Just after five o'clock in the morning, before dawn, the battle began.

First it was about half an hour of artillery bombardment, followed by a simultaneous attack by the rebels to the west, south and east, throwing three brigades in one go.

For the next hour, by daybreak, the rebels made considerable progress in three directions.

In fact, the government forces did not put up organized resistance, and retreated before the rebels attacked, abandoning part of the city.

If you fight hard, the government army is no match for the rebels at all.

At this time, Nasiriyah's government army had less than 2,000 officers and soldiers, while the rebels besieging Nasiriyah had at least 18,000 men.

Not to mention three directions, the government army cannot hold even one direction.

Frontal resistance, maybe after a battle, the government army will be completely annihilated by the rebels.

Those cities that voluntarily abandoned could not be defended in the first place, so the early retreat not only did not cause any losses, but also preserved valuable troops.

In addition, there is a distance from the rebels.

At 6:40 a.m., shortly after dawn, the first round of air support arrived.

The Royal Saudi Air Force dispatched twelve F-15SAs and in fifteen minutes, bombarding the rebels who had invaded Nasiriyah twice with dozens of tons of bombs.

Although there are no exact statistics, at least 1,000 rebels were killed in this bombing.

Immediately afterward, four EF2000s of the Royal Saudi Air Force bombed the rebel artillery convoy that was retreating westward, destroying more than two dozen M270 rocket launchers in one fell swoop.

In fact, the rebels used up all the rockets before the rocket artillery battalion was withdrawn from the front line.

The heavy bombardment effectively slowed down the advance of the rebels, but failed to blow them up, let alone prevent them from continuing their attacks.

After the Saudi fighter jets flew away, the rebels attacked again.

To the north is the Tigris River, and the government forces have no way to retreat.

The fierce battle lasted until about ten o'clock, and the Royal Saudi Air Force provided a second air support.

There were still twelve F-15SAs, still using JDAM guided bombs, and the same focus was on bombing rebel units behind the battle line.

Obviously, this is a typical tactical interdiction bombing.

Through these two bombings, the inadequacy of the Royal Saudi Air Force was also exposed.

That is, the lack of specialized attack aircraft!

Interrupted bombing can effectively weaken the offensive of the rebels, making the rebels unable to continue, but it cannot change the situation on the front.

Because of the lack of necessary ground guidance and the complex environment in the city, Saudi fighter jets did not dare to drop bombs on the rebels near the battle line.

If there are attack aircraft like the A-10 or Su-25, then it's different.

Take the A-10 as an example, even if it does not have a bomb attached, just the 7-barreled aerial gun, which can easily sweep the rebels on the front.

In addition, ultra-low air-dropped bombs are more accurate and more suitable for close support missions.

Fortunately, the second bombing came at a very timely time.

Government forces stabilized the defensive line and consolidated it for more than an hour, strengthening the defensive deployment in key directions.

After two bombardments, the rebels were demoralized and temporarily halted their offensive.

In fact, the Royal Saudi Air Force has been bombarding rebels outside Nasiriyah, focusing on the artillery units of several mechanized infantry brigades.

According to the battle report released by the Royal Saudi Air Force, fighter jets flew more than 50 sorties that morning alone, of which more than 30 were battlefield interruption missions, that is, bombing the rebels on the periphery, destroying more than 20 rocket launchers and dozens of self-propelled howitzers.

Tactically, the Royal Saudi Air Force did nothing wrong.

The biggest threat to Nasiriyah's government forces is the rebel artillery, especially the M109A6 self-propelled howitzers, which are ready to fire.

If the rebels are shelled while they are attacking, it will be difficult for government forces to hold their positions.

In fact, two-thirds of the officers and men killed and wounded by the government forces were due to the artillery of the rebels, and only a few were killed by the rebels in the battle.

The problem is that the rebels have already used up all the shells they brought!

That is, those rocket launchers and self-propelled howitzers are just decorations.

It was not only the rebels who lacked ammunition, but also the government forces, to be precise, the operatives brought by Wang Dong.

At noon, Wang Dong contacted Yunlong.

"Fourth brother, you go and tell Mura that no matter what method you use, you must make an airdrop before dark and send the supplies and ammunition we need."

"I'll find a way to send me a list of the supplies you need."

Wang Dong nodded at Wang Haotian, and then said to Yunlong on the other end of the phone: "The rebels have become the end of the crossbow, but the trapped beasts are still fighting, and they will definitely attack wildly in the next few days." You'll have to get Saleh to put a little pressure on the Air Force, and it's best to have some fighter jets on standby over the battlefield for close support missions. When the time comes, I will arrange for special personnel to mark the bombing targets with laser designators. ”

"I've already asked Saleh."

"What did you ask?"

Yunlong paused for a moment before saying: "The Royal Saudi Air Force does not have laser-guided bombs that can be mounted by F-15SA and EF2000, and those small-diameter laser-guided bombs purchased from Huaxia can only be carried by the 'Pterodactyl' 2 UAV, which is not compatible with the fire control system of European and American fighters." ”

"Then send some more drones."

"There is only one run to King Khalid Military City, and if you increase the number of drone sorties, it will have an impact on other combat aircraft."

"What?" Wang Dong was a little dumbfounded, as if he felt that this should not be a problem.

"In addition, the Royal Saudi Air Force is now able to mobilize only twenty Wing Loong 2 aircraft, and if they are dispatched, they can only ensure that three or four will patrol the skies over Nasiriyah. Because the combat radius is more than 800 kilometers, and it needs to be on standby over the battlefield for a long time, each 'Pterodactyl'2 can only carry 400 kilograms of external loads, that is, four small-diameter bombs, and the actual combat value will not be too great. ”

"Then go get some fighters that can hang these bombs!"

"This ......"

"Fourth brother, in the next few days, what we need most is close air support. We'll stick with it until the end and help us figure it out as soon as possible. ”

"I'll do my best."

"Waiting for your good news."

Wang Dong hung up the phone and sighed again.

The rebels launched a desperate attack, which cost them dearly, but also inflicted heavy casualties on the government forces.

In just one morning, more than 300 officers and soldiers were killed in the army, and more than 200 hundred were wounded and incapacitated.

That is, the government army was reduced by a quarter in one morning!

No matter how great the losses of the rebels were, they did not reach a quarter.

In addition, seven of the operatives brought by Wang Dong were killed in the battle, more than 10 were seriously injured, and dozens were slightly injured.

If this continues, the government forces will soon run out.

Without soldiers, how can you defend Nasiriyah?