The engine roared and whirled, deafening, and an unusually large plane spread its wings like a giant peng, gliding at low altitude and landing steadily in this flat and wide clearing. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoThe four large propellers stirred up an amazing howling wind, which made the Finnish soldiers more than 100 meters away feel the air waves in their faces and their breathing was blocked; After nearly 40 years of development, the aircraft has moved away from the quiet and small size at the beginning of its birth and has become a truly breathtaking behemoth.

Mannerheim stared at the four-engine plane still taxiing in the distance, excited and shaken. The Italians did their bidding, and did not disappoint themselves and Prime Minister Ruti, but the size and model of the plane were unprecedented, and it looked extremely majestic. Looking up, there were two steel eagles in the sky, and the SM.81 transport planes around them were like elven chicks next to the eagle.

The roar in the air was endless, the strong cold wind was flying in all directions, and one after another planes slowed down and landed in an orderly manner, and stopped on the right side of the open space in turn. The whole process lasted about half an hour, until the setting sun stained the white clouds in the west. Mannerheim and Ruety glanced at each other, and then eagerly boarded their respective cars and flew away, and in the distance, dozens of figures had already climbed out of the cockpit of the plane, waiting for the personnel on the ground to come and receive the goods.

When Mannerheim and Rueti arrived, the handover had just begun. An Italian Air Force colonel was talking to the Finnish officer in front of him, and several documents were signed and exchanged in the hands of both sides like butterflies, and at the same time, hundreds of Finnish soldiers led mules and horses from the periphery of the open field in an orderly manner, and the horses were pulling all the big sleds behind them. When the convoy arrived, the Italian colonel ordered the cabin to be opened, and the two men finally saw the cargo they had been waiting for with bated breath.

In the belly compartment of a large four-engine aircraft, heavy and sturdy wooden boxes were piled up. The Finnish soldiers used their bayonets to break open the seals one by one, only to see that the silver shells were all neatly discharged. Despite their small size, their sleek spires at the front, combined with the other three elongated barrels in the cabin, made Mannerheim's heart tremble.

"This is a 47-mm anti-tank gun equipped by the Italian Army, and a total of about 600 shells." Mannerheim's voice choked, and his hand stroking the cannon trembled slightly. As the commander-in-chief of the Finnish army, Mannerheim knew all too well what his army needed most. At present, the Soviets have gathered at least 2,000 tanks on the Karelian front, while the Finnish army has less than 40 anti-tank guns left. Now the precious anti-tank guns have finally been replenished, which is tantamount to nectar for the Finnish army after a long drought!

Mannerheim, who was excited, suddenly rushed to the cargo hold of another plane, and the 73-year-old man's pace was so fast that even the adjutant behind him could not catch up. Soon, Mannerheim got the answer he wanted. The SM.81 transport aircraft was loaded with 45 mm light mortars and was packed with about 2,500 rounds of auxiliary ammunition. Although this is not the standard weapon of the Finnish army, Mannerheim is extremely happy - the Finnish army is also seriously short of mortar shells, and has already depleted two-thirds of its entire stock by the end of two months of fighting. With this batch of munitions, the infantry firepower on the Finnish front is expected to remain in good condition in the future.

Third, fourth, fifth...... Mannerheim tirelessly looked at each other, and the joy and excitement in his heart grew stronger and stronger. The arms brought by these planes were all the scarce supplies that their own army urgently needed at the moment, including neither rifle ammunition that was relatively well stocked by their own side, nor heavy artillery that was flashy and cost-effective for the Finnish army. In addition to the 76mm field artillery shells, this batch of ammunition can be said to cover everything that the Finnish army urgently needs at the moment, and Mannerheim is also very aware of this only shortcoming, after all, the Italian standard artillery is 75mm caliber.

In contrast to Mannerheim's excitement, the military-ignorant Chancellor Ruti simply followed his own officers and carefully recorded the amount of munitions. According to the list provided by the Italian side, 12 planes carried a total of 24 tons of cargo, of which 3 four-engine large planes handled more than 10 tons. After some statistics, Lu Ti found that the total amount of arms had not shrunk significantly, which made him feel slightly more relaxed, and felt that the money was well spent.

