The stove in the carriage burned red, dissipating the cold air one by one, and the crowded carriage was full of Red Army soldiers, the most conspicuous of whom was the bearded old man. Old Hemstella, as we know it, was snoring.

In fact, snoring is nothing, and there is no Russian who has drunk too much who does not snore, let alone an eighty-year-old man. Jean Nikolai. Zherelov's depression was not the bellows-like snoring, but the old man's sleeping appearance was so bad that he was always grinning, which caused constant saliva to flow down his face.

Finally, Zherelov could no longer bear the old man's saliva, he stood up and walked to the other end of the carriage through the rickety train. This short trip was very strenuous, because he did not want to disturb the sleep of his comrades, after a fierce battle that lasted for months, it was not easy to get a good night's sleep, especially in the current situation, a new battle awaited them, and the great Kievan Rus' was waiting for them to recover.

When he walked to the end of the carriage, next to the cubicle that had been a temporary rest for the conductor, Zherelov began to write in the dim light, and he couldn't sleep anyway, so he might as well do something meaningful.

There are many things that Zherelov should remember, as the armored unit that played the vanguard in the Second Battle of Bryansk, there are too many stories to sing and cry about the 1st Guards Mechanized Army:

"On a snowy night, we went into battle, and our company was advancing along the railway, and on the way we encountered several destroyed T-34-76s, which, judging by the bullet holes in the turret and upper armor, should have been destroyed by the F2 tank IV. When the Germans replaced the No. 4 tank with a longer 75 mm gun, the threat to the earlier T-34 and T-35 increased significantly. The threat was even greater when encountering experienced German tankers, who were always able to snipe our tanks accurately from a long distance. I saw with my own eyes the Germans destroying our T-34 two thousand meters away. ”

"Keep going. Soon we came across another group of T-34s, who belonged to the tank division of the 19th Mechanized Army. The three T-34s were slowly advancing along the railway line, and according to the platoon commander of the tank platoon, behind the bushes on the other side of the embankment were hidden German tanks and anti-tank guns, which had previously been attacked and suffered heavy losses. ”

"The company commander attaches great importance to this information. We were ordered to be vigilant, but the old man (old Hemstra) did not think so, the old man had always despised the Germans, believing that the T-54 could withstand all German tank shells. So our number 888 is once again at the forefront according to the old habit. ”

"At first it was calm, and even though we stared at us bigger than a light bulb, we didn't find a single German devil. But just when I was secretly relieved, the Germans appeared! ”

"First the machine guns went off, and several black barrels protruded from the thick bushes and fired at the infantry comrades sitting on our tanks. The steel helmet of the infantry squad leader Mikhail was directly hit and died next to my head, and I will never forget the way his eyes widened in my life! ”

On the one hand, the father ordered the infantry to get out of the car quickly, and on the other side, the 12.7mm machine gun of the operator returned fire on the Germans. Having suppressed the enemy's machine guns with beautiful long point shots, the infantry comrades took advantage of this opportunity to hide behind the butts of our tanks. The 809 and 817 that followed also began to fire, and the side-by-side machine guns, course machine guns, and anti-aircraft machine guns were fired in a fierce manner, and the German machine guns were soon silenced. ”

"But it's not the end of it. Just when I was aiming carefully, ready to blast the Germans hiding in the bushes into the sky with a grenade. With a boom, the enemy's anti-tank guns opened fire. As always, the German devils hit us very accurately, and after a short test shot, they hit us. But we are not worried at all, because the T-54 is as reliable as ever, and the German devils can only tickle us. ”

"The fire and smoke from the muzzles of the enemy revealed their positions. Soon, it was our turn to fight back. Grenades flew out of the muzzle of the guns, blasting the bushes into the air, and with the fire of the shells, the enemy's anti-tank guns were finished. ”

"But we didn't take it lightly. The enemy seems to have tanks, and although they have not yet come out for the time being, we all know that it is only a matter of time and timing. The Germans were very good at defensive warfare, especially with their tank units, and especially good at ambushing us with clever camouflage. ”

"Our tanks continued to advance, and after walking less than two hundred meters, the Germans finally couldn't hold their breath, and as the first tank fired at us, soon the remaining Germans were also shooting desperately. I counted five tanks in total. However, because it is well camouflaged, it is difficult to distinguish the specific model. Of course, soon we will know their models, and the movement of 75 mm armor-piercing shells and 88-mm armor-piercing shells after hitting the turret is completely different, and veterans can easily distinguish them. ”

"'F2 Tank Four. ' Daddy pouted disdainfully, we all knew that Daddy really wanted to fight the enemy's Tiger tank, he had not hunted this new German tank, and he always felt regretful. But we don't regret it, and if possible, I want the Germans to use tank No. 3 or No. 4 forever. ”

"When we knew that the enemy was nothing more than a bunch of small garbage driving Tank No. 4, we had no worries, the driver slammed the accelerator to the end, and we ran for the enemy like arrows from the string. During this time, the Germans constantly fired artillery to try to stop us, but this did not make any sense. The 75 guns were just an itch for us, and when we entered 800 meters, our smoothbore guns began to work with great power, destroying the enemy without much effort. Then we can watch the German infantry jump out of the trenches in a panic and run away like rabbits, of course, it is useless, machine guns and mortars will tear them apart. ”

Zherelov stretched, raised his head and looked through the window at the T-54 on the flatbed behind the compartment, every tankman loved the T-54. Yes, both the Red Army and the German Panzers liked the T-54, and the Germans would do their best to repair the T-54 that they had destroyed by all means, and any soldier who could capture the T-54 would be awarded the Knight's Iron Cross.

