The commander of the Third Army of the Finnish Defense Forces, Silavos, was looking at the simulated sand table in front of him with a frown. Silavos was also the top commander of Karelia and was responsible for the defense of the Mannerheim Line. The Finnish Defense Forces
The reason why we were able to achieve a major victory in the first stage of defensive operations was inseparable from Silavos' superb command.
However, even after winning the stage victory, Silavos could not see a trace of smile on his face.
Nothing else, it’s really because the strength gap between the Finnish Defense Forces and the Soviet Army is too huge. The Finnish Defense Forces only have a total of 200,000 people, while the Soviet Union’s Northwest Front alone has 500,000 people!
The gap in technical equipment is even greater. The number of artillery is not bad, more than 400 versus more than 1,000. The gap is not very big. However, the gap between the number of combat aircraft and the number of tanks is very wide. The number of combat aircraft is less than 200.
There were nearly two battles against each other, not to mention tanks. The Soviet Northwest Front had more than 800 tanks, while the Finnish Army had almost zero!
The gap in strength is just that. No matter how big the gap is, Silavos still has the confidence to fight. After all, the Finnish Defense Forces are engaged in main battle operations and occupy terrain advantages. The problem is that the gap in national power between Finland and the Soviet Union is even greater. It is reflected on the battlefield. The Soviet Union
The Red Army had just suffered a huge loss, but was able to replenish it in a short time. But what about Finland?
Thinking of this, Silavos couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He just asked the headquarters to add twenty anti-tank guns but couldn't get them. Is twenty anti-tank guns a lot? Not much.
It's really not much! But even such a weak request cannot be met, so the pressure on Silavos is really great.
There is even worse news: the Soviet Red Army opposite has changed its commander.
Facts have proven that the former Soviet commander Meretskov was a fool with dull thinking and rigid command. However, Timoshenko, who succeeded Meretskov, was one of the three great military gods of the Soviet Red Army, a man similar to Voroshi.
Love is a ruthless character as famous as Budyonny, and he is a battlefield veteran who emerged from the October Revolution.
It is completely conceivable that the next war will be even more difficult.
But it's not without good news. The national defense forces in neighboring Sweden are already mobilizing.
It is said that more than one brigade of Swedish Defense Forces officers and soldiers have taken off their military uniforms and are about to enter Finland as volunteers. The officers and soldiers of the Swedish Defense Forces are similar to the Finnish Defense Forces. They are basically ski masters. If we can get this brigade of Swedish volunteers to join
, the Finnish army can take a breather.
While Silavos was meditating on the simulated sand table, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
When he looked back, it was his adjutant Dabio. Dabio stood at attention and saluted, and said: "Your Excellency, the forward observation post reported that the Soviet Red Army has just dispatched more than fifty bombers and is heading towards Viborg. It looks like
They want to carry out a carpet bombing of us in Vyborg again, these damn Eastern Slavs."
Silavos frowned and asked in a deep voice: "Are there any fighter escorts?"
"I didn't say it." Dabio was stunned for a moment and then said, "But it should be no."
"There shouldn't be?" Silavos glared at Dabio and said, "Go and check immediately!"
Dabio responded with a yes and left dejectedly. After about five or six minutes, Dabio returned to the war room excitedly and reported to Silavos: "Your Excellency, General, it has been verified.
No fighter escort!”
"Stupid Slavs never learn their lessons!" Silavos's eyes immediately flashed with murderous intent, and he ordered Dabio, "Order the aviation regiment to immediately send a fighter squadron to intercept and tell Leland,
Not a single Soviet bomber is allowed to fly back intact!"
Dabio agreed and went.
In less than fifteen minutes, a squadron of more than twenty fighter jets, under the command of flight leader Leland, took off from several military airports at the same time. The Finnish Air Force was equipped with the main fighter jets of the Royal Air Force.
The Hurricane was considered an advanced fighter at the time, at least much more advanced than the Il-Fifteen.
Although the Il-16 fighter is not worse than the Hurricane fighter in terms of performance, it is not easy to operate, so its overall performance is still inferior to the Hurricane fighter. In addition, the pilots of the Finnish Air Force often participate in exchanges with old European air forces such as Britain, France, and the Netherlands.
With more activities and flying experience, it was possible to achieve an overwhelming victory in previous defensive operations.
Therefore, Leland seemed confident about this interception operation. Although the bombers of the Soviet Air Force were equipped with varying numbers of heavy machine guns, the bombers appeared clumsy in the air due to their large fuselage and heavy weight.
, the more agile fighter jets are like living targets.
After more than twenty Hurricane fighter jets took off one after another, they formed more than ten two-plane formations in the air.
