Due to time constraints, the troops soon moved to the retreat phase.

Although the Soviets had recaptured Tver by this time, Tver was obviously undefensible for the Soviets...... There are enemies all around, and as soon as dawn comes, you will have no advantage and even your supply lines will be cut off.

So although the Supreme Command did have a proposal for Zhukov to stick to Tver, Zhukov refused without any hesitation.

"Either Tver, or Moscow!" Zhukov replied to the High Command: "I have only one of two abilities, I want to know which one you want me to defend?!" ”

The answer, of course, will not be Tver.

Zhukov was right, although the strategic position of Tver was important, both for the German army and for the Soviet army.

The problem is that at this time the Soviet defense line has been compressed to the area of Mozhaisk, that is, the second line of defense.

The capture of Tver would create an easily encircled assault outside the line of defense, unprotected by friendly forces on both flanks, and the so-called restored railway line of communication from Leningrad to Moscow would be vulnerable without air supremacy.

Especially...... At this time, the Soviet army was short of troops, and the troops occupying Tver were the last reserve of the second line of defense.

So, the situation of the war is indeed as Zhukov said: either Tver or Moscow.

If there is anything wrong with this statement, it is that if Tver is chosen, it will be lost in the end because Moscow was captured by the Germans.

Perhaps because the Supreme Command had just made the mistake of throwing the mess to Zhukov, this time they did not stick to their opinions by removing Zhukov's command, as they did last time, and they chose to support Zhukov's idea.

So the troops quickly entered the retreat procedure:

The 4th Tank Brigade continued to pursue and drive the German router...... This pursuit is necessary, especially when retreating.

Otherwise, as soon as the troops stopped, the enemy would be able to reorganize and launch a counteroffensive against the Soviet troops, at which point the retreating Soviet troops would be in trouble.

This is also one of the reasons why troops in actual combat often have to attack first before retreating, and even have to push the enemy back, even if it is only a few tens of meters, before daring to retreat...... Otherwise, there is a high risk of being pursued by the enemy, and the retreat can easily turn into a rout.

Shulka and others did not return to the team.

The reason, on the one hand, is that the battle to pursue the enemy at the front line is not tense, and there is not much difference between one more company and one less company.

On the other hand, the armored train could not leave the tracks, so it was naturally unsuitable for the pursuit of enemy troops.

Shulka received a new task: to protect the railway line.

The task was given by Katukov, who took over the command of the 4th Tank Brigade when the two armies met.

"Congratulations, Comrade Shulka!" The first thing Katukov said after answering the phone was not the mission, but chatting with Shulka, which was rare for a well-trained commander like Katukov.

"You managed to get me out!" Katukov said: "Of course there are others! I heard that you captured an armored train and used it to cross Tver? ”

"Yes, Comrade Katukov!" Shulka replied.

"I've also heard...... You did not die at the hands of your enemies, but you almost died at the hands of your own people? ”

It seems that the cavalry reported this to Katukov, and Shulka and the others didn't say anything at all, after all, the battle was still going on, and they knew that it was not the time to hold them accountable.

"Yes, Comrade Katukov!"

Katukov on the other end of the phone laughed: "Don't worry, Comrade Shulka. We'll punish that careless lieutenant, but I need you to complete a new mission now! ”

"Yes, Comrade Katukov!"

"Drive an armored train and keep the railroad safe!" "You know, we just captured the railroad and repaired it, and there are a lot of German skirmishers near the railway, they even have mortars and howitzers, and your job is to keep the railroad open and keep the train safe, understand?" ”

"Understood!" Shulka replied.

This is a good use, the armored train is originally suitable for fighting the guerrillas and stragglers to protect the safety of the railway, and now it is ready to use.

So it was one of the easiest tasks Shulka had ever had.

First, they drove the armored train to the railway station to contact the logistics department...... Armored trains need to be dispatched in a unified manner, otherwise it will paralyze the entire railway if they drive randomly on the tracks according to their own temperament.

They then went to the quartermaster office to replenish some ammunition.

The battle just now almost exhausted the ammunition on the armored train.

It seems like an irony that the Germans did not use up much ammunition when using armored trains...... THEY USED MORE 88MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS, MACHINE GUNS, SMALL-CALIBER ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS, AND THE LIKE WERE ALMOST NON-MOVING.

ON THE CONTRARY, AFTER IT REACHED THE HANDS OF SHULKA AND OTHERS, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT, THE BULLETS AND SHELLS POURED OUT LIKE RUNNING WATER, AND THE AMMUNITION RESERVES ON THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CAR WERE SOON EXHAUSTED, AND EVEN THE BULLETS OF THE 12.7MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT MACHINE GUN WERE BROKEN.

In fact, the 12.7MM anti-aircraft machine gun is still easy to use in actual combat, because it can deal with all targets except tanks, and even the close-range or side rear armor can be used against "No. 1" and "No. 2" tanks.

(NOTE: TANK 1 IS 13MM THICK, TANK 2 IS 10 TO 30 MM)

And it also has the advantage of fast rate of fire and high damage.

SO NATURALLY, WHEN REPLENISHING AMMUNITION, A LARGE NUMBER OF 12.7MM HIGH-ALTITUDE BULLETS WERE LOADED.

Finally, a radio station was brought to the car, and two wrecker cars were added to supplement some sappers, and a mission-like trip was launched.

The wrecker carriages are distributed at both ends of the armored train, generally only flat plates, and the front end also has a low and hard iron frustration head.

The low profile can make it easy to derail when its center of gravity sinks, the stiff head can knock an obstacle on the rail into two pieces and sweep it out of the track, not to mention mines and the like, which will cause little damage to it.

Originally, Shulka thought that this thing would not do anything, but soon found out that he was wrong.

Less than ten minutes after the armored train departed from Tver, it split a wagon in two and slammed it out.

The carriage was set up in a bend in the track, so the armored train could not hold on at all, and several mines were detonated...... It seemed to be an anti-tank mine, so the armored train hurriedly stopped and retreated a little.

If the rails are blown up, it is easy for the train to derail.

Then the German stragglers who were lying in ambush on both sides of the tracks were miserable, they thought they were waiting for the enemy train, but they didn't expect it to be a big guy with weapons and armor!