In my limited memory of the Soviet Patriotic War, it seems that since the end of the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet army was in a state of unstoppable power on all battlefields and then went straight to Berlin. But it has been more than ten days since Kiev has been liberated. The German army around our defense zone showed no sign of retreat, but on the contrary, they have beaten the 38th and 60th armies all over the ground.

Yesterday, when the German 7th Armored Division launched an attack on the defense zone of the 67th Guards Division, although I did a lot of preparations to strengthen the artillery and tank brigade for the Baksov Division. According to my imagination, even if they could not severely damage the German troops attacking in the heavy snow, they could at least have a draw with the opponent.

But unexpectedly, after we repelled the first attack of the German army, we adjusted the deployment in time and suppressed our artillery with long-range artillery fire, the infantry rushed towards our frontier positions again under the cover of tanks.

More than 20 tiger tanks and leopard tanks expanded their formation and rushed towards our army's defensive positions. The fast-moving tracks crushed deep traces on the vast white snow. Although the 20th Guards Tank brigade was only left with more than 30 T-34 tanks, they bravely met the fierce German tanks.

Unfortunately, the next battle turned into a one-sided massacre. The 76mm tank gun equipped by the T-34 tank could not penetrate the 102mm frontal armor of the Tiger tank at all; the tilted armor of the Leopard tank also turned most of the target shells into jumpers.

Although the T-34 tank is helpless against the German tiger and leopard tanks, the 88mm tank guns of the German tiger tanks and the 75mm tank guns of the Leopard tanks can easily penetrate the front armor of the T-34 tanks at a distance of 1,000 meters and 500 meters respectively.

With the muffled sound of German tank guns, the tanks of the 20th Brigade of Guards were destroyed by German tanks one by one in the snow. Several tanks' turrets were also blown into the sky by the explosive ammunition, and then they hit the ground heavily, causing certain casualties to the nearby infantry commanders and fighters.

With their powerful armored assault capabilities, the German army tore open a two-kilometer gap in the frontier position of the 67th Division of the Guards. Just as the enemy rushed down the city of Zedomir, the division commander Baksov arrived in time with a regiment. He first ordered the anti-tank hand to kill the tanks that entered the range with a 40 bazooka, and then commanded the troops to launch an attack on the German infantry who had lost the cover of the tank, blocking the gap opened by the German army again.

When it was dark, I received a call from Baksov, who had just recovered his position in the command center. He said excitedly: "Comrade Commander, I thought our troops were based on fortifications and were covered by artillery and tanks. No matter how strong the German Seventh Armored Division was, they could easily block them. But when they really exchanged fire with them, I realized that this unit was very different from the troops we had contacted before. Their combat power was too strong. In just a few hours of battle, I lost almost a regiment of troops. If such an attack came twice, our division should retreat to the back and repair it."

I didn't talk much nonsense with him, but simply ordered him: "General Baksov, hurry up and repair the fortifications. If there are no strong fortifications on the plain, then he will only end up being the German armored forces."

After I put down the phone, I directly ordered Akhromeyev: "Major, call General Bereh, the commander of the tank army, here."

As soon as I put down the phone, Vatujin called in. He asked me directly: "Comrade Oshanina, the situation in the direction of Fastif is currently very bad. According to the latest intelligence we have detected, the German armored 48th Army has arrived. If they attack Kiev with all their strength, it may be difficult for me to defend Kiev."

I heard that I was very confident two days ago and said that there was no problem with defending Kiev, and using such tactful words to express the severe situation facing Kiev, a vague premonition arose in my heart: the difficulty is to let us launch an attack from the rear of the German army and restrain the power of the 48th Armored Army in order to gain more time for the Kiev troops to defend themselves?

As soon as this thought came out, I immediately denied it because I thought Vatutin should be very clear that Zedomir was threatened from the north, west and south directions, and had no power to launch an attack from the rear of the German army in Fastif. I hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively: "Comrade General, do you know if you call me, do you have any important instructions?"

"This is not a question of instructions, I just want to discuss with you." Vatuting said hesitantly: "If your Sixth Guard Army can launch an assault from the enemy's flank, it may be able to contain some of the German troops in the Fastiv region and relieve some pressure on the 38th and 60th Army in the southwest of Kiev."

"Comrade General, if it is your order, then I obey; if it is just a consultation, I am sorry, I think I can only reject your proposal." In order to avoid causing disagreement in Vatutin, I also explained to him specifically: "The 48th Armored Army of Fastif not only threatens Kiev, but also Korrostviv. And today the 7th Armored Division of the German Army in Warrensky New Town also launched an attack on the defense zone of the 67th Guards Division in the snow, although after a fierce battle, the enemy's attack was shattered by our heroic commanders and fighters. However, judging from the strong combat power they showed, I think we can only hold on for a week at most in Zhitomir."

"Comrade Oshenina, this is not OK." After hearing me, Vatutin said unhappily: "If the other three German armoured divisions joined forces with the 48th Armored Army of Fastif and jointly invaded Kiev, it would be very difficult for me to defend this city. Therefore, I order you to stay at all costs and block the German troops from three directions as long as possible."

"Don't worry, comrade General." When I heard that he no longer asked us to send troops to harass the German flanks of Fastif, I followed suit: "I will tell our officers and soldiers that they will fight bravely to defend Kiev, and even if only one soldier is left, they will never give up their positions easily."

Bo Lei, who received my order, hurried from Korrostviv to the command center in a jeep, braved the wind and snow. As soon as he saw me and raised his hand to salute, he couldn't wait to ask: "Comrade Commander, do you call me to the command center? Do you have any important tasks to explain?"

