He put his colonel's tank soldier's winter coat directly over his combat uniform, and the black leather tank cap on his head was replaced by a brand new large-brimmed regular service cap.
Malashenko, who hastily tidied up his appearance, waited and waited, but no convoy came. It was true that his body was that of an out-and-out indigenous person, but his soul was really frozen.
Malashenko, who couldn't help but wrap his coat tightly in the trench, put down the low-visibility binoculars in his hand and asked the political commissar beside him for the first time.
"It will get dark soon, are you sure you will come?"
"It's very clear in the telegram whether you're coming or not. It's not like you didn't read it, so why bother asking me here all the time."
""
Malashenko, who was scolded with an expressionless expression, smacked his lips twice but still didn't know what to say. When he was about to raise the telescope in his hand and look around again, there was a roar of an engine from far to near.
Suddenly the sound of wind reached my ears.
"Here it comes, two o'clock direction, our Gas Jeep, get ready."
Malashenko, who has traveled through time to this special era, has so far seen many people that he has only seen in black and white photos. Most of these people are different from the photo impressions in Malashenko's mind.
.
For example, Comrade Zhu in the office is more amiable and approachable than in the photo, and Comrade Stalin, the father-in-law during the military parade in Red Square, is not so serious and rigid. Looking from a distance, he feels more charisma and cohesion.
But when Malashenko saw a living Vatutin stepping out of the car for the first time in his life and walking toward him with steady steps, Malashenko felt as if the person in the photo had walked out of the frame alive.
One hundred percent similar.
"You look more like a real Red Army tank hero than in the photo, Colonel Malashenko. You command the troops very well!"
Before Malashenko, who was looking at Vatutin, could recover, the first person to speak after walking up to him was Vatutin himself, as his superior.
"It's all thanks to the soldiers, Comrade Commander. Colonel Malashenko, commander of the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, reports to you. I wish you good health!"
Realizing that he was just looking at people, Malashenko hurriedly added an opening sentence, fearing that he would get into trouble due to poor service, but Vatutin smiled cheerfully as if he didn't care.
"Let's talk while we walk, Comrade Malashenko, take me to see the German super cannon that your brigade just captured."
"Okay, Comrade Commander, please come with me."
Malashenko, who was responsible for leading Vatutin, introduced the situation while walking. At the same time, he also noticed that Vatutin came here specially with only three vehicles, and all of them were light, fast, and carried a small number of passengers.
Jeeps, including the one he was riding in.
A dignified commander of the front army went out with only such a small number of escorts, and went to a front-line battlefield where artillery fire was flying, and enemies might appear at any time.
Malashenko could probably guess why this chubby commander comrade, who had a Chinese-character face and looked like a friendly uncle next door, was raped by a group of only one or two hundred people after just over a year.
The Ukrainian treasonous lackey was seriously injured and eventually died.
"It seems that if you go back to Ukraine in the future, you will need to bring more security when you go out, so as not to be shot in the dark and unjustly accused."
This is the first conclusion Malashenko draws.
As for this second conclusion, Malashenko also came to it in an instant, that is, Vatutin is definitely a more reckless man than himself.
"When you ordered the troops to go forward for the assault, did you ever think about it, Comrade Malashenko, that doing so might cause you to fall into an ambush surrounded by Germans, resulting in heavy losses for the troops or the annihilation of the entire army, and for you
Might he be punished by being demoted, or even the result of a court-martial?"
Sure enough, I knew I would ask this!
Malashenko, who said in his heart that his hunch was right, couldn't help complaining. He couldn't tell Vatutin that he was a time traveler from later generations. He already knew that Paulus, who was half-dead in the city, was already at the end of his strength. Let alone mobilize troops quickly.
In response, they broke out of the city to ambush, and even the Romanians who supported them were reluctant to send troops. This is definitely unrealistic.
Malashenko, whose head was spinning rapidly, thought about it for a moment, and soon gave his answer just like Vatutin.
"Confidence in victory comes from the grasp and judgment of the overall battle situation, Comrade Commander."
"After analysis, my partners and I believe that our early attack preparations were concealed enough and kept secret, and after the attack started, our offensive was unstoppable and fast enough to prevent the enemy from reacting after being beaten.
Disrupting the strategic deployment is a prerequisite that is very beneficial to us."
"The ancient Chinese believed that a fast enough attack and tactics that go against common sense will lead to an unexpected victory. In their words, "Soldiers must be quick, soldiers can be cunning, and surprise will lead to a complete victory."
"I know this may sound a little difficult to understand for a while, but I implemented this tactic according to my own understanding of it, combined with the actual battlefield conditions we have encountered so far since the counterattack began."
"The Romanian prisoners who happened to be caught reported that the Germans' super weapon was deployed not far away. It was a super cannon with extremely large diameter and power. After weighing the battlefield situation, I judged that the Germans would definitely
They definitely don't want us to capture such an important super weapon in such a hurry."
"It turns out that my judgment was correct. We intercepted the Germans who were dismantling the cannon and successfully stopped them. Now we can be happy to say that this German super weapon will have to be called the Soviet name in the future.
."
Malashenko talked very carefully as he walked. The entourage and guards who were originally following him intentionally or unintentionally distanced themselves from the two men, leaving Vatutin and Malashenko alone.
Only then can the two of them hear each other's communication space.
Malashenko specially arranged a small ceremony to welcome Vatutin's arrival. This was a review ceremony that gathered all IS1 heavy tanks of the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Brigade.
The hot car was started, and dozens of IS1s were arranged to attack in the direction of the enemy. They were low-pitched and trembling with steel bodies. All the commanders stood half-length outside the turret and saluted Vatutin. In the dim light of the upcoming night,
It still looks majestic, powerful and magnificent.
"Where is the Romanian prisoner? Can you bring him to see him?"
Malashenko certainly knew which Romanian prisoner Vatutin was referring to, and he also had a plan to deal with it.
"During the march, he broke away from the prisoners who were inconvenient to guard and escaped. He shot him to death even though the warning was ineffective. It was Deputy Brigade Commander Lavrinenko who commanded the main gun of his vehicle to complete the task."
With his best friend and good friend helping to back him up, Malashenko is naturally not afraid of his lies being exposed, and Lavrinenko's IQ is more than enough to deal with such trivial issues.
Fortunately, Vatutin, who seemed to be just asking casually, did not intend to delve deeper into this. After all, the existing results in front of him were already more important to Vatutin than the passing process.
All actions were aimed at the ultimate victory, and Malashenko obviously implemented and achieved this very well, even if it was done based on his own subjective judgment.
Looking at the majestic and domineering batch of new heavy tanks in front of them, which they had only heard of but never seen before, the commanders who stood with their heads high and half-length outside the tank turret seemed to have an indescribable special feeling.
Vatutin felt that he was gradually beginning to understand why General Zhukov had such a high opinion of this young tank colonel.
"You did a great job, Comrade Malashenko. You did lead a legendary army of heroes, as is widely said."