Lavrinenko, who quickly caught up from behind, stopped Malashenko as he continued to walk towards his car. He was also not very clear about the current situation of the old site of the Kirov Factory in Leningrad.
, Malashenko, who put his hands on his hips and sighed softly, turned back and spoke softly to his partner.
"Commander Zhukov told me that there are new tanks there, and he also gave me a special note for approval. Other than that, like you, I don't know anything. Issues such as quantity and model will be clear to us after we get there.
The workers are using the most primitive machines or even hand-made tanks, so I think it’s better not to have too high expectations.”
The confused Lavrinenko finally understood a little bit after hearing Malashenko's explanation. The two people had no idea what the situation was like at the former site of the Kirov Factory in Leningrad.
, and thus took the troops on a journey to receive new equipment.
The road to the former site of the Kirov Factory was not smooth. The Soviets were not good at road construction. The road quality itself was not very reliable. The German army's continuous bombing of the city of Leningrad for many days worsened the bad road conditions.
Huge craters appeared on the road ahead from time to time, forcing even KV1 heavy tanks to take a detour.
"These damn fascists, even if their ground troops can't attack, the bombs in the sky are still going up and down every day like the sun rises and sets. What are they doing?"
The upper body of his body was stretched out of the turret to breathe in the relatively fresh air. Malashenko, who was staring at the scenery with his hands drooped, then responded to Iushkin who complained.
"In order to break our determination and crush our will to resist, it doesn't matter how many people are killed in the eyes of the Germans. When you feel hysterical and collapsed by the roar of bombs and the roar of aircraft engines that sound every day, those who
The goal of German Fascism has been achieved."
As he spoke, Malashenko's car, which was the leader of the entire armored column, had arrived at its destination. The factory walls that had been blown into ruins were shattered into pieces, and wisps of black were still exuding outside the factory gate.
The huge crater of smoke can be felt by just looking at it with the naked eye.
"It doesn't look good. Kirill grabs his weapon and gets out of the car with me. The others stay put."
Malashenko, who led Kirill and jumped down from the turret, then came to the outside of the factory wall that smelled of burnt smoke. It was not known whether it had been dismantled manually or blown up by a German air strike. The gate was missing.
, leaving two Red Army soldiers holding Mosin-Nagant rifles standing beside the broken ruins, guarding their posts.
The Red Army soldiers stationed in this almost emptied old factory area were obviously not as elite as those in the Smolny Palace headquarters. Facing Malashenko, who jumped down from the turret and came to the front with Kirill, he
, these two Red Army soldiers without any arrogance actually raised their hands to salute Malashenko first.
He raised his hand slightly to the two Red Army soldiers who were obviously new recruits in front of him and returned the favor. Malashenko, who was extremely anxious and had something to do, quickly handed over his ID to the two Red Army soldiers in front of him.
.
"Who is in charge of the old Kirov factory now? I have a very important task and I must meet the person in charge."
A Red Army soldier who handed Malashenko's military ID card that had been inspected and compounded at the Front Army Headquarters quickly closed it and handed it back to Malashenko with both hands and quickly answered.
"Reporting to Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, Engineer Ivankov is in charge. The valuable equipment and main technical personnel in the factory have been evacuated long ago, and now only the earliest batch of old equipment of little value are left.
Some people who live locally are unwilling to evacuate the workers, and you are the first comrade commander to come here these days."
The situation described by the guard was basically consistent with what Malashenko had already understood in his heart. Malashenko, who had no time to delay, immediately took back his military officer's ID card and raised his hand.
"Please help me lead the way, comrade, I want to see Engineer Ivankov now."
About five minutes later, Malashenko, who was jogging all the way, met the so-called engineer Ivankov, the current person in charge of the factory, under the leadership of the guards.
This pair of over fifty-year-old engineer wearing a pair of round black-rimmed glasses, almost obscured by the thick lenses to the point where he could hardly see his eyes clearly, looked to Malashenko more like an old university professor than a statue.
An engineer at a tank factory.
"Uncle Ivan, this is Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko. I have something important to talk to you about."
The opening introduction of the guard beside him broke Malashenko's eyes as he looked up and down at the old engineer in front of him. Malashenko, who had to keep the story short, went straight to the point. He immediately entered the empty factory building where even the roof had been opened by German bombs.
Echoed Malashenko's sonorous voice.
"I wish you good health, Engineer Ivankov. This is a note from the commander of the front army, Comrade General Zhukov. I hope to receive maximum equipment support from you. My troops and I have just returned from the front line outside Leningrad.
The losses have been huge. If we don’t make up for it, we won’t be able to continue to invest in the next phase of the battle.”
After taking the slightly wrinkled note from Malashenko, he looked closely at it and looked at it carefully. His eyes were blocked under the thick glass lenses, and then he squinted at the person wearing a fireproof combat uniform and wearing a headgear that smelled of diesel.
Malashenko, who was wearing a black leather tank cap and had an anxious look on his face, sounded like he was suffering from asthma. His hoarse voice immediately echoed in Malashenko's ears, as if he lacked strength.
"We have been preparing for this moment for a long time, Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko, please come with me."
Malashenko, who was following the old engineer Ivankov, was walking in the factory building in working condition. He fell down next to the old machine tool that was full of oil, with his head lowered and barely resting, but still holding a wrench in his hand. A group of technicians shouted slogans.
Workers are using human guide chains to lift the tank turret. These scenes that have never been seen before are constantly impacting Malashenko's eyes in the most realistic form.
"It's hard to imagine that they are still producing tanks in such a state. They are simply using manpower to produce and assemble them by hand. It's really shocking!"
The exclamation from Kirill, his colleague beside him, also represents Malashenko's true thoughts at the moment. Malashenko only heard this from his father who retired from professional life when he was Lin Jie in his previous life.
I have heard descriptions of similar scenes before, and now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I can imagine the impact on my heart.