July 20th must be an important day for the Soviet army.
In the early morning of July 19, the urban area of Lechica was bombed. The entire German Air Force's Koch Air Group took off from the airport outside Gomel and launched a large-scale air raid on the city.
Because Lechica had been completely lost, the defenders in the city either died in battle or fled. The 707th Division headquarters and its division commander Herzman, located in the city, had already fled to Svetlogorsk at noon on the 19th and headed towards
High-level German troops reported more detailed information about the fall of Lechica.
Lechica was to be recaptured. German Army Group Commander Wagner first dispatched the air force to retaliate against the Soviet army with a wave of fierce air strikes.
Almost all senior German officers believed that the Russians who invaded the city would seize the opportunity to snatch daily necessities. After all, they came from the swamp, where there was an extreme shortage of daily necessities. Perhaps, they were able to maintain a strong combat effectiveness because of their ability to fight against the enemy.
There is a strong desire for supplies, just like the Mongolian army hundreds of years ago.
Yes, the ancient Huns and Mongols, didn’t the source of their strong fighting power come from their thirst for living materials?
However, the German officers took it too much for granted!
The Soviet army that occupied the city of Lechica did sweep the battlefield immediately and conducted a large-scale search of the city. The Soviet army actually controlled a front of eight kilometers from north to south. Therefore, it was impossible for all the troops to be crowded after victory.
in the city.
The Soviet army had to ensure that it had no worries and launched an offensive defense. Therefore, the Soviet army bombed the railway bridge and sent a paratrooper brigade to pretend to attack Gomel. Until the Soviet army encountered an air attack, it still took absolute initiative on the battlefield.
When the air raid occurred, there were only two regiments of garrison troops in the city of Lechica. Together with the captured "militia", they searched for available supplies in the city.
Lavrenti, the Soviet frontline commander and Yang Mingzhi's close comrade-in-arms, made the decision to take away all available supplies and try to pull them back to the swamp.
Soldiers are most happy to be loyal to the items they search for, which is suitable clothing. Although it is the warmest season in Belarus, the climate changes are also sudden, and the first snow is likely to fall in mid-September. Lavrenti cannot forget last year's "Operation Shuba"
”, for the purpose of “Shuba” spending the winter this year, it’s perfect to take the opportunity to collect now.
The air raid took place in the evening.
The German air force arrived without any warning. An overwhelming number of planes flew over the city, and the soldiers in the city immediately fled.
Perhaps there are only a few enemy planes, and soldiers can bravely shoot in the air. There are too many enemy planes. Instead of shooting, it is better to get into a solid building to save your life!
Because this German aviation brigade has consumed a large amount of heavy bombs, this air strike mainly used 100kg and 50kg aerial bombs.
It is precisely because of the light weight of this type of aerial bombs that a Junkers 87 was forcibly mounted with ten of them.
Many pilots were asked not to dive bomb, including those fighter jets that temporarily served as bombers. Each squadron only had to fly to the city, drop the bombs and return home.
That's what the Germans did. They dropped their bombs and fled with little resistance.
In this air strike, the German army dropped a total of more than 200 aerial bombs. Although their power was slightly smaller, their large and intensive use was a catastrophic blow to the small city of Lechica.
The Soviet army captured the city. The intensity of the battle was not great, and a large number of buildings were still quite intact.
After the bombing in the evening, all the concrete buildings in the city were seriously damaged, including the four-story building that was used as the Soviet temporary headquarters. After being hit by three 100kg aerial bombs, only two floors were left.
.
Soviet troops were ignited in the city. Under the setting sun, the thick black smoke and the sunset in the west complemented each other. It was really a spectacular apocalyptic scene.
After encountering the air raid, the Soviet army actively launched self-rescue. They were unable to put out the fire burning in the building, so they could only search for survivors in the ruins, rescue the wounded, and take away the bodies for burial.
When night falls, the fires in Lechica are still burning. Most of the fires are wooden buildings on the outskirts of the city. When the combustibles are burned out, the fires naturally extinguish.
The fire became a beacon in the darkness. Whether it was the German defenders in Gomel or Mozyr, they all saw the red fire in the direction of Lechica. Even the "Red October Guerrilla Brigade" that was approaching Lechica
"The guerrillas also reported this situation to their superiors.
Because the Soviet command headquarters had moved to the woods south of the city, after the air raid ended, Lavrenti got up from the ground and rubbed his heart fiercely.
