Chapter 1058: The End of the Giant Elephant (3,000-word chapter)

When in Stalingrad, Malashenko did fight side by side with the Mavonov division commander. ₆₉ₛₕᵤₓ.cₒₘ

Of course, at that time, he was not a division commander, but an infantry regiment commander who led his soldiers and fought with Malashenko on the Mamayev Hills.

After a short day of fighting side by side, Commander Mavonov and Malashenko parted ways.

Malashenko was transferred to lead his troops to put out fires all over the city, rushing and infiltrating wherever the Germans were going crazy.

Division Commander Mavonov and his troops continued to be stationed at the Mamayev Hills: this was the core strategic location guarding the entire Stalingrad to prevent the Germans from counterattacking again and taking it back. Until Malashenko overthrew the headquarters of this old bastard Paulus and brought news of victory.

"Unbelievable! Comrade Commander! We have won. The tank hero Comrade Malashenko led his troops to capture the enemy's headquarters and captured German Marshal Paulus alive! We have won, Comrade Commander, haha! Victory, Ulla!”

When the news of the victory came, Mavonov led his troops to garrison on the Mamayev Hill. Mavonov, who had not seen any movement from the Germans for several days, counterattacked on the hill, then realized that it was the man who did it. Malashenko, who never shows mercy to Germans, ended it all.

The fact that the Germans did not counterattack on the Mamayev Hills was not because they were accumulating strength, but because the Germans had truly reached the end of their rope and were no longer able to launch any organized attack.

He had been worried before that the Germans were planning to play Boda again, but now it seemed that he was worrying too much.

"I really hope to see him again one day, Malashenko, Malashenko, the name Malashenko itself is equivalent to a miracle!"

The wish I made unintentionally in the past has become a reality today.

Once again, the Soviet tank hero Comrade Malashenko led his legendary ace unit and appeared in the most urgent place in the entire southern Kursk theater.

They rescued Commander Mavonov and his troops from the abyss where the Germans were entrenched, just as they did on the Mamayev Hills. same hope.

The SS Skeleton Division, which was originally as ferocious as a wolf, was beaten to pieces under the fierce defensive firepower of the 1st Stalin Guards Heavy Tank Brigade. The tanks kept exploding like potatoes being smashed one by one with a hammer, which made Division Commander Mavonov, who was watching all this from his forward command post, very excited.

"I have been looking forward to seeing this scene for a long time! That's it, Comrade Malashenko, smash the heads of these German guys until they can't get up anymore!"

Although there were unexpected situations and some minor setbacks in the second half of the war, today's battle ultimately ended with the Germans failing to achieve the expected tactical objectives and our own side successfully completing the defensive mission. This is no matter what. A victory worth celebrating.

"Those Germans' new weapons are very powerful, Comrade Malashenko, but in my opinion they are still no match for your Stalin Guards 1st Heavy Tank Brigade. Those self-propelled howitzers you brought are simply too powerful, I I have never seen such equipment before, the soldiers and equipment of your brigade are all like this!”

Looking at Mr. Mavonov giving a thumbs up to him with a smile on his face, Malashenko just smiled and shook his head sadly.

Today's battle really caused him too much damage. Although it was not broken, it was far beyond Malashenko's expectation. The thoughts of memories also returned to just a few hours along with the recollection of old events. On the battlefield in front of where artillery fire was flying.

"The Germans are rushing in! Fix your bayonets, comrades! Defend Motherland, Ulla!!!"

"Over there, the Russian guy is going crazy! Machine gun bullets, I need bullets, quick, quick, quick, someone bring me the bullets!"

The addition of a few Ferdinands into the battle became a key weight in reversing the balance of the battle. At this critical moment, the third wave of attacks was sent out again, and at the same time, the second wave of attacks was also required to continue upward. The top skeleton master is simply crazy to the extreme.

The influx of Panzer IV and Panther tanks tore open the outermost line of defense, and countless SS soldiers screamed and rushed into the position along the torn holes.

Division Commander Mavonov put in the final reserves: the division headquarters security troops and a group of civilian personnel who picked up guns. He, the political commissar and the chief of staff led the team and rushed towards the crazy SS soldiers with shouts and shouts. . Division Commander Mavonov once again jumped out of the command post with his Tokarev TT33 pistol held high, just as he had done in Stalingrad.

Seeing that the battle had reached the most critical moment, the Skeleton Division also invested the last key force: the only four Ferdinand tank destroyers that could still move, escorted by 11 Tiger tanks also wearing heavy armor, rushed forward. Towards the Soviet position that was on the verge of collapse, it was hoped that this decisive force, which was left until the last moment, could achieve final victory.

