Chapter 198 The Aftermath Has Dissipated

The huge explosions that came one after another almost destroyed the entire dock with a fierce and earth-shaking momentum. Malashenko, who had entered the air-raid shelter to avoid the air raid, felt the violent shaking of the concrete floor under his feet. This feeling of the entire underground air-raid shelter shaking like a building about to collapse was something Malashenko had never experienced before.

"Damn, this earth-shaking momentum is just like riding a roller coaster, no, it's more exciting than riding a fucking roller coaster! It is said that artillery is the god of war, and this fucking field artillery group can only be regarded as a younger brother in front of air raids."

It was exactly the same as what Malashenko complained in his heart at this moment.

Compared with this planned carpet air raid on a single fixed ground target or area, the traditional ground artillery group is indeed dwarfed by this level of powerful air raids.

A heavy aerial bomb dropped would cause a rain of explosive power calculated in units of 100 kilograms of TNT, enough to eclipse any large-caliber heavy artillery with a charge of double-digit kilograms.

The earth-shaking air raid that turned the entire dock into a sea of ​​​​ruins and fire came and went quickly. When the German bomber formation had dropped all the one-ton heavy aerial bombs it carried, the German BF109 fighter fleet, which had ravaged the dock's air defense positions and suffered heavy casualties, also turned around and left with the bomber formation.

Compared with the dock ruins that were already a sea of ​​​​fire and broken walls, the price paid by the well-prepared German Air Force in this air raid was only a drizzle loss of 12 fighter planes shot down.

When the air raid ended, the German fleet had basically all fled far away, and the formation of 24 LaG 3 and 12 MiG 3 fighters belonging to the shore-based aviation of the Baltic Fleet finally arrived.

Without the advanced equipment of long-range air search radar, which is still considered black technology at present, the pilots of the shore-based aviation force of the Baltic Fleet, who were on combat duty and on standby at the airport, did not set out until the airport dispatch headquarters received news from their superiors that the dock was attacked and asked them to attack and intercept immediately.

However, the delay and time wasted had already missed the best time to intercept the German army. It took less than 20 minutes from the sounding of the air defense alarm to the landing of the last aerial bomb. The German Air Force, which had calculated the approximate arrival time of the Soviet interceptor group, did not leave any chance for the former.

Although the Soviet pilots hovering over the messy dock were unwilling, they had no other choice. The Germans who had already left did not leave any chance for the Soviet pilots to exchange hands.

The German Air Force, with a very clear tactical purpose, came here specifically to the Ladoga Lake Wharf. Any other secondary targets must serve the priority completion of the main target. The German Air Force, which does not take the Soviet Air Force as its mission target, has no need or reason to fight with it.

Even if the wharf was severely damaged after being bombed by the Germans, the soldiers and civilians of Leningrad, who have long been accustomed to the continuous bombing of the German Air Force day after day, did not have too many complaints. Instead, they immediately walked out of the air-raid shelter after the German aircraft group flew away and continued the unfinished work.

After all, complaints cannot bring any practical changes. Doing things with your hands can change the current bad situation better than talking with your mouth.

Walking along the long air-raid shelter corridor connecting to the ground with his somewhat shaky body to see the sun again, Malashenko, who experienced such a large-scale air raid for the first time, still had lingering fears. This feeling of dying as if his soul was being roasted on fire and almost collapsed and suffocated, Malashenko, who survived the disaster, really didn't want to experience it again.

"I really don't know how long this kind of bombing will last, until Leningrad is relieved? Damn!"

Malashenko, who knew what he should do now, immediately started shouting to the people around him who had already walked out of the air-raid shelter. Familiar names and accents were calling the soldiers of the First Independent Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion to approach their direct superiors.

Malalashenko shouted loudly for at least two minutes before he gathered all his subordinates in the crowd.

After counting, Malalashenko was pleasantly surprised to find that his experienced crews who had just fought the Yelnya salient with him did not suffer much loss.

These tank crews who had received professional military training and air defense exercises were obviously much calmer than those ordinary civilians who were in a mess and at a loss when they encountered air strikes.

Although it sounds a bit dishonorable like deserters, the first batch of people who followed orders to evacuate the air raid in the air-raid shelters included almost all of Malashenko's vehicle crews after the air-raid alarm sounded.

In Malashenko's eyes, this situation cannot be called a cowardly act. After all, no matter how powerful the tanks on the ground are, they can't reach the planes in the sky. This is simply an unfair duel between the two arms.

In this situation, if you don't run away, you will be a complete fool. The truth that you can live on the green mountains and you will never worry about firewood also applies to the battlefield.

As a battalion commander, Malashenko was unwilling to see his troops being wasted in the air raid. The arduous ground battle in Leningrad had not officially begun for Malashenko.

After repeated efforts, the time had passed from the dawn when Malashenko just arrived at the dock to the cloudless sky in the east when the sun rose.

Malashenko, who was unsure whether the German army would continue to launch a second wave of air raids to expand the results of the battle, knew that time was running out. After counting the number of people, he immediately commanded the troops to rescue the tanks and equipment that had just been unloaded from the ship and were still parked at the dock before the air raid.

Although it was almost self-evident how many equipment could survive the devastating air raid just now, Malashenko, who knew that every tank was extremely precious in the difficult situation of being surrounded on three sides, was unwilling to give up. Even if he could only rescue one tank, it was meaningful to Malashenko.

Malashenko, who was covered in dust and debris, led his troops to personally clean up and search the ruins of the equipment unloading point in his memory like a scavenger.

Hard work pays off, and a shout of surprise instantly echoed in Malashenko's ears just a few minutes later.