"Comrade Commander, the 12th Tank Army Corps requests reinforcements. They have encountered a German heavy tank battalion, and their losses are severe!" a staff officer reported.
Lieutenant General Romanenko could not help twitching the corner of his mouth. Although the 12th Tank Army Corps was not the strongest unit under the 3rd Tank Army Corps, a single German tank battalion had inflicted devastating losses on it. This showed just how formidable the German armored forces were. The battles ahead would undoubtedly become even more difficult. Defeating the German armored forces would be harder still.
"Order the 15th Tank Corps and the 179th Tank Brigade into battle! No matter what, keep the Germans tied down," Lieutenant General Romanenko ordered.
The battle had already begun. Breaking away now was simply impossible. The only thing they could do was continue carrying out the combat mission and hope their battle plan would succeed.
"Yes, Comrade Commander!"
The Russian 179th Tank Brigade was a unit that had been re-equipped with T-34 tanks. All seventy tanks in the brigade were newly produced T-34s. Although this tank was merely a medium tank, its performance was quite good. Or rather, its capabilities were well balanced in every respect. Though its hull armor was only 45 millimeters thick, it was sloped at sixty degrees, greatly improving its protective performance to a certain extent. The front armor of its rounded turret was also 52 millimeters thick. Naturally, such protection could not compare with German Tiger-Panther tanks. Its 76.2-millimeter Tank Cannon was also reasonably powerful. However, Russia was developing an 85-millimeter Tank Cannon for the T-34, so that this tank could possess even greater firepower.
A small body carrying a big gun—this was undoubtedly one of the central ideas behind Russian tanks. Unlike German tanks, which valued protection, Russian tanks placed