"If I hadn't come out of that building, I would have died."
He had no time to lament his luck. By nightfall, the Soviet casualties had been tallied.
Continuing to collect various supplies in the city are the two independent regiments of Tchaikov and Peronisky's troops, as well as the "militia".
The officers and soldiers of the two independent regiments had learned some anti-air raid techniques, so they suffered 150 casualties, and more than 30 people were missing.
The situation of those "militias" is very bad.
When the bombs fell, these people were still at a loss. Their homes were in this city and they were forced to fight by the German army. Now they have been pardoned by the Soviet army and are happily carrying ammunition, food and all kinds of clothes for the Soviet army.
More than 900 "militiamen" killed more than 300 people directly! Among the dead, some were killed directly by bombings, and many more were killed by collapsed buildings and falling rubble. More than 200 people were injured.
Regarding the German bombing and his own losses, Lavrenti sent a telegram to the headquarters in Catfish Village.
The content of the telegram he sent to the headquarters was very detailed, and he did not exaggerate or conceal the losses. It can be said that he explained everything.
Of course, the indiscriminate bombing of Lechica by the Germans really shocked the entire command.
"The Germans are crazy! Do they think they can hit us hard like this? They are so stupid!" Yevlov slapped the table. He was afraid that someone would question the importance of guarding Lechica, so he took a special stance: "No matter what
No matter what, we must stick to Lechitsa."
"Yes! Yes!" Fu Ming raised his hands: "I also stick to my attitude. After all, the city has been liberated."
"And what about Comrade Salinchkin?"
"My attitude?" Sarinchkin adjusted his small glasses, "As for whether we should stick to Lechicha, there may be people who have objections, that is, our general Belekov. It is already nine in the evening.
At this point, it was reported that our army had achieved a major victory in Catfish Village, and the German army was forced to retreat. Today is a day when the victory should be celebrated. The telegram from Lechitsa was not sent to Catfish Village, and Berekov did not know about Lechitsa yet.
We don’t need to tell him about the air raid for the time being.”
Ever since, Commissioner Stalin once again reiterated the country's policy in public.
No matter how good the principles are, they are still too boring for many Jiujiu warriors.
Yevlov asked very pragmatically: "The telegram said that the German air force is huge. I am really worried! Tomorrow morning, our army's long-range support will arrive. What should we do if those transport planes are intercepted by the German army?
?”
"Trust the motherland! After all, the 101 Long Range Aviation Regiment is also covered by a combat aviation regiment. Moreover, it is said that the fighter jets covering it are a new type of fighter jet recently developed by our country!"
Salinchkin was also a little worried when he said this, so he specifically explained about the new fighter jet.
In fact, the new fighter he calls is the La-5 fighter. It is a large-scale improved version of the Lager-3 fighter. The biggest improvement is the use of a new engine, which makes the propulsion capability stronger and the range of the auxiliary fuel tank.
It has also improved significantly.
The news about the new fighter planes has made people think a lot, and the headquarters is full of enthusiastic expectations for tomorrow's airdrop.
When the Soviet Army's offensive campaign in Kharkov failed in its entirety last month and the Southwest Front headquarters withdrew eastward, Timoshenko sent a telegram to the Guerrilla Republic, clearly stating that the Southwest Front Army was no longer capable of carrying out airdrops. For a time,
The entire guerrilla republic believes that it will be unable to receive airdrops of supplies in the foreseeable future.
However, Commander Berekov's control ability was very strong. After all the people invested in large-scale production, materials were relatively abundant. Not only did no one go hungry, but the food rations for ordinary people were also improved.
The war lasted for a whole month, and the troops suffered huge casualties, but the supplies captured were also very rich. The current food problem is not a problem at all, the most critical thing is weapons and ammunition.
To defend Lechica, the troops must be replenished with ammunition, so the mission of the 101st Long-Range Aviation Regiment, which arrived the next day, was mainly to transport ammunition.
"As far as I know, the leader of the long-range aviation regiment is the well-known Gorizodubova in our country. She is a hero of the Soviet Union and a flying hero." Salinchkin was afraid that these people were not familiar with Gorizodubova.
I know that everyone expressed strong concern for this respectable woman.
"I can't believe that she actually joined the army and became the commander of the aviation regiment?" Yevlov was very surprised.
"Am I not also a teacher?"
It was Yelentina who spoke.
