At the field airports during World War II, because the aircraft were relatively simple, they often did not need a strong enough hard cement floor to take off. Most of the aircraft were very light, and one or two of them were piston engines with poor performance. Therefore, Yang Mingzhi was very
Clearly, even airdrops can deliver very few supplies.
The terrain conditions in the swamp were a torture for the invading Germans, and it was not a particularly ideal place for the Soviets to seek refuge.
There is a small plain outside the village. It is mainly peat soil, and the humus in the swamp cannot be simply accumulated. Therefore, the entire Catfish Village and farmland area are based on swamps and lakes. These flat small lands were not of much use before, but now
It's fine as an airport.
Yang Mingzhi and some villagers pulled out the wooden fences used for grazing livestock. The turf did not need to be cleared away. Even if planes came and went, grazing continued.
Those large domestic animals, such as the more than twenty army horses left by Kuznetsov, these guys pulled the stone roller and moved forward under the urging of the soldiers.
Yang Mingzhi doesn't know how long the airport's runway should be. One kilometer should be enough. Does the airport really have such a long runway? No.
This was a difficult matter. Yevlov was the first to discover this problem, and he immediately ordered people to bring back the "consultant" who helped.
Yang Mingzhi had already taken off his coat, and his back was covered with sweat.
"You should pay attention to the impact, you are a senior officer." Yevlov criticized.
"Forget it, on the surface I am the deputy division commander recommended by everyone, but in fact I lead more than a thousand good people. I think it is better to be approachable and have a good relationship with ordinary soldiers. This is very necessary at critical moments."
Yevlov waved his hand and refused to listen to his excuses.
Yang Mingzhi drank a pot of water. He saw a piece of paper in front of Yevlov, with a pencil sketch on it. This was a simple plan of the airport. It was indeed very crude. It was just a piece of flat land and nothing more.
.
"I'm calling you here now because we just discovered a huge problem at the airport."
"Is the runway not long enough? It's still full of potholes. I wonder why you called me here to ask. If there is a problem at the airport, it must be a runway problem."
Yevlov sighed, "That's true. Our current run length is only 600 meters. It seems impossible to take off and land a 2-mile transport plane."
The Li-2 transport aircraft was the main transport aircraft model of the Soviet Union during World War II. It could be used as a bomber, a transport aircraft, or even a paratrooper aircraft. The performance of this aircraft is good enough, but the disadvantage is that it has a slow speed, only 300 kilometers per hour.
It's just speed.
"So? How long is the airport we need at least?" Yang Mingzhi asked
"Preferably 1,500 meters, at least 1,000 meters. I don't want their plane to fly away because the nose of the plane cannot be pulled up and it crashes into the swamp."
Yevlov needed a practical solution. Yang Mingzhi looked at the simple map and thought for a while. "The solution is very simple. So far we can only solve the problem simply and crudely. On the one hand, I cut down the trees and uprooted them.
On the other hand, it transported soil and tree trunks to fill the quagmire in front of the runway."
Yevlov smiled bitterly: "I thought you would have something to say when you came here, but I didn't expect it would be handled so simply."
"There are many other ways I can do. I can't say there are no other ways. I can level all the Catfish Villages. The open space is big enough for more transport planes to take off and land. Is this feasible?" Yang Mingzhi made a slightly angry expression.
Yevlov did not argue, "Okay, order a group of soldiers to start working now."
Filling the swamp to build an airstrip requires a lot of labor and earthwork. Two carriages transporting wood from the forest were stopped, and they had a new job. The soldiers of the two companies were holding combat-ready shovels.
They were digging on a small slope, shoveling dirt into the carriage.
There were no suitable trucks to transport soil, so they had to make do with horse-drawn carriages. The soldiers' work efficiency was indeed not high. Yang Mingzhi estimated that to repair a runway, a thousand people would work together, using only simple tools, and at least one person would have to work
Week.
