The 1st Red Division was in such a panic today for the first time. It was marching quickly along the road, preparing to support the 6th Red Division. Unexpectedly, the leading reconnaissance unit suddenly encountered a "large number" of Blue Army tanks and was immediately beaten.
A man fell on his back. Immediately afterwards, "a large number" of Blue Army tanks galloped all the way. In less than half an hour, they reached the Red Division more than ten kilometers to the west.
Although the headquarters of the 1st Red Division immediately received the warning of encountering enemy tanks, in just half an hour, it was impossible to organize the long marching column into a defensive position.
It can be said that even though the Red Army knew that the Blue Army was an armored division or a motorized infantry division, it was just not used to opponents moving so fast. In other words, it would not fight an opponent moving so fast at all.
From the perspective of future generations, when the Red 1st Division and the 6th Red Division heard that the friendly defense line dozens of kilometers away was breached, and knew that the opponent was a fast-moving armored division, the wisest thing to do was not to move at a crawling speed.
Instead of rushing to reinforce friendly forces, seize the time and build a defense line on the spot.
But now they all chose the traditional approach that seemed correct at the time. The consequence was that before they had even walked halfway, the friendly forces had been defeated, and in the blink of an eye they had become the next target. When they realized that they should
When there was a line of defense, the enemy troops were already in sight. But at this time, there was not even a basic trench on the ground.
The result can be imagined. If an infantry unit on the march is caught off guard and suddenly collides with an armored unit on the offensive, it will be torn into pieces in an instant.
…
Within a few minutes, the front of the 1st Red Division was filled with smoke pillars and "bodies" were everywhere.
Tanks and armored vehicles were rolling over in front of him, and the opponent's self-propelled artillery kept firing at his own marching column. Above his head were planes diving to drop bombs and strafing... In fact, Huang Shuliang's judgment was basically correct. The Blue Army's feint attack this time,
Only 24 tanks, 20 armored vehicles, and 18 self-propelled artillery were dispatched. Of course, coupled with the roaring and swooping aircraft overhead and a large number of smoke bombs, the attack appeared to be massive. The figures of the Blue Army tanks were looming in the smoke screen.
, the continuous advance really made the panicked Red 1st Division Headquarters think that this was a large-scale attack by the Blue 1st Division.
The artillery of the 1st Red Division was basically still behind the marching column and had no time to deploy. And the dozens of anti-tank guns that were deployed in a hurry were blocked by the smoke screen released by the Blue Army, which seriously affected the aiming.
It was probably a random fight. However, even the exercise referee could not clearly see the specific position of the Blue Army tank, and of course he could not determine that the Red Army's anti-tank gun hit the Blue Army tank.
"Steady—steady—don't be nervous—"
The commander of the division's anti-tank company was lying on the ground, commanding the thirteen anti-tank guns on the left and right, and encouraging his brothers who were also lying next to him. These thirteen anti-tank gun teams were the only ones that could be caught in a hurry.
The anti-tank force was there. Those small anti-tank guns were still behind, and looking at the chaos behind him and the planes overhead that were constantly strafing and dropping bombs, he didn't really expect to be able to push them over.
Twenty-six soldiers lined up on the left and right, two of them operating an anti-tank gun. These young men lowered their heads and lowered their helmets. They clumsily pulled the bolt, ejected the shells, and loaded anti-tank bullets.
, then roughly aim and pull the trigger...
The exercise referees stood behind them, using binoculars to observe the group of tanks looming in the smoke screen, and judge whether one tank could be counted as a hit. So far, no tank has been declared damaged. Only one tank has been declared hit.
Once. But according to regulations, an anti-tank gun must hit a tank twice before it can be judged that the tank has been damaged. However, it is stipulated that in this situation with poor visibility, because it is difficult to aim at the vital point, it must hit at least three times before it can be considered a hit.
hurt.
"Stay steady, and hit again when you're right -"
The company commander held the telescope and shouted loudly. Although it was a drill, they still felt as if they were facing a powerful enemy when they heard the roar getting closer and closer and felt the tremor of the soil beneath them. Their ears were deafening.
The sound of gunfire, the roar of tanks, the chaos behind them, and the shouts of brothers all made these young men who were fighting on the front line uneasy and confused. Now no one wants to stay alone on the front line to fight against the overwhelmingly superior enemy.
Everyone wanted to run behind everyone, but they were worried that if they ran too slowly, they would die in battle and lie here all day.
Although it was an exercise, this feeling of tension and even fear made everyone's nerves almost collapse.
The practice referees behind him felt much more relaxed. They stood straight and there was no risk of being "killed", as long as they concentrated on statistics and calculated casualties on both sides.
But gradually they all realized that something was wrong.
One person said to himself:
"It seems that the Blues' offensive front is very narrow."
Amidst the sound of gunfire, no one heard his words. But many people already had the same doubts in their hearts. Soon, not only the exercise referees, but also many officers and soldiers of the Red Division also saw that Blue
The attack width of the army was very narrow, and it seemed that not many troops were invested.
