have to remember to be careful on the battlefield. The Germans' combat power is not as good as before and has declined sharply. The battle just now illustrates it well.
The problem is, don’t be tricked by enemies who are on the decline like this.”
Older elders will more or less have some necessary care for the younger generation. Malashenko feels that Political Commissar Petrov is in such a situation. Doing everything you should do is more important than any kind of rhetorical answer.
powerful.
"Stay at the division headquarters and wait for my good news! It won't be long before we can kill all these Germans shivering in the ice and snow. I will do what I say."
The fully equipped Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division soon set off again, but this time the direction of advance changed slightly.
Having already found out the direction of the enemy's next line of defense, Malashenko chose not to touch this bad luck and try to save some time. He detoured from the northern and outer areas of the Germans' next line of defense and passed quickly, using the map and
Investigation showed that the German army lacked troop deployment in this area close to the area controlled by the Soviet army.
The only bad thing is that there is really no road at all in this poor place. It is an unobstructed, open terrain with bare snowfields that cannot be defended at all. It is no wonder that the Germans are so neglectful of this damn place.
Prevention.
One thing that can be foreseen is that even if Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division is highly mechanized, it cannot pass through it too fast, but in general it is still much faster than attacking the German defense line with great effort.