"Comrade General, I would like to ask, many of the original tank brigades have been replaced with new tanks, but why are there not even one in the 20th Guards Tank Brigade?" Thinking of the new tanks that surpass this era, they are all tiger-style and leopard-style characters on the battlefield, but now they are rare, I feel very uncomfortable, so the tone of speaking is also very heavy: "If there are several such new tanks in the brigade, then in today's tank battle, the battle will not be one-sided, and they will not be wiped out by German tiger-style and leopard-style tanks."

Hearing me say this, the muscles on Bo Lei's face twitched violently. After a while, he replied: "Comrade Commander, you don't know that although the new tanks were installed in the army for a while, in the later stage, due to the serious shortage of maintenance components and supporting ammunition, they were gradually replaced by the original T-34 tank."

"Replaced by T-34? So, where have the new tanks replaced?" I was stunned when I heard Bo Lei say this, but then asked, "I won't all come back, right?"

"Return to the furnace? How is that possible?" Bie Lei said with a wry smile: "Although two production lines have been opened to produce supporting ammunition for new tanks, the troops in demand have always been in short supply. Just late last month, it was said that a member of the Supreme Command proposed that he should concentrate his efforts to produce T-34 tanks and supporting ammunition. Even if the tank performance is not as good as the German Tiger Leopard tank, it can be compensated by its numerical advantage."

"Who said this?" Bezikov, who had seen the power of a new tank, immediately asked after Bere finished speaking: "Doesn't this mean that our tanks will become the target of the German tiger-type leopard tank as soon as they go to the battlefield."

"I don't know who said it specifically." In response to Bezikov's question, Bere said vaguely: "Anyway, my source of information is reliable, and this matter is absolutely unfair."

Seeing Bezikov's expression that he wanted to continue asking, I quickly raised my hand to stop him: "Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff, stop asking, maybe General Bo Lei has difficulties in this matter, so don't make things difficult for him." After saying that, I looked at Bezikov and asked, "General Bo Lei, do you have any way to deal with the German tiger and leopard tanks?"

Bo Lei thought for a while and said, "Comrade Commander, this is not easy to deal with. Even if our tanks are within a range of 400 meters, they cannot destroy the enemy's tiger and leopard tanks, but they can easily explode our tanks one by one. Also, it is very difficult for the 40 rocket launcher carried by infantry to use it alone to deal with the enemy's tanks. They must wait for the enemy's tanks to enter the range of 200 meters before they can destroy the tanks."

After Bo Lei talked about the difficulties he was facing now, the commanders in the room were silent. After a while, Chisdakov bit his back teeth and said, "Damn German, I know that our fighter planes cannot be dispatched in such a snowy weather, so I attacked us through the snow."

After complaining, he turned his head and looked at me and said, "Comrade Commander, I know you are resourceful. I must have thought of a way to deal with enemy tanks."

Although I have been thinking about ways to deal with German tanks, I can't think of a better way in a hurry. At this moment, seeing everyone's eyes focused on me, when I made up my mind, I could only change some common old methods I knew and say it: "Don't General Lei, immediately send engineers after you go back to lay explosives and anti-tankre on the road where the enemy tanks are marching. In order to prevent the mine from being lifted out by enemy engineers, you should also lie in ambush snipers and anti-tanks under ambush at two hundred meters away from the minefield."

"Sniper and anti-tank player?" Bere looked at me in surprise and asked in confusion: "Why do you need to arrange this?"

"It's very simple. Snipers are specialized in dealing with engineers who want to clear mines. As for anti-tank players, they are to solve the tanks at close range and avoid them from causing damage to snipers." After I said this, I thought that the snipers and anti-tank players were in the infantry company, so I quickly added: "After you go back, these men can be sent to Tavalt Kiraze in the city of Zitomir."

"I understand, Comrade Commander." After saying this, Bere immediately straightened his body and asked me: "Are you allowed me to do it now? I want to go back and arrange minefields now to deal with German tanks."

"General Bereth." Seeing Bereth was about to leave, I quickly added: "In addition to anti-tankreth and anti-tank hands, we should also consider how to use our tanks reasonably. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Bie Lei finished answering, raised his hand to salute us, and then turned around and walked out of the command center.

After Bere left, I walked to the map hanging on the wall, stared at it for a while, then turned around and waved at Chisdakov and Bejekov, signaling them to come to me. When the two of them walked to me, I picked up the explanation stick and pointed to the map and said to them: "Look, if the information from the Front Command is accurate, the 48th Armored Army is stationed in Fastif now. I don't think I will tell you how powerful this unit is. Everyone knows it very well. They defeated General Konev's troops not long ago and drove them across the Dnieper River, exposing the Cherkass we occupied to the Germans."

"Comrade Commander, what are you worried about?" Bezikov asked cautiously while I was pausing his speech.

I used the explanation stick to click Fastif: "Chief of Staff, what I worry most is here. If the German army wants to recapture Kiev, they must first take down the Zhitomir we occupied. That is to say, in the next battle, we will face not only the German army's attack from the north, west and south. The 48th Armored Army in the southeast may also draw some of its troops and launch an attack from the east to us. In this way, our entire Sixth Army of Guards will be trapped in the German encirclement."

"What, caught up in the siege of the German army?" Bezikov was shocked when he heard me say this. He took a step forward, gestured on the map with his hands, and said to himself: "If the German army really attacked from the east, then the connection between us and Kiev will be completely interrupted and become a surrounded alone army."

"Comrade Commander." After Bizdev finished speaking, he also expressed his opinion: "Our group still has 50,000 or 60,000 people. The ammunition and various military supplies consumed by so many soldiers every day is an astronomical figure. If the German army cut off the connection between us and Kiev, then it won't take long before our troops will be on the verge of despair because of the ammunition and food exhaustion." (~^~)
Chapter completed!