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Anti-encirclement and the Long March

twenty

For the sake of the proletariat, rush!

"Your Excellency, a telegram from the General Headquarters of the Northern Route Army, they have broken through the defense line of the G bandit army in Blanpur!" Carter, chief of staff of the Indian Army's Central Route Army, stood in front of Slim and Mittal with a somewhat excited expression. The defense line of the GC International South Asian Army in Berlambur was broken, but it meant that the siege of Kolkata was half over! ，

Slim and Mittal were discussing something around the map table. A map of 1 in 50,000 is spread on a huge map table. Three battle lines marked with various tactical symbols can be clearly seen on the map. Hear Carter's debriefing. Both straightened up at the same time.

Slim hurriedly took the telegram and read it carefully, then let out a long sigh, "Great, great! The encirclement of Calcutta by Army G was about to be broken soon. Next, the Northern Route Army and the Calcutta defenders will meet for a while, and then advance westward...... You will be able to fight with us on the front line of Jamshedpur-Danbad! ”

Major General Mittal, the commander of the Indian Army's armored forces, was not so optimistic, he patted the map, and said with his eyebrows: "Lieutenant General, it seems that it is somewhat easier for the Northern Route Army to break through the defense line of the G Army in Belamble, according to the previous intelligence, the G Army can deploy an infantry corps and an armored division there, and even if our three corps and an armored division can defeat them, they should not be so fast." He looked at Carter, "Did the Northern Route Army report mention the armored units of Army G?" ”

Carter said: "This time, the Northern Route Army did not encounter the opponent's armored troops, but said that it fought hard with the G Army for more than ten hours and launched eleven fierce attacks on all fronts to achieve a breakthrough. Mittal snorted. He said to Slim, who was frowning and contemplative: "Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, it seems that Army G must have taken the initiative to break the siege." ”

Slim crossed his arms and looked at the map. He slowly muttered: "It seems that the G Army wants to deal with our middle army on the Jamshedpur-Danbad line first, and then turn back to fight Calcutta. Their corps retreated on its own initiative. It is expected that the army outside Calcutta will also withdraw. Then the two corps retreated together to the line of the Hooghly River. Prevent our Northern Route Army from advancing westward. After joining forces with the defenders of Calcutta, the Northern Route Army had three and a half central infantry corps, one armored division, and four local armies, with a total strength of 37 or 80,000 ...... So many troops were blocked east of the Hooghly River by two armies of the G Army! He shook his head slightly. Looks like we're still a bad move! If the three central armies and one armored division of the Northern Route Army had been concentrated in the middle at that time, the victory in this battle would have been in hand. ”

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, there is no way for us to adopt such a plan." Mittal sighed softly in his heart, the "if" that Slim said was not an afterthought, but something he had made when he made the battle plan before the battle began. In the proposal submitted by Slim to Nehru and Bous. Solving the siege of Kolkata is not the point, eliminating the main force of the GC International South Asian Army is the top priority! But the problem is that there is Mahatma Gandhi in the city of Calcutta. How could Nehru and Bose ignore Gandhi? If they do. It is sure to provoke resentment among Gandhi admirers within the Indian army......

"I also know the difficulties of the Vice President and Mr. Prime Minister." Slim smiled bitterly and turned his attention back to the map, his gaze moving back and forth between the Hooghly River and the Jamshedpur-Danbad line, frowning in thought. After a while, he said slowly: "Now it depends on who succeeds in the attack first, whether our Northern Route Army will break through the Hooghly River first and stab the main force of the G Army in the back, or whether the G Army will repel our 8 armies on the Jamshedpur-Danbad line." ”

Mittal gritted his teeth, "Now it's a narrow encounter, it's up to who can persevere to the end." As long as we can hold out in Jamshedpur-Danbad for five days, the Northern Route Army will definitely be able to break through the Hooghly River, after all, the G Army has only 2 corps there, and there are only 80,000 men in the sky, so we have a great chance of winning this battle! ”

Slim almost snorted coldly: "I don't believe that nearly 700,000 Indian troops will be defeated by the so-called GC International Army of less than 300,000!" Could it be that these GCD people are really made of special materials? ”

