Steel Soviet Union

"Eat slowly, don't let the German sausages choke you to death! And don't finish one meal, save some for the next meal, if you don't want to continue to be hungry and drink grass soup."

The Red Army tank soldiers who heard Lavrinenko's words while devouring their food only hurriedly nodded in agreement. They were busy with their hands and mouths and could no longer think of any more words to say in response to Lavrinenko. This kind of scene is not just a single case, but happens to all the surrounding Red Army tank soldiers.

Lavrinenko, who did not feel any surprise at the scene before him, straightened up and prepared to return to his tank to prepare for the battle that was about to start today. The rising sun had barely risen from the The scene with his head peeking out from the horizon in the distance clearly did not allow Lavrinenko to take any more sleep.

Just as Lavrinenko, who had just put his right arm on the turret, was about to lift the top cover of the turret and jump into it, the sound of a sudden brake coming from the distant field suddenly interrupted Lavrinenko. The action of the branch's hands.

Snapped--

With the muffled sound of the car door closing, a major that Lavrinenko had never seen before stepped forward and came to him.

"You are Comrade Lavrinenko, the acting battalion commander of the 1st Independent Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion, right?"

Scanning his eyes up and down, he barely looked at the major who had never met before and suddenly arrived in front of him. Lavrinenko, who was only a captain and one level lower in rank, nodded affirmatively and answered.

"That's right, Captain Lavrinenko, acting battalion commander of the 1st Independent Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion, what can I do for you?"

Looking at the tank captain in front of him, whose combat uniform was covered in bloodstains and stains and was already dirty, he didn't pay attention to the small details that he didn't have any salutes or greetings. The major, who had an urgent and important mission and was scrambling against every second, turned to face Lavrinenko and spoke again with a serious look on his face.

"Captain Lavrinenko, the front army headquarters issued an order requiring you to lead all the remaining troops of the entire battalion to pack their bags in the shortest possible time. You don't need to bring too many unnecessary things. You only need to pack lightly. You are responsible for picking up and dropping you off. The plane is already on standby at the airport, and you will be urgently transferred to the Moscow front to participate in the upcoming Moscow defense battle. "

Lavrinenko, who heard the unexpected words from the major in front of him, couldn't help but be stunned on the spot. He was surprised by the sudden news that his team was about to be transferred to the front line in Moscow. Lavrinenko was completely confused. After a brief moment of brain failure, Ke asked the major who had a dull face in front of him and asked again.

"Transfer us to Moscow? Then who will defend Leningrad? You must know that we are the only organized heavy tank unit left in the entire Leningrad Front. How will we deal with our German tanks without them? And what is going on, Comrade Major, I mean this order is too sudden, can you tell me the reason? "

Faced with the long string of words coming from Lavrinenko's mouth, the young major, who had already known that he would definitely ask this question, immediately continued to answer and gave a corresponding explanation.

"I don't know too much about the specific situation, but this is an order personally issued by Comrade Lieutenant General Huozin, the acting commander of the front army. As far as I know, it should be the former battalion commander Lieutenant General Malashenko who was rushed to Moscow for rescue. This request was made by the school.”

"As for the tank troops in the front army and how to deal with the German tanks, you don't have to worry. Commander Huo Zin has issued an order for you to keep all the tanks. You only need to take away the people and other light luggage and equipment. Your camp remains Those tanks that come down will soon have others taking over to drive them and continue the fight."

"When you return to Moscow, a batch of brand new tanks will be prepared for you to use in combat, so you don't have to worry about running out of tanks in the future."

At this point, the major who paused for a moment before he finished speaking was obviously thinking about something. He was sure that he could tell Lavrinenko this important information, and then he spoke again after organizing his words.

"Aerial reconnaissance shows that the German armored forces and mechanized forces that have been surrounded by our Leningrad city and suburbs in recent days have begun to mobilize southward on a large scale. Although there is no definite intelligence information to confirm it, combined with the current situation Judging from the increasingly serious war situation in the direction of Moscow, I don’t need to explain what this series of German troop movements means, Comrade Lavrinenko.”

Hearing this, Lavrinenko, who had always pricked up his ears and dared not miss even half a word, finally understood the reason for the matter.

Malashenko, who was far away in Moscow in the rear area, not only survived and escaped, but also recovered and was ready to join the battle at any time. He was even able to summon his old comrades back. This is great news for Lavrinenko, who has nothing to lose and Malashenko, who cares so much about him.

After taking a deep breath, he let out a long sigh of relief with a relieved expression as if a big stone had fallen from his heart. In his heart, he felt extremely urgent about the call from his old classmates and comrades in life and death from far away. He couldn't wait to see her regain her new life. Lavrinenko, who greeted Malashenko and gave him a solid bear hug to celebrate, immediately gave a firm look to the major in front of him and spoke in a deep voice again.

"Please give me five minutes, Comrade Major, I will order the troops to assemble now!"

"Well, please hurry up if you can, Comrade Lavrinenko, there is not much time left before the final assembly time stipulated by the front army headquarters for you."

After getting the exact answer from the major in front of him, Lavrinenko immediately turned around without any hesitation. A sudden deep cry immediately echoed in the ears of the Red Army tank soldiers who were still stuffing German sausages and bread in their mouths. Full of confidence.

"Everyone! Assemble!"

About an hour later, Lavrinenko and his group of hundreds of people arrived at Leningrad Airport in a truck that was speeding all the way. They had already boarded four Li-2 transport planes specially prepared for him in batches. And brought all the luggage and equipment that can be regarded as traveling lightly.

Looking at the slightly gloomy and nervous sky outside the cabin, which looked like dark clouds looming over the city, Lavrinenko, who had already heard the roar of the engine propeller in his ears, felt as calm as still water.

"Wait for me, Malashenko!"