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The news of the outbreak of the Battle of Kunduz swept the world like a whirlwind. Countless countries, countless people, at this moment have set their eyes on the northern gate of Afghanistan. Is it the Chinese National Defense Force, which defeated the elite Japanese Army twice, and established the world's strongest army in the European War with the Battle of Rainy Vale's Dragon Roar? Or was it the Soviet Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, tempered by the brutal civil war, frantically expanding its armaments in recent years, and good at using its spiritual strength to break down barriers?

All voices disappeared, and Britain, France, and the United States, who were bent on watching the show before the war, Japan, which was secretly planning to go south, Germany, which was eyeing the tiger, Italy, which was fishing in troubled waters, and the Arab world, which was worried about the war and its homeland, all widened their eyes and ears at this moment. Baghlan, Khan Balad! The two place names and the complex terrain around them swirled back and forth in their minds. Every time they opened the map and saw the winding trails like sheep's intestines, the military strategists of various countries shook their heads, this terrain, this road, let alone fighting, even the march was extremely difficult.

The Isthmus of Khan Balad, in particular, is simply a nightmare for any troops. The isthmus, which is less than 400 meters wide, can be blown into the middle of the road from a cliff to a simple phrase. Therefore, there is such a sentence in the textbooks of various ** things, don't hit the isthmus of any terrain!

Because the isthmus is often very deep, the roads inside are tortuous and winding, and it is easy to be cut off by the enemy. But now, the 1st Tank Battalion of the 515th Regiment of the 10th Armored Division of the Chinese National Defense Forces, under the whimsical tactics of a fledgling young major, has resolutely rushed into the isthmus, which is deeply feared by military strategists and seems impossible to take.

32 T31 tanks with torsion bar suspension chassis that resemble Panthers from a parallel world, covered in old tracks and sandbags. Like a giant beast, it plunged into the depths of the isthmus. In front of them, there was a barrage of Xu Jin's cover, and behind them was the gust of wind rolled up by three old aero engines. In order to create enough sandstorms, Du Yuming also ordered hundreds of soldiers to splash fine sand down from both sides of the canyon under his control, and hundreds of flying sapper shovels scattered dozens of tons of muddy yellow sand peculiar to Afghanistan into the canyon, and the explosion, propellers, and canyon wind mixed together, and swept the entire isthmus with gravel and mud.

The Soviet soldiers, who had just been glad that they had once again avoided the bombardment and shelling, had not yet celebrated when they found that the bombing had kicked up more sand and dust than expected. The fine sand peculiar to Afghanistan made them unable to open their eyes, and they could only half-close their eyes, holding their heads and burying themselves deep in hidden positions, hoping that the wind and sand would pass as soon as possible. But just as they waited for the wind and sand to pass, the faint sound of the motor startled everyone when they looked at it. It was found that the visibility was less than a kilometer.

"I hear you! It was the sound of the engine, the tank, the enemy tank coming up. ”

"Anti-tank gun preparation."

"I can't see, I can't see, where are they?"

"Damn, the gray sand is too big."

"Fire, fire at the sound!"

The Soviet captain, who commanded the anti-tank gun position, was the first to react. Covering his mouth and nose, he gave the order to fire at the sound. "Boom, boom, boom." Four Soviet 45mm anti-tank guns deployed in the dead end of the bay mouth were the first to open fire, and the fire from the muzzles was so light that the Soviet machine gun batteries on the slopes on both sides of the isthmus thought they had found targets below. The M1910 water-cooled heavy machine gun also fired wildly at the mouth of the bay.

At that moment, Zhuo Fan and the officers and men of the 1st Tank Battalion understood why for a month, neither the Afghan troops nor the Asian Brigade could break through the isthmus blockade, because the firepower here was too dense! Now the tank battalion. It's like a boat in a rain of bullets, or an unlucky ghost who breaks into a hornet's nest in a sheet. The sound of a bullet hitting a steel plate in my ears was more intense than a rainstorm hitting a plantain leaf.

"Fuck, it's not going to get penetrated, is it?"

Inside car No. 7, the tank driver wearing a soft sponge steel helmet vented loudly, even knowing that the tank was immune to heavy machine gun bullets, and even the most vulnerable engine parts were covered with thick old tracks, but no one could stand the feeling of being scratched by ten thousand ants. "Boom." As soon as the leading knife company bypassed the mouth of the bay, two 45-mm armor-piercing shells exploded around them, and the fireball after the explosion of the armor-piercing shells was small, but it still frightened the driver of car No. 12, who was close to the river, slammed the brakes, and almost drove the tank up the soft riverbed.

