On July 20, 1941, Tukhachevsky's plan for the Salepa River was officially launched. First, 25 T-54s of the 1st Heavy Tank Battalion of the 1st Guards Mechanized Army charged forward under the cover of an artillery barrage. Soon the Red Army's T-54 tanks broke into the dense anti-tank positions of the Germans, and during the battle, the command tank of the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kurzaiv, was hit, and he himself was seriously wounded, so he had to hand over command to the deputy battalion commander, Major Marvili.

After fierce fighting until half past six in the morning, the 1st Heavy Tank Battalion finally broke through the German anti-tank positions and advanced into the German depths. However, under the concentrated fire of our troops and the full force of the attack, the resistance of the German army was crushed. We managed to destroy the enemy's anti-tank positions and drive the enemy troops away! ”

Another T-54 commander of the same unit recalled: "Early in the morning, we were ready to attack on the anti-slope of a hillside. The order was very clear: the German positions in depth in front of them had to be broken through. The battalion commander chose a time when he thought he would not be attacked, and it turned out that the Germans were indeed less vigilant when they did not wake up. The first five T-54s drove to the top of the slope first without any interference. But when they rumbled down the hill, the German artillery hurried out of the covers and returned to their positions......"

"The Germans were quite sharp, you could see armor-piercing shells flying like rain, and the T-54 was constantly being shot in the front, but we were relieved. The defense of this heavy tank, which is not much heavier than the T-34, is really amazing. The shells of the Germans were all bounced to the side...... The poor Germans were terrified. One by one, they stood on the gun emplacement, staring at us dumbfounded, as if they had seen God......"

"After entering within a thousand meters, it is the turn of our tank guns to wield their might, and we have to admit that the only thing that is not so satisfactory about the T-54 is the smoothbore gun, whether it is an armor-piercing shell or a grenade, the accuracy is relatively poor, and it is difficult to accurately hit the target at a distance of a thousand meters. Only within 1,000 meters can the grasp be relatively large. ”

"The German anti-tank guns were destroyed one after another, and they could not penetrate our armor even if they pressed their muzzles against us, and such a battle seemed bullying and gave us a sense of accomplishment...... When all the anti-tank guns were destroyed, the deputy battalion commander immediately gave the order to move quickly. Our battle groups rumbled across the high ground, and the enemy in depth constantly tried to stop us with rifles and machine guns in their hands. At that moment, we rushed at full speed and constantly returned fire with artillery and machine guns, and the trajectory was clearly visible in the morning light, like an unforgettable picture......"

This tank attack, which resembled a cavalry charge, brought a terrible consequence to the Germans: ruin. The T-54 tank group stopped to clean up the battlefield after crushing the anti-tank positions and repelling the German counterattack. To the surprise of the Soviet tankers. The German gunners actually transferred a considerable part of the anti-tank guns in such a desperate situation.

The Red Army's heavy blows caught the Germans off guard, because previously according to the superiors. The Russians are already retreating, all they need is to catch up and kick the polar bear's ass, but who would have thought that the Ivan would suddenly kill a horse pistol?

The German soldier recalled: "...... The violent sound of metal rolling and deafening explosions made us realize that danger was coming, and the company commander was running around, shouting orders us to dig trenches with all our might. Just as we were about to start, the Black Death (Il-2) whizzed low over our heads, followed by Yak-2. But instead of attacking us immediately, the Russian pilots flew towards a few small villages to our right, where they were intercepted by our fighters, and a fierce battle broke out in the air. The explosion was getting closer, and I could hear the engine roaring...... It's a tank! Our defensive position was behind a tall hill. I looked up the ridge with my head held high, and the sentries ran over in a panic to report what they had seen. ”

"Soon we received orders to prepare for a tank attack, and I immediately took refuge in the half-dug foxhole, trying to hide myself with branches, turf, and everything I could find. Of course, we almost all know one thing - this time it's dead. Because we have neither anti-tank guns nor anti-tank mines, we can almost only fight enemy tanks with grenades and rifles. At this moment, a large group of retreating comrades on the ridge rushed towards us, it seemed to be artillerymen, and they were running wildly one by one, which meant that our anti-tank gun positions had collapsed, and the Russians were rushing towards us......"

"Russian tanks finally popped up on the ridge, and about a dozen of them were rushing at us at full speed, tongues of fire from the on-board machine guns licking the fleeing artillery brothers like greedy dragons. I don't have time to feel sorry for them, and the next one might be me, and I remember a very stupid thought that crossed my mind - it's all over! The tank assault of the Russians is terrifying! They even fired at us with tank guns without stopping. This is undoubtedly a huge pressure for inexperienced soldiers, even a veteran like me is trembling! ”

"I know the most important thing now is not to run, even if my feet are no longer listening. We can only allow Russian tanks to pass through our lines, but we must block the mechanized infantry behind. But the damned polar bears are not stupid, they did not rush forward, but turned their heads and crushed our position, they were going to crush us! I even saw a T-54 with red tracks, which was red with blood! ”

The German infantry was doomed to disappointment, not only did the T-54 not advance, but the Red Army equipped with the MB-LT36 tracked transport vehicle also greatly avoided the casualties of the infantry on the way to the impact. To tell the truth, the mechanized units of the Red Army at that time did not use the MB-LT36 as an armored transport vehicle at all, but used it as an infantry fighting vehicle.

