At 6 a.m. on July 16, a second lieutenant platoon commander held a telescope to look across the river at a defensive position on the north bank of the upper Kobdo River. Due to the temperature difference between day and night www.biquge.info the white mist on the river is filled, like a soft light veil moving gently. As the sun rises, the turbidity descends and forms a dividing line. There is no fog on it, and visibility is clear at a glance. The lower fog gradually sinks and recedes.

Suddenly, there was a roar in the northern sky, and the second lieutenant platoon commander was a little surprised, and the telescope was aimed into the air. In a few moments, large black spots appeared in the northern sky. "Enemy planes are coming, hurry up and hide!" After the second lieutenant platoon commander finished speaking, he immediately ran to the fortifications, and the second lieutenant platoon commander's phone call was not finished, and the bomb exploded on the position. Due to the long distance of the Soviet front-line airfields, the bombers were delayed for only 10 minutes. But Soviet bombers came in batches and could form a continuous air strike.

Since the air defense forces were mainly deployed in the city of Kobdo, the sky over the riverbank positions was not fortified at all. Soviet bombers were unscrupulous, and the defense line along the river was shrouded in smoke of explosions. The Soviets fought undeclared, and despite the prediction, the defenders were still in disarray. There was also chaos in the 33rd Army Headquarters in Kobdo City, and the army commander Huo Shouyi received a report on the defensive position on the riverbank, and immediately picked up the phone to report to the headquarters of the Uriya Sutai Corps.

In the headquarters of the 2nd Corps of Uriya Sutai, there was also tension. After receiving the report, Commander Fu Zuoyi ordered Huo Shouyi, the commander of the defense of Kobdo, to immediately report on the bombing situation of the Soviet army and the offensive strength of the Soviet army. "Commander Fu, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army judged that the Soviet army might move in late July, but it didn't expect to do it in advance. It stands to reason that the target of the Soviet army should be Uriya Sutai, who took the lead in making an unexpected move against Kobdo. ”

"The troops are coming, the water is coming, and the water is coming to Tutun, and immediately report to the Ulaanbaatar Joint Command, and the Soviet army suddenly launched a large-scale air attack on Kobdo at 6 o'clock in the morning, and the situation was further reported." "Commander Fu, if the Soviet army puts tank troops in the northwest direction, Kobdo's defensive forces are too small. The vanguard of the 6th Army of the Helong Division of the Eighth Route Army had just entered Outer Mongolia, and it would take at least two days to reach Kobdo. In two days, Huo Shouyi can not hold Kobdo. ”

"Report, Huo Shouyi reported that his cavalry reconnaissance unit found Soviet tank units in the northwest direction, about a tank brigade. According to the speed of movement of Soviet tanks, it approached the northwestern outer defense line in the afternoon. "Report the situation to Joint Command immediately. Order Huo Shouyi, defend the outer defense line, be sure to hold on for two days, reinforcements will arrive! Fu Zuoyi deployed heavy troops on the front line of Uriya Sutai, and did not expect the Soviet army to strike first in Kobdo.

In the Ulaanbaatar Joint Command, the various divisions and staff entered a tense and busy situation. Lin seemed to be silent after receiving the report, the Soviet army did not attack Uriya Sutai, and took the lead in Kobdo, what does Zhukov mean? Lin secretly calculated to himself. "Mr. Lin, we misjudged, the Soviet army not only moved ahead of time, but also aimed at Kobdo. The defenders of Kobdo were only more than 40,000 people, and it was difficult to withstand the onslaught of Soviet armored forces. Chief of Staff Tan Zhenlin was a little apprehensive.

Lin took a few steps and said, "To the north of Kobdo City is the Kobdo River, and to the northeast is a continuous lake. To the west of it is the Altai Mountains trending northwest and southeast. The valley between the Altai Mountains and the Kobdo River, although flat, was not suitable for large armies, which did not fit Zhukov's character. I judged that the Soviet troops were not ready, and Zhukov asked us to set our sights on Kobdo in order to mobilize us. ”

Lin stopped moving and said decisively: "Tell Fu Zuoyi to defend the city of Kobdo, and the Soviet army will not put too many troops into the attack." Immediately sent a report to Xiao Feng, ordering the 16th Division of the 6th Army to quickly reinforce Kobdo, and the 17th and 18th Divisions remained unchanged and continued to advance towards Bayan. The 7th Division of Song Renqiang was ordered not to stop in Baotou, and the headquarters went directly into Altai, Outer Mongolia. Lin then reported to the headquarters on the situation in Kobdo.

Two hours after the Russian air force raid, the Russian ambassador handed over a report to China, demanding that the Chinese troops withdraw from Mongolia and let the Mongolian people decide their own fate. Naturally, the Nationalist Government could not accede to such an unreasonable demand. The US Government expressed the hope that China and the Soviet Union would be calm and that political negotiations would resolve the issue. Most of the world's media followed the will of the United States, hoping that China and the Soviet Union would use political means to solve the problem. Soviet Russia has started its war without declaring it, and what is meant by political negotiation to solve the problem is, to put it bluntly, to make the Chinese government submit.

