Nikolai. The battle for Zherelov continued, and after reaching Konotop, the 9th Mechanized Corps cut directly into the line of the 11th Infantry Division of the 198th German Army. And Nikolai. Zherelov's company rushed to the front.

"We were ordered to occupy the village of Dolzok, and as soon as we reached the outskirts of the village, we found about forty German tanks, armoured vehicles and self-propelled guns coming in the direction of the village. Because the disparity between the enemy and our strength was too great, we quickly retreated without firing a single shot. The enemy came so fiercely that we didn't even have time to turn around, so we had to put up a reverse gear and retreat, and finally we had no choice but to hide behind a bush on the spot, and the infantry that was advancing with us could only lie in ambush under the riverbank. ”

"By this time it was too late to dig trenches, and soon the German devils rushed up. A self-propelled gun fired at my comrade to my left. The shell hit the tank's armor with a 'bang' and was bounced off and fell into the river. I couldn't see the exact location of the German self-propelled guns, so I had to take a rough aim at the flashing place and fire a shot, only to find that the self-propelled guns had provoked fire, and thankfully, they hit! ”

"After a short battle, for some reason, no other German tanks followed, but the German infantry continued to attack stubbornly. They formed two teams, each of which numbered about fifty or sixty men, charging forward and firing with submachine guns. I immediately fired at it with a side-by-side machine gun, and after firing ten to twelve volleys, I found that there were corpses strewn in front of me, and all but a dozen German devils had escaped, and the rest were killed. ”

Then everything fell silent, as if it wasn't a battlefield. The commander told the infantry comrades to hurry to dig trenches in case the Germans launched a second wave of charge. But then nothing happened, and the night was peaceful. The Germans did not attack again. ”

"The next day, the battle continued. The infantry usually had to take our tanks on the march, and only a few Guards units were able to get MT-LB36 armored vehicles. More infantry was packed with our tanks. Their platoon commander sat on our platoon commander's tank, and although both sides were platoon commanders, the infantry platoon commander had to listen to us. Our platoon commander usually ordered them like this: 'Put a guard here, and put a guard there.' In case the Germans attack us. If we're done, so will you. ’”

"The infantry comrades are very serious about protecting the tanks, because they know that without the cover of the tanks, they will not be able to move an inch. When our armourers opened fire on the Germans or broke through the German lines, they would dismount from the tanks. Of course, if the infantry falls under the tracks of the tank, then he will definitely die. When passing through open ground, the tank has to follow a curve like a rabbit in order to avoid being hit. When the tank launches an assault. The infantry followed from a distance. Sometimes, though, a few stayed on the tank, hiding behind the turret to help us eliminate the Germans who suddenly rushed up. ”

"The company advanced in regular formation towards Konotop, not encountering much resistance along the way. By order of the battalion commander, our company was at the forefront as a company of sharp knives, comrades from the other two companies took cover on both flanks, and an assault engineer platoon and two ZIS-3 anti-tank guns hung behind our tanks were temporarily incorporated into our company. The platoon commander had machine gunners and anti-tank gunners sit on top of the tanks, while assault sappers and trucks pulling ammunition followed. ”

"We slowly moved along a bumpy road 3,000 kilometers away from the main force of the regiment, and kept in touch with the regimental headquarters by radio. After passing through a small village, I saw a cloud of dust two kilometers ahead. The company commander immediately ordered us to stop advancing. Turn into defense in the nearby woods. ”

"Soon the scouts reported the sighting of German traces at the front, about three tanks and part of the infantry. It's as simple for us as eating beef and roasted potatoes. The whole company immediately entered the combat state, the tanks looked for favorable terrain to hide, and the infantry dug bunkers on the spot, digging as deep as they could. ”

"The German devils were ahead of a motorcycle and three No. 4 tanks. The platoon commander gave the radio order: 'I'll deal with the first car; Kozelov was in charge of the second; Tiknov you solve the third car. 'We waited until the German tanks were at a distance of about 600 meters before we opened fire. There is no difficulty in this. It was as simple as eating beef and roasted potatoes, the German tanks quickly caught fire and burned, and our infantry comrades were also very good and got the Germans' motorcycles as soon as possible. ”

"We didn't be happy for long, though, because soon after the German team turned the corner. Judging by the shape of their marching troops, I have at least twenty tanks behind! This blew our mind. Fortunately, after receiving a sudden blow, the Germans did not rush into attack, but retreated and opened fire on us at the same time. ”

"At this time the company commander gave the order to pursue, not that he was carried away by the victory, but that he had to bluff at this time, otherwise the Germans would soon react and immediately outflank us and eat us without even bones. The commander told Konstantin: 'Let's go around from the right!' Fast! But we had just gone less than fifty meters, and as we started to turn, an armor-piercing bullet hit our gearbox. The tank stopped abruptly, and then the commander was heard shouting: 'It's on fire, the tank is broken, abandon the car!' ’”

