Chapter 275 Prologue

The words from the mouth of the loving father Comrade Stalin attracted the eyes of Kotin and Morozov again. It is not an exaggeration to say that the two reports held in their hands were enough to determine the future fate of Morozov and Kotin.

Looking at the complicated eyes of the two people in front of him that were mixed with anxiety and expectation, Stalin nodded slightly and then personally tore open the envelope that had never been opened since it was sealed on the front line.

The envelope first opened by Stalin was a report written by Katukov, another Red Army tank hero.

This Red Army tank hero who commanded the 4th Tank Brigade under his command to fight in the direction of defending the deep center of Moscow, although his performance is inferior to Malashenko, who has already made the headlines of Pravda, he is still a hero. An outstanding commander and fighter of the front-line tank unit of the Red Army known for his superb command skills and ability to fight tough battles.

Katukov, who is well aware that the frontal offensive energy of the German armored forces will be unstoppable, is better at using flexible outflanking and outflanking tactics. The T-34 tanks under his command are erratic and disappear like ghosts wandering on the cruel front. It would be difficult for a talented German general like Guderian to take advantage of him and lose his troops when fighting against him.

If there is anyone in the current front-line tank unit of the Red Army who can be compared with Malashenko's illustrious reputation, it can be said that there is no one except Katukov.

And Katukov, who is good at commanding T-34 medium tanks in large group confrontation operations, happens to be opposed to the independent first heavy tank breakthrough battalion commanded by Malashenko, which is equivalent to representing Morozov and Kotin. The medium and heavy tank design projects they are respectively responsible for, this is why Stalin chose him to listen to his opinions instead of just Malashenko's report. Stalin, who did not favor either Kotin or Morozov, only wanted The most correct answer.

He unfolded the folded letter written by Katukov and presented it in front of his eyes. Stalin looked at it carefully and then read it carefully without missing a word.

"The bulkiness of the KV series heavy tanks is the most fundamental factor that led to its design failure. This heavy tank, which is difficult to turn, is only suitable for defensive warfare. As long as it participates in mobile warfare, its bulky body will inevitably be crushed. Bridges and roads made it impossible for subsequent troops to pass."

"Sometimes, the even worse KV2 heavy tank will even overturn during off-road maneuvers due to its too high center of gravity. I can hardly find tools and vehicles that can be used to pull this heavy steel beast back up. Than Starting from the tank, I think this is more like a 152mm howitzer that can move on its own and has armor protection. These bulky big guys should be assigned to artillery for use, rather than being useless in front-line tank troops. "

"In short, the poor mobility performance of the KV series heavy tanks cannot keep up with other friendly tank units. These not-so-excellent big guys will only slow down the mobility and combat speed of the T-34 tank and will not be of much use. Frankly, I would rather have all my troops with T-34s than a KV, they are just too unreliable."

As the words Comrade Stalin read in a low voice gradually faded away, Kogin's expression was distorted, as if he had swallowed a fly and felt as uncomfortable as having swallowed a fly.

The excellent masterpiece that I carefully designed was actually demoted as worthless as rubbish in this arrogant guy's report. For a long time, he was suffering from the influence of his identity and the influence of his father-in-law, Marshal Voroshilov. Respect, how could Ke Jingdang, who had been belittled like this before, burst into anger and instantly lost his temper?

"Why wasn't this damn Jewish ghost guy born in Fascist Germany!? That's where he really should go! If my design plan is ruined because of this idiot's sabotage, I will never let him go! I Let him go to a labor camp in Siberia to dig potatoes and repent!”

As the father of the heavy tanks of the Red Army, he was also a people's commissar who was very vengeful and good at engaging in "political struggle and class struggle." Kogin, who had engraved the name Katukov in his heart through gritted teeth, secretly vowed that if If his plan for a new heavy tank really fails because of this Jewish guy, he will definitely not be spared.

Comrade Stalin was thoughtful as he carefully savored every word in the report in front of him. His face hidden under his thick beard was extremely plain and showed no emotion or joy.

Comrade Stalin, who was silent and noncommittal, turned to pick up the second envelope on the table on his right. Gritting his teeth with hatred, he witnessed this scene with the corner of his eye. Kogin immediately shuddered and cast his vote again. An expectant look in his eyes.

Kotin's last hope now rests entirely on this second report submitted by Malashenko. If this second report submitted by Malashenko still denies heavy tanks, In terms of attitude, then Kotin does not need to continue to participate in the rest of this meeting. It is just to see how proudly Morozov humiliates himself. It is best to pack up and pack back to Chelyabinsk. choose.

As Stalin opened his hands lightly again, a piece of letter paper that was also folded together was quickly taken out of the tightly sealed envelope and unfolded.

Comrade Stalin, who was shaking his hands slightly, took a closer look and saw that the content of a short line written on a large piece of white paper really made him stunned on the spot.

"It's over, my new heavy tank plan, my reputation! Everything is over!"

After seeing Comrade Stalin's dumbfounded and unexpected expression, he mistakenly thought that there was something written on it that could send him into an abyss beyond recovery. Kogin, who was extremely annoyed and almost collapsed, had just entered the scene where his mind went blank. Comrade Stalin, who was in a brief state of panic and had already recovered from his brief shock, unexpectedly smiled softly.

"Oh, Malashenko, right? A very interesting young man. Even I can't figure out what kind of thinking is going on in this young head."

After finishing his sentence, Comrade Stalin raised his hand and handed the letter in front of Ke Jing. Ke Jing, who suddenly came to his senses, had not yet reconnected the short-circuited nerves in his brain, and reacted subconsciously. Zhong took the letter in front of him with both hands and then turned to read it with eyes blankly. However, after a quick glance, Ke Jin's expression was even more stunned than Comrade Stalin's dumbfounded expression just now.