The leaders of the Soviet Union gritted their teeth against China, which seized large swathes of former Russian land and slaughtered a large number of Bolsheviks (both Russians and Chinese), but according to the logic of the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin: "The capitalist countries are all enemies, but the degree of threat is different." "On the surface, the old capitalist powers, such as Britain and France, which are in decline, seem to be more difficult to get along with than aggressive China. Therefore, the shrewd Stalin always tried to avoid a direct conflict with China, and sought cooperation with China as much as possible to avoid China, along with Britain and France, from threatening Soviet power. Thus, a strange scene appeared: on the border line between the two sides, on the one hand, there were highly nervous and sometimes even misengaged armies, and reconnaissance personnel and planes from both sides would often appear at the other end of the border; On the other hand, on the Trans-Siberian Railway and some roads, which were controlled by both sides, trains, automobiles and even horse caravans loaded with various goods were constantly coming and going, and the merchants and people were extremely close to each other. On the outskirts of Moscow, you can see factories invested by Chinese, the most shops in the city are "Made in China", and a large number of Soviet minerals are transported to Chinese mainland by rail, in Yanjing, Zhangjiakou and other places, you can also see Soviet caviar and vodka, and even in distant Vladivostok, you can see a large number of "red shops" with red flags.

Although it is somewhat unbelievable, it is true, and Dongfang Bai, who has been to the training base of the Chinese armored instructors in the Siberian steppe many times, is no longer surprised by this.

In the 20 s, after the Chinese Army completed the reorganization of the "nationalization of the armed forces" and established a unified "National Defense Force of the Republic of China," in order to further modernize the armed forces and sum up the experience gained in previous wars, the Chinese Army gathered some technical equipment that it believed had promising development into high-level tactical units and conducted tactical training of imaginary enemies at various training bases. For example, in Verkhniy Udinsk on the shore of Lake Baikal, the Chinese Army selected outstanding members and tactical equipment of the armored units, which had performed well in the European war and in the confrontation operations, and assembled them into a regiment-sized army armored model unit to experiment with various related armored unit tactics and new equipment, and this unit formed the prototype of the Chinese Army's armored instructors.

In the combat sequence of the Chinese National Defense Forces, the armored instructor is an out-and-out "new tender", so much so that many veteran infantry division commanders jokingly call this unit "milk bottle", and the generals of the armored instructor seem to be intending to motivate the troops, and the armband of this unit has always retained the pattern of a milk bottle and a cradle.

Since the establishment of the Army's Armored Teaching Brigade, the predecessor of the Armored Instructors, (strengthened regimental establishment), this unit has been the main base for the Chinese Army's armored tactics and officer training. As the Chinese Army's top brass has become more aware of the importance of armored and mechanized troops, the number of armored instructors has also been expanding. In the 30s of the 20th century, the establishment of the Prairie Base Training Corps (during the period of the Northern Theater Armored Training Base) was 300 people in the command and guard unit of the base combat training office, with a tank regiment, organized into three armored battalions, each battalion with 675 people, equipped with 30 "Capricorn 19" (referred to as M19) A3 medium tanks, 84 M18 B light tanks, and 86 people directly under the regiment; The mechanized infantry regiment of the division is organized into two mechanized infantry battalions, with a total of 980 people, equipped with 70 armored personnel carriers, 32 82-mm vehicle-mounted mortars, 18 M1 105-mm self-propelled guns under the regiment, and 260 people directly under the regiment; The division's heavy tank battalion has 48 M23 heavy tanks, 60 heavy trailers, 26 special repair vehicles, and 1,388 people. The self-propelled artillery battalion is equipped with 26 "Thunder 3" (LT-3) 155 mm self-propelled guns, 64 ammunition vehicles, 26 tracked repair vehicles, and 12 "Thunderbolt 1" (PL-1) 45 mm twin self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, with a total strength of 890 people; The armored reconnaissance company is equipped with 18 M18 reconnaissance light tanks, 22 armored reconnaissance vehicles, 14 off-road jeeps, and a total of 225 people. The support brigade consists of 204 people in a radio communication company, 268 people in a battlefield repair/mechanic brigade, and 660 people in the boatbridge/combat engineer battalion; In addition, the Army Reconnaissance/Liaison Flight Team is equipped with 4 calibration/liaison aircraft, 20 mechanics and 10 pilots, for a total of 30 people; The total establishment of the division is 8,296 people, and the front-line combat strength is 3,266 people.

For this army, the young Dongfang Bai can be said to have poured all his talents and efforts.

His current "retreat" is, of course, also related to this unit.

Dongfang Bai returned to the table, and he first examined the map. His gaze rested on the territory of the Soviet Union, and after thinking for a few minutes, he opened the report and read it.

Soon, after reading the report, Dongfang Bai opened his notebook and wrote down such words.

