Koch was indeed eager for revenge. When Paul, who was still flying, reported his success, a military meeting was immediately convened!
He called all the pilots under his command to the headquarters and announced such a major decision in public: "Gentlemen, our reconnaissance plane has discovered a major target, which is the sulfur mine! Our second reconnaissance has been successful.
, this investigation is a supplement to the last investigation! We must take action before the enemy is prepared, so everyone goes back to prepare immediately, everyone's vacations are cancelled, and the airport enters level one combat readiness."
This was clearly an order issued before the war, and everyone couldn't help but murmur.
Koch naturally understood what his subordinates were worried about, so he continued: "Gentlemen, I will immediately apply to my superiors, and my superiors will definitely authorize our actions! Because there is no reason to delay!"
The entire engine room became busy, and the Stukas originally placed in the hangar were quickly pulled out by tractors.
So when Paul landed, he saw such an amazing scene, that is, planes gathered on both sides of the airport runway. This scene looked like the entire brigade was about to launch a large-scale air raid.
"Hey! I really guessed it. It seems that the captain can't wait to take revenge!"
…
Paul landed safely, and the accompanying photographer also handed over all his cameras and documents. The airport does not have the ability to develop large aerial photos, and the documents will be sent to Gomel for processing. As for the photos being sent back, the fastest is two days.
after.
Of course Koch knew this time, and he really didn't want to wait any longer.
Therefore, in his report to his superiors, he had many radical words. He said that the discovery of the enemy's mines was a major attack by the aviation group. If the army could not effectively attack the Russians in the swamps, it should be carried out by the air force. He even made
Worrying gesture: "The enemy is very cunning. They will definitely hide quickly. If we cannot launch an air strike immediately, it will be difficult to achieve great results!"
The current situation of the German army in southern Belarus is really a mess. They seem to be trapped in the vast sea of People's War. General guerrillas, from day to night, care about harassment in various ways, especially the destruction of the railway system. The engineering units of each infantry division
, they have simply become railway soldiers. Their ability to build bridges and dig trenches has not improved much, but they have become masters at building railways!
The situation in the city of Gomel is also delicate. The remaining resistance organizations in the city, after the defeat of the Romanian army, hyped that the next target of the Soviet army in the swamp was Gomel.
The people oppressed by the German army want to be liberated, but the German army is sitting on pins and needles!
The most forward stronghold of the German 722nd Division is now in Loev. There is only one company of German troops there, and there are hundreds of Eastern Battalion soldiers whose loyalty is questionable. The situation in Loev has become precarious!
The German army hoped that a victory would demoralize the Russians in the swamps and maintain their own morale. It would be unwise to send large armies into the swamps in the summer, so using the air force to assist in the suppression became a very suitable method!
Therefore, when Koch briefly explained the reconnaissance report to the commander of the 722nd Division, Florid, it stands to reason that Koch did not need to explain the matter to the Army Division Commander. He really needed his colleagues who agreed with his attack. The 722nd Division had already contacted him.
Next, there was Hertzman, the commander of the 707th Division.
These two infantry divisions can be said to have a bloody hatred against the Russians in the swamps. After learning of Koch's intentions, these two resolutely became "supporters of immediate air raids."
These senior officers could not mobilize troops for combat unless they had permission from their superiors. Koch asked these two division commanders to act as lecturers and give eye drops to their army commanders. The effect was really great.
The Army responded so strongly that when Koch took the initiative to contact his superiors, the Air Force commander directly issued an action order.
It is said that because the army learned that the air force had detected a major enemy target, if it continued to delay, it would only miss the target. Now it could no longer care about detailed planning, and the bombers outside Gomel must take off quickly.
Some things were beyond Koch's expectation. Today's air force and army moved as fast as lightning. At 22:00 on the night of the 29th, the superiors issued the combat permission.
Koch no longer had to explain the need to act quickly or wait for redeveloped photos to come back.
After he ended the call, an emergency combat meeting was held immediately.
At this time, most of the pilots had not yet gone to bed. The busy day made them firmly believe that there would be combat operations within three days. How could people with strong mental excitement sleep carelessly?
Has the aviation gasoline been filled? Have the engine lubricating oil and cooling water been filled up? Are the aerial bombs that are being invested in, have they been inspected? The pilots are more enthusiastic than the ground crew. After all, for some people, the future is the first battle!
When they hurriedly stood in the captain's office at the headquarters, they already had a premonition that the battle was about to begin.
It was so late, and these young people still looked unruly. Koch was already very sure of victory.
He restrained his excitement and announced the order from his superiors...
The battle order was issued on the 29th, which greatly exceeded everyone's expectations. Fortunately, everyone was well prepared, so the battle was not particularly hasty.
Koch particularly emphasized: "These are the combat missions. You can return home after completing the mission. You don't need to stay. Paul will serve as the captain of this mission. It will be a frontline attack operation. Please follow his control!"
This was an appointment that surprised Paul, and he was not humble. "Captain, I hold such an important position? However, I am still injured! Can you choose another person?"
"I have decided that you will lead the way!"
"But……"
"No buts! You lead everyone to complete the mission. After victory, you have reason to get a medal and a huge amount of Imperial Marks! Think of your family and your wife, they will all be proud of your bravery!"
After hearing this, Paul no longer refused. His family was too far away, and as for the "wife", haha, that woman was in the hospital here.
The combat operation was scheduled for five o'clock in the morning on May 30. For the pilots participating in the combat, they had little rest time! They were ordered to go back to their dormitories to rest, and the entire airport ground staff had to work all night.
The aircraft participating in the operation are ten Stukas and ten FW190s. The former model has a load capacity of up to 1500kg, and the machine gun equipped with the latter is also a weapon for killing living targets on the ground.
After all, 500kg bombs are more suitable for bombing concrete buildings. For the discovered enemy mines and dense wooden houses around them, if a large number of small bombs can be dropped, the effect will obviously be better.
Similarly, the enemy's anti-aircraft firepower has to be watched out. The size of the bomb that is too heavy to capture is too large. If it is detonated in advance, it will be a waste.
Therefore, Koch ordered that all Stukas be equipped with six 100kg aerial bombs, and all FW190s were equipped with one 50kg bomb on each side of the wing.
On the whole, the firepower prepared by the German army for the air strike was too weak, but in Koch's view, this could already achieve significant results!