It's war time now, and everything is peaceful here in Catfish Village. These soldiers seem to have forgotten that they just crawled out from the pile of dead people and struggled to break through the encirclement.
Yang Mingzhi couldn't make a particularly accurate judgment on what the battle situation would be like in a week. It would be August in a week, the climate would still be hot, and the autumn rain season would begin in September! In that plane, in late September, basically
Erbonos will suffer a major defeat, the entire Southwest Front and Southern Front will be surrounded by the German army, and one million Soviet Red Army soldiers will become prisoners.
So at least now the Soviet army still has the ability to openly provide supplies to the swamps. After more than a month, everything will inevitably come to nothing.
Yang Mingzhi had been busy all day, but he was not like those soldiers who took off their clothes and jumped into a small lake to take a bath.
There are all kinds of parasites in the swamp. It may be okay for Lao Maozi to have rough skin and thick flesh. As a Chinese, it is best to boil some hot water and hide in your residence and wipe it yourself.
All afternoon, the soldiers were basically busy with the construction of the airport. Everyone was very excited. Kiev promised that the first batch of supplies would be airdropped the next morning. The materials to create thick black smoke were ready, and there was still some fuel.
Waste tires and rubber are smoky when burned.
Yang Tao was as tired as Yang Mingzhi. During the day, the girls were still sorting bullet casings. The quantity was so large that Yang Tao was overwhelmed. Her hands were full of the smell of gunpowder smoke, and it took her several times to wash them off.
"Since there will be air supplies tomorrow, is it appropriate for us to work so hard to deal with bullet casings? Husband, I am really exhausted today." Yang Tao said in a coquettish tone on purpose. In outdoor work, she had to behave
Like a strong woman, she can't help but be a clingy kitten at home.
"Okay, I know it's hard for you. Just wipe yourself down and go to bed at night. Don't waste precious kerosene."
After that, Yang Mingzhi lay down and fell into a deep sleep without thinking about anything.
Yang Tao looked back and thought that this man was also very cute. He was a lot bigger than him and he even slept with him whenever he wanted.
She checked and found that the door had been closed and the recommended door bolts had been inserted. Now that her husband was the only relative in the house, Yang Tao had no scruples and took off the sweat-smelling clothes and her husband's clothes.
Turn the white shirt inside out and wash it with water. Then wipe your body with hot water to take care of your physical hygiene.
Early in the morning, Yang Mingzhi got up and saw a little person next to him, curled up like a kitten. What's even more exaggerated, this girl only wore a bellyband. He saw a few washed clothes hanging in the room.
Inside, it was hanging on the hemp rope waiting to dry in the shade.
"Thank you for your hard work, my dear, I'll give you a holiday, and you can continue talking now." Yang Mingzhi said to himself, stroking his wife's loose hair, and gently covering her with a blanket.
On the body.
In Ukraine and Belarus, the highest temperature in summer rarely exceeds 35 degrees, and the morning is quite cool. Yang Mingzhi changed clothes. He admired his wise move. The clothes he bought in Yekaterinburg were well protected.
, one's own finances were not lost at all during the war.
In the early morning, many soldiers continued to participate in the construction of the airport. On the airport runway, flames had been ignited, including cow dung and waste tires. These burning materials can produce huge black smoke. This is to announce the exact location of Catfish Village to the aircraft.
Many soldiers were throwing pieces of wood, even some gasoline, anything that could create thick smoke into the bonfire.
Yang Mingzhi was in a very good mood today. He gave the female soldiers in the youth camp a day off. The girls slept in in recognition of their hard work yesterday. As for the boys, they continued to follow Ivanov and Lao Yi
Wandering around, teenagers learn things quickly. These young people should not be used as cheap cannon fodder. They should be used as technical troops.
Now, the thick black smoke has become angry. To maintain the black smoke, it must remain like more debris. Yang Mingzhi was with most of the soldiers. Everyone looked forward to the roar in the sky. Finally, at 9:30 in the morning,
, the long-lost noise suddenly came. The transport plane has arrived!