Malashenko did not know what model the German cannons that bombarded him were, and he had no way of judging from his later memories how far away he had to hide to be a safe distance beyond the reach of those German cannons.
According to Malashenko's guess, the German army deployed those siege artillery in preparation for the bombardment of the main city of Stalingrad.
If this is the case, it will be useless for Malashenko to hide wherever he takes his troops. Even if he retreats into the city, he will still be bombed.
The range of the German siege artillery aimed at shelling the main city could naturally cover all the suburbs outside the city. Malashenko and his troops were able to hide for a while.
As long as today's intense battles with the German army continue to break out in the wild suburbs, being ridden in the face by a huge cannon will definitely be an inevitable disaster. Thinking of Malashenko's head getting even bigger here, he feels really tired.
Judging from the current situation, hiding in the complex terrain of Stalingrad to fight the next street fighting seems to be the only feasible approach.
Malashenko, who was in a state of confusion along the way, finally led his troops to retreat for only five kilometers before stopping immediately and began to deploy defenses in place to prepare for a possible German attack at any time.
Standing on the new temporary position that he had retreated to, Malashenko, holding binoculars in his hands, could even clearly see the main city of Stalingrad behind him. From such a close distance, there was little left to continue.
There is no room for retreat. If the Germans are repelled again, Malashenko will have no choice but to retreat into the city with his troops.
Malashenko, who was in a complicated mood, stood there thinking about what to do next. Political Commissar Petrov, who had been in charge of setting up the field regiment, suddenly rushed over at this moment.
"New news, Malashenko. Front Army Headquarters has called back!"
Malashenko, who was interrupted from thinking, turned around, and political commissar Petrov, who was running over with the newly released message in his hand, was standing next to him.
"What did the telegram say?"
"Wouldn't you know if you saw it yourself?"
"..."
Malashenko picked up the telegram and held it in front of him with both hands. He quickly read through it at a glance. However, the content recorded in the telegram made Malashenko's face obviously not very good.
Zhukov's reply to Malashenko was very simple. The front army headquarters had learned about the German army's use of large artillery and allowed him to retreat temporarily, but he could no longer continue to retreat endlessly.
The current position is the last line of defense that Malashenko must hold on to. Before receiving more precise and clear orders, Malashenko must hold on to his position and do all his work.
What Malashenko doesn't know at this moment is...
After repelling the first heavy tank breakthrough regiment of the Guards with a fierce bombardment, the two K5s with still warm gun barrels turned around on the circular railway track of the position and turned their muzzles, pointing the 21-meter-long black cannon tube at them.
Targeting the Soviet troops that were already stagnant in other main directions of attack, they opened fire and bombarded the Soviet troops in several directions so miserable that they could only retreat tactically. The Germans used special siege artillery to deal with the ground troops.
The approach was obviously beyond everyone's expectations.
But even so, Zhukov still has no intention of giving up this counterattack immediately.
Firstly, Comrade Stalin, the loving father in Moscow, was still asking Zhukov about the situation on the front line and was waiting for good news about the counterattack. Secondly, the counterattack had indeed not achieved its goal of neutralizing the edge of the German offensive and slowing down the attack speed of the large German army.
According to Zhukov's original plan, there will still be battles to be fought in the next few days. If it ends in such a hasty manner and retreats immediately, all the next action plans will be in vain.
If possible, Zhukov would like to try his best to try again with his own ability and all the existing troops at hand. Not giving up easily is the truest thought in Zhukov's heart at this time.
It is conceivable that it is very difficult for Zhukov to issue such an order, but there are people who are more difficult and more entangled than him at this moment, such as our Malashin who looks like he has eaten rat shit.
Comrade Ke.
Holding the last line of defense on the outskirts of the city where we are currently is an order that is easier said than done.
Malashenko, who had been psychologically affected by the Germans' crazy siege artillery, really didn't want to taste this extremely sour "pleasure" again.
As soon as the basin-sized shell hits it, even if it is near-missed, you can feel the tank swaying. If it hits directly or is only a few meters away, Malashenko estimates that his crew will not even need to rescue him.
Don't worry, restoring it to the parts state on the spot will result in basically no variables.
Malashenko was so angry with those abominable German siege artillery that he even thought about how great it would be if his own aviation launched a surprise attack and blew up those things. All the Red Army ground troops on the front line, including himself, would be destroyed.
You don’t have to suffer the consequences of being ridiculed by this giant cannon.
But combined with the current frontline situation and the densely packed German air force fleet this morning, which was so large that it could cover the sky, Malashenko, who could only think about it, quickly abandoned this unrealistic dream choice.
The back of the head.
"Gan! These Germans are fucking you!"
It was the exact opposite of Zhukov's frown and Malashenko's scolding at the front headquarters.
At the headquarters of the German Sixth Army, which had just reversed the unfavorable situation this morning, Paulus, who was standing in front of the hanging map of the theater and staring closely at the symbols of the Soviet counterattack posture, unexpectedly trotted in from the excitement.
Major General Schmidt, the chief of staff at the headquarters, received surprising news.
"Good news! Good news came from the front line. Those two slim Bertha played a big role! The reconnaissance plane observing the Soviet position reported that the Soviet army quickly retreated from the position they occupied this morning after falling into chaos for a while.
It’s over! Our frontline troops have taken over the positions left behind by the Soviet army’s retreat, and the current frontline situation has basically returned to what it was before the Soviet army launched its counterattack!”
The two K5 train guns could be so powerful. Such an effect far exceeded Paulus's expectations. Being able to hold back the Soviet army before dark was the last result he expected. But after thinking about it, Paulus
Si seemed to have found a reasonable answer, and then turned around with his hands behind his back and faced his chief of staff with a smile on his face.
"I suddenly remembered what a philosopher said, Schmidt, the most instinctive fear of human beings comes from the unknown! It seems that compared with the air force planes and bombs in the sky that can be heard by ears and seen by eyes, these are the ones that we never know.
The direction and the distance from which the cannon shells are fired can make the Russians more frightened! This is good, very good!"