Leyland made a forward gesture to his wingman through the glass porthole, and then took the lead in flying forward. Following the long fuselage driven by Leyland, the wingman and more than ten other two-plane formations followed suit.
A huge fleet of aircraft was formed, just like a swarm of passing locusts, roaring eastward from the sky above Vyborg.
…
Almost at the same time, east of Lake Lagado.
A larger fleet consisting of more than a hundred Ilyushin 15 and Ilyushin 16 fighter jets was flying over the city of Volkhov from south to north. I saw such a spectacular fleet.
After passing by, the citizens of Volkhov ran to the street in unison, waving their hats desperately to pay tribute to the pilots in the sky.
Upon seeing this, the Soviet pilots in the air turned their fighter jets sideways, and then waved to the citizens on the ground through the portholes. From this casual detail, it can be seen that the Soviet Red Army is still very popular with the people.
In fact, the Soviet Red Army, like the Chinese People's Liberation Army, is also a people's army with fine traditions. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union finally produced an obscure Gorbachev, who listened to the Western deception and nationalized the army.
Then the extremely powerful Soviet Union collapsed overnight.
But in this era, the vitality of the Soviet Red Army still exists.
Xu Rui did not look at the Volkhov citizens on the ground. His attention was entirely on the huge fleet of aircraft behind him.
Turning his head, looking at the IL fighter jets that were all over the airspace behind him like passing locusts, Xu Rui felt a little emotional in his heart. If there were no big changes in history, in the era of propeller fighter jets, China would never have such a fleet. Even now,
In the era of jet fighters, China will also lag behind for a long time.
It will not be until the 100s of the 21st century that China will finally catch up.
Xu Rui really wants to change history with his own power, but he also knows very well that personal power is too small. It is completely wishful thinking to help China build a powerful air force in a short period of time, because it will never be achieved by relying on it.
What the Japanese can do by stealing a few planes requires a strong industrial base.
Without the aviation industry, establishing an air force is sheer nonsense!
The only thing Xu Rui can do now is to rely on the Type 95 and Type 96 fighter jets stolen from the Japanese, and then bring a group of pilots back from the Soviet Union to establish a pocket-sized air force. Even so, he must be careful
use, because there is no place to replace these aircraft if they are lost.
As his thoughts were racing, the Il-Sixteen fighter piloted by Xu Rui had already flown over the city of Volkhov and arrived over Lake Lagado. Looking down from the porthole, he saw a vast expanse of land below.
Snowfield, Lake Lagado in winter has formed a thick layer of ice and is covered with snow, so it looks like a plain.
After flying about ten kilometers further north, Xu Rui pushed the control stick slightly to the left. The Il-16 fighter jet immediately turned slightly to the left, drew an arc in the air, and changed its course.
When the lead plane turned, more than twenty four-plane formations and more than a hundred fighter jets that followed also turned.
…
Over the Karelian Isthmus, the Hurricane fighter group led by Commander Leland continued eastward.
During the flight, Leyland looked down through the porthole. All he could see were patches of forest and snowfields. Occasionally, he would see thick smoke rising from the forest. Every time he encountered thick smoke, without exception, they were all three strands.
!This is the infantry on the ground pointing the course to the fighter group in the sky, and telling them that there is nothing abnormal ahead.
In this era, large-scale early warning radars were still high-tech. Even Japan was unable to use them on a large scale, and small countries like Finland were even less capable. Therefore, early warning radars were not installed in the Karelian Isthmus, but this did not stop the clever Finns.
, they still figured out a way to guide and give early warning through ground infantry.
The first step is to discover and determine the position of the Soviet Air Force through skirmishers everywhere.
In the second step, the Skirmishers report to the headquarters, and then the headquarters issues instructions to the beacon towers everywhere. The beacon towers are responsible for lighting the smoke. Three piles of smoke form an acute-angled triangle. The direction pointed by the acute angle is the direction of travel. The situation is as follows:
If it changes, an inverted acute-angled triangle will be formed, which means retreat immediately.
The Finnish Air Force performed so well in the first phase of the Finnish-Soviet War, and its guidance on the ground was also indispensable.
Therefore, when he saw three piles of wolf smoke rising from the forest and snowfield, forming an acute-angled triangle pointing forward, Leyland's lips curled up into a smile. There was nothing unusual in front of him, and no Soviet fighter jets suddenly sprang out from any direction.
, the more than fifty bombers that departed from the west of Leningrad did not withdraw.
And judging from time, the distance between the two parties should not be far.
As soon as Leland pulled the control stick, his plane immediately climbed upwards. Seeing the lead plane climbing, the more than 20 Hurricane fighter jets that followed also climbed up.