The air raids overhead became more intense. It was as if the Blue Army had dropped planes from other battlefields. Groups of dive bombers and fighter jets lined up, swooping down in turn, even dropping bomb belts and strafing. No one dared to do so.
Look up. Not to mention the anti-tank guns couldn't move, even the divisional anti-aircraft guns never fired.
Those fighter jets flew almost close to the treetops. They seemed to have seen the front row of anti-tank gun positions. Six fighter jets flew over in turn, grazing their scalps, and the twenty-four machine guns sprayed out flames. Suddenly, these two
Four more of the sixteen people were declared dead. The remaining people no longer cared about fighting tanks, they all held their heads and kept their bodies close to the ground.
At some point, the sound of the tanks on the opposite side became quieter and the smoke screen gradually faded. Some Red Army officers and soldiers suddenly discovered that dozens of Blue Army tanks and armored vehicles on the opposite side were retreating away. However, the planes overhead were swooping down one after another.
They couldn't even report to the division headquarters.
The air raid lasted for another ten minutes before the Blue Army planes overhead began to fly away one after another.
Only then could the entire Sixth Red Division raise their heads and take a breath.
But they were surprised to find that the battlefield that was filled with smoke and roaring just now was now completely empty. Only dozens of staggered track indentations remained in the field.
…
The commander of the Red 1st Division seemed to be in a dream. He could hardly believe what had just happened. He could hardly believe that his division was still basically intact.
Without caring about anything else, he immediately ordered to build a defense line on the spot and dig anti-tank trenches. At the same time, the heavy artillery position was deployed in the rear.
Send out the reconnaissance troops to look for traces of the 1st Lan Division.
At this time, the communications staff officer handed him a translated secret message. When the division commander read it, he almost vomited blood: The weasel in the Sixth Division was lying when he said he would not be reinforced. He said reinforcements were on the way. The guy almost used the method of lecturing a child.
In a tone of voice, he told himself not to use plain language radio to transmit important information in the future.
"The First Blue Division fought for a while and then retreated..." The division commander muttered and analyzed, "The Sixth Red Division is coming here again... In other words, he may be counterattacked by the First Blue Division at any time."
Suddenly, another communications staff officer took off his earphones and said loudly:
"Master, the Sixth Red Division is asking for help!"
The commander of the 1st Red Division immediately grabbed the earphones and put them on. From the earphones came the sound of gunfire, the roar of aircraft and tanks, and an officer yelling desperately:
"If the first division hears it, please reply. If the first division hears it, please reply..."
"I am the First Division, what happened to you over there?"
"First Division, I am the Sixth Division. We were suddenly attacked by a tank group of the First Blue Division and suffered heavy losses... Please reinforce us immediately!"
The commander of the 1st Red Division almost blacked out: what he was worried about happened.
He calmed down and asked:
"What is the size of the enemy's army? Are you sure it's not a small-scale feint? Our department just received a feint from the enemy..."
"It's not a feint! Damn it..." the officer on the other side of the phone cursed manically, "I've counted it with my own eyes. There are eighty or ninety tanks alone, and there are also densely packed armored vehicles. I'm afraid there are only one or two hundred taels! Damn it, I'm here
The plane was like dropping dumplings! The planes from the entire battlefield were above my head!"
The commander of the 1st Red Division felt his heart sink, and determined that the 6th Red Division was the main target of the Blue Army. He got angry and asked:
"I am the commander of the First Division, who are you? Where is your commander?"
The other party was stunned for a moment, and his tone softened a little:
"Sir, I'm sorry, I'm Wang Dabao, communications staff officer of the Sixth Division...Sir, we are struggling. If you can't reinforce us within two hours, we won't be able to survive!...Sir, we are on the east side now, and you are on the west side."
, the First Blue Division is among us, as long as you can speed up and attack eastward, you can catch the First Blue Division, and we may turn defeat into victory..."
This last sentence touched the heart of the commander of the 1st Red Division. He turned defeat into victory...
He immediately promised the other party that he would be in position within two hours.
Then he put down the microphone and immediately issued an order: Build all the defensive fortifications, restore the marching formation as quickly as possible, throw away the food and baggage, and the entire army will march forward with only artillery and ammunition.
…
Outside Xinmenzhuang, 25 kilometers away to the east, the 1st Blue Division was capturing prisoners all over the mountains and plains. The 6th Red Division had been routed, with only a few small-scale resistance left.
At the occupied headquarters of the 6th Red Division, Major Shi Shengli, commander of the 1st Blue Division tank regiment, put down his wireless phone and was very satisfied with his performance just now.
He used to be the captain commander of the tank battalion of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the People's Guard, but now he is the major commander of the tank regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division of the People's Guard.
Shi Shengli patted his beloved tank next to him, picked up the lunch box, and laughed with his brothers beside him while eating:
"In this case, in the next two hours, the 1st Red Division will not be able to build a defensive line and will have to work hard. They won't even have time for lunch and will have to run hungry... Let's eat enough and try to get there within these two hours.
Get rid of the Sixth Red Division, and then turn around to deal with the First Red Division..."