According to aerial reconnaissance, the defensive positions of the Germans on the heights of the first line of the Dzerzhinsky Mountains were not very tight, because the Germans pursued offensive operations. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Originally, German long-range artillery was deployed on the heights to carry out long-range artillery shelling on the perimeter of Minsk, but now only a few German troops are deployed in an area of thousands of square kilometers.

Airborne operations require relatively open terrain, absolutely not in areas heavily defended by the enemy, and must not have enemy heavy armored units -- Mount Dzerzhinsky meets all the requirements: the mountain is not high, except for a few peaks, it is suitable for airborne; There were no German armored clusters in the airborne range, and the troops could quickly assemble into an effective combat force.

There were four more points that prompted Zhukov to make up his mind to use airborne operations: 1, there were enough transport aircraft; 2. Occupying the heights can directly threaten the city of Dzerzhinsky; 3. The troops crossing the Zaslavl reservoir can quickly meet with the airborne forces as long as they attack Kratom on the high ground; 4. At present, the airborne troops themselves already have a certain anti-tank capability, and they can withstand a counterattack by German armored forces in the slow mountainous area.

The Research Institute of the Airborne Forces successfully conducted several experiments with air-dropping 45-mm anti-tank guns several years ago, and at present each airborne division has an airborne artillery regiment, equipped with anti-tank guns and mortars. The infantry units are equipped with РПГ-7 rocket launchers, which not only greatly enhance their ability to attack fortified positions, but also surpass any other airborne force power in the world.

Lin Jun and Yefremov were quite reasonable, and the time passed 8 o'clock in the evening unconsciously. The station reported that it would take another hour for the snow to break through, and it would be dinner time.

Lin Jun invited Yefremov to dinner - Lin Jun did not make any special arrangements, and informed Bekryev a long time ago: comrades will eat whatever they eat. Now the supplies are relatively scarce, and the fighters this time can be regarded as the deputy commander-in-chief, and a large amount of supplies have been replenished in the Moscow 72 armored train, mainly American canned food and vegetables.

the staple of brown bread, the craft of Moscow bakers; The main course is still the most popular canned beef stew with potatoes, plus a cabbage bisque.

Yefremov has a good appetite today, he has not had such a hearty dinner for some time. In peacetime, the supply of bread and potatoes in the troops is relatively sufficient, but the meat is generally a large barrel of animal oil, and the soldiers eat it directly on the bread. This time the troops were going to participate in the battle, and the logistics provided some American military food, but they were all prepared for the battle, even those that had been assigned to the lower levels, and could not be used until the commander's order was obtained.

Since the formation of the 33rd Group Army, the soldiers and officers have eaten whatever they want, and this is also one of the means to enhance the cohesion of the troops.

Lin Jun is also concerned about the thickness of the ice at the Zaslavl reservoir in mid-November. "The passage of light artillery towed by infantry and animal power is not a problem, but trucks will be until at least mid-December."

The local comrades in Minsk were well aware of the situation at the reservoir, but the difficulties were not small - if Lin Jun was the commander of the German army, and if he had a premonition that the Red Army would launch a large-scale counteroffensive, he would have fired artillery at the lake twice in three days.

But if you think about it, this threat can also be eliminated: to effectively destroy the ice on the lake every once in a while, the number of shells needed is not what the German logistics line can guarantee. This will make the Germans not have enough shells to face it, and they will not have the spare strength to bombard the huge lake that is empty.

Zhukov would have prepared his firepower to clear the German positions on the west side of the ice with artillery fire and bombardment before the infantry division could attack, and it was unlikely that the two lightly armed infantry divisions would encounter a strong defensive position.

"After the recapture of Dzerzhinsk, there is a possibility that your troops will become troops in the encirclement."

The 1st Army Group and the 12th Airborne Division were "encircled troops in an encirclement" and blocked the two chokepoints of the German retreat, and the German army was bound to make a frantic counterattack. I don't know if the 12th Airborne Division will say such a classic: "We are paratroopers and should have been surrounded." "But hopefully it would be better not to do so and that the troops would be able to maintain continuity between Stolbuch and Dzerzhinsk.

This encirclement of the enemy west of Minsk will be one campaign after another, "I wish the 33rd Army a complete victory in the Battle of Stolbuch-Dzerzhinsk." At the time of separation, Lin Jun wished the 33rd Group Army a successful completion of its mission.

Because the road had just been restored, armored train No. 72 was not the first train to leave the station, and Yevremov's two army trains were in front of Lin Jun, which could be regarded as exploring the way for the deputy commander.

The road congestion is a gentle slope, and the snow blown down by the wind on both sides can quickly cover the railway. After this section, the speed of the train dropped to less than 10 kilometers per hour, and Lin Jun stepped out of the carriage, and the railway workers and local comrades did not leave after clearing the obstacles, but roasted the fire by some large oil drums, and the flames of firewood and waste oil were blazing. Some comrades are setting up makeshift shacks, and it seems that the comrades will continue to stay here.

Seeing a heavily armored train approaching, many comrades' attention was drawn to this slow-moving behemoth, and some of the Red Army soldiers who poked their heads out waved their arms in greeting. Through the blazing firelight, some comrades could already see the huge bright red name on the wall of one of the middle carriages - "Marshal Plunyakov"! And at the junction of the two carriages, a senior officer is saluting his side!

"Deputy Commander! It's Marshal Pulun Yakov! ”

The sharp-eyed comrade saw the appearance of the senior officer clearly in the wind and snow -- Lin Jun walked to the corridor outside the carriage, and when he saw the comrade who braved the bitter cold to keep the railway open, he unconsciously saluted a solemn military salute. For a while, there was a cheer on both sides of the railway, and the sound of "Ula" rang out!

After seeing Lin Jun get out of the carriage, Landscoch also walked out, and saw that no daredevils were following the train, so he did not ask Lin Jun to return to the carriage: the deputy commander is like this, often mentioning that the leader must go to the people, and only the dictator dare not approach the people. Now it's a war, so it stands to reason that you need to pay more attention, but Lin Jun still does.

After passing this section, the train began to accelerate, and Lin Jun returned to the carriage. Landscoch had to say one more thing: "Chief, you need to pay attention to your own safety, there is a possibility that spies from the German army may be infiltrated outside." ”

Lin Jun smiled: "Pay attention next time." ”

The Germans had sent some agents and saboteurs to the rear of the Soviet Union, and Lin Jun knew about the reports of the capture of German agents from various places -- but it was unlikely that German agents would go to clear the snow: it would be difficult to sneak in, let alone have some conspicuous military targets such as stations. (To be continued.) )