Chapter 1326 Dangerous Bad News

After having a well-organized medium tank unit, Malashenko really felt much more convenient. Heavy tanks with strong armor and powerful guns, good at attacking cities and strongholds, often find it difficult to quickly reach the battlefield. Light tanks used to be fragile and had broken guns and could hardly play a decisive role.

At this time, as long as the medium tank unit is sent up, these excellent Soviet medium tanks have basically achieved the maximum balance in the three elements of firepower, mobility and protection. Not only are they much faster than heavy tanks, but their firepower is also more fierce than that of the younger brother of light tanks.

As long as they are not too difficult opponents, such as encountering a cluster of enemy heavy tanks.

Medium tank units that rush into the battlefield in groups and quickly can generally stabilize the front quickly and even directly reverse the situation! Of course, it doesn't matter if they can't reverse the situation.

As long as they can stand firm and ensure that the troops are not defeated, the heavy tank units that follow closely will play a decisive role. The most important task of the medium tank unit is to persist until the heavy tank unit arrives. At least in the Stalin Guards First Tank Division, which is a mixture of light, medium and heavy tanks, the reason and tactical arrangement are so simple.

The opponent to be faced this time is different from the past. Through the prior battlefield reconnaissance intelligence, Malashenko has learned that among the German troops in front of him, there is a relatively complete Wehrmacht armored division that has been supplemented after withdrawing from Kursk and is the strongest in the surrounding war zones.

He has to stay in the center of the large force to command. Being in the enemy's hinterland, he may encounter unexpected emergencies at any time. Malashenko clearly knows that the main force cannot do without him.

But the person who is sent to the front of the front line to coordinate and command cannot be too low in rank. Kurbalov is the most capable main force general under Malashenko. But now Malashenko hopes that Kurbalov can stay in the place closest to him and obey orders at any time. It is one of the practical experiences summed up by Malashenko today to keep a hand ready at any time.

Moreover, Kurbalov was not a division-level commander but a regiment-level commander, while Alexey's reconnaissance company was a unit directly under the division.

Malashenko was indeed worried that Alexey, this stubborn donkey, would kick his ass at a critical moment. This rascal who dared to disobey his orders and change his methods to execute them might also turn a deaf ear to Kurbalov's orders.

"I am a unit directly under the division, what do you, a regiment-level commander, do to me?"

It may sound a bit blunt and choking, but it is indeed the truth.

Although the possibility is small, it is indeed possible.

Malashenko took this into consideration, so he decided to change the generals at the last minute and not send Kurbalov, but directly send his deputy Lavrinenko.

You are awesome, Alexey? You are arrogant, right?

Well, you are playing the game of "a general is not subject to military orders when he is away from home" to the division commander who is far away in the rear. Now the deputy division commander is riding on your face. You can't just give up like a stubborn donkey, right?

This is a second-level division commander under Lao Ma. To put it bluntly, if the division commander has a problem and can't command the battle temporarily, then Lavrinenko will have the final say on military matters, at least he will discuss it with the political commissar and the chief of staff.

If Alexi is still not under control, Malashenko feels that he should really deal with this bastard.

"I hope nothing happens. Alexi just needs to stay here this time."

Feeling the whistling cold wind in his ears and looking at the snow-white horizon in the distance, Malashenko, who is really worried, can't help but mutter to himself and speak.

Lavrinenko, who received the order from Malashenko, acted quickly. All the medium tanks in Kurbarov's main 1st Tank Regiment were taken away by Lavrinenko. This is a whole medium tank battalion, a total of 38 medium tanks, a force that cannot be underestimated.

It is worth mentioning that Lavrinenko's vehicle is a huge and bulky IS4 heavy tank that can't keep up. This war machine is equivalent to an invincible beast once it arrives on the battlefield. Not to mention keeping up with the medium tank troops known for their high-speed mobility, even the IS6, which is also a heavy tank but has a high-speed mobility design, can hardly catch up.

Therefore, Lavrinenko, who was forced by reality, could only temporarily change his vehicle and borrowed an IS6 heavy tank from the heavy tank company directly under the division headquarters to change the vehicle on the battlefield.

The four-person crew in two different heavy tanks quickly exchanged in less than a minute. The Lavrinenko crew, who had fought on the IS6 for a while, did not have the problem of lack of proficiency in this equipment.

The IS6, which is the best in mobility among heavy tanks, is a high-speed heavy tank. Before the birth of the IS7 equipped with a torpedo boat engine, it was the fastest heavy tank in the entire Stalin heavy tank family.

Therefore, after changing the car, Lavrinenko was able to keep up with the speed of the medium tank unit. The entire rapid support force was running at the maximum speed with the accelerator pedal pressed to the limit, rushing all the way to the reconnaissance unit several kilometers away in a straight line.

Although there are few artificially dug solid roads in the Soviet wilderness, most of them are simply dug dirt roads. Fortunately, Lavrinenko's luck this time is obviously good. The whole army encountered some solid frozen ground along the way.

Although the road is undulating and the ice and snow still affect the speed of advancement, it is at least a hardened road surface rather than a muddy snow road. The medium and heavy tanks equipped with winter tracks can still barely reach the speed standard. The large pieces of snow rolled up by the tracks are flying in the air behind the column and the scene is really spectacular.

"We have entered the radio communication range, comrade commander. We can now directly contact the reconnaissance company. We have been connected."

The loader, who is responsible for debugging the vehicle radio and acting as a guest electromechanical operator in addition to loading ammunition, stands closest to Lavrinenko and speaks with the microphone in his hand. And Lavrinenko, who has been in a state of anxiety for a long time, responded with a simple sentence.

"Give me the transmitter."

After taking the transmitter, Lavrinenko was about to speak, but Alexi, who knew that the reinforcements would arrive soon, sent an extremely dangerous signal before Lavrinenko.

"Call for reinforcements, this is Alexi from the reconnaissance company! The Germans have discovered us, and they are trying to encircle us! They have heavy firepower! Please come and help us as soon as you hear the news!"