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 as they normally do during 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-to-air shooting and evacuate all types of vehicles as soon as possible to avoid becoming targets of enemy aircraft."
Although Saveliev's order was issued in a timely manner, many of the commanders and soldiers entered the tents to rest. It was not an easy task to complete the order he issued. What's more, the troops have made rapid progress in the past two days.
, the commanders and soldiers inevitably had some feelings of underestimating the enemy. They felt that the battle launched by the Kwantung Army was nothing more than a push from north to south. They never thought that the enemy actually had the power to counterattack.
The Army Air Forces of the Kwantung Army originally thought that there would be a fierce battle when they arrived at the Soviet garrison. Many of the pilots were still thinking that if they ran out of ammunition, they would directly fly their planes and have a fight with the Russian planes.
They died together. 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 target on the ground was 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 them, the Japanese pilots lowered themselves to the high ground without waiting for the attack order from their superiors, strafing and dropping bombs on the tanks, armored vehicles and trucks on the ground. In an instant, fire and gunpowder smoke were everywhere, and countless tanks, armored vehicles and trucks
It caught fire and started burning.
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, however, 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 risk their lives to drive the tanks and armored vehicles away. Since the area where the 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 well 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 the Japanese aviation force and suffered huge losses. We ask our superiors to send air force support."
When he learned that the station of the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps had been attacked by the Kwantung Army, Kravchenko was shocked: "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 gritted his teeth and said: "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 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 have 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.
Comrade Kravchenko, I will immediately send a fighter formation over to destroy these damn 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 will 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 from the enemy, but our air force does not care, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army."
After Kravchenko put down the phone, he said to his chief of staff with a frustrated look: "Comrade Chief of Staff, it seems that the air force should move the field airport forward so that it can provide the necessary air support for 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 activate it.
The Kwantung Army airport occupied by our army diverted all the aircraft from the rear airport. In this way, the air force's time for each sortie 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 three miles away from the starting point of the attack.
It is more than a hundred kilometers away. In the past, this would have been unimaginable. However, the rapid advance of the troops also put the Air Force into a rather embarrassing situation. When fighting Germany, the location of the field airport was fifty or sixty meters away from the front line.
kilometers, it is not easily attacked by enemy ground forces, but can also attack in time to provide necessary air support for our own ground forces.
But now, because the ground troops are advancing too fast, the air force's airport is getting further and further away from the front. For example, in the air raid that took place today, the Kwantung Army made a good time lag and waited for its own plane to arrive.
On the battlefield, it was completely dark, and the Kwantung Army pilots who had completed the gap mission could use the cover of night to quietly retreat to the airport. But on their side, apart from idling around the battlefield, they could not do anything at all.
function.
Just as Hudyakov had judged, when the dispatched aviation division rushed to the sky above the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps station, except for the scattered firelight and smoke on the ground, no trace of the enemy planes could be found at all. Helplessly
As a result, 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
The Japs 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 with a solemn expression, "What are you going to do?"
"The current bases of the Air Force are too far away from the front line. 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 built 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."
"Then what can be done?"
"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 had already had mature thoughts in his heart. He had just deliberately pretended to be helpless and asked Malinovsky to come up with a credible plan. With the prestige he once had in the headquarters, it seems now.
When 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 the airport occupied by our army as soon as possible.
, in order to better provide necessary air cover for frontline combat troops."
When the Air Force's aviation division appeared over the 5th Guards Mechanized Army's station, Saveliev was so excited that he almost cried. He said to his chief of staff: "Why did our plane 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 the aviation force to support. But it is so far away, and when the plane arrives,
The bombing here should almost be over. Unless..."
Seeing that his chief of staff's words stopped abruptly before he finished speaking, Saveliev couldn't help but become a little anxious: "My comrade chief of staff, if you have any questions, just ask, don't be like guessing riddles."
"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 another air attack like tonight, 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 in
All the drinking water in the container was gone."
"Does 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 damn 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 into 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-cut 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 damn 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,