Chapter 13: Rebuilding the First Company

According to the statistics of losses after the battle yesterday, the 20th Tank Division of the Soviet Army, which hastily launched an offensive operation and dragged the marching team that stretched for several kilometers like noodles, suffered heavy losses.

As the vanguard of the 20th Tank Division, it had just arrived at the designated position and had no time to catch its breath. The division headquarters, which was seriously dogmatic and did not recognize the actual battlefield situation, immediately sent a telegram according to the order of the higher-level military headquarters.

The order clearly required this vanguard force with only one tank company and a motorized infantry company to immediately launch an assault on the German troops entrenched in the village for repairs.

But what the 20th Tank Division of the Soviet Army, which was marching in the rear, did not know was that the German troops entrenched in this small village that had just experienced a round of baptism of war were not soft persimmons that could be easily squeezed, but the 13th Armored Division of the German Wehrmacht had a total of one reorganized armored battalion and three motorized infantry companies.

In the summer of mid-1941, at the beginning of the war, the production of T34 medium tanks was far from reaching the scale of the steel torrent after the Soviet military industry was fully erupted and mobilized in the later war.

Although the Soviet Western Front, which guards the western gate of the Soviet Union and Europe, has absolute priority for new equipment, the latest improved model of the T3476 tank 1941, which was just finalized and put into production in 1941, is undoubtedly a very precious and relatively scarce equipment.

At that time, the Soviet tank company led by Captain Brasovsky had a total of 17 full-strength tanks.

Except for the T34 tank commanded by Malashenko, the then lieutenant deputy company commander, which broke down due to mechanical failure due to a long march, the Soviet tanks actually used in the first wave of surprise attacks on the German army in the village totaled 16.

But among these 16 tanks, except for the company command vehicle commanded by Captain Brasovsky, which was the only latest T3476 medium tank, the remaining 15 tanks were all old and outdated BT7 fast tanks and T26 light tanks.

Whether it was BT7 or T26, these two types of Soviet tanks, which can be called light tanks, were not as good as the main German opponents they faced, the Type 3 and Type 4 tanks, in terms of firepower and armor protection. They were only slightly better than the Type 1 and Type 2 tanks and the Czech-made 38T light tanks that were still equipped by the German army at that time.

The dual disadvantages in overall equipment quality and quantity could not be compensated even by the technological superiority of a single T3476 medium tank that was ahead of its time. The Soviet light tanks, whose rapid mobility advantage could not be effectively utilized in local offensive battles, were quickly annihilated by the German troops in the village with an absolute numerical advantage. Only the No. 177 T3476 tank was paralyzed on the spot and could not move.

It is no exaggeration to say that if the follow-up troops of the 20th Tank Division had not arrived one after another and continuously engaged in offensive operations, Lin Jie, who had just crossed over to the Soviet-German battlefield, would undoubtedly have been captured by the German army or suffocated to death in the tank and turned into human meat barbecue.

After this battle, the first tank company that was first put into battle not only suffered a heavy blow from the death of the original company commander Captain Brasovsky, but also suffered a devastating blow from the German armored forces in the village and the remaining 16 BT7 fast tanks and T26 light tanks under the company were completely wiped out.

In addition, the rest of the troops under the 20th Tank Division of the Soviet Army that were subsequently deployed in the offensive also suffered heavy losses.

The nearly 20% loss rate of the entire division's tank equipment undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the Red Army soldiers who had just experienced a turbulent purge. At the same time, it also allowed these relatively inexperienced Soviet armored soldiers to witness for the first time the terrifying combat efficiency of the world's most elite armored soldiers.

The German armored forces that conquered the entire Europe through the original blitzkrieg offensive in the early years were not in vain! It is no exaggeration to say that at this time, the German armored forces, regardless of the quality of their equipment and the combat experience and combat qualities of the soldiers, were definitely the most powerful and professional elite armored forces on the planet, without a doubt.

According to the subsequent action deployment and a series of subsequent superior combat orders, the first problem that the 20th Tank Division of the Soviet Army will face after the tragic victory is the reorganization and reorganization of the incomplete troops.

Among them, the 1st Armored Company of the 1st Regiment, which was almost completely wiped out but only survived with one T34 tank No. 177, naturally came into the sight of Division Commander Cherniayev first.

In order to allow this company that gave birth to a tank hero to continue to exert its due combat effectiveness and heroic unit cohesion, Colonel Cherniayev, the commander of the 20th Tank Division, discussed with his partner, Lieutenant Colonel Petrov, and listened to and adopted his suggestions.

According to the decision and instructions made by the division headquarters, the reorganized Armored Company 1 will be under the command of a total of 6 T3476 medium tanks including No. 177 and 11 BT7 fast tanks, so as to restore the combat strength of the full-strength armored company.

But it is undoubtedly impossible to get new tanks to reinforce the rear during the current wartime march. In order to fill the gap in Malashenko's armored company, these newly formed T34 medium tanks and BT7 fast tanks were all drawn from other subordinate units of the 20th Tank Division, which can be regarded as a kind of wartime robbing Peter to pay Paul under desperation.

But no matter what, with these experienced crews drawn from other friendly forces as supplements, Malashenko, who has just taken office for less than a day, finally does not have to continue to be a commander without troops.

This is undoubtedly a great thing for Malashenko, who is eager to prove his value on the battlefield and get a chance to be promoted, and then get rid of the cannon fodder to increase his chances of survival.

After asking his newly formed new armored company to start the car as soon as possible and warm up to set off, Malashenko, who sighed and turned back, once again found the big boy squatting by the low wall and bowing his head in silence within his field of vision.

"Oh, this damn war!"

After sighing softly, he moved his not-so-brisk steps to Kirill's side again, who was bowing his head in silence. Not knowing what to do, Malashenko had to take out a half-empty pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, took out one of them and handed it to Kirill's face.

"I don't know if you can do it, but I think this thing should correspond to your inner state of mind right now."