Chapter 2357:

Chapter 2357

Hearing what the Chief of Staff said, Saveliev couldn't help complaining in his heart. The more he worried about something, the more it would happen. Now the tanks, armored vehicles and various vehicles belonging to the army are neatly placed on the plain, Kanto Military aircraft can use these vehicles as targets like normal training.

Saveliev hurriedly said to the Chief of Staff: "Chief of Staff, immediately issue a combat alert to the troops and ask them to organize air shooting and evacuate all types of vehicles as soon as possible to avoid becoming the target of enemy aircraft."

Although Saveliev's order was sent out in time, many commanders and soldiers entered the tents to rest. It was not easy to complete the order he gave. What's more, the troops have made rapid progress in the past two days. The commanders and soldiers inevitably have some feelings of underestimating the enemy. They feel that the battle launched by the Kwantung Army is nothing more than a push from north to south, without thinking about the enemy at all. He still has the power to fight back.

The Army Air Forces of the Kwantung Army originally thought that there would be a fierce battle when they reached the sky above the Soviet garrison. Many of the pilots were still thinking that if they ran out of ammunition, they would just fly their planes and die together with the Russian planes. But what they didn't expect was that after arriving at the designated location, not only did they not encounter Soviet fighter planes, but the attack targets on the ground were clear. Hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles and trucks were neatly placed on the open ground. As if preparing for a military parade.

Seeing that the attack target was right in front of their eyes, the Japanese pilots lowered their altitudes and fired and dropped bombs on the tanks, armored vehicles and trucks on the ground without waiting for their superiors to issue attack orders. In an instant, fire and smoke were everywhere, and countless tanks, armored vehicles and trucks were hit by bullets and burst into flames.

Facing the raging enemy planes, the Soviet troops who were caught off guard appeared to be extremely confused. Some commanders were directing the soldiers they could muster to shoot in the air, trying to shoot down the invading enemy planes; but most of them were Most of the commanders and fighters appeared panicked during the enemy air strikes, scurrying around like headless flies.

 The armored soldiers who ran out of the tent rushed directly to their tanks or armored vehicles, preparing to drive away the tanks and armored vehicles at the risk of death. Since the area where vehicles were parked was the focus of enemy aircraft attacks, many armored soldiers fell on the road. The armored soldiers who were lucky enough to drive away the tanks and armored vehicles were also pursued by enemy planes, and many were hit by bombs, causing their vehicles to be destroyed and people killed.

Seeing the chaotic scene in the distance, as well as the tanks and armored vehicles that were constantly destroyed by aerial bombs, Saveliev's heart was bleeding. At this moment, his intestines were filled with regret: If it weren't for his underestimation of the enemy, he would have If the troops were not prepared for air defense when they were camping, they would not have suffered such heavy losses.

"I'm Saveliev, find me Comrade Commander." Saveliev grabbed the phone in front of him and connected to the group army headquarters. As soon as he heard someone speaking, he couldn't wait to say: "I I have something important to report to him.”

Soon Kravchenko's voice came from the receiver: "General Saveliev, what happened? Why did I hear gunshots and explosions from your side?"

“Comrade Commander, it’s not good.” Saveliev said in a crying voice: “Our camp was attacked by Japanese air force and suffered huge losses. We ask our superiors to send air force for support.”

Kravchenko was shocked to learn that the station of the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps had been attacked by the Kwantung Army in an air attack: "What, an air attack? How many aircraft did the enemy dispatch?"

"About hundreds." Due to the sudden incident, Saveliev had no time to count how many aircraft the Kwantung Army had dispatched, so he could only say vaguely: "We don't have enough anti-aircraft fire to drive them away. , so I would like to request the Army Headquarters to come forward and ask the air force to drive away the enemy who is bombing us."

“I understand, General Saveliev.” Kravchenko said, “I will contact the Air Force as soon as possible.”

After putting down the phone, Kravchenko said to his chief of staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, General Savelyev called and said that the enemy dispatched a large number of fighter planes and launched a fierce attack on their campsite. They suffered losses. Not small."

