Just when the United States and the Soviet Union were secretly colluding in their efforts to dig into the corners of the Triple Alliance between China, Britain and Germany, a huge and terrifying fireball was already flashing over the Oloviana Naya Fortress on the north bank of the Shilka River. The power of the 15-inch train guns was completely beyond the expectations of the Soviet army, and when the first shells broke through the air with the whistling sound of the train passing by, the Soviet fortress complex three kilometers away from the north bank of the Shilka River was devastated like never before. These reinforced concrete fortresses were not temporary shelves built after the outbreak of the world war, but were carefully built before the war, and withstood the heavy bombardment of the Chinese army's 280mm large-caliber artillery in last year's operation. But this time, it was four 15-inch/42-diameter guns that were the same as the main guns of the battlecruiser Hood!

Every high-explosive grenade of more than 800 kilograms can smash a 10-meter-deep crater and sweep all the miscellaneous things that have not yet completely frozen into the air at an altitude of more than 100 meters. Even the strongest core fortress of the Olovinaya Fortress could not withstand such a landslide-like attack, turning into ruins, and the huge diffuse blast shock wave even killed or stunned all the Soviet officers and soldiers in the nearby bunkers.

At the same time as the four 15-inch train guns were fired, the Chinese artillery groups on the south bank of the Shilka River roared at the same time, and their targets were the Soviet trench defenses around the Olovinaya fortress, barbed wire, tunnels, bunkers, trenches, anti-tank strongholds, minefields and trenches...... All were covered in overwhelming firepower, and piles of shells exploded almost simultaneously. From a distance, the entire Soviet position was as splendid as a volcano erupting violently.

It seemed that he knew that he was no match for the Chinese artillery group, and the Soviet artillery group deployed behind the Shilka River defense line in an unknown place turned out to be a turtle with a shrunken head. Let the Chinese artillery fire repeatedly plough their own fortress fortifications, and they will not fire a single cannon counterattack!

And in the headquarters of the Soviet 55th Army, which was defending the defense line of the Shilka River, there was not a trace of panic at this moment! Although all the telephones rang in an instant, and the pace of the staff officers entering and exiting was noticeably quicker, there was a calm and unhurried bearing in their reports and shouts.

"What? Forts No. 2 and No. 4 were destroyed by the heavy artillery of the Chinese army, and all the defenders died! Got it, report it to the commander immediately. ”

"Hey, hey, the headquarters of the 220th Guards Division? What's the situation going on there? Have the reserve positions been shelled......"

"Comrade Commander! The enemy's artillery fire has already begun to extend. Their infantry offensive will soon begin! ”

After 80 minutes of preparation for the Chinese artillery fire, the commander of the 55th Army of the Soviet Red Army, Ivan Brown. Vladimirovich. Tyulenev raised his binoculars and looked at the almost ruined fortress of Oloviyannaya in the distance. Located in the middle reaches of the Shilka River, this fortress guards the railway line from Manchuria to Chita, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the gateway to Chita, the capital of the Far Eastern Republic. And the Olovianaya Fortress also covered the flanks of the Trans-Siberian railway line, in the event of its loss. The Chinese army would be able to cut off the lifeline of the Soviet army in the Far East along the Shilka River north. So from 1923 after the Sino-Soviet diplomatic relations. The Soviets began to build the Oloviana Fortress, bringing in many pre-World War I fortress guns from the western region, and building more than 1,000 permanent fortifications on an area of hundreds of kilometers along the Shilka River, and deploying a 55th Army with 5 infantry divisions and 7 artillery regiments. After the end of the Kuwait campaign, the Soviet high command sent a large number of anti-tank weapons to the 55th Army, and mobilized more than 100,000 residents of the Far East to help repair a large number of anti-tank fortifications! Turned the entire Oloviyannaya Fortress and the surrounding area into a literal tortoise shell. In last year's battle, the millions of soldiers of the Northern Front of the Chinese Army were really blocked by this turtle shell.

