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Text Chapter 748 Thunder over the Pamirs!  (seven)

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    In the early morning of December 9, Zhukov and Kozlov, who had stayed up late studying the battle situation and deploying defenses, only narrowed their eyes for a while when they were awakened by a buzzing noise.  When the two people rushed out of the bunker, they discovered that a flowing "metal cloud" had appeared in the sky in the distance.  A huge bomber formation composed of 42 H-5s and 28 H-6s, protected by 24 "Snake" fighter jets, flew towards Termez from ten kilometers north of Kunduz.

    "No! They are going to bomb the train station! Send a telegram to Termezdive bombers!" Zhukov had just ordered the supervisory team to contact Termez using the on-board radio, and there were soldiers pointing their fingers at the sky and shouting wildly.  call.  Countless soldiers rushed out of a gun emplacement hidden in a residential building in a panic. Looking up, they saw a "ghost car" dive bomber with a black and white painting on its nose screaming.  Rushed down vertically.

    The reputation of dive bombers is now well-known. The precision bombing capabilities displayed by the German Stuka in Spain made the Spanish National Army and other European countries secretly change their minds. Therefore, upon seeing this, the Soviet soldiers picked up their rifles and shot at the aircraft, moving.  The quadruple 7.62mm M1910 heavy machine guns on the anti-aircraft truck also roared.  But none of this could stop the rapidly swooping ghost car.  This pilot was a veteran and did not drop the bomb until he was close to an altitude of 300 meters. When he pulled up the plane, the tail almost touched the roof.

    The 250kg high-explosive aerial bomb has a charge exceeding that of a 406mm naval gun, and its power is far beyond that of army ammunition.  The bomb accurately hit the house where the artillery was located, penetrated the roof and exploded inside.  Looking from the ground, only a puff of dust erupted from the muddy house, followed by a gorgeous fireball.  The air waves generated by the explosion pushed the thick soil around, and black-red fireballs mixed with rocks and anti-tank gun parts rose into the air. Several Soviet artillerymen who had not escaped were immediately swept several meters away by the shock wave.  Vomiting blood, ruptured internal organs.

    More and more dive bombers roared down, clearing hidden Soviet positions in the city.  In less than half an hour, more than a dozen black and red smoke pillars rose over the city of Kunduz.  As the bombers returned, the rumble of gunfire also sounded outside the city.  The four 155mm heavy guns that arrived early with the help of the Air Force became the main force in the artillery battle after adjustments overnight.  Four 42-kilogram high-explosive bombs were fired every minute, all concentrated on the Soviet positions north of the city.

    "Boom, boom, boom, boom." Four 155mm howitzers, 12 105mm self-propelled howitzers, and 12 85mm towed howitzers roared in unison, launching fierce shelling on Kunduz all the time.  Soon, the Soviet artillery also began to fight back. Flames sprayed from the narrow access roads and hidden houses announced that the battle for Kunduz City had begun.

    Hundreds of artillery shells shuttled through the air.  Provides indiscriminate coverage of targets.  Large balls of fireballs and smoke rose from the positions of both sides, and soldiers on both sides had to lie on the ground to avoid the shells.  However, it didn't take long for the Soviet artillery to fall into a disadvantage. In addition to being far inferior to their opponents in terms of caliber and suppressed quantity, they suffered heavy losses from the overhead reconnaissance aircraft. Every time they managed to move their position and fire a few shots, the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft would attract a series of artillery shells.  .

    Looking at the reconnaissance planes hovering outside the battle circle, Zhukov looked very unhappy. He could only hope that Termez's aviation force could survive and support him as soon as possible.  However, this idea was quickly eliminated.  Shortly after the artillery battle in Kunduz broke out, Termez, one of the most important assembly points for Soviet troops entering Afghanistan, came under heavy air strikes.  Zhukov's telegram failed to save Termez. Although the Soviet aviation took off in time, the clumsy I-15 and I-16 fighter jets were like fat stupid geese in front of the superior "snake".  It took less than 15 minutes for the fighter squadron to clear the sky.

    Braving Soviet artillery fire, a total of 70 bombers launched the first overseas mission in the Afghan War against Termez, and it was also the largest carpet bombing.  1,400 120-kilogram high-explosive incendiary bombs not only destroyed all materials along the railway line, including an ammunition depot and three oil tankers.  It also destroyed the entire train station and field airport, and finally dispersed the Soviet 153rd Infantry Division that was gathering to support Kunduz, losing only one fighter.  Two bombers also made an emergency landing at the Kunduz temporary airport after being hit by bombs.

    This major bombing made Shaposhnikov, who was cautious by nature, worried that reinforcements would continue to be bombed during the day, so he had to put the 153rd Division that was supposed to set off immediately at night, and also left the 82nd Division that was originally supporting Baghlan behind in the iron.  Ermez defends against possible attacks.

