Steel Soviet Union

The howling cold wind and heavy snow were still blowing violently outside the already creaking window. Guderian, who was holding the pen in his hand tightly, had no intention of stopping and continued.

"If the frost problem on the main gun sight can be overcome by relying on the actual combat experience of our elite armored personnel, then the difficulties faced by the engine and fuel problems cannot be solved by human subjective initiative at all. ”

"Every morning before the tank starts, our armored soldiers have to light a fire under the tank to heat the tank. The gasoline trapped in the engine oil supply pipe will even freeze, and the lubricating oil will also become very viscous and almost It cannot function as it should. The worst thing is that even cooling water and antifreeze are extremely scarce at the moment. Our tanks are now more like ice sculptures for the Russians to watch than as weapons for combat. "

"Compared with the serious difficulties faced by the armored forces, the situation of the infantry divisions relying on their legs is not much better."

"It takes a lot of effort to insert the bullet into the machine gun that is frozen by the severe cold. If you want to defeat them, you have to continue to put in as much effort as before."

"The 37mm anti-tank guns in the hands of the infantry have been proven to be incapable of dealing with the Soviet T34 tanks. The 50mm anti-tank guns can still pose some threats if they have the opportunity to get close to the extremely close shooting range. The premise is that they operate this The gunner of the door gun had to have the awareness and vision of a sniper to do it, and the Russians left too few defensive weaknesses in their tanks."

"Generally speaking, we are experiencing the dilemma and all the bad conditions we are experiencing now for the first time since the launch of Operation Barbarossa."

"I hope you can understand, Halder, that the situation we are facing now is just a warning at best. Our tanks are in trouble and the physical limits of the infantry have reached their end. If we cannot deal with this situation, If there are substantial changes, I don’t need to predict too much what kind of outcome awaits us in the near future.”

"Finally, I hope you can warn the head of state to solve these dangerous problems encountered by the frontline troops as soon as possible. Maybe this is not an easy thing for you to do, but if the situation does not reach the most critical moment, I will I won’t tell you these things, Halder. No matter what happened before, I just hope that this time we can do everything we can.”

After writing these final words, he immediately put down the pen in his hand and closed the cap. In a heavy mood, Guderian "complained for help" to the rear but still shouldered a heavy burden. Almost all the troops on the front line were helpless. The bad situation that an exception was encountering forced Guderian to take that heavy step again.

"Enke, prepare the things and vehicles you need to bring, we will set off immediately."

"Start? Now? Where are you going?"

Looking at the confused and somewhat surprised expression on his adjutant's face, Guderian raised his hands and rolled up his sleeves and glanced at the hour hand on his watch. Guderian, who demanded that he grasp every minute and every second, spoke immediately without hesitation. replied.

"I went to inspect the 167th Infantry Division. Their division sent me almost twice as many reinforcement telegrams as other infantry divisions. Now is the time to go there and have a look."

Looking at the tired look on Guderian's face, the lack of vitality but already showing a firm look that cannot be doubted, he has been accompanying Guderian almost every day in recent days, traveling non-stop to various emergency units on the front line. The inspecting adjutant immediately sighed softly.

"I understand, I'll do it right away."

In the severe cold, the biting low temperature was enough to freeze everything. Even Guderian's inspection vehicle was frozen solid. The young adjutant who led the guard troops around Guderian's vehicle, lighting fires and removing ice, was almost exhausted. He was out of breath, and the three layers of uniforms and windbreaker he wore had been blown away by the cold wind, and he felt as cold as falling into an ice cave.

"Damn! This damn weather is like freezing people to death. It's hard to imagine how those Ivans spent the winter on this land."

"Ivans can not only spend the winter on this land, but they can also rush over on skis and smash your butt! Don't take everything so self-righteously, Frick, you are always like this."

"What the hell! My lighter can't even light up. Can any of you light a cigarette for me?"

Guderian, who was wearing a thick general's cotton coat and a cold windbreaker, walked out of the room and immediately heard the words of the guards responsible for protecting his personal safety.

These soldiers put on all the spare uniforms distributed to keep out the cold. Although they all looked bloated like bears, the single clothes without cotton padding were still unable to withstand the cold, no matter how much they were put on. This biting cold and storm.

"Enke."

"Well?"

"Take off our windbreakers, they need them more than we do in the drafty canvas carriage."

After saying that, Guderian took the lead in taking off his leather windbreaker without waiting for his unresponsive adjutant to take action. This heavy leather coat weighed seven or eight kilograms and was on the front line right now. It is an exclusive treatment that only high-ranking German military officials can enjoy.

Ordinary German soldiers who were bruised and swollen from the cold were not qualified to enjoy this kind of luxurious cold-warming clothing, even those who were Guderian's personal guards.

Looking at the bewildered guard soldier in front of him, holding a cigarette in his mouth to ward off the cold but still shivering from the cold, he no longer knew what to say next. Guderian handed the windbreaker to the one closest to him. After getting into the hands of a corporal, he immediately opened the door and got into the back seat without looking back.

"Damn it! How did the situation develop to this point?"

He whispered complaints that only he could hear. The young adjutant, who was full of complaints about the extremely bad winter conditions, did not say any more meaningless words. He followed Guderian and took off his leather jacket. The windbreaker was turned over and handed over to the soldier on the side.

Looking at the back of Adjutant Guderian who had opened the passenger door and got in, the German soldiers, who still looked confused despite the muffled sound of the door closing, couldn't help but look at each other.

"We have coats to wear? But there are only two of them. Who should wear them?"