Everyone thought they were going to the train station to be sent to another battlefield, but when the train started for ten minutes, it became clear that this was not the case.

Because the train's did not turn into the circular track, but went straight to the east.

East, that is, rear...... The direction of the retreat, leaving Moscow.

"They actually pulled us out of Moscow?"

"Send us back to Kyiv?"

"Don't need us to defend Moscow anymore?"

……

The soldiers couldn't help but talk.

But Shulka vaguely felt that this was not the case, and that it should be related to his conversation with Zhukov last night, that is, to form a mobile force.

Shulka guessed correctly, the train traveled on the tracks for more than ten hours and arrived at Stalingrad that night (note: Stalingrad is 913 kilometers from Moscow, and the train can arrive in ten hours because of the small return cargo).

"Stalingrad!" The instructor recognized the city as soon as he got off the bus.

"This is Stalingrad?" Shulka was a little surprised.

"Yes!" The instructor said, "This is station No. 1, I was here not long ago!" ”

Shulka would have been surprised because it was a famous city where German and Soviet forces would fight the bloodiest battle in history, and the Battle of Stalingrad was arguably the bloodiest battle in recent history in terms of casualties...... The total number of casualties between us and the enemy was as high as 2 million, almost equal to the combined strength of the enemy and our troops in the defense of Moscow.

From this point of view, the defense of Moscow is a bit of a trivial.

But that's going to happen next year, so it's not something Shulka needs to think about.

Shulka stepped off the train and saw that the station was crowded with people, surrounded by shops and majestic buildings...... It's hard to imagine that next year this place will be in ruins, full of dead bodies.

Then he climbed into the car as usual, drove north along Red October Street, and then drove into a factory.

"Stalingrad Tractor Plant!" The instructor is obviously familiar with this place.

The soldiers in the carriage couldn't help but "uproar" when they heard this:

"This is the Stalingrad Tractor Plant?"

"What are we doing here? Visiting a tractor? ”

"Idiot, I heard it now produces tanks!"

……

It is not surprising that the fighters would behave in this way, since the Stalingrad Tractor Plant was the largest tractor plant in the USSR, producing more than half of the country's production of tractors per year.

That is, almost everyone has seen or even used a tractor produced by the Stalingrad Tractor Plant.

Shulka would know about it because the factory was one of the focal points of contention between the enemy and the enemy in the defense of Stalingrad...... In the end, even the workers went to the battlefield in freshly produced tanks.

Then Shulka saw a line written on the gate: Dzerzhinsky Tractor Plant...... The exact name of the Stalingrad tractor.

(Note: Dzerzhinsky is the founder of the All-Russian Committee for the Suppression of Counter-Terrorism referred to as "Cheka", the predecessor of the KGB)

"So, we're here for tanks?" The actor asked.

No one answered, because no one knew the answer.

Shulka also did not know, because even if a motorized unit was formed, it was not necessary to bring the 333rd regiment into the place where tanks were produced.

It didn't take long for Shulka to know the answer.

"Get out of the car and assemble!" With a sharp whistle, the fighters jumped down from the rear compartment and gathered in a square.

A colonel stood in front of the square and shouted at the fighters with a small bullhorn: "Welcome, comrades of the 333rd Regiment, welcome to be part of the 4th Tank Brigade!" ”

"Fourth Tank Brigade?" This number made the soldiers talk a lot.

This is not only because they have just known their new number, but also because the Soviet troops are divided into regiments, and there are very few "brigades" except for the Airborne Forces or the Far Eastern Front.

Shulka knew it in his heart.

As a mobile force, if the division has an establishment of tens of thousands of people, it is too large, and it is difficult to expect such a unit to quickly move to the battlefield where it is needed. On the contrary, the "brigade" level of several thousand people is more flexible.

"Maybe you'll be surprised!" The colonel continued: "Why did we come to this tractor plant...... Is it for you to drive a tractor to the front line? ”

The warriors couldn't help but laugh.

"No, of course not!" The colonel said: "Tanks are produced here, comrades!" ”

"But we won't drive tanks either, Comrade Colonel!" Someone shouted.

"No, of course you won't!" The colonel said: "They don't need you to drive, we have tank crews, we need mechanized infantry to cooperate, you are ...... Do you understand? ”

So the soldiers understood that they were the 333rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the 4th Tank Brigade.

"But that still doesn't explain the purpose of getting you here!" The colonel continued: "You all came down from the battlefield, and I heard that most of you came from Brest...... It has to be a long way! ”

The fighters burst into laughter again.

"Then you must know!" The colonel continued: "Many of our tanks were not destroyed by the enemy, but were abandoned or blown up on their own by breaking down on the road, and some were even minor failures, and they didn't even need to be replaced, but we had to blow them up and abandon them because we didn't have the basic skills of repair and maintenance, or the basic way to solve the problem!"

When I reprimanded them, they even asked me, 'Colonel, what else can I do?' Do you want to carry it back? ’！ ”

The fighters laughed again.

"Now, I'll tell you what to do!" The colonel raised his hand and said, "Behind me is the tank production workshop, where my tank crews are learning the basics of tank maintenance...... In other words, when we encounter a simple fault, we no longer need to wait for the maintenance personnel to arrive, we can solve it ourselves! That's what you need to do! ”

Sure enough, it was a good idea, Shulka couldn't help but praise in his heart.

This not only improves the soldier's knowledge of the tank, but also reduces the tank failure rate to a large extent...... To be exact, some simple faults within their power were solved by the tank crews themselves.

This will undoubtedly also speed up the march of mechanized troops.

"Of course!" The colonel continued: "In addition to this, you must learn how to guide and assist the tank to advance and attack the enemy, and you must not let the tank driver come down and pave the way!" ”

Amid the laughter of the soldiers, the colonel waved his hand and said: "Now, let's get to know the comrades of the 4th Brigade and the tanks that will go to battle with you!" ”