Steel Soviet Union

Time passed day by day in relative tranquility, and every day that was regarded as a possible German attack was spent peacefully. The undercurrent hidden under the tranquil surface was enough to make everyone feel uneasy. Rashenko himself is no exception.

"It's already July 4th, and the Germans haven't made any move yet. What do you think they are planning?"

Facing the question raised by political commissar Petrov, Malashenko, who was grabbing his simple dinner on the plate, shook his head.

"Maybe he's saving tanks. Didn't that bastard Manstein get a lot of new equipment? Or maybe he's doing something else, who knows? I'm not a bug in a German guy's belly, how could I know? What did they plan to do?"

In the existing history, the reason why the German army delayed Operation "Fortress", that is, the Kursk Offensive, was because the Panthers and Tigers with monthly output of 50 and 25 respectively could not meet the needs of the operation. The only new equipment on hand cannot bring about a qualitative change. You must be patient and accumulate more new cars and use them intensively to win in one fell swoop.

Based on this, Malashenko originally thought that the German offensive would start on the 1st or 2nd. For this reason, he went down below to inspect the troops every day to ensure that the four tank battalions responsible for the main battles and one self-propelled artillery battalion were all in the same position. Ready to go to the front line at any time.

As a result, the two brothers Malashenko and Lavrinenko have become the busiest people in recent times. Counting Major Varosha, none of the five combat battalion commanders dared to neglect them, for fear of being beaten by the two. A comrade, the brigade commander, was suddenly caught and used as a spinning top. If this really happened, it would become a joke to the whole brigade.

Although it was not a war, the entire Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade could feel an almost suffocating atmosphere.

There are a lot fewer soldiers gathering together in twos and threes to chat. Basically all the soldiers are either training or maintaining their equipment. If they have already maintained it, they continue to maintain it and wipe the car with a rag. In short, they can't just stay there idle and be punished. After being caught, in the end, even the armor of the new tank was polished until it was shiny silver and reflective.

But even under such circumstances, Malashenko, who was always ready to fight the Germans, finally miscalculated.

Not only did the Germans not launch an attack on No. 1 and No. 2 in the past two days, but the following No. 3 and No. 4 were also mediocre. This made Malashenko, who was already ready for everything and only needed Dongfeng, inexplicably. There is an aggrieved feeling of "I have taken off my pants and you show me this". It seems that all the preparations started in advance were a waste of time.

"It's really a strange thing. The amount of new equipment is supposed to be quite large. What are these German guys waiting for?"

If Malashenko, who has question marks on his head, knew that the Germans were actually busy repairing cars and there were not enough new tanks to move around to launch an attack, it would probably be impossible if his jaw did not drop to his feet. light.

However, the truth is often so funny and beyond imagination. This has always been the case throughout the ages. Many things you don't expect are even more bloody than the soap love dramas produced by Korean Bangzi.

He picked up the last piece of luncheon meat sent by the Americans on the plate and put it into his mouth. Malashenko, who was chewing this already considered fine food, made up his mind. No matter what happens in the coming days, we must be prepared. Even if we work in vain, we cannot wait for the Germans to come over while the whole brigade is sleeping and bragging.

Even if something is ready but not used, it is better than when you need to use it only to find that you are not ready at all.

The "condom law" proposed by the Americans in the 21st century still makes sense if you think about it carefully.

"No matter when the Germans attack, the preparations of our brigade must continue. Tomorrow morning I will go to Kurbalov's battalion, and Lavry will go to watch his self-propelled howitzer battalion. What are the remaining battalions? I'll leave it to you. If you catch those who are absent-minded and lazy, pull them out and punish them severely. Now is not the time to be merciful. "

Political Commissar Petrov, who had a much smaller appetite than Malashenko, had already finished his portion of food, wiped his mouth, shook his head and replied with a smile.

"I heard a joke when I went to Karamov today. He told me that there were new soldiers in his battalion complaining that the brigade commander commanding his comrades was like a capitalist commanding workers, and the day's tasks were completed. From now on, when I lie down at night, I feel like my hands don’t belong to me anymore.”

"As a result, this new soldier was ordered by Karamov to maintain 28 tank engines in one day. He was not allowed to sleep until the work was completed. He had to reflect on his wrong remarks to the brigade commander during work. I heard that this soldier kept crying while doing it. It was almost midnight at night when he finished his work. Karamov also specifically ordered more than 20 engines to be installed on anyone who dared to help him. It was only at night that anyone dared to secretly help him. "

A cigarette after a meal is better than a living god.

Malashenko, who was puffing out smoke, closed the German lighter he had captured, then grinned and replied to his comrade, the political commissar.

"Someone dares to work for this new soldier. This shows that the cohesion, unity, and political and ideological education of the field maintenance camp are still very good. At least they will not abandon their comrades and comrades, even if they are new. Same, that’s the most important thing.”

"If no one dares to help, I will accuse Karamov."

"You are a soldier who dares to disobey orders without abandoning your comrades. This is a soldier of flesh and blood, not a cold order-execution machine."

When Malashenko said this, Commissar Petrov became interested.

"In that case, aren't you worried that one day someone will suddenly disobey your order? The reason is also not to abandon your comrades and comrades."

It seems to have the power to stop time.

Political Commissar Petrov quietly asked the question before Malashenko's right hand holding the cigarette, which was about to flick the ashes, was still in mid-air.

For a long time, Malashenko, who was thoughtful, finally spoke quietly again when a long piece of cigarette ashes fell.

"This is always a contradictory question. People who faithfully execute military orders are called soldiers, but do people who abandon their comrades in arms have the right to be soldiers? How can people who can abandon their comrades in arms win the trust of others? Without trust and sincerity, what can an army rely on to win a war? "

"If one day you are in danger, then I ask myself that even if I disobey Comrade Stalin's order, I will die on the way to save you."

"I don't care about other people's opinions. I leave the judgment of right and wrong to future generations."

"I am me, Dimitri Drukovich Malashenko, a hero of the Soviet Union, colonel commander of the 1st Stalin Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, but also a pure soldier. A man with heart, blood, and lost An important person will feel the pain of being torn apart, a person like you, like him, like all ordinary people who fight for their beliefs.”