In fact, this transportation operation allowed the navy and air force to assemble nearly a thousand aircraft of various types.
In addition to more than 300 transport aircraft, there are still more than 600 other fighters. These fighters are basically divided into three batches (Navy carrier-based aircraft are divided into two batches), constantly protecting the airport. The average of the three airports is 6-70
How can anyone fight if they are protected by fighter jets at all times?
Although they attacked twice under the command of the commander, Major General Dowding Hughes, they failed miserably each time. Charge against the enemy's large-scale indiscriminate bombardment is not something that gentlemen can do, even if they are...
The Australian and New Zealand troops, who are famous for their bravery and prowess in fighting, still can't do it.
Therefore, the officers who directed the battle no longer expended such effort and could only wait until night fell before taking action. Support from the Air Force aircraft allowed the paratroopers to survive the most difficult moment. With the transportation of transport aircraft, the paratroopers finally
We obtained the capital necessary for the First World War, including 75mm mountain guns, 37mm anti-tank guns, and mortars of various calibers, and used this time to transport them desperately.
While transport planes continued to transport personnel, equipment and supplies to the island of Cyprus, a large-scale fleet was sailing towards it on the sea 300 kilometers west of Cyprus.
This fleet does not carry many troops, only the 3rd Division and the 8th Division. However, these two divisions have been famous in the many wars that Romania has encountered. Although armored divisions and motorized divisions are now popular
At that time, the infantry division still had its place.
Moreover, the two divisions have definite news, possibly the mechanized experimental unit, and it may be their turn. Therefore, the two division commanders were holding their breath for this Cyprus battle.
It's just that no matter how much they want to achieve military exploits, they have to wait until tomorrow, and they still need to wait on the ship.
As night falls, there are no more annoying airplanes, and the British army, which is full of energy, can finally have a good fight. Although there may still be night attack planes today, it is nothing compared to during the day.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The artillerymen, who had been suffering from aerial threats during the day, finally had the time to show their full strength at night. The shirtless artillerymen were constantly transporting ammunition, loading the gun, adjusting the shooting angle, firing, and ejecting the shells. The whole process was smooth and smooth.
It fully demonstrates the well-trained artillery of the British Empire.
And these artillery shells also landed accurately on the defenders' positions, and the shock wave of the explosion swept through the positions, destroying all obstacles in sight. All the defenders squatted in the trenches with their heads lowered, enduring the torment of the shelling.
Yes, the defenders now have trenches, which are much better than before. These are the fruits of a day's work, and they are also objects of reliance.
This time, the British army prepared two artillery battalions for the bombardment. They took advantage of the darkness to transport them to the artillery position. After dark, they immediately started the bombardment.
Of course, the defenders did not have no means of counterattack. The defenders' six 75mm field guns were also launching counterattack artillery fire. However, this artillery fire was not so much a counterattack as a psychological comfort to the defenders.
The British artillerymen dared to fight back against the defenders, which naturally made the British artillery unhappy. They couldn't deal with the planes in the sky, and they couldn't deal with you. As a result, after a burst of shelling, the defenders' artillery counterattacks immediately misfired, but it didn't take long for the counterattacks to come again. Although the defenders
The army used guerrilla tactics to distract the British artillery, but in the end it only reduced the artillery fire suffered by the defenders.
The raging artillery fire stopped after two hours, and the position was in a mess.
"Pop!" A flare hit the air, illuminating the ground like daylight. It also made the attacking British soldiers clearly visible. It also revealed the tanks covering the infantry.
"Watch out for enemy tanks!"
Seeing the incoming tanks, the position officers immediately shouted.
With the help of flares, the officer also identified the attacking enemy tank. This is the British Army's Matilda infantry tank. As the British Army strangely divides tanks into two types: infantry combat and anti-armor, this Matilda
This is how DaTank was born.
What appeared in front of the defenders was the Matilda 1 tank. This tank with a total weight of 11 tons is in the light tank range. As for its performance, it is worthy of its title of infantry tank, with a top speed of 12.8 kilometers per hour.
Equipped with a 7.7mm machine gun or a 12.7mm machine gun, it really doesn't leave any room for anti-tank.
Of course, the Matilda 1 tank is not without its advantages. Its armor is relatively thick. The front armor of the body is 60 mm thick. The turret is surrounded by 65 mm thick steel armor. Therefore, the 37 mm anti-tank gun used by paratroopers
It hit him with a banging sound.
This result made the officers in the position frown, but now they had to deal with these tanks.
"Send the third anti-tank detachment over immediately, quickly!"
The officer who put down the phone instructed him to fight again. "Fire, don't let these British people get too close."
Following his order, the machine guns on the position also opened fire. The sound of tearing cloth "呲,呲,呲" let the attacking British troops know what Metal Storm was.
"Da da da!"
The Matilda tanks covering the infantry attack would naturally not forget their original attack. They used their machine guns to fire at the machine guns and anti-tank guns on the ground. Although they were not accurate enough during the march, they still interfered with the defenders' line of sight.
can do it.
As the tanks continue to advance, it makes the defenders' officers and soldiers very uncomfortable. This tank relies on the anti-tank methods currently in the hands of paratroopers. It is difficult to destroy them, which is very uncomfortable for the defenders. Moreover, these tanks are not close to the trenches.
They basically stopped about 200 meters in front of the trench and conducted fire suppression on the position.
This was simply a form of bullying, as the anti-tank firepower in their hands was so unscrupulous. If the firepower hadn't been too weak, they might have broken through the position in one fell swoop.
This period of time was very difficult for the battlefield. Many firepower points were constantly being moved due to tanks firing at close range, which made it difficult for them to sustain their firepower output.
However, thanks to the help of the G33 semi-automatic rifle in the hands of the soldiers, they were able to maintain their position. The density of continuous shooting firepower made the British soldiers afraid to charge, and they could only attack after suppressing the opponent's firepower with repeated fire.
At this time, the third anti-tank detachment that the position commander had been waiting for also arrived.
"Bang!"
A Matilda tank that was raiding the position was hit. Its thick armor was directly penetrated by a 75mm armor-piercing projectile, which also caused a metal storm in the cockpit.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
As the first Matidal tank was destroyed, the remaining infantry tanks were destroyed one after another. This also re-boosted the morale of the defenders and made the attacking British army even more uncomfortable.
And this is the time to show the shortcomings of the Matidal tank. As an infantry tank, its top speed of 12.8 kilometers per hour makes it impossible to retreat.
It was only after the British attack was repulsed that the hero of this battle appeared. This was the 75mm anti-tank gun developed by Romania.
This anti-tank uses the 75mm main gun of the R20 tank, with a gun length of 3.5 meters, a total length of 4.9 meters, and a total weight of 1,340 kilograms. It can penetrate 87 millimeters of armor at a distance of one thousand meters.
This is also the latest anti-tank gun in Romania. Considering the weak anti-tank capabilities of the paratroopers, ten of them were airlifted this time.
Fortunately, Shimen arrived, otherwise this position would have been dangerous.
With the Matilda tank as the most dangerous tank to deal with, everything else becomes much easier. Although this still cannot change the disadvantage of the paratroopers, at least the paratroopers have the ability to resist.
However, the British army would not give up because of the failure of this attack. Naturally, they continued to attack in an attempt to break through the defenders' positions. The battle continued to be lively after nightfall. However, the defenders did not retreat at all, gritting their teeth and letting this enemy fight.
The battle lasted until dawn, but no major breakthrough was achieved.
As daybreak came, the attacking British troops naturally knew that they needed to retreat, otherwise the Romanian planes would come again.
They were right, but this time besides the plane, there were new surprises waiting for them.
