Steel Soviet Union

Accompanied by Varosha, Malashenko personally inspected the combat engineer battalion troops equipped with brand-new equipment.

Comrade the division commander came to inspect. Naturally, the soldiers of the Combat Engineer Battalion gathered quickly and lined up neatly without any complaints. They showed the most high-spirited attitude, held their chests and heads high, and had a neat military posture. They were also fully equipped with a lot of equipment. , lined up in standard full combat status to receive the review, and Malashenko, accompanied by Varosha, personally approached the review at close range.

Arriving in front of a tall soldier holding a batch of new rifles, Malashenko noticed that this soldier not only held the latest AK-44 in his hand, held his head high, but also wore a brace on the armed belt around his waist. The holster of the Karev TT33 pistol carries two iron fists borrowed from the Germans on its back, making it look like a humanoid self-propelled tank armed to the teeth.

By the way, after the last battle of Cherkasy, almost all the iron fists captured by Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division piled up into a mountain. According to Varosha, even two warriors in the whole regiment still have a surplus of more than double the number. It is difficult to imagine how many of these things the Germans had gathered in preparation for the early stage of the Battle of Cherkasy.

Fortunately, they encountered the 1st Stalin Guards Tank Division, which was thick-skinned and made up of heavy tanks as its main force. The strong and reliable sloping main armor belt of the IS6 heavy tank could not be broken by the early Panzerfaust 60. In most cases The main force of the IS6 heavy tanks below were helpless and they just hit them and heard the sound. It is reasonable that they were captured in large numbers under the premise that they were useless.

Malashenko looked at the soldier in front of him from head to toe, who was only half a head shorter than himself. If he said he was dissatisfied, he would be lying. Then he asked with a smile.

"With so much equipment on your body, will you feel redundant and burdened during combat?"

The young and tall soldier hesitated and did not answer directly. Varosha, who was closely following Malashenko during the review, quickly stood up and spoke proactively.

"Whatever Comrade Division Commander asks you, answer truthfully. Don't be secretive or have any worries. Our regiment has never and will never fool Comrade Division Commander."

While giving reminders and instructions to the soldiers, he also emphasized the excellent style of his regiment. Malashenko, who turned his head and glanced at Varosha, sighed in his heart at that time, "This guy can do it, he is making progress!" What followed was the young warrior's answer.

"Comrade Commander, although this equipment is heavy, my body is stronger! Our combat engineer battalion eats the best food and undergoes the most rigorous physical training in order to maintain the fullest fighting posture on the battlefield. Destroy all enemies! So I won’t feel that this equipment is redundant, every weapon will become a weapon for me to destroy the German fascists!”

The soldier's answer was unpretentious, straight to the point without beating around the bush, but this was exactly what Malashenko wanted to hear most.

"Good, that's good! What's your name?"

"Comrade Commander, my name is Mikhail Androvich Chertenko."

The excited young soldier said his full name in one breath, and Malashenko, who was very satisfied with this high-spirited fighting spirit, nodded repeatedly.

"Chertenko, okay, I'll remember it. If you have any suggestions on equipment and team formation, go directly to your regiment leader Varosha. If he doesn't want to see you, just come to me directly. I'm always welcome." ! The opinions of soldiers are as precious as food and cannot be wasted!"

Comrade Division Commander's words should be a reminder to himself, never to be self-righteous to the point of getting carried away, at least that's what Varosha, who heard this at this moment, thought.

Continuing to move forward, when Malashenko came to the center of the parade, he suddenly noticed that the bulletproof vest on the chest of a soldier in front of him had several bullet holes. It looked like the scratches and bullet holes were still very new. It should be from the last time. It came out of the battle.

Malashenko, who stopped again, remained silent and raised his hand with his index finger to poke the bullet hole in the soldier's body armor.

The diameter of the bullet hole is relatively large enough to allow the tip of Malashenko's right index finger to penetrate.

Malashenko, who did not feel any obvious obstruction on his fingernails, could have guessed that the second layer of bulletproof armor on the inside was at least impacted by the warhead, and even if it did not penetrate, it would at least be bent. Understanding this Malashenko, who was in a situation, immediately withdrew his right hand and faced the soldier and asked.

"What kind of gun was this shot? When? How close was it?"

Malashenko's question went straight to the core, and the soldier in front of him replied directly without thinking too much.

"Back to Comrade Division Commander, during the last siege battle in Cherkasy, a wounded SS soldier pretended to be dead. When I went up to check the body, he suddenly turned over and hit me with his pistol. I reacted quite quickly. I used the gun tip to push away his right hand. He originally aimed at my face but missed the shot and hit the body armor, almost face to face. "

"Without this double-layered body armor, I might have died at that time. I really want to thank her for giving me a second life."

Face to face, a large-caliber pistol penetrated the first layer of bulletproof steel plate and damaged the second layer. This result is not unacceptable. At least the double-armored bulletproof vest has achieved its due effect and preserved The soldier's life, Malashenko felt that this was enough.

"It seems that your luck and reflexes are very good! Luck is also a part of strength. Don't underestimate it. People who use their luck rationally are more likely to survive on the battlefield. Believe in yourself."

"Also, do you have any suggestions for our current bulletproof protective gear? How does it feel to match it with the newly issued ammunition equipment? Let's talk about it."

Malashenko has always believed that those who have the most say in the quality of equipment and the direction of improvement are the soldiers closest to the battlefield. The development of equipment must not be disconnected from the actual combat feedback of the soldiers, just like the cooperative relationship with Kotin and Morozov.

"I have some suggestions, Comrade Commander!"

"The protection of the entire steel plate is very comprehensive and can cover the important internal organs of the entire upper body. However, it is too big and a very solid piece. It cannot be bent or stretched. Sometimes it is encountered on the battlefield. When it comes to mobility issues, such as in trenches, when crouching, or when lying down and getting up, it often limits our movements and causes trouble.”

"As for the new ammunition equipment, it is great! Everyone has been worried about how to carry and store this pre-loaded curved magazine. Some people even inserted it into the boot tube and changed the magazine. You have to bend down to take it out, which is very inconvenient.”

"Now that I have it, I can easily get the magazine by touching my belly, and I don't need to change into a new military uniform. I just need to hang it on the outside of the original military uniform. I can take it off at any time when not in use. The person who designed it is simply a genius. !”