During the Battle of Crete, the German army carried out an airborne landing on the island of Crete. It was subjected to tenacious sniper attacks by the southern African army and suffered heavy losses. The German 1st Airborne Division was almost completely wiped out. From then on, the German army never dared to risk its airborne troops again.
Southern Africa was the first country in the world to establish airborne troops. Shortly after the end of World War I, Southern Africa added airborne troops. It has been more than 20 years now.
Southern Africa has accumulated rich experience in the use of airborne troops. During the Spanish Campaign and the Malay Campaign, Southern Africa used airborne troops on a large scale and achieved good results.
In southern Africa, the organization of airborne troops and army troops are the same. The main difference is that heavy artillery and heavy tanks that are not suitable for airdrops have been replaced by light artillery and armored vehicles specially developed for airborne troops, and the number has also been reduced.
In the field forces in southern Africa, an infantry division can be equipped with thousands of carrier vehicles. There are almost no airborne troops, and supplies basically rely on air drops.
Since the number of heavy weapons has shrunk greatly, light weapons have been greatly strengthened. In field troops, only sergeants are qualified to equip assault rifles. It is standard in airborne troops, and it is a carbine model with a shortened barrel, which is more convenient.
Carried and used by airborne troops.
The shortening of the gun body will affect the range and accuracy.
This does not have a big impact on the airborne troops. Their combat methods are very different from those of field troops, and they do not need to rely on heavy firepower to attack difficult positions.
In order to capture Crete as quickly as possible, Arthur chose to airborne at Pombia and Heraklion at the same time, so that the defenders on Crete could be cut off from the middle and defeated one by one more easily.
, since the defenders on the island were Italians, Arthur did not think the battle was very difficult.
At five o'clock in the morning, at dawn, fighter jets taking off from the aircraft carrier arrived at Pombia and began to seize Pombia's air supremacy.
Pombia is a station in southern Africa. The airport is well-constructed and can smoothly take off and land large bombers. It is the airport with the best conditions on Crete.
During the Battle of Crete, Pombia Airport was damaged and has not been completely repaired. There is only a small runway available for fighter jets. The Italians have about 120 fighter planes in Pombia, and anti-aircraft troops are stationed near the airport.
During the Battle of the Dodecan Islands, the Italian Air Force was still equipped with the MC.200. This type of fighter was seriously lagging behind at the time. At the end of last year, the Italian Air Force began to equip the brand new MC.202 Lightning fighter, and its performance has been greatly improved.
The Italian Air Force has a long history. It began to use the air force on a large scale during the Italian-Turkish War. However, it had serious technical problems, especially in the research and development of aero engines. It was seriously behind Southern Africa, even inferior to the Germans.
The previous generation MC.200 used a Fiat radial engine with a power of only 840 horsepower. This type of engine cannot really unleash the true strength of the MC.200.
Last year, the Italian Air Force cooperated with the Germans to replace the Fiat radial engine with the DB-601 engine, which is the same as the BF109, and redesigned the aerodynamic shape. The nose was also replaced with a streamlined engine fairing, and the wings were also equipped with
Two 20mm aviation cannons have a huge improvement in performance compared to the MC.200.
In the North African battlefield, the performance of the MC.202 is comparable to that of the main fighters currently equipped by the United Kingdom.
However, it still lags behind the Southern African "Goshawk".
In 1842, the Axis powers were still not equipped with radars and could not detect the approaching southern African fighter jets in time. When the Goshawks flew over Pompbia Airport, the Italian Air Force was almost unprepared. MC.202 was parked neatly on the runway.
On both sides, the anti-aircraft guns around the airport failed to fire in time. The "Goshawk" dived towards the airport almost without encountering any resistance. The MC.202s on both sides of the runway were destroyed in pieces before they could take off. When a general
After a 100 kilogram aerial bomb was thrown on the airport runway, the Italian Air Force completely lost its ability to resist.
The ensuing battle was easy. Airborne troops on large transport planes landed at the airport. Only then did the air defense forces around the airport finally open fire.
It was already too late to open fire at this time. Without air superiority, they could only be passively attacked. As long as the Italian anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns opened fire, they would be frantically attacked by the Southern African Air Force. Searchlights were even more dangerous, and huge lampposts were the best guides.
There were definitely losses, but they were negligible. The airborne troops jumped out of the cabin at an altitude of 1,500 meters. The process from opening the parachute to landing took less than two minutes. After landing, the battle had just begun. The Italians were not without any will to resist.
