The tank battalion arrived at the 333rd Regiment at half past three in the morning, but it did not actually arrive at the station.

When Katukov heard about the situation, he rushed to the tank battalion before he did.

"Well done!" "The situation is in our favor, and now is the time to beat these aggressors!" Katukov said. ”

"Colonel!" Shulka stopped by saying, "I think we should wait until dawn to attack......"

"I know it's better for us to attack after dawn, Shulka!" Katukov said.

There is no doubt that the T34 can easily destroy the German tanks "No. 3" and "No. 4" from a distance of 500 meters, while the German tanks "No. 3" and "No. 4" must be able to pose a threat to the T34's armor within 100 meters.

That is, the T34 has a long-range advantage.

But if you attack in the dark...... This advantage is basically non-existent.

On the other hand, the 1941 version of the T34 had only a small number of tanks equipped with communication equipment, which also made it necessary for the tanks of the 4th Tank Brigade to have several retinues on the rear armor of each tank to communicate with the tanks by telephone, as Shulka proposed.

And the command of these followers is the flag and the gesture...... The diesel motors of the T34 are so noisy that they can't hear each other shouting at all.

"We can't hide the noise of tanks!" "Even if we fire at the enemy, the enemy scouts may still notice that we have a tank unit following us, and it will scare them away!" ”

Katukov's words caused a burst of laughter from the officers present, not only because of Katukov's humor, but also because of pride...... While all Soviet units and even Moscow were worried about not being able to stop the Germans, the 4th Tank Brigade was worried about the Germans escaping.

Shulka did not smile, he pointed to the map and said to Katukov: "Comrade Colonel, ten miles back from our station is open land, and the soil is dry and suitable for tank combat!" If we place the tanks about ten miles behind the line of the 333rd Regiment and ambush ......"

"And what about the 333rd regiment?" Katukov asked.

He understood what Shulka meant, and the problem was that the 333rd Regiment was to face the enemy's one-man tank division with infantry.

"Of course we're going to be defeated, we've got experience!" Major Gavrilov answered: "We fled here from the Brest Fortress, didn't we?" ”

The officers burst into laughter again.

Katukov thought for a while, then nodded and said, "I agree, then do it, we will wait for you in ten miles...... To be exact, our encirclement will begin to be deployed in about five miles, but there we will not move when we see the Germans chasing you, understand? ”

"Understood!"

Major Gavrilov and Shulka replied in unison.

But it's easier to plan, but it's harder to do.

"Rout"...... Even a retreat would take a lot of risk, not to mention a "rout".

To be precise, it is not difficult to achieve a "rout", but a failed retreat will develop into a rout, and the problem is that it is difficult to do a fake "rout" that does not want to suffer too many casualties.

In particular, a counteroffensive by the 4th Tank Brigade must be planned, so it is important not to lay too many mines and anti-tank mines on the road.

However, this was a headache for Major Gavrilov, and Shulka believed that he could organize and plan it.

The fact is that Major Gavrilov was able to do this by laying mines and drawing an accurate map of the minefield, and then sending the map to Katukov in advance so that every tanker could know where the minefield was...... The enemy doesn't know this, so the minefield still has a deterrent and blocking effect on the enemy.

By the time Shulka returned to the troops, the soldiers had already taken refuge in the trenches to rest, and although some still couldn't sleep, they had to close their eyes even if they were acting under the orders of the instructor.

The instructor handed Shulka a cigarette, a mahe cigarette rolled in old newspapers...... After the 333rd Infantry Regiment went around Stalingrad, the whole pack of German cigarettes was quickly out of stock.

It is said that its price has also risen with the tide, from the original battlefield one cigarette can be exchanged for three horse-to-one cigarettes can be exchanged for ten.

But actors will never do this business.

"Ten horse-to-cigarettes for one, then I must be crazy!" The actor said, "Think about it, when someone else is holding a small, thin toothpick in their mouth, I can smoke ten at the same time!" ”

In the head of the smoker, of course, quantity is paramount, as for quality...... That's something that can only be considered on the basis of guaranteed quantity.

"There's going to be a big war soon, isn't it?" The instructor asked.

"Yes!" Shulka nodded: "A tank-to-tank battle!" ”

The instructor was silent for a moment and asked, "Do you think we can win?" Or is it the expected victory? ”

Shulka understood the instructor's thoughts.

In fact, this is also the idea of most of the Soviet army...... The Soviet tanks have always been not inferior to the German tanks, and even have an advantage in some aspects, but they were still defeated again and again by the Germans with a huge disparity.

As a result, many people, including instructors, were worried about the question before this organized tank battle: Will the 4th Tank Brigade really be able to defeat the enemy?

"We'll find out soon!" Shulka said, then hid under the poncho in the trench with the instructor and lit a cigarette...... This will not get wet in the rain, and at the same time, it will not let the German snipers see the fire.

Shulka thought that if he could not win tomorrow, then everything would be over, Moscow would soon be lost, and then the defense of the entire Soviet Union and the morale of the troops would be fatally damaged.

On the other hand, Zhukov was equally worried about this issue.

As soon as he received the battle plan from Katukov explaining the telegram, he realized that tomorrow's battle could be a decisive one.

"We made a mistake!" Zhukov said to the staff officer: "On the one hand, we pin all our hopes on the 4th tank brigade, and on the other hand, we do not give them enough equipment!" They don't even have a car! ”

"Comrade General, we lack cars and equipment...... "said the staff officer.

"Yes, I know!" Zhukov interrupted the staff officer: "It is true that we lack cars and other equipment, but we should never let the 4th Tank Brigade be starved of equipment. This almost made a big mistake, fortunately the 333rd Regiment withstood the attack of the enemy's armored division, otherwise we would not even have the decisive battle tomorrow! ”

"Yes, Comrade General!"

"Prepare the equipment of the 4th Tank Brigade immediately!" Zhukov ordered: "The other troops are already short of equipment, and they don't care about less!" ”