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Far southwest of the island of Natuna, a straight man-made pier emerges next to an island that has not been explored for thousands of years. The heavy cruiser Taiwan Island and the light cruiser Tumen River were moored side by side, with two cargo ships unloading in front of them, and a Wuhu oil and water supply ship that had only been delivered for three months on the farther sea.

The Wuhu class is a first-class supply ship ordered by the Navy in 1923, with a total of 2 ships, namely Wuhu and Weishanhu. With a standard displacement of 5,300 tons and a full load of 9,700 tons, it can transport 3,300 tons of fuel oil at a time. It was also the world's first military supply ship equipped with Nimitz rigging and Burton transport rigging. Of course, the latter's patent now belongs to Jiangnan Factory and has been renamed "Jiangnan Changsuo".

Workers are unloading a biplane from a cargo ship, a Lifeng 26 two-seat biplane torpedo made by Chongqing Meteor Company. It uses a 750-horsepower twin Mustang engine, which can carry a 450-mm aviation torpedo with a combat radius of 300 kilometers, and is very similar to the British sword-torpedo machine of later generations. According to the plan, the Navy will deploy an aviation group on the island of Natuna with a total of 54 Galley 25 torpedo bombers, as well as 18 Falcon 4 fighters and 8 Kingfisher water reconnaissance aircraft.

At a time when all countries are still staring at the cannons of giant ships, the Wehrmacht has quietly entered the aviation age. This speed does not seem to be much faster than that of Europe and the United States, but one only needs to look at the dozens of models in service over the years to understand how much the country has invested in this area. Although there are still doubts and debates within the Navy about aviation. However, Bingwen firmly believes that aviation will become the future leader of the navy, and because he insists on the theory of victory in the air, he has faintly become the leader of the aviation faction within the navy.

Bingwen reclined on the observation platform on the bridge. Smoke out a cigarette and hand it to Liu Mingzhao, who was traveling with him. In addition to protecting Yang Qiu's visit to Natuna Island, the two will also accompany them on a visit to the Persian Gulf. Unlike the Army. The Navy was not satisfied with intervening in Afghanistan because everyone was afraid that it would end up in a full-scale war with the Soviet Union, which would lead to the interruption of naval construction.

He squinted at Liu Mingzhao, both of them were the first batch of non-commissioned officers to study in Germany, and they also fought together in the Arctic Ocean and established a deep friendship, so he asked very directly: "Mingzhao." How's going on in the northwest? ”

Liu Mingzhao had been serving as military attache in Italy for the past few years. Although he has just been transferred back, he also knows the thoughts of the navy. Said: "Yesterday there was a war. Two vanguard regiments of the Soviet army were blocked by us north of the Hindu Kush mountains, 40 kilometers north of Kabul, and one division was moving south from Dushanbe and Uzbekistan, and reconnaissance planes found dozens of aircraft and some tanks and armored vehicles. ”

"Tanks? Isn't it said that Afghanistan is all mountainous and there are no roads?

Liu Mingzhao shook his head and explained: "There is no way to say us." The stretch from Tajikistan to Kabul is a mountain road. You can only walk pack horses. It's still good to go south from Uzbekistan, there is no problem with passing vehicles, and heavy artillery should be able to pass through. ”

Bingwen's face changed slightly, because the logistics on his side all depended on air transportation from Tajikistan to Kabul. But there are not many transport aircraft in the Air Force now, except for the Albatross 1924, only the Tianshu 2 transport aircraft produced by the Northern Raytheon company at the end of last year is barely available. However, the latter's engine horsepower is insufficient, and it can only accommodate 6 people or 1 ton of cargo, and it is still a slow single-engine biplane, and the existing transport aircraft of the Air Force alone cannot support 10 battalions, so it is necessary to look at the ground transport team. Thinking of this, he felt that it was not cost-effective to start Afghanistan rashly, especially since the ethnic forces there were chaotic, and even if the Soviet Union was defeated, it might not be able to control it.

"Hehe, you're just like everyone else." Liu Mingzhao smiled. There was a faint light flashing behind the spectacle lenses: "Afghanistan is the heart of Asia, and if you want to ensure long-term security in the northwest, you must first ensure the stability of the Afghan regime." Do you know why the Deputy Commander-in-Chief chose this time to visit Najd and Persia? It is to make the Arab Muslims hostile to the Soviet Union, and only in this way can we build good relations with the Muslims. ”

"It's hard to be stable! Even if we occupy it, the Afghans will not be convinced. Bingwen immediately shook his head.

"Occupation will never do! The deputy commander-in-chief also knew, otherwise it would not have been 10 battalions but 5 divisions! Traditional colonial methods can only lead to more and more complexity. Liu Mingzhao agreed with him, but thought that this battle should be fought. "The best thing to do is to support a government that is close to us and can stay there for a longer time," he continued. ”

"Who can guarantee that the new government will be close to us? Afghanistan is sandwiched between us and the British and the Soviet Union, and it is difficult to guarantee. ”

Liu Mingzhao said: "This is the reason why the deputy commander-in-chief promised Britain and made up his mind!" Because British decay is long-lasting. It is only a matter of time before India withdraws, and in the future, we and the Soviet Union will be the only ones left to fight for Afghanistan. Therefore, the key to this war is not to control Afghanistan, but to provoke the anger of Afghans against the Soviet Union. You think, we don't enter Kabul and promise the new government independent self-government, but the Soviets have to make sure that the Afghans want to send troops south. What will they do as soon as we hit the real fire of the Soviet army? ”

Bingwen is a smart person, and the scene of the Soviet army taking out anger on Afghanistan immediately appeared in his mind, even if the casualties were not large, Amanullah, who had fled to Turkmenistan, would definitely make a big move when he returned to Kabul, which would inevitably arouse the hostility of the majority of Afghans! Now that there have been a few years of chaos, Afghanistan can feel the hostility of the Soviet army, so that they can get closer to China, and it will be more convenient to send troops to support after the world situation changes greatly in a few years. And having the Soviets encircled by Afghan militias would also deplete the Soviets and slow down their recovery. As for Britain, it has also achieved its goal, as long as Afghanistan is in chaos, it is impossible for China and the Soviet Union to intervene in India.

