Chapter 3054: Prepare for Attack

The old nest that once belonged to Morishima Heinei now belongs to Malashenko. Malashenko, who said he would spend the night in the county town, never broke his promise. After cleaning up the remaining militarist garbage, he moved in that night.

Sleeping in the old nest that belonged to the devils not long ago, he woke up early the next morning and saw the red flag floating on the gate outside the window. Malashenko, who felt refreshed, was more confident about the big things he was going to do today.

"It looks like you slept well?"

"Well, it's okay. It's much easier to beat these Japanese devils than to beat the Germans."

Malashenko said this from his heart, and it was not a case of underestimating the enemy.

The Kwantung Army, which was "shocked by the huge Soviet Red Army" on the first day of the war, did not make any movement all night yesterday.

There was no rash air strikes or artillery harassment.

There was no trouble all night. The Kwantung Army, which had suffered a great loss, did not even dare to retaliate. This made Malashenko, who thought the Kwantung Army still had some work, a little disappointed.

"Okay, since the Kwantung Army won't look for us, then we'll go visit them. How many troops have they assembled now?"

The large and luxuriously organized leader army continued to cross the river for a day and a night, but so far it has not completed all the operations.

In addition to combat troops and combat equipment, a large amount of supplies, fuel and ammunition required for today's attack, as well as some artillery units responsible for forward artillery support tasks, are also rushing to cross the river without delay.

When the political commissar heard Malashenko ask about this, he sorted out all the required information in written form, then raised his hand and handed the folder on the table in front of him to Malashenko and spoke.

"According to the plan for crossing the river, the Kurbalov Division will be the first priority to cross the river."

"So far, Kurbalov's troops have completed most of the crossing tasks. 80% of the combat troops and attached equipment have crossed the river and are gathering at the designated attack departure area."

"But the problem lies in supply. We have 80% of the combat strength of the Kurbalov Division, but only 30% of the logistical supplies to support combat operations."

"It can only support today at most. As for how much logistical supplies will be in the account tomorrow, it is still unknown."

The leader's army is not a force without weaknesses. The most fatal of all known weaknesses is the huge demand for logistical supplies.

There is a most direct example, which is about tanks.

How much logistical support is needed to support a heavy tank to carry out reliable and sustained operations?

The answer is that fuel transportation requires a truck, ammunition transportation requires another truck, and finally, the maintenance and replacement of parts requires at least one freight truck, and a field maintenance vehicle with heavy-duty lifting function must be added.

Not counting the combat organization of the crew members in the heavy tank, only in terms of logistics support. To support a heavy tank for reliable and sustained combat, at least 5 functional vehicles with different functions are needed, which is the most basic hardware foundation.

This does not even include the required supporting logistics support manpower organization. After the manpower is equipped, at least half a platoon must be taken out to serve this heavy tank.

Two-legged infantry only need to provide food when hungry, treatment when injured, and burial when dead, but tanks cannot.

This kind of hard-to-serve big steel behemoth is a black hole-like swallowing of logistics support capabilities. This is why the leader's army rushed and spent a day and a night to gather 30% of the standard combat supply base of a heavy synthetic division.

Even if all of this 30% is used to support 80% of the existing combat strength, it will only take one day to burn you out.

"Fight, even if you only have 30%, fight first and talk about it later. We have all fought battles with empty stomachs. At that time, not to mention equipment supplies, there was no food for people, so we should fight as usual."

"Do you dare not fight the Japanese today because I have 30% supplies? What are these bow-legged people? Fight! Use all the troops that have arrived, and you can snatch fuel and food from the Japanese devils. Let's see how long these Japanese devils can last!"

That is, Malashenko had just finished speaking, and the political commissar who knew that Malashenko would definitely do this was about to say something, but he saw that the communication staff on the side had already come with a freshly produced telegram.

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Political Commissar, a call from the front headquarters."

Reaching out to take the telegram and looking at it, Malashenko's mouth showed a smile as if he had found a treasure, and he handed the telegram to the political commissar.

"It's true that someone will bring you a pillow when you are sleepy. These Japanese devils are very considerate. It just saves me from going to their doorstep."

The content of the telegram is very simple - the Kwantung Army is mobilizing a large number of reinforcements and rushing towards the direction of the leader's army.