And every captured T-54 German was immediately repainted and immediately equipped for use. Because the performance of this tank is simply too good, superior mobility. Extremely strong armor and high reliability. Let's put it this way, the T-54 is a guarantee of survival.

The only thing that the Germans were not satisfied with was the smoothbore gun and the rudimentary sighting equipment, and as soon as they had enough time, they immediately replaced it with their own 88 gun. Of course, such opportunities are rare, and most of the time they can only use what they have.

The turret of the T-888 No. 54 has been patched quite a bit. These were all traces left by German artillery, and to Zherelov's delight, not a single shell penetrated the main armor of No. 888, even after being hit dozens of times.

Zherelov is as grateful as the rest of his companions for the 888 tank, which regularly saved their lives, and in their eyes the 888 is the most reliable and best partner, and there is absolutely no one. However, according to the original plan, No. 888 should have undergone major repairs, and the reliability of its various equipment, which has run for 2,000 kilometers, has been greatly reduced. And the mechanical wear has also reached the threshold.

As far as Zherelov knows, the T-54 will be overhauled with a unified replacement of engines and transmissions, as well as tracks, and an early version of the T-54 like No. 888 will also replace artillery and fire control equipment. The original smoothbore gun will be replaced with the D-10T rifled gun or the new generation smoothbore gun, and the original high and low stabilizer will be replaced with a two-way stabilizer, and the sighting equipment will also be updated.

To be honest, Zherelov is a little unimaginable, because the current T-54 is already powerful enough, and after replacing these new equipment, won't it be against the sky?

The only thing that made Zherelov feel pity. This overhaul was postponed, as the recapture of Kyiv was put on the agenda. As the main tank, the early T-54 also had to stay in battle.

Zherelov quickly expelled these "distractions" from his body, and he began to keep a diary, and it was not all smooth sailing in previous battles, there is no invincible weapon in this world, even the mighty T-54 will have times when the horse stumbles.

"We moved forward quickly. Again and again, it easily crushed the German positions and chased the Germans into a wolf's run. Sometimes we all have the illusion that the T-54 is invincible. But the facts tell us that this is just self-aggrandizement......"

"That day, as is customary. We lunged forward again, and when the 37 mm and 75 mm armor-piercing shells were bounced off by our main armor, we were excited and rushed forward like chickens, completely unaware that this was a trap carefully laid by the Germans. ”

"The crisis came when we easily destroyed the No. 4 tank, which the Germans had placed in front of the position. The insidious Germans placed their 88-mm anti-aircraft guns and Tiger tanks on the flanks of the position, and when we crashed headlong into it, exposing the soft ribs, the enemy opened fire. The 88-mm armor-piercing shells tore through the armor on the sides and back of the T-54, and the tanks of our comrades were hit one after another and caught fire, and in just a few minutes, most of our company disappeared, which was the heaviest loss suffered by our company since the start of the war after the air threat from Stuka! ”

"Thank God our 888 rushed so fast that the Germans didn't have time to attack us and let us escape. It was not until the Il-2 and Su-2 of the Air Force arrived on the battlefield that we were rescued from the encirclement. ”

"The losses were extremely heavy, which led to the removal of our battalion commander, and as for the company commander, his car had already been killed under enemy fire, and none of the comrades in the car were spared. The lesson is profound, and we must not be careless or blindly optimistic at any time on the battlefield. This is a battle for survival, and in order to survive, the enemy will definitely rack his brains to destroy us by all means. If you don't want to be destroyed, you'll have to be smarter than your enemies! ”

In fact, there are many similar examples, whether it is the T-54, including the T-34 and T-35, a considerable part of the Red Army armored troops are too presumptuous and fall into the enemy's trap and are destroyed by anti-tank guns or iron fists. From the second Battle of Bryansk, the armored forces of the Red Army specially issued a pamphlet with the requirement that all tankmen must pay attention to the threat from the flanks.

Of course, this kind of thing does not mean that you can pay attention to it if you want to, after all, the Germans are quite good at camouflage, whether it is a tank or an anti-tank gun, they can camouflage it seamlessly. This made it difficult for a considerable number of Red Army tankmen who lacked real combat experience to parry. Especially the German anti-tank groups that used an iron fist, they were easier to camouflage. At one time, it caused great trouble for the armored forces of the Red Army. In order to fend off these petty thieves who were good at sneaking up from the side, the Reds began to weld storage boxes and skirts to the sides of the T-54 and T-35 turrets, and these "bird cages" made of steel bars were able to detonate the iron fist in advance and minimize the lethality of the armor-piercing shells.