"What followed was a catastrophe and nine deaths, the Germans seemed to see through our reality, they were still in retreat just now and resumed the offensive, more than a dozen tanks rushed in two rows, grenades, armor-piercing shells whizzed towards us, the last commander who left the tank was directly shattered by an armor-piercing bullet, the scene was simply miserable. The loader was also unlucky, a grenade exploded near him, and after the smoke disappeared, he was already lying in a pool of blood...... Konstantin and I cautiously crawled through the mud, and crawled back to our positions inch by inch. When we finally climbed into the woods, the infantry comrades hiding inside hurriedly dragged us in. ”

"At this time, I was able to pay attention to the situation on the battlefield, my tank platoon had been annihilated by the enemy, and the remaining second and third platoons had also suffered heavy losses, so they could only retreat step by step, and from the radio I could hear the company commander shouting: 'Retreat, retreat, there are too many enemies!'. It's not just us, the tankmen, who are ready to retreat. The infantry and artillery did not dare to continue to resist the enemy, and after repelling the enemy's attack, they resolutely retreated......"

"As I sat behind the company commander's tank and looked back at the battlefield, I was very sad about the burning T-34, just twenty minutes ago. We're still bragging and joking. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, heaven and man would be separated forever. ”

"The troops were successfully withdrawn from the line of fire, but that doesn't mean it's safe. Soon the regimental headquarters told us that we had collided with the main forces of the German army, and that the whole regiment was now under great pressure. The regimental commander demanded that we immediately switch to the defensive, and that we must block the enemy's counterattack on the spot. ”

"But this doesn't have much to do with me, because I lost my tank and can only move with my infantry brothers. After a fierce battle, we retreated to the village we had been a day earlier, where I would have a battle I will never forget! ”

"After entering the small village. I received an order from the company commander, and he asked those of us who had lost our tanks to report to the company headquarters. At that time, I was separated from the army because I needed the help of a hygienist to treat a small wound on my arm. After treating the wounds, I immediately rushed to the location of the company headquarters. When I arrived at the company headquarters, I broke in without thinking, but to my astonishment, there was not a comrade of his own in the company headquarters, but an SS soldier heavily armed with a submachine gun sitting inside and smoking! I found out later, a few minutes ago. The Germans attacked, and the company commander resisted for a while before retreating. But they forgot to inform me. ”

"At that time, my hairs stood on end, my brain was a little confused, and to make matters worse, I didn't even have any weapons at hand! Fortunately, the Nazi bandit was also stunned, and he didn't seem to expect me to break in. After a second. I acted at the same time as him. The difference was that he started shooting with his gun, and I immediately started holding my head and running away. ”

"No kidding, I rolled out the door with a backward roll, and then a donkey rolled and got up. Then he ran away. At the same time, the Nazi rushed out and fired at me with a submachine gun. I could feel the bullets dancing on the ground, and it was clear that if I continued to run down the street, I would be dead. ”

"I crashed sideways into the house on the side of the street, and before I had time to catch my breath, I continued to run towards the back door of the house, and when I opened the back door and tried to continue my escape, I was again stunned, because there was a Nazi officer standing in front of me, and he seemed to be trying to get in. So we bumped into a full bosom. The difference is that I was frightened once before, and I came to my senses faster, while he was confused. ”

"It's just the blink of an eye that can decide life and death, I raised my fist and punched him three times in the head, blood flowed out of his nose, and he fainted. But that didn't mean the danger was over, as there was a submachine gunner waiting for me in the back, and I could actually hear his footsteps. ”

"As soon as it was too late, I pulled out his matching gun from the Nazi officer's waist, a Luger pistol, a precious trophy, loaded, aimed, and shot almost in one go. I shot all the bullets in the magazine, killing the submachine gunner who was chasing me. ”

"Only then was I able to catch my breath. A few minutes later, the company commander came back in the tank, and after beating the Germans away, he saw me. 'Well done, comrade sergeant. As he spoke, he took the watch from the wrist of the fainting German officer and handed it to me, 'Take it, with it you will remember that a soldier should carry a weapon at all times.' ’”

"I took the watch, it was a magnetic, waterproof watch, which was considered a high-end product in the Soviet Union, and perhaps only leaders at the level of county party secretaries could afford to wear it. I decided to send it to my father, who wanted one of them, and although I didn't buy it, I bought it with my life. ”

"Just when I was secretly happy, the company commander pointed to the Nazi officer and ordered: 'Drag this cargo down and kill it!' None of the comrades had any objection to this, although it was not a good deed to shoot prisoners. But we have just lost our comrades-in-arms before, and even the relatives of many of our comrades have fallen under the butcher's knives of the Nazis, and killing them will not be any psychological burden for us. What's more, this is still the scum of the SS, and these Nazi bandits deserve to die. According to the unwritten rules within the army, all bandits of the Nazi Party can be shot, and whoever asks them to indiscriminately shoot our political commissars and party members and comrades will be killed. This is reciprocal revenge! ”

