Steel Soviet Union

The well-prepared German army had obviously done enough to block the Soviet reinforcements' counterattack in the direction of Tula. An additional assault gun battalion and doubled machine gun firepower were the best proof.

Regarding the question mentioned by the commander ****, Malashenko, who had anticipated this situation, immediately spoke.

"These are not problems, Comrade Division Commander. After the attack is launched, these assault guns and machine gun firepower points will be the first wave of targets that our tank regiment will focus on. Now I want to know the specific reasons for your failure in the attack this morning. Please tell me these details, thank you.”

The wording seemed a bit inappropriate. Malashenko used the word "failure" to describe the battle the division commander went through this morning. The division commander, who was breathless, wanted to reply on the spot, but after the nerves in his brain were connected, he suddenly In retrospect, what Malashenko said seems to be not completely unreasonable. If this morning's battle really needs to be described as a failure, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it.

"Forget it, let's just talk about it. There's no need to argue with him over such a trivial matter."

After finding an excuse that could fool him and force himself to comfort himself, Commander **** breathed a sigh of relief and then spoke with some embarrassment.

"Since the attack was launched at dawn this morning, the bombing by German planes has almost never stopped. At the beginning, there were only those Stukas and Messerschmitts in small groups. After the third wave of offensive, even the German planes Dual-engine frontline bombers came to help."

"Bombs kept falling from the sky, and the German artillery was doing its best to suppress us. Since the air supremacy on the battlefield was in the hands of the Germans, our artillery suffered heavy losses after two counterattacks in the artillery battle. To launch an artillery battle against the German artillery before solving the problem of air superiority is tantamount to self-destruction. Now there is no way to prepare for the artillery attack even for launching a counterattack. It is simply a head-on attack against the firepower of the Germans. "

Hearing this, Malashenko, who was concentrating with his arms folded, already understood the unspeakable truth about Commander ****.

The Air Force, which was still marginalized and inconspicuous during the last world war, became a key force that could dominate the battlefield during World War II.

The party that controls the sky can not only protect its own troops from air attacks, but can also sow the seeds of death from the sky to the opponent to accelerate their own victory in the battle.

The theory of air supremacy, which is the most critical core element in later modern wars, has already begun to take shape during World War II. Commander ****'s eight consecutive counterattacks throughout the morning were ultimately caused by the loss of air supremacy.

If there is no way to solve the problem of air supremacy, the next battle will not be won. Malashenko, who is very clear about this and has suffered many indiscriminate bombings by the Luftwaffe, did not frown after hearing this. He had already set off. The assurance I received from Comrade Lao Zhu before coming to Tula City was now in use.

"I have considered the issue of air supremacy before coming here, Comrade Division Commander. The front army headquarters has told me that a powerful fighter aviation regiment will be dispatched to support the battlefield, and there will be attack aircraft units coming to launch counterattacks in the future. The ground attack supports our ground battle, and the aviation liaison officer has now arrived with us."

Malashenko's words seemed as plain as water, but Commander **** and Political Commissar Zelenkov looked at each other.

When the battle started at dawn this morning, it was not as if the division commander had not requested air support from his superiors. The division commander, who had been bombed one after another by the Luftwaffe, was eager to regain air supremacy.

What's bad is that the superior of the **** division commander gave an unusually straightforward answer to his request. He bluntly said that all the fighter aviation units were currently being used in more critical positions and they could not separate the troops in the direction of Tula City. The problem requires them to find ways to overcome difficulties and solve it on their own.

The division commander, whose request was rejected by his superiors, never expected that Malashenko, who came from afar to support his battle, could summon so many fighter planes to support the battlefield in one breath. Malashenko, a regiment commander, was more prestigious than himself, the division commander. The division commander was speechless and didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so he could only shake his head.

"It seems that the next battle may be much smoother. Comrade Malashenko, do you have any plans for the next attack plan?"

Seeing that the **** division commander gave him the initiative of speaking, Malashenko did his part, and immediately stretched out his right hand and pointed at the border line representing the German defense line on the battlefield map and said.

"The vanguard tanks I brought this time are not equipped with on-board radios. Therefore, our offensive plan must be implemented in one step and try not to make any changes midway. This is the key point that must be established first."

In silence, he listened attentively to Malashenko's words. There was nothing wrong with transferring the initiative of the combat plan to Malashenko when the situation was stronger than the others.

On the other side, seeing the silent and careful listening manners of Division Commander **** and Political Commissar Zelinkov, Malashenko's deployment of the next combat plan continued.

"Since the opponent we are facing this time is a well-established armored division of the German Wehrmacht, although these guys are not as tough as the lunatics of the SS, they are still very tenacious opponents."

"After the attack begins, the German tanks will definitely not be willing to stay on the position and serve as fixed forts. Judging from their previous tactics, it is the habit of the German armored forces to rely on the favorable conditions of the defensive position to cut and disintegrate our offensive troops on the battlefield. Trick, if nothing else, you should have seen this kind of German tactics in the battle this morning, am I right? "

After hearing this, they looked at each other in silence again. Commander **** and Political Commissar Zelenkov, who said nothing, both found the same answer they wanted in each other's eyes. It seems that this title of tank hero is not in vain. The German tactic of beating himself to death turned out to be just one of the basic tricks in Malashenko's mouth.

Finding the answer he wanted from the silent expressions of Commander **** and Political Commissar Zelinkov, Malashenko threw the drawing pencil back on the desk and immediately responded with a slight smile and spoke to himself.

"It seems that my guess is correct. The Germans' usual tactics have not been updated. However, such tactics are acceptable against infantry, but they are ineffective against the steel torrent of our Red Army tank troops. In tank encounters, we It has a greater advantage than these Germans!”