Steel Soviet Union

"No enemy can cross the torrent of steel from the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment, not in the past, not today, and not in the future!"

"We will crush all enemies and resolutely complete the tasks assigned to our regiment by our superiors. Only victory is waiting for us ahead!"

Chuikov on the other end of the phone finally put down the phone with satisfaction and went to deal with other things that were raging in the war. Here, Malashenko, who also just put down the phone, turned around immediately.

"How many tanks are there in total in the regiment now? Are all the crews complete?"

Political Commissar Petrov, who was waiting for Malashenko to finish the phone call, had already guessed that his partner would ask such a question. Most of the numbers that Malashenko only glanced at on weekdays were made by Petrov. The political commissar came to complete the statistics.

"During the five days you were hospitalized, we have received 27 new tanks one after another, but don't misunderstand this new one."

"Almost half of the 27 tanks are recovered and refurbished tanks that were lost on the battlefield. You might even find parts such as a severed hand in the tank. More than half of the remaining tanks are genuine new vehicles, but they are free of charge. The technician who came to the tank also said that these are hand-assembled tanks and can only be guaranteed to be functional. You know what this means. "

"It can only be guaranteed that it can still be used." This is a sentence that Malashenko often hears since he was rushed to Stalingrad. It appears almost every time when he receives supplementary tanks.

The meaning of this sentence is indeed very broad. In the past incidents that Malashenko has experienced, this sentence means that the quality of the armor is not up to standard, the shell fuze may fail, the gun mirror is in the wrong position, and the engine may break down on the battlefield at any time. , maybe even the fuel in the tank is about to be exhausted.

All in all, for all the tank battlefield failures you can think of, the phrase "it can only be guaranteed to be still usable" will be accepted as one.

At first, Malashenko felt very annoyed. He even wanted to call the people at the factory to reason with him and ask them what kind of junk tank they were building.

But when I think about the Kirov factory in Leningrad last year, I witnessed the workers sleeping in the nearest place next to the machine tools with bedrolls and dry food. When they were hungry and thirsty, they would eat and drink. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I lay down on the bedroll and took a nap.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I immediately took all the time to devote myself to the "battle". I was so busy that I even stumbled to the toilet. Even the technicians and engineers who stayed behind in the factory had to live and eat in the workshop, and they were determined not to leave the line of fire to maintain minimum production to support the frontline battle. Malashenko's angry heart suddenly softened as he held the microphone.

Those proletarian workers who have nothing but their lives have dedicated everything they have to defending the motherland to the best of their abilities and values. What reason do you have to criticize them anymore?

Being able to make a tank purely by hand is already a miracle in itself.

Being able to get support and supplies from 27 tanks is much better than what Malashenko expected on the way here.

According to Malashenko's worst-case plan, getting more than ten tanks is already considered good. The sudden addition of 27 tanks is enough to make people feel quite satisfied, even if the quality is uneven.

"So that means we now have more than 40 tanks that can be put into battle?"

Malashenko asked, and Commissar Petrov nodded.

"Karamov and his people have tried their best to maintain all the tanks to the best extent possible, but the spare parts we have on hand have been almost exhausted, especially some parts of the heavy tanks that have not been replenished in Stalingrad. , although we don’t have many heavy tanks left.”

Hearing this, Malashenko couldn't help but tremble in his heart after being poked in a sore spot.

The First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment is almost turning into the First Guards Ragged Tank Regiment. What the hell is this called?

"Except for one KV1, which cannot be repaired and whose gears in the engine gearbox were worn to the point of becoming discs, all tanks can now be put into battle."

"You just asked about the situation of the train crew. These days, we have also integrated some scattered train crews sent by the Army Headquarters. I try to fill the missing personnel in the original train crew according to the different positions, and try my best to ensure their tacit understanding. And the level of combat effectiveness, overall it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

"Does this mean that we are completely ready now? We can go into battle at any time?"

"That's right, you can think so."

"Okay, now all that's left is to wait for orders."

The reality in front of him is the same as usual. This time, Chuikov obviously still intends to keep the First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment in his hands and use it as the last ace of the firefighting team at the critical moment when it is most needed.

Listening to the sound of gunfire coming from the distance, Malashenko, who was sitting by the phone and waiting for the order to be issued, was a little impatient. This feeling of watching others conquer Germany while staring blankly at him was really not very good. Feel good.

"How are your eyes? Don't tell me you plan to keep looking like this and lead the troops to the front line."

Political Commissar Petrov noticed Malashenko's mummified head as soon as he entered the door. What happened to Malashenko's eyes now was what he was most concerned about.

"Eye? There's nothing wrong with it, but the gauze hasn't been removed yet."

As he spoke, Malashenko reached out and reached behind his head to untie the bandage. As if he was not worried at all, he pulled off the gauze covering his eyes and regained his sight.

"Well, it's a little bit uncomfortable. My eyes are getting used to it."

Karachev had told Malashenko to wait until at least ten days before removing the bandage and using his right eye. However, Malashenko, who had only been five days old, already seemed to be fine. The right eye that kept blinking was in Peter's eyes. Commissar Luo Fe looked exactly the same as before the surgery.

"I've always heard that this young man who came back from the United States has extremely good medical skills. His surgery success rate is among the best in Stalingrad. Seeing as you look like this, what you said should be true."

After looking around for a long time with the small mirror he always carried in his pocket, Malashenko could not find any traces of wounds left after the operation. It was as if he had never had an operation before. The status is exactly the same.

"It's strange. Could it be that my stabbing was in vain? Can my eyes grow back automatically?"