"Found it, parking! Turn 17 degrees to the right, the distance is 721 meters, and three high-explosive shells are fired in a row! The moment the explosion lit up, the commander, who had been staring wide-eyed for the muzzle fire, finally caught a faint flash in the yellow sand. The heavy turret was turned to the right, and when the gunner fine-tuned the muzzle according to the commander's coordinates, the loader had already stuffed a 4-kilogram high-explosive shell into the chamber.

At this moment, the tank battalion had an advantage, because the T31 tank was the first tank in the world to be designed with a double periscope for the commander and gunner, which allowed the tanker to quickly capture the target without exposure, even if the wind and sand did not affect binocular observation. At the same time as the tank gun was turned, the Soviet anti-tank gunners who were hiding on the opposite side also discovered the target. To say that the opposite person really has the potential of a sharpshooter, he quickly adjusted in place in the wind and sand, and actually fired a shot before the tank stopped and fired.

"Boom! Rumble. "At the same time that the 45-mm armor-piercing shell hit the frontal armor of the tank, the gunner fired the first high-explosive shell." There are no injuries, there are no injuries! "There was a lot of noise inside the tank, and the sound of explosions and bullets hitting steel plates all around, and the commander had to open his voice and ask loudly about the situation.

"Nope! No! ”

"The goal is still there! It's still there, the second one, fire! ”

"Boom."

It's a thrilling time! When the driver and commander in front checked for damage, the gunner shouted and stomped his feet, and when the loader stuffed in the second shell and struck his steel helmet with his hand, the second high-explosive shell immediately burst out of the muzzle. The hot shells exited the chambers, and the smoke spread through the crowded tank compartment, choking the tankmen's eyes red.

Fortunately, the second high-explosive shell accurately hit the almost half-buried Soviet anti-tank gun position, and the Soviet gunner who hit the opponent's tank spat blood and tilted his body, his eyes widened as if he did not understand why the tank, which could be pierced a few days ago, suddenly became so thick and indestructible.

The muzzle fire of the tank gun provoked a counterattack from three more Soviet anti-tank guns, and in the blink of an eye, four armor-piercing shells hit car No. 7, one of which hit the weakest track. As a result, car No. 7 suddenly lost its ability to move forward. Due to the dense bullets outside, the tank crews had to grit their teeth and endure the fear of being penetrated, and sat in the car and waited for the follow-up brother troops to complete the purge.

After the positions of the three anti-tank guns were exposed, the remaining 13 tanks of the Sharp Knife Company immediately swarmed the shells. In the midst of the roaring explosions and fireballs, it took only three minutes to clear all four 45-mm anti-tank guns. But in the process, the Sharp Knife Company also lost one tank again, and all four tankmen failed to escape due to the fire caused by the hit engine.

"Rush and rush, and get full power! Rush over! ”

A small bay mouth and four garbage-like 45mm anti-tank guns. He let himself lose two tanks, and the company commander of the sharp knife company suddenly grabbed the radio microphone like a hungry wolf with his teeth and revenge, and roared angrily. The sharp knife company that stopped firing advanced again, and at this time, the second echelon where Zhuo Fan was also crossed the most treacherous bay.

When the assault battalion all crossed the bay mouth, the sight in the periscope suddenly opened up. But they didn't know that an even greater danger was coming. "With armor-piercing shells, aim!" In a crack in the rock wall on the left side of the canyon, a Soviet 76-mm tank gun poked out. Since this location is just sheltered from the wind and there is a stone wall in front of it, the bombs and wind and sand will not affect it at all.

Artillery squad leader Nikov is a veteran of ten years of service, and has also exchanged anti-tank experience with the German army, and his 76-mm anti-tank gun is also one of the most powerful anti-tank weapons in the Soviet army. So when Zhuo Fan was riding, the tank had just emerged from the wind and sand. The armor-piercing bullet whizzed into the front of the turret.

"Bang!" A loud tearing sound exploded from Zhuo Fan's ears, and the entire tank shook as if it had been forcibly braked and stopped. The shaking and vibration caused the car to fill the car with smoke and dust for a moment. "Hit! There are no injuries! Count, count! ”

"Well driven! The cannon is in good condition! Zhuo Fan is in good condition! Reload. Reload. "When the tank crew reported one by two, the loader did not make a sound,

Zhuo Fan turned his head to look, and a three-finger-long bloody wound was knocked out of the bullet loader's head. Collapsed on the shell mount, visibly knocked unconscious.

