Steel Soviet Union

The 1st Stalin Guards Heavy Tank Brigade finally began to retreat in accordance with the orders of its superiors. It was only after repelling the Guards Standard Division that came to linger with the intention of delaying time that Malashenko could finally let go. Do and put all your energy into how to evacuate quickly.

Perhaps the losses were really too great to bear. Malashenko was worried that the Guards Division would be like dog-skin plaster and would not let go to catch up, but it did not happen as expected.

The tug-of-war with the Guards Division that lasted from early in the morning to this day was simply a grinding machine of flesh and steel. Malashenko felt that the last time he witnessed such huge casualties between the two armies was during the Battle of Stalingrad. when.

It started with a Soviet attack, and after the position was captured, there was another wave of German air strikes. Immediately after the air strikes, there was a counterattack by the Guards Division.

The wet land that had just been soaked with blood was immediately drenched with fresh blood. The corpses of Soviet and German soldiers who fell on the position were countless and layered on top of each other. There were so many that they could almost kill anyone who walked carelessly. To the point of stumbling upon a living being.

Malashenko couldn't figure it out. If those bastards in the Guard Flag Division really just wanted to force their own side to stay, then why on earth did they pounce on them like mad dogs in this unnecessary and cruel battle for positions? war? Wouldn't it be good to keep applying pressure and slowly work on the construction site little by little?

Malashenko felt that if he were the commander of the Guard Flag Division, he would definitely do this.

Therefore, based on this situation, it is inferred that the mad dog biting attack of the Guards Standard Division is obviously not simple, and there may be some other unknown plan hidden behind it.

But as far as the current situation is concerned, all this is no longer important. The upset Malashenko just sorted out his thoughts and stopped caring about these things and let them go.

The Guards Standard Division has now lost one of its legs. Let alone continue to launch an offensive. Malashenko estimates that if he can still integrate a large wave of attacks, it will not be impossible to recapture the October State Farm in one go.

But in the final analysis, such an idea can only be thought about. There is not much time left for Malashenko. If he cannot escape from the current situation before the Skeleton Division and the Imperial Division complete the encirclement in the direction of the October State Farm, In this dangerous area.

Not only Malashenko himself, but the entire Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade, the 9th Guards Airborne Division, and even all the Red Army troops locked in the encirclement will be in danger.

Malashenko, who was already unable to protect himself, had no time to worry about the safety of other friendly forces. The most important thing was to quickly withdraw his own troops and the accompanying 9th Guards Airborne Division. This was to consider what to do and how to proceed. Priorities for action.

"Hey, come and smoke one!"

Malashenko, who was holding the machine gun on the roof of the car in front of him, was half slumped outside the turret, looking at the scenery and relaxing. Iushkin, who asked Kirill to sit in his seat for a while, soon also came from the fan. The top cover on the other side, which was split in half by a German armor-piercing bullet, was lifted up and got out. After seeing Malashenko holding the machine gun in a daze, he immediately handed over his cigarette.

"What are you thinking about? It's not common for you to be in a daze."

Iushkin was not talking nonsense. Most of the time, Malashenko was a person with a clear purpose and next goal. He rarely did meaningless things, such as staring blankly. Naturally, fewer people came.

Malashenko, who was deliberately bumped on the shoulder by Iushkin, reached out and took the cigarette. He opened his bitter mouth and took the unfiltered cigarette into his mouth. He still didn't know what to think next. I don’t even know where to start with the solution to all this.

"Okay, if you don't want to tell me, then I won't ask. After all, you are the commander."

Iushkin, who didn't get an answer to his question, was a little disappointed. He reached out to light a fire for himself and at the same time lit a fire for Malashenko.

But the silence without any dialogue was too eerie after all. There was only the roar of the engine and the grinding sound of the tracks in his ears. Iushkin was so stunned that he almost finished smoking a cigarette, but he still did not wait for Malashenko to speak first. .

"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like a puppet? You can at least have a chat, right?"

Iushkin, who was a bit of a talker himself, couldn't hold it back in the end, and was the first to break the strange silence and speak to Malashenko. Faced with Iushkin's confusion, Malashenko's answer was quite simple.

"Isn't there a time when you don't want to talk? I just want to be alone for a while."

""

Iushkin had never heard Malashenko say such words, and he felt a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. He held the cigarette butt between his fingers for a long time and finally continued to speak.

"But we are the best comrades-in-arms. If you have troubles, can't you tell me about it?"

best comrade

Iushkin speaks without intention, while Malashenko listens with intention.

A seemingly inconspicuous word made Malashenko's smile more bitter and a bit more helpless.

The heavier the relationship, the more heartbreaking it will be when the foreseeable moment of separation comes.

Malashenko, who was not yet ready, experienced the intense pain brought by this feeling firsthand, and it was even more sad than the sudden departure of his comrades.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but do you understand me? Iushkin, I don't know how to do it, and I don't want to talk about it. I need a process to slowly accept something, I know this is inevitable , but it still takes time. Before that, I want to be quiet. I will tell you if I have a chance, I promise.”

There is no doubt that the person Commissar Petrov wants to hide from is Malashenko, but this does not mean that the Comrade Comrade Political Commissar wants other people to know about it.

The army is in a difficult period facing huge dangers. The headquarters of the Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade, which is like a precision machine, must not cause trouble at this time. Otherwise, he will be like a strong giant who has problems in the brain. Even if the news of terminal illness is spread, we must try our best to avoid it.

Malashenko understood this, so he did not intend to let other people know about it.

With his reputation as a political commissar and his relationship with his comrades, once word spreads about this kind of hole-in-the-sky thing, it will definitely have a bomb-like effect. Those elite tank soldiers, who have muscles in their heads and specialize in fighting German sticks, don't know what they will do because of this.

To be on the safe side, it is better to continue to suppress the news until the war is over, even though Malashenko himself is very anxious.