“…… From several clashes between our army and the Soviet army, we can understand some of the features of the offensive of the Soviet tank forces. ”

"Russia is a place that has been easy to get in and difficult to get out since ancient times. If our army goes into a full-scale war against the Soviet Union, it would seem that in the first weeks of the offensive our army will be able to achieve a complete victory. Because the Soviet air force is technologically inferior and will be overwhelmed by our air force, the armored division will drive straight into Russian territory. If the attack on Moscow is always regarded as the main target of the assault that determines the outcome of the war, it may be possible to achieve a decisive result. But now Moscow is no longer the capital of a country at a low stage of development, but a link of Stalin's state apparatus, an important industrial region and, more importantly, a railway hub in the European part of Russia. However, one point that cannot be ignored is that although our army has a great qualitative advantage and has air supremacy, there are also many disadvantages. One of the biggest obstacles to our march into Russia was that the Russian road network was very underdeveloped. If the Soviet power had built up a network of roads in Russia like that of the Western countries, Russia might have been defeated very quickly. Due to the poor condition of the roads, the movement of the mechanized units of our army will likely be significantly limited. Therefore, it is better not to rely mainly on wheeled vehicles for the mobility of our troops, but mainly on tracked vehicles. Because on those muddy roads, tanks can move forward as usual, and wheeled vehicles get stuck in the mud. Although the roads in Russia are not good, if the tank units are equipped with tracked transport vehicles, we may be able to occupy important centers of Russia before the autumn comes. ”

"Another advantageous factor for us is that the quality of tanks in our country is higher than that of the Soviet army. Our existing M19 medium tanks have armor 50 mm thick, are armed with 75 mm high-speed guns, travel at high speeds, and have good passability. Our border guards have already used such tanks in clashes with the Soviet army along the border, and they have played a significant role in the defense of the border. General Peng Qingzhong once said that his 24th Tank Brigade had been fiercely attacked by Soviet tanks on October 12, 1934, but they counterattacked and defeated the enemy, and he emphatically pointed out: "The new M19 tanks took part in the battle and caused great losses to the Soviet tanks. He suggested that a number of measures should be taken to speed up the production of improved M19 tanks, while at the same time thickening the armor of existing tanks. ”

“…… It should be emphasized that the engine of a tank is an important weapon as artillery. ”

"In the offensive, our tank units should have superior air support. Aviation plays a large role in the victory or defeat of tank battles. The tank army was the main force to win the victory, but on the vast plains of Russia, it was possible that aviation support would be guaranteed only locally and for a limited time, which would limit the role of the tank army. …… After many exercises, some experience has shown that the more extensive the air support and the more supplies the tank units receive, the better their mobility will be and the more chances they will have to win. ”

"Not much has been said about the situation with Soviet artillery at the front, and I believe that in a highly mobile and volatile combat operation, Soviet artillery will not necessarily arrive in time to perform an important task. But at night, Soviet artillery was often used to attack our camps with concentrated fire. But it is difficult to say exactly how effective this tactic will be. It is said that Soviet officers and soldiers often hide in villages in order to escape the bitter cold of winter, and it is conceivable that the effect of such shelling will not be very good. ”

"The fighters at the front described their impressions of Soviet tactics as follows: each Soviet attack was preceded by extensive infiltration activities, with a number of detachments and groups 'infiltrating' into defensive positions. In mastering this method of warfare, no one has yet been able to catch up with the Russians. Although the outer areas are under surveillance, the Russians will suddenly appear in some of our positions, and no one will see them coming, and no one will know when they will come. Even in those places where access is particularly difficult, they can appear in groups and quickly dig bunkers. For them, it was not difficult for a single soldier to infiltrate, because the area of defense was too vast, some of our positions were defended only by weak forces, and the gap between the support points was also large. Some divisions had too wide a defensive frontage. Despite the watchful eyes of the officers and men of the unit throughout the night, the next morning a whole detachment of Soviet sergeants would come to our defensive positions, bringing all the weapons and ammunition, and digging bunkers. The technique of this penetration is quite amazing, there is almost no sound, not a single shot is fired. This kind of infiltration tactic was used many times by the Soviet army, which made our army unable to defend against it. I believe that the way to deal with such operations is to strengthen the garrison, to have the alert soldiers on duty deployed in depth and to carry out constant patrols, and the most important thing is to have sufficient reserves ready at all times to be dispatched as soon as the situation arises to drive away the invading enemy. ”

