Malashenko led the team back to the formation, and Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division was once again complete. Even if it lost one of its most combat-effective elite companies, it didn't matter. For a force so large that it bears the title of division level, it is actually
For a front-line field force with a military level, the loss of a company can only be regarded as superficial, and the German army on the opposite side will still face the most terrifying nightmare.
On the night after the cremation ceremony, Malashenko did not go to bed early because he had to get up early to participate in the battle tomorrow morning. Instead, he carried a bucket of paint that he found from nowhere and worked in front of his car.
stand up.
"What are you painting on it?"
Iushkin, who had something on his mind and couldn't sleep, leaned against the back of the tank and smoked alone. After hearing a strange noise coming from the side and rear, he stood up and saw Malashenko carrying a paint bucket and busy beside the vehicle.
Then he opened his mouth to ask questions.
The bright and cold moonlight shone on the grassland and illuminated everything, allowing Iushkin to see clearly that it was Malashenko, and Malashenko could also see Iushkin who was getting up and about to walk over.
"Paint it so we won't forget what happened today."
"..."
Malashenko's answer seemed to make no sense. Iushkin couldn't figure out what Malashenko was referring to. He could only say that if he stepped forward and took a look, he might find something different.
When Iushkin walked up to Malashenko, he saw clearly that Malashenko, who was holding a paint bucket in one hand and a brush in the other, seemed to be painting something on the side armor of the turret of the car.
.... Text? It’s something similar after all, it’s not just filling in the paint patches that were damaged and dropped during the battle on the car.
"Are you writing something? It looks like..."
Malashenko did not give a direct answer to Iushkin, but threw out ambiguous words and continued what he was doing.
"You'll know after you take a good look."
The passage of time made Malashenko's "work", which he kept painting on the turret with a brush, become more and more clear. Gradually, Iushkin saw what the meaning of Malashenko's strokes was.
A string of sentences painted on a tank turret is not a short sentence.
"Revenge for the hero Kirill..."
"..."
Iushkin read out the handwritten content on the turret and blurted it out. Malashenko, who was holding a white paint bucket and applying the last stroke, also put down what he was holding and announced the end of the work.
"I vow to make all the Fascist bastards who killed Kirill pay the price. This is proof and an incentive to always remind me not to forget what happened today. I also want those Fascist bastards to know why they died.
.”
Malashenko has experienced too many life-and-death farewells among his comrades. This time he was not too immersed in grief and could not extricate himself. However, this does not mean that Malashenko will emotionlessly ignore the things he should keep in mind.
Revenge Kirill and kill the fascist bastards who killed him.
Malashenko's only goal now is that simple, or it may be called an obsession. In short, this is what Malashenko requires himself to accomplish.
The No. 177 IS4 heavy tank, which was originally painted with a very iconic feature, became even more unique after Malashenko's temporary addition.
At the very front of the right side of the turret is the Guards logo, and a little further back is the vehicle call sign "177".
At the front end of the left side of the turret is the division emblem of Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division, a bear head with its fangs wide open and biting the projection of the Iron Cross. Near the middle and rear part is the emblem of Malashenko's hand just now.
The two lines of slogans painted on it, one above and one below, together read "Revenge for the hero Kirill" read by Iushkin himself.
With its fancy turret and summer three-color block camouflage paint all over its body, this absolutely unique IS4 heavy tank will definitely become the most feared nightmare of those Nazi lackeys, whether it is Malashenko or Iushkin.
I think so in my heart.
"I will make those stupid fascist thieves regret setting foot on Soviet territory, regret driving their shabby cars to the village of Marinovo and offending people they shouldn't offend. These stupid pigs will never live in peace no matter how far they go to the ends of the earth.
I swear I won't be a human being if I don't kill all these idiots!"
Malashenko, who swore silently in his heart, did not yet know some things. For example, in a place not far away from where he was now, in the rear of the German-occupied area, there was a place that did not look very inconspicuous.
In the field hospital, the murderer who killed Kirill was lying on the bed and grinning in pain.
"Did the wound open again? You don't look right, Carl."
The man who was sitting beside the bed and never leaving had a worried look on his face. In stark contrast, the man lying on the bed flashed a grimace and then smiled unnaturally in response to the pain.
"It's not that easy to break. It's just a shrapnel that penetrated the belly. Besides, it's been bandaged. I'm not old enough that the wound can't heal."
Seeing the inconsistency in Calvus' words, knowing that this was a deliberate show off unique to young people, the armored major of the Wehrmacht, who had already passed this age, sat at the end of the bed and just sighed softly.
"I hope you are right, just like you did when you contradicted me before the last battle."
Calvus on the battlefield is a very independent person who can maintain a strong sense of self.
As long as it is something he thinks is right, even if his superiors' orders are contrary to this, Calvus will stick to himself without hesitation. Even if he violates his superiors' orders, he will not repent even if he is punished or reprimanded.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing, especially since Calvus can always make the right judgment in most situations.
Once disobedience on the battlefield has gained its benefits, such extremely egoistic people will often stick to themselves. It will be difficult for superiors to effectively issue orders and implement them when they encounter similar situations. This is also the case when sitting by the bed and coming to visit.
Major Hans Schwerner, commander of the 502nd Battalion in Calvus, has always had a headache.
But compared to the current serious injury of Calvus, this is not a big deal. After all, it will be difficult for Calvus to return to the battlefield from now on.
"Let's talk about your personal matters. What do you plan to do after returning from the front line?"
Before he finished speaking, the focus of his eyes unconsciously fell on Calvus's right arm. The arm that had been amputated from the upper arm to the elbow joint had lost his lower arm along with his right hand. Marino planned and launched the plan.
During the raid on Wo Village, Calvus not only lost all the tanks he commanded, but also lost half of his arm. He was also seriously injured and left disabled for life.
"I don't know, I haven't made a plan yet. There is a war on the east and west fronts, Allied planes are bombing Germany indiscriminately every day, and the rear is not stable. How good a life can I have even if I go back?
?This has nothing to do with enjoyment, not to mention that I have become like this."