"Of course, the party and the government did not encourage us to do this, but as a fighter, as a younger brother who has lost his brother. I have to say I hate the Germans. A little more than a year later, we invaded Germany, and our superiors ordered us to be friendly to the German residents, but we really couldn't. Even the most tolerant people had to reduce their dealings with the Germans and avoid contact with them. Sometimes, of course, on the orders of the commissars. We also had to pretend to give the Germans a small favor. At that time, we were given a certain amount of candy on each tank (all of which were captured), and when we met German children, we would give them some. ”

"Speaking of which, speaking of loot, I have to start by talking about our food supply. In the offensive, the logistics service will be far behind, and we will only be able to eat the food cooked in the field kitchen when we have rested after the battle. But. After each battle, food would be plentiful, because the Germans were not as poor as we were, and they plundered countless goodies from all over Europe, so to speak, and they had everything. Of course, we actually have everything, it's just that it's far away in the rear, and it's hard to get it to us. ”

"We will give priority to the food seized from the Germans. Really plentiful, with smoked sausages, cheeses, canned meats and a variety of canned fruits and liquor. But bread in Germany is terrible. Not only does it have no taste, but it doesn't look like bread, and it chews like sawdust. My favourite German food is German bacon in a 1.5 kg can. We usually cut them into strips of meat ten centimeters long and one centimeter wide, take two or three slices and sandwich them in bread, and drink a glass of German beer, and you can feel how good life is when you live! ”

"Straight to the point. Continue back to the battle itself in Konotop. After losing the tank, I had nothing to do for a while, so I could only work as a maintenance worker, helping the comrades in logistics maintenance to repair tanks and cars, I have to say. This experience helped me a lot. After the war, I found a new job with this trade, and the income was very good. ”

"About a week later, the company commander suddenly came to me and asked me if I would like to be temporarily seconded to the 1st Guards Mechanized Army to help, there is a shortage of tankmen there, and we have a surplus on our side. If I can go to the battlefield, of course I will not refuse. Soon the division headquarters opened a letter of introduction and a letter of secondment, and after packing my bags, I said goodbye to the other comrades in the company and went to report to the 1st Guards Mechanized Army. ”

"At the time, I thought it was a temporary secondment and that I would have to go back after the battle. But what I didn't expect was that this secondment allowed me to stay in the 1st Guards Mechanized Army forever until the end of the war. ”

"It doesn't feel good to be in the 1st Guards Mechanized Army, because those of us who have been seconded are like cattle in front of them to pick and choose. Of course, we were soon carved up. With the new battalion commander I arrived at the 100th Guards Heavy Tank Battalion, an honorable unit that they fought all the way back from East Poland and can be said to be recognized as a heroic unit throughout the Soviet Union. But what made me happiest was that the battalion was equipped with T-54 tanks, and I couldn't help but get excited at the thought that I would be able to fight in this most powerful tank right away! ”

"I was assigned to tank 888 as a gunner, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed because the commander was an old man in his seventies. Such an old grandfather can also fight? Just kidding! I wanted to change the crew at that time, because I didn't come to take care of the old man, I came to kill the enemy and serve the country. ”

"But I soon found out that I was very wrong, because although my father is old, he is really good at fighting, it is said that he has participated in all the wars since the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, invaded Beijing in 1900, fought the Japanese devils in the Far East in 1905, fought the Germans in the First World War, served as both the White Army and the Red Army in the domestic revolutionary war, and went to Spain in the thirties, anyway, it is said that he fought more battles than we have ever eaten salt."

"Daddy is not only old, but also very good, and his existence makes it impossible for some annoying political commissars to give brainless political orders casually. provoked him, the old man would beat everyone, and there was no need to worry about responsibility at all. It is said that my father's old subordinates have a very high status in the army and the party, and they seem to be the kind with their hands and eyes, and even the division commander is very polite to him anyway. ”

"But Daddy rarely talks about the topics of his old subordinates, and he seems to be beneficially avoiding them. There is a rumor that he seems to have a stiff relationship with the old subordinate because of his different political orientations. And he prefers to talk about his granddaughters and great-grandchildren and great-granddaughters, and it can be seen that he likes these juniors very much. Of course, on the battlefield the old man was a different story entirely, he had no mercy for the Germans, and his most common mantra was: 'Peel off the scalps of these dog mongrels, Lao Tzu is missing a pair of leather shoes!' Or, 'Only dead Germans are good Germans!' ''Unscrew that Nazi brain, I'm going to pee!' ’。 (To be continued......)

PS: Bow down and thank the lost Remnant Feng, GUNDAM0080, and Comrade Juventus!