At ten o'clock in the evening, the paratroopers will gather urgently, so before that, in the camp outside the airport, the paratroopers are nervously making final preparations.????
Every soldier wears a blue and white sea soul shirt. They also have brand new military uniforms, brand new boat-shaped caps, brand new steel helmets, and brand new high-top military boots.
They will be carrying huge parachute bags on their backs, which are the most important equipment for soldiers to protect their lives. Before leaving, everyone is checking extremely carefully, for fear that any ropes will become entangled and prevent the parachute from opening.
In addition to this, they also carry a large amount of dry food, ammunition and a blanket. These equipment are packed into a backpack and hung on the chest. If there is a rifle on the back, the overall image will be really bloated!
In order to perform the task perfectly, beauty is meaningless.
Time is passing by minute by second, and the planned operation time is at two o'clock in the morning. In order to maintain a good mental state, the paratroopers have been adjusting their schedules these days. They basically get up at six o'clock in the afternoon to eat, and have dinner every day.
They also deliberately added a cup of extremely bitter coffee.
The soldiers knew that this was to keep their spirits high. No matter how painful it was, they had to hold their noses and drink it.
Their intense preparation did not take long. Many people had already prepared their equipment, and all that was left was finishing touches and checking for missing items. Many people who were sure there were no problems simply gathered together, holding cigarettes and playing cards, to relieve their tension at once.
Emotions kill time.
The outdoors was filled with the roar of propellers, and they understood that a large number of transport planes and bombers were forming a huge formation!
It was until ten o'clock in the evening. The order for emergency assembly was broadcast through the loudspeaker, and the paratrooper brigade urgently assembled.
The soldiers changed their leisurely look just now, threw away the miscellaneous entertainment toys, quickly packed their military uniforms, and then took the parachute bags, military bags and their weapons together. They could still endure this extremely heavy luggage for a while.
, there will be no problem for at least dozens of minutes.
The four battalions of the brigade, plus the attached reconnaissance company and artillery company, totaled more than 2,000 people. They took all their equipment and rushed to the assembly point, where the commander of the parachute corps, the brigade commander and others were already waiting.
In fact, two thousand people stood together in uniform, which was not enough to give people the feeling of a huge force. This group of "bloated" soldiers still maintained a slow trot. They formed the team according to the establishment, and no one in the entire brigade was absent.
The four battalion commanders and two company commanders, with their heavy preparations, walked steadily before the senior officers.
Under the searchlights, the entire army looked very good. Coupled with the large and small military aircraft surrounding it, the scene at this moment was extremely spectacular.
The army had been assembled, a little slower than expected. Considering the heavy load they carried, Rechkarov was quite satisfied to see that no one was out of breath even so.
At this moment, he holds a microphone in his hand, and the order will be broadcast to the entire brigade through a loudspeaker.
When it was time to leave, he still had to say the last few words as usual.
"Comrades, you all know the mission. Tomorrow morning, you will descend on Pripet Swamp. What awaits you will be a very difficult battle, but you are also very likely to make immortal achievements! Comrades! Are you willing?
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"Yes!" Suddenly, the whole audience roared in unison.
"What?! I didn't know it clearly!"
"Yes!" This time the soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Very good! You are acting like a group of fanatical brown bears. I hope this ferocity can be completely unleashed on the enemy! Seeing your current mental outlook, I know that this operation will be successful. Comrades, this is
This operation was specially approved by the leader and fully supported by the front army. Don't think that the entire brigade was parachuted into an area full of mud and swamps. The strategic value there is very important. When our army counterattacks, you are a force that will penetrate the enemy's back at any time.
The sharp blade!
So, remember your mission and get ready to board the plane now!"
Rechkarov said some more, which lasted only twenty minutes.
Rather than carrying out morale boosting in front of the station, the most critical thing is to quickly assign soldiers to their respective aircraft in platoon units. The soldiers can complete the assembly in ten minutes, but if they are really all sitting in the cabin, this requires more time.
Too much time.
A battalion is divided into three companies, and each company is further divided into five groups, with a group of more than 30 people. This is the standard passenger capacity of the Li-2 transport aircraft, and it is almost reaching its maximum load capacity.
On the contrary, because the TB3 bomber has a large double-layer main wing, after replacing it with a more advanced aviation engine, it has a stronger carrying capacity. Unfortunately, its cabin is still too small. Therefore, some paratroopers can only make compromises and sit in the glider cabin.
In this operation, the cargo of bombers and transport planes was almost exclusively paratroopers. Since gliders are disposable consumables, their mainly wooden fuselages would carry their cargo directly into the forest.
Considering the environment of the destination, most paratroopers still have lingering fears. If the landing point is not controlled well, they will either fall into the mud or hang on the treetops. Fortunately, the 284th Division in the swamp is also prepared, and a large number of soldiers and militiamen have entered the forest.
The paratroopers were promised that when they appeared in the sky, the responders on the ground would be fully prepared, and no matter where they landed, they would be safe and sound.
It was not until 11:30 pm that the paratroopers got into the cabin one after another, and the rest was boring waiting. They received orders that before leaving, they were only allowed to leave the cabin to use the toilet.
At this moment, the busyness at the airport is still going on. The paratroopers are in their positions, and the fighter pilots have also begun their assembly. But these matters are not under the command of the paratroopers. Rechkarov has already made arrangements.
Internal matters.
Taplov and others also prepared their own equipment. They were exactly the same as their subordinates, and they were all "bloated".
The ground crew continued to inspect each aircraft, and the military police were stationed around each aircraft to disperse idle people.
In this operation, the navigator was still Ivanov. In the last operation, he narrowly survived the attack by enemy planes. This time, he was even more confident.
"Each fighter is equipped with two auxiliary fuel tanks, and its endurance is unprecedentedly improved. Moreover, these advanced Lager 3 fighters are more powerful than those Seagull fighters." Therefore, he is extremely optimistic about the progress of this operation. For several months, he
, Ivanov has also participated in other airdrop operations. At the moment when there is a lack of technical talents, this person's position has been promoted. Now more than 200 transport aircraft and gliders are under his full command. After all, he is the only one who leads
Come out of the old unit and reach the exact location of Novgomel.
With Ivanov's guarantee, Tepunov's last worries disappeared.
During the last two hours of waiting, the soldiers could only sit in the cabin and chat away from boredom. The way they chatted and laughed showed their optimism about the future.
Most people believe that when the plane takes off at night, enemy planes and ground anti-aircraft guns are unable to attack it. If it is dangerous, it is during the return time, but the paratroopers have landed, and the escort fighters should consider the rest.
Time passed second after second, and the two hours of waiting seemed to be a long time. Just ten minutes before the operation started, the tweeter began to broadcast to the entire airport again. This was the last preparation event for the entire fleet.
Like the soldiers, Brigadier Teplov sat in the cabin of a Li-2 transport plane, quietly waiting for the plane to take off, waiting for the dawn of March 30. 8