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In the early morning of December 9, Zhukov and Kozilov, who had stayed up all night studying the battle situation, had only squinted for a while when they were awakened by the humming noise. When the two broke out of the bunker, they found that a flowing "metal cloud" had appeared in the sky in the distance. A huge bomber formation consisting of 42 H-5s and 28 H-6s, under the protection of 24 "Snake" fighters, flew from 10 kilometers north of Kunduz in the direction of Termez.

"Not good! They're going to bomb the train station! Send a telegram to the Tierme dive bomber! As soon as Zhukov ordered the overseers to contact Termez by on-board radio, soldiers pointed to the sky and shouted wildly. Countless soldiers rushed out of a gun emplacement hidden in a house in a panic, and when they looked up, a dive bomber with a black and white "ghost car" painted on the nose let out a burst of screams. Vertically rushed down.

The fame of the dive bomber is now well-known, and the precision bombing ability displayed by the German Stuka in Spain has made the Spanish National Army and European countries darkly discolored, so the Soviet soldiers have picked up their rifles and fired at the plane, and the quadruple 7.62mm M1910 heavy machine guns on the mobile air defense truck also roared. But none of this can stop the fast-diving ghost car. The pilot, a veteran, did not drop the bomb until it was close to a height of 300 meters, and when he pulled it up, the tail almost grazed the roof.

The 250-kilogram high-explosive aerial bomb has a charge of more than 406 mm naval guns, and its power is far beyond that of army ammunition. The bomb hit the house where the artillerymen were located, penetrating the roof and then exploding inside. Looking from the ground, I saw a puff of dust rising from the mud house, followed by a brilliant fireball. The air wave generated by the explosion pushed the heavy earth embryo in all directions, and the black and red fireballs mixed with stones and anti-tank gun parts rose into the air, and several Soviet artillerymen who did not flee far were immediately swept several meters away by the shock wave. Blood is spat in the mouth, and internal organs are ruptured.

More and more dive bombers roared down, clearing the hidden Soviet positions in the city, and in less than half an hour, more than a dozen black and red columns of smoke rose over the city of Kunduz. As the bombers returned, rumbling artillery rang out outside the city. With the help of the Air Force, the four 155-mm heavy guns that arrived in advance were adjusted overnight and became the main force of the artillery battle. Four 42-kilogram high-explosive bombs per minute, all concentrated on Soviet positions north of the city.

"Boom, boom, boom." Four 155-mm howitzers, 12 105-mm self-propelled howitzers, 12 85-mm towed howitzers roared in unison. Fierce artillery bombardment was launched at Kunduz without stopping. Soon, the Soviet artillery also began to return fire, and the flames erupting from the narrow passages and hidden houses announced the beginning of the battle for the city of Kunduz.

Hundreds of shells shuttled through the air, covering the target indiscriminately. Huge balls of fireball and smoke rose from between the positions of both sides, and soldiers on both sides had to lie on the ground to avoid the shells. However, it didn't take long for the Soviet artillery to fall to the disadvantage. In addition to being far inferior to their opponents in terms of caliber and number of suppression, the overhead reconnaissance planes caused them heavy losses, and every time they finally shifted their positions and fired a few shots, the high-altitude reconnaissance planes would attract a series of shells to cover them.

Looking at the reconnaissance plane hovering outside the battle circle, Zhukov's face was very bad, and he could only hope that Termez's aviation would survive and support him as soon as possible. However, this idea was quickly dispelled. Soon after the outbreak of the Kunduz artillery battle, Termez, one of the most important staging points for Soviet troops entering Afghanistan, was subjected to heavy air strikes. Zhukov's telegram did not save Termez, and although the Soviet Aerospace Forces took off in time, the clumsy I-15 and I-16 fighters were like fat goszees in front of the superior "snakes". It took less than 15 minutes for the fighter squadron to clear the sky.

Braving Soviet artillery fire, a full 70 bombers launched the first overseas mission of the Afghan war, and the largest carpet bombing of Termez. 1,400 120-kilogram high-explosive incendiary bombs not only destroyed all the supplies along the railway line, including an ammunition depot and three fuel tank cars. It also destroyed the entire railway station and field airfield, and finally broke up the Soviet 153rd Infantry Division, which was assembling to support Kunduz. It lost only one fighter and two bombers were shot and forced to land at Kunduz temporary airfield.

The bombardment caused the cautious Shaposhnikov to fear that the reinforcements would continue to be bombed during the day, so he had to put the 153rd Division, which was supposed to leave immediately, at night, and left the 82nd Division, which was supposed to support Baghlan, to defend against a possible attack.

