Steel Soviet Union

The time was 4:08 in the morning, with less than an hour left before the start of the attack. Malashenko, who had just driven back to the frontline headquarters, was making final preparations.

"The combat orders have been distributed, and the ammunition, fuel, and material supplies for all units participating in the war are sufficient, and everything is ready as planned."

"All division and brigade artillery have also been prepared. Before the attack begins, the artillery preparation will completely cover the square construction area for one hour. In addition, Commander Chuikov agreed to our request. The group army's artillery will provide long-range firepower at high altitudes outside the city. We are supported on the ground and will participate in this artillery preparation together with our artillery."

After receiving the telegram handed over by the chief of staff, Malashenko quickly read it at a glance, then raised the corner of his mouth and smiled.

"Comrade Commander is very generous. At the snap of a finger, there is an artillery brigade attached to the army group. This is enough to add fuel to the fire of that nest of fascists."

"But we still can't expect too much. Intelligence shows that most of the buildings in the construction area are surprisingly hard. A considerable number of tall buildings surround the periphery of the construction area, which to a large extent prevents artillery barrages from striking deep areas. Simply rely on direct fire. It is difficult to completely destroy this built-up area with artillery fire."

"It is expected to destroy and significantly weaken the intensity of resistance on the periphery of the construction area. However, in the central construction area - the defense area with a few administrative buildings as the core, we still have to rely on direct fire support and heavy equipment to suppress the attack. We must be determined and Realistic double preparation.”

Before Malashenko could finish his words, Comrade Comrade Political Commissar, who was studying the war zone map at the table, poured a bucket of "cold water" over him.

But this obviously did not affect Comrade Ma's strong will and determination. Malashenko, who came to the table, looked at the drawing traces of Comrade Political Commissar and the large pile of buildings on the map that had been pointed directly by red arrows. District, his attitude did not change and he immediately spoke again.

"What about the enemy's defense layout and troop strength? How much do we know specifically now."

"Not too much, but not too little either."

Comrade Political Commissar, who shook his head slowly, obviously did not refer to the enemy's strength when he said this, but to something else.

"The front line is advancing too fast, and the situation in the city is too chaotic. The meeting point agreed with the informant the day before may have been captured by us before it arrived. The informant himself was also trapped by the Germans' defeated army. He didn't know it. Where have you retreated? It takes time to reestablish contact. There is no way to contact the informant. The only thing you can do is wait. "

"Um."

The front line changes day by day, especially in the leading division where the changes are most rapid.

Although the German counter-intelligence system has basically collapsed, even the black dogs of the SS are now in trouble, so they can't even bother with arresting people.

But this does not mean that Soviet intelligence agents lurking within the enemy can go wherever they want with arrogance, completely ignoring the eyes of the people around them and wandering around. On the contrary, the more chaotic the situation, the more careful you have to be. At this time, who knows what illogical things the suspicious people around you will do.

Just like Comrade Political Commissar said.

If you want to obtain intelligence from within the enemy, there is no other way now but to wait.

"According to the last intelligence we received, almost all the fleeing German troops in the surrounding neighborhoods were driven into this isolated building area. Counting the existing defenders here, it is initially estimated that The number of enemies must be at least seven or eight thousand, and the troop density is higher than any place we have fought in the south of the city before, coupled with the strength of this building."

The political commissar who put down his pencil raised his head and looked at Malashenko while leaning on the table, and then quietly spoke in a tone that seemed to be making suggestions.

"Maybe we should try to persuade them to surrender. This construction area is now surrounded by us on three sides, or try to apply enough pressure but deliberately slow down and drive them out from the last uncut retreat from the north. The two methods are as long as they can If one is achieved, the casualties may be much smaller.”

The order that has been distributed to all participating troops is to conduct a strong attack with the goal of breaking through and occupying the core area, but the political commissar comrades who know this are still considering whether there are other more efficient ways.

"It would be a good thing if these two situations can happen, but first of all, this is completely different from beating those naughties to death today."

"Whether it's retreating or surrendering, do you want to force these bastards to choose one or the other? Then you have to come up with something that can scare them and force them to make a choice."

"Besides ultra-high efficiency, destruction and death that can break through the endurance line, there is nothing that scares these guys."

"The more they kill and the faster they kill, the more fear they get."

"So no matter what, today's battle must be fought, and it must be fought hard, lame, and crippled. To be honest, I don't expect to be able to completely chew this hard bone today, but that doesn't mean I won't kill it. , enemies who realize that you have not killed them will have misconceptions."

There was no trace of pity or hesitation in Malashenko's words, only the full and overflowing breath of blood flowing downwards.

After experiencing the battles in the Zero Highlands and the outer neighborhoods of the south of the city, I became more and more aware that my enemies were a bunch of "bastards who don't know how to feel pain if they can't kill them". To put it in down-to-earth terms, if you don’t slap his face away and save him some face, he will still think that you are a weak waste with neither ability nor talent.

Therefore, no matter what the Germans choose next, it doesn't matter whether they withdraw or surrender.

Because they had fought to the end and refused to give up an inch of ground, and even thought about launching a counterattack to regain the lost ground.

Malashenko, who was determined to kill and rely on the heap of dead people to establish his authority, did not want to see anything else today. He just wanted to see the Germans killed in mountains of blood, piles of broken meat, and among the ruins of broken bricks and tiles. It was a bloody mess with missing arms and legs.

Apart from this goal, it really doesn't matter whether we can get down to the core of this construction area or not.

Killing people, killing people in huge numbers, killing the Germans until their heads were rolling, and using endless corpses of their own people to repair the bunker fortifications. Only in this way can the goal be "achieved" in Malashenko's eyes.

Now that the comrade division commander has clearly pointed out the direction, the next step is for the most elite field group soldiers of the Red Army to launch a fierce attack towards where the comrade division commander's sword points.

Boom boom boom boom——

This is the artillery position of the Leader's Division outside the city, and the artillery position of the group army in the other direction. At the same time, the fire-like artillery barrages fired from the salvo pierced the sky, and exploded like fried beans in the building area. the sound of.

Boom--Boom--

Covered by artillery fire that exploded one after another, there was an even more violent and concussive impact sound.

This was caused by the explosion of the Tu-2S bombers, which had already scrambled to take off just as the sky was turning white, and flew over the construction area to conduct horizontal bombing with increased firepower. movement.

Standing at a hidden vantage point in a building with a good view, I held a telescope and looked at the sea of ​​flames and thunder rolling in the construction area at the end of the square.

Malashenko, who raised his hand and glanced at the time on his wrist, knew that the "work" of turning that construction area into a real sea of ​​corpses and blood was just beginning.