Chapter 79 Awakening

On the wreckage of the command vehicle No. 3 tank located in Heizenauer, gunner Klink, who was also looking at a group of Soviet tank soldiers standing still on the opposite side, could not help but let out a long sigh.

"Did you see it, Michelle? That's the crew of the Ivan No. 177 T34 tank. You said before that you were curious about what kind of powerful person the commander of this Soviet tank was. Now he But it’s right in front of you.”

While listening to the words of Klink, the gunner of his crew, he immediately fixed his gaze on the Soviet tank soldier who obviously had the temperament of a commander. Wittmann, who was born in the gunner profession and was promoted along the way, naturally has many talents. An ordinary field of vision and excellent eyesight comparable to that of a pilot.

Although it is still difficult to see a person's complete face from a distance of less than a hundred meters, Wittmann, who has excellent eyesight, still did his best to memorize the face of the Soviet commander.

"One day we will meet again on the battlefield. At that time, I hope we can be equally matched real opponents. I will wait for that moment to come."

As if he noticed something strange in the looks from the group of SS soldiers on the opposite side, Malashenko responded with a disdainful smile and spoke in a low voice.

"It seems that some of these guys are not simple, so we can only save them for future attacks."

After this short and peaceful battle ended, the two sides stopped and looked at each other. The Wittmann crew and the Malashenko crew, who were supporting their wounded, immediately began to carefully step down from the wreckage of the tank and began to transfer.

Accompanied by the almost simultaneous roar of the gasoline engine and the diesel engine, the two armored commanders who met for the first time but would forge an inseparable bond in the long five-year combat career immediately began to leave.

After this battle, the "Lutsk to Brod" battle launched by the Soviet Southwest Front against the invading enemy German Army Group South was eventually defeated by the famous German General Kleist after the Soviet army exhausted its offensive power. The German 1st Armored Group under his command was defeated from the front and ended.

During this battle, the Soviet Southwest Front gathered and deployed a total of five mechanized armies, more than 2,000 tanks of various types, and thousands of troops including division-affiliated and corps-affiliated organic artillery units on the frontal battlefield. There was no shortage of elite troops commanded by famous generals like Rokossovsky, but they completely lost the battle in less than a week under the German air-ground integrated blitz offensive.

The German army's efficient and complete air-ground integrated blitz offensive finally allowed the Soviet army, which was well prepared and unwilling to admit defeat, to appreciate the tremendous power brought about by war changes for the first time on the frontal battlefield.

The Air Force, which was only a marginalized arm during World War I, has transformed in just a few decades into an important force that can determine the success or failure of the entire battle, and even the future and destiny of the country.

The Soviet army, which had lost almost all air supremacy in the early stages of Barbarossa's invasion, finally tasted the bitter consequences of fighting under the enemy's absolute air supremacy.

This situation of being passively bombed almost all the time strengthened the determination of a large number of senior Soviet military and political officials, from Rokossovsky to Zhukov, and even Stalin, the Supreme Leader of the Soviet Union, to build a powerful aviation force.

It can be said that it was this army-level battle in which the Soviet army had a local superiority but was eventually killed by the Luftwaffe, abandoning its armor and returning with a huge defeat, that sounded the alarm for Stalin, who never lacked long-term strategic vision. The top leader of the Soviet Union, who was also good at admitting and changing his mistakes, realized the importance of the air force.

As a result, in the next few years, a large amount of manpower, material resources and research and development funds were invested in the Soviet Air Force, which was still underdeveloped at the beginning of the war.

Finally, at the end of World War II, a powerful force was created equipped with outstanding fighter aircraft such as the Lavochkin series fighters and the Ilyushin series attack aircraft. At the same time, legendary pilots like Pokryshkin and Kozhdub were born. The Soviet Air Force laid a solid foundation for the Soviet Air Force, which was powerful enough to dominate the entire NATO aviation power in the following decades.

I don’t know how much time had passed during the bumpy journey. When Second Lieutenant Iushkin, who was relieved and fell into a coma after being rescued by Malashenko, opened his eyes again and woke up, the scene in front of him was peaceful and peaceful. There is no sound of battlefield gunfire from the white cloth dome.

"Am I still alive? Where are we?"

As his consciousness became more and more clear, he subconsciously wanted to raise his right arm to reach out and touch something, but this triggered a strong pain all over his body and almost instantly caused the seriously injured Iushkin to burst into tears. A sour pain.

"Hey, it hurts so much. It seems I should still be alive."

Attracted by Iushkin's actions and soft words, a female nurse who was recording the condition of the wounded immediately turned around without thinking.

"Oh my god, Lieutenant Iushkin, Lieutenant Iushkin, he's awake! Elena, go get Dr. Petrenko, hurry up!"

When a tense and cramped medical rescue session came to an end with the relieved Soviet military doctors leaving, Malashenko, who was thinking about life on the lawn outside the tent of the field hospital, immediately opened the door curtain and strode in.

"Look at you like this, Iushkin! You scared me to death. I thought I had rescued a body, but it was all in vain!"

Facing Malashenko's hearty laughter, Iushkin, who was also in a good mood due to the aftermath of the disaster, immediately spoke out while lying on the hospital bed.

"Well, what day is it today, Comrade Malashenko. Where are we now?"

In response to Iushkin's question, Malashenko answered it almost immediately without thinking.

"The time is July 1, and the location is the fortress area on the old Soviet-Polish border. Our 20th Tank Division is currently undergoing repairs here."

After hearing Malashenko's answer, Iushkin, who was obviously stunned for a moment, immediately asked.

"The fortress area on the old Soviet-Polish border? Does that mean we are retreating now? Did the Germans really win that battle!?"

Although he was unwilling to admit this answer that sounded a bit heavy, Malashenko, after thinking about it again and again, finally softly told Iushkin the truth about the battle in the hospital bed.

"Yes, the Germans did win the battle from Lutsk to Brod, although it was only temporary."