Steel Soviet Union

Malashenko did not know what model the German cannons that bombarded him were, and he had no way of judging from his later memories how far away he should hide to be a safe distance beyond the reach of those German cannons.

According to Malashenko's guess, the German army deployed those siege artillery in preparation for the bombardment of the main city of Stalingrad.

If this is the case, it will be useless for Malashenko to hide wherever he takes his troops. Even if he withdraws into the city, he will still be bombed.

The range of the German siege artillery aimed at shelling the main city can naturally cover all the suburbs outside the city. Malashenko and his troops were able to hide for a while.

As long as today's intense battle with the German army continues in the wild suburbs, being ridden in the face by a huge cannon will definitely be an inevitable disaster. Thinking of this, Malashenko's head is getting bigger and he feels really tired.

Judging from the current situation, hiding in the complex terrain of Stalingrad to fight the next street fighting seems to be the only feasible approach.

Malashenko, who was in a state of confusion along the way, finally led his troops to retreat for only five kilometers before stopping immediately and began to deploy defenses in place to prepare for possible German attacks at any time.

Standing on the new temporary position he had retreated to, Malashenko, holding binoculars in his hands, could even clearly see the main city of Stalingrad behind him. Such a close distance left little room to retreat. If he was repelled by the Germans again, Malashenko would have no choice but to retreat with his troops into the city.

Malashenko, who was in a complicated mood, stood there thinking about what to do next. Political Commissar Petrov, who had been in charge of setting up the field regiment headquarters, suddenly rushed over at this moment.

"New news, Malashenko. The front army headquarters has called back!"

Malashenko, who was interrupted from thinking, turned around, and political commissar Petrov, who was trotting over with the newly released telegram in his hand, was standing next to him.

"What did the telegram say?"

"Wouldn't you know if you saw it yourself?"

""

Malashenko picked up the telegram and held it in front of him with both hands. He quickly read it at a glance, but the content recorded on the telegram made Malashenko look obviously not very good.

Zhukov's reply to Malashenko was very simple. The front army headquarters had learned about the German army's use of large artillery and allowed him to retreat temporarily, but he could no longer continue to retreat endlessly.

The current position is the last line of defense that Malashenko must stick to. Before receiving more precise and clear orders, Malashenko must hold his position and do all his work.

What Malashenko doesn't know at this moment is.

After repelling the first heavy tank breakthrough regiment of the Guards with a fierce bombardment, the two K5s with still warm gun barrels turned around on the circular railway track of the position and turned their muzzles, pointing the 21-meter-long black cannon tube at them. Targeting the Soviet troops that were already stagnant in other main offensive directions, they opened fire and bombarded the Soviet troops in several directions so miserable that they could only retreat tactically. The Germans used special siege artillery to deal with the ground troops. The approach was obviously beyond everyone's expectations.

But even so, Zhukov still has no intention of giving up this counterattack immediately.

Firstly, Comrade Stalin, the loving father in Moscow, is still asking Zhukov about the situation on the front line and is waiting for good news about the counterattack. Secondly, the purpose of this counterattack to neutralize the edge of the German offensive and slow down the attack speed of the German army has indeed not been achieved.

According to Zhukov's original plan, there will still be battles to be fought in the next few days. If it ends so hastily and retreats immediately, all the next action plans will be in vain.

If possible, Zhukov would like to try his best to try again with his own ability and all the existing troops at hand. Not giving up easily is the truest thought in Zhukov's heart at this time.

It is conceivable that it is very difficult for Zhukov to issue such an order, but there are also people who are more difficult and entangled than him at this moment, such as our Malashin who looks like he has eaten rat shit. Comrade Ke.

Holding the last line of defense on the outskirts of the current city is easier said than done.

Malashenko, who had been psychologically affected by the German's crazy siege artillery, really didn't want to taste this extremely sour "pleasure" again.

As soon as the basin-sized shell hits it, even if it is near-missed, you can feel the tank shaking. If it hits directly or is too close to the distance of just a few meters, Malashenko estimates that his crew will not even need to rescue him. Don't worry, restoring it to the parts state on the spot will result in basically no variables.

Malashenko was so angry with those abominable German siege artillery that he even thought about how great it would be if his own aviation launched a surprise attack and blew up those things. All the Red Army ground troops on the front line, including himself, would be destroyed. You don’t have to suffer the consequences of being ridiculed by this giant cannon.

But combined with the current frontline situation and the densely packed German air force fleet this morning, which was so large that it could cover the sky, Malashenko, who was just thinking about it, quickly abandoned this unrealistic dream choice. The back of the head.

"Gan! These German guys are fucking you!"

It was completely opposite to Zhukov's frown and Malashenko's bad yelling in the front army headquarters.

At the headquarters of the German Sixth Army, which had just reversed the unfavorable situation this morning, Paulus, who was standing in front of the hanging theater map and staring closely at the symbols of the Soviet counterattack posture, unexpectedly trotted in from the excitement. Major General Schmidt, the chief of staff at the headquarters, received a piece of news that surprised him.

"Good news! Good news came from the front line. Those two slender Bertha's played a big role! The reconnaissance plane observing the Soviet position reported that the Soviet army quickly retreated from the position they occupied this morning after falling into chaos for a while. It’s over! Our frontline troops have taken over the positions left behind by the Soviet army’s retreat, and the current frontline situation has basically returned to what it was before the Soviet army launched its counterattack!”

The two K5 train guns were so powerful. The effect greatly exceeded Paulus's expectations. Being able to hold back the Soviet troops before dark was the last result he expected. But after thinking about it, Paulus Si seemed to have found a reasonable answer, and turned around with his hands behind his back to face his chief of staff with a smile on his face.

"I suddenly remembered what a philosopher said, Schmidt, the most instinctive fear of human beings comes from the unknown! It seems that compared with the air force planes and bombs in the sky that can be heard by ears and seen by eyes, these are the things that we never know. The direction and distance of the cannon shells can make the Russians more frightened! This is good, very good!”