But it is not intended to launch a large-scale attack. Aerial reconnaissance shows that the reinforcements dispatched by the Kwantung Army are strengthening its field defense line blocking the attack route of Malashenko.

Knowing that mobile warfare is impossible to be the opponent of the Red Army, the Kwantung Army, which thinks it is good at positional warfare, has already requisitioned a large number of laborers to build numerous field defense lines and various fixed positions before the Red Army's southward attack.

Because there is enough time, the Kwantung Army even built a lot of semi-permanent defense fortifications at important sections, support points, and key nodes of these defense lines.

The intention is obvious. The Kwantung Army hopes to use these things to resist the offensive of the Red Army, consume the offensive energy of the Red Army, and drag the Red Army down.

Rounding off, as long as the Red Army has exhausted its offensive energy and cannot win, then isn’t this the victory of our Kwantung Army?

I can only say that the idea is good and the logic is self-consistent.

But the premise is that the combat strength of both sides must be at the same level, without a generation gap.

Whether the Kwantung Army is aware of this or not, Malashenko doesn’t know and doesn’t care.

But seeing that the Kwantung Army can actually send reinforcements to support the defense line so actively, they are afraid that the number of heads in the Leader Army’s account is not enough, so they quickly increase the density of troops and send more heads before the Leader Army comes.

Comrade Lao Ma is very happy and even wants to thank the Kwantung Army.

Similar performance art has been done by the Germans before, and the battle of Zelo Heights is a good example.

But what happened to the Germans on Zelo Heights in the end is also very clear. Under the violent offensive of the leader division, the Japanese occupied an absolutely advantageous terrain, but they died in less than three days, announcing that Berlin was completely open.

Today's Japanese do not have the advantageous terrain that the Germans had in the past, nor do they have the weapons and equipment in the hands of the Germans that are at least the same generation as the Red Army.

Even the leader division that beat the Germans in the past has now transformed into a leader army.

It is almost predictable what the result will be, but even so, Malashenko is still full of expectations for the predictable result.

"Prepare for the attack. Three divisions are placed on a line of defense. The Kwantung Army is willing to invest. It would be a shame not to give them some ruthless medicine. Tell Kurbalov to fight with all his strength. I want to know how many Japanese devils he can kill in a day."

"Yes, Comrade Commander."

After Kurbalov, who was in the field division headquarters, which was even more forward than Malashenko's position, received the telegram from Comrade Commander saying "I want to see how much you can kill".

Knowing what he should do, Kurbalov immediately took action and mobilized the combat forces in his hands that were comparable to the previous leader division level.

The first to bear the brunt were those who had entered the firing position, holding up the thick and huge gun barrels, pointing obliquely at the sky, and aiming the trajectory of the projected destructive force at the ISU-203 self-propelled artillery of the distant Japanese army, as well as other self-propelled artillery clusters of slightly smaller power.

Because of the further penetration into the depth of the Japanese occupied area, the leader army field artillery cluster that placed the firing position on the riverside had a range that was not enough to completely cover the Japanese targets farther away.

Therefore, during the one-day and one-night crossing operation yesterday, a considerable part of the transportation capacity was transferred to these artillery units under Kurbalov.

Tanks are the king of land warfare, but artillery is the god of war.

Even in the modern war of the 21st century, "huge amount of rubbing artillery" is still what the world's top power army is doing with all its strength.

Not to mention that at the moment, the divisional artillery in Kurbalov's hands and the army artillery under the command of Malashenko are enough to let those Japanese who squat in the pit and make manure know what the fuck is called "Little Slavic Shock".

"The artillery preparation is ready, but the ground attack aviation unit is on the way. How should we allocate the firepower preparation? Comrade division commander."

"Hmm"

Take the telegram sent by the rear aviation field airport handed over by the chief of staff.

Now even without Malashenko, Kurbalov, who can command independently, hesitated for a moment and blurted out the order.

"The artillery will quickly screen the first line of the Japanese army's position, and then quickly extend the artillery fire backwards to bombard the depth of the Japanese army's defense line."

"The air force's air raid targets are fixed, and any front-line targets of the Japanese army's position are their key targets. Leave these bombing targets to them, ensure that the firepower is not wasted, and let our artillery concentrate on attacking the depth."

