Chapter 794: Rough Words but True

The man was not very tall, and was even considered short in the Red Army, where most people were tall and strong like bears. After looking him up and down, Malashenko felt that the man in front of him was probably less than 1.8 meters tall.

Although he was not familiar with the man in front of him, the uniform on his body at least showed that he was his colleague and comrade. Malashenko had no reason to give him a bad face as soon as he met him. There was no reason to do so in dealing with people.

"Hello, comrade, may I ask who you are"

Realizing that he had not formally introduced himself to Malashenko, the man with an embarrassed look scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"Lieutenant Colonel Voromov, commander of the 109th Regiment of the 37th Guards Infantry Division, has been ordered to garrison the tractor factory. I was told on the phone that the 1st Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment will be led by the heroic commander Malashenko to come to the tractor factory to support us!"

"You are the savior of our regiment, Comrade Malashenko! If you hadn't arrived in time, everyone might have died here."

With such a detailed introduction, Malashenko finally knew the identity of the person in front of him and solved the doubts in his heart.

"Nice to meet you, Commander Voromov, what are the specific casualties of your regiment? Can you tell me about it?"

Malashenko, who came with the mission of writing a book, got straight to the point and did not waste time but chose to go straight to the point. This surprised Commander Voromov, who was originally planning to continue chatting with Malashenko, but he quickly returned to normal.

"The situation is not very good, Comrade Malashenko."

"Before you came, we had repelled three enemy group charges, and this battle was the fourth."

"The German air force bombed us endlessly, and the bombs kept falling on our heads like a thunderstorm. The entire tractor factory was almost razed to the ground, and even the entrance to the air-raid shelter was buried by the ruins."

"We tried our best to avoid the German air raids and fight their ground forces at the same time. The Germans, except for not investing in artillery, almost put all the heavy equipment they could use into the battle. They wanted to crush us with their quality advantage."

Following the direction of the finger pointed by Captain Voromov while introducing, Malashenko really saw some German armored wreckage closer to the position, even more than ten meters away.

Among them were the No. 3 assault guns that were burning and emitting pungent tar smoke, and the No. 3 and No. 4 tanks with their bodies separated.

Several ordinary Red Army soldiers were walking around a German Type 3 tank that looked intact, as if they were trying to start the tank for their own use. After all, it would be great if they could have a tank to provide fire support when they were short of technical equipment.

On the other side, the words of the regiment commander Voromov continued.

"The Germans' attacks were getting more and more fierce, and our losses were getting bigger and bigger. We were gradually unable to hold on."

"When the sun set last night, our regiment still had 1,200 soldiers, but now, even if we are optimistic, there may be less than 500 people who can still hold guns, including the wounded and the regiment headquarters, Comrade Malashenko."

Regardless of whether it was fully equipped or not, a 1,200-man infantry regiment was reduced to less than 500 people who could still hold guns in just one morning, and this was a defensive battle in a favorable terrain.

Looking at the bodies of the Red Army soldiers lying in all directions on the battlefield and being collected, Malashenko could basically imagine how fierce the battle was in the mouth of the regiment commander Voromov.

"Before receiving the next mobilization order, our regiment will stay here to help you defend the tractor factory."

"But one thing must be made clear in advance, Comrade Voromov. The command of all the troops in the tractor factory must be summarized to me, including the armed forces composed of civilians and workers, and the troops of your regiment."

"Of course, I am not saying that your regiment headquarters will be excluded from the command. If we agree, we can discuss it. Otherwise, I hope that my order can be implemented first. I can call Commander Chuikov to inform him of the situation, or send a telegram, but I think this may not be necessary. What do you think?"

For people who met for the first time and did not know each other yet, Malashenko's words at this moment undoubtedly seemed a bit harsh, but to some extent, they were the most appropriate words.

Even if it might offend someone, Malashenko hoped that he could sort out everything before exchanging fire with the Germans again, and not wait until the gunfire was loud and gongs and drums were roaring to argue over the trivial command rights, which would delay the big things.

The other side, like himself, was an elite force with the name of the Guards. Unlike the ordinary units encountered before, they were not inferior to him in the subconscious cognition, and it was easier to command them.

The troops with the name of the Guards, from the commanders to the most ordinary soldiers, were mostly arrogant and a little self-righteous, because the First Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment of the Guards commanded by Malashenko himself was just like this, which could almost be understood as a common situation in the Guards.

Therefore, it is not completely unreasonable for Malashenko to worry about the possibility of conflicts and disputes in wartime command. Even if the possibility is very low, it should be avoided before it actually happens.

There is no need to risk stepping on the minefield that has been foreseen. Even if the possibility is very low, it should be eliminated by all means. This is what Malashenko really thinks at the moment.

The words are rough but the truth is true. Honest words are unpleasant to the ears but beneficial to action.

Even if Malashenko's words may be a bit unpleasant, it is indeed the meaning.

Fortunately, Commander Voromov is not an unreasonable person.

To be precise, he planned to hand over the supreme command of the two troops after the merger to Malashenko from the beginning, and did not consider other plans.

In terms of troop strength, the First Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment, which has dozens of tanks rolling all the way, is much stronger than himself.

In terms of status and honors, Malashenko was a figure who could be printed on leaflets distributed in Stalingrad and promoted as a hero. He could directly communicate with Commander Chuikov and even General Zhukov. He was just short of having been personally received by the supreme leader Comrade Stalin.