The German troops advancing towards Northern Donetsk also suspended their offensive after nightfall. The German troops certainly knew the importance of fighter planes, and they also knew that their current position was delicate.
This force was like a spear, piercing the soft lower belly of the Soviet army. Of course, if they knew that the city not far away was the command center of the Soviet front army, they would still attack it fiercely even if they put all their energy into it.
For a moment. The German soldiers were really tired. Their several days of onslaught had achieved great success, and the joy of victory could not dispel their fatigue. Facing the increasingly tenacious resistance of the Soviet army, they had to take advantage of the night to digest what they had already achieved.
The results of the battle, as well as a numb sleep under the dazzling night sky created by rumbling artillery fire and countless tracer bullets.
It was under this situation that tens of thousands of Soviet mobilization troops began to be continuously replenished into the front-line troops that had suffered heavy losses in personnel.
Above the airport, eight planes lined up and took off one after another, flying towards their respective targets.
At present, Timoshenko can only confirm one fact, that is, the Soviet troops trapped in the encirclement are still resisting resolutely. Communication has been temporarily interrupted. They should not sit still and wait for death. They will definitely actively seek to break out. Therefore, support
Their three Li-2 transport planes were not only used for airdrops, but also had another purpose, which was to serve as reconnaissance aircraft to determine the detailed location of the besieged troops.
This is a very dangerous job, and it is perfect for the relatively rough and thick-skinned Li-2 transport aircraft to perform it.
For Ivanov, what awaits him is not as simple as crossing enemy-occupied territory. What awaits him will be a brand new war career!
The cabins of the five TB3 bombers were filled with cargo, and the sides of the landing gear were also covered with huge linen bags. Each plane reached its take-off limit, and the five-ton load once made him worry that the plane might not be able to pull up.
Fortunately, after gliding for one kilometer, they finally slowly lifted off the ground.
"Attention all crews, fly according to the planned heading and climb to an altitude of 5,000 meters as fast as possible." Ivanov ordered.
He knew very well that in the current state, the aircraft climbed very slowly, and the cabin was almost full of ammunition. If a German anti-aircraft shell, even a few machine gun rounds, hit the cabin, it would be almost impossible to explode.
definitely.
Ivanov prayed silently, because they were flying over the position that the German army had just built.
The roar of the Soviet aircraft aroused the alert of the German army. These were elite soldiers of the German Sixth Army, and the ground officers knew that there was no air force activity that night.
So, the sudden roar could only be a Soviet aircraft!
When the German army was preparing for Operation Friedkus, it prepared some anti-aircraft artillery. The German Air Force had the strength and confidence to defeat the Soviet Air Force, but the battle situation was as the Air Force expected. The air superiority was basically occupied by the German army. This does not mean that the German air defense
Weapons would have no use, such as multi-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns mounted on half-track armored vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, and even the multifunctional 88-meter cannon, which were all used to bombard Soviet positions.
So when the suspected Soviet air force suddenly appeared, exploratory anti-aircraft fire was poured in the direction of the sound.
A series of "lasers" flew past Ivanov's plane. He tried his best to remain calm, picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted: "All crews, don't panic, climb steadily."
Having said that, who is not panicking?
Soon, complaints from his comrades came through his earphones: "We are overweight! The climb is slow and we will be hit sooner or later."
Ivanov simply shouted: "Keep climbing, we don't want to be shot down, we must climb!" In his expectation, the German anti-aircraft firepower should not exist. He was anxious and prayed that nothing would happen.
Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light in the night sky, followed by a huge roar.
Ivanov's lead plane was in severe sway, but fortunately he was wearing a seat belt.
"Hey! What's going on?! Are we being hit?!"
"No! Comrade Major! It's our wingman! He was... shot down!" a flight attendant shouted.
"Damn it!" Ivanov slapped his thigh. He was heartbroken at the moment, but at the same time he was happy that he survived. "What aircraft number was the accident?"
"It's No. 3! Those brothers are so unlucky!"
"What is loaded on Unit 3?"
"It's rifle bullets!"
A German truck-mounted twin 37mm anti-aircraft gun was once used to straf Soviet infantry positions. It was this one now. A string of shells hit the wide wings of TB3. The shrapnel entered the fuel tank and quickly caused a deflagration. In an instant, the aircraft turned into ashes.
A ball of fire fell towards the German position...
Ivanov finally saw clearly that the plane turned into a flame on the ground.
He continued to order: "Don't be nervous, everyone, we will continue to raise the altitude at a constant speed. The crews should not be impulsive, otherwise they will fall if they stall! Soon, we will be out of the enemy's anti-aircraft fire range!"
Four TB3 bombers escaped from danger. They finally flew to an altitude of 5,000 meters. At this altitude, they are immune to the attacks of most anti-aircraft guns. Furthermore, this route is relatively safe after all. The four aircraft are in a diamond formation.
Flying high, they flew over Kharkov, passed Sumy, and flew towards the general direction of Kiev.
Those Li-2 transport planes were not so lucky. After the few ammunition was dropped, they began to perform battlefield reconnaissance missions.
The besieged Soviet troops are currently in a very difficult situation. Their commander, the Soviet Army Major General, died on May 30. They must launch a breakout, and where to break through, the 6th and 57th Group Armies are divided.
The commanders of these two armies died in the battle. It can be said that the besieged Soviet army fell into a leaderless dilemma. Each division almost fought independently. As the German army compressed the encirclement, the divisions began to cooperate.
The airdrop from our own transport aircraft was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the besieged troops, and their almost collapsed morale recovered a little bit.
These Li-2 transport planes also successfully observed part of the entire battlefield situation. At an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, the crew braved anti-aircraft fire and reported the German army's dynamics to the headquarters via radio.
At this moment, Timoshenko and the entire front army command had already begun to move. He even got the news on the jeep.
And the last news he got was "communication interruption", which meant that all three transport planes had crashed.
"It's too bad! They are all heroes!" Timoshenko, who was sitting in the jeep, sighed. He said to Tupikov beside him: "Now we can finally confirm that the remnants of the 6th and 57th Group Armies are
Starting to break through to the south, they are likely to tear apart the German blockade and meet up with the Southern Front."
"I hope so! I hope so! We are already unable to protect ourselves. If they can break out to the east, it will reduce our defensive pressure."
"Our pressure is too great! Now the sun rises, the German army's onslaught will begin again!"
"Yes!" Tupikov sighed: "This is the second time I have retreated. What a shame. The front army headquarters withdrew to Lugansk, and Severodonesk was handed over to deputy commander Kostenko.
I hope he will be fine."
"Of course!" Timoshenko puffed up his chest: "We are all soldiers determined to die! The same is true for Kostenko. He voluntarily stayed in Severodonesk. He vowed to live and die with the city!"