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Text Chapter 743 Thunder over the Pamirs (2)

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    At night, Kunduz was already in chaos.  This strategic town in northern Afghanistan, at the intersection of Termez and Dushanbe, guarding the only access to the Kunduz Oasis from the northern mountains, is home to 150,000 Afghans, but most of them are now empty.  At the Khan Balad Pass east of the city, artillery roared. From the day Kabul changed hands, the Asian Brigade and the Afghan Army launched a fierce attack on the Soviet troops stationed there.  The 75mm mountain guns on both sides kept roaring, and grenades exploded on the edge of the mountainous area. The smoke and yellow sand rolled up covered the white snow.

    When Zhukov arrived here, the Khan Balad Pass to the east was undergoing another round of fierce attacks.  Since it is the only outlet, the two sides have fought for it no less than twenty times in a month.  Even though it was getting dark at this moment, the four bombers were still bombarding the Soviet positions non-stop. Machine guns and artillery shells on the ground formed a network of fire, and the night sky was particularly bright.

    From his point of view, the Soviet Union was unprepared for this war, especially the quick arrest of Amanullah, which gave the Red Army no excuse to continue stationing. Therefore, he thought about retreating to the country and waiting until the main force arrived in the spring before searching.  Opportunity to take back Afghanistan.  But the top brass couldn't wait any longer. Marshal Voroshilov and the General Staff even believed that China only had one China-Afghan resource highway with poor traffic capacity to support logistics. On the contrary, the Soviet army not only owned roads but also railways, so it occupied even more  Advantage.

    The advantage on paper does exist. No one can deny this. Whether attacking from Kabul or the northern mountains, the first thing to overcome is logistical support.  On the contrary, places such as Kunduz and Herat currently controlled by the Soviet army can receive support from railway transportation.  Anyone familiar with the military knows that there is no comparison between a resource highway with poor traffic capacity and a heavy-rail railway that was completed three years ago.

    Of courseZhukov listened intently to the noisy buzz of millions of bees in the artillery fire, feeling a little breathless.  Whether it was the last confrontation in Afghanistan or this time in Kabul, the comparison between the aircraft of the two sides is really very different.  Fortunately, you can't win the war with airplanes alone, otherwise you wouldn't be able to use them.

    "Comrade Kozlov."

    "Comrade Zhukov, it's great that you can come. We have been waiting for support."

    The convoy stopped in front of the Kunduz command post.  As soon as I got off the bus, I saw Kozilov, commander of the 71st Division, walking over.  This is a 51-year-old veteran officer with rich combat command experience. Compared with those domestic officers who came to power after the purge and were not even familiar with infantry command doctrine, the combat effectiveness of the 71st Division he led is still worth relying on.

    Kozlov also held Zhukov¡¯s hand, and was very happy that this well-known officer in the Soviet army could come to support him.  But when he looked up and found that there were only a few dozen trucks following them, and there were no tanks or armored vehicles, his expression gradually became uneasy: "Comrade Zhukov, is this all the reinforcements?"

    Zhukov keenly caught the uneasiness in his eyes.  He asked: "Why, the Chinese army arrived first?"

    "Not yet. The ones attacking now are Afghans and North Koreans."

    "North Korea?"

    "Yes. We captured a few prisoners. They claimed to be soldiers of the Korean regiment of the Asian Liberation Front. However, they were issued with Chinese weapons, as well as 7 tanks and about 4 armored vehicles, so the pressure on the Yamaguchi side was very high.  Big. Aircraft reconnaissance has been paralyzed, and we have no way to find traces of the Chinese troops for the time being, but I believe they are not far from the Khan Balad Pass." Kozlov gave a general account of the capture of Korean prisoners of war.  Zhukov was very interested in this Asian brigade. When he heard that the main force of the Chinese National Defense Force had not arrived yet, he couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Comrade Kozlov, please don't worry, the 57th Division is already on the way. It will arrive here before dawn tomorrow."  , the 6th Tank Brigade will also arrive tomorrow night."

    During the day, the Chinese aviation is dominated by the Chinese aviation force, and Soviet aircraft cannot take off at all, so troop transfers must rely on night cover.  However, Kozlov and the officers of the 71st Division next to him were very happy to know that the 57th Division would arrive tomorrow morning, as well as a tank brigade.  During this period, they faced great pressure, especially because the North Korean troops were very tenacious in combat.  He also has rich combat experience, relying on tanks and armored vehicles to help break through the defense line many times. If the frontline soldiers had not displayed their fearless spirit to block the gap, Kunduz might have fallen.

    Night is coming soon.  From time to time the flares rising from the direction of Khan Balad Pass were as bright as stars.  Darkness is a natural barrier, and Kunduz finally experienced peace after a long day.  While the soldiers took the time to rest, Zhukov and Kozlov did not dare to relax at all.  Intelligence shows that the main force of the Chinese Volunteer Army has arrived in Tajikistan, and hundreds of transport aircraft are delivering troops to Kabul. If the aircraft had not been able to transport heavy equipment, perhaps the situation in Afghanistan would have deteriorated before reinforcements arrived.

