Steel Soviet Union

Although Malashenko felt a little sorry for the group of tank trainees who admired him so much but died on the battlefield as soon as they came to the front line, he more clearly understood that there was nothing that could be done about it.

The rubbish tanks sent by the British, the tank cadets who had just graduated and participated in actual combat for the first time, the German aircraft in the sky were like plagues, supplying an unlimited supply of 1-ton heavy aerial bombs used to demolish buildings, and the German tanks and infantry on the ground looked alike. Attack like a rabid dog

Adding up all the causal relationships, even for Malashenko, he has only fought a few times with one hand since he traveled through time last year.

Fortunately, the urban anti-aircraft artillery network was able to curb the arrogance of the German Air Force to a certain extent during the battle. Otherwise, Malashenko estimated that whether the Tractor Factory would win or lose the battle was still a matter of debate. Those tank cadets who died in the first battle Although they are regrettable, they are just the final result of the bloodbath on the cruel battlefield. They are not unexpected and ordinary.

As for whether to let the survivors of this group continue to go to the battlefield, after thinking for a moment with an empty water bottle in his hand and his eyes empty, Malashenko sighed lightly and then made a decision that was related to many lives and deaths. decision.

"One tank may be able to determine the success or failure of the battle. What's more, this time we are going to counterattack those Germans. If we can't gather all our strength, it may be difficult to even achieve an initial victory. There is no one who is immortal in this battle. We can still survive in the future. Those who come down will continue to grow, no matter what, they have to fight first before talking about other things.”

The step-by-step promotion of positions and military ranks has brought Malashenko not only the halo above his head and the enviable glory of others, but also the responsibility of a commander who must decide the fate, life and death of others.

The issuance of an order may determine the fate of many people. At first, Malashenko hated this kind of power to decide the life and death of others with his own hands, and even felt a little guilty about it.

However, the brutal battle experiences are still accompanied by the death of many important people. Malashenko gradually became numb to this sense of guilt for deciding the life and death of others.

From panic and self-blame at the beginning to just a set of numbers now, Malashenko is not sure whether this change in his mood that he can clearly feel is good or bad.

But based on what he has seen, heard and analyzed, Malashenko feels that this should be an inevitable change on the road to a higher level. Too many senior commanders, including Zhukov, are the same as they are now. His situation is almost completely consistent, and in Malashenko's view, this situation is enough to be called cold-eyed and numb.

The tank veterans who had been reorganized from the defeated units seemed to have high morale about going to the battlefield. Most of them had personal vendettas against the Germans to avenge. The death of close comrades made these veterans who crawled out of the purgatory battlefield The veterans of the Red Army tank troops wanted to rush to the front line immediately, crush those Germans and stuff them into the tracks to lubricate them.

Those tank trainees who survived had mixed reactions to the news of heading to the front.

Malashenko, who was standing next to Commissar Petrov and listening to the pre-war mobilization speech, could clearly see the frightened and uneasy expressions on the faces of many of the childish students sitting in the audience. .

Although he stood behind Commissar Petrov and frowned slightly without being noticed by others, Malashenko, who also experienced the battle at the tractor factory, did not say anything and just watched silently.

Even I, who had been fighting all the way from last year, was shaking all over after that battle and could hardly walk steadily. Thinking about it carefully, Malashenko had simply thought a lot. For the young man who was on the battlefield for the first time. It's pretty good for a person to be able to withstand such pressure and not become a deserter.

After all, what more could you ask for from a group of "kids" who are the same age as future generations of college students?

As long as they can muster the courage to set foot on their own tanks and rush to the battlefield again, in Malashenko's view, this is good enough.

The urgently mobilized and fully armed 1st Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment set off after nightfall.

The deteriorating battle situation forced Malashenko to join the 24th Army he was assigned to as soon as he left the city. The Soviet army, which only had a circle of field defense positions on the edge of the city, no longer had any strategic depth to speak of. , except for the great city named after the leader behind him.

Under the cold and desolate moonlight, he couldn't help but turn around and glance at the ruins of the city that were almost a stone's throw behind him. For the first time, Malashenko felt so clearly that the brutal street battle that was grinding flesh and blood was really close to him. Far, this limited counterattack, which was doomed from the beginning, could not stop the rolling advance of the German tanks at all.

At the starting position of the attack, Malashenko, who was half-asleep in his tank, reluctantly took a nap. Although the posture was uncomfortable, it made Malashenko feel enough security.

Malashenko, who left his tank on the battlefield, always felt like a lonely boat or a rootless duckweed in the sea.

If he was not so exhausted, he would have to sleep for several hours before he could barely fall asleep while tossing and turning. Malashenko, who was not sure whether he had any mental problems, could only rest in the tank to find some solace. Being miserable is no longer an important thing.

The driver Seryosha and the loader Kirill, who were members of Malashenko's crew, chose to rest outside the vehicle. They took a nap while leaning on the road wheels of the vehicle, using their coats and clothes as pillows. Like Malashenko, only gunner Iushkin decided to spend the last few hours before the counterattack in the tank.

After a while, Malashenko, who was half asleep, was so smoked that he completely woke up and lost all sleep.

Being too preoccupied and barely able to sleep was one of the important reasons, but the more important reason was that Iushkin had smoked most of a pack of cigarettes within an hour without opening the hatch above his head.

The smoky scene in front of him made Malashenko almost mistakenly think that he had entered a disco with special effects in a dream as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Iushkin, you bastard, can't you smoke less? You don't even lift the lid. Do you plan to stuff people inside to make bacon?"

The 85 mm fixed armor-piercing shells lying at his feet were used by Iushkin as an ashtray and were almost full. Iushkin, who was still puffing away smoke, grinned when he saw Malashenko wake up. The uncaring words blurted out with a silly smile on his face.

"If you don't smoke now, you may not have a chance, Comrade Commander. Isn't it a sad thing to have a cigarette addiction at the last moment before death but not have time to light it up?"