"It's fine. Just dizzy. Zhuo Fan immediately climbed to the position of the loader, grabbed the middle man to wake him up first, and then asked him to cover his wound and go to the front, and he took out an armor-piercing bullet from the magazine rack and stuffed it into the barrel, shouting: "Load in place!" ”

It should be said that Zhuo Fan was lucky, because Germany deliberately concealed it, so the Soviet Union has not fully understood the heat treatment technology imported from Germany, resulting in insufficient hardness of the armor-piercing steel core. In addition, the T31 tank is the world's first tank with oblique armor, and it is draped with additional armor such as old tracks, so it is hard to resist, otherwise this armor-piercing bullet alone is enough to reimburse the command brain of the assault battalion.

The scene of the battalion commander and staff officer Zhuo almost being blown up frightened that several tanks next to them immediately turned their guns to aim at the 76mm anti-tank gun. However, due to the small angle, several armor-piercing shells failed to destroy this concealment point, but instead allowed the opponent to hit two tanks in a row, one of which was also hit in the side and was scrapped.

"Don't stop! Sharp knife company, sharp knife company rushed over and pulled the angle open! Zhuo Fan quickly noticed the problem and shouted to speed up the front. Seeing the dozen tanks at the front rushing towards him, Nikkov realized that the other side was about to pull the angle, and immediately ordered the gun muzzle to be adjusted, preparing to attack the weakest flank of the knife company. This is a race of life and death, the Soviet artillery behind the mountain wall used all their strength to adjust the direction, and the sharp knife company increased its horsepower, while rushing while turning the muzzle, when the muzzle and the body almost formed a 90-degree right angle, the body braked suddenly, and the muzzles of both sides shone almost at the same time!

Two armor-piercing shells accurately hit the front of the rock wall, and the parts of the 76-mm anti-tank gun exploded like scattered flowers. At the same time, one of the tanks of the Sharp Knife Company was also hit by an armor-piercing shell in the turret, but this time Nikov failed to continue his meritorious work, and the case-hardened armor resisted the attack of this armor-piercing shell.

While the Knife Company excitedly destroyed Nikkov's artillery squad, thinking that the road behind would be clear, a large number of obstacles and trenches appeared ahead. At this time, the center of the tank of the Sharp Knife Company also suddenly exploded into a huge orange fireball! "Landmines? No, it's like a 155 grenade. Seeing this fireball, Zhuo Fan, who had just bandaged the loader, suddenly chuckled in his heart. In order to understand the power of various artillery pieces and ammunition, he has gone to grassroots units and factories dozens of times to study, and has mastered the unique skill of analyzing the types of artillery by looking at fireballs and explosion power. If it is a mine, it must be a tank that will explode when pressed on it, and even if it is a self-detonation smoke column, it will go straight up and down. Now the dust is spreading in all directions. Very much like the level 155 high-explosive grenade after hitting the ground and exploding.

But the problem is that in the previous month's fighting, no one found that the Soviet 71st Division was equipped with such large-caliber artillery, and the isthmus was not suitable for deploying slow-moving heavy artillery. Zhuo Fan's heart began to sink, you must know that the T31 tank can ignore the Soviet-made 45 mm armor-piercing projectiles, and can block 76 mm poor quality armor-piercing shells, but it can't block the bombardment of 155 mm heavy guns at all. Even if it is a high-explosive grenade, as long as it falls on the tank, even if it does not penetrate the armor, it is enough to kill all the tank soldiers inside.

That's when it happened. Another identical fireball rose from the middle of the Sharp Knife Company, and Zhuo Fan, who had been paying close attention, immediately realized that something was wrong. "Not heavy artillery! There is no scream of shells, it's a bag of explosives! Overhead, overhead! ”

The commander of the assault battalion in the same car also reacted and immediately twisted the periscope to look at the side mountain wall. Only then did it turn out that behind a protruding rock halfway up the hill on the left, two DP light machine guns were firing at the area. Behind the light machine gun, a few Soviet soldiers could be faintly seen fiddling with something. A moment later, a third black dot burst out of it, drawing an arc and landing in the middle of the assault company 300 meters away.

Later, it became known that the Soviet army was using an old super-caliber mortar made by Austria-Hungary during the European War. A 50-kilogram beerbottle-like super-caliber mortar shell is more powerful than a 155 grenade, but the maximum range of this gun is only 400 meters. So Kozilov deployed it to the isthmus to block the opponent.