And by the end of the war, when the Germans were at the end of their rope, a large number of cheap recoilless guns and anti-tank rocket launchers were produced. These extremely large armor-piercing shells were able to threaten the frontal armor of the Red Army T-34 and T-35, and in order to resist this threat, the Red Army urgently added hollow armor to the turret and hull nose armor of these two tanks.

Of course, these are all afterwords, back to the story itself. Zherelov continued to keep a diary, and after a crushing defeat, the commanders of the heavy tank battalions of the Red Army became more cautious and less reckless in throwing troops into assaults. At this time, the Second Battle of Bryansk also entered its final conclusion.

March 11th. Both the offensive and defensive sides were gearing up for a battle after dawn, with the Germans consolidating their positions on the hillside while the Reds interrupted their efforts with constant artillery bombardment. At about 1 o'clock in the morning, the 19th Company of the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment and the 16th Engineer Company of the SS were the first to reach the southern slope of the 112th Heights, which was vital to them.

At three o'clock, the 2nd Battalion of the SS 19th Panzergrenadier Regiment also arrived on the southern slope of the 112th Heights, but the 1st Battalion of the SS 9th Panzer Regiment commanded by Captain Berott SS was nowhere to be seen, and the anxious Admiral Holt directly gave an order to the 2nd Company of the SS 102nd Heavy Armored Battalion to support the SS 19th Panzergrenadier Regiment.

And on the side of the Red Army. At 2 o'clock in the morning, the 1st Regiment of the 163rd Mechanized Division of the 1st Guards Mechanized Army replaced the 112th Infantry Division of the Red Army, which had previously stormed the 117th Heights. In the previous battles, the division fought fiercely, but the losses were also very large, and the reduction of the three infantry regiments reached more than 30%, and at this time it was really impossible to fight.

Just after dawn, Zherelov's tank battalion also arrived at the starting position north of the 112 heights, and at this time the battalion still had 22 T-54s capable of participating in the battle. After the departure position converged with a regiment of the 163rd Division. According to the original battle plan, they were ready to take the opposite 112 heights in one fell swoop.

And at this time, Admiral Hort gave the Red Army an unexpected surprise, when the tanks and infantry of the Red Army were making final preparations for the attack, the SS 19th Panzergrenadier Regiment was under the cover of Tiger tanks of the 102nd Company of the SS Heavy Armored Battalion 2. A counteroffensive was launched from the southeast of the 112 heights!

Braving the fire of the Red Army, the Tiger tank rushed straight down from the top of the hill, and at the forefront was the tank of the acting company commander Schroeder. It has to be said that the German infantry tank is very skillful in the use of coordination, and the two sides cover each other and advance quickly. Schroeder's tank advanced to 300 meters in front of the Red Army position before stopping, and through the smoke, Schroeder could vaguely see what appeared to be Red Army tanks moving on the opposite side. Without any hesitation, Schroeder immediately ordered to open fire!

According to the recollections of the Germans, Schroeder quickly destroyed two T-35s of the Red Army, but we all know that it was the T-54 that covered the 163rd division at that time, and there were no T-35s on the battlefield. It is quite possible that Schroeder mistakenly saw the T-54 as the T-35, after all, the two tanks are really similar.

So the Red Army lost the T-54 at that time? It is also practically impossible, even the Tiger tank does not have the ability to destroy the T-54 from the front (unless APCR shells are used, and it must be within 100 meters of suicide). But Schroeder swears that he observed the flames of the explosion, which shows that he did hit something.

In fact, Schroeder did hit the target, but neither the T-35 nor the T-54, but the 163rd regiment equipped with MT-LB tracked carriers. The Germans mistakenly recognized this full-track transport vehicle as a tank.

However, this thunderous blow also caused the Red Army to suffer heavy losses, and the vanguard of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 163rd Division, which was originally going to attack the German position on the top of the hill by MT-LB, was destroyed, and more than 20 people were killed on the spot.

Schroeder looked at his watch, it was 5:57 a.m., and the German artillery was bombarding the Red Army's positions, and after this round of shelling, Schroeder drove his Tiger tank into the Red Army's positions. In a short battle, he destroyed one more MT-LB36 transport vehicle and two anti-tank guns.

Because the ZIS-3, which was widely equipped by the Red Army at this time, could not pose an effective threat to the Tiger tank, it fought fiercely for half a day, and the Red Army only damaged one Tiger after paying heavy casualties.

At the same time, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Panzergrenadier Regiment of the SS also quickly inserted into the positions of the Red Army, and in the face of the ferocious German offensive, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 163rd Division of the Red Army could only retreat and inform the main force of the regiment to suspend the upcoming offensive operation...... (To be continued.) )