In any case, the "Tiger" wreckage was successfully transported into a relatively safe underground warehouse.
Only then did Shulka contact the front army headquarters.
The method of contact went through a twist... First, Katukov was contacted, and then he reported to the front army headquarters in the name of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade headquarters, which attracted attention.
But in fact, he didn't pay much attention to it, because just as Shulka guessed, Mahlis didn't know the significance of it at all, so he just nodded to indicate that he had received it and threw the telegram aside.
After the phone line was connected, Shulka called Mahlis.
Originally, this call could not reach the front army headquarters at all. To be precise, it would be directly intercepted and eliminated by the staff. However, Shulka revealed his identity and the staff knew that Shulka was interested in Mahlis.
Say what it means.
Then after many twists and turns, Shulka finally heard the voice of Mahlis.
At this time, Shulka couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. It almost took him longer than driving directly to the headquarters.
"Shulka? Are you in Feodosia?" Maihelis asked in surprise: "I always thought you were still fighting in Zhankoi. You have once again achieved a brilliant victory. Our plan was successful. The enemy was very
There is almost no way to escape..."
"Yes, Comrade Mahlis!" Shulka said: "I know this, but I think you should come to the train station!"
"Train station? Why?"
"I'll explain it to you then!"
Mahlis hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "Perhaps, I can ask Alexei to go on my behalf!"
Mahlis does not leave his fortress easily, especially during the day.
Even now the Luftwaffe was bombing Chamkoi with all its strength and had left Feodosia aside.
Shulka did not expect this. He just hoped that Mahlis could see the "Tiger" with his own eyes and realize the importance of the problem.
But now I find that everything is in vain.
However, this does not seem to be important. What is important is that Shulka can convince Mekhlis to let the navy transport the "Tiger" wreckage as soon as possible and ensure safety instead of leaving it here.
Thinking of this, Shulka replied: "No, Comrade Mahlis, I'd better go to the headquarters!"
Later, when Mahlis realized how great a contribution the "Tiger" wreckage was, he ran to the warehouse without any need for Shulka to say anything.
He even reported to Stalin while touching the "Tiger": "Yes, I am sure, Comrade Stalin, because it is right in front of me!"
Of course, this is all for later.
It was more than half an hour later that Shulka appeared again at Mahlis' headquarters.
As before, Mahlis was cheerfully asking for credit from Moscow... This was also one of the reasons why the front army headquarters could not receive news. Most of the radio stations here were used to contact Moscow rather than command troops for combat.
The one who came up was Alexei.
"Welcome, Comrade Shulka!" Alexei said: "I didn't expect that we would meet again!"
"Shulka!" Mahlis exclaimed exaggeratedly when he saw Shulka, and then gave Shulka a hug: "Our hero, welcome back from the front line!"
"Comrade Mahlis!" Shulka said: "I am here this time to report to you that we encountered the enemy's new tank on the battlefield!"
"Oh, is this new tank very powerful?" Mahlis asked while pouring Shulka's wine: "Is it more powerful than our T34?"
"Yes!" Shulka replied: "We can only pose a threat to it within a range of two hundred meters, but it may destroy our T34 one kilometer away!"
Mahlis couldn't help but be stunned, and then he laughed with the staff.
"That's the funniest joke I've ever heard!" said Mahlis.
It's not that he doesn't believe in Shulka, it's that he doesn't believe in the existence of such a tank.
Shulka did not laugh. He just replied coldly: "We have captured one. It is at the train station only ten kilometers away from here. We have already reported it to the headquarters!"
The smiles on everyone's faces soon froze.
Even Mahlis knew that this was no small matter after knowing that the enemy had such a tank.
After thinking for a while, Mahlis jumped up from his chair: "You have seized one?"
"Yes!" Shulka replied: "To be precise, it is the remains of a tank. We destroyed it and brought it back!"
"Very good, Shulka!" said Mahlis.
After walking a few steps, just when others thought he was about to issue an order, they heard him ask Alexei: "What should we do?"
"Transport it to a safe place immediately!" Alexey turned his eyes to Shulka: "You think so, Captain?"
"Yes!" Shulka said: "I suggest that we send it to the Caucasus and send a few tank experts or scientists to it at the same time. It has great research value!"
"Just do it!" said Maihelis, "but before that, I'm going to see this tank!"
There is only one thing that can make Mahlis walk out of the fortress regardless of the risk of his life, and that is merit.
When the canvas was lifted off and the huge body of the "Tiger" was displayed in front of Mahlis, he couldn't help but be stunned. Although he had no idea what its artillery, armor, etc. meant, after all, it was a
A tank that has never been seen on the battlefield.
Machlis described it to Stalin in the telegram: "It was simply a moving fortress, with a thick barrel and thick armor. I seemed to see it advancing on the battlefield while firing at our tanks.
But our soldiers were not afraid. They bravely defeated it, this monster, and successfully captured it and brought it to me..."
"Send it to the rear immediately!" Stalin ordered.
"Yes, that's what we're going to do!"
As a result, everyone's eyes were not actually on the direction of Koi, and even the Air Force was using it to protect the "Tiger" wreckage as it evacuated to the Caucasus.
There is nothing wrong with this approach in itself, because the enemy's new tanks are too important. It not only allows the Soviet army to comprehensively obtain all aspects of data and performance of the enemy tanks, such as artillery attack distance, T34 penetration distance, etc., it can also learn from them.
Some techniques of "Tiger Style".
The problem is that Katukov did not expect that Manstein played a trick on the Perekop Isthmus and missed the opportunity to completely annihilate the elite of the German 11th Army.
But Shulka didn't expect this.
In other words, even if Shulka's attention was in the direction of Koi rather than the "Tiger", Manstein could still escape easily.