Everyone thought that going to the train station was to be sent to another battlefield, but ten minutes after the train started running, they discovered that this was not the case.
Because the train did not turn onto the circular track, but headed straight east.
The east, that is, the rear...the direction of retreat, away from Moscow.
"They actually pulled us out of Moscow?"
"Send us back to Kyiv?"
"We are no longer needed to defend Moscow?"
…
The soldiers couldn't help but talk about it.
But Shulka had a vague feeling that this was not the case. This should be related to his conversation with Zhukov last night, which was to form a mobile force.
Shulka's guess was correct. The train traveled on the railway track for more than ten hours and arrived at Stalingrad that night (Note: Stalingrad is 913 kilometers away from Moscow. The train is faster because of the small cargo capacity on the return trip.
You can get there in an hour).
"Stalingrad!" The instructor recognized this city as soon as he got off the bus.
"This is Stalingrad?" Shulka was a little surprised.
"Yes!" the instructor said: "This is station No. 1, I was here not long ago!"
Shulka would be surprised because this is a famous city where the German and Soviet armies will engage in the bloodiest battle in history. In terms of the number of casualties, the Battle of Stalingrad can be said to be the bloodiest battle in modern history.
...The total number of casualties between the enemy and ours was as high as 2 million, almost equal to the combined strength of the enemy and our troops in the Moscow Defense War.
From this perspective, the defense of Moscow seems a bit insignificant.
But that happens next year, so it's not something Shulka needs to think about.
Shulka stepped off the train and saw that the station was full of people, the surrounding shops were busy, and the buildings were majestic and tall... It was hard to imagine that next year this place would become a ruins with dead bodies on the ground.
Then he climbed into the car as usual, drove north along Red October Street, and then drove into a factory.
"Stalingrad Tractor Plant!" The instructor was obviously familiar with this place.
The soldiers in the carriage couldn't help but "wow" when they heard this:
"This is the Stalingrad Tractor Factory?"
"What are we doing here? Seeing the tractors?"
"Idiot, I heard that it now produces tanks!"
…
It is not surprising that the soldiers would behave like this, because the Stalingrad Tractor Factory is the largest tractor factory in the Soviet Union, producing more than half of the country's tractors every year.
In other words, almost everyone has seen or even used tractors produced by the Stalingrad Tractor Plant.
Shulka knew about it because this factory was one of the focuses of contention between the enemy and ourselves in the Battle of Stalingrad... In the end, even the workers drove the newly produced tanks onto the battlefield.
Then Shulka saw a line of writing on the door: Dzerzhinsky Tractor Plant...the exact name of Stalingrad tractors.
(Note: Dzerzhinsky is the founder of the All-Russian Counterrevolutionary Committee (Cheka), the predecessor of the KGB)
"So, what we're here for is about tanks?" the actor asked.
No one answered because no one knew the answer.
Shulka didn't know either, because even if a motorized force was formed, there would be no need to bring the 333rd Regiment into a place where tanks are produced.
Soon Shulka soon knew the answer.
"Get out of the car and assemble!" With a rapid whistle, the soldiers jumped out of the rear carriages row by row and gathered in a square.
A colonel stood in front of the square and shouted to the soldiers with a small loudspeaker: "Welcome, comrades of the 333rd Regiment, welcome to become a member of the Fourth Tank Brigade!"
"Fourth Tank Brigade?" This number caused the soldiers to talk a lot.
This is not only because they have just learned about their new designation, but also because the Soviet troops are divided into regiments. Except for the airborne troops or the Far Eastern Front, few have the designation "brigade".
Shulka was completely clear in his heart.
As a mobile force, if a division with tens of thousands of people is too large, it is difficult to expect such a force to quickly reach the battlefield where it is needed. On the contrary, a "brigade" level organization of several thousand people is more flexible.
.
"Perhaps you will be surprised!" The colonel continued: "Why did we come to this tractor factory...are we asking you to drive tractors to the front line?"
The soldiers couldn't help laughing.
"No, of course not!" said the colonel, "tanks are produced here, comrades!"
"But we don't know how to drive a tank, comrade colonel!" someone shouted.
"No, of course you won't!" said the colonel: "They don't need you to drive them. We have tanks and we need mechanized infantry to cooperate. You just... understand?"
Then the soldiers understood that they were the 333rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the 4th Tank Brigade.
"But this still doesn't explain the purpose of bringing you here!" The colonel continued: "You all came from the battlefield. I heard that most of you came from Brest... Then you must have traveled a long way.
!”
The soldiers laughed again.
"Then you must know!" the colonel continued: "Many of our tanks were not destroyed by the enemy, but malfunctioned on the road and were abandoned or blown up by themselves. Some even had only minor malfunctions. They even
No parts needed to be replaced, but we had to blow them up and throw them away because we didn't have the basic skills to repair and maintain them, or the basic methods to solve the problems!
When I reprimanded them, they even asked me: ‘Colonel, what else can I do? Should I carry it back?’!”
The soldiers laughed again.
"Now, I'll tell you what to do!" the colonel raised his hand and said: "Behind me is the tank production workshop, where my tank crews are learning the basics of tank maintenance... In other words, when we encounter
When it comes to simple faults, we no longer need to wait for maintenance personnel to arrive, we can solve it ourselves! This is what you need to do too!"
It was indeed a good idea, Shulka couldn't help but praise it in his heart.
This can not only improve soldiers' understanding of tanks, but also reduce the tank failure rate to a great extent... To be precise, some simple faults within their capabilities can be solved by tank soldiers themselves.
This will undoubtedly speed up the march of mechanized troops.
"Of course!" the colonel continued: "In addition, you also need to learn how to guide, assist the tank in advancing and attack the enemy. You can't let the tank driver come down to pave the way!"
Amid the laughter of the soldiers, the colonel waved his hand and said: "Now, let us get to know our comrades in the Fourth Brigade and the tanks that will go on the battlefield with you!"