Sergeant Major Marcus from Port Elizabeth is a senior paratrooper. He jumped out of the cabin first and landed on a soft lawn. The whole process was perfect.
Paratroopers lack support for operations behind enemy lines and must carry as much combat supplies as possible. Marcus's equipment bag weighs 40 kilograms. It is tied to his legs before parachuting and must be thrown down before landing.
Assault rifles are soldiers’ best companions and must be carried with them. The first thing Marcus did after landing was to look for his backpack. He only had four magazines with him. This amount of bullets is far away from an assault rifle.
Far from enough.
At this time, the ground air defense troops were still resisting desperately. The sound of gunfire was deafening, and the bullet chains formed by tracer bullets were extremely eye-catching in the morning light. The nearest anti-aircraft machine gun was less than a hundred meters away from Marcus.
A transport plane can carry a platoon of soldiers, and the landing site is not too far away. Marcus successfully merged with the six paratroopers, and then moved towards the nearest anti-aircraft machine gun.
The Italians were shameless and placed anti-aircraft firepower in residential areas in an attempt to make southern Africa wary.
This is actually in vain. Crete is not a territory of Southern Africa. After the Battle of Crete last year, there were few people on the island. The Southern African Air Force will not be tied up because of this.
An anti-aircraft machine gun was placed on the roof of a civilian house, with Italian soldiers on alert around it. The sun had not yet come out at this time, and the surrounding environment was not too bright. The four-color camouflage of the paratroopers could be perfectly blended into the environment. On the contrary, the Italian army's khaki
The uniform was even more eye-catching in the morning light.
"Abdou, use a rocket launcher." Marcus didn't take any chances. At this distance, the rocket launcher had enough lethality against anti-aircraft machine guns.
Abdul from the Sultanate of Najd is also a veteran. He has worked for the Umbrella Company for ten years. He is proficient in any weapon and can even drive a tank. He is a rare technical talent.
Paratroopers lack heavy firepower, so the easy-to-carry rocket launcher naturally becomes the best choice for paratroopers.
The rocket launchers in Southern Africa are technologically advanced. They use aluminum alloy launch tubes with an effective range of 110 meters and a vertical armor penetration thickness of 280 mm. They can easily penetrate all heavy tanks currently in service.
Including Southern African "Tiger" tanks.
"Stab--" The sound of the rocket launcher was like a huge deflated balloon. The warhead hit the shooting anti-aircraft machine gun with a bright tail flame. The violent explosion completely destroyed the shooting anti-aircraft machine gun. Six people operated the anti-aircraft machine gun.
All Italian soldiers were killed.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-
Marcus's assault rifle opened fire violently, and an Italian soldier hiding on the street corner was instantly knocked down.
A paratrooper took out a grenade and threw it. After the violent explosion, there was a painful wail, which soon fell silent.
Marcus did not let go of the remaining Italians and led the paratroopers to continue the attack.
The Italians hid in the house and resisted.
Marcus refused to persuade him to surrender, and the rocket launcher continued to use its force. The thin walls of civilian houses were torn apart like paper in front of the rocket launcher. When a rocket passed by, half of the house collapsed, and the other half was also crumbling.
Marcus took out another grenade and threw it in, and the other half collapsed. No need to check, no one must have survived.
After successively breaking through two Italian positions, Marcus and the team he led finally encountered real resistance. They encountered an M13/40 medium tank.
The M series tanks are nominally medium tanks, but in fact, in terms of various parameters, they are light tanks at best.
Grain Beggar
Similar to Japan's idea of developing tanks, the M13/40 has a total combat weight of only 14 tons, a width of 2.2 meters, and a height of 2.4 meters. Four people can be crammed into the 14-ton tank. The main weapon is a 47mm tank gun.
There are as many as four 8mm M38MG machine guns as auxiliary weapons. This kind of tank is not prepared for tank battles at all and can only be used to support infantry.
If it were the last world war, the M13/40 would still be more or less effective.
Now faced with paratroopers equipped with rocket launchers, the M13/40 is completely tragic.
Compared with the 280 mm vertical armor penetration thickness of the rocket launcher, the M13/40 has no armor at all.
The Italians also know the weaknesses of the M13/40, so there are many infantry accompanying the tanks. It is difficult for the paratroopers to get close to the M13/40. Although the defense of the M13/40 is weak, the four eight-millimeter machine guns are used to kill infantry, but it is still very efficient.