"Another characteristic of the Soviet army's operations was the establishment of landing grounds, wherever and whenever they wanted, as bases for subsequent attacks. The Soviet-controlled landing fields were indeed a great threat. It would be a mistake to ignore these landing fields, or not to clear them in a timely manner. The landing ground of the Soviet troops, which may have been small at first and almost harmless, could be turned into a very dangerous position in a short time, and soon it would become an insurmountable stronghold. The landing ground occupied by a company of the Soviets at night would be expanded to at least one regiment the next morning, and the next night it would become a heavily armed stronghold, which could have everything needed to make it almost impregnable. The Soviets had set up a landing ground the first night, and no matter how heavy and concentrated artillery fire was, they could not drive it away. The principle of the Soviet army 'building landing fields everywhere' would pose a very serious threat, which cannot be underestimated. The most effective way to do this is to carry out a well-organized offensive. The only reliable here, which must be a principle, is this: if the Soviets are building a landing field, or if they are building an advance position, they will attack it, and they will attack it immediately, violently, and hesitation will doom to failure. An hour of delay can lead to a setback of shock, a delay of two hours is a setback, and a day of delay will call for a great tribulation. Even with only one infantry platoon and only one tank, it is necessary to attack! It is necessary to attack the Soviet army when it is not firmly established, when it has just been discovered and easy to deal with, when it has not had time to organize its defense, and when its heavy weapons have not yet arrived. It's too late to postpone it for a few hours. Sluggishness means failure; Decisive and timely action will be successful. ”

"The tactics of the Soviet army are a strange mixture. Although they were adept at infiltrating operations and were particularly adept at constructing field fortifications, the degree of rigidity of Soviet offensive operations was alarming. Their habit of stupidly repeatedly pounding at a certain point, the formulaic organization of artillery fire, and the unadept at choosing the terrain for the offensive showed a lack of creativity and ideological rigidity in the performance of tasks. Our radio listening team has heard many times the impatient question: 'What are we going to do now?' Only a small number of junior commanders are able to express their personal views when the situation changes. In many cases, what could have been a successful impact, a breakthrough, or a completed encirclement was not extended in time because the superiors did not take care of what to do. Despite being rigid in command, the Soviets were adept at quickly and frequently changing forces at the front. Once a unit has been badly damaged, it can withdraw to the rear overnight and reappear in another place a few days later. ”

"On the question of defensive warfare, the main thing is the question of the rear area and lines of communication, as well as the organization. Traffic congestion is severe in important transport hubs such as Ulan-Ude, and similar situations have occurred in other smaller towns. It is bad that the logistics units of all the front-line troops are concentrated on road junctions. If the Soviets attacked, the non-combatants would be crowded into these places, and piles of vehicles would not be able to evacuate. If the Soviets broke through, thousands of vehicles would have to be thrown away or burned. Moreover, the tanks that are at stake will also be unable to move an inch, bogging down in the quagmire of people and vehicles. The reason for this trouble is the convenience and comfort of life in the town. This situation must change. ”

"Attention should also be paid to the question of the organized retreat that was forced to take place in time of war, because Siberia is no longer a wasteland for us, but an industrial stronghold of the population. Once a retreat is carried out, very careful preparations must be made beforehand. Roads, bridges, travel routes, and river crossings are to be repaired and strengthened; After the assembly area of the troops is selected, it needs to be camouflaged; Decisions on what equipment and equipment to be taken away and how many transport vehicles are needed must be calculated in detail. Telephone equipment must be completely removed (this is an important preparatory work), command posts and observation posts at all levels must be set up in the rear before the retreat operation begins, and plans for blasting, barricades and mine-laying must be prepared in accordance with the plan for the interdiction operation of each line of resistance, so as to better coordinate the interdiction operation. ”

"The most complicated issue is the evacuation of the population, because it is necessary to evacuate all the residents, young and old, strong and weak, farmers and citizens. This requires ad hoc and ad hoc measures. The main thing here was to coordinate the entire operation, to organize the transfer of the inhabitants and prevent them from hindering the retreat of the army. The engineering detachment should be sent out to repair bridges and repair roads so that the brigade can move along the prescribed route. Supply depots, health and medical stations for supplies and supplies should also be organized. And the most important point is to organize the traffic command service. Because such a large and complex team must be tightly controlled. When not far from the front line, night operations were to be organized, and if it was necessary to do so during the day, the troops were to take covert measures, especially to educate the refugees, to avoid crowding, and to disperse in case of attacks by Soviet aircraft. Their planes attack any target of activity, whether civilians or military. ”

"The vast expanses of Siberia and its forests are actually very beneficial for the large-scale evacuation of residents. But in any case, the organizational retreat is quite a complex and risky operation. In modern warfare, the evacuation of the population requires a long-distance plan of action and careful preparations, otherwise the movement of the army will be hindered. ”

"In addition to traffic command services, Soviet Air Force aircraft may specifically attack refugees. This is very problematic. As long as they littered the bombs, it was very difficult to open a way for the army on a road littered with rubble and filled with screaming and screaming refugees. These are the things that we have to take into account in advance. Because in modern warfare, there is no such thing as a simple military retreat, and the transfer of civilians must also be included in the retreat plan. ”

(To be continued)