    By noon, Stalin in Moscow received news of the bombing of Termez. He was deeply stimulated by the explosions on the national border. Although he wanted to retaliate against the bombing of Andijan and Tajikistan, he was worried about the expansion of the war.  This dilemma made him very embarrassed. In the end, he vented all his anger on the front line. He even bypassed the command of Army Group Commander Shaposhnikov via radio and directly issued a "spend all the last" to Zhukov and Kozlov stationed in Kunduz.  "One drop of blood" order to fight to the death.  At the same time, 472 I-16 fighter jets stationed in South Kazakhstan were ordered to immediately set off to support the First Army. Troops were also continued to be mobilized from various places to support Afghanistan.sweat.

    Zhukov's face was a little stiff when he put down the telegram. Considering the time, domestic reinforcements may be counted on. It is the best result for Termez's two divisions to come up.  "Comrade Zhukov, the enemy tanks are coming up." Kozlov's shout interrupted his thoughts.  When I raised my telescope, I saw that the north side of the city was filled with smoke and dust. Two tank battalions were like scattered cattail fans, covering the infantry rushing towards the city.

    The Soviet officers in the room all had bad expressions. Not to mention that they were completely unable to deal with the opponent's air superiority, they were secretly frightened by the tanks rushing towards them.  "Comrades! Kunduz is the gateway to the defense of Soviet Central Asia! Everyone has seen General Secretary Stalin's telegram. Every commander and soldier must be informed immediately that if you can't hold it, you must defend it, and if you can't resist it, you must fight!"  With his usually friendly attitude, Zhukov's face was livid, his eyes sternly swept across every officer, and he said loudly: "In this moment of crisis, GC party members must take the lead! We must fight the enemy bloody to the end and never retreat! Escape without authorization or  Those who surrender will be shot on the spot. Those who disrupt the morale of the army will be severely punished!"

    These decisive words sent shivers down the spines of all the officers.  They all know that Zhukov not only brought the 57th Division and the 6th Tank Brigade, but also the Moscow Supervisory Team.  Those murderous internal guards would not be merciful to their own people, and countless marshals and generals were pulled down by them during the great purge.

    "Comrade Commander Kozlov, immediately ask Commander Yariv to find a way to break out from Baghlan and move closer to us! Commander Delic. You are responsible for the road into the city on the left. Comrade Yarusky, the tank brigade is going to attack.  , to block the impact of the infantry. Comrade Makapov, we must hold the Kunduz Bridge, General Shaposhnikov¡¯s reinforcements will arrive soon" Zhukov¡¯s voice deployed defense  , the battle has started in the north of Kunduz City.

    Due to insufficient ammunition, the artillerymen stopped advancing indiscriminate barrages and instead fired in low-speed bursts to protect the tank battalions from attacking to the north of the city.  Behind each tank is an entire squad of infantry.  These men from the land of Yanzhao.  Bending down, shouting to each other, and using skillful tactical movements, they stepped closer to the enemy on the deep track marks.  The attacking tank battalion rushed at a cross-country speed of 12 kilometers per hour until it stopped in front of the infantry trenches. The bullets fired from behind the rubble and buildings jingled the steel plates.

    "Clear the trench! Clear the trench!" As soon as the infantry squad leader saw the tank stop, he immediately shouted and jumped into the trench first with a submachine gun in hand.  Only a few of the infantrymen who followed jumped down when a grenade flying out of the trench was thrown out, and a soldier was immediately blown to pieces.  When the medical soldiers following behind rushed over.  Other soldiers had begun the dangerous trench-clearing battle. Submachine guns and shotguns were firing non-stop, and exploding lead pierced the bodies of Soviet soldiers like raindrops.  After experiencing the brutal trench warfare test of the European War, the Wehrmacht has figured out a set of trench-clearing warfare methods that can minimize casualties.  That is to concentrate the submachine guns and shotguns and cover them alternately, while the riflemen behind them use grenades to support them before each assault.  In order to avoid accidental injuries, the number should be reported while advancing in order.

    Although the tactics may be simple, if you don¡¯t make mistakes during tense battles, it takes a long period of rigorous training to form a team that is strong.  The infantry quickly spread out along the trenches to the flanks.  After clearing the trenches, some people began to fill the narrow places with soil to allow the tanks to pass, and some continued to attack the city under the cover of machine guns.

    "60 guns!"