By noon, Stalin in Moscow had received the news of the bombing of Termez, and the explosions on the border had deeply stimulated him, and although he wanted to retaliate for the bombing of Andijan and Tajikistan, he feared the expansion of the war. This dilemma made him very embarrassed, and finally vented all his anger on the front, and even radioed the command of Army Group Shaposhnikov, and directly issued the order to Zhukov and Kozilov, who were stationed in Kunduz, to fight to the death "to the last drop of blood". At the same time, it ordered 472 Iraq-16 fighters stationed in South Kazakhstan to immediately set off to support the First Army, and continued to draw troops from various places to support Afghanistan.

Zhukov's face was a little stiff after putting down the telegram, and in terms of time, domestic reinforcements could be counted on, and it was already the best result for Termez's two divisions to come up. "Comrade Zhukov, the enemy's tanks are coming." Kozilov's shouts interrupted his thoughts. Raising the binoculars, the north side of the city was already billowing with smoke and dust, and the two tank battalions were like scattered fans, covering the infantry rushing towards the city.

The room full of Soviet officers had a bad face, not to mention the complete inability to deal with the opponent's air superiority, and the rushing tanks alone made them secretly frightened. "Comrades! Kunduz is the gateway to the defense of Soviet Central Asia! Everyone has seen General Secretary Stalin's telegram, and we must immediately inform every commander and fighter that if you can't hold it, you have to defend it, and if you can't resist it, you have to fight! Contrary to his usual kind attitude, Zhukov blushed, swept each officer sternly with his eyes, and said loudly: "At this moment of crisis, GC party members must take the lead!" Fight the enemy to the end and never retreat! Those who flee or surrender without permission are to be shot on the spot. Those who disturb the morale of the army will be severely punished! ”

These categorical words sent chills down the spine of all officers. They all knew that Zhukov brought not only the 57th Division and the 6th Tank Brigade, but also the Overseers in Moscow. Those murderous internal guards are not soft on themselves. I don't know how many marshals and generals were pulled off their horses by them in the Great Purge.

"Comrade Division Commander Kozilov, immediately let Division Commander Yarif find a way to break through from Baghlan and move closer to us! Captain Dririch, you're in charge of the left side of the march

City roads. Comrade Yaruffsky, the tank brigade is going to attack, to block the impact for the infantry. Comrade Makarpov, it is necessary to hold the Kunduz bridge, and the reinforcements of General Shaposhnikov will soon arrive. "In the sound of Zhukov's deployment of defenses, the north of Kunduz has already begun.

Due to the lack of ammunition, the artillerymen stopped the indiscriminate barrage of advances. Changed to low-velocity point fire to protect the tank battalion from charging north of the city. Behind each tank, there was a whole squad of infantry. These men from the land of Yan Zhao bent over, shouting at each other, and making skillful tactical movements. Stepping on the deep track mark little by little towards the enemy. At a cross-country speed of 12 kilometers per hour, the attacking tank battalion rushed to the front of the infantry trench before stopping, and the bullets fired from the rubble and behind the buildings clanged the steel plates.

"Clear the trenches! Clear the trenches! As soon as the infantry squad leader saw the tank stop, he immediately shouted and jumped into the trench with a submachine gun in hand. The infantrymen who followed behind jumped a few times, and a grenade flying out of the trench was thrown, and one of the fighters was immediately blown to a bloody pulp. When the medics who followed rushed in. Other fighters had already begun to fight dangerously in the trenches, submachine guns and shotguns firing incessantly, and bursting lead rained down on the bodies of Soviet soldiers. After the test of the fierce trench warfare in Europe, the Wehrmacht has developed a set of trench clearing tactics that can minimize casualties. That is, submachine guns and shotguns are concentrated, alternately covered, and the riflemen in the back are supported with grenades, before each assault. In order to avoid accidental injury, it is necessary to report the number while moving forward in order.

Don't look at the tactics as simple, but you don't want to make mistakes in the tense moments of battle. It takes a long period of rigorous training to form a team team. The infantry quickly spread along the trenches to the flanks, and after clearing the trenches, some began to fill in the narrow areas to allow the tanks to pass, and some continued to attack the city under the cover of machine guns.

"60 guns!"

