"It's me, Lieutenant Ulanova." Sokov stepped forward and shook hands with Ulanova, and asked curiously: "Are all the comrades in the Women's Anti-Aircraft Battalion here?"
Hearing Sokov's question, Ulanova hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied with some difficulty: "Yes, comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the live soldiers of the women's anti-aircraft artillery camp, are all here."
After Ulanova shook hands with Sokov, she turned her head and said to the female soldier standing guard: "Oksala, haven't you always wanted to know the commander of Mamayev's gang? Now he is in front of you."
When Oksala heard Ulanova say this, she looked at Sokov with a look of surprise. She stared at Sokov with wide eyes and asked Ulanova in an uncertain tone: "Ah, Comrade Lieutenant, is that Lieutenant Colonel Sokov you are talking about?"
"Yes, it's him!"
"Ltd Colonel," Oksara said, looking at Sokov with admiration, "I have heard a lot of stories about you, but I really didn't expect to see you here..."
Faced with Oksara's enthusiasm, Sokov felt a little helpless. Fortunately, Kusto relieved him in time: "Lieutenant Ulanova, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov is here to assist us in defense. The troops he led are stationed in the workshop and factory. There are still many communications in the future. Now you take him to check the air defense position first." He nodded to the deputy factory director who was ignored by everyone, "By the way, the deputy factory director is here to come together."
Ulanova noticed the deputy factory director standing behind Kusto and Sokov, and quickly took two steps forward, raised his hand and saluted him, saying, "Comrade of the deputy factory director, Lieutenant Ulanova, the battalion commander of the anti-aircraft artillery battalion, reported to you that the soldiers are resting, but there are people on duty at every air defense post, please give me instructions!"
"I'm just here to take a look." The deputy director asked politely: "Comrade Lieutenant, is there anything you can serve you?"
"Comrade Deputy Director," Oksala rushed to say, "Can you send someone to fill in the big hole in the stairwell? It's really inconvenient to climb up and down this fire staircase every day."
The deputy factory director cast a puzzled look at Cousto, "Comrade Cousto, what's going on in the big hole in the roof that this female warrior said?"
"That's right, comrade of the deputy factory director." Cousto quickly explained to the deputy factory director: "When the enemy plane bombed two days ago, two bombs hit the roof and penetrated the floor, landed in the workshop and exploded, killing five workers and injuring seventeen people..."
Before Cousto finished speaking, the deputy director waved his hand and said, "Okay, Comrade Cousto, I have seen all the casualties in your workshop in your report, but you did not mention that the roof was blown through two big holes by a bomb. Now you take us over and take a look."
The group came to the other side of the roof. Sokov saw a square stairwell here, and there was a huge hole at the door. He took a visual inspection and the diameter was at least two meters. No one except the long jump athlete could jump over it. No wonder Cousto took him to climb the fire ladder.
"Comrade Deputy Director," Cousto pointed to the huge hole and said in embarrassment: "Look at the size of this hole is not small. In today's situation, construction workers either repair fortifications at the fortifications or fight against the enemy with weapons. Where can I find construction workers to repair the roof?"
After staring at the big hole for a while, the deputy factory manager turned his head and said to Cousto, "Comrade Cousto, I don't think there is a way to repair this big hole without the need for construction workers."
Cousto asked in surprise: "How to make up for it?"
The deputy factory manager gestured and said, "You ask someone to carry a few long pieces of wood, put them on both sides of the hole, and then lay a layer of wooden boards on it. Wouldn't you just fill the hole?"
"Yes, why didn't I expect such a simple thing?" After hearing the deputy factory director say it, Cousto immediately flattered the other party and said: "After all, I am the leader, there are many ways."
Sokov heard Kusto flattering, and couldn't help but feel funny secretly. He thought that this Russian was just a stubborn man, and he was too rigid in thinking about problems and doing things, and he didn't know how to adapt at all. If he were on it, it would have been solved long ago and wouldn't have been delayed for so many days, causing everyone to climb the fire ladder to go up and down the roof.
After inspecting the air defense positions on the roof, Cousto solicited opinions from the two: "Deputy Director, Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, what should be read, we have finished reading, can we go down?"
Sokov looked up at the sky and replied, "Deputy Director, Comrade Kusto, you go down first. It's almost dawn. I want to check the surrounding terrain before the enemy launched an attack."
After the deputy director and Cousto left, Sokov walked to Ulanova and asked curiously: "Comrade Ulanova, aren't you equipped with 85mm anti-aircraft guns? How could you change to this 37mm anti-aircraft gun?"