"Cunning enemy." The chief of staff said through gritted teeth: "Seeing that it was about to get completely dark, the Kwantung Army chose this moment to dispatch its air force to carry out air strikes on the mechanized army's garrison. By the time our army's fighter planes arrived on the battlefield, they had already completed the bombing. mission and retreated under the cover of night. Even if our air force wanted to pursue it, it would not be able to find the target because it was too dark."

"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff, our enemy is very cunning. It seems that we were so dazzled by the victory that we were caught off guard by the enemy." Kravchenko said: "Even if we knew that the air force was rushing over at this moment, The enemy has fled, but we still need to ask for air support."

When Hudyakov received a call from Kravchenko and learned that the 5th Guards Mechanized Army, serving as the vanguard, was being bombed by the Kwantung Army, he immediately became angry: "What, the enemy's planes are bombing you. The vanguard. Comrade Kravchenko, I will immediately send a fighter formation over to destroy these **** little devil pilots."

Although Kravchenko felt very comfortable when he heard that Hudyakov said that he would send the air force for reinforcements, out of caution, he still reminded him in good faith: "Comrade Air Marshal, your airport is far away from the location where the air attack occurred. It’s hundreds of kilometers away, and by the time you arrive, the enemy planes may have already flown away.”

"Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, I will send aircraft to support." Hudyakov replied: "If our troops encounter a gap in the enemy's attack, but our air force does not care, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army."

After Kravchenko put down the phone, he looked frustrated and said to his chief of staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that the air force should move the field airport forward so that we can provide the necessary air support to our offensive forces in a timely manner."

"Comrade Commander," the chief of staff sighed and said helplessly: "No one expected that after the battle began, our troops would advance so fast that the Air Force's field airport would become far away from the front line. We need to build a new one The airport is probably not an easy task, and the battle might be over before they even finish it."

"If we build a new airport, it will definitely be too late. Even if we rush for time, it will still take a month or two. By then, the battle may be over." Kravchenko said: "The best way is to use The Kwantung Army airport occupied by our army diverted all the aircraft from the rear airport. In this way, the time for each air force attack will be greatly shortened, allowing us to better provide the necessary air cover."

 The thoughts of Kravchenko and his chief of staff were exactly what Hudyakov had in mind. He did not expect that this battle would progress so smoothly. In just two or three days, the rapidly advancing troops were already more than 300 kilometers away from the starting point of the attack. This would have been unimaginable before. However, the rapid advancement of the troops also put the Air Force into a rather embarrassing situation. When fighting Germany, the field airport was located fifty or sixty kilometers away from the front line. It was not easily attacked by enemy ground forces, but could also launch a timely attack to provide necessary air support for our own ground forces.

 But now, because the ground troops are advancing too fast, the air force's airports are getting further and further away from the front line. For example, in the air raid that took place today, the Kwantung Army made a good time difference. By the time the planes it dispatched arrived at the battlefield, it was already completely dark, and the Kwantung Army pilots who had completed the gap mission could take advantage of the darkness of night. cover and quietly retreated to the airport. As for his side, apart from spinning around in circles on the battlefield, it has no effect at all.

Just as Hudyakov judged, when the dispatched aviation division rushed to the sky above the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps station, except for the specks of fire and gunpowder smoke on the ground, no trace of enemy aircraft could be found at all. In desperation, this air force unit could only circle in the sky for a few times, and then turned around and returned to the air force base.

The fact that the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps suffered heavy losses from German air attacks soon reached Malinovsky’s ears. After reading the report, he slammed the table hard and said angrily: "Damn little devil, he actually came to us like this and caused heavy losses to our army. If I can't avenge this, I would rather not be the commander." "Comrade Marshal," Zakharov asked solemnly, "What are you going to do?"

“The current bases of the Air Force are too far away from the front, and I think it is necessary to move them forward.”

"Comrade Marshal, if we want to build a new airport, even if we obtain sufficient resources and manpower, it will not be able to be repaired in ten days and a half months." Zakharov reminded Malinovsky: "According to the battlefield Analyzing the situation above, I am afraid that this battle will be completely over in less than a month."