Amid the shouting, a 60-mm mortar accurately hit the Soviet machine-gun position 100 meters away, and the machine-gun crew, under the cover of the mortars, quickly occupied the place in a formation of three or three. In a few moments, the HJ32 general-purpose machine gun made a sound like tearing oilcloth. "Zizizizi, zizizi." The machine gunner swung the muzzle of his gun, and the fast and slow machine was turned to the position of ten bursts, suppressing the Soviet infantry that rushed up. Because the rate of fire of this machine gun is too fast, many Soviet veterans still use the standard of the Han 2 light machine gun as a reference, so many people have already opened three or four blood holes in their bodies before they can make evasive actions.

The speed was fast, and the ammunition was consumed quickly, and in a few moments a 250-round chain was finished, and the black hinges of the cartridge casings and scatterable chains were spread all over the position. The co-heavy kicked open the second magazine, and as he stuffed the bullets, a string of bullets flew from behind the rubble on the opposite side, and the stirred up stone sliced his left ear, causing blood to flow.

"Boom!"

Before they could bandage, the explosion at close range shook the ears of the machine gun crew, and they turned their heads to look at it, only to see a T31 tank climbing up the low slope with difficulty from behind, and directly destroying the hidden machine gun points and houses on the opposite side with one shot. After seeing the tank, many Soviet soldiers began to retreat, and under the strafing of the machine gunners and the synchronized machine guns on the tank, seven or eight Soviet soldiers were killed before they could go far.

One after another tanks began to cross the infantry trenches into the city, Zhukov decisively threw himself into the reserves, using the overwhelming superiority of the infantry to deliberately engage in hand-to-hand combat, and let the infantry carry out a counter-assault at any cost. This tactic gave full play to the Soviet army's advantage in the crowd, so much so that the tank troops had to temporarily stop advancing in order to wait for the infantry, and cooperate with the clearing of every house and every piece of rubble became the object of contention.

The crowded and narrow passage made the infantry on both sides often shoot at each other with their guns on the muzzle, and the bloody and tragic battle scenes unfolded everywhere in the north of the city. So much so that by three o'clock in the afternoon, the casualty figure of the first round of the attack had exceeded the 300 mark

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"Ammunition! All I need now is ammo! ”

In the Kunduz Forward Command and Communications Center, the correspondents were busy with their feet on the ground, and the ticking noise of the telegraph was denser than the torrential rain. From the beginning of the noon battle, this small communication center was crowded with countless signals, and even the mobile radio stations of the battalions of the armored division were called in. Du Yuming ripped off his collar fiercely, panting and rushing into the communication center, looking at the contact machine overhead, picking up the microphone with his head covered his face and drinking violently.

The resistance of the Soviet army was beyond imagination, and the disadvantage of the lack of infantry gradually magnified after entering the city, but these were not what worried him the most, what really disturbed him was that the ammunition was consumed too quickly! After only one afternoon, half of his artillery was dumb due to lack of ammunition, and the four most important 155 howitzers ran out of shells an hour ago.

"Zhuo Fan, how much ammunition do you have?"

"Report to the division commander, each vehicle still has half of the ammunition, and the consumption of ammunition and fuel for small arms is relatively large, but it is no problem to hold on until two days. Now it's artillery, and before the attack on the isthmus we replenished only two bases per gun (32 rounds each), and at this intensity we could only hold out until tonight. The supply convoy, which was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, encountered a landslide last night and is expected to arrive in the second half of the night. ”

"Fuck it!" Du Yuming threw off the microphone. He's already good-tempered, but he's also overwhelmed by this logistics. Not to mention that the road is difficult to walk, it has actually encountered a collapse, and the transportation volume of the field airfield is not large, so I am really anxious. The officers next to them also had bad faces, this elite armored division formed in the land of Shandong has never been afraid to fight tough battles, but it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice.

"Division commander, the mountain brigade has arrived."

While everyone was worried about supplies, a large group of transport planes appeared in the direction of the northern mountains. The 17th transport aircraft of the 43rd Air Force Wing brought not only an entire mountain battalion, but also 680 155-mm grenades, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. The arrival of the 16th Mountain Brigade has finally relieved the pressure of insufficient infantry, and you must know that this veteran unit formed in Bashu is also the only unit in China that aims at plateau operations, and in terms of infantry combat effectiveness alone, it is stronger than the best armored divisions in China.

"Well, why are they here?"

Before meeting with the commander of the mountain battalion, several figures made Du Yuming raise his eyebrows. Zhuo Fan followed his gaze and saw that in a KC-2 passenger plane that had just landed, Bai Chongxi and Zhang Zhidan were talking and laughing, hugging several Arab officers and walking towards the command post