The airport on the eastern outskirts of Severodonesk was immersed in the roar all night
This city has been liberated by the Soviet army. A large number of Soviet civilian personnel and field hospitals have moved here. Many civilians who have reached service age have been recruited as Red Army soldiers and assigned to various units. The Soviet troops stationed near this city are
Many of them are destined to have difficulty resting peacefully tonight.
Everyone is rumoring that the Soviet army will launch a large-scale air raid. In order to keep the plan secret, the top brass did not notify the troops of the order early. So when bombs rain down on the German positions in the distance, the Soviet army will also launch a counterattack.
Many new troops are highly motivated. There are a large number of new recruits in the Southwest Front Army. They have not fought before arriving at the front line, and even the training of soldiers is only a short three months. Many people have no intuitive understanding of the horror of war.
It seems that they followed the policy propaganda and their own passion to join the war to defend their country, leaving their families and friends in a hurry and going to the battlefield with steel guns on their shoulders.
Only a few people know that the large-scale gathering of aircraft at the airport is a special airborne operation, and the destination is quite far away.
Ivanov is the commander of the entire fleet, and the time for takeoff has come.
He sat in the cockpit of a Li-2 transport aircraft and ordered the pilot to turn on the horsepower. When the propellers on both sides of Jiyi entered maximum power, the ground crew pulled out the wooden blocks that braked the wheels.
The plane immediately shook and moved forward slowly.
Ivanov immediately clenched the radio in his hand: "Attention, captains! Attention, captains! The operation has begun! All planes take off in order, take off in order!"
Even though the airport is very large, considering that this is a collective action of more than 200 aircraft, if they take off collectively, it will inevitably cause chaos in the air traffic. What's more, the wingspan of those gliders is too long, and collisions may occur when the fleet is too dense.
possible.
Therefore, the entire transport aircraft group is divided into three echelons. The first echelon has thirty Li-2 transport aircraft towing thirty gliders and is slowly heading north.
Because the cargo loaded is too heavy, the aircraft will glide an extremely long distance, and the Severodonesk Field Airport has this advantage.
But before the plane can really take off, everything is theoretical until it takes off. The Soviet army did go through careful mathematical calculations, that is, loading people and cargo according to the maximum load of the plane. The actual flight is another matter.
Pilot Ilyich controlled the rudder and kept praying.
Ivanov became impatient and said, "Comrade! Stop praying to God. We are Bolsheviks. If we believe in science, we will be able to fly!"
"However, we have already run for two kilometers and still have not reached the critical level for takeoff!"
"Then keep going! The environment here is very empty anyway!"
Ivanov said this, but his self-confidence was not as high as it was at the beginning. He did not go to the point of praying to God, so he could only grit his teeth and sit quietly to see the changes in the situation.
In fact, none of the planes in the first echelon took off, and the ground personnel observing all this from a distance couldn't help but worry about the future.
Including Paratrooper Corps Commander Rechkalov and Commissioner Sarinchkin. These senior officers or political commissars had high hopes for this operation, but as a result, the plane has not yet flown.
"This operation was approved by the leader. If the operation is forced to be postponed, the commander of the front army will probably bear the responsibility."
He interjected: "The plane is carrying too much cargo, so let them taxi for a while."
At this time, the originally weak north wind seemed to have strengthened, and Rechkarov, who was so nervous that he was sweating, became excited. "It seems that the north wind has strengthened. If the following echelons can enjoy the strong wind from the north,
Our operation will go smoothly!"
Salinchkin did not understand the scientific reason in this regard. It is said that it is better for a plane to take off if it goes against the wind. He did notice changes in the first echelon of the fleet in the distance.
He saw many dots of light rising slowly, and he simply pointed at them and said, "Those! Could that be proof that the plane took off?"
"That's right! The weather is favoring us, and the north wind is strengthening!" Rechkalov's nervousness has disappeared.
On the other hand, Ivanov and many paratroopers laughed happily, and the plane finally took off after a four-kilometer taxiing!
And all the planes in the first echelon, as well as the gliders pulling them, all took to the air.
Ivanov suppressed his excitement and ordered over the walkie-talkie: "Comrades! The first echelon takes off, the second echelon takes action immediately, and the third echelon is ready to fly! Our target is Cherniko.
Husband, move northwest! Forward!"
At present, the maximum transport capacity of most transport aircraft is three tons of cargo, and only a few models can carry heavier materials. Therefore, the only way to increase the transport capacity is to let the transport aircraft fly like a kite, pulling a glider along with it.
It was officially dark at this moment, and the moonlight shone softly on the flying planes. The first echelon had successfully reached the clouds and was heading towards the destination.
Beifeng is really getting stronger little by little. After the first wave of Li-2 transport planes flew away, the second and third echelons had a large number of TB3 bombers. They were modified with new high-power engines, and coupled with the strong Beifeng, it made them more powerful.
There is no need to glide an extremely long distance like the former.
Their takeoff was seamless, taking off with a large number of paratroopers and a large amount of supplies.
When all the transport planes took to the sky, the escort fighters also received the order to take off.
Fifty Lager 3 fighter jets participated in this glorious escort, and they had more ammunition and equipment than before. For no other reason than that the fleet was relatively safe at night, but it was bound to be blocked by the German air force when it returned.
The Front Army maintains Li-2 transport aircraft and TB3 bombers, which can transport cargo and carry out strategic bombing. At a time when heavy equipment is still scarce, it is also very important for all aircraft to return safely.
Furthermore, with this successful airdrop, there will be a second and third time in the future, all of which will still rely on these aircraft.
Soon, all the planes were in the sky, but nearly forty minutes were consumed. The fleet re-formed in the sky. Fortunately, it was dark now. If they saw this scene during the day, both the Soviet and German armies would be greatly shocked.
.
Ivanov is very satisfied with the current situation. All aircraft in the fleet took off smoothly and the flight conditions are also very normal.
He held the radio and ordered: "All crew members turn on the tail lights and move forward closely with the aircraft. Each captain determines your route, strictly follow the route, and maintain a 400-kilometer degree. We are expected to arrive at our destination at 4:30 in the morning."
land."
In this way, the plane departed from Severodonesk, flew over Kharkov, Sumy and other cities occupied by the German army, then flew over Chernikov, and successfully arrived in Novgomel where Yang Mingzhi was located. 8