Steel Soviet Union

Malashenko's idea is simple.

Since they had to go to Dalian sooner or later, and the road south was clear, and there was no longer a large-scale Japanese mobile force threat, it became possible to hand over the task of leading the troops south to a trustworthy and reliable person.

In fact, it was quite appropriate to leave this matter to Lavrinenko. The deputy commander led half of the army to clear the way first, and it was normal for Malashenko to arrive with his troops later.

But considering that both he and Lavrinenko will find other jobs after the upcoming war, the leading army will soon usher in a new commander, and Malashenko has decided to elect Kulbalov Succession.

In the limited time remaining on the battlefield, it is always good to let Kulbalov take the last opportunity to practice.

Although he does not yet know that he has been selected as the next army commander by Comrade Commander, Malashenko does not intend to announce the matter prematurely.

But Kulbalov also cherishes the hard-won opportunity to lead troops and train, and understands more clearly that the war era is coming to an end and the peace era is coming. If he does not seize the opportunity to train, he may not have another opportunity for a long time.

Therefore, when faced with Comrade Commander's question, Kulbalov's next answer was almost without thinking, and he nodded directly.

"Comrade Commander, please give the order. Kurbalov and all the comrades in the division will ensure that the mission is completed!"

Not surprised by this expected answer, Malashenko smiled and motioned for Kulbalov to sit down on the sofa with him to chat, and followed closely while walking and talking.

"I still remember the scene when we first met, Kulbalov. At that time, the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Brigade had just been established. You were the acting brigade commander and I came to take up the post. It was you who helped me quickly understand the army. Do you still remember the situation? "

When he heard the comrade commander talking about the years of the Patriotic War, Kurbalov was filled with emotion when he thought about it and nodded slowly.

"Remember, Comrade Commander. Now that I think about it, that's when I decided to follow you all the time. Maybe it was my intuition. Anyway, it was the kind of thing that I couldn't explain. At that time, I believed that by following you, I could achieve my goal of serving the country. to fight and crush the ideals and ambitions of Nazism.”

"I'm really glad I made my original choice, otherwise I would definitely regret it now."

Kulbalov is usually an unsmiling, somewhat rigid and lame general, but with Malashenko he is quite relaxed, at least he can still joke around.

Sitting on the sofa, Malashenko couldn't help but feel emotional as he recalled every bit of the past.

While confirming the assignment of combat tasks to Kulbalov, he did not forget to give one last reminder.

"Since you have this ambition, I leave it to you. I hope you can send back the good news of successfully completing the mission."

"But one thing you need to pay attention to is that the Japanese army's rush to transport treasures involves sea transportation, so I estimate that you are likely to encounter Japanese naval ships at the port."

"Japanese Navy?"

Kulbalov was stunned when he heard this. This was something he hadn't thought of before. Malashenko, who only nodded in response, continued to add.

"Yes, it's the Japanese Navy."

"It is true that the backbone of the combined fleet has long been broken by the Americans in the Pacific. The main ships have sunk and self-destructed, but they still have a lot of escort combat ships in their hands. I am referring to destroyers and other ships. Not those little gunboats and torpedo boats.”

"Although the Japanese navy's anti-submarine capability is a joke, it's so bad that it can't be mentioned at all, and it is treated like a monkey by American submarines. But I predict that they will still do the basic escort work, after all, they are such a large group. Treasures, they have to pay attention to them. Especially when it comes to the issue of "making a comeback in the future" in the eyes of these militarist fanatics, most likely they will regard these treasures as starting funds. "

"In any case, there is a high probability that you will encounter a relatively large combat ship of the Japanese Navy in the port. I predict that it will at least be a destroyer."

"Although the Japanese army is of poor quality, their navy is still very capable, and the ships they design and build are quite distinctive, with some outstanding performances. In particular, the Japanese navy is also very proficient in gunnery, which is particularly important. You pay attention.”

"The destroyers of the Japanese Navy focus on lightning strike capabilities. The firepower of the naval guns can only be said to be acceptable, and the caliber is at the same level as our army's field guns. However, the firepower of the naval guns is much more sustained than the field guns. In addition, it is also With dual-purpose anti-aircraft guns, the ship’s ground-to-surface firepower cannot be underestimated.”

"If there are one or two of these things parked in the military port, what are you going to do?"

Malashenko did not intend to give direct orders to ask Kulbalov what to do, but planned to listen to his appointed successor as military commander for his opinions and how he planned to deal with it.

It could also be heard that Comrade Commander was testing himself. After thinking for a moment, Kulbalov organized his words and spoke quickly.

"I will give full play to our numerical advantage in firepower and mobility, Comrade Commander. Of course, it will not be to directly open the battle formation and engage in artillery battles with Japanese destroyers, but to divide the self-propelled artillery units into multiple batches and from multiple different directions. The Japanese destroyer maneuvered and opened fire."

"Their warships are parked in the port and are not maneuvering. They are large fixed targets that are easily hit by artillery. And as you said, their number of ships is limited and will not be too many."

"So if there are only one or two destroyers, then the overall artillery advantage is still in our hands. Our division is confident to suppress and destroy the destroyers anchored in the harbor. Wait for the threat to be removed, and then send ground troops to clean up the mess. By then There is no need to face the Japanese naval gunfire in the port space where the troops cannot deploy. "

"Well, this is a good method. Make full use of your own advantages and thoroughly analyze the enemy's weaknesses and shortcomings, but I will add another method."

Malashenko immediately praised and reported his approval, and by the way, he gave up a little bit. On the other hand, Kulbalov still spoke in a neither humble nor condescending manner.

"Comrade Commander, please speak."

"You can also call for air support to solve the problem. The aviation comrades will be happy to help you send the Japanese broken ships into the sky. They have been a little idle recently because they have nothing to blow up. Since the airport was completely solved, almost all air strikes , all fell on the already defeated Japanese soldiers day after day."

"But you also know that blowing up such a target is a bit boring. If we can add one or two sinking warships before the end of the war, I believe they will not refuse."