The reporting phone call on the night of August 23 finally resulted in Malashenko not knowing what to say.
In view of the fact that Malashenko's 1st Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment has suffered heavy losses recently and has always insisted on the front line of the fierce battle. After comprehensive discussions with Commander Yereomenko and careful consideration, Vasilevsky finally issued the order
Let Malashenko's troops temporarily withdraw deeper into the city to avoid the German edge.
On the phone, Vasilevsky told Malashenko that some tank units that had been regrouped after being defeated on the front line had begun to take shape. In addition, some tanks were damaged on the battlefield or temporarily disabled due to mechanical failures.
The tanks that have been used in the battle are currently being recycled and repaired as soon as possible so that they can be put to use soon.
"There are still many battles to be fought, and more brutal and fierce battles are waiting for us. Use this last precious time to prepare, Malashenko, I hope the answer waiting for me is that you are ready.
Now, when you and your troops are needed most."
Malashenko, who was holding the phone in his hand, had no expression on his face.
In just three months, Malashenko's First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment lost at least more than 120 tanks.
The tank crews changed one after another, and Malashenko was a little dizzy with the unfamiliar faces that came one after another. He even had no time to remember their names.
After a cruel and unusual blocking battle at the tractor factory, he had to go through the same thing again. Malashenko, who was already numb to this, finally just spoke softly and replied to Vasilevsky with some simple responses, and rushed to the scene before dawn.
The position handover work has been completed with the two infantry divisions that came to change defenses.
Malashenko, who was squatting on the roadside of the ruins, held a cigarette with green smoke that had just been lit in his mouth. What rumbled past him was the First Guards heavy tank that had once again suffered heavy losses and lost nearly half of its breakthrough.
regiment, and striding past on the street in front of them were a large number of Red Army infantry division troops with high morale.
"It would be more appropriate to leave the defensive task to them. It would be detrimental to us to sink our feet into the fixed defensive position of the tractor factory. Let the troops take a good rest and prepare for the next battle. In the past few months, we have
It’s really exhausting.”
It was political commissar Petrov who stood next to Malashenko and started persuading him. Whenever Malashenko seemed lost or dazed, he would always be the first to stand up and persuade him.
Malashenko, who beat the brains out of a dog with the German army in this small tractor factory, may be unwilling to do so, but it may also be for other reasons.
All in all, even Malashenko himself at this moment was not sure why he felt a little disappointed at being ordered to be removed from the front line.
"It's the same wherever we go, Comrade Comrade Political Commissar. We always have to keep fighting in the city, and the good old days of launching an attack on the Germans on the open grasslands are gone forever. We have to prepare the troops for their actions.
Preparations for war in the city.”
He took a long puff of the cigarette butt in his mouth and then threw it on the ground and stamped it out with his feet.
Malashenko knew very well that being removed from the front line this time was probably the last time he waved goodbye to fighting in an open area.
The next time he obeys the order and goes to the battlefield, what awaits him is probably an arduous battle with the German army fighting for every house among the ruins.
In accordance with the order, he withdrew deeper into the city to rest and wait for replenishment. In the past few days, Malashenko has been shuttling back and forth between the front army headquarters and his regiment headquarters.
The regiment headquarters was basically busy with matters related to the reorganization and reorganization of the troops. As for the front army headquarters, there were some meetings about the specific use and details of tank units in urban operations. Malashenko was regarded as a tank expert.
I am a special invitee to attend and express my opinions.
Meetings at this level are not high-level, and Vasilevsky and Yeremenko generally do not chair the meeting in person. At most, the director of the Operations Department or the chief of staff of the front army comes to attend and preside over the meeting and briefly speaks a few words.
Most of the people who came to attend the meeting were tank unit commanders at the brigade, division, and deputy corps levels. The lowest military rank was colonel. There was only one lieutenant colonel commander like Malashenko who came to attend the meeting.
Even though the German army had not yet invaded the city, the Stalingrad Front Army Command, which had foreseen the dark clouds coming over the city, had already thought about how to use the tank troops in urban operations.
No one knows how to deal with this new combat environment and mode. It is obviously a big problem to transform the great plains movement and assault tank combat environment that have worked well in the past into combat in a narrow city, but it is a big problem for those who have traveled through time with the memories of future generations.
Malashenko is obviously not within the framework of this big issue.
Malashenko, who has a high enough voice, put forward his own unique suggestions at the meeting, which mainly included breaking up the large-scale tank units into parts, and forming combat teams with infantry, assault engineers and other arms to work closely together.
Cooperate and be responsible for solving various sporadic troublesome battles on the small and medium-sized roads and alleys in the city.
For main roads in urban areas and wider areas such as factories and railway stations that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, Malashenko also recommended not to use large-scale tank troops to conduct group operations and charge.
No matter how wide the main road in the city is, it cannot accommodate dozens or hundreds of tanks charging at the same time. The wreckage of the tank destroyed in the front can only block the path forward and the view of the gun line of the tanks behind, allowing more tanks to become the target of German anti-tank firepower.
Living target.
For these occasions that are still wide enough to accommodate small-organized tanks for collective operations, Malashenko suggested that tank units at the platoon and company levels can be used as the basic combat organization, combined with infantry at the company, battalion level or more for combat operations.
Launching an attack can achieve twice the result with half the effort than a large group of iron bastards stuck in a dilemma on land at the same time.
All in all, Malashenko emphasized that in a limited urban space, under the premise of winning victory, as little investment as possible in the integrated system, large clusters of tank troops can fight collectively.
Malashenko still remembers that during the days when he was studying abroad at Moscow State University, it was clearly written in the war history materials he read in the school library.
The 26 private non-monkey T72 main battle tanks of the 131st Brigade of the Russian Army were alone in the street fighting in Grozny. A large number of iron bastards were directed towards the central urban area and the train station without infantry cover.
Unexpectedly, it ended up being beaten to pieces by the Chechen rebels, all 26 T72 main battle tanks had their heads blown off, and the entire army was eventually annihilated.