"However, if you retreat like this, it is estimated that more than half of the hundreds of thousands of troops will be lost. Vasilev was still a little reluctant on the other side of the phone. After all, these elites of the Soviet army who have experienced the baptism of war are too precious, and it is really heart-wrenching to give up half of them at once.

"Nothing to be sorry for, General Vasilev. Zhukov smiled bitterly, then calmed down his mood before he continued: "If, by the time the Germans attack first, at that time, even a third, I am not sure that I will be able to bring it back to Moscow." At a time like this, if you can save one more, save one more......"

Vasilev was silent on the other side of the phone for a moment, and then he answered Zhukov's order: "Since you have made up your mind, then I will carry out your order! I will mobilize troops to go north, please help me contact the air force and apply for as many cover ...... as possible."

This is also the proper meaning, modern warfare can no longer bypass the threshold of aerial reconnaissance, and if the German army knows the intention of the Soviet troops to go north, it is likely that the other side will take advantage of the situation to cover up and kill, and directly and completely kill the Zhukov cluster that has lost the support of the fortifications. Vasilev could only hope that the sacrifice of the Soviet Air Force would delay the German army's discovery of the truth.

While Zhukov and Vasilev, as well as Konev's generals, were looking for a way out for the hundreds of thousands of Kursk defenders, Stalin was also trying his best to strengthen Moscow's defenses in both the north and the front. The nearest German army was already less than 25 kilometers from Moscow, which was not good news for Stalin.

More than 100 improvised SU-76 assault guns, as well as 35 SU-122 assault guns, which were supposed to support Zhukov, were all withheld by Stalin and left to the Moscow defenders, who were constantly shrinking their defensive lines. He hopes that these improvised pieces of heavy weaponry will buy him enough time for Moscow's defenses to take shape.

Of course, this equipment did startle the German army, and some German units even claimed to have discovered that the Soviet army was copying the Leopard assault gun, and they mistook the Soviet defenders' SU-76 for a friendly Assault Panther. And these tank destroyers, which were temporarily in service, did bring certain problems to the German army.

In his own command, General Kluge received reports from many troops, claiming that the number of Soviet tanks was increasing, and relying on camouflage, firing at extremely close distances, these improvised tank destroyers did bring certain losses to the German armored forces.

In a matter of days, 17 German tanks were destroyed by Soviet tank destroyers who were not very skillful, and although at least 40 Soviet tanks were killed, such a close exchange rate did give headaches to the senior German generals who took the elite route.

In another time and space, the most depressing weapon of the German army for the Allies was not the Tiger tank that dominated the battlefield, nor was it the advanced Leopard or the Tiger King, and the weapons that the German army produced from the beginning of the war to the end were not those terrible war monsters - on the contrary, the inconspicuous No. 3 tank destroyer was the last armor pillar that the German army continued to use.

These expedient measures with low appearance and sharp guns, but when defending, they hide their shortcomings of not having a turret, and they can often exert unimaginable strength in preset defensive positions. Someone once counted that Germany produced 10,000 No. 3 assault guns, while the Tiger tank only produced more than 1,300.

From the data, it is not difficult to see that the world-famous Tiger tank, it seems that the German military and industry may not be as important as the No. 3 assault gun, a little-known gadget. And the cheap and seemingly outdated No. 3 assault gun also repaid the German army's trust in it by destroying 20,000 Allied tanks.

Unfortunately, unlike in another time and space, the current situation seems to be reversed, the Germans have been on the offensive all the time, and the Soviets have now become on the defensive. As a result, the assault gun, which was cheap and easy to produce, and even served as a real lifesaver for Nazi Germany in another time and space, has now been transformed into a self-redeeming weapon for the Soviet Union.

I have to admit that judging from the current situation, there is really no good way to deal with Soviet tank destroyers disguised in any possible deployment location and sniping German tanks with one life for another. At least the Germans lacked the experience to deal with such rogue tactics, because after all, the USSR was not much behind the Germans in terms of the power of tank artillery.

In mid-June, while the Germans destroyed 170 Soviet armored vehicles, including tank destroyers and tanks, Stalin received 165 tank destroyers of various models from the rear. This near-parity in attrition made Stalin seem to have found the key to victory, so he ordered the production of tanks to be discontinued in favor of this "weapon of victory" without a turret.

