Of course, the garrison would not be left to the Panzer Corps, so the 48th Panzer Corps and the SS soon received orders to return to the second line.

There was an unwritten rule in the German army that if two units received an order to march at the same time and followed the same path, the more combat-ready troops had to go first, and the weaker ones waited behind.

In fact, this is also in line with the interests of warfare, because on the battlefield, it is always more desirable to get troops with strong combat effectiveness as soon as possible, so it acquiesces.

It stands to reason that at this time the combat effectiveness of the 2nd SS Panzer Army was much stronger than that of the 48th Panzer Army, not to mention the advanced "Tiger" and "Panther" tanks of the 2nd SS Panzer Army, and its number of tanks was also several times that of the 48th Panzer Army.

(Note: the 2nd SS Panzer Corps lost just over a hundred tanks, and another 300 tanks, while the 48th Panzer Corps had only about 60 tanks left)

This time, however, the 2nd SS Panzer Corps gave priority to the 48th Panzer Corps.

The order is said to have been given by the commander of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps, Lieutenant General Walter.

Lieutenant General Walter said this to his subordinates: "The 2nd SS Panzer Corps was almost the object of protection throughout the battle, and we have to admit that the 48th Panzer Corps, which was armed with fewer and more backward tanks...... It is hard to imagine how the battle would have developed without them, we would have been entangled by the Soviets on the road and unable to get out, and even if we finally arrived in Prokhorovka exhausted, we would have been routed by the Soviets instead of standing proudly on the wreckage of Soviet tanks like the 48th Panzer Army and saying to us, 'Hey, SS, keep up!' We've cleared all the ways for you! ’！ ”

"So!" Lieutenant General Walter ordered: "Do you think you have the right to be ahead of the 48th Panzer Corps as before? No, at least I don't think so, it's a shame and not a glory for us, the 2nd SS Panzer Army, so I'm not going to do it! ”

As a result, the 48th Panzer Army was the first to rush by car to the Orel railway station, a few kilometers away, and then transported by train to Kiev for rest.

Perhaps inspired by this, Dominic told everyone a story when he was on the train.

It's not a story, to be exact, it's something that Dominic saw with his own eyes while recovering from an injury in Berlin.

"At that time......" Dominic had a numbness of memories on his face: "Whenever a victorious army returned to Berlin from the Eastern Front, a grand military parade was held in Berlin. It just so happened that I heard that it was my unit that had returned...... You know, I came back early because I was injured. So I took part in this parade! ”

"The location is at Unter den Linden Street." Dominic took the cigarette from the baker, took a breath and continued: "There were thousands of spectators waving flags and watching, and I managed to squeeze to the front to see how many of my comrades who fought with me returned...... But you know what I saw? ”

"What?"

The soldiers couldn't help but look at Dominica curiously, and even Qin Chuan was hung up with an appetite.

"I saw ......," Dominic smiled wryly, "the soldiers marched through Brandenburg in a spectacular procession in their neat military uniforms and brand-new rifles." The generals and their staff officers were at the front of the line, and the command vehicles were polished and shiny, and the military flags fluttered in the wind. The entire parade was led by Imperial Field Marshal Goering, who was dressed in a spotless white military uniform decorated with red and gold trim, with a large Iron Cross with oak leaves around his neck, and all the entourage rode in half-tracks, all of them waving to the spectators on either side with their chests puffed out......"

"Isn't that what you should see?" Werner probably couldn't stand Dominic's overly burdensome description, so he interrupted him.

Dominic looked at Werner, and then said slowly: "The only thing I didn't see was my comrades, not a single one!" ”

The officers and men couldn't help but be stunned, and suddenly some people laughed, and then the laughter came more and more, and some even laughed so much that they covered their stomachs and bent down.

This is actually not funny, Qin Chuan knows that they are just expressing their anger and sadness in some way...... It was a group of people who shed blood and sacrificed their lives on the front, but it was another group of people who received the cheers and honors of the people in the rear.

Of course, this may be motivated by the need to boost morale and propaganda, hoping to let the people see an army that is neat and imposing, rather than tired, ragged or even broken hands and feet.

But......

The people who listen to this "story" are precisely those who fought on the front line, and what kind of feelings can they have?!

"So!" Qin Chuan said: "We are lucky that we did not return to Berlin but on the battlefield!" ”

"Yes!" Kuhn said: "We were lucky, so we were on the train, and in front of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps!" ”

The rules of the battlefield are different from those of a peaceful society.

A peaceful society will create some illusions for some purpose, and there will be many things that are unreasonable and even infuriating, but the battlefield ...... But it is a place where strength speaks, and whoever can achieve victory will be respected.

From this point of view, the battlefield is much better than a peaceful society.

Perhaps influenced by the "story" of Dominica, everyone had no interest in chatting, each holding a rifle to do their own thing, while Qin Chuan leaned against the window and slept with his backpack.

When Qin Chuan opened his eyes again, the train had already arrived in Kiev...... The firepower was unprecedentedly on the road without being ambushed by Soviet troops, and there are always a few times such a thing.

Later, Qin Chuan learned that it was not that he was not ambushed, but that Qin Chuan slept so soundly that he completely ignored the thrilling process of being chased by Soviet fighters twice.

Qin Chuan asked, "Why didn't you wake me up?" ”

Werner looked at Qin Chuan in surprise: "Lieutenant Colonel, we thought you didn't care about those planes at all, and the adjutant asked us to follow your example and tell us to be as brave as you!" ”

"Ugh!" Qin Chuan glanced at Eberhard, who had an embarrassed expression, and then replied, "Yes, of course I don't care!" Otherwise I wouldn't have gone back to sleep! ”

But judging from the strange expressions of Werner and the others, they obviously didn't believe Qin Chuan's words anymore.

"Major!" Qin Chuan said to Eberhard: "The next time something like this happens, I mean take me as an example...... You should have given me a reminder first! ”

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!" Eberhard replied, asking with a confused face, "But Lieutenant Colonel, can't you tell me this privately?" ”

Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter around them...... They couldn't hold back any longer.