The primary goal is to take out the German artillery positions. This is a combat mission that the Soviet aviation pilots who piloted the IL-2 attack aircraft had already received on the frontline field airfield before taking off.
There was no mission target indication and no deliberate exposure of the enemy. After arriving over the battlefield, all the specific combat details had to be determined by the pilots themselves. It was up to them to find out the exact location of the German artillery positions.
The Soviet attack aircraft group roared and circled over the battlefield, but not all of them swooped down. Only a small number of IL-2s were fully loaded with aerial bombs and rockets and began to swoop towards the Germans, pouring out death fury.
boom--
Whoosh——whoosh——
Boom——
Continuous explosions of aircraft bombs and rockets began to explode at the German defense assembly point. The sound was terrifying. The German soldiers, like frightened mice, ran wildly on the battlefield, not caring about anything, and were beaten by the Russians.
When a flying tank rides on top of your head, the only thing you can do is to scream and run for your life.
"Sir, please get out of here quickly. It's not safe here."
Unlike most German soldiers who are seeking cover, Colonel Klose, as the commander of the first division, still remains at his post, standing at the observation post of the forward command post and watching the scene in the sky, just like those
The death threat that can swoop down at any time is non-existent and there is no fear.
"Did you see it? There's something wrong with these Russian planes. They seem to be looking for or waiting for something."
Colonel Crozier said these careless words, and the adjutant beside him suddenly became anxious and even more anxious to get angry. Who has the mind to care about these things at this time? If you don’t leave, you will be taken with him.
This place has to be bombed by Russian bombs.
"There is no time to care about this, sir! Your life safety is the first and most important thing now. Anything can happen to that unit, but nothing can happen to you! Even if the artillery is lost, nothing will happen to you.
It’s better to avoid it quickly!”
!!!
Just like the brightest spark that burst out during the collision and friction of flint, Colonel Klose, who had a sudden flash of inspiration in his mind but failed to catch it, turned around and immediately looked towards the place in front of him.
The adjutant who was just a short distance away kept asking questions.
"What did you just say? Say it again, quickly! Say it again quickly!"
"...I...I...that..."
The young adjutant didn't understand what Colonel Klose meant by making such a sudden fuss. He felt awkward and at a loss for a while and didn't know what to say.
"Say it quickly!"
"I...I said that our troops are not as important as your life, even if we lose our artillery..."
"Yes! That's it, the artillery!"
Colonel Klose, who finally captured this key word, could say that his eyes were shining. He had been vaguely feeling that something was not right, but could not tell why. This was the most important key point.
"Artillery, these Russian guys in the sky must be looking for our artillery! Quick, tell the artillery positions to hide them and ask them to cancel the bombardment. If it's too late..."
Boom boom boom——
Colonel Klose was halfway through saying this. Before he finished speaking, a burst of earth-shattering explosions suddenly came from a place not too far away. One after another, the sound was so loud that it was like the earth was shaking.
To say that the Il-2's meager bomb load can carry heavy aerial bombs that can make such a noise, anyone with any brains knows that this is simply impossible.
Unless the Russian Il-2 was filled with fuel and then crashed into the ground with the plane and bombs attached, seven or eight planes full of oil and bombs hitting the ground together might be able to make such a noise, but this kind of thing is impossible.
How can it be?
The direction from which the successive explosions came was already heralding an ominous sign. Colonel Klose, who felt that his feet were unsteady and about to fall, felt his vision go dark. Fortunately, the young adjutant beside him moved quickly enough to help him.
He didn't even fall to the ground.
"Sir, are you okay!?"
Knowing that his old problem of high blood pressure must have happened again, Colonel Klose steeled himself, held on to his body, and stood up unsteadily before he hurriedly gave the order.
"Quick! Go find out what happened over there at the artillery position! I want to know the latest situation, quick!"
This self-propelled artillery unit is already the last trump card in the hands of Colonel Klose. Without the support of friendly forces, this is the only last force he relies on.
If even this trump card was torn to pieces by the Russians, then he simply couldn't imagine what the next battle would be like. No support firepower could stop the Russian steel monsters from rushing forward.
His death date is probably just a matter of time.
Colonel Klose, who hurriedly ordered to confirm the situation, guessed one thing correctly: his artillery position was indeed gone, but the reason for its disappearance was somewhat unexpected.
According to the original battle plan, Colonel Klose planned to launch another round of artillery bombardment now or a while later.
This means that in the hands of the Russians on the opposite side, there is no long-range artillery force that can pose a threat or counterattack to our own side. This has been confirmed by the round of our own artillery fire just now. Based on Colonel Klose's understanding of the enemy,
If the Russians had long-range artillery firepower, they would have launched a round of retaliatory counter-artillery fire. Why are they holding back their anger until now?
Once you have identified the enemy's shortcomings, you must use your own strengths and weaknesses to overcome them. Now is the time when your own artillery firepower is at its best.
Colonel Klose originally planned to launch another round of artillery bombardment. No matter how bad it was, he could destroy the Russians' offensive preparations and buy some time. The previous round of cover artillery bombardment caused inevitable damage to the Russians because of the hasty preparation.
It is quite limited. On the premise that the losses are not big, the Russians must be preparing for the next round of attack and are regrouping their troops.
Judging from this situation, the gains from this round of artillery bombardment will definitely be quite large, and it is possible that the Russians' ability to continue to attack will be directly eliminated.
Colonel Klose's plan was good and had no problems. If a group of IL-2 attack planes hadn't suddenly appeared over the battlefield, Colonel Klose's plan would have been perfect.
But the crux of the problem lies precisely in the fact that the plan could not keep up with the changes, and the Russian attack planes just happened to arrive.
As for the fate of those artillerymen who had received the order in advance and had begun the final preparations before the bombardment, it is unnecessary to say anything about the current formation.