But this time......

Commander Tyulenev sighed. Ordered: "Sue the 220th Guards Division, their task is to hold out for 12 hours." Then they dispersed and retreated into the nearby forest to fight guerrillas. ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander."

After the staff officer turned to leave, the chief of staff of the 55th Army, Kurasov, walked over with a tired face. "Comrade Commander, the 216th, 217th, 218th, 219th Divisions and units directly under the group army have already boarded the train to Chita, the sappers have already installed bombs on the bridges along the railway to Chita, and it is time for the headquarters to be transferred."

Tyulenev nodded, and glanced at his headquarters with a little reluctance, the 55th Army had received an order from the command of the Far Eastern Front without hesitation, and after a strong break, the main force abandoned the Oloviyanaya fortress and its surrounding fortified areas, turned towards Chita, and after the main forces completed their retreat, destroyed all the bridges along the Olovianaya to Chita railway! It's a very strong fortress! After withstanding the attack of 1 million Chinese troops in last year's battle, is it time to give up in vain?

However, thinking about the momentum of the Chinese army's shelling just now, it seems that there is a certain reason for abandoning the fortress. The enemy seems to have thrown in 14-inch or 15-inch cannons, which even the strongest core fortress of the fortress could not withstand, and if his headquarters were still in the fortress bunker, he would have sacrificed himself to the cause of GCISM. But...... The Chita Fortress is no stronger than the Oloviyannaya Fortress, and if it can't be held here, can Chita be held there?

With a head in doubt, the commander of the army group, who had been awarded four medals of St. George in the First World War and had participated in the February and October Revolutions, strode out of his temporary headquarters, got into the car that had been waiting for a long time, and drove away in the direction of the Oloviana railway station. As soon as he left with his front foot, the staff officers in the headquarters who had just been calm and composed, suddenly became in a hurry, burning papers, removing maps, and dismantling telephone lines for a while.

At this time, on the Soviet positions on the north bank of the Shilka River, it was a different scene, with a brigade of heavily armed Soviet infantry carrying Type 1932 anti-tank grenade launchers, dragging wheeled M1910 machine guns and 37mm/45mm anti-tank guns. A steady stream of trenches poured into the front-line trenches, which were almost destroyed by Chinese artillery fire.

Middle- and lower-ranking officers and political cadres are still cheering for their subordinates, and their faces blackened by gunpowder are all filled with the confidence of the victors. In last year's battle, their division relied on the Oloviyannaya Fortress to repel several times the Chinese army, and finally won the collective first-class meritorious service. Dozens of battle heroes were cordially received by Trotsky himself, and the number of the unit was changed from the 220th Infantry Division to the 220th Glorious Guards Division. In the Soviet Red Army, it was a great honor to be given the nickname "Guards", and all the officers and men of the 220th Guards Division, with the exception of their division commander Lelyushchenko and political commissar Ivanov, firmly believed that there was still greater glory waiting for them to win in this year's battles.

"Tanks, it's the enemy's tanks! Comrades. Get ready for battle! ”

As soon as the officers and men of the 220 Guards Division entered the position, the rumbling sound of motors sounded from the other side of the Shilka River, and the officers of the Red Army immediately reacted. Shout to get artillery and anti-tank squads ready. Soon, the roar of the motor grew louder and louder, and finally reached a deafening point, and a torrent of steel appeared on the horizon in the distance.

"Stalker. It's a stalker!. Oh, my God! At least ...... 600 cars! ”

Although the Chinese Stalker tank destroyers are difficult to deal with, the soldiers of the 220th Guards Division are not afraid, they have a 5-meter-wide and 3-meter-deep anti-tank trench in front of them (the Shilka River has not yet thawed, otherwise there will be another trench) that can temporarily block the advance, the 37mm/45mm anti-tank guns in their hands are enough to break the tracks of the pursuers, and there are powerful 76.2mm anti-tank guns deployed in the few remaining anti-tank strongholds. But when the number of hunters reached more than 600 vehicles, covering almost the entire land, even the veterans of the 220th Guards Division, who had been in battle for a long time, couldn't help but exclaim.

