The 10th Mountain Division went out and was beaten back, which meant that the third attempt to rescue the second crash site failed.
Lieutenant Colonel McKnight, whose first rescue failed, had led the Humvee convoy back to the airport for a long time. He originally wanted to wait until the wounded Rangers who had been brought back had been dealt with, and then immediately reorganized his manpower and returned to the city.
As a result, Stryker's three Humvees returned in vain, bringing back the news that they could no longer enter the crash site.
As a result, his plan to return completely failed.
It was learned that due to the current situation in Mogadishu, the Humvee convoy cannot enter the city for rescue. Only tanks and armored vehicles can open the way to enter.
Lieutenant Colonel McClant did not write any ink, flicked his hat and drove towards the UN camp.
Even if he had to grab, he still had to grab the tank.
That's McKnight's idea.
People outside are actively thinking of ways to rescue through various channels, and people in the city are also trying to save themselves.
The two Ranger teams at the first crash site, together with the combat search and rescue team, set up a defense line and had been fighting the Somalis for more than an hour.
During this period, Sanders brought some people and rushed over to join them.
The number of troops here exceeded 40.
The advantage brought by their numbers makes their situation relatively better. The Somalis cannot fight in, and they cannot rush out.
The two sides fought a positional battle in a few houses at this intersection, facing each other across the street.
Although the overall situation of the first crash point is not as dangerous as the second crash point, the number of people is small, and if you are not careful, you will be swallowed up by the enemy.
But they also face thorny problems. Ammunition, food and medical supplies are in short supply.
There were some skin injuries at the second crash site, and the medical drugs Long Zhan and the others carried were enough to stabilize their injuries.
But not here at the first crash point.
The Rangers, who did not wear heavy-duty tactical vests, ran a long way down the street in order to reach the first crash site. Many soldiers were seriously injured as a result.
Personal medical kits can only deal with emergencies and cannot treat serious injuries.
If they cannot be rescued as soon as possible, as time continues to prolong, the injuries will continue to worsen, and the seriously injured may die here.
On the one hand, there were serious casualties, but the most troublesome thing was the shortage of bullets.
How serious is the situation with the Rangers?
Now some rangers were forced to use their rifles as sticks to engage in the most primitive hand-to-hand combat with the armed militiamen who rushed into the house.
Even the Ranger with the "richest" bullets only has two or three magazines on him.
Fortunately, the hundreds of Somali militiamen on the other side of the intersection did not know about the bullets on the Rangers. Otherwise, if they launched a charge, the first crash point would be completely lost.
The rangers who established a defensive line here will be on the death list on the second day.
In addition to the two crash sites becoming combat zones, Captain Steele, who was blocked on the way, and his First and Second Squadrons were also in dire straits.
Seeing the seriously wounded men dying one after another, Captain Steele's eyes turned red with anxiety.
But other than being anxious, he had nothing to do.
No matter how he called for rescue from his superiors, the reply he received still told them to set up a defense line on the spot and wait for the arrival of the rescue team.
When will the rescue team come, how many people can come, and whether they can be rescued.
It’s all unknown!
Under this endless torture, as time passed by, Mogadishu, which had become a nightmare for the US military, finally ushered in its night.
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As night falls, everything is quiet.
The Somalis, who had been furious all day, gradually began to calm down. Although they were still surrounded, they no longer took the initiative to attack.
This allowed the U.S. troops who had been fighting for a day to finally take some time to breathe.
The Black Eagle, who was too frightened to make any movement during the day, took action again as darkness came and began to airdrop supplies under the cover of darkness.
It is still very unsafe to operate at night, but you must take this opportunity to act.
Instead of airdropping supplies to the Rangers, the Somali militiamen who were watching eagerly around the area could leisurely finish their dinner and rest.
Of all the soldiers who participated in this operation, no one will be able to see the sun tomorrow.
The commander-in-chief, General Garrison, was thinking on his toes, knowing that Aidid would not let this night go by peacefully.
After the Somalis have rested and recovered, they will inevitably launch a fierce attack on the three strongholds and end this battle at dawn.
If the members of Operation Erin who are besieged in the city can hold on until the Pakistani tanks arrive, they must seize the time to airdrop supplies within this short window period.
Even if the helicopter may be in danger again, the airdrop of supplies must be carried out.
6:55pm.
The Super 68 helicopter, fully loaded with various supplies, flew to the first crash site in the city under cover of night, specifically to supply ground troops.
The Super 68 is exclusive to the emergency response team and is currently the best-looking Black Hawk.
Other Black Hawk helicopters have either crashed, or some of their parts have been damaged in high-intensity battles during the day.
This risky airdrop of supplies was both important and dangerous, so it was natural to send out the Black Hawk who was in the best condition.
As for why we supported the first crash point first instead of going to the second crash point where the situation was the most critical, the reason was still that anti-aircraft gun.
Based on the principle of probability, it is undoubtedly the best choice to airdrop supplies to a safe place first.
This will at least guarantee a successful delivery.
Otherwise, if the helicopter goes to the second crash site first, it will be directly shot down by anti-aircraft guns, and it will not be able to provide help to the first crash site later.
Super 68 arrived at the first crash point and chose to hover about 5 meters above the ground.
Then open the hatch and drop ammunition, water, food and first-aid supplies, the most urgently needed supplies for the Rangers, on ropes to the ground troops.
At the intersection at the first crash site, the Rangers only controlled two corners.
The armed militias on the other two corner houses are preparing to kill all Americans tonight. How can they allow helicopters to airdrop supplies?
The gunshots that had disappeared for less than half an hour erupted again at the intersection.
Several dozen armed militiamen opened fire together, and dense bullets hit the outer shell of the helicopter, making a clanging sound like fried beans.
The machine gunners on the Super 68 did not give up and launched a crazy counterattack using the airborne mini-Gatling.
In less than 30 seconds, the magazine box containing 1,600 rounds of ammunition was completely shot, and the bullets were spread out like a pouring water.
At least a dozen Somali militiamen on the rooftops of the two buildings opposite were smashed to pieces on the spot.
The remaining Somalis were not frightened. Instead, they were inspired by Gatlin's "massacre" and launched a frantic counterattack against the helicopter.
If the shooting hadn't been so fierce during the day, the rockets would have been fired long ago.
Super 68 will definitely be shredded.
Then, even though there was no threat from rockets, the machine gunner on the Super 68 reloaded with a new magazine and fired another round of 30-second bursts.
Super 68 still can’t hold on anymore.
Various alarms began to sound on the dashboard, and even the mailbox showed abnormality. It must have been penetrated by a bullet, and it was necessary to break away from the engagement immediately.
Pierbus didn't care that there were still two boxes of supplies. He didn't have time to drop them down with a rope, and immediately climbed up and flew back to the base.
It was swaying and smoking all the way, but we finally landed on the tarmac without any danger.
Pierrebus, who was so nervous that he was sweating, came out of the cab and circled the helicopter. What he saw in front of him made him feel a chill down his back.
There were at least 50 bullet holes in the helicopter, and several holes were punched out in the fuel tank and engine.
The fuel flowing out of the fuel tank dripped down like rain.
In such a serious situation, there was no explosion. Pierbus could only regard it as a miracle that God showed up and saved his life.
The only thing Pierbus regrets is...
The only Super Black Hawk in good condition at the airport has now become a "severe patient", and the airdrop of supplies at the first crash point is out of the question.
"Guys, God bless you."
Pierbus crossed himself on his chest, closed his eyes and prayed devoutly.