Steel Soviet Union

Seeing that Marshal Timoshenko in front of him was straight to the point, Zhukov, who knew that time waited for no one and the war was urgent, simply spoke out.

"The upcoming second phase of the offensive in the direction of Yelniya must have a sufficient number of tank troops. The Reserve Front currently only has one tank division, which is fundamental for this kind of front-level battle. It’s not enough to cope with and consume.”

"If possible, Comrade Marshal, I hope to borrow a sufficient number of tank troops from you, at least to ensure that enough tanks can be gathered at a key breakthrough point to break through the enemy's defense line. Only in this way can I There is absolute certainty that the city of Yelnya will be recaptured from the Germans.”

Marshal Timoshenko, who was also a senior general of the Soviet Red Army, was naturally very clear about Zhukov's outstanding command ability.

As early as the Battle of Nomonhan, the Japanese Kwantung Army, which had long planned its northern advance strategy, was completely cured of its dissatisfaction by Zhukov, then commander of the 57th Special Forces of the Soviet Far East Military Region, in just one battle.

The Japanese Kwantung Army, which has always advocated infantry offensive tactics, encountered a large-scale armored group charge launched by Zhukov in which 450 tanks of various types were concentrated on one point.

Even though the flesh-and-blood infantry shouted long live the Emperor and was blessed with the spirit of bushido, it was still of no avail.

Aircraft cover was provided in the sky, tank groups charged on the ground, and Soviet field artillery groups in the rear were supported by volleys of heavy artillery barrages.

The Japanese Kwantung Army, which was confident that it could reproduce its glorious record in the Russo-Japanese War, was instantly defeated by Zhukov's "Red Army version of blitzkrieg" and suffered heavy losses. It no longer dared to breed in the border area between Outer Mongolia and Manchuria. Any incident or initiation of any provocative act.

After this battle, Zhukov not only proved his outstanding military commanding ability and important value in front of Stalin, but also won the Soviet's highest honorary title "Hero of the Soviet Union" award, making his military career smooth from then on.

It was the first time that the unlucky Japanese Kwantung Army practiced the strategic deployment of concentrated operations of its own large corps. It proved the feasibility of this multi-arms coordination and concentrated breakthrough advantageous force on one point to launch a fierce offensive tactic, which laid the foundation for Zhukov's future battles. The wrestling and confrontation among outstanding generals of the German army laid a solid foundation for actual combat.

Judging from the summary of the results after the Battle of Nomonhan alone, there is no doubt that Zhukov's outstanding command and application capabilities of the armored forces have been tested in actual combat.

Zhukov's tactics of concentrating armored forces on one point for a breakthrough offensive deployment are somewhat similar to the blitz tactics that Guderian has always advocated and promoted among the German army. Compared with Pavlov, who turned back history and advocated that "tanks are only auxiliary equipment for infantry offensive", he is much better.

Marshal Timoshenko, also an outstanding Red Army general, combined with his practical summary of the new German blitzkrieg tactics at the juncture after the Pavlov case was closed by Stalin.

He naturally has reason to believe in the tactics of concentrated use of tank troops advocated by Zhukov. He is also very willing to believe in Zhukov's outstanding talent and commanding ability in commanding tank troops, and will hand over the tank troops to Zhukov's hands to deal with Yelini. Asian attacks may achieve better results.

"Okay, Zhukov. In order to recapture the city of Yelnya, I think I must support you with some tank troops."

After speaking softly, he stared at the schematic diagram of the war zone in front of him and kept thinking about it. Marshal Timoshenko, who was constantly thinking about which elite tank unit should be sent to reinforce Zhukov, suddenly had an idea and his eyes lit up.

A unit number that appeared repeatedly in recent war reporting messages, along with the name of its commander, immediately appeared in Marshal Timoshenko's mind.

"Comrade Zhukov, have you ever heard of the name Dimitri Drukovich Malashenko?"

"Dmitri Drukovich Malashenko?"

When Zhukov first heard the name from Marshal Timoshenko, he suddenly felt that he had seen it before. However, the passage of time and his busy work as the Chief of General Staff of the Red Army made him suddenly feel familiar. I can't remember whether this name matches the familiar face in my memory.

Finally, when Zhukov responded with a thoughtful expression and thought quietly for nearly half a minute, the name that had been mentioned in the conversation with Rokossovsky was finally remembered by Zhukov.

"I remembered, Comrade Marshal, I heard this name in some conversations with Comrade Rokossovsky before. I remember that this young man named Malashenko was speaking to Comrade Rokossovsky. He is said to be an excellent frontline tank commander. The last time he achieved good results, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and promoted to major. Why do you suddenly ask about this? "

Looking at Zhukov's slightly confused look in front of him, Marshal Timoshenko sighed inwardly that this little major was really well-known and then continued to speak.

"Major Malashenko has been fighting in the army group under Rokossovsky since he was transferred to the Western Front. In order to focus on breaking through the German defense line, Rokossovsky established a purely heavy-duty army. An armored breakthrough battalion composed of tanks, and Major Malashenko was selected as the commander of this heavy tank battalion.”

"These days, Major Malashenko and his 1st Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion have been fighting in the most intense battle zone in the direction of Yelnya. The defense lines of the German Wehrmacht's Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment were attacked one after another under his leadership. After being overrun many times, they have now been compressed from the outskirts of Yelniya City and continue to fight in the city."

"It's just that heavy tanks are really unable to operate in narrow streets. In the past week, Major Malashenko and his First Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion have suffered heavy losses and are quite exhausted. Rokossovsky has already Major Malashenko and his troops have been replaced and are currently resting on the edge of the Yelniya theater. New personnel and equipment have been added. This heroic tank unit undoubtedly has the best record among the entire Western Front. Brilliant Tank Elite."

After hearing this, Zhukov, who had roughly understood what Marshal Timoshenko meant, smiled calmly.

"Comrade Marshal, Major Malashenko is the tank commander who was personally named by Comrade Rokossovsky to leave. His close friend is about to leave like this. I am worried that Comrade Rokossovsky will Generate some opinions.”