Steel Soviet Union

The rising sun spread its pale golden light all over the land, and the snow that had almost melted made the entire Soviet Union a bit muddy.

Malashenko, who began to maneuver under the cover of night in the early morning, has now led his troops to a very close attack position. If he moves any further, he will be in danger of being discovered by German patrol sentries. .

After the last time he and Lavrinenko went out for reconnaissance as a duo and almost lost their lives, Malashenko, who had learned from the experience, learned well this time and no longer did that kind of life-threatening thing. The second move was to order the infantrymen assigned to him to go out to reconnoiter the enemy's situation. When it came to the work on both legs, Malashenko was really not as good as these professional infantrymen.

"What do you think of the situation? Malashenko, why hasn't there been any movement for so long?"

Lavrinenko, who was impatient to wait, lay behind the snow nest and quietly watched the situation in the distance. The infantrymen who had been gone for nearly an hour but had not returned made him a little worried about the sudden change in the situation.

"You ask me who should I ask to go? Just wait patiently, they will be fine until the gunshots are fired, and they should be back soon."

Compared to Lavrinenko, who was a bit impatient, Malashenko, who was as calm as if nothing had happened, seemed much more natural. Malashenko knew that there was nothing you could do in this situation even if you were anxious. In the era of underdeveloped communications, you could only wait for the two-legged infantry to come back and report the news after completing the investigation.

The patient Lavrinenko had no choice but to continue lying in the snow nest with Malashenko and wait for the situation to progress. The half-melted snow that melted into lumps made Lavrinenko feel uncomfortable all over. The feeling of having my clothes wet a lot is not pleasant.

About ten minutes later, when Lavrinenko was about to ask Malashenko what was going on again, several figures trotting up and appeared on a small slope not far away immediately made Lavrinenko's eyes widen. Bright.

"It's them! They're back, Malashenko!"

The Red Army squad leader who was responsible for leading the reconnaissance team was an experienced veteran. In previous battles, he had figured out the positioning situation from under the noses of the Germans several times, and he survived intact to report the information he saw with his own eyes. Brought back successfully.

In terms of investigation ability, this Red Army squad leader who is over 30 years old is definitely much better than Malashenko.

"Comrade Leonid, what did you see?"

After listening to Malashenko's question, he pulled off the camouflage mask on his face, and squad leader Leonid, who could clearly see the situation on the edge of the village, blurted out to Malashenko.

"There are about at least one company of Germans deployed outside the village. They have placed machine guns at the entrance of the village. I did not see anti-tank guns. They should be hidden in hidden firing positions in the dark."

"Although I didn't see any German tanks, I saw deep ruts at the entrance to the village. Those kinds of marks cannot be made by cars. Although the land this month is very wet and soft, it will not be damaged by cars weighing several tons. To press it into that state is something only a tank can do.”

After hearing this, Malashenko turned his head and looked at Lavrinenko beside him. The investigation situation was as expected by the two of them last night, and there were indeed German tanks.

"Can you tell how many tanks there are? Comrade Leonid, no precise figures are needed, even just a rough estimate will do."

After listening to Malashenko's question, squad leader Leonid, who looked thoughtful and began to carefully recall all the details of the past, quickly gave an answer.

"I'm not sure how many tanks there are, but based on my past reconnaissance experience, the minimum number will not be less than this number, Commander Malashenko."

Looking at the three fingers on one hand raised by monitor Leonid, Lavrinenko was stunned for a moment and then raised the corners of his mouth, and immediately showed a disdainful smile.

"Ha, I thought those German guys were so prepared that even a few tanks dared to prepare for an attack. It was really overestimating their capabilities."

Before Lavrinenko could finish his words, squad leader Leonid, who held up three fingers, shook his head continuously as if to make up for the situation.

"Not three, but thirty! Those Germans had at least thirty tanks driving into the village through the village entrance. I don't know if these tanks are still in the village, but the rut marks at the village entrance will definitely not be lower than this number!"

Thirty cars! ?

Lavrinenko blinked in surprise when he suddenly heard such words, and then subconsciously turned his gaze to Malashenko beside him, hoping to find the result, but he still maintained a calm expression. Rashenko seemed as if he had anticipated all this.

"Aren't you surprised? Malashenko. These are at least thirty German tanks!"

Lavrinenko's surprised rhetorical question echoed in his ears. Malashenko, who was not really surprised by this situation, made Lavrinenko smile in surprise.

"Actually, I think thirty tanks is a bit too few. Considering the importance of the village of Nibotrikaya, it is normal for the Germans to place an armored division here."

""

Lavrinenko was speechless at Malashenko's answer. He didn't know what to say, but after getting the first-hand intelligence, how to attack the village was the next decision that needed to be made quickly.

In order to achieve the unexpected and unprepared effect ordered by the front army headquarters, Malashenko must consider how to deal the heaviest blow to the German army in the shortest time, using a fast and fierce tank assault to end everything before the German tanks in the village could react.

Judging from the terrain, the medium-sized village of Nibotrikaya, no matter how hard it is, can accommodate a limited number of hidden tanks.

Malashenko estimated that the number of German tanks parked in the village would be thirty, starting with fifty, and would never exceed this number, which was roughly the strength of a standard German armored regiment.

"We all know the specific requirements of the battle. The first thing to do is to rush in before the Germans in the village react. To put it bluntly, we cannot let the German tanks drive out of the village to form a formation. We must surround the Germans in one go. The village was completely eaten!”

"Only in this way can we maximize our attacker's advantage and let the more complex terrain in the village become an obstacle to the Germans, making it impossible for them to assemble enough troops to fight us in the first place."