“It is unrealistic to build a new airport,” Malinovsky said, shaking his head: “Not to mention where to find so many building materials, even in terms of manpower, there will be a serious shortage.”

 “Is there any solution?”

"In the area we occupy, aren't there several airports that originally belonged to the Kwantung Army?" Malinovsky said: "I think Marshal Hudyakov can transfer his air force to these places to fully Use these airports."

 In fact, Zakharov already had mature thoughts in his mind. He had just deliberately pretended to be helpless and asked Malinovsky to come up with a credible plan to use his former authority in the headquarters. Now that he saw that his plan was successful, Zakharov showed a proud smile on his face: "Okay, Comrade Marshal, I will call Marshal Hudyakov immediately and order his fleet to transfer to our army's occupation as soon as possible. airport to better provide necessary air cover for frontline combat troops."

When the Air Force's aviation division appeared over the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps' station, Saveliev was so excited that he almost cried. He said to his chief of staff: "Why did our planes only arrive now? If If we could arrive ten or twenty minutes earlier, our losses could be reduced a lot."

The chief of staff comforted him and said: "Comrade Commander, our air force is too far away from us. Even if the superiors receive our request for help, they will immediately send aviation troops to support. But they are so far away, and when the plane arrives, The bombing here should almost be over. Unless..."

Seeing that his chief of staff's words had not been finished yet, he stopped abruptly. Saveliev couldn't help but become a little anxious: "My comrade chief of staff, if you have any questions, just ask, don't act like a riddle."

"Comrade Commander, I think if we want to avoid similar things from happening, the Air Force's airport must move forward." The Chief of Staff said to Saveliev: "Where we occupy, there is an airport that originally belonged to the Kwantung Army. , if our aircraft can be transferred here, not only can they provide air cover for our combat troops at any time, but if we encounter an air attack like tonight again, they can also appear in time to drive away all enemy aircraft."

“By the way, Comrade Chief of Staff, have the losses been calculated?”

"Yes, Comrade Commander, the losses have been calculated." When talking about the casualties of the troops, the Chief of Staff became depressed: "35 tanks were lost, 62 armored vehicles were lost, and the number of trucks lost reached 180. vehicle."

“Ah, the losses are so huge?” After listening to the data reported by the chief of staff, Saveliev couldn’t help but said in surprise: “I really didn’t expect that the enemy’s air strikes caused us such heavy casualties.”

"Also, Comrade Commander." The Chief of Staff reported another bad news to Saveliev with a heavy heart: "These bombed trucks contained a large number of water containers. When the vehicles were bombed, they were stored All the drinking water in the containers was gone.”

“Will it have any impact on our daily drinking water?”

"Of course it has an impact." the chief of staff continued: "Originally, our water storage could be used for two days, but now it seems that it can only last until tomorrow morning."

“So, when the Air Force drops supplies to us tomorrow, we have to ask them to find a way to replenish some water sources for us.”

"That's right, Comrade Commander." The chief of staff said in a positive tone: "The weather is so hot now. If there is not enough drinking water, the officers and soldiers may become dehydrated during the battle, so we asked our superiors to give us supplements. The most adequate water source is completely necessary.”

Hearing this, Saveliev was so angry that he banged his fist on the table again and said viciously: "The **** Kwantung Army, especially the 63rd Division, if my troops catch up with them, they must be punished. They look good. It's all because they blew up the infrastructure along the way that they put our army in such a difficult situation."

"Comrade Commander," the chief of staff said to Saveliev, "according to our current advancement speed, we will be able to catch up with the rear-ending troops of the 63rd Division at noon tomorrow at the latest. Even if we don't give any orders to the troops, But I believe that the commanders and fighters will also spontaneously deal with these **** little devils in their own way."

After hearing this, Saveliev nodded and said to the Chief of Staff: "I think most of the commanders and fighters were suffocating in their hearts due to the enemy's air attack tonight, so no matter how they dealt with these Kwantung Army prisoners of war, Let’s not ask any questions. Do you understand?”

“I understand, comrade commander.”

 (End of this chapter)