Steel Soviet Union

The car driving on the snowy dirt road kept skidding due to the lack of necessary anti-skid tires. Sitting in the back seat, Guderian felt like he was sitting in a stroller, swaying around. Obviously, he was not used to this situation. But even so, this determined father of the German armored forces still closed his eyes and rested without a single complaint.

He quietly turned around from the front passenger seat and saw Guderian's discomfort in front of him. The young adjutant, who looked very unhappy with a frown, then turned back to the driver beside him who was concentrating on driving and asked.

"Weigel, can't you drive the car more steadily? My seventy-year-old grandfather can drive his classic car much more steadily than you can now."

The driver, who was holding the steering wheel and focused on fighting the icy and snowy road, was obviously very disdainful when he heard the adjutant's words. It was as if the road was lubricated and almost made the car fly off. It was really unbearable. Angry.

"This damn Russian road is like an ice skating rink once it snows and freezes. Instead of complaining about my poor driving skills, why don't you catch those Russians and ask them why they never build roads? No cars are allowed to drive in this situation now." The roadside ditch is already the limit.”

The young adjutant's expression was obviously full of surprise when he was scolded by the driver when his request failed. The annoyance that came back to him immediately drove his mouth to retort.

"Okay, Enke, don't make things difficult for Weigel anymore. If you drive now, you will never be any better than Weigel. Just say a few words less and think about how you drank all the water you brought with you. Where should I go to replenish my supplies in this ice and snow?”

Although the young adjutant who was suddenly stopped by Guderian had already spoken, the words in Guderian's mouth that seemed to be a joke but actually made sense finally forced him to swallow his words.

If you don't want to eat ice and snow to quench your thirst in this weather where water turns to ice, closing your mouth and saving a few words is indeed one of the most effective ways.

The car driving on the slippery road finally reached Guderian's final destination with difficulty after a difficult journey.

After the car stopped, he reached out to open the door and stepped out of the car. The first thing that caught his eye was the commander of the 167th Infantry Division of the German Wehrmacht who came to greet Guderian.

"General Guderian, welcome to your arrival. I am Colonel Schwerner, commander of the 167th Infantry Division. This is my chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Duke, and this is"

"stop!"

Before the teacher in front of him, who was still smiling sincerely in the cold wind, finished speaking, Guderian, who was tired of hearing these polite introductions and was pressed for time, immediately raised his hand to interrupt his words and then spoke.

"To make a long story short, Colonel Schwerner, the purpose of my visit is not to hear your introduction to your division's senior commanders and staff. Tell me about your division's current combat effectiveness and the difficulties it faces. This is better than those high-sounding statements. It’s much better to have a conversation through process.”

Colonel Schwerner's expression returned to normal after being interrupted by Guderian's sudden opening. In the highly disciplined and hierarchical German Wehrmacht, being interrupted by a superior is not something that should be done in front of subordinates. What an unspeakable and disgraceful thing.

"The division headquarters is nearly one kilometer away. General Guderian, do you plan to walk there or get in the car and drive a little further?"

After hearing these words from Colonel Schwerner, Guderian was not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he turned his head and looked towards the distance behind Colonel Schwerner without comment.

This small village, captured by the German 167th Infantry Division and used as a temporary field division headquarters, is not that big. There are only more than 20 houses standing row upon row in the wind and snow. They have long been decorated with snow and covered with silver. Guderian in the 1960s might have been impressed when he saw this beautiful scenery, but now the situation of the trembling German soldiers wandering around the outside of the village seemed not to be very good.

"There's no need to get in the car. Just take me there. I want to see what's going on with the soldiers in your division now."

I am not surprised by the answer from Guderian. This Wehrmacht general who has strict demands on himself can share the joys and sorrows with the front-line soldiers without putting on any official airs. This has long been a truth recognized by all subordinate units of the entire armored group. , Colonel Schwerner, who had anticipated that Guderian would make such a request, immediately turned around and began to lead the way.

"Please follow me, General Guderian."

The snow that fell under his feet was as thick as his ankles. The crunching sound of the snow sounded to Guderian like he was asking about the torment of his soul. After getting off the car, he did not say anything to his guard soldiers. Guderian, who asked for his leather trench coat back, finally felt the physical coldness that was just like the temperature of his own heart.

Outside a stone hut on the outermost edge of the main road in the village, two German sentries, who were only wearing autumn clothes and shivering from the cold, were rubbing their hands constantly in exchange for the barely there warmth that didn't seem to exist at all. .

"Oh, hell, Wink, I feel like I'm freezing to death in this snow. I need to go inside and warm myself up, or I'm going to die here if this keeps up."

"Do you think I don't want to go inside to warm up for a while? The changing of the guard has been less than an hour at most. I bet you two packs of cigarettes that if you go in now, Buckner will kick your butt out. Of course. If you feel your butt is itchy, just pretend I didn’t tell you, his pair of military boots that are bigger than the Tirpitz will definitely make you remember this day by this time next year.”

The sentinel, who was just talking about it at best, still did not go back to the house to warm up for a while as he threatened. This is the so-called "winter clothes" wearing three layers of autumn military uniforms, no matter how much he rubbed his hands to keep warm. It still doesn't have the slightest effect.

Guderian, who could not hear clearly what the two frozen sentinels were saying due to the distance, frowned slightly. The feeling of being almost completely frozen all over his body was obviously worse than when he wandered outside the house last night. The temperature during one lap is even lower.

"What's the temperature right now, Colonel Schwerner?"

After hearing the sudden question from Guderian, Division Commander Schwaner was stunned for a moment. He only knew that the cold was extremely low and had not paid any attention to the specific temperature. He quickly made a gesture to the division chief of staff who was accompanying him. With a knowing look, the latter hurriedly came forward and whispered in Schwaner's ear in a very low voice.

"The temperature this morning is minus 22 degrees, General Guderian."