Yevlov smiled awkwardly, "But your division commander is in name only. Your job is mainly political work. The command of the army is still entirely the responsibility of the commander. Even I, the deputy commander, must fully accept the commander's opinions."
"There is no way. After all, the person who can best command the war is Commander Berekov. Besides, I, a woman, serve as division commander for special reasons. After all, our army still lacks suitable senior commanders! I said
He is a high-level person, but he has to have real abilities. However, he has been able to survive countless wars, so it is reasonable for him to be promoted to an important position."
Jelentina was trying to hit Yevlov with words. In her heart, she admired Gorizodubova.
She was a woman who made the Soviet people proud, and was even regarded as a hero of the Soviet women's movement. Although she was a woman, her achievements made the entire aviation industry and the Air Force look up to her with admiration.
Yevlov said no more: "Since it is a hero personally leading the air force soldiers to perform the mission, success should be a matter of course."
Fomin nodded: "However, the German army has an airport in Gomel, and there is also a German air force there. Our army must beware of them."
"I will contact Ponomarenko personally about this matter immediately." After saying this, Salinchkin stood up urgently, "You continue the meeting, I will deal with this matter now."
…
It was already one o'clock in the morning when Gorizodubova received a phone call from Ponomarenko, the headquarters of the guerrilla movement.
This real Soviet heroine is making final preparations for her unit to take off.
The 101st Long-Range Aviation Regiment has already assembled at the airport in Tula. The loading of transport aircraft and bombers is entirely the responsibility of local ground crew. What she has to do is to assemble all her pilots and crew members.
Gorizodubova took up the post of head of the Aviation Regiment at the end of June. After taking office, she implemented the work of her predecessor - airdropping supplies to the guerrillas in the occupied areas.
Assembling the entire aviation regiment to carry out a long-distance air drop, her predecessor had never carried out such a mission. And she became the first person to carry out this amazing mission!
That is, four years ago, I and my two sisters flew a bomber, took off from Moscow, flew to the Sea of Okhotsk without stopping, and made an emergency landing in the dense forests of the Far East. That mission created a human history record. The Soviet Union
He also received the title of Hero and the Medal of Gold Star.
"Haha, this time I am going to support the Guerrilla Republic. It is said that their commander, Lieutenant General Berekov, is not only Chinese, but also a hero of the Soviet Union!"
It can be said that heroes cherish heroes. She even came up with the idea of meeting the legendary Belekov in person. However, her mission was just to fly to Lechica and drop a large amount of supplies to ensure the tens of thousands of guerrillas.
Warriors can firmly defend this newly liberated city.
Ponomarenko's call came very suddenly, and she couldn't help but feel a little scared when she heard about the unexpected incident in Liechica nine hours ago.
This is because the aviation regiment under his command not only had no experience of collective action before, but also had no experience of large-scale escort by fighter jets.
Even the commander-in-chief of the guerrilla movement himself sent a telegram, which is enough to prove the seriousness of the situation in Lechica.
"You can rest assured that even if you risk your life, these supplies will be delivered safely!"
Gorizodubova made a solemn promise, and she hung up the phone, her heart beating wildly.
"Guards!" she shouted in the office.
"arrive!"
"Go and notify all the pilots and crew members to gather at the airport! I have something important to say!"
So, she recounted the facts about Ponomarenko's bombing of Lechica, and raised her voice to warn: "Comrades, our operation will almost certainly be intercepted by German fighter planes. Everyone should be vigilant, and the machine gunners of each bomber
, once you encounter an enemy plane, hit it hard."
Of course, this speech aroused everyone's concern, and there was a lot of discussion in the team. Many people suddenly understood the fact that this so-called operation was escorted by a combat aviation regiment with a total of 36 fighter jets.
But is the range of the fighter jet sufficient? The troops have to fly almost to Kiev. Even flying there is a challenge for a fully loaded transport aircraft. Isn’t the fighter jet a huge challenge?
Gorizodubova could see everyone's worries. Yes, she had just learned from Ponomarenko that the escort would be a new type of fighter jet.
"Comrades! Let me tell you some good news. Our army is equipped with a new type of fighter jet. Two hours later, we will all take off. Soon, an aviation regiment fully equipped with La-5 fighter jets will accompany us. They will
He flew with us to Belarus and back again.
Don't think that they can shoot down all incoming enemy planes. Once the situation is critical, we can only use machine guns to protect ourselves.
Hopefully, we won’t be intercepted by the Germans.”