Steel Soviet Union

In accordance with Malashenko's order, the troops were assembled as quickly as possible and ready to go. The few IS6s in the group that were not expected to be repaired immediately were also towed away by the Stalin repair vehicles, waiting to get more fully equipped field maintenance support. It will be repaired after the regiment is stationed. read

Everything is ready and all we need is the east wind. The difference is that today's battle is not to charge and fire immediately, but to advance for a certain distance before actually contacting the enemy. The rumble of gunfire from the distance heralded that the conflict point where the war broke out was not here, but somewhere further away. That was the sound of the friendly troops who were the first to set off today and launched a tentative attack and were exchanging fire with the enemy.

"I thought our division would act in unity now, but it ended up being divided into two parts, with only half the strength. This is really unpleasant."

There is no need to suffocate people in a car that smells of diesel and sweat when they are marching, at least for Iushkin and Malashenko.

If they are simply marching and not fighting, both Malashenko and Iushkin like to stick half of their bodies out of the turret for a ride, at least to stay away from the turbid air in the car. This alone is enough. .

Facing Iushkin's complaints and complaints, Malashenko, who was pressing the open map on the turret with both hands and reading it carefully, did not show any change in his expression. He just spoke slowly and calmly to ensure that he was not distracted. said.

"If such a large armored force has only one direction of attack, what kind of strength do you think the German troops on the opposite side must have to be worthy of our division's full attack?"

"The situation is different. Now is the period of strategic counterattack, not Kursk. The Germans' retreat may happen at any time, and the spread of the troops will make it easier for tactical coordination, dispatch, pursuit and encirclement of the enemy, just like yesterday. It’s the same as every battle.”

Malashenko said it lightly, but when you think about it carefully, it actually makes sense.

Iushkin can also understand this principle, but using troops scattered makes him feel a little guilty. After all, his own side is not at full strength. Is this probably a kind of "fear of insufficient strength"? For example, "The biggest weakness of our 1st Stalin Guards Tank Division has always been its lack of strength in a duel with a certain German unit."

Well, there is no such thing as Versailles these days, indeed there is none.

"Which direction should we hit today? Please point it out to me."

Iushkin, who couldn't hold anything back when he had nothing to do, began to find another topic, and the focus of his eyes focused on the map that Malashenko was holding down with both hands. Iushkin, who usually didn't care much about which direction to fight and only cared about how many German soldiers he could kill today, rarely cared about tactical command matters today. It was indeed like the sun rising in the west.

Malashenko is of course happy to see Iushkin caring about tactical command. After all, his long-term plan is to train Iushkin upwards, and eventually let him climb up to the command level. Even if he really retires in the future, at least he will have a close confidant whom he has single-handedly promoted who can stay in the army and be regarded as a personal connection.

But what is more important is Iushkin's personal future. As a brother and comrade in life and death, Malashenko sincerely hopes that Iushkin will have a good military career in the future. If you don't want to be a general, you should at least be a colonel, right?

Therefore, Comrade Lao Ma, who was in a good mood, naturally answered all questions raised by Iushkin.

"Here, on the map is close to the place name Riga. Our next attack plan is to attack here as soon as possible."

"The Baltic Front's offensive in the north is also progressing smoothly. They will soon advance the front to this position called Riga. This is a key location and is the dividing line between Army Group Center and Army Group Northern during the entire Bagration operation. The key point, if we capture this, we can completely cut off the land connection between the two German army groups, and support will be completely impossible. "

"Intelligence shows that the Germans have been aware of our combat plan. The number of German troops guarding Riga and nearby areas is constantly increasing, especially a large number of armored units that are pouring into the area. Army Group Northern is also ready to move south to support, So our time is very limited and we have to race against time.”

"It is unrealistic to wait for the slow infantry to drag up the heavy anti-tank weapons and launch them. The only way is to rely on the tank troops to launch a devastating offensive against the German tank troops. Otherwise, the only way to capture Riga and divide the two Army Group Center is It’s empty talk.”

"Our front army and the Baltic front army are next to each other, working together in the south and north. They sent a telegram, hoping that our front army can mobilize elite troops from the south to cooperate with them to attack the Riga theater. After receiving the telegram, the front army headquarters assigned the task to After all, our division is the fastest and closest tank unit to this theater, and it is also very powerful. "

"The general situation is like this. The front army headquarters only assigned combat tasks. How to fight specifically depends on what situation we encounter and then respond flexibly. Do you understand? If you have questions, you can ask them now. The teacher will answer them when they arrive. "

Malashenko tried his best to explain the overall situation and the situation in local theaters thoroughly and clearly, so that Iushkin could clearly understand why this battle started and what the overall combat background was.

In order to cultivate a qualified frontline commander, clarify the overall situation and gain insight into the overall situation before thinking twice before acting. This is the basic skill that a qualified commander must master, and it is also the first step that Iushkin must take and overcome. .

"Well, I think I should understand. If we take this place, we can block the German reinforcements. The north and south cannot be connected. Then we can cut the meat bit by bit and kill the Germans. Is that right?"

After following Malashenko for so long, I can learn some basic skills more or less through hearing and seeing. Iushkin does have a good understanding. Malashenko also nodded with satisfaction to indicate that he was correct.

However, before Malashenko could continue to say anything, Iushkin's question had already followed.

"What about the Germans in the encirclement behind us? We captured and held the encirclement point, don't we have to deal with it?"

Iushkin has not forgotten the group of Germans behind him who have been locked up and beaten with dogs. This is a bit similar to the Siberian big-tailed wolf who never forgets the piece of meat in his mouth after hunting. Even if he doesn't eat it, he still has to think about it.

When Iushkin asked this question, Malashenko, who really didn't expect that this shit was still being remembered, was a little bit dumbfounded, but he still answered.

"Our mission is only to establish an encirclement and consolidate the encirclement point, not to eliminate the German sticks in the encirclement. Elite tank troops are used to form breakthroughs in key areas, not to fight a war of attrition. We have more important tasks to perform. . The unknown battlefield ahead requires us even more. As for dealing with the imprisoned wild dogs, just leave it to the friendly forces at the rear. "