It cannot be said that the order issued by the commander of the Skeleton Division was wrong. At least from a tactical point of view, it was indeed irrefutable. What could be wrong with investing the decisive final force at the most critical moment of the battle?

It's just that all this was what Malashenko expected, pretending to be defeated and retreating, leaving the infantry alone. The Germans' move to speed up victory and ensure victory played into Malashenko's hands.

The Stalin heavy tank group, which had slowly retreated to the blind spot behind the slope, roared forward again.

This time, the red-eyed Malashenko threw in his last reserve force regardless: 10 SU152 self-propelled howitzers to start the final ace vs. ace battle with the Germans.

"Russian heavy tanks! Stop the car and open fire to destroy them! Quick!"

The Stalin heavy tanks that were rushed out in advance attracted firepower. The Ferdinands, who had no idea that their opponents still had SU152, a "zoo killer" monster, immediately stopped only 300 meters away from the position. Begins to pour powerful anti-armor firepower again.

Even now, the Germans who were bombarded by the 152 grenade attack just now still subconsciously believe that this must be the remaining artillery position of the Russians causing trouble somewhere in the distance, but there is no need to worry too much.

Our own reconnaissance opportunities quickly found the Russian artillery positions and called in more fighters to destroy them, just like what has been happening in the past few days, as always.

Specializing in fighting Germans, they didn't even know about the intelligence gap of new equipment like the SU152. They caught Ferdinand within a close enough shooting range, and were the first to take the lead in rushing out the hatred-seeking Malashenko. Finally, the wait came. The final moment to take down this herd of German elephants.

"Fire! Aim and blast the fighting room directly! Smash the iron rags of those Germans!"

Malashenko's roar echoed throughout the radio communication channel, and the SU152s who were the last to appear behind the Stalin heavy tank group finally had their moment to show off their power.

Boom boom boom boom——

According to Malashenko's order, all the high-explosive grenades ready to be fired were loaded in the gun barrel in advance. The first wave of roaring bombardment of 10 SU152s directly hit the German elephant herds that were heavily protected by Tiger tanks. Terrible results.

The 152 grenade that hit the main armor belt in front of the fighting room exploded instantly like thunder. Although the full 9 kilograms of TNT charge was not enough to penetrate the 200 mm physical thickness of the main armor, it penetrated the center of the explosion. There are no problems with the 40 mm thick car body dome armor below and the engine cooling window directly above the power compartment separated by two armor plates at the front and rear.

The horrifying explosion of the 152 grenade blew out the engine cooling window directly above Ferdinand's power cabin. The distorted cooling window grille was peeled off by the shock wave and flew to the ground more than thirty meters away. Only then did it fall down and be inserted upside down into the soil.

The triple damage caused by the explosion overpressure, flames and shock waves combined. The weak points of the dome armor and the engine cooling window were simply not strong enough to withstand the elephants who suffered directly on the spot.

Raging flames spurted out from the blasted radiator window, and tongues of fire spit out wildly. The driver and electromechanical personnel, who were shocked by the overpressure of the 152 grenade and were bleeding from their orifices, fell directly to their respective positions without making any sound.

The toxic smoke that flew straight through the car like a black dragon quickly filled the rear combat room. The four crew members were shaken to pieces and their heads were dizzy, like drunkards. He hurriedly opened the hatches above his head and at the rear of the car and immediately abandoned the car to escape. He covered his mouth and crawled out with still wet tears and coughing.

The elephant that was blasted by several 152 grenades focused on the main armor on the front of the fighting room turned into a roasted elephant. However, it was hit on the main armor belt on the front of the car body. With a physical thickness of 200 mm without even a machine gun hole, the elephant was completely intact. Double-layered armor, the last Ferdinand, which withstood a fierce blow, still refused to give up.

The Ferdinand, whose two tracks were broken by a 152 grenade at the same time, was unable to move, but the cold-faced SS commander who insisted on fighting at his position was determined to fight to the death and refused to give the order to abandon the vehicle. It’s a request to keep fighting.

The armor-piercing bullet had been stuffed into the barrel of the gun and was in a ready-to-fire state. The gunner, who was slightly conscious and highly nervous, followed the order and fired the shell without much thought.

But in the desperate situation, there is a key problem that no one thought of.

German gun steel is certainly the best among the best, and the barrel gun steel used on the Long 88 is of high quality and precise workmanship.

But you were hit hard by a 152mm grenade at a very close range. Who gave you the confidence to guarantee that there is no problem with this slender 88 gun barrel? Is it the confidence given by the head of state himself?

Malashenko encountered almost nothing worth laughing about today, but only the elephant's trunk exploded on the spot after the cannon was fired, and the entire barrel turned into a four-petal flowering twist-shaped southern cannon. Brother, basically all the laughter of Malashenko for the rest of the day.