After receiving the telegram from Sokov, Popov pondered for a long time, and then said to his chief of staff: "Col. Sokov is right. In order to get rid of the surrounding enemies as soon as possible, we must throw away some cumbersome things so that we can move forward lightly. All the tanks that exhaust fuel will be blown up on the spot, and none of them will be left to the enemy. In addition, except for leaving a tank unit as a cover, the remaining tanks that can still move will advance east as soon as possible to cover the infantry tore open the enemy's defense."
"Comrade Commander," the Chief of Staff asked after Popov finished his words, "Which tank unit do you plan to leave for cover missions?"
"Term this glorious mission to Colonel Ruhle's 19th Independent Tank Brigade," Popov said. "Their brigade now has 20 tanks that can participate in the battle, and I believe they are fully capable of smashing the enemy's armored forces."
"But their ammunition and fuel are also very limited." The Chief of Staff reminded Popov: "I'm worried that they may not support it for long."
After hearing the Chief of Staff say this, Popov remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "Comrade Chief of Staff, in order for our troops to break through smoothly, there will definitely be some people who need to sacrifice. Do you understand?"
"Understand, Comrade Commander." The Chief of Staff knew very well that Popov made a very reasonable statement, leaving a part of the troops to serve as cover so that the main force could successfully break through the enemy's encirclement. Therefore, such a difficult choice must be made: "I believe Colonel Ruhlei will understand your difficulties."
After receiving Popov's order, Colonel Ruhlei immediately summoned his commanders to meet and conveyed the tasks he had just received to them. After conveying the content of the order, none of the six commanders present spoke, and could only smoke with their heads in silence.
"Chief of Staff," Ruhlei saw that everyone was not speaking, so he had to ask his brigade chief of staff: "Tell me what you think."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," since Ruhlei asked himself to speak, the chief of staff of the brigade did not hide his true thoughts. "Think about how many tanks the German army has now, and how many tanks we have? The fuel left over from our tanks can only support us to travel forty or fifty kilometers; and, in timely ammunition, each tank is insufficient, at least ten rounds. I think the superiors give us such an order, which is equivalent to letting us die."
"The Chief of Staff is right." As soon as the chief of staff of the Brigade finished speaking, a commander immediately echoed: "Just with the remaining few tanks, it is simply a matter of seeking death to fight against the Germans. I think we should immediately tell our superiors about our difficulties and ask them to allow us to retreat."
Seeing his subordinates asking to retreat with the main force, Ruhlei was so angry that he slapped heavily on the table, and then said sternly: "All have moved with the main force, so who will cut off the rear? If our army is unable to break through the enemy's defense when breaking through the siege, and because there is no troops left behind in the rear, the enemy will come up from behind, what should we do? Tell me, what should we do? Will the entire army be destroyed in the enemy's front and back attack?"
The commander present was arrested by Colonel Ruhle. After a while, the Chief of Staff said carefully: "Comrade Brigade Commander, our brigade only has such a small amount of wealth left. If all of them are fully destroyed, the organization may be abolished."
"Even if the organization is abolished, the tasks assigned to us by our superiors must be completed unconditionally." Colonel Ruhlei said this, deliberately paused for a moment, as if he was brewing some emotions: "This may be our last battle."
Ruhlei's emotions infected the commanders. A company commander stood up and said to him: "Comrade Brigade Commander, although we only have two tanks left in our company, even if we lose all of them in the battle, we must resolutely complete the tasks assigned to us by our superiors."
Some people took the lead, and others' emotions were mobilized. They all expressed their opinions, saying that they would rather sacrifice their lives than resolutely complete the tasks assigned by their superiors.
Seeing that his subordinates were mobilized again, Ruhlei began to arrange orders: "Half an hour later, the entire brigade will advance to the defense zone of the 15th Armored Regiment of the German Army. We must teach them a lesson before they come back to their senses and leave them a memory that will last forever."
In order to allow his subordinates to complete the task smoothly, he continued: "I heard that Commander Popov has issued an order to blow up all the tanks that were exhausted due to fuel and ammunition, so as not to fall into the hands of the Germans. While this order has not been implemented, you will immediately contact the drivers of these tanks and let them hand over the remaining ammunition and fuel to you."
The commanders all understood that those tanks that were exhausted with fuel and ammunition actually had several gallons of fuel in the fuel tank and one or two shells in the body. Since the superiors were planning to blow up these tanks, they had to hurry up and collect everything they could use, so that they could improve their chances of winning to a certain extent.
"Comrade Brigade Commander," the Chief of Staff reminded Ruhle: "You said you would set out in half an hour. I am worried that the commanders will not have enough time to collect ammunition and fuel. I wonder if you can extend the time?"
"Okay, then I'll give you an hour." Ruhle raised a finger and said, "It's only one hour, this is my limit. Let's go over the meeting."
Ruhle's words made the battlefield commanders as if they had heard the horn of attack. Everyone stood up from their seats and walked out of the command center quickly to carry out the task of collecting fuel and ammunition.
An hour later, tanks from the Tank Brigade gathered on an open space not far from the Ruhlei command post.
The Chief of Staff reported to Ruhlei: "Comrade Brigade Commander, after a search, we obtained a total of 150 gallons of fuel and thirty shells."
"Very good." Although these things are a drop in the bucket for the Tank Brigade, Ruhlei still praised the Chief of Staff in an approving tone: "You have done a very good job. Although these fuel and ammunition are a little less, they are enough to support our tanks to travel further and eliminate more enemies."
"Comrade Brigade Commander," the chief of staff advised him out of concern for Ruhlei: "I think you should put all these fuels and ammunition in your tank. With your combat effectiveness, I believe that you will definitely destroy more Germans."
Chapter completed!