"Your Excellency, do you know how many days an air like this can come?" Mannerheim's voice suddenly rang in Rütty's ears. Ruti turned his head, and what greeted his eyes was a face full of anticipation and urgency, and the other party showed an expression that had never been seen before, so that Ruti was stunned for the next few seconds. Luti calmed down and said, "According to Ambassador Yuho's report, the Italians will do such an airlift every three days. At present, air freight is still in its initial stage, and the scale is expected to be further increased in the future. ”

"I hope to get 30 tons of scarce arms every day, and the type of ammunition is up to me." Mannerheim spoke slowly, his tone becoming firm. Luti's mouth was wide open, and his face was full of shock and disbelief. You know, just this time by air, the Finnish government has paid about $400,000 in foreign exchange; If we really want to do it every day, as Mannerheim said, and the transportation efforts will be further increased, then in less than half a month, Finland's international hard money accumulated for many years will be exhausted! Lu Ti was silent for a moment and said, "Does it have to be like this?" ”

Mannerheim's expression gradually turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "This is our last chance to avoid destruction." If the Soviets launch another large-scale offensive, our army will need to consume at least 7,000 shells per day, so only by replenishing this figure will we not be wiped out by running out of ammunition. It may be difficult for the government to achieve this, but I implore your Excellency the Prime Minister to ensure that the brave Finnish soldiers have enough weapons to kill the enemy, instead of letting them use their flesh and blood to hold back the steel advance of the Soviets. ”

"I see." Luti took a deep breath, his resolute eyes showing his decision.

The fireplace was blazing, dispelling the cold winter mood in a room in the Kremlin, and Stalin stood in front of a giant sand table with his pipe in his mouth, quietly listening to a bald general report on the military situation on the Northern Front. His expression was calm, and his blessed face was unwavering, but his yellow-brown eyes shone brightly, clearly revealing to the other party the agitation that was hidden beneath the surface.

“…… After nearly one month of preparation, our army has assembled 23 divisions and 5 tank brigades on the Karelian front, totaling 460,000 people. None of them are any more ethnic groups in the south, and all of them are the core and main forces of the major military regions. The Finnish army on the other side had 11 divisions, but six of them were reserve divisions formed after the outbreak of the war, and their equipment and training were far inferior to those of the standing army. In addition, our army has more than 3,000 artillery pieces, 2,500 tanks, and 1,200 aircraft, and has an overwhelming advantage in both forces and weapons. ”

The bald-headed middle-aged general was suddenly unaware of Stalin's glittering gaze, and continued to report in an orderly manner: "In addition to these, our army has also fully learned the lessons of the failures of the previous one and a half months, and has made important improvements in the fields of tactical principles, organization and training, and coordination among the arms. At the same time, Comrade Zhdanov also sorted out and improved the railway, telecommunications, and road systems that had previously performed poorly in operations, and the efficiency was greatly improved. In the next battle, our army will no longer be dragged down by logistical troubles. ”

"A new offensive will be launched on February 15. Our troops were to concentrate all their assault forces on the 30-kilometer-wide frontage in the center and force their way through the Finnish lines. Subsequently, there were 18 divisions and 3 tank brigades to serve as reserves for the main attack corps of the first line. It is expected that within half a month, the main body of the Mannerheim Line will collapse, and not only Vyborg, but also Helsinki, will fly over Helsinki, the sacred scythe, hammer and red flag of the Soviet Union. ”

Stalin spat out a smoke ring, and his face finally showed a bit of resentment and pleasure that he was about to take revenge.

Since the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War, all the large-scale attacks launched by the Soviet army have been bloodied in front of the Finns. In particular, in the battle of Suomus Salmi, 2 divisions of the Soviet army were annihilated in formation, while the other side lost less than 1 battalion. Nearly 100,000 casualties and a two-month stagnation on the front not only caused the Soviet Union to lose face in the international community, but also produced a series of butterfly effects that were unfavorable to Moscow in Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, and other regions closely related to Soviet interests, and seriously disrupted the strategic chess game of the Soviet Union's westward expansion.

According to Stalin's original assumption, the three Baltic states would be "voluntarily" incorporated into the Soviet Union by the spring of 1940, and the Soviet Union, which was now busy with the war on the northern front, not only did not have time to look westward, but also provoked the evil Germany to frequently cast strange eyes to the east. Especially after Germany defeated the British fleet and occupied Norway in late January, Stalin clearly felt the pressure coming from Poland to the west - as Germany continued to win victories over the British and French allies, the significance and binding force of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact for Germany was rapidly decreasing. As soon as Germany took advantage of the victory and made peace with Britain and France, the fascist regime and communism were immediately incompatible!

Now, hopefully, things will change. If the Soviets were able to crush the Finns' resistance in a new offensive, they would be able to reassert their statehood and deterrence in Europe, and deter Germany and the small coveters. Stalin had to make Hitler realize that the Soviet Union was not something to be messed with, and that Hans Eagle was still honest about a fateful duel with the Gallic chickens compared to the huge and mighty red bear.