Katukov received an order at this time, an order from Rokossovsky, commander of the 16th Army.
"The 2nd Guards Tank Brigade was ambushed by the enemy, reinforce them immediately!" Rokossovsky said.
"But, Comrade Rokossovsky!" Katukov replied: "We are still one hour away from Tver!"
"Speed up!" Rokossovsky said: "They are surrounded by enemies!"
"We are already at the fastest speed!" Katukov replied: "Unless...we let the M3 medium tanks break away from the formation and rush for reinforcements!"
The cross-country speed of the M3 medium tank can barely reach 20 kilometers per hour, so it can reach Tver in half an hour.
The problem is that if the M3 medium tank arrives in Tver alone, it will not have much effect.
On the one hand, the M3 medium tank's combat effectiveness is not strong and its defense is not good enough. Its huge body will be an obvious target for the enemy.
On the other hand, if the 1st Guards Tank Brigade loses the cooperation of the M3 medium tank, it may cause problems.
As mentioned before, the M3 medium tank is the spear of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade. Although its 75mm gun has a narrow range of fire, it can penetrate German tank armor from a long distance... This will force the German army to seek close combat and even be able to
This provides cover for "Matilda".
Otherwise, if there is no M3 medium tank, the clumsy "Matilda" tank will easily be surrounded by the enemy and then go around to the side and attack its weak armor.
By then, I'm afraid even the rocket launchers won't be able to save the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, and the entire unit will be in danger of being passively beaten.
Rokossovsky also understood this truth, so he thought about it and replied: "Forget it, you continue to march and prepare for battle... the enemy is likely to turn to you!"
"Yes, Comrade Rokossovsky!"
Katukov was very satisfied with this. In fact, even if Rokossovsky ordered the M3 medium tanks to speed up reinforcements, he would not agree.
This is not to say that Katukov has selfish motives, but that at any time, he should ensure his own safety before rescuing friendly forces... Otherwise, it will either be an enemy trap or the gain will outweigh the loss.
This was the situation at this time. Due to the speed problem of the "Matilda", the 1st Guards Tank Brigade could only say that it was helpless.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Prepare for battle!"
…
The orders were conveyed one after another.
Katukov also sent a message to Shulka through Fedosiev... This is the advantage of British and American tanks. They are equipped with a complete set of communication systems and are compatible with each other.
As a result, Katukov could easily send messages or even give orders to a certain battalion or company through the tank... This has become a command system in a sense.
Of course, this doesn't work very well in wartime.
"Comrade Captain!" Fedosiev waved a signal flag on the turret towards Shulka in front to attract Shulka's attention.
Shulka stopped and waited for a while. After the tank caught up, Fedosiev jumped out and said: "Comrade Katukov asked me to tell you, you guessed it right, the Germans are indeed prepared. But it's very difficult."
Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to prepare, and the 2nd Guards Tank Brigade was surrounded by the enemy!"
In fact, there is no need to say this at all. Shulka can see it from the enemy and our fighter planes fighting in the sky.
The German Air Force once again had air superiority at this stage, but they did not attack the 1st Guards Tank Brigade...perhaps this slow-moving tank was not noticed by them.
This is indeed the case.
The pilot had already seen the 1st Guards Tank Brigade in the air.
Of course, they didn't know that it was the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, which had repeatedly made military exploits on the battlefield. They also habitually thought that it wouldn't be the 1st Guards Tank Brigade... In their eyes, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade was
"T34 Force", of course, a tank force without T34 cannot be a "T34 Force".
"We have discovered an armored force!" Colonel Charles, who was flying a fighter jet to compete with the Soviet army for air supremacy, reported to his superiors: "They are driving towards Tver at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour!"
"What? 10 kilometers per hour?" Kubiler couldn't believe it when he heard the news. He asked, "You read that right, right?"
"No, I read it correctly!" Colonel Charles replied: "It is indeed 10 kilometers per hour... Wait, I can see clearly, those are British tanks, I recognize them!"
Colonel Charles belongs to the German 10th Air Force. This air force has fought in Africa, which is to cover Rommel's armored forces fighting the British army... Of course, only a small part performs this task, and most of the fighters are on the ground.
Bombing of the island of Malta.
Colonel Charles had the privilege of fighting in Africa, so he knew very well the tanks used by the British.
"Are you sure?" Lieutenant General Kubiler asked.
He didn't dare to believe it, because it was directly related to the progress of the next battle.
"I'm sure!" Colonel Charles replied: "It's the British 'Matilda' tank, the American 'General Grant', etc., and finally the 'Valentin' tank."
Charles reported these tank models to Kubiler in detail, including the nickname "General Grant" for the M3 medium tank that even the Soviet army did not know... This nickname was given to American tanks by the British.
Of course, this formal occasion of aiding the Soviet Army would not be named with a nickname.
"Damn the British and Americans!" Kubile couldn't help but cursed after hearing this.
The reason why he cursed like this was because he knew that the British and Americans provided these tanks for the Russian army.
However, his eyes quickly lit up, and he immediately pulled out a document from the pile of documents... It was a document about data on British and American tanks.
Rommel's army had fought against these tanks on the African battlefield, so of course the data, performance, advantages and disadvantages of these enemy equipment were shared with the army.
As a commander, Kubiler certainly knows this. At this time, he only needs this document to confirm it.
Then, he understood why the armored force was marching so slowly.
"It was 'Matilda' that slowed them down!" Lieutenant General Kubile said to the adjutant.
"Are we going to let the air force stop them?" the adjutant asked.
"No!" Lieutenant General Kubile shook his head and said: "Let the Air Force concentrate its firepower on the T34, it is our opponent! As for the 'Matilda' and the 'General Grant'... let us
Tanks to deal with them!"
With that said, Lieutenant General Kubile called von Funk: "Luckily for us, Major General, there is an armored force waiting for you behind, an armored force composed of British and American tanks.