"Don't fire. Don't fire now, get the enemy closer! "Don't say it yet. It seems that the guard number of the 220th Division is not confused, which is really a bit unexpected. Opposite them was the 1st Armored Corps of the Chinese Army, which had 1 armored division and 2 panzergrenadier divisions, and in the first round of the offensive, the army invested 480 Hunter tank destroyers and 212 105mm/150mm self-propelled guns, as well as more than 40,000 offensive troops, and more than 200 Attack 2 light dive bombers in the sky to continuously dive and drop bombs to suppress the artillery groups behind the Soviet defensive lines. In the face of such a huge offensive, these Soviet troops did not show much panic, but responded calmly. When the Chinese tanks rushed through the Shilka River, which was still thick and solid, they opened fire.

Boom Boom Boom ......

After a burst of heavy bombardment, two pursuers on the battlefield were suddenly beaten up and smoked, and 7 or 8 pursuers lost their ability to move, because this tank destroyer has no turret, and the installation position of the main gun is relatively peculiar, resulting in a narrow angle of fire, so once they lose their ability to act, their powerful firepower is difficult to exert its power.

However, such losses are simply insignificant for a tank cluster of the Chinese army, which numbered more than 600. After more than a year of world war, the advantages of this Stalker tank destroyer have finally been revealed, not only is it powerful and armored, but it is also a very cheap tank, the raw materials used to build a Stalker are less than 40% of a T-28/1932, the man-hours are only a quarter of that of the T-28/1932, and the fuel consumption is only a third of that of the T-28/1932. However, it is slightly more powerful than the tank that is said to be the strongest in the Soviet Union, and it is very reliable and easy to maintain. Therefore, on the battlefield of World War II in this time and space, there is absolutely no scene of Soviet tanks beating the Germans, but instead there is a spectacular scene of Chinese and German hunters covering the battlefield!

The overwhelming number of pursuers quickly rushed to the outside of the anti-tank trench and bombarded the Soviet anti-tank bunkers with several exposed targets. I have to say that this kind of tank destroyer, which is actually an "assault gun", is indeed very sharp when fighting positional warfare, in front of the 48 times the caliber of the 75mm cannon, what kind of bright fort and dark fort are tofu scum projects, and such a cannon is not one, but hundreds of guns fired together!

"The 220th Guards Division is finished!" Seeing that his front-line positions were flooded by artillery fire from the Chinese tank cluster, the commander of the 220 Guards Division, Lelyushchenko, and the political commissar Ivanov knew. The glorious 220 Division under his command is finished. It is simply impossible to hold such a formidable opponent for 12 hours with the strength of a division, even for 6 hours. However, they could not order the troops to abandon their positions and retreat to the forests to the north, because it would take time for the main forces of the group to complete the transfer. It will also take time for the railroad to Chita to be destroyed, and they will have to be sacrificed for the sake of the overall victory.

The 220th Guards Division of the Soviet Red Army fought for only three hours, and this infantry division of less than 14,000 men was overwhelmed by the offensive of the Chinese army with a sea of tanks and a sea of fire. However, the division's heroic resistance won the respect of their opponents, and in the end less than 1,000 men were captured, several hundred fled into the great forests of Siberia to become partisans, and the remaining 10,000 officers and men shed their blood on the battlefield. The bones are buried.