The Soviet 28th Army, commanded by General Mikhail, marched out of Ulan Gumu and slaughtered from the north to the south. The 28th Army was a newly formed unit, the original number was often the Steppe Front, and later in the Battle of Kursk, the 28th Army was wiped out by the Germans, and the 28th Army was later restored. Admiral Mikhail received the combat mission of attacking the city of Kobdo, and he was full of pride, and he swore that he would take the city of Kobdo within three days.

Although the 28th Army was a newly formed unit with weak combat effectiveness, its armored regiments and artillery divisions were all descended from the European theater and had gone through brutal battles, so Admiral Mikhail dared to pat his chest unscrupulously. As the saying goes, arrogant soldiers will be defeated, and Mikhail understands this truth, using the price as a bargaining chip. The 12th Panzer Division of the Soviet Army was repeatedly part of the 5th Tank Army, and Zhukov, based on the strength of the Chinese defense in Kobdo, and considering the narrowness of the valley at the northeastern foot of the Altai Mountains, decided that an armored brigade would be sufficient.

The 12th Armored Division and the 34th Tank Brigade of the Soviet Army, commanded by Major General Andrei. The 5th Tank Corps, which was transferred from the European theater, was arrogant and arrogant with the might of victory, and did not take the Chinese defenders seriously at all. In high spirits, Andrei leaned out of the turret and commanded the tanks and chariots to go straight to the outer defense line northwest of the city of Kobdo. Andrei was even more unashamed to take the city of Kobdor before dark. At present, most of the middle and senior generals of the Soviet army have this mentality, and in their eyes, the Chinese army is vulnerable.

The northwestern perimeter defense line of Kobdo City is connected to the defense line on the bank of the Kobdo River, about 20 kilometers away from Kobdo City. In addition, the terrain of the perimeter is conducive to defense, and its front is only 5 kilometers wide, which is suitable for tank attacks. The task of defending the outer defense line was the 33rd Army, the 67th Division, and the commander of the Major General Li Peiying. The area was crisscrossed by trenches and built a large number of tunnel fortifications, tailor-made in response to heavy Soviet artillery fire.

At this time, division commander Li Peiying was in a high-point fortification, holding a telescope to look ahead of the river valley. According to the reconnaissance report, the Soviet tank units were only 10 kilometers away from the outlying positions. There is an anti-tank battalion in hand, which was formed at the beginning of the year. The first time the infantry hit the tank, Li Peiying had no bottom in her heart. He put down his binoculars and ordered, "Go and find Camp Commander Zhang!" After a while, the commander of the anti-tank battalion hurriedly ran over.

"Report to the division commander, subordinates come to report, please instruct!" "Battalion Commander Zhang, the tanks of the Soviet army are coming soon, are you sure that you can block the steel chariots? This is the first time we've been hit by a tank. "Division commander, don't worry, we are training in Yan'an, as long as the rocket hits the target, the T26 of the Soviet army will not be able to parry." "Battalion Commander Zhang, the morale of the officers and men of the whole division depends on you. The commander gave me a death order, I must hold on for two days, and the reinforcements of the Eighth Route Army will arrive.

"Now I will give you a death order, not to take half a step back!" "Yes!" Not long after Battalion Commander Zhang left, there was a roar in front of him, and the earth began to shake slightly. Soon Soviet tanks appeared in two columns, "Soviet tanks are coming, ready to fight." If the anti-tank battalion could not withstand the onslaught of the tanks, the divisions prepared explosives and must not allow the Soviet tanks to break through the positions! Li Peiying gave the order.

The Soviet tanks were scattered in two formations and lined up in an attack formation. At this time, Andrei stood on the tank and observed, and after a while he laughed and said: "The enemy fortifications are very primitive, and they are still at the level of the First World War. Cancel the shelling and launch an attack on all fronts. The children! Rush up and destroy the enemy in front, Ula! With Andrei's shout, the tank tanks scrambled to take the lead, as if they were not fighting, but grabbing territory, and at this moment, the tank crews of the Soviet army did not realize the danger at all.

Since the anti-tank rocket launchers developed by the Eighth Route Army were rarely used in actual combat, the Soviet tank corps believed that the Chinese army and infantry had no anti-tank capability at all. A T26 tank ran fast, entered the range of the bazooka, only to see two rockets, crossed concentrated on this tank, accompanied by a violent explosion, the tank turret was instantly lifted off, and the turret actually flew out dozens of meters away.

The soldiers defending in the trench couldn't help but cheer when they saw such a shocking scene. However, this was only the beginning, a few minutes later, the Soviet army rushed in front of the tank all reimbursed, 4 tanks were directly destroyed, 3 two tank chains were blown up and turned in place, one tank overturned, the chain was still turning. Seeing this scene, Andrei was stupid and immediately burst into a rage and ordered the vehicle-mounted rocket launcher to fire.