On March 22, 1941, Natalia broke into Iron Hime's room early in the morning.

"Lin Youde's women have started to move to the front line, this time the German newspapers did not report as much as usual, so our intelligence is lagging behind, I think they may have moved to the front line with the magic armor."

"So what? Anyway, now the front line has 'advanced' to where we can support without moving. Iron Ji bit the accent on the word "advance", and the expression on her face also fit the irony very well, "If the battle line 'advances' for a while, we will be attacked by the enemy's regular fire." ”

"Yes, but the situation may be better this year, since the declaration of war by the United States, we have received significantly more supplies, more heavy equipment, and the Trans-Siberian Railway is operating at full capacity, so that our army is in a better supply position than when we first attacked Poland." Natalia paused, and added a little helplessly, "Of course, this is also related to the shortening of the supply line. ”

Iron Ji sighed, then slapped her cheek vigorously and got up from the bed. As she dressed, she said, "Is the main direction of attack of the Germans really the south?" ”

"All indications at the moment are that this is the case. The Germans repaired the road to Rostov in the winter, as if it were to better supply the troops attacking the south. ”

"Very well, then let's surprise them before they do." As she said this, Iron Ji's tone regained as strong as ever, "Is Konev's troops ready?" ”

"Yes, the preparation is complete."

"So let's get started."

**

Otto? Kali Woods was dragged out of bed around three o'clock in the morning.

"Phone, battalion commander."

"Okay." Otto sat up, casually put on his military coat, and followed the orderlies out of the room and towards the camp headquarters in the same courtyard.

He took the phone from the staff officer: "I'm Otto? Carly Woods. ”

"Get your troops ready, with supplies or something."

"Yes sir," Otto paused, "but sir, one of our companies has returned home to receive new tanks, and the other company is still training in Dnepropetrovsk and will not be back until tomorrow......"

"I've ordered them to start loading that company, and it will be delivered to Pliluki within today's day, but you have to be mentally prepared to lead a company into battle. I'll give you a squad of warriors to strengthen your combat power. ”

"What's going on, sir?"

"The officer of the Russian army surrendered to Cheng and confessed that the Russian attack force is in place, and the offensive will begin within 24 hours."

"Understood, sir."

"When you're ready, set off for the meeting place with the battle queen, and I've sent you the location by telegram. Keep in touch with the command at any time, and I will give you specific instructions according to the situation after the Russian offensive begins. ”

After Otto hung up the phone, he immediately turned to the staff officer, who immediately replied: "We have received a secret message from the headquarters, and we are decoding, and it will be completed in about fifteen to twenty minutes." ”

"Good." Otto paused, "Call everyone up and get ready to attack." The repair platoon immediately inspected each vehicle again, and the engineer platoon began to load the half-track vehicle with the breakout beam. ”

The so-called breakthrough beams were in fact large tree trunks that had been sharpened, and were one of the countless combat experiences that the German Panzers had learned from eight months of fighting on Russian soil, which could be used to fill in the potholes that suddenly appeared on the road - as is common in the Russian miraculous road system; It can also be used to save chariots that are unfortunate enough to get stuck in the mud, and can be used to make temporary chariot bunkers...... Moreover, after being tied to the chariot, it can also effectively reduce the power of the enemy's armor-piercing projectile, which is not too easy to use.

Half an hour later, Carley Woods' troops were ready for sortie, the battalion headquarters had been withdrawn, and the belongings were loaded onto the communications platoon's half-tracks.

Otto jumped into the chariot of the platoon directly under the battalion headquarters and gave the order to the troops to march.

By eight o'clock in the morning, Otto had arrived at the location indicated by the headquarters, but the battle queens who had come to rendezvous were nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe the Ladies are putting on makeup," said Koschel, the first company commander on the radio, in a joking tone, "and they're probably all admirers of Otto or something, so dress up before you come to see your idol, woman, that's it." ”

"Talk like you know women very well." Otto replied disapprerovingly over the radio.

From the radio conversation, Otto could feel that there was a sense of relief throughout the troops, and no one took the fact that the Russian army was attacking.

Otto originally thought that it was not a good thing to underestimate the enemy like this, but after thinking about it, he felt that there were not many new recruits in the army, and they were too nervous and under too much pressure and were prone to make mistakes, so he didn't open his mouth to remind them.

There is still a small talk of a pair and a match, and the time passes by minute by minute.

