Steel Soviet Union

The roaring sound of cannons, like an apocalyptic catastrophe, tore apart every inch of land covered by snow. The powerful 152mm heavy artillery shells could lift the entire land into the sky with one shot. Such terrifying power is even a tank. It is natural to imagine what the scene would be like for the flesh-and-blood German soldiers facing such an artillery bombardment.

The shell shock wave coming from afar can still be felt even from a distance of one kilometer away. The flying snow floating in the air keeps flying randomly as if it has been stimulated by some kind of stimulus, taking in all this scene. In Malashenko's eyes, there was nothing but deep shock in his heart.

"It's really hard for those Germans. Let alone the little devils from Nomenhan for such a scale of shelling, even if the American emperor came over, they would have to stand aside and continue the bombardment in this formation for an hour. The attack should be much smoother.”

Standing outside the turret and watching the Western scenery with the telescope in hand is a rare and enjoyable show. Facing this magnificent scene, Iushkin, who was sitting side by side with Malashenko inside the turret, was also talking to the loader. After Lear temporarily changed his position, he raised his hand to lift the top cover of the turret above his head and leaned out his upper body.

Instead of using a telescope to observe like Malashenko, he could see the majestic scene of roaring mountains and tsunami with his naked eyes. Iushkin, who couldn't count how many times he had witnessed such a scene, still felt his heart surge. Unable to conceal my excitement.

"Every time I see such a scene, I get extremely excited. Comrade Commander, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing those Fascist Nazis being enveloped in the barrage of heavy artillery of the Red Army! Such a scene I can watch it a thousand times without getting bored!"

After hearing the sincere words from Iushkin's mouth, he couldn't help but smile. Malashenko, who slowly put down the telescope in his hand, spoke without thinking.

"There will be many opportunities to see scenes like this in the future. When the air supremacy in the theater is completely controlled by our Red Army's fighter aviation, those German planes will have no chance to act as recklessly as they are now. By then, there will be no need to worry about the artillery units of air strikes. You can let go and fight with all your strength. Scenes like today are just daily life in the future.”

The situation was somewhat different from what Malashenko expected.

After hearing what Malashenko said, Iushkin did not show too much joy and excitement. Iushkin, who never concealed anything around Malashenko and was used to speaking outright, did the same this time. .

"Now it's just because of the weather that the German planes can't support the battlefield. When the snow stops, those German planes will be as rampant as before. I heard some rumors that those German planes are better than Our Red Army’s aircraft are much better, and the pilots’ skills are not at the same level. Many people say that the battle in the sky is more difficult than the tank battle on the ground.”

Completely contrary to the overwhelming qualitative and quantitative superiority of the Red Army tank troops on the ground over the German armored forces at the tactical level, the Soviet aviation units since the launch of Operation Barbarossa can be said to have been suppressed and beaten by the Luftwaffe.

In the early days of the war, most of them were destroyed on the airport and runways in planned sneak attacks without a chance to perform. As the war progressed, more and more Soviet aviation units were deployed on the frontal battlefield, but they were still weak.

Air combat, which places more emphasis on pilot skills and personal abilities than tanks versus armored warfare, is obviously not something that can be won with the passion of Soviet pilots and the relatively backward aircraft in their hands. The cruel fact is not dependent on human subjective will. And it's actually there.

Although the battle in the sky was violently beaten by the German army without any advantage, the Soviet army had been trying its best to suppress it, in order to prevent the news from spreading and affecting the morale of other ground combat troops.

But the more you try to suppress some things and don’t want everyone to know, the more they will develop in the opposite direction. Those who witnessed their own aircraft catching fire and smoking like dumplings falling to the ground during several low-altitude air supremacy battles in war zones. The Red Army soldiers are not fools. The one-sided air battles that occurred again and again are enough to illustrate the nature of the problem.

Malashenko, who has never evaded the truth due to his status as a future time traveler, basically does not deliberately prevent his subordinates from discussing these things.

In Malashenko's own view, the "one-sided" propaganda slogans that appear in newspaper headlines and political commissars' loudspeakers are more deadly. If soldiers only believe these things, it will cause big problems on the battlefield. The Red Army soldiers who charged at the front line, throwing their lives and blood, had the right to know the truest situation. Even the political commissar Petrov, who partnered with Malashenko, had reported this after experiencing a series of events since the beginning of the war. He acquiesced and did not stop it.

He did not comment on the slightly downbeat words Iushkin said. He knew that the air situation would only be fundamentally changed after the emergence of late-stage advanced fighters such as the La-7. He knew that the Soviet aviation force would still have a long period of blood. Malashenko, who was facing a thorny road, then spoke silently.

"There will be a day when German planes can no longer fly rampantly above our heads. Believe me, Iushkin, we will definitely be able to hold on until that day comes!"

After hearing the comforting "chicken soup for the soul" from Malashenko, Iushkin, who knew that the war situation was extremely difficult, still trusted his commander with a forced smile.

"Of course, Comrade Commander, I'm still waiting to see the day when the red flag of hammer and sickle is planted in Berlin."

The roaring and roaring thunderous bombardment that lasted for a full hour finally came to an end when the German soldiers seemed to be about to collapse in the end of the world. The surviving German troops, who had no time to count the casualties and equipment losses, had just walked out of the bomb-proof hole with shaky and trembling legs holding on to the earth wall. There was a tooth-numbing sound of metal friction, even though the diesel fuel was being carried. The roar of the engine came suddenly.

"Ivan's heavy tanks! Those are KV1s, they are coming! Enter the position and stop them!"

The German soldiers who were shouting randomly and hurriedly ran to their respective positions on the pitted positions seemed so funny to Malashenko. He retracted his upper body into the turret and closed the top cover of the turret. , with a slight upward movement.