Chapter 746 Dark Night

"That's Mamayev Kurgan. I almost forgot what it looks like."

"Of course, it will be the place where we will continue to fight for a while."

After fighting at the train station for so long, Malashenko almost forgot what Mamayev Kurgan, where he had been but had not actually fought, looked like.

Malashenko, who had completed the shift change with the infantry division that came to replace him, walked at the front of the team, half of his body drooped outside the turret to breathe the fresh air under the night sky. The stars above his head indicated that tomorrow should be a good and suitable weather for fighting.

Tap, tap, tap--

"Iushkin, give me a cigarette."

Iushkin, who was leaning on the gunner's position and reading the letter from home with a small flashlight, heard the sound of knocking on the armor plate above his head. The request made by Malashenko obviously made Iushkin a little reluctant.

"You have a much larger monthly quota than me, and you've been asking me for cigarettes lately."

"Why do you talk so much nonsense? Hurry up."

""

There was only half a box of "dung grass cigarettes" left in his pocket, which he had picked up from the corpses of German soldiers. This cigarette smelled extremely bad, as if the tobacco had been soaked in horse manure. After experiencing it, many Soviet soldiers found it unbelievable that the Germans could smoke this kind of shit with relish.

But even so, Iushkin was still very reluctant. God knows where he will get the next pack of cigarettes after smoking the last half pack of cigarettes. Iushkin had no choice but to hide it like a quick treasure.

Malashenko, who had his right hand drooped into the turret, soon felt something handed to him. He pinched it with two fingers and then took his hand back. A German shit cigarette that he absolutely did not want to smoke unless it was absolutely necessary was presented to Malashenko.

"Oh, I really don't want to smoke this stuff, it's just like eating shit. Forget about a box of Furongwang, or even a box of Yuxi."

He said no, but his body was actually very honest.

Malashenko put the cigarette in his mouth and pressed the lighter in his hand to light it. A surging and mellow taste like a toilet immediately echoed between his lips and teeth and rushed straight to his head. The more he smoked, the more uncomfortable he felt. Now he really wanted to kill someone.

"If I can catch the German logistics officer, I will kill his mother! Damn! Who purchased such a hard-to-smoke cigarette into the army!?"

Malashenko, cursing in his heart, soon arrived near the area marked on the map.

According to the content agreed in advance, Malashenko asked Ivushkin to turn on the searchlight hanging on the muzzle to indicate his identity to avoid being accidentally injured by friendly fire.

The light suddenly lit up the dark road in front of the muzzle. The buildings on both sides of the street that had been bombed into ruins were pitch black. The black holes of the broken windows and the gaps in the walls blasted out by the shells were like bloody mouths waiting to eat people. Malashenko always felt that something seemed to be peeping at him in the darkness, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Damn it, don't take the wrong road and enter the German-occupied area. God knows how many times this street has changed hands during the day."

As if in response to Malashenko's complaints, a flashing light suddenly lit up in the darkness about a hundred meters away.

The lights hidden in the darkness flashed intermittently and rhythmically. Malashenko, who was staring at all this, turned his head and gave orders to Iushkin who was on standby in the turret.

"Three long and one short, it's our people! Return the signal, Iushkin!"

The searchlight hanging on the muzzle has an in-vehicle controller connected by an electrical wire, and the control of the controller is in Iushkin's hands.

"Received, reply! Uh, what's the signal?"

Looking at the cute expression under the flashlight, Malashenko, who couldn't see clearly in the dark, really wanted to punch Iushkin.

"Three short and one long! Idiot!"

"Oh, I see, three short and one long, I'll reply right away."

""

Turning his head back to the front, Malashenko couldn't help shaking his head. He didn't know if it was an illusion or something, but Malashenko always felt that Iushkin seemed to have become a little idiotic recently, in all kinds of behaviors. Could it be that his brain was damaged by the shells? But he was right next to him and his brain was fine.

Malashenko shook his head. The more he thought about this question, the more unreliable it seemed.

Not long after the three short and one long response light disappeared, a Red Army soldier with a helmet on his head and a PPSh submachine gun in his hand immediately ran towards Malashenko's position.

"The code is correct, please report your number."

"The First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko."

"Okay, please follow me, Captain Malashenko."

Although there was not much face-to-face communication, Malashenko could still read a different flavor from the anxious look of the soldier under the light. This street, which looked a little weird, was obviously not a suitable place to stay for a long time.

"Attention all crews, follow the lead car in front and keep moving forward!"

The long steel dragon in the dark night slowly started again with Malashenko's order.

Except for Malashenko's lead car, which turned on the lights to explore the way, all the tanks behind, including Lavrinenko's car, did not turn on the lights. They only relied on the faint moonlight to see the track of the lead car in front and followed closely behind.

Under Mamayev Hill, where the dead can pile up into mountains, all actions must be done with caution, especially in this dark night when everything is completely silent and the target is easily exposed.

Malashenko, who was the first to drive the car into the designated position, immediately jumped out of the turret and came out of the car. He quickly ran to the checkpoint he had just passed and commanded the tanks behind him to follow.

Seeing that everything in front of him was proceeding in an orderly manner according to the plan, Malashenko, who could not restrain his doubts, quietly asked the soldier beside him who had just led him the way.

"I led the team all the way here and felt that something was not right about the atmosphere. Comrade, what happened here during the day?"

After listening to Malashenko's question, the soldier who was counting one after another how many tanks were coming in simply answered straightforwardly.

"Those Germans tried to encircle us and eliminate us under the hills, Commander Malashenko. During the day, we repelled eight German attacks on this street, leaving many Germans behind. The body was lying on the street. Didn't you notice it when you came here?"