High.
"Abdo, we are attracting the Italian firepower from the front, you go around from the side." Marcus did not fight hard. Nearly thirty paratroopers had gathered around him.
Dong dong dong dong——
The roar of the general machine gun is still heartbreaking.
However, as soon as the machine gun was fired, the machine gunner fled in panic with his gun.
Although the power of the 47mm gun is weak, it is still very effective against light infantry.
boom--
The machine gunner moved in time. Just as he escaped, the shooting position was hit by a shell.
The Italian gunners were not professional enough and used armor-piercing shells. The shells passed directly through the wall and the wall collapsed.
There were still cries and screams, this time from women.
Tata-ta-
Marcus hid behind a big tree and shot at the tank. The bullets in the magazine were transferred before they were all empty.
More bullets hit, sawdust flew everywhere, and the tree trunk surrounded by a man was directly broken. Marcus could hear the sound of bullets flying past his ears.
For many people, the battlefield is indeed too exciting.
When Marcus was driven away by the tank gun, Abdul, who was carrying a rocket launcher, was performing a roundabout mission with four other paratroopers.
The range of the rocket launcher is 110 meters. The Italians are very cunning. The tank is located in an open area with no shelter around it, but there is a small river not far away.
While a paratrooper was secretly observing, the helmet on his head was suddenly knocked off.
This is so scary, the Italians also have precision shooters.
"You stay here, I will swim across the river -" Abdul took off his backpack, carrying only the assault rifle except for the rocket launcher.
"Be careful -" Sergeant Mahdi, also from the Sultanate of Najd, reminded, and then four paratroopers fired at the tank to cover Abdul's actions.
Abdul's movements were very fast, and his body was as flexible as a cat. He suddenly jumped out from behind the bunker and rushed towards the river.
The Italians were well prepared and immediately fired machine guns at them.
Although Abdul was fast, he was still hit by a bullet by the river. Mahdi could clearly see blood spurting out of Abdul's chest and abdomen, only one step away from the river.
Abdul must have been seriously injured, but he persisted and rolled into the creek, where his assault rifle fell on the bank.
"Grenade launcher, where is the grenade launcher-" Mahdi wished he had a mortar at this moment, so that he would not be unable to fight back.
Considering the instability of the fuel tank, the paratroopers are not equipped with flamethrowers, but they still have grenade launchers.
The southern African army is fielding grenade launchers that can be hung on individual weapons, but it will take time for them to become widespread.
The phobia of insufficient firepower in southern Africa has reached an advanced stage, and the pursuit of firepower will never end.
The pressure on logistics will definitely increase. In the past, it was enough for a soldier to carry 200 rounds of ammunition, which was enough for a week. Now, 400 rounds are not enough. The individual load of a soldier is already very high. If it continues
Add grenades, and you're really using people as mules.
Paratroopers are still equipped with the "Super Revolver", a super weapon that has been in service since the last world war and is being replaced by new grenade launchers.
The "Super Revolver" was easy to use and fired very quickly. Six grenades flew over and the Italian soldiers who built a defensive position around the tank also suffered heavy casualties.
War is so cruel, you will do anything to kill your opponent, it just depends on who can't hold on first.
"Call the fleet or air force for assistance, we need naval guns or bombs -" Mahdi shouted at the top of his lungs. A shell exploded not far from him, and his hearing was affected to some extent.
"This is unrealistic. The power of naval guns is too great -" Marcus was also shouting. The positions of the paratroopers and the Italians were intertwined. If the naval guns bombarded them, the probability of causing accidental damage would be too high.
From this point of view, a landing battle like the one in Kuala Lumpur is most in line with the actual situation in southern Africa.
Why send paratroopers to risk a problem that can be solved with artillery shells and bombs?
This is all experience, Arthur still needs to practice.
To Marcus and Mahdi's surprise, Abdul was not dead yet. He climbed ashore not far from the tank and fired the only rocket aimed at the tank.
1.8 kilograms of high-performance explosives tore the M13/40 tank from the inside. The M13/40 turret was blown up about three meters high. The ammunition in the tank exploded like a huge and gorgeous firework.
"Charge, kill them!" Marcus roared and jumped out of the bunker. The Italians on the opposite side were already in a mess, and the tank collapsed completely when it exploded.