On August 16, 1939, the Indian army in eastern India and the GC International South Asian Army both made up their minds to start a major decisive battle in West Bengal almost at the same time! The order given by the General Front Committee of the GC International South Asian Army to Peng Dhuai, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Advance Corps, was: "The 5th and 7th armies of the Eastern Front can temporarily relieve the siege of Calcutta, but they must hold the Hooghly River to prevent the Indian Northern Route Army (including the Calcutta defenders) from crossing the river and advancing westward." In addition, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th armies, the GC International Armored Division, and the artillery cluster, which are the main forces of the Northern Advance Corps, should concentrate on the Jamshedpur-Danbad line, take a resolute offensive against the enemy's central route army, and defeat the Indian army's central route army by August 20, no matter how great the difficulties! This battle has a bearing on the rise and fall of our party and the success or failure of the world revolution, and all comrades should give full play to the revolutionary spirit of not fearing death and hardship, and thwart the strong enemy! ”

And Slim, in the name of the Chief of the General Staff of the Indian Army, also issued an equally sternly worded order, he demanded that the Indian Army Northern Route Army storm the defense line of Army G on the west bank of the Hooghly River at all costs, and must achieve a breakthrough by August 20! At the same time, he strictly ordered all units of the Indian army on the Jamshedpur-Danbad line to hold out until the last man, and not to take a single step back!

Under the strict orders of the supreme commanders of both sides, the two offensive and defensive battles, which were related to the success or failure of the entire battle situation, immediately began with the strongest intensity.

……

"Ready, put!"

With Zhu Rui, the commander-in-chief of the artillery of the South Asian Army of GC International, he waved his arm heavily, and he had already been prepared, and the 88 Soviet-made 152mm heavy field howitzers, 72 Guozamin-18 150mm heavy field howitzers, 36 Japanese-style Meiji 38-style howitzers, 112 Soviet-made 122mm howitzers, 72 Guozai-17 light field howitzers, 60 120mm heavy mortars, and 60 150mm heavy mortars, were waiting on the gun position for a long time. Coupled with the artillery belonging to the thirteen divisions of the four armies, a total of more than 700 powerful artillery fire, and at the same time, a roar was issued!

The huge roar suddenly joined together, and there was a howling sound like a strong wind blowing along the Jamshedpur-Danbad line. The ground shook violently. The shock wave of the shell explosion and the smoke of the fire mixed with the dust on the ground and rolled up into the sky. It seems to drown the entire Indian army front in this hell of fire made up of gunsmoke, fire and deadly shrapnel!

On the positions of the Indian troops on the line of Burulia, where the artillery fire was most concentrated. Rows of flames rose up, and countless explosions appeared almost simultaneously. Large and small shells poured on the heads of the Indian puppet army as if they didn't want money. With the firing of suppressed artillery. Mortar groups deployed at the front of the positions of the South Asian Army at GC International also began to occur, and 82mm, 60mm and 50mm grenadiers all began to roar at the highest rate of fire. With the heavy artillery, the entire Indian position was plowed several times.

The earth-wood bunkers, deer barricades, barbed wire, and minefields that the Indian army had painstakingly laid out were all bombarded with powerful artillery fire. The stumps and severed arms of the human body also flew in all directions. The weapons were all blown to pieces and parts. The Indian army's communications network was also paralyzed by artillery fire. The wall of fire from the shells repeatedly moved back and forth over the positions of the Indian troops. Death is sown on the positions of the Indian army, and life is harvested!

Although they had been prepared for a long time, the Indian army was still stunned by such powerful firepower in an instant. Indian troops huddled in trenches, hiding in shelters. Stunned by the huge explosion of the shell, he was blown to the ground. The officers and soldiers of the Indian army were looking around like headless flies looking for a place to hide. They were all shouting hoarsely.

Lieutenant General Slim was already dressed and sitting in his former enemy headquarters, and the attack of the G Army had long been expected by him, and the roar of seven or eight hundred cannons in unison was nothing to a British general like him who had participated in the First World War. As the thunderous roar of cannon rang in his ears, Slim rose from his chair and picked up the military hat on the table. The strode towards the operations command room.

