When the chief of staff of the brigade issued an order to blow up the tank and immediately transfer, several tank soldiers responded fiercely. They used their bodies to block the comrades who were preparing to blow up the tank and shouted at them: "If you want to blow up the tank, step on our bodies."
Looking at the comrades who were with him day and night, standing up in front of the tank, the soldiers on the mission couldn't help but hesitate. They turned their heads and looked at the chief of staff behind them, hoping to get some tips from him.
The Chief of Staff had just asked Ruhlei for instructions on whether the tank soldiers who firmly opposed blowing up the tanks could be taken to take compulsory measures to pull them away directly to avoid affecting the overall situation. But his proposal was denied by Ruhlei, who told him: "Comrade Chief of Staff, our soldiers have feelings for their own tanks, and it is psychologically difficult to accept the fact that the tanks were blown up. Therefore, they cannot use excessive means, but should try to convince them."
It was precisely because of accepting Ruhle's order that the Chief of Staff did not use a simple and crude method to order the soldiers to pull away the tank soldiers who were blocking the tanks. Instead, he pushed away the soldiers who were blocking him, walked to the tank soldiers, and said to them earnestly: "Comrades, I know your mood very well. To be honest, I don't want to blow up these tanks, but I also want to drive them to eliminate more enemies.
But it won't work, comrades. Now these tanks have used up all the fuel and ammunition, and we will not get any supplements in a short period of time. These tanks are useless to stay in our hands. Instead of staying here and being seized by the Germans, we should take the initiative to blow them up."
Everyone understands the truth that the Chief of Staff said, but everyone just can't overcome this hurdle in their hearts. A tank soldier with a bandage on his head murmured: "Comrade Chief of Staff, if you blow up all the tanks, can we still call it a tank soldier?"
"Don't worry, comrade." The chief of staff looked at the wounded and said, "I promise you that as long as you jump out of the German encirclement, your superiors will soon be able to replenish us with new tanks. As long as people are alive, are you still afraid that there will be no new technical equipment?"
The Chief of Staff's persuasion made the tank soldiers who stopped the bombing of the tanks shake. Seeing that the time was ripe, he struck while the iron was hot and said: "Comrades, our time is tight. If we don't blow up these tanks as soon as possible, and wait for the enemy to rush up, it will be too late to blow it up."
Hearing the Chief of Staff say this, the tank soldiers no longer stubbornly and walked away from the tanks. At this time, the Chief of Staff ordered the soldiers carrying gasoline: "Go on."
A few minutes later, the tanks that had fought with the German army not long ago were all wrapped in fire. The tank soldiers looked at the burning tanks, and their hearts were all shattered. They knew very well that if the logistics supply was not cut off by the German army, they would have the ability to fight the enemy.
Although the Chief of Staff had just calmed down in front of the soldiers and promised them that as long as they jumped out of the enemy's encirclement, they would be able to get supplements from their superiors soon, he was actually not sure. During the march, he asked Colonel Ruhlie in a low voice: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you think that after we jumped out of the encirclement, will our superiors replenish our equipment, or will we directly change us into infantry?"
There was a reason for him to ask this. In the Battle of Stalingrad, a large number of tank troops and tank soldiers of the tank brigade were directly turned into infantry after losing all the tanks.
Although Colonel Ruhlie didn't know how his superiors would place this force in the future, in order not to affect the morale of the army, he still said seriously: "Comrade Chief of Staff, what's wrong with you? Don't you know how long it will take to train an excellent tank soldier? Using tank soldiers as infantry is a waste."
In order to prevent the other party from saying anything to shake the morale of the army, he continued: "Okay, Comrade Chief of Staff, how to resettle us is a matter of consideration by the superiors, so don't worry. Order the troops to speed up the march and strive to reach the assembly site designated by the superiors as soon as possible."
The fires suddenly ignited in the forest and the thick smoke were seen by the German army in the distance, and they immediately reported to the commander of the armored regiment.
The commander who received the report immediately came to the frontier observation room, raised his telescope and looked at the fire point in the forest for a long time, then put down the telescope and asked his adjutant: "Captain, tell me, why did the Russian defense zone suddenly catch fire?"
The adjutant thought for a moment and replied tentatively: "Sir Colonel, not long ago, we had exchanged fire with Russian tanks in that area. I think the tanks we destroyed should be burning."
"I don't think so." The armored regiment commander shook his head and said, "If it was a tank destroyed by our army, the fire should be gradually getting smaller, not getting bigger."
"Maybe the burning tanks ignited nearby trees, thus making the fire bigger and bigger."
"That's even more impossible. You should know that the Russian tanks are all parked in the birch forest. Birch trees are the least likely to burn. Not to mention winter, even in summer, it will not easily catch fire."
"Mr. Colonel," said a company commander who stood beside him and carefully: "Can the Russians set fire to their own tanks?"
"Why did they burn their tanks?" the adjutant asked dissatisfiedly: "Did they get their brains in water?"
"Our army's tanks lack fuel and ammunition," the company commander said with a stern rebuttal, "The Russians also lack ammunition and fuel. Maybe these tanks have exhausted all the shells and cannot move because they have no fuel. In order to prevent these tanks from falling into our army, the Russians set fire to the fire."
"Captain," the armored regiment commander heard this and felt that the company commander's words were reasonable, so he nodded and said in praise: "You have made a lot of sense in the analysis. The fire in the forest should be the Russians burning the tanks they could not take away."
"Mr. Colonel," the company commander was surprised when he heard the regiment commander praise him, and asked quickly: "What is the task we are connecting with?"
"Captain, take your troops immediately and check it out." The commander of the regiment told him: "Remember to bring a radio station so that you can report the situation there to me at any time."
Chapter completed!