Chapter 1168 The Ultimate Death Battle (Part 2)

Every minute of the brutal battle was extremely painful, but it passed quickly.

The tanks around him were destroyed one after another by the SS tanks that rushed forward. Malashenko, who was struggling to resist the enemy's offensive, tried to counterattack several times to block the SS tanks that were pushing him back.

But seeing that there were only a few tanks left due to the heavy losses, Malashenko, who felt powerless, finally gave up the idea of ​​launching a counterattack. He could only continue to fight and retreat in the depth of the village behind him.

The tank battle situation on Malashenko's side was not optimistic, and Major Varosha, who led the infantry battle personally, also encountered a difficult problem.

Those SS troops who came to support at the most critical moment were not just random people. Major Valosha, who only took a quick look, estimated that the number of light infantrymen who came to the opposite side in half-track armored vehicles and tanks was at least about a battalion.

With the addition of this group of fresh troops, the SS, which was about to be pushed off the cliff, not only defended the small position they had occupied, but also turned defense into offense and continued to attack forward.

The fierce machine gun barrage and tank main gun shells were like free money. Seeing that it was impossible to drive the enemy out of the position, Major Valosha could only order a retreat.

The stern-faced SS infantrymen not only stepped over the bodies of the enemies who had just fallen, but also stepped over the bodies of their comrades who had not yet shed all their blood.

Bullets from rifles, machine guns, and submachine guns came at the same time, becoming more and more fierce. Major Valosha, who was being pursued by the SS, followed the pre-set communication trenches and bunkers, and led the soldiers to fight and retreat along the way, struggling with the enemy.

With the continuous loss of troops like water, he finally led the few remaining soldiers to meet Malashenko, who had just arrived, on the village defense line that had been discussed in advance.

"The fascists sent reinforcements, comrade brigade commander, I tried to organize a counterattack but failed. The enemy is rushing towards us, what should we do next?"

Major Valosha's condition was very bad, even a bit terrible.

The enemy's dagger scratched his left shoulder. Although it was not serious, it was definitely not too little bleeding. The entire shoulder and collar had been stained with blood.

The wound on his right hand, which was caused by grabbing the enemy's bayonet, was still wrapped in gauze. The bandages that were too many and affected his ability to kill the enemy with a gun had been removed. Major Valosha removed them himself. Now the few remaining bandages had been stained with the same color as blood by the wound that had broken again.

There were bloodstains, stains, or traces of gunpowder smoke all over his body. Major Valosha, who didn't care about these, was still waiting for orders. He looked at Malashenko, who had just got off the car in front of him, and his expression was not even a little timid.

""

Malashenko did not give a direct answer, but turned his head to look at the surviving soldiers led by Major Valosha.

Originally, the troops were equivalent to a standing infantry regiment when fully equipped. After all the hard battles along the way, only the last two hundred people behind Major Valosha were left.

Malashenko, who had a clear understanding of the war situation, knew very well that the so-called second line of defense in the village could only play a role that was better than nothing.

There were no decent bunkers or any fortifications, only a few scattered trenches and communication trenches, plus most of the dilapidated houses that had been bombed into ruins.

If all this could remind Malashenko of something, then there was no doubt that only the Stalingrad battlefield, which was like hell on earth, and the ruins and ruins everywhere, and the bloody meat grinder battlefield with no positions at all, could be compared with the current situation.

But in Stalingrad, Malashenko at least had the concept of "defense depth" in most cases. Even if he suffered a temporary defeat, he would not be surrounded and blocked by the enemy and completely annihilated. At least there was a place to retreat and enough to deal with.

But now, right now, in this completely destroyed village.

The bad news came one after another, and the outer defense positions had all been lost. The situation that Political Commissar Petrov had warned Malashenko about last night finally became a reality.

The total area of ​​the village in the four directions of east, west, south and north, which is less than two square kilometers, is the last actual control territory in Malashenko's hands.

After leaving this palm-sized territory and taking another step forward, the ferocious SS troops who had just occupied the outer positions were right in front of him.

When was the last time he encountered such a huge crisis? Stalingrad? Or was it in 1941, even longer ago?

Malashenko looked at the soldiers in front of him, who looked tired and stained, but their eyes were still bright and looking at him. For a moment, he couldn't find the real answer to this question, as if he had never encountered such a hopeless situation in Stalingrad.

In that brief moment, many things flashed through Malashenko's mind without any sign. Among them were painful memories of the past, hugs and laughter with loved ones, and the last voices, smiles and memories left by those who had passed away.

"Is this the end? Fuck you! Even if I die, I will drag a few more fascist bastards to die with me! I'm a man who died once, so why am I afraid of you!?"

The SS, which regrouped after a short rest, will soon sweep in again. Malashenko, who knew this well, knew that he didn't have much time to waste, and only had a short last speech to all the soldiers and comrades present.

"We are the 1st Heavy Tank Brigade of Stalin's Guards. We are the heroic troops bearing the name of the Soviet supreme leader! There is no surrender in our dictionary, comrades! Let this village be our last battlefield, and let the blood of the fascists loosen our graves!"

"Swear to Comrade Lenin! You will only see Malashenko killed in battle, and you will not see Malashenko living in the enemy's prisoner-of-war camp! Brave Red Army soldiers, hold your weapons tightly, I will fight with you to the end!"

Malashenko, who stood on the turret of the tank with an extremely firm will and promised the soldiers the last oath, did not know at this moment. An unexpected incident that even made him a little shaken for a moment was approaching him quickly in the unknown fog and was not far away.