Chapter 748 "Farmer"

There is nothing wrong with Chuikov's plan. At least it's nice to have it on paper on a map.

However, the protracted attack for many consecutive days has caused the Soviet army to attack Mamayev Heights from the bottom up to suffer huge casualties. The German army, which has achieved certain results in urban street fighting, has basically surrounded Mamayev. After eating more than half of the streets at the foot of Mamayev Hill, they began to form a crescent-shaped encirclement along the two wings from the outer streets under Mamayev Hill, intending to close the encirclement and eat all the people fighting at the foot of Mamayev Hill in one go. All Soviet units.

The huge strength of the Sixth Army became Paulus's capital for unrestrained play at the gambling table. Zhukov, who had much less gambling capital than Paulus, could only provide very limited support to Chuikov. This was to a large extent. This restricted Chuikov's ability to implement more bold tactics.

Chuikov not only wanted to take out the hardest nut to crack at Mamayev Heights, but he also had to move the German troops that had already bypassed his flanks to penetrate and encircle them.

Chuikov didn't know whether the Germans wanted to eat him in one go, or whether they wanted to divide and surround the 62nd Army into two parts and then enjoy it slowly.

If it is the former, then Chuikov can also count on the friendly troops in the surrounding neighborhoods to be able to withstand the German offensive and buy himself some precious time to capture Mamayev Hill.

But if it is the latter, the number of reserves in Chuikov's hands is directly related to the life and death of the entire 62nd Army. Enough troops must be retained to withstand the Germans' sudden attack at any time to ensure their own safety and not be wiped out.

What tactics will the enemy adopt? What is the next direction of attack? How many troops have been assembled? Which position will you choose as your main offensive direction?

Every single one he picked out was a matter of life and death. Chuikov couldn't find the answer in his heart and could only rely on guesswork to judge what kind of action his opponent might take next, but this method was often the most dangerous and fatal.

The staff around him were worried not about whether tomorrow's battle would go smoothly, but about how many troops Chuikov planned to use to launch the offensive, and whether there were enough troops left to deal with emergencies at any time. The German troops who maintain contact up and down the mountain are very likely to jump over the wall at the most critical moment. Even if they lose Mamayev Hill, they will still have to fight to the death with the Soviet army!

"What should I do? Do you want to send a message to the front army headquarters to inquire?"

Chuikov, who was undecided, put his hands on the table and stared at the war zone map framed by a hoop in front of him. The staff officers surrounding the command table also frowned and no one spoke.

Just when Chuikov felt annoyed that he was thinking hard and making up his mind, the communications staff officer who was running over came to his side and whispered a few words quietly.

"Comrade Commander, Commander Malashenko has arrived. He is waiting for you outside. Do you need to let him in?"

"Huh? Arriving so soon? Shouldn't he be settling in the troops now?"

Chuikov, who was a little puzzled, raised his left hand and rolled up his sleeve and glanced at the watch on his wrist. Malashenko arrived half an hour earlier than he expected to report, which even disrupted his original plan.

"Um"

Chuikov, who put down his left hand, felt that it was not good to let Malashenko wait outside. The First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment was a heroic unit that had just completed the first phase of the railway station's defensive operation. It would be fine without honors and awards. It really shouldn't be such a snub, not to mention that Malashenko is still the number one person who is remembered by Commander Zhukov.

But it would be very wasteful to put aside the operational meeting at hand and go to meet Malashenko immediately.

As the commander, Chuikov had to participate in the entire combat meeting. He did not want others to host the meeting on his behalf. He had to do the entire process personally, and no detail could be left out.

Chuikov, who has a straightforward personality and is not used to racking his brains, is too lazy to think about those complicated issues. Since meeting Malashenko and hosting the combat meeting are both important, it is better to just do these two things together.

"Invite Comrade Malashenko over and invite him to participate in this combat meeting. Maybe his suggestions will open up different ideas for us."

"Okay, Comrade Commander, I'll do it right away."

Chuikov did not take into account the looks of the staff officers around him as they evaluated the order he had just given. This was not important to him. As long as he is the commander of the 62nd Army, his subordinates must absolutely obey his orders and decisions. Chuikov does not feel that he should leave some room for bargaining to others. This is unnecessary.

The reason why Malashenko was called to participate in this combat meeting was that Chuikov really wanted to do two things together to save valuable time. Chuikov was transferred to the 62nd by using the method of changing generals on the spot. Zhukov himself, who serves as the commander of the group army, is also a very important reason.

"Just a suggestion, Chuikov. Malashenko once gave me a wonderful and unusual feeling. This special feeling cannot be described in words. If you plan to use him in a very critical battle, it will be enough to win. On the key points, then I think you should listen to his judgment on the battle situation, which may be of some help to you.”

"Use it at a key point that is enough to win a very critical battle." This is the right time for Malashenko and the Guards 1st Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment.

What insights does this incredibly young hero have on the battlefield?

Chuikov was quite curious about this and decided to hear Malashenko's answer for himself.

"Comrade Commander, Malashenko, Lieutenant Colonel Commander of the First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment, is reporting to you! I wish you good health!"

Malashenko, who appeared in the combat conference room half a minute later, raised his hand in salute loudly to Chuikov in front of him and announced his family name, seemed a bit different.

On Malashenko's head was a skewed tank cap that was obviously one size too big and probably did not originally belong to him. The tank soldier's standard fire-proof combat uniform he wore was in tatters, with large stains of blood and mud visible to the naked eye. If it sticks to it, even if someone says that this piece of clothing is a cultural relic unearthed by archaeologists, some people will believe it.

Compared to the rumored young tank hero whose name even Supreme Leader Comrade Stalin himself pronounced, Malashenko at this moment looks more like a farmer who has just returned home from work in the fields and is waiting for dinner. If It would be more like carrying a hoe on the shoulder.