Steel Soviet Union

"I have never seen such a scene, never. I have never seen such a serious traffic jam in my dreams."

Iushkin, who had never seen the world, leaned half of his body out of the turret, and couldn't help but marvel at the friendly troops lined up one by two on the surrounding bridge, crowded into a pile, competing to cross the bridge and across the river.

To say that so many troops were crowded on a bridge to cross the river at the same time was indeed something Iushkin had never seen before. It is one thing to lead a division with many troops and great strength, but it is another thing completely to have never squeezed so many troops onto such a small bridge close to the front line.

So it is really not surprising that Iushkin can have this reaction now, but Malashenko's reaction on the side is completely different from it.

"Nothing, just think about it. The Germans in the Zero Highlands have been severely beaten. Now they can't use enough long-range artillery to attack us at this time, and they don't have the ability. Besides, what's wrong with this scene? Wherever I go, there are not as many people standing outside tanks as there are people outside trains in India. At least in terms of crowding, they are far worse than Indians.”

To say that the information transmission of these days is far less advanced than that of later generations in the 21st century, Iushkin really does not necessarily know what Malashenko can easily say, and the question that follows is immediately thrown away. come out.

"India? Where is India? Are there many people standing outside trains in India? Why do people stand outside trains and take trains? Is this reasonable?"

Iushkin, who was as talkative as a machine gun, always said a lot of things. Malashenko, who heard what he said, just said it casually without taking it seriously.

"There is nothing reasonable or unreasonable about that place. From now on, there will be more people outside the Indian trains than people sitting in the cars. Maybe if you have the opportunity in the future, you can walk around that place and see it."

""

Chatting was just to pass the time. Malashenko, who commanded the guard tank company accompanying him, quickly completed crossing the river under Kulbalov's priority dispatch and came to the other side of the bridge.

It was not until after crossing the bridge that Malashenko had to sigh, "Your German bridge-building craftsmanship is really good." At least it can accommodate such a large number of Soviet steel behemoths to rumble across it. Nothing happened.

Fortunately, the German bombardment failed to blow up the bridge. Otherwise, how to send a 70-ton vehicle to the other side of the river in such a short period of time would be a headache.

No matter what, after crossing the bridge, Malashenko immediately began his journey to the next destination without stopping, which was to meet up with Chuikov's troops and prepare to launch the final general attack on the Zero Highlands.

The arrival of the guard company led by Malashenko was not too early. The leading troops of the Leader's Division, led by Kulbalov and setting off first, had already completed crossing the river with half a brigade of troops and almost the same technical equipment.

According to Malashenko's prior request, the first wave of troops to complete the crossing were basically the most elite and most capable main combat troops. They set off after carrying enough supplies to sustain a high-intensity battle. Yes, the purpose is to be able to join the battle immediately if necessary after crossing the river. After all, changes in the battle situation do not wait for anyone.

That is to say, not long after crossing the bridge and walking forward, the worst situations that he could see soon followed one after another in Malashenko's field of vision. The situation was not perfect and smooth sailing.

"Everyone, get ready! One, two, push! Hard! Hard!!!"

"No, the wheels are still slipping and spinning! Find something for cushioning, a stone or a wooden board will do. Go quickly!"

"Go and remove the self-rescue wood from the tank. The infantry tank is stuck here. Call an IS6 to come over and help tow it! Hurry!"

The mud on the ground turned into big and small lumps visible to the naked eye. What was even worse was that the conditions in the fields on both sides of the road were even worse. The spring thaw and a recent heavy rain had turned the wild fields on both sides of the road into a series of muddy ponds. If not a swamp, it was still close to the concept of a swamp.

Not only wheeled vehicles got stuck in the mud and were unable to extricate themselves, but even BMP43 infantry combat vehicles that were supposed to have good cross-country passability also got stuck in the quagmire.

In addition to strong horsepower, abundant maneuverability, very wide tracks, sufficient ground contact area, off-road performance and ability to pass through complex terrain, the IS6 heavy tanks are definitely ranked first among heavy tanks. The situation is slightly different. Well, even if you are slightly caught in the mud, you can slam the accelerator and climb out on your own.

The situation of the other vehicles was really hard to describe, and Comrade Ma who had just crossed the bridge was really frowning at the sight.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't take long. Many cars are about to climb out. Everyone can think of solutions much faster than difficulties delay them."

Seeing that Comrade Commander Iushkin's expression was not quite right, Iushkin quickly offered words of comfort, while Malashenko just continued to look forward without answering and directed his guard company to move forward.

The grassroots commanders will do their best to get the car out of the mud. Malashenko believes that his troops are of this level, and they will not be unable to handle such a trivial matter and require the division commander to personally take command. Only the question of whether enough attack troops could be assembled before the scheduled attack time was irritating.

Malashenko is really worried that something serious will happen. If he doesn't sing well in his first performance, it will be a disgrace to the leader.

Thinking of this, Malashenko, who was still a little worried, finally picked up the radio transmitter, pressed the call button and then spoke.

"Kurbalov, can you hear me?"

"You heard me clearly, please speak."

"There are some problems with the situation on the bridge. You'd better send someone who can take charge to coordinate the situation. You must ensure that the troops can move forward as quickly as possible after crossing the bridge without delay."

Kulbalov on the other end of the radio was obviously taken aback when he heard this, as if he didn't expect or react, but he blurted out his reply after a short pause.

"Understood, I'll take care of it right away."

"The call is over."

"complete."

The order has been issued, and the rest is left to Kulbalov, and Malashenko believes that he has the ability to handle it well.

The annoying mud can trap many things, but it cannot trap the division commander's vehicle: the command-type IS7 heavy tank, which uses the Red Navy torpedo boat engine to play "land boating".

The super surging power ensured that Malashenko finally arrived at the final destination under the Zelo Heights almost one after another with the leading troops: the main force of the 1st Belarusian Front and Chuikov's 3rd Guards. The location of the 8th Army's forward headquarters.

Like many senior generals of the Soviet Red Army, Chuikov, a commander who has always been known for his "strong image" and "dynamite temper", also set up his forward headquarters very close to the Zelo Highlands. In his own words, this allowed him to watch the soldiers under his command crush those traitors and avenge the motherland within the scope of the telescope.

When Malashenko saw Chuikov again after a long absence, the old man with whom he had fought in "hell" a long time ago was basically the same as before, unchanged at all.