If it weren't for the fact that there were obviously many more German fighters flying in the sky than at other times, Otto even suspected that the Russians had not started the offensive at all.

By ten o'clock in the morning, the Warrior Queens hadn't yet appeared, and Otto began to feel that something was wrong.

"Communications platoon, call the command to confirm the situation."

"We kept calling, but the command just told us to wait where we were." The response from the communications platoon came immediately, "Battalion commander, I don't think something is right, we have been listening to the air force's radio, the scale of the Russian army's sortie this time seems to be very large, and the air force seems to be in a bitter battle." ”

"Yes, continue to call the headquarters and report to me as soon as there is news."

After speaking, Otto lowered his head and shouted into the car: "Cruz, adjust the radio to the combat frequency of the Air Force." ”

"Okay battalion commander."

As soon as the voice fell, Otto's headphones came a sound peculiar to radio frequency modulation, and then in the sudden increase in static noise, there was a rapid call: "Damn, there are thirty enemy planes below us!" One of our squadrons alone will not be able to deal with so many enemy aircraft! We need reinforcements! ”

"All the squadrons have already met the enemy," the calm voice was presumably from the ground command center or the control aircraft in the air, "you should have the energy advantage to disperse them!" ”

"Okay. Boys, you've heard you. ”

"Where are the fighters! There are seven or eight 'bucket waists' over the ground, where are the fighters? ”

"I've been shot!"

The noisy combat communication made Otto gradually frown, and it seemed that the scale of the Russian army's dispatch this time was indeed extraordinary. It stands to reason that there should be an advantage in air power over the German army, but if the Russians give up air supremacy elsewhere on the front and concentrate all their air forces here, then they can still form a local advantage.

Otto began to think that today's battle would probably not be so simple.

"Alright, Cruz." Otto said to the radioman, "I've heard enough of our communication channels." ”

So the noise in the headphones disappeared all at once, and the small talk of the armored soldiers reappeared.

As if the time had been calculated, the voice of the battalion staff officer sounded in Otto's headphones: "Ordered, battalion commander." The command told us that the team of warriors who had come to join us had been transferred to the front line halfway through, and now they ordered us to leave at once and advance to the northeast to a village called Malinovka to prepare for sniping at the Russian armored units that had broken through our lines. ”

"What?" Kosher's loud voice rang out over the radio, "The Russian army broke through the line of defense of our army? How is this possible? ”

"Nothing is impossible on the battlefield." Otto replied, "The Russians have been using tanks for almost two years, and they should have grown a little." Call back to the command, and we'll be on our way right now. ”

After the call, Otto took out the map and began to search for the name of Malinovka, by which time the radio was already silent and everyone was waiting for Otto's order.

"You all heard," Otto said, retracting the map, "the Russians have broken through our lines, and we are going to set up a new line in the village of Malinovka to snipe the Russian armored forces." This is a serious chariot battle, and you guys are really lucky to be in the first battle.

"My direct platoon is at the head, everyone is advancing with me, and after the self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery is broken, that's it, set off."

After saying that, Otto cut the call into an in-car communication: "Start the chariot, go east along the road, and then turn onto the road to the north." ”

"Understood."

As soon as the driver's voice fell, the engine of Otto's car let out an angry roar, and the body of the car shook and began to accelerate slowly. It was back on the road - a dirt road compacted by horses' hooves and ruts.

Behind Otto, the vehicles of the 502nd Heavy Armored Battalion drove up the road one after another, the rapidly rolling tracks raising a large amount of dust, and the roar of the engines shook the small amount of snow that had not yet melted on the treetops on both sides of the road.

While the chariot was advancing, Otto continued to study the map.

Malinovka seems to be a riverside village, where there is a bridge over a tributary of the Dnieper, and the Russians must have been running for it.

As far as Otto knew, the Dnieper tributaries in this area were not deep, and most of them could be crossed by wading, but the mud was very unfriendly to the chariots, so taking the bridge would greatly speed up the advance of the troops.

If Otto had been the commander of Russia, he would have sent a force to push forward without hesitation, and take control of a bridgehead before the main forces arrived.

It is a pity that the map in Otto's hand does not record the terrain of this village at all, so there is no way to prepare a defense plan in advance, so he can only see the situation after arriving there.

Otto put away the map a little helplessly and took a deep breath, this was his first battle after becoming a battalion commander, and he didn't want to mess it up.