Of course, Major Duden could not reply to Colonel Doppler, but Captain Erich, the infantry commander responsible for covering the tank attack, reported to the headquarters:
"Colonel, we were blocked by the enemy and suffered heavy losses!" Captain Erich shouted on the walkie-talkie: "Obviously, we fell into the enemy's trap!"
"Heavy losses? You mean the Panzer 6?" Colonel Doppler didn't believe it, because he didn't think the Russians had anything that could destroy the Panzer 6.
"Yes, Colonel!" Captain Erich replied: "I'm not sure what it is, maybe a tank or an assault gun, but what is certain is that our tanks are vulnerable to them. I think we should
Retreating, Colonel!"
The German army was much better than the Soviet army in this regard.
If it is a Soviet officer who requests to retreat on the battlefield, the command's first reaction is "these cowards", "cowards who are greedy for life and afraid of death"... So they usually refuse, so the grassroots officers fighting on the front line
Generally, they will not request to retreat because they know that not only will they not be accepted by the headquarters, but they may also be punished if they go back.
This directly caused the Soviet army to rush forward pointlessly like fools during the battle... It was not because the soldiers were willing, nor because the grassroots officers did not want to live, but because the situation and environment forced them.
In comparison, the German army is much better in this regard. At least the commander's first thought is that the frontline officers and soldiers are all excellent imperial soldiers. If the military situation is not urgent, they will not easily request a retreat.
Therefore, trust between superiors and subordinates is very important. In the same situation, different armies will often make opposite judgments or decisions.
After Doppler heard Captain Erich's report, he immediately ordered all troops to retreat, otherwise the German army was likely to be surrounded and annihilated.
But in fact, this worry is unnecessary. The situation is not as bad as the German army thought.
This was mainly because the Soviet army was poorly prepared and the infantry and self-propelled artillery battalions did not coordinate well. To be precise, the Soviet army did not expect that the German army would launch such a fierce counterattack, and it was still at night, so the infantry was really
Defeated by the German army, they simply had no ability to encircle the German army.
On the other hand, the Soviet self-propelled artillery only had thirteen vehicles. They had the upper hand at first because they were unprepared to defeat the Germans. At the same time, two to three vehicles were able to deal with one German "Tiger".
If the German army does not retreat but continues to attack, then with the excellent performance of the "Tiger" and the tank's advantage over self-propelled artillery, coupled with the quality of the German army... the remaining "Tiger" tanks are likely to make a comeback.
In fact, this is what Shulka is worried about. Standing at a high place and observing with a telescope, he can clearly see the German "Tiger"s approaching the agricultural machinery station in an orderly manner. Some parts are still blank for self-propelled artillery defense.
.
Once those dozen "Tiger" vehicles swarm in, the self-propelled artillery battalion will have no choice but to be wiped out.
Just when Shulka was having a headache, the German troops suddenly retreated like a tide.
Shulka couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. This could be regarded as a lost opportunity for the German army. An opportunity to defeat the self-propelled artillery battalion. It may also be the only opportunity, because there will definitely be more and more self-propelled artillery in the future, and it is not difficult to imagine.
, its growth rate is far from comparable to that of the "Tiger"... The production of self-propelled artillery is very simple. Its chassis even comes from obsolete light tanks and KV tanks. It is ready-made and then welded to a gun and basically completed.
On the other hand, the "Tiger" was still being produced at a very slow pace at this time, and there was no time to make up for its failures and battle damage.
In fact, the most important thing is that the battlefield at this time is Stalingrad, an urban street battle... Tank battles in urban street battles are more about hiding somewhere and then suddenly attacking to destroy the target. This kind of battle is particularly suitable for mobility and flexibility.
Self-propelled artillery with insufficient performance, otherwise if it is fighting in the wilderness, the self-propelled artillery may not be able to aim at the speeding "Tiger".
In any case, the German army missed it. The Soviet soldiers cheered in unison. Some soldiers even took off their hats and waved excitedly in the direction of the German army's retreat, shouting: "A few more times, Franz, we haven't fought yet."
That’s enough!”
…
Captain Arinsimovich approached Shulka with lingering fear and said: "Have we lost our lives, Comrade Shulka?"
These words made Shulka look at Arinsimovich with admiration, because he knew the danger of the battle just now and was not as blind and arrogant as others.
Shulka did not answer. He just patted Arinsimovich on the shoulder and said: "If you want to avoid such a situation next time, hurry up and train your soldiers. They will become the defenders of Stalingrad."
A key force!"
"Yes, Comrade Shulka!" Arinsimovich nodded seriously. He also knew that there was a lot of luck in winning this time and even in their survival.
Shulka is right. The self-propelled artillery battalion has indeed become a key force. The reason is as mentioned before. It can be used as a howitzer to provide artillery support for infantry, and it can also be used as an assault rifle to confront enemy tanks.
gun.
As the former, it is much more flexible than a towed artillery. It can avoid enemy artillery counterattacks more quickly when it fires and retreats, so its combat effectiveness and vitality are improved.
As the latter, although it cannot be as flexible as a tank, at least it can move and at least destroy the enemy "Tiger". This is already a big bright spot when there are basically no artillery on the front line that can pose a threat to the "Tiger".
.
More importantly, because it has basic armor protection, it can also be used as an assault gun to provide fire cover for infantry when it is not facing enemy tanks. It can be said that one gun has multiple uses, and it can avoid being advantaged by the German army to the greatest extent.
Destroyed by air power.
After returning to the headquarters, everyone was cheering for the victory, and even the officers and soldiers of the headquarters, led by Golikov, welcomed Shulka with warm applause.
But Shulka was not happy at all.
"What's wrong, Comrade Shulka?" Golikov asked: "Are you frustrated because you failed to wipe out all the enemy's new tanks? Don't worry, they will all fall under our cannons one day!
"
There was laughter from everyone in the headquarters.
"No, Comrade Golikov!" Shulka replied: "What I care about is not those tanks. We blocked the attack of those tanks. We only prevented the enemy from quickly penetrating and dividing us. The crisis in Stalingrad remains the same.