Steel Soviet Union

Lavrinenko, who quickly caught up from behind, stopped Malashenko as he continued to walk towards his car. He was also not very clear about the current situation of the old site of the Kirov Factory in Leningrad. , Malashenko, who put his hands on his hips and sighed softly, turned back and spoke softly to his partner.

"Commander Zhukov told me that there are new tanks there, and he also gave me a special note for approval. Other than that, like you, I don't know anything. Issues such as quantity and model will be clear to us after we get there. There The workers are using the most primitive machines or even hand-made tanks, so I think it’s better not to have too high expectations.”

The confused Lavrinenko finally understood a little bit after hearing Malashenko's explanation. The two people had no idea what the situation was like at the former site of the Kirov Factory in Leningrad. , and thus took the troops on a journey to receive new equipment.

The road to the former site of the Kirov Factory was not smooth. The Soviets were not good at road construction. The road quality itself was not very reliable. The German army's continuous bombing of Leningrad for many days worsened the bad road conditions. Huge craters appeared on the road ahead from time to time, forcing even the KV1 heavy tank to take a detour.

"These damn fascists, even if their ground troops can't attack, the bombs in the sky are still going up and down every day like the sun rises and sets. What are they doing?"

His upper body was stretched out of the turret to breathe in the relatively fresh air. Malashenko, who was looking at the scenery with his hands drooped, then responded to Iushkin who complained.

"In order to break our determination and crush our will to resist, it doesn't matter how many people are killed in the eyes of the Germans. When you feel hysterical and collapsed about the roar of bombs and the roar of aircraft engines that sound every day, those The goal of German Fascism has been achieved.”

As he spoke, Malashenko's car, which was the leader of the entire armored column, had already arrived at its destination. The factory walls that had been blown into ruins were shattered into pieces, and wisps of black were still exuding outside the factory gate. The huge crater of smoke can be felt by just looking at it with the naked eye.

"It doesn't look good. Kirill grabs his weapon and gets out of the car with me. The others stay put."

Malashenko, who led Kirill and jumped down from the turret, then came to the outside of the factory wall that smelled of burnt gunpowder smoke. It was no longer known whether the gate had been dismantled manually or blown up by a German air strike. , two Red Army soldiers holding Mosin-Nagant rifles stood guarding their posts beside the broken ruins.

The Red Army soldiers stationed in this almost emptied old factory area were obviously not as elite as those in the Smolny Palace headquarters. Facing Malashenko, who jumped down from the turret and came to the front with Kirill, , these two Red Army soldiers without any arrogance actually raised their hands to salute Malashenko first.

He raised his hand slightly to the two Red Army soldiers who were obviously new recruits in front of him and returned the favor. Malashenko, who was extremely anxious and had something to do, quickly handed over his ID to the two Red Army soldiers in front of him. .

"Who is in charge of the old Kirov factory now? I have a very important task and I must meet the person in charge."

A Red Army soldier who handed Malashenko's officer's ID card, which had been inspected and compounded at the front army headquarters, quickly closed it and handed it back to Malashenko with both hands and quickly answered.

"Reporting to Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, Engineer Ivankov is in charge. The valuable equipment and main technical personnel in the factory have been evacuated long ago, and now only the earliest batch of old equipment of little value are left. Some workers who live locally are unwilling to evacuate, and you are the first comrade commander to come here these days. "

What the guard said was basically consistent with what Malashenko already knew. Time did not allow him to delay any more. Malashenko immediately took back his military officer's ID card and raised his hand.

"Please help me lead the way, comrade, I want to see Engineer Ivankov now."

About five minutes later, Malashenko, who was running all the way, met the so-called engineer Ivankov, the current person in charge of the factory, under the leadership of the guards.

This fifty-year-old engineer, who was wearing a pair of round black-framed glasses, almost obscured by the thick lenses and could barely see his eyes, looked more like an old university professor to Malashenko than a statue. An engineer at a tank factory.

"Uncle Ivan, this is Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko. I have something important to talk to you about."

The introduction of the guard beside him broke Malashenko's eyes as he looked up and down at the old engineer in front of him. Malashenko, who had to keep the story short, went straight to the point. Even the roof of the empty factory building with several holes opened by German bombs immediately Echoed Malashenko's sonorous voice.

"I wish you good health, Engineer Ivankov. This is a note from the commander of the Front Army, Comrade General Zhukov. I hope to receive maximum equipment support from you. My troops and I have just returned from the front line outside Leningrad. The losses have been huge and we will not be able to continue to the next phase of the battle without replenishment.”

After taking the slightly wrinkled note from Malashenko, he looked closely at it and looked at it carefully. His eyes were blocked under the thick glass lenses, and then he squinted at the person wearing a fire-proof combat uniform and wearing a headgear that smelled of diesel. Malashenko, who was wearing a black leather tank cap and had an anxious look on his face, sounded like he was suffering from asthma. His hoarse voice immediately echoed in Malashenko's ears, as if he lacked strength.

"We have been preparing for this moment for a long time, Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko, please come with me."

Malashenko, who was following behind the old engineer Ivankov, was walking in the factory building in working condition. He fell down next to an old machine tool full of oil, his head lowered and barely resting but still holding a wrench in his hand. A group of technicians were shouting. Slogans are using human guide chains to lift the tank turret workers. These scenes that have never been seen before are constantly impacting Malashenko's eyes in the most realistic form.

"It's hard to imagine that they are still producing tanks in such a state. They are simply using manpower to produce and assemble them by hand. It's really shocking!"

The exclamation from Kirill, his colleague beside him, also represents Malashenko’s true thoughts at the moment. Malashenko only heard this from his father who retired as a professional when he was Lin Jie in his previous life. I have heard descriptions of similar scenes, and now I can imagine the impact on my heart after seeing it with my own eyes.