Chapter 1044: Stop the Storm

"Retreat! Retreat, retreat to the starting position!"

"There are too many Russian heavy tanks, we can't handle them! Go!"

"Ah!!! I was shot, my leg, my leg! Someone help me, come and help me!"

The rout is like a small spark. As long as this spark floats into the barrel of explosives, a full barrel of high-energy explosives will be instantly detonated, triggering catastrophic consequences, even if this powerful barrel of explosives is painted with the "SS" double lightning logo.

"Malachenko, good opportunity! The Germans are retreating, we should immediately organize troops to fight a counterattack, now!"

Is the current Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade capable of launching a counterattack? Of course!

With the arrival of the main force, most of the Varosha Infantry Battalion, which was directly used as tank cavalry outside the tank, has also arrived.

This unit, which was formed by the infantry units that were defeated and gathered together in the Battle of Stalingrad, and supplemented by a group of well-trained new recruits, has a high proportion of veterans and excellent equipment.

After getting off the car, the new recruits followed the pace of the veterans as they did in daily training. The veterans who crawled out of the bloody Stalingrad jumped off the car and grabbed their weapons and rushed directly into the nearby trenches. Together with the friendly infantry who were already unfamiliar with this line of defense, they held their positions. The black muzzles of various calibers were almost immediately placed on the ground and aimed directly at the target.

To be honest, if Malashenko, who had a lot of troops at his disposal, launched a counterattack at this time, the remaining SS troops in front of him, who had left corpses all over the ground, would have to confess their crimes or surrender. There was no other possibility. No matter how fast they ran, they could not run over the heavy tracks blessed by the power of a loving father.

But Malashenko, who was about to issue an order according to Lavrinenko's suggestion, suddenly remembered what Vatutin had said to him face to face at the last moment.

"Without the order of the front headquarters, Stalin's First Guards Heavy Tank Brigade will never be allowed to launch a counterattack! You must make good use of every precious tank in your hands."

Vatutin, who was highly praised in later generations, knew Malashenko's character very well. It can even be said that he had already thoroughly understood and memorized Malashenko's combat command method.

When the Germans go crazy, Malashenko will be like a reef in a tsunami, nailed to the spot, standing firm, and will never disobey orders and take the initiative to retreat, unless this resolute reef is completely shattered by the black violent waves.

When the Germans are defeated, Malashenko will carry out the classic truth of "If you don't take advantage, you are a bastard" to the end, and hit the already miserable German army with a club.

Even if his own troops have suffered heavy losses or the troops at hand are not sufficient, Malashenko still dares to do so. He will never let the Germans pretend to be powerful and then slip away. He is the kind of person who will never suffer any loss.

Vatutin knows Malashenko's style of doing things, and he also knows that after Malashenko beats the Germans, he will definitely not let his opponent escape. It is foreseeable that a fierce and swift counterattack will be launched, but it may also be extremely risky. This is why Vatutin repeatedly told Malashenko not to launch a counterattack without orders.

The energy of the German offensive group gathered in Kursk is too huge! It is so huge that Vatutin himself, who has seen the overall situation, feels that the Sixth Army, which has spent more than half a year in Stalingrad and the Red Army, is at best just a drop in the ocean.

The place where Malashenko appears will inevitably be the place where the German attack is the most crazy. In this case, you can never guess what the next plan of the German heavy troops hoarded on the opposite side is.

The loss of dozens or even hundreds of tanks is not a big deal for a heavy offensive group of this size. At best, it is just a drizzle of fur damage.

The Germans are fully capable of counterattacking with astonishing losses, taking advantage of the weak gaps when the Red Army organizes counterattacks and the positions are not well guarded to launch a wave of attacks against each other.

Manstein, known as the German God of War and Master of Offensive, loved to play this trick the most! Vatutin, who had suffered losses in Kharkov, would not fall into the trap for the second time, let alone let Malashenko fall into the pit.

At that time, if Malashenko's Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade was divided and surrounded by the German offensive group in front of the position, Vatutin could be sure that he would lose control of the battle situation next.

The importance of plugging the breached gap and rescuing the Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade, which is self-evident, will form the eye of the storm in the entire Kursk South Theater. The Germans who found the breakthrough point have no reason not to deploy troops and invest more troops here. At that time, the battle will quickly transcend control and deteriorate into a mobile attrition war that is extremely unfavorable to the Soviet army.

The tactical combat mode of refueling will be unavoidable at that time, and the positional defense battle that is beneficial to one's side will be completely goodbye.

Vatutin must block the most important factor in the eye of the storm before such a situation occurs: that is, our old comrade Ma.

Malashenko took three seconds to recall the words that Vatutin had specifically told him, and took about seven seconds to think and understand all the above reasons.

After thinking through the possible bad consequences, Malashenko had no reason to be stupid and do irrational things.

In front of the German Southern Army Group, whose offensive energy was so huge that it was unimaginable, his Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade was indeed as small as a lone boat in the sea. Now was the time not to be a hero and to gain achievements.

"Let those Germans go, no need to pursue and counterattack."

"Lavri, Kurbalov, you two get off the car and come to me, we have something to talk about."

After opening the turret cover, the external scene was filled with battlefield smoke and a hint of burnt human flesh.

Malashenko sniffed his nose without changing his expression, and turned his head to look at the open grassland in front of the position. There were about 20 German tank wreckages of various types burning and releasing thick black smoke. The SS infantrymen who fell to the ground were even more dead, and there was no way to count them. Soon they would rot and become a delicious meal for maggots.

In just this wave of attack, the Germans lost at least half of the heavy equipment of the armored battalion, and the infantry losses were even greater. In the end, not only did they fail to achieve their tactical goals, but they also didn't gain anything.

However, Malashenko, staring at his masterpiece, did not smile at all. On the contrary, he was seriously considering every detail of the battle. The Germans' next attack would probably be even more desperate and crazy.