While the Ming army was approaching the Altay region day by day, the Ming intelligence agencies were also working intensively. They were secretly searching for the castle designer, secretly searching for the former Altay governor, and secretly searching for the castle drawings in the Forbidden City in Beijing. These three things were happening at the same time.
Do. According to the arrangement, the military also conducted an aerial reconnaissance of Kanas Lake.
This is a twin-engine professional reconnaissance aircraft. There are several cameras under the belly of the aircraft for taking pictures. When boarding the plane, the crew members were also informed of the purpose of the mission, which was to bomb Kana for the Ming Army Army Aviation.
The Ming army suspected that Guangwu was hiding in the Kanas Lake area.
This is a precautionary measure. The Kanas Lake area is in the northern part of the Altay region, close to the Soviet Union. The air superiority there is still in the hands of the Soviet army, and there is definitely a possibility that the Ming army's reconnaissance plane will be shot down. It is best not to be shot down.
You can take photos and come back, and you can also detect the anti-aircraft fire layout in the lake area. If it is shot down, the crew's confession will mislead the Soviet army and make them believe that the Ming army will use bombing, which will draw the attention of the Soviet army.
We should focus on the path of "anti-aircraft" instead of "anti-commando".
Because the lake area is so large, the number of troops that can be deployed is limited. However, "air defense deployment" and "anti-commando deployment" are different. The former requires dispersion, which can reduce the chance of being shot, and can also facilitate the discovery of enemy aircraft and the search for parachuting pilots.
The latter is a ground defense battle, so the troops are required to be deployed as concentrated as possible. Once the 800 Soviet troops are deployed in a centralized manner, the Ming Army's commando team's hope of success will be slim.
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The reconnaissance plane came back soon, was not shot down, and the mission was successfully completed. Many photos were taken, and they were all very clear. The castle and five villas by the lake were clearly visible, and the machine guns on the top of the castle and villas were also clearly visible.
.And the Soviet anti-aircraft artillery crew was obviously the best. It beat up the reconnaissance plane so badly that, according to the crew members, it was almost impossible to come back.
But the Ming army could not give up. After getting the photos, everything was fine. Because the reconnaissance plane was not shot down, the Soviet army did not know whether the aerial reconnaissance was for a raid or a bombing. They had to organize a bombing immediately, and the trick was done.
, to give the Soviet army a reassurance.
The next day, the Ming Army Army Aviation Force dispatched a dive bomber squadron, escorted by two fighter squadrons, taking off from Outer Mongolia, more than 100 kilometers away, and directly inserted into the sky above the Altai Mountains in northern Xinjiang.
This time the Soviet Army was obviously more prepared. The Ming Army aircraft group encountered a patrolling Soviet fighter jet halfway. Because the Soviet patrol aircraft only had a two-plane formation, the Ming Army easily shot it down. However, its whereabouts were also affected by this.
Exposed. When flying over Kanas Lake, the Ming army aircraft group was attacked by more intense anti-aircraft fire. The last time the reconnaissance plane detected 6 anti-aircraft fires, it was the one mounted on top of a castle and five villas.
Six 37mm anti-aircraft guns.
Now new firepower points have appeared, which increased to 12 at once. In addition to the original 6 37mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns, 6 large-caliber anti-aircraft guns also appeared. Huge black clouds exploded under the belly of the Ming army aircraft, and the shock wave shook the aircraft.
It was shaking like a roller coaster. It was obviously dragged up by the Soviet army from Kazakhstan overnight using vehicles along the mountain road.
The captains of several bombers had a special mission, which was to re-confirm the location of the Soviet anti-aircraft firepower. The captains took the aerial photos taken by the previous reconnaissance aircraft, combined them with the current actual observations, and then marked on the photos with a pen.
There is extra firepower position.
All the Ming Army pilots were also informed that Guang Wu was hiding in the castle, and the goal this time was to kill Guang Wu. Therefore, this Ming Army bombing did not look like a show at all, it was completely serious. The Ming Army aircraft groups were as before
, carried out the division of labor skillfully and skillfully. Some fighter jets were hovering at high altitudes on alert, ready to face the reinforced Soviet fighter jets at any time. Some of the fighter jets cooperated with the bombers in diving to suppress several anti-aircraft fires, while half of the bombers dived skillfully one after another, dropping bombs like raindrops.
The ground fell around the castle.
But as Shi Shigege said, the shape and location of the castle make it difficult to hit. Although the Ming army bomber crews were all veterans, the bombs either fell into the lake under the castle or into the steep woods above the castle.
It turned out that the castle itself was not much, but was surrounded by overwhelming water splashes and broken branches and leaves.
In the end, only one bomb directly hit the top of the castle. Half of the Soviet artillery crew was killed, and a small hole was blown out of the top. A large amount of gravel and lime fell into the hall below. But the hole was not big, barely.
It can drill through a person. There are several thick steel bars exposed at the entrance of the hole, and it can be seen that the cement layer is very thick. Obviously, this castle uses a large number of reinforced concrete components, which is much stronger than the traditional pure stone castle.
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From this point of view, even if 10 more bombs hit, they would not be able to hurt Guang Wu at all.
The Ming army was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery and a dive bomber was shot down. On the way back, the Soviet army was reinforced by dozens of fighter jets, and another air battle broke out. Both sides were shot down more than ten aircraft. After that, the Ming army bomber group got help from
Fighter planes from Outer Mongolia responded and they were able to return.
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This failed bombing operation made the crew members very frustrated. More than a dozen aircraft and brothers were lost, but only one bomb hit and no hair was hurt in Guangwu. But for the "gang" in the wooden house of the Tianshan camp
For "terrorists", this bombing was too successful. The Soviet army's quick response and strong firepower in this operation completely confirmed their suspicion that Guangwu was there.
Otherwise, it is just a scenic spot, why should it be so guarded?
With a large number of clear photos developed and two selected squadron commanders, the terrorists began to go about their business.
The two squadron leaders were ordered to come to Dihua from Outer Mongolia to report on their duties. They were very frustrated at first and thought they were here for training. But until they suddenly met Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Prince, and two princesses whom they had only seen in newspapers.
Your Highness, they realized that the matter was not that simple. Deputy Director Zhang of Dongchang told them the real purpose of the operation, and several captains suddenly realized it and became excited.
Next, the two squadron leaders were kept in the camp to cooperate with the work of the intelligence organization. They were not allowed to go out or make contact with the outside world. They were people who had flown over the lake area and had seen with their own eyes the location, terrain, and Su
The army's anti-aircraft firepower. Their opinions have important reference value in the subsequent planning.