    Fortunately, judging from some signs, although ChinaThey have stopped sending more troops to the northwest, but they do not want to open the Eastern Front now. Both sides hope to take Afghanistan first, cut off the other side's offensive route in Central Asia, and ensure the security of their flanks before looking for opportunities for a decisive battle.  This is also General Secretary Stalin¡¯s original intention to block China in Afghanistan after discussion with Marshal Voroshilov.

    This means that the two sides will start a brutal battle in this mountainous country.  From the fact that China deployed the 103rd Central Guard Division, which is known as the absolute main force, to hold the battle, it can be seen that they are bound to win this battle.  What makes Zhukov feel troublesome is that Afghanistan is completely unsuitable for the Soviet army's deep penetration combat theory of large corps that has been practiced for more than ten years. The battle here is attrition and logistics.

    Since tonight was the deadline for the ultimatum, when the hands reached midnight, the officers' scoldings sounded outside, and thousands of soldiers were awakened to prepare for a sudden attack from the north.  At this moment, the sound of wheels also started to sound, and the 57th Division, which came from Termez under the starry night, finally arrived, two divisions in total, which greatly boosted the morale of the Soviet army in Kunduz.

    The deadline passed minute by minute, but the imaginary stormy attack did not appear. The Soviet soldiers, who had been staring wide-eyed and exhausted all night, did not see the shadow of the Chinese National Defense Forces until dawn.  Just as he was about to take a rest, the abominable engine sound appeared in the sky again.  The 6 fighter planes that came together to cover the 8 bombers arrived as scheduled.  After receiving the support of the 57th Division, Kunduz's air defense firepower has been greatly enhanced, but the 37mm rapid-fire guns installed by the Soviet infantry division are completely incompetent against high-altitude bombers.

    The bomber shook its wings, dropped fifteen tons of high-explosive bombs on the Khan Balad Pass, and then disappeared into the northern mountains amidst the curses of the Soviet soldiers.

    The first day of the battle for Kunduz was spent in the endless bombing of the Khan Balad Pass. In order to compete for this only channel into the Kunduz lowlands, the Chinese Air Force dispatched 62 bombers and 12 sorties in just one day.  Dive bombers conducted intensive bombing raids on Soviet troops stationed in mountain passes and Kunduz.  Continuous fireballs soared from the ground with terrifying momentum.  However, the actual effect made Mei Sheng, who was on the reconnaissance plane hovering outside the battlefield, very dissatisfied.

    Long Yun put down the telescope, looked back and shook his head: "Khanbalad Pass is a typical trumpet-shaped pass, with hard rocks on both sides. Bombers alone are of little use. Looking at the posture just now, the Soviet troops are clearly arranged along the trumpet mouth.  It is protected by heavy troops and the ground fortifications are also well done. It seems that the commander of the 71st Division is a veteran who is good at defense."

    Mei Sheng nodded, realizing that he was a little impatient.  The combat effectiveness of the Soviet army has indeed dropped a lot after the great purges, but the defensive warfare in the mountainous areas can make up for many weaknesses.  He immediately put away his thoughts of quick victory.  Asked: "Where are the troops? What is Sun Chuanfang's plan?"

    "The 23rd Regiment of the 12th Infantry Division has arrived 20 kilometers east of the Khan Balad Pass. The 24th Regiment and the armored battalion are intersecting towards Baghlan east of Kunduz." Long Yun quickly spread out the map.  Pointing at it, he said: "Sun Chuanfang is going to use the 24th Regiment as an arrow to storm Baghlan to induce Kunduz to divide his troops, and then take the mountain pass to establish an advance base. In addition, the 53rd and 54th Regiments of the 27th Division and the 113th Regiment of the 57th Division have all taken flights.  After arriving in Baghdad, all the heavy equipment was left behind. They will set off tomorrow morning and divide their forces into two groups. One group will go south along the border of Afghanistan and India to attack Kandahar, and the other group will take the middle route to attack Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province. The Air Force plans to  Build a field airfield here so that Herat can be bombed at close range."

    The Northwest Military District has conducted a thorough investigation of the geographical environment of Afghanistan.  However, in actual implementation, it was found that the difficulty of mountain combat was still underestimated.  Especially as the number of heavy equipment gradually increases, the disadvantage of transport aircraft's inability to transport heavy equipment is gradually exposed. Even the largest Yunba and Yunjiu can only carry 10 tons, and due to the lack of a large door design, they cannot transport trucks and other equipment.

    Fortunately, the President and the General Staff had no intention of a quick victory. They only wanted to suppress the Soviet troops in Termez and Herat.  It shows that they also understand that the geographical environment is not suitable for the advancement of troops.  "I'll write a report when I'm free. Don't let the aircraft factory sit idle. Try to find a way to find an aircraft that can transport tanks." After Mei Sheng muttered a few words about the lack of air transport capacity, he realized that Long Yun didn't mention the 10th Armored Division just now.  Asked: "By the way, where is the 10th Armored Division?"

