Chapter 1063 "Mass Production of Malashenko"

Now, the SS Division, known for its ferocity and bloodthirstiness, hit a wall. Not only did it not achieve any decent actual results, but it also suffered heavy losses.

Hot felt that the situation reported by Priss was more credible. The Russian troops that could stop the SS Division must have something worth noting.

"Do you know which Russian troops the SS Division is facing? We don't even know the name of the enemy, do we?"

Hot was a little worried that the chief of staff would really answer him "I don't know". If so, the situation would be quite embarrassing. Fortunately, this did not happen.

"The intelligence department intercepted some valuable Russian telegrams. Although there is no direct evidence, it is still very likely to make the highest probability judgment."

"In addition to a Russian Guards Infantry Division originally stationed here, the SS Division also faced a brigade-level tank unit that came to support urgently. The number is Stalin's First Guards Heavy Tank Brigade. Judging from the number of tanks reported by the SS Division, this tank brigade should have been sent out as a whole to reinforce, carrying almost all the important technical equipment."

Speaking of this, the chief of staff paused and took out a piece of paper from the folder in his hand and placed it on the table. He pressed his finger in front of Hoth, and the commentator at the same time spoke again.

"You should be interested in this. The commander of this tank brigade is very famous here, and of course the same is true for the Russians. It is confirmed that the troops he participated in destroying are almost an armored army. Many people are thinking about this Russian guy.

Hot listened to the explanation while picking up the paper in front of him and carefully reading it. After a moment, he put down the thing in his hand and spoke again without changing his expression, looking a little surprised.

"Malachenko, the Malachenko in Moscow and Stalingrad? Are you sure it's the same person?"

Facing Hoth's slightly unbelievable, the chief of staff just smiled.

"Do you think there will be another so-called "tank hero" named Malachenko in the Soviet Union? If the Russians can mass-produce "Malachenko", we don't have to fight Kursk. ”

“”

The cold jokes that were usually good were not funny now. After hearing this, the serious Hoth immediately read the report in his hand again. After repeated confirmation, he finally let it go and spoke.

“If this is the case, we can’t let the SS Division face these Russians alone.”

It seemed that he was thinking about how to send more support forces to the SS Division. After careful consideration, Hoth stood up and looked at the war zone map hanging on the wall, and quickly made his own judgment.

“Send a telegram to the 2nd SS Panzer Army and transfer the Guards Flag Division to the combat direction of the SS Division. The deep defense line of the enemy in front must be broken within two days. The combat defense line responsible for the Guards Flag Division will be filled by other troops. If a breakthrough cannot be made, we can only give up the frontal breakthrough. We don’t have much time left.

The chief of staff naturally understood what Hoth meant. The situation in Sicily was so bad that the result could almost be judged.

Although reluctant to face it, the extremely unfavorable and terrible situation of fighting on two fronts for Germany is bound to come again, just like the First World War.

The Russians on the Eastern Front have not been completely resolved, and there is even a dangerous trend of reversal.

The Americans on the other side of the ocean can't stand the loneliness again, and want to make a final move and reap the benefits like last time.

When the bloody battle is dead, the Americans hide far away and watch the fire from the other side. When both sides are injured, there must be a group of American soldiers who are rolling forward by themselves in the team that jumps out to make a final move and grab heads.

It sounds a bit fucked up, but the Americans are like this, God's plan is not as good as man's plan, and they always seize the precise opportunity.

Once Sicily is lost, it is only a matter of time before the war on the Western Front begins. This is equivalent to having smashed the lock on the door of Western Europe and waiting for the final break-in.

All of Germany's elite heavy troops gathered on the Kursk front, and a large part of these troops will be transferred to Western Europe as expected.

Before all this comes, if the Kursk war cannot be resolved, the German army on the Eastern Front, whose offensive energy is rapidly losing, must consider how to resist the Russians' crazy strategic defense in the next stage. The change of strategic initiative is predictable.

So it is not only Hoth who is anxious about this. Manstein, the commander of the Southern Army Group in the rear, is also anxious.

Nearly half of the inquiry telegrams sent out every day are urging the attack, but the actual effect is worrying.

The Russians fought like crazy on the Kursk grassland and resisted desperately. The German army had to pay a huge price for every step forward.

Even the murderous maniacs of the Waffen SS were a bit like deflated balls in front of the Russians. The crazy tactics of the Russians on the opposite side were no less than those of the Waffen SS who fought desperately.

Hoth, who originally had high hopes for the 2nd SS Panzer Corps, is now a little worried. If the SS Division fails to make a breakthrough after receiving support from the Guard Flag Division and is blocked by the Russians again, how should he give orders and make decisions next?

Hoth felt a little uncertain, and could only hope that after the SS Skeleton Division and the Guard Flag Division were combined, they could achieve a breakthrough with the effect of "one plus one is greater than two".

The last detail was that the Russian tank commander named Malashenko was too famous! He was in almost every large-scale battle and campaign, like a ghost that haunted the German army wherever they went.

Soldiers on the front line had spread that Malashenko led Stalin's most elite Moscow Guard Tank Unit, and the German prisoners of war he captured would be executed or even stuffed into the tank tracks as human lubricants, which was extremely cruel and ruthless.

Hoth heard through some gossip that it was the troops led by this Malashenko that ruined the Sixth Army in Stalingrad.

Mamayev Kurgan and Railway Station No. 1 were both masterpieces of this Malashenko. Even Paulus was captured by this man and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in the end, becoming the first German marshal to surrender and be captured.

As the commander of the entire Fourth Armored Group, Hoth should not consider matters as small as the tactics of the division-level troops. He should be responsible for the overall macro-strategy and control of the war situation.

However, his keen war intuition told Hoth that this Russian tank commander named Malashenko had caused too much trouble and loss to his side. From Moscow to Stalingrad and now Kursk, his shadow is always indispensable.

The ultimate role played by the small weight has even affected the position of the entire earth. The key depends on the position of the seesaw fulcrum.

The role played by the troops led by Malashenko has far exceeded that of other troops of the same level. If possible, Hoth hopes to annihilate the troops led by Malashenko in Kursk, so as to see what the man who can capture Paulus alive looks like and how capable he is.

However, the current battle situation was not absolutely favorable to his side, so Hoth could only think about it for the time being and could not put all his efforts into action.

If the battle situation developed to a certain point in time and there was a chance, Hoth swore that he would give priority to killing this extremely special Russian unit.

The legend of the "tank hero" that the Russians were proud of was completely swept into the trash can and destroyed forever.