Steel Soviet Union

Although Malashenko, his deputy Lavrinenko and most of the Red Army tank crews escaped the shelling, those tanks that were unable to move and were unmanned were not so lucky.

Of the 16 KV1 heavy tanks parked in the factory and being ready for use, six of them were directly hit by the terrifying K5 train gun and reduced to parts. The 7-ton KV heavy tank turret was even directly hit by the terrifying 283 mm The shock wave from the giant cannon flew up to the roof of the factory.

But in contrast, as the most powerful heavy tank on the Soviet-German battlefield and even in the world in 1941, the KV1 heavy tank with its strong armor and powerful guns undoubtedly had a powerful defense like an unyielding wall.

As long as it is not a direct hit or an explosion at a very close range, pure chemical energy explosions and shrapnel shock waves pose almost no threat to the 47-ton KV1 heavy tank.

The shell fragments with severely attenuated flight speed are just scratching the itch of the KV1 heavy tank, which can only be chewed by the 88-gun. The KV1 heavy tank, which is not equipped with sophisticated electronic equipment like modern main battle tanks, is not afraid of explosions. Shockwave, as long as the sight and radio are fine, the KV1 heavy tank, which has a solid mechanical structure and is protected by thick armor, can go to the battlefield at any time.

As soon as Malashenko, who commanded the troops to accelerate away from the crushing factory, ran out of the factory gate, a huge crater that was large enough to cut the entire road into two was placed in front of him.

"The bombs are all hitting here!"

Three KV1 heavy tanks belonging to Malashenko's First Independent Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion were directly overturned, and were paralyzed on the edge of the huge crater in an upside down or sideways posture.

This huge 283mm artillery shell hit the center of the armored column not long after the bombardment started, directly knocking off three KV1 heavy tanks that were less than ten meters away from the center of the explosion like children's toys, and together with them With one T34 reduced to parts and four GAZ trucks transporting spare parts for maintenance, it was equivalent to directly wiping out the strength of a tank platoon.

Captain Karamov, who had left the factory first and came out to prepare the team according to Malashenko's order, was directing the remaining intact KV1s to use cable traction to try to move these overturned behemoths back. Each one Even if the KV1 heavy tank that can be recycled is severely damaged internally, it is still possible to repair it and put it on the battlefield.

Seeing Malashenko leading the troops out of the factory, Captain Karamov, who was directing the tank towing work, immediately handed over the work to his deputy and ran forward.

"How is the situation of the new tanks? Comrade Battalion Commander, how many of them can still be used?"

"It's not good. A German cannon hit a KV1 in the face, completely destroying the other five KV1s parked nearby. Now the only tanks that can still be used are left. 10 KV1s and that one T35, the situation is really bad.”

Even in his wildest dreams, Malashenko never imagined that one day he would be able to enjoy the imperial experience of the German giant train gun.

During the entire World War II, a large number of German siege artillery, including Gustav, Dora, Karl, and Sturm Tiger, were only produced in total, no more than 50, and without exception they were not used. It has been used in siege and evacuation of cities in major battles.

But now, Malashenko, who was just dissatisfied with the establishment of a heavy tank battalion, was actually wiped out by this terrifying anti-city treasure. This kind of weird bad luck has a chance of breaking out. It is no exaggeration to say that it is simply It's even worse than winning 500 million by buying lottery tickets only once in your life.

It was still unclear what type of giant train gun the Germans used to bombard their own side. Malashenko, who had already pictured the terrifying appearance of the Gustav gun and Karl mortar in his mind, felt a shiver all over his body. Malashenko never wanted to have this shocking feeling that was about to tear his soul out of his body.

"There is no time to delay any longer, Karamov. Those Germans may launch a second wave of artillery attacks at any time, and their artillery observation planes are hovering above our heads."

"Leave the minimum tractor trailers and necessary tanks to carry out operations, and the remaining large forces will move away from here immediately! If we can't even save the last troops, there is no way we can support Uritsk!"

Just as the impatient Malashenko commanded his troops to move, preparing to escape from this terrifying place that could turn into a purgatory again at any time, the Smolny Palace in the same city of Leningrad was responsible for commanding the entire front army. General Zhukov, who was fighting, also received news of the bombardment at the same time.

"I have just received a report from the frontline garrison. After observation and calculation, the location where the German artillery attack was initiated was very far away. The straight-line distance was at least fifty kilometers. It was far beyond the artillery strike range of the front-line defense troops deployed outside the city. It was impossible to launch an artillery battle to suppress it. and fight back.”

The report from Chief of Staff Huo Jin was obviously not good news for Zhukov, who was currently beleaguered internally and externally. The frowning Red Army God of War immediately asked.

"How is the situation over there at the old site of the Kirov Factory? How serious was the damage caused by the shelling?"

After listening to Zhukov's questioning, he shook his head slightly. The solemn expression on Chief of Staff Huo Jin's face clearly indicated the bad news.

"It has been confirmed that the head of the factory, Engineer Ivankov, was killed in the bombardment. There are so many missing and dead workers that the current rough statistics have exceeded more than half. The large-caliber cannons used by the German army outside the city are incredibly powerful. Some factory buildings were even directly blown down, and many workers were buried underneath, with heavy casualties."

"The rescue team composed of militiamen and some workers has rushed to the old site of the Kirov Factory to prepare for rescue, but it is unknown whether the German army outside the city will continue to launch a second wave of bombardment. The German artillery observation aircraft overhead has just been driven away by the air defense force. Everything is still unknown."

General Zhukov, who listened attentively to the report of Chief of Staff Huo Jin beside him, stood in front of the war zone map with a solemn expression, staring intently, his sharp eyes like a hawk kept wandering on the jagged front situation, looking for any possible key points.

"Malachenko and his guys just fought a great tank battle, and these German fascists blew up our Kirov tank factory site with this unprecedented giant artillery." Zhukov, whose sight was fixed on the location of the Kirov tank factory site on the map, had already noticed the real intention of the German shelling and blurted out with a firm look.