    "They" Long Yun smiled bitterly and pointed at the mountains in the distance: "Du Yuming is scolding me."

    "You thief! Whose supervisor built this road? They all should be shot!" On the China-Arab Resources Highway, less than 70 kilometers away from Kunduz, hundreds of trucks, armored vehicles and tanks are like strings of sand-yellow ladybugs  , lying helplessly in the middle of the road, suffering patiently.  At the front of the team, the commander of the 10th Armored Division, Major General Du Yuming, was wearing a fur coat and holding a riding whip. He was furious because two T25 tanks of his reconnaissance company got stuck in the mud, making it impossible for the entire division to move forward.

    He is the 17th graduate of the National Defense University and the ""Commander", after graduation, he was assigned to the then 8th Independent Armored Brigade as company commander. Because of his outstanding performance, and the veteran officers from the Xinhai period retired one after another, he was promoted to brigade commander three years ago. Later, the armored brigade was transformed into a division, and the original  The 1st and 2nd Divisions were changed into armored divisions, and the 8th Brigade naturally became the 10th Armored Division.

    Those who can command armored divisions are the best in the National Defense Forces, but he was really unhappy today.  Since there is no railway, the 10th Armored Division needs to move forward on its own after entering Afghanistan from Tajikistan.  The tank is a good thing, but it needs maintenance after driving for one or two hundred miles, so it took four days to get here.  Seeing that there was only half a day left to go to the Khanbalad Pass, it was strange that I couldn't hold my breath when I encountered this.

    "I heard that we invested in this road. How did it become like this?"

    "Yes, the tanks of the reconnaissance battalion are seven or eight tons smaller than ours. They can't afford it. What should we do?"

    "Tsk tsk Look, the Afghans are unreliable. I heard that it took six or seven years to build this few hundred miles of road. If our engineering troops were to go up there, they could keep it for three years and it could be paved to Iran."  , and they are all cement roads with water.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just nonsense. Afghanistan doesn¡¯t even have a cement factory, so where can we get cement roads?¡±

    "Sanhe Tu, don't you know how to make Sanhe Tu?"

    "Get out of here, are Sanhetu roads so easy to repair? Look at this place. You can't see any other materials except stones."

    While the tank crews were trying to drag out the tank, they were discussing who should bear the blame.  Upon seeing this, the infantrymen at the back also ran up to help. They used mules and horses to drag the logs that they were walking on and spread them in the mud pit. They also dug up rocks to fill them in. They were very busy.

    The 10th Armored Division is a typical heavy-armed force. The division has one armored reconnaissance company, two armored regiments, two infantry battalions, one 105mm self-propelled heavy artillery battalion, one combat engineer battalion, one air defense battalion, and two logistics fuel supplies.  battalion and a transport battalion.  The entire division has a total of 252 tanks of various types, 327 armored vehicles and trucks, and a total of 15,427 personnel.  Such a large force is inherently slow to move, and the mountain roads in Afghanistan are notoriously difficult to navigate, so it would be strange not to lie down.

    It took more than an hour before the two tanks stuck in the mud were finally pulled out.  After the engineers filled in the logs and stones, they then used Bailey Bridge components to lay a layer of steel plates on top, which made it barely passable.  Looking at the slowly moving tanks and trucks, Du Yuming finally breathed a sigh of relief and got into his command vehicle.

    But as soon as he entered the carriage, he saw Zhuo Fan looking relaxed. He was sitting in the command vehicle and flipping through the map of Afghanistan with a leisurely look, as if he didn't care at all about wasting time.  Du Yuming, who was so busy that his vest was hot, suddenly became angry and complained: "I said you kid, if you still have time to look at the map, why don't you go down and help?"

    Zhuo Fan smiled and said nothing.

    In fact, Du Yuming was really good to him. After knowing that his junior brother was one of the few "company commanders" of the National Defense University for three consecutive years, he deliberately arranged for him to go to the company below for internship and training.  Zhuo Fan also lived up to him. From the company to the battalion, and finally to the regiment, he went through three ranks in two years, and finally squeezed into the division staff headquarters by his own ability.

    Seeing that he didn't speak, Du Yuming didn't bother to pay attention to him. He knew that this kid was very thoughtful and had the best fighting skills in the army, but he was a man of few words, so he picked up the kettle and drank it vigorously before asking:  "By the way, what time is it now?"

    "Don't worry, Commander, at the current speed, we will definitely be able to reach the assembly area in the middle of the night."

    "That's good. I've really had enough of this broken road." Du Yuming smacked his lips. Just as he was about to look outside, Zhuo Fan grabbed him and handed him a telegram: "Commander, take a look at this first. Reconnaissance.  The plane has just arrived. The Soviet troops in Kunduz have increased a lot. I estimate that the Soviet 57th Infantry Division stationed in Tashkent has arrived. The reconnaissance plane also discovered that at least one Soviet armored brigade is approaching Termez.  Assemble at the train station on the Soviet side.¡±

    "Is there an opponent?" Du Yuming's eyes lit up
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