"No wonder Britain is willing to trade Afghanistan for us not to meddle in India!" After figuring it out, Bingwen let out a long breath, and the complex geopolitics and exchange of national interests gave them a bit of a headache for pure soldiers. On the contrary, Liu Mingzhao was more able to accept this kind of political war, and said with a smile: "You don't have to worry too much about the naval plan, only 10 battalions were invested in this operation, which shows that the General Staff has already thought about the follow-up matters." What's more, if this battle can achieve its goal. Afghan tribes and guerrillas need more arms. With that, he quietly approached and lowered his voice. There was a hint of excitement in his words: "To tell you something, at the end of last year, our army had bought orders from Russia to the United States during the European war. The 200,000 Mosingana rifles that could not be delivered, Springfield Arsenal was eager to process the return of funds, and each containing 200 rounds of ammunition was only $5. The price now quoted to the Muslim League and Afghan guerrillas is $35 per unit with ammunition. The Khan of Central Asia has been rich in gold and precious stones since ancient times, so not only will your naval plan not be delayed, but if it can be done well, I am afraid that hehe. Don't say I told you. ”

Seeing Yang Qiu's figure appear in the distance, Liu Mingzhao deliberately winked at him.

As Yang Qiu's ship continued west to Najd to inspect the Gulf Company's oil fields, the fierce gunfire panicked the people of Kabul City, which had just overthrown the Amanullah regime. The Calikar Valley is the place where the two sides are most contested. This valley, which is only 4 kilometers wide, is the only way for the Hindu Kush to enter Kabul, but due to heavy artillery blockage, the Soviet attack in the previous days was very difficult, and more than 200 people were lost.

But with the arrival of the first reinforcements from Uzbekistan, three infantry regiments and heavy weaponry, including 22 FT17 tanks and 12 Austin armored vehicles, gave the Soviets hope of breaking through the mountain pass.

Belkin was a member of the Komsomol and a veteran of the Civil War. As a battalion commander on the Turkestan Front, he was following behind an FT17 tank, waving his comrades to attack. During the Civil War, Britain, France, China and the United States provided a large number of tanks and armored vehicles to the White Guards, which became the most valuable equipment of the Soviet army after being purged, and 100 of them were deployed on the most dangerous Eastern Front. In normal times, these baby bumps are not willing to be used by the Soviet military. In order to recapture the important Afghanistan this time, Yegorov, who was well aware of the firepower of the Wehrmacht, brought in two tank companies to help him in order to ensure victory.

Many years have passed since the European War, but the Battle of Rainiwell has been carefully studied by various experts like an armored textbook. The tactics of using tanks to carry out assaults and infantry encirclement were learned by various countries, and although professional infantry tactics had not yet been formed, officers including Tukhachevsky and other officers proposed the armoring of the army, and used this as an opportunity to give birth to new strategic ideas such as great depth.

Belkin didn't understand this, he only knew that the valley had to be taken!

The arrows formed by six Renault FT17s slowly move forward. Narrow tracks plough large expanses of black soil. The 7.62mm heavy machine gun was constantly spraying bullets on both sides of the valley, and the Soviet artillery battery behind was also stingy with ammunition, throwing hundreds of shells around the valley.

"Boom." In the mortar counterattack, 6 tanks continued to advance like brute bulls. Seeing the brown LF17 tank getting closer and closer, the Afghan soldiers were shocked, and many people didn't know how to deal with these steel big guys, but Fei Wenhua scoffed. The Wehrmacht was also armed with Renault FT17 (T1 tanks), so he knew that the tank's armor could only protect against Maxim strafing, and could not stop the 12.7mm heavy machine guns deployed on both sides of the canyon.

Sure enough, when the first FT17 tried to cross the valley, two fanged heavy machine guns hidden on both sides of the valley opened fire at the same time, and the improved armor-piercing shells with K-bullets quickly smashed the tank into a sieve. "Machine guns, heavy machine guns! Protect the tank! Belkin was also quick to react, and when he saw that the first tank was strafed and set on fire, he immediately ordered the infantry to cover the remaining five tanks with grenadiers to speed up and try to force their way through the valley.

Belkin's response was quick, but the opponent in front of him was not the White Guards, but the Chinese Wehrmacht, which had experienced many major battles and gradually began to reform their tactics!

Just as the Soviets began to use grenadiers to try to knock out the heavy machine gun positions, Fei Wenhua also seized the opportunity and ordered two 60mm mortars hidden in the depths to shoot by name. This small mortar is very popular with infantry and has become the main firepower of the Wehrmacht at the company level. Compared with the grenadiers, the 60-mm mortars had a long range and great power, and soon pinned Belkin at the mouth of the valley and could not break through, while the two heavy machine guns temporarily ignored the approaching Soviet troops and desperately poured armor-piercing shells on the tanks. In less than a moment, 3 out of 6 tanks were hit by heavy machine guns and their fuel tanks caught fire.

Seeing that Belkin was blocked at the pass, Yegorov, who commanded and watched the battle, was also secretly frightened by the superiority of the Wehrmacht's firepower, opened a gap in order to rescue the tank troops, and decisively ordered the follow-up Soviet army to launch a full-scale offensive...... (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )