Chapter 1292 Panther II

The 20th Guards Tank Brigade did not miss its promise and arrived as scheduled as stated in its telegram. (audience)

After waiting for a long time, Malashenko finally waited for the encircled friendly forces. The arrival of this group of people marked the complete formation of the Cherkasy steel encirclement, and Malashenko could finally be like himself. I gave it a try as expected.

The person who leads and commands the 20th Guards Tank Brigade is Colonel Peskov. He is a short but strong man, not only not like a short winter melon, but like a strong man, but that's not all. The most iconic characteristic of Comrade Brigade Commander.

A horrifying scar that stretched downward from the left side of his forehead to close to his chin was the deepest first impression left by this brigade commander on Malashenko.

This guy is very suitable to be a tank soldier, Malashenko has already determined this just from his physical appearance. But more importantly, Malashenko wanted to know where the scary scars on this good brother's face came from. However, considering that it was probably impolite to ask random questions during the first meeting, the curious Malashenko thought about it for a while. Still feel like forget it.

"General Malashenko, Colonel Peskov, commander of the 20th Guards Tank Brigade, are reporting to you! May our joining forces be the first victory in this great battle, and let us together crush the evil fascists who invade the motherland! "

As soon as he said this sentence, Malashenko had basically reached the final judgment: This guy is definitely a cheerful person.

Another point is that when the man in front of me, who was at least one round older than me, smiled like this, the already terrifying scar on his face immediately looked like the Grand Canyon of East Africa, even comparable to the Mariana Trench.

It was indeed scary. Malashenko estimated that just this smile could scare a kid so much that he peed his pants.

But the battle-hardened Malashenko intuitively knew that a colonel and brigade commander with such a scar must have a heroic story behind him.

It is not wise to ridicule others based on their appearance. After the initial surprise, Malashenko quickly returned to normal and replied.

"Nice to meet you, Colonel Peskov. News of our successful rendezvous will soon spread throughout the entire front, and all troops will fight bravely for this."

Malashenko, who was talking and looking, soon saw the friendly troops advancing in an orderly manner. The 20th Guards Tank Brigade led by Colonel Peskov was a mixed combat force. The main equipment is mainly medium-sized tanks. Of course, a small number of heavy tanks can also be seen. There are also all kinds of technical equipment such as self-propelled artillery.

Although it is true that Malashenko's and Peskov's troops are both Guards troops, and the equipment models they should have are not much different, but if we talk strictly about it, the two troops are actually very different.

Just like those running in the 20th Guards Tank Brigade, more than half of them are still T3476s that have not been upgraded and improved. Only the main force at the front is driving the new T3485. It is obvious that the replacement has not been completely completed, and there is not even one of the latest T43 medium tanks.

The maneuver is slightly slower, followed by IS2 and IS6 heavy tanks. Of course, even though Malashenko carefully counted the rare IS6 twice, it was only in single digits, and the full number of IS6s could not exceed the establishment of a tank company.

It goes without saying that there are not many IS2s. The total number of all heavy tanks will never exceed one battalion. Under such circumstances, those heavy tanks with strong armor and sharp guns and good at attacking cities and strongholds were also in a bad situation. The armor all over their bodies was covered with mottled marks, unpierced bomb craters and ricochet scratches everywhere.

Malashenko even saw a hole the size of a fist opened by something on the side of the turret of an IS2 passing by. Following the hole, Malashenko even saw a fleeting look at the faces of the crew members. Such a miserable scene was like a beggar's unit compared to the Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division.

"Comrade Peskov, are those Germans who are standing in front of you good at fighting? It seems that you have just experienced a fierce battle."

Seeing that Malashenko got to the point, Colonel Peskov, who was standing on the roadside at the entrance of the village, also looked back at his troops and blurted out the words after a sigh.

"Those Germans noticed our movements and intentions, and desperately sent troops to take a shortcut and set up a bayonet position in front of us. They wanted to encounter us halfway, intercept us, and prevent the encirclement from forming."

"At first it was just a small reconnaissance force, and later it was a defensive position with direct fire and heavy firepower, and even tanks to help. But the most critical problem was not the German anti-tank guns, but their tanks. "

"You may think I'm talking nonsense, Comrade General. But we did encounter a kind of, uh, how should I put it? A more powerful Panther tank? That should be how it is described."

"The main armor belt on the front of those Black Panthers is very thick. It looks the same in appearance, but it has definitely been strengthened. Even if our IS2 heavy tank is close to a distance of 700 meters, there is no way to penetrate the front of its body. Armor, this was unbelievable in the past!"

"But the good news is that the shooting turret is still effective, but the head of the German guy's crappy car is too small, and it is difficult to hit it accurately in actual combat. That's the general situation."

A more powerful Panther tank? What the hell is this?

Peskov's sudden news shocked Malashenko. The Tiger King, which has been confirmed but has not yet been officially unveiled, is already worrying enough. How come a more powerful Panther suddenly appeared? The 122 heirloom can't penetrate the upper armor of this thing? What's the trick?

Malashenko doesn't remember that the Germans have such a modified Panther in the existing history.

In the entire Panther family tree, starting from D, all the way to A, G, and finally F, Malashenko remembers the appearance and actual performance of these broken cars clearly. In the final analysis, it is just a small modification of the original details. Where is there a model with a strengthened upper armor that has undergone a qualitative change to the point that the 122 heirloom can't penetrate it?

Malashenko suddenly became alert and widened his eyes. He knew that this matter might be a big problem and not so simple. The question he blurted out was even faster than the firing rate of the German MG42 with the unique tongue-twisting sound of Russian.

"Have you captured it? Or is there any wreckage? Even a broken car that has been destroyed or burned into scrap metal will do. I have experts here who can immediately check and analyze the specific situation."

Ideals are full and reality is skinny. Peskov's answer immediately disappointed Malashenko again.