There was already a noisy sound of telephone ringing in the war room of the headquarters, and the commander of the 7th Infantry Corps of the Indian Army had already called. Report that his troops are under unprecedented terrible shelling! Communication with the front line has been interrupted, and the front-line positions to the rear assembly areas are overshadowed by the sudden arrival of powerful artillery fire! The six artillery battalions attached to the 7th Army had already begun to return fire, firing at the starting positions of the G Army. However, the more than 50 cannons of the 6 artillery battalions were suppressed by 10 times the artillery of the G Army, and they had almost no ability to fight back - the more than 200 large-caliber long-range howitzers of the South Asian Army of the GC country were concentrated in the front of the 7th Army of the Indian Army! Moreover, after more than 10 years of training, the artillery technology of the Chinese internationalist fighters has now reached the world's first-class level, and the "sound measurement company" of the G army can find the approximate position of the Indian artillery within a few minutes after they open fire, so as to guide the heavy artillery to fire.

"Have you found any armored units of Army G?" Slim's face was calm, and he asked the staff officers who seemed a little nervous and flustered. It is not known since when the armored forces have been linked to the direction of the main attack. In recent years, the main attack in large-scale land battles has almost always started with a large-scale armored assault, and the victory or defeat of the armored assault is almost the victory or defeat of the battle.

"Sir, the forward positions of the 7th Army are temporarily unreachable, and the communication lines have been destroyed. The frontiers of the rest of the armies were all traces of the armored units of the G Army. A bearded Sikh staff officer with a red turban around his head reported.

"Lieutenant General, I saw that the key breakthrough direction of Army G is on the front line of Bruria, and this time they want to make a breakthrough in the middle!" Carter, chief of staff of the Central Route Army, put forward his opinion, "The forecast team should be allowed to enter the position immediately, order the armored group to prepare for a counter-assault, and immediately enter the decisive battle as soon as the breakthrough of the armored group of the G Army is discovered!" ”

Lieutenant General Slim nodded slightly, and ordered loudly: "Order the 7th Army, put all the reserves into it, and hold off the armored units of the G Army at all costs." ”

"Give the order to Major General Mittal, the armored forces have rushed to the front line of Brulia and counterattack at any time by the way!"

"Order the Air Force, attack as soon as it is dawn, dispatch all the bombers, and blow up the artillery positions of the G Army for me!"

……

Xiang Ying, Peng Dhuai, and Liu Bcheng were in an advance observation post of the 3rd Army of the GC International South Asian Army, and all three of them arrived to observe this large-scale artillery preparation for China G. There was a loud whistling explosion that shook everything inside the shelter from distance. The thick smoke of gunpowder was blown by the scorching west wind, and the smoke was so bad that people couldn't open their eyes. Each of the three leaders holds a high-powered telescope. Gaze at everything in front of you. Xiang Ying's face was red with excitement, and he was shouting to give credit to the artillery while watching. Peng Dhuai's swarthy face was still stiff. The thick eyebrows were slightly locked, and I didn't know if I was dissatisfied with the performance of the artillery. Or are you worried about the situation? Liu Bcheng had a faint smile on his face. The plan for this assault was carefully formulated by him after summing up the lessons and lessons of the Soviet army in the anti-fascist war. It will definitely be possible to break through the defenses of the Indian army!

In the use of artillery, the GC International South Asian Army now completely inherits the artillery doctrine of the Soviet Red Army, and the time for artillery preparation is as long as 120 minutes! It started with a 30-minute shot and then a 10-minute pause. After waiting for the smoke of the shelling to clear, observe the effect of the shot. Then another 30 minutes of effective shooting. Finally, there was a 10-minute onslaught of forward fire. This was followed by a barrage of 380 large-caliber heavy guns to cover the advance of three assault infantry groups, and to carry out the first wave of impact on the Indian defensive positions in front of Buria. At the same time, the units of the GC International South Asian Army on the Jamshedpur-Danbad front line will launch diversionary attacks. Strive to achieve a breakthrough with infantry on the same day, and then throw armored forces into the breach. Cut deep into the Indian army's defense, and completely disrupt the rear assembly area of the Indian army with the powerful impact of the armored forces!

