Steel Soviet Union

He put his colonel 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 uniform military cap.

Malashenko, who hurriedly tidied up his appearance, waited and waited, but no convoy came. His body was that of an 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 face, 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, an engine roared from far to near. Suddenly the sound of wind reached my ears.

"Coming, two o'clock, 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 photos, and Comrade Stalin, the loving father 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 the living Vatutin getting out of the car for the first time in his life and walking towards 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, is reporting 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 follow 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 they were all light, fast, and with a small capacity. 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. He 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 face with a Chinese character 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 should bring more security when you go out, so as not to be raped 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 to the troops or the annihilation of the entire army, as well as to you? Possibly being punished, demoted, or even subject to a military court trial?”

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 had long known that Paulus, who was half-dead in the city, was at the end of his life. Not to mention mobilizing troops to respond quickly and breaking out of the city to ambush, even supporting the Romanians was hesitant and unwilling 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 confidential, and after the attack started, our offensive was unstoppable and fast enough to prevent the enemy from reacting and 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 bit difficult to understand for a while, but I executed this tactic in the way I understand it, and executed it in the context of 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.”

"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 in great detail 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 the two of them can 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 cars were started, and dozens of IS1s were lined up to attack in the direction of the enemy. They roared low and trembled with their 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 response plan.

"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. 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 are for 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 outside the tank turrets 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 and heroic force, as is widely said."