"Comrade Stalin, the front has basically been stabilized by us, and the Germans, fearing losses, have stopped their frantic advance in the north and on the front. Although the nearest place for the enemy is only 20 kilometers from our capital, as long as we delay until September, the weather will help us to delay the Germans until next spring. "General Vatutin was very optimistic about the defense in the Moscow direction, and he even felt that it was possible for him to turn the tide of the war under the city of Moscow.

Stalin was slightly relieved at the news, and the bearded man's cheeks had fallen haggard at a visible rate in recent weeks, and he had stopped smoking even his favorite pipe. He and a group of men who had long been frightened by the bow were trying to expand the armor near Moscow, hoping to rely on these equipment to stop the German attack.

Now it seems that it has had a certain effect, and those rudimentary weapons and equipment did provide the defenders near Moscow with a certain anti-tank capability, and the possession of anti-tank capabilities undoubtedly strengthened the confidence of these recruits against the German invaders.

Like the Germans in another time and space, the Soviets converted all the armored vehicles they could find into scarce anti-tank self-propelled guns. For example, some handicraft workshops removed the turret of the outdated T-26 tank and added a 76 mm cannon that could not be moved at all, even if it was the production of a SU-76 tank destroyer - the Soviet top brass counted all 76 mm self-propelled guns as SU-76, not knowing whether to embolden their own soldiers or to give them their own courage.

These rudimentary guns had no top armor, and some even had no side armor, so they were fooled to install some frontal armor and some brackets to hang sandbags, even if the "tanks" were distributed to the troops on the front line. And the troops on the front line have nothing to rely on anyway, so they simply use these weapons as "tanks".

If you count the thousands of T-26 tanks and old KV tanks that cannot go to the battlefield, it is not difficult to understand why the Soviet Union, which is facing the depletion of resources, did it and quickly replenished the front-line troops with "SU-76 and SU-122". To put it simply, it's nothing more than a self-deceptive play on words.

"Behind the floor-to-ceiling windows of every store, anti-tank guns are arranged. Landmines were planted in every garden. With a blank face, Stalin instructed his city defense commander Vatutin: "Every street, every house, must be carefully arranged for defensive positions. Moscow is our last bastion, and no one can take a step back...... Got it?"

"Yes, Comrade Leader. I have had civilians set up defensive positions in the city, trenches and trenches have begun to be dug in many streets, and car wrecks and collapsed ruins have been used as obstacles to block the main highways. "Vatu Jingli is standing up and introducing the progress of the city's defense deployment.

"I have just given the order of the High Command, and Zhukov's cluster is moving closer to us. As long as we win the division, then Moscow will have hundreds of thousands of more troops, and the strength of the army is not a problem, I hope you can understand this. Stalin mentioned Zhukov's troops, and his face somewhat returned to a bloody color. Zhukov still firmly supports him and carries out all his orders, which means that he is not wrong, so when he mentions Zhukov, his mood is slightly higher.

"......" heard the news of Zhukov's northward journey, Vatutin also relaxed a little, he knew how completely Moscow was fortressed, including the subway project, dozens of meters deep underground is full of labyrinthine air defense facilities, as long as there are enough troops, this will become a slaughterhouse for all the soldiers on both sides to shed blood.

This is also the only good news he has heard in the past ten days. Just now, Vatutin heard that the Germans had captured two small towns north of Moscow, only 18 kilometers from Moscow. He did not dare to report this information to Stalin, after all, the gap between 18 km and 20 km is not large.

Stalin glanced at Vatutin, who had not spoken, and suddenly said because he was in a good mood: "I know that everyone is preparing for this difficult battle very hard, and I also understand everyone's mood now. But you have to believe me, and believe that the Soviet Union will win!"

"Yes, Comrade Leader!" Vatutin quickly nodded yes. He had just fantasized that he could turn the tide of the war in Moscow, so he resonated with Stalin's words somewhat. At least he sensed the weakness of the German attack, which was the best proof that the Germans were also beginning to weaken.

"Get ready!" Stalin thought for a moment, then said to Vatutin: "Find some decent tanks, and in two days I will hold a military parade on Red Square in Moscow!