More than 700 guns. The 120-minute repeated shelling was a boundless hellish ordeal for the Indian troops in front of Ruria! Most of the Indian infantry, who were already not very good at fighting, had already suffered a nervous breakdown. The little fighting spirit that was inspired to save Mahatma Gandhi had long been blown away by the bombardment of the South Asian Army of GC International. Many people jumped out of their positions and ran to the rear, only to be crushed by shells or killed by machine guns by the overseers in the rear!

Just when these Indian troops thought that such shelling would continue until the end of the world, rows of colorful signal flares rose one after another on the positions of the GC International Army. The artillery fire of the GC International Army was suddenly concentrated, forming a barrage in front of the positions of the Indian army. Then several red signal flares rose into the sky, and above the position of the South Asian Army of the GC International, three improvised regimental assault clusters, and tens of thousands of officers and men of the "Soviet" regiment, the "revolutionary" regiment, and the "Third International" regiment suddenly jumped out of their offensive starting positions. Hundreds of young officers of the Indian GCD stood at the head of the ranks and shouted loudly in Hindi: "Get on the bayonet!" Assault! For the liberation of the proletariat of all India, rush! ”

"Long live GCD! For the sake of the proletariat, rush! The majestic slogan in Hindi resounded throughout the battlefield, and tens of thousands of Indian indigenous soldiers of the G Army held rifles with bayonets, carried ** bags and grenades, and rushed forward desperately! Behind them were dozens of machine guns, as well as the political cadres who commanded them...... The three infantry assault clusters were made up of all indigenous Indian warriors, and any officer and soldier who dared to retreat from the battle would be mercilessly shot by these machine guns!

Looking through the binoculars of Xiang Ying, Peng Dhuai, and Liu Bcheng, under the smoke of artillery fire that covers the sky and the sun, you can vaguely see pieces of GC International Army officers and soldiers, rushing forward without hesitation, it seems to be completely unstoppable!

Xiang Ying put down the binoculars, nodded with satisfaction, and then ordered loudly: "We must occupy the front-line positions of the Indian army before 12 o'clock this morning, and then put into the armored forces to assault!" in order to achieve the intended goal of shaking their entire defensive line. By August 20, we must break all the Indian forces on the Jamshedpur-Dhambad front! ”

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Major General Rao, commander of the Indian Army's Seventh Army, was also reporting to Lieutenant General Slim: "The G bandit infantry is attacking!" More than 10,000 people! Under the cover of the barrage, it has already broken through to the front-line positions of our army. We are now engaged in a fierce battle with the defenders of our front-line positions, and our troops have already suffered heavy casualties under enemy artillery fire, and now they urgently need reinforcements. I'm sure this is the key point for the enemy to break through! We need reinforcements! ”

"Did you find any armored units of Army G?" Lieutenant General Slim on the other end of the phone asked, still calm.

"I didn't find it, but sir, the artillery bombardment of the G bandits is very fierce, and the infantry is also fierce! They're going to break through with me! Major General Rao's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and although he did not find the opponent's tank, he was 100% convinced that the focus of the GCD's breakthrough would be the area he was defending.

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line, as if Lieutenant General Slim was not sure of his mind for a while. He doesn't have much reserve in his hands now, especially the key armored forces are running out, if they are pressed in the wrong direction, the GC International South Asian Army may use the armored forces as a sharp knife to pierce the Indian army's defense line and turn their rear assembly area upside down!

"Major General Rao, I order your 7th Army to hold out a little longer, and if by 8 a.m. there is no trace of the enemy's armored forces, I will send you the reserves." With that, Slim snapped and hung up the phone.

Major General Rao smiled bitterly at the phone earphone and muttered: "At 8 o'clock in the morning, if the 7th Army is still there at that time, then the breakthrough direction of the G bandits must be some......where else."