"That's right, lieutenant colonel." Ulanova replied respectfully: "After the remaining people and equipment were withdrawn, the factory arranged for us to establish an air defense position on the roof of the factory. Because the 85mm anti-aircraft gun was too heavy and not suitable for placing it on the roof, it was handed over to the Derrensky factory by its superiors and replaced us with such small-caliber anti-aircraft guns."
After understanding the reasons for the female anti-aircraft artillery battalion's equipment, Sokov felt a little regretful. He originally planned to use the terrain here to use anti-aircraft artillery to attack German tanks from a high place. Even a Tiger tank could destroy it at a distance of 1,000 meters. Now if he changed to an anti-aircraft artillery with a caliber of 37mm, the power of the anti-tank will be greatly reduced.
Thinking of this, Sokov couldn't help but whisper: "What a pity, it's such a pity."
"What a pity?" Ulanova couldn't help asking when she heard Sokov say this, but she then guessed what Sokov meant. After all, she had been in Mamayev's post for a while and knew that Sokov wanted to use anti-aircraft guns to deal with tanks, so she asked tentatively: "Are you talking about using anti-aircraft guns to hit tanks?"
"That's right," Sokov nodded and said regretfully: "If the 85mm anti-aircraft guns are deployed on the roof, you can use high-explosive armor-piercing bombs to penetrate 110mm of armor at a distance of one thousand meters. Moreover, because the elevation angle of the tank guns is not enough to attack the roof, it can form a situation where only you can hit them and they cannot hit you."
When Sokov spoke, Ulanova did not interrupt, but just listened quietly. When Sokov finished speaking, she spoke: "Lieutenant Colonel, although we are equipped with 37mm anti-aircraft guns now, when using high-explosive armor-piercing bombs, we can still penetrate 46mm steel plates within a range of 500 meters."
After listening to the data reported by Ulanova, Sokov thought in his mind that if he was dealing with the German early model No. 4 tank, the 37mm anti-aircraft gun destroyed the target at a distance of 500 meters. But now the German tank No. 4 has been upgraded to F type, with the front armor thickened to 50 mm. If he wants to destroy the German tanks, he can only let them get closer to the attack. However, in this way, the 37mm anti-aircraft gun will not be able to attack the German tanks due to angle problems.
Just as Sokov was thinking hard, he suddenly heard Ulanova ask himself: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," Sokov blurted out: "Even if the 37mm anti-aircraft gun is used to use high-explosive armor-piercing bombs, it cannot destroy enemy tanks at a distance of 500 meters."
Unexpectedly, after hearing Sokov's words, Ulanova laughed and made Sokov laugh. He asked with some displeasure: "Comrade Ulanova, what's so funny?"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are right. If our battalion is deployed on the ground, even if we use high-explosive armor-piercing bombs, we cannot penetrate the frontal armor of the German tanks at a distance of 500 meters." Ulanova suppressed her smile and said, "But you forgot that we are on the roof."
"I know you are on the roof, but what is the connection with destroying the enemy's tanks?..." Sokov said this and immediately realized that he had made a common sense mistake. If anti-aircraft guns are deployed on the ground and face the rushing tanks, they can of course only attack the frontal armor. But now anti-aircraft guns are shooting from a high point on the roof, and attacking the weak tops of German tanks. Not to mention that they are at a distance of 500 meters, even if they are a little farther away, only a dozen millimeters thick armor plate, they cannot block the high-explosive armor-piercing bombs.
Sokov raised his hand and slapped his forehead, saying awkwardly: "That's right, Comrade Ulanova, you're right. We are on the roof and attacking the top of the German tank. The 37mm anti-aircraft gun uses high-explosive armor-piercing shells, which can easily destroy them at a distance of 500 meters."
"Ltd. Colonel," said Ulanova with great enthusiasm: "Although we are using small-caliber artillery now, the rate of fire makes up for the lack of power. The anti-aircraft gun uses a five-unit magazine to supply ammunition, which can fire fifty or sixty shells per minute. Not to mention that the German army only comes with a few tanks, even if dozens of tanks come with us, we can still drive them all into scrap iron."
Although Sokov knew in his heart that these anti-aircraft guns placed on the roof were enough to block the area within a radius of one kilometer. Whether it was German tanks or infantry, as long as they entered this area, they would be hit by fire and suffered huge losses. But the enemy was not fools. If they found that the anti-aircraft guns on the roof pose a huge threat to them, they would inevitably use artillery and air force to bombard and bomb the factory. Once the roof was blown down by then, Ulanova and her subordinates would not know how much they could survive.
Chapter completed!