"Yes, comrade division commander."

With Kulbarov's order, a feast of destruction immediately began.

Boom boom boom boom--

The artillery cluster, which has been busy all night, has finally come to the time to test the results of its labor.

The overwhelming heavy artillery shells rose from the ground in an instant, accompanied by a barrage of rocket shells with flames soaring into the sky, and rushed towards the Japanese army's defense line with a piercing and shrill scream.

"Xiaoshan, I dreamed of my mother last night. She left me my favorite fish rice balls. I can't wait to eat them."

Fish rice balls may not be available, but Soviet-made heavy artillery shells are plenty.

Woo-woo--

"What's that sound!?"

"Artillery fire! Russian artillery fire! Hide quickly, hide!!!"

Boom--

The Japanese soldiers who were sitting on the battlefield and having breakfast were greeted by the Soviet Red Army's meal greetings. A row of heavy artillery shells that were fired in a row exploded continuously.

The huge flames of death bloomed continuously on the battlefield, blooming like flowers. With only one powerful 203mm grenade falling, the Japanese soldiers who started in the double digits would instantly evaporate on the spot and be directly written off.

There is no way. In terms of the power of field artillery, the power of 203mm is really terrifying.

Even the guns with a caliber of more than 100 mm in their own artillery were "rare treasures". The Japanese who had never seen such a scene were bombarded in an instant, and it felt like the end of the world was coming.

The Morishima Kuronei Brigade had tasted the power of the Red Army artillery and knew how powerful it was.

However, the "glorious tradition" of the army's idiots between superiors and subordinates, reporting good news but not bad news, led to Morishima Kuronei, who only mentioned "requesting urgent tactical guidance" in the telegram, without mentioning how fierce the Russian artillery bombardment he encountered.

Now Morishima Kuronei and all his minions and consumables have mostly turned into soil fertilizer to nourish the earth.

The Kwantung Army in front of them, who had no way of knowing the subsequent battle report, still had no idea what kind of destructive artillery power the leader army had, at least before the first shell fell.

But now it is different. After all, now we can experience the earth-shaking and deafening shock with our own bodies.

The Japanese soldiers fleeing on the battlefield were killed in large numbers. Those who were closer to the bunkers, had sharper ears, and were faster in their legs and feet rushed into the nearest anti-artillery bunkers to hide on the spot.

But most of these were anti-artillery bunkers of civil engineering, which were still okay in the face of artillery bombardment of less than 100 mm caliber.

In the face of artillery coverage of 132 mm Katyusha rockets, not to mention the horrifying thing like 203 guns that killed a lot of people with one smash.

The anti-artillery bunkers that the Japanese relied on, which they thought could save their lives, were nothing more than slag that was blown up into the sky along with wood, flesh and blood and dust.

"Comrade division commander, the artillery fire has begun to extend to the rear of the Japanese defense line, and the aviation unit has already been scheduled according to the predetermined plan--"

Buzz-buzz--

Before the chief of staff finished speaking, the roar of engines from the sky far behind him was heard.

The Tu-2S tactical bomber group flying in horizontal formation has entered the field. Within the visual range of Kurbalov, it flew straight towards the direction of the Japanese position with black iron bombs.

From dawn to now, the battlefield airspace where not even a single Japanese aircraft has been seen is particularly clear.

In the high-intensity and large-scale air raid yesterday, most of the Kwantung Army Aviation were killed on the airport runway. Now they are simply unable to intercept such a large-scale bomber formation in the air.

Even if fighters were sent in groups of three or two, they would only be there to deliver food. There was no need for the Red Army's fighters to escort them. The dense formation of bombers' omnidirectional self-defense barrage firepower alone was enough to tear apart the Japanese's thin-skinned, large-filled, and easily ignited flying lighters.

"The Japanese positions are now smoking, which is enough to provide air strike instructions."

"Order all attacking forces to prepare to set off, and start the attack as soon as the air strike ends! Extend the artillery fire to continue to suppress the depth of the Japanese defense line and cut off the enemy's reinforcement route!"

Along with Kulbarov's order, there was also the roar of the engines on the starting position of the attack.

The fate of the Japanese troops on the opposite side, who were still bathing in death and destruction, was actually doomed at this time.