Chapter 192: Secret Entry

Malachenko had a rough idea of ​​what Colonel Baranovsky said when he arrived at the dock and saw the deep craters and the severely damaged transport ship stranded on the beach.

"It's nothing, Comrade Colonel. It didn't take our battalion long to find the dock. You don't have to apologize for that."

"Well, thank you for your understanding, Comrade Major."

Colonel Baranovsky smiled slightly at Malachenko's answer. He had a heavy burden and responsibility on his shoulders, so he got the topic on track and continued to speak.

"Regarding the transportation across the river for your heavy tank battalion, I have received a command telegram from the front headquarters and have quickly begun to arrange relevant plans."

"Since the fascist invaders surrounded and blocked Leningrad on three sides, the water transport line on Lake Ladoga has become the only viable logistics supply channel. Those German planes will visit the docks to bomb and strafe during the day. The anti-aircraft artillery unit can only play a very limited role in protection and expulsion. The fighter unit cannot ensure the safety of the dock due to the double disadvantages in quantity and quality. You need to understand all this, Major Malashenko."

After hearing Colonel Baranovsky's complaints, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Generally speaking, this situation can only have a bad result.

As expected, as if to prove the accuracy of Malashenko's conjecture, Colonel Baranovsky, who looked tired and a little helpless, quickly put an end to his speech.

"The transport capacity of the Ladoga Lake Squadron is extremely limited after suffering considerable losses. On this basis, most of the transport ships must be withdrawn to ensure the minimum supply of necessities for Leningrad."

"I will try my best to allocate all the ships under my command to you for transporting your troops, Major Malashenko. But at the same time, I also hope that you can be mentally prepared. After all, the situation we are facing now is indeed different from the past."

After hearing this summary from Colonel Baranovsky, Malashenko, who is no longer a rookie, can no longer fail to hear the implicit meaning of this statement.

"I will try my best to allocate transport ships to you, but don't blame me if the number is too small. Comrade has tried his best."

Malashenko, who translated the fundamental meaning of what Colonel Baranovsky wanted to express in his heart, had to accept this fait accompli even if he was reluctant.

After all, the German blockade of the skies over Lake Ladoga and the entire water transport route was recorded in the history of war even in later generations. The current bad situation cannot be blamed on Colonel Baranovsky. He is just a commander of the Red Navy squadron who is conscientiously following the orders of his superiors.

After thinking silently in his heart and thinking for a while, Malashenko, who knew that the waterway during the day must be extremely dangerous, spoke again after making sure of his attention.

"Comrade Colonel, I have another request about the water transport plan for me and my troops. I hope you can agree. I want to start the transport operation after nightfall. After all, every tank that can be transported into Leningrad is extremely precious! We can't afford any losses caused by the German air raid, and we should try our best to avoid it."

Faced with this new request from Malashenko, Colonel Baranovsky, who tapped his desk and made a rhythmic sound, quickly gave a reply.

"That's no problem, Major Malashenko. But you need to know that it's impossible to transport all your troops across the lake in one night. I don't know what the detailed combat plan of your battalion is. I just want to remind you if you're in a hurry."

After getting a definite reply from Colonel Baranovsky, Malashenko, who finally breathed a sigh of relief, had naturally made plans for the time issue.

"Thank you for your help, Colonel Baranovsky, please allow me to express my sincere respect to you."

Seeing Malashenko in front of him stand up from the sofa to thank him, Colonel Baranovsky, who responded with a relatively kind smile, also stood up from his desk and stretched out his right hand to Malashenko.

"For the motherland and the Soviet Union, please help me kill those Nazi running dogs in Leningrad. This is my only request, Major Malashenko."

There was not much time left in the day, and soon it was approaching dusk as Malashenko commanded his troops to prepare for the dismantling of tanks.

Fortunately, the German Air Force, which launched a round of air strikes after the rain this morning, did not appear over the dock until the last moment of the sunset, which was undoubtedly great news for Malashenko, who needed to operate in secret.

When the dark night finally covered the entire Ladoga Lake like an endless net, a tank battalion of 41 KV1 heavy tanks had been completely dismantled and grouped. Malashenko, who was ready, immediately began to command his troops to board the ship.

Colonel Baranovsky, the commander of the Ladoga Lake Squadron, provided the greatest support for Malashenko's transportation operation within his capacity. He dispatched a total of 24 civilian ships and 4 military medium-sized ships for Malashenko.

These civilian ships are basically some large fishing boats borrowed from farmers in the surrounding villages after the outbreak of the war, as well as some civilian transport ships that were previously engaged in water transportation on Lake Ladoga. The carrying capacity varies from a few tons to fifty tons.

As for the other four medium-sized military ships, three of them are inland armored gunboats that serve as combat ships of the Ladoga Lake Squadron.

The full load displacement varies from the largest 380 tons to the smallest 40 tons. These combat ships are not born as professional transport ships. The transportation capacity is relatively limited, at best it is better than nothing.

As for the last military ship, it is a genuine military transport ship.

This military transport ship with a full load displacement of more than 1,800 tons was converted from a retired old Red Navy destroyer. It was originally used as a daily training ship for recruits of the Baltic Fleet and a transport ship for some large military accessories and supplies.

At this most urgent and critical moment, it has been dispatched to the Ladoga Lake Flotilla to perform transportation tasks. It can be said to be the ship with the most powerful carrying capacity in the entire Ladoga Lake Flotilla. It will undoubtedly be the absolute main transport ship that Malashenko relies on in his transportation operations.