At the same time as the defense line on the Shilka River was broken through, the Mongol Army Group under the command of General Li Zongren was not to be outdone. First, the 7th Army on the south bank of the Onon River launched a strong attack on the enemy on the north bank, and then he personally commanded the 5th Panzer Army and the 6th Army to move north from Kulen. He first asked Liu Zhi's 6th Infantry 20th Army to surround two Soviet infantry divisions in Darkhan. In an attempt to attract the Soviet army cluster near the trading city to the south for a decisive battle, but the other party did not take the bait after waiting for 3 days, and finally Li Zongren had to order the 20th Army to annihilate the 2 Soviet divisions, and the main force launched a strong attack on the defense line of the Soviet trading city. But the assault on the city had just begun. On the Eastern Front, the Far Eastern Army Group under the personal command of General Guo Songling received good news. The 1st and 8th armies of the Wehrmacht have already broken through to the city of Chita!

At the same time, the breakthrough of the Wehrmacht Army Group Amur River under the command of General Cai Zhonghu was even smoother, and on a long front of more than 1,000 kilometers, the powerful forces of 12 infantry corps, 3 armored corps, and 1 armored cavalry corps of 4 group armies simultaneously launched a general offensive on the defense line north of the Amur River (Heilongjiang) garrisoned by the Japanese Volunteers. Except for the Japanese volunteers in the vicinity of Nikolaevsk and the Soviet-Japanese Friendship City in the lower reaches of the Amur River (almost on the location of the historical Komsomolsk), which put up a stubborn resistance with strong fortifications and the natural dangers of the Amur River, the Japanese volunteers in the rest of the area were all crushed at the touch of a button, and the progress of the Chinese Amur Army Group was also rapid.

And in addition to the weak resistance of the Soviet Red Army and the Japanese Volunteer Army on the ground, the Soviet Red Air Force in the sky did not know where to run. From the moment the Chinese army began to attack, air supremacy fell into the hands of the Wehrmacht Air Force without any suspense. More than 3,000 aircraft of the three air armies attached to the Northern Front filled the skies. Support troops in various theaters, attack the Soviet army in progress, and destroy Soviet fortifications. The almost obsolete Attack 2 biplane light dive bomber (HS-123) showed great efficiency and accuracy without interference from Soviet fighters, destroying 32 Soviet field airfields and more than 700 field fortifications within 48 hours of the attack, and attacking at least 100 Soviet columns on the march, completely paralyzing the actions of the Soviet troops in the entire Far East-Baikal region during the day.

On March 15, three days after the start of the Battle of Far East-Baikal, Chita, the headquarters of the Red Banner Front of the Soviet Union in the Far East, was in chaos. Hordes of He-111 and Ju-88 bombers brazenly patronized the once heavily fortified city during the day, dropping hundreds of tons of bombs and blasting a large area of the city into ruins, and the latest white phosphorus arson bombs set fire to a large number of old wooden houses, but the air defense and fire brigades in Chita seemed to be nowhere to be found, leaving the city groaning under the bombardment of revisionist China. Somewhere in a cramped underground command post, the new commander-in-chief of the Far Eastern Front, Kamenev (not Kamenev, chairman of the All-Union Earthquake Committee, but a veteran military expert, who had served as Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, head of the General Headquarters, commander of the 1st class army academy Sergei Murphy. Sergeyevich. Kamenev's face began to darken. Although the task of the Far Eastern Front was only to "retreat and kill and wound the enemy as long as possible," after four days of fighting, he realized that the plan of retreat and blocking that had been arranged in advance was simply taken for granted, and that under the attack of the enemy's overwhelming superiority, none of the troops left behind could hold out until the scheduled time, and the retreating troops also suffered heavy losses under the air strikes of the Chinese army.

"Comrade commander, the Baikal Front has called, the 65th Army, which they deployed on the front line of the city of Maisha, has encountered an overwhelmingly superior attack by the Chinese army, where the Chinese army has invested at least 3 strong forces of armored armies to storm in turn, the 65th Army has suffered heavy losses, two lines of defense have already been broken through by the enemy, and the last line of defense is expected to be lost within 24 hours. The commander of the Baikal Front, Comrade Khalepsky (former commander of the Far Eastern Army), demanded that we withdraw to Irkutsk as much as possible. (To be continued......)