    Amid the shouting, a 60mm mortar accurately hit the Soviet machine gun position a hundred meters away. Under the cover of the mortar, the machine gun team quickly occupied the place in a three-three formation.  Within a moment, the hj32 general-purpose machine gun made a sound like tearing oilcloth.  "Zizzizi, zizizi" The machine gunner swung the muzzle of his gun and set the speed switch to the ten-shot burst position to suppress the advancing Soviet infantry.  Because the rate of fire of this machine gun is too fast, many Soviet veterans still use the standard of the Han II light machine gun as a reference. Therefore, many people have three or four bloody holes in their bodies before they can take evasive actions.

    The ammunition is consumed quickly because of the speed. A 250-round bullet chain will be shot in a short time, and the bullet casings and black hinges that can scatter the bullet chain are all over the position.  The deputy machine gunner kicked open the second magazine box, and while inserting the bullets, a string of bullets flew from behind the ruins on the opposite side. The rocks that were stirred up sliced ??open his left ear, causing blood to flow immediately.

    "Boom!"

    Before they could be bandaged, the sound of explosions at close range made the machine gun crew's ears numb. They cursed and turned around to see a T31 tank struggling to climb up a short slope from behind. One shot hit the hidden machine gun on the opposite side.  Houses were directly destroyed.  After seeing the tank, many Soviet soldiers began to retreat. Under the fire of the machine gunners and the synchronized machine guns on the tanks, seven or eight Soviet soldiers were killed before they could run far.

    One tank after another began to cross the infantry trenches and enter the city. Zhukov decisively put in the reserves, using the overwhelmingly superior infantry to deliberately engage in close combat, and let the infantry carry out counterattacks at all costs, severelyThe Soviet infantrymen below braved the rain of bullets and used buildings and streets for cover to tear the battlefield north of the city into pieces.  This tactic took full advantage of the Soviet army's mass advantage, so much so that the tank troops had to temporarily stop their advance in order to wait for the infantry, and cooperated with the clearing of every house, and every piece of rubble became an object of contention.

    The crowded and narrow access road made the infantrymen of both sides stare at each other with their guns pointed at each other most of the time. Bloody and tragic battle scenes unfolded everywhere in the north of the city.  As a result, by three o'clock in the afternoon, the number of casualties in the first round of attack exceeded the 300 mark.

    ?¡­

    "Ammunition! I just want ammunition now!"

    In the Kunduz Forward Command and Communication Center, the correspondents were so busy that they couldn¡¯t touch the ground, and the ticking noise of the telegraph machine was denser than the heavy rain.  Since the battle started at noon, this small communication center has been overwhelmed by countless signals, and even the mobile radio stations of each battalion of the armored division have been called.  Du Yuming pulled open his collar and rushed into the communication center panting. He looked at the communication machine above his head, picked up the phone and shouted loudly.

    The resistance of the Soviet army was beyond imagination, and the disadvantage of the lack of infantry gradually magnified after entering the city, but these were not what he was most worried about. What really made him uneasy was the rapid consumption of ammunition!  After only fighting for an afternoon, half of our artillery units misfired due to lack of ammunition, and the most important four 155mm howitzers ran out of shells an hour ago.

    "Zhuo Fan, how much ammunition do you have left?"

    "Reporting to the division commander, each vehicle still has half of its ammunition. Small arms ammunition and fuel consumption are relatively large, but it will be no problem to hold on for two days. Now it is the artillery. Before attacking the isthmus, we only replenished two bases for each gun (each base  32 rounds), we can only hold on until tonight at this intensity. The supply convoy originally scheduled to arrive in the afternoon encountered a landslide last night and is not expected to arrive until the second half of the night"

    "Fuck you!" Du Yuming shook off the phone.  He has a good temper, but he is also troubled by this logistics.  Not only was the road difficult to walk, but it also encountered a collapse. In addition, the transportation capacity of the field airport was not large, which made me really anxious.  The officers next to them also had unkind expressions. This elite armored division, which was formed in Shandong, has never been afraid of fighting tough battles, but even a clever woman cannot make a meal without rice.

    "Commander, the mountain brigade has arrived."

    While everyone was worrying about supplies, a large group of transport planes appeared in the direction of the northern mountainous area.  The 43 transport planes of the 17th Wing of the Air Force not only brought an entire mountain camp, but also brought 680 155mm grenades, giving everyone a little relief.  The arrival of the 16th Mountain Brigade finally alleviated the pressure of insufficient infantry. You must know that this veteran unit formed in Bashu is also the only unit in the country that targets plateau operations. In terms of infantry combat effectiveness alone, it is better than the best in the country.  An armored division is still strong.

    "Well, why are they here?"

    Before meeting the commander of the mountain camp, several figures made Du Yuming raise his eyebrows.  Zhuo Fan followed his gaze and saw Bai Chongxi and Zhang Zhidan talking and laughing in a KC-2 passenger plane that had just landed, surrounded by several Arab officers and walking towards the command post

    (To be continued.)
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