The super-caliber shell was amazingly powerful, and although the accuracy was very poor, the third shell exploded less than 2 meters to the right of car No. 11. The smoke and fireballs that kicked up directly engulfed the entire car for a long time. Zhuo Fan found that the draped track on the right side of No. 11 had been lifted off, and although the inner armor was undamaged on the surface, there was no answer to the radio call for a long time.

"Go up, go up and kill it with a machine gun!" Zhuo Fan shouted loudly. Urging an attack with anti-aircraft machine guns. He didn't worry about himself, because this old cannon was so powerful. The disadvantage of range and speed was also destined for limited damage to the tank. But if you don't destroy it, the infantry behind you won't be able to come up.

"The angle is insufficient, snap to the right." The gauze-wrapped loader opened the hatch to load the anti-aircraft machine gun, but soon found that the tank was too close to the stone wall and the angle of the anti-aircraft machine gun was not enough. But as soon as he lowered his head and shouted to adjust the position of the car, a stray bullet hit his neck, and blood flowed all over the car in an instant. This scene deeply stimulated Zhuo Fan and his comrades, and they immediately crawled over to play the role of machine gunner, while the tank also increased its speed to open the distance. However, due to the fact that there were too many ground obstacles, the tanks were never able to move quickly, so Zhuo Fan and the other machine gunners were unable to effectively destroy the position.

At this moment, there was a sudden burst of hissing sound overhead, and Zhuo Fan looked up, only to see the two "Snake" fighters with a large area of red identification marks on the nose of the aircraft that had been hovering in the sky, and suddenly swooped down from a high altitude towards the isthmus. As they approached the mountain wall, four 12.7 mm aviation machine guns in the wings swept at the concealed position. The Soviets probably did not expect the fighters to dare to rush into the isthmus, which was less than a kilometer wide, so several soldiers who loaded the shells were swept to death. Before the rest of the soldiers could compose, the two "snakes" had already circled over Khan Barad, and once again aimed at the mountain wall and rushed into the isthmus.

Three waves of strafing in a row, and the last one even almost hit the mountain wall! Finally destroyed this hidden position.

The two daring pilots saved the mission, and as the position was destroyed, the assault battalion, which was no longer in the way, sped up much faster, while the main force and infantry battalion that followed behind also rushed into the isthmus in a hail of bullets.

"Parking! Turn left 25 degrees, distance 870 meters, Soviet tanks! Armor-piercing shells fired in two bursts. When Zhuo Fan's tank had just drilled out of the isthmus, and before he could see it clearly, the commander of the assault battalion operating the periscope had already shouted frantically. Under his command, the turret quickly turned to the left, and as soon as Zhuo Fan forcefully stuffed a hardened steel-core armor-piercing projectile into the barrel, he felt a loud explosion in his ears, and then there was a scorching heat in his face.

"Didn't hit! Didn't hit! The second. ”

The image of the armor-piercing bullet exploding on the left side of the suddenly drilled BT5 tank made the gunner stomp his feet so angrily that he even forgot Zhuo Fan's identity and urged him to reload quickly. "Boom!" The second armor-piercing shell burst out of the barrel of the gun, and with a red glow like a bean star, it slammed into the belly of the BT5 light tank.

A picture that will never be forgotten appeared, only to see the hit Soviet BT5 tank burst out of the middle like fireworks, and the parts and turret turned out directly. In an instant, the fire engulfed the entire tank. You must know that the Soviet tanks at this time were also gasoline engines. Seeing that the two wounded Soviet tank crews were in a hurry and trying to climb out of the tank, the gunner immediately operated the coaxial machine gun and swept over, pressing them into the flames forever without even humming.

At the same time that the first BT5 tank was destroyed, the entire assault battalion finally drilled out of the isthmus. The battalion commander immediately ordered the formation to be adjusted. In a matter of moments, the entire battalion changed from a triangular assault formation to a fan-shaped assault, and the remaining 27 tanks brought up billowing black smoke and advanced towards the surrounding breakthrough like mercury.

"It's open!"

At this time, Zhuo Fan found that in the course of this short assault of less than 30 minutes, he actually experienced two death threats, and the entire battalion lost 5 tanks. Everyone was soaked in sweat as if they had just been fished out of the water. Even many years later, whenever someone asked about the blitzkrieg on the isthmus that established his position in the army, he would explain it by luck.

As the tank battalion rushed out of the isthmus, the Soviet troops deployed in the town of Khan Balad panicked, probably not expecting the opponent to rush out so quickly, so knowing that Du Yuming's main force rushed out, the 76-mm field guns opened fire here.

Amid the rumbling explosions, the Battle of Kunduz was in full swing