The infantry-laden MB-LT36 charged forward with the T-54, and from time to time the infantry in the vehicle could be seen raining bullets through the firing port on the poor German infantry around them. And the German rifles and machine guns could hardly take MB-LT36. And as long as they have a little more firepower. The T-54 would not hesitate to turn the muzzle and smash it to pieces.

Until 12 noon. The 1st Battalion of Separate Heavy Tanks and the mechanized infantry that coordinated the battalion's assault broke through the two lines of German defense and advanced about 10 kilometers. The result was quite good, but soon the Red Army ran into trouble, the Germans laid a large number of mines, and the air force continued to drop bombs and strafe in the air, and more importantly, the Germans immediately regrouped and began to counterattack.

Look at Major Mulvelly's recollections: "We advanced so quickly that the Hans did not have time to form a new line...... But just as we were about ten kilometers forward. On the outskirts of a small village, there was trouble, there was a loud bang, and one of the T-54s of the second company turned into a ball of flames. 'Landmines! Anti-tank mines! My headphones were full of shouting, followed by the roar of airplanes, and in less than ten seconds, machine guns, cannons, and rockets were smashed down on the head, and when the winged German bandits left, I lost three more T-54s......"

"About half an hour later. I began to order the troops to rest in place and count the losses in battle. At this time, I raised my binoculars to monitor the movements of the German troops in the distance. From a distance, we saw three German No. 3 tanks disappearing on the other side of the railway, and they joined forces with infantry and artillery to block our course with heavy artillery and machine gun fire. Soon after, a new order from the division headquarters came down, and we had to move on. After the order to attack, we advanced along the route between the road and the railroad, and due to the recent heavy rains, the soil was quite soft, so our speed was limited, which caused us to lose most of our mobility. ”

"The battle began, and the German tanks attacked our exposed right flank from the railroad embankment, seemingly knowing that their tank guns were not powerful enough, and the Germans no longer tried to attack our front, and even when they attacked the flanks, most of them aimed at tracks and running gear. T-203 No. 54, which had a series of headshots, was hit by the enemy with a load wheel, and the track was blown off, so it had to stop. ”

"For the next few minutes, we watched in amazement as the Germans concentrated all their fire on No. 203, sparking the turret with machine-gun bullets and greeting a few shells from time to time. It wasn't until half an hour later, after we had dispersed the Germans, that the crew of tank No. 203 climbed out of the tank tremblingly, and according to the commander's recollection, they had been hit by at least twenty shells, and the only thing the officers and men of the tank could do at that time was to pray and count silently! ”

"What happened to the 203 tank gave the boys a lot of confidence, and for the designer of the T-54, we are grateful to Dade, we all hope that he will live a long life, and God should bless such a good man with a conscience. The only thing that makes us feel sorry is that tank No. 203 was destroyed by the enemy in the end, and just as the No. 203 crew was being repaired, the damned Luftwaffe came again, and a Stuka seemed to find the embarrassing state of No. 203 and fired dozens of shells at it in one go. The 20mm cannon penetrated the top armor and engine of the T-54, and with the ensuing German counteroffensive, we could only completely destroy the No. 203 ...... with explosives."

It was not only the T-54-equipped units that were harassed by the German planes, but also the Stuka's nightmare for those armed with the T-34 and T-35.

"Our platoon of T-34 No. 502 was targeted by Stuka, and as a series of bullets fell, it quickly smoked and caught fire, and the driver and gun commander struggled to climb out of the car, but were quickly torn to pieces by another Stuka machine gun. What happened to No. 502 sent chills down the spine, and I immediately ordered the driver to slam the throttle and rush forward as fast as I could, and after a long trek, we rushed into the village and hid in a stable. ”

"But not all comrades were as lucky as me, the platoon commander Radzinsky's car was also hit by Stuka's machine guns, the tank quickly caught fire, and Comrade Radzinsky jumped directly into the pond with a ball of flames...... We fought hard in such difficult conditions, and when the Stukas left, we kept going. Probably God also wanted me to avenge the sacrifice of my comrades, and less than a hundred meters from the village, I crashed into three No. 3 tanks. ”

"It was a one-sided battle. It only took my gunner a few minutes to finish out this bunch of damn junk. The first shell paralyzed the leading tank No. 3. The second shell was a little closer. A cloud of dirt was kicked up in front of the enemy tank, and before the third shell could be fired, the Germans returned the fire and was blown away by the first armor, and at the same time we immediately fired back, directly blasting the opponent's turrets away...... The Germans were frightened, and the remaining No. 3 tank immediately turned around and retreated, and was shot by Comrade Radzinsky, who was replaced by a tank to command the battle......"

Although in ground battles. The armored forces of the Red Army did not suffer losses, and even occupied a considerable advantage, but with the support of the superior air firepower of the German army, the losses were still relatively large. For example, the 1st Battalion of Heavy Tanks, mentioned at the beginning, set a record for the farthest assault in the whole army that day, but for this they also lost almost half of their T-54s, most of which were destroyed by Stuka.

It was precisely because the Luftwaffe was powerful enough that this greatly offset the armored superiority of the Red Army, so that the Red Army did not achieve the goals set by Tukhachevsky at all in the first day's all-out counterattack. And as a result, everyone also saw that Tukhachevsky flipped the table.

But what's the use of flipping the table? Tukhachevsky after calming down. The first time I called Arksnis, on the phone. He strongly condemned the Air Force's inaction and demanded that the Air Force earnestly fulfill its responsibility to defend the motherland, otherwise he could only engage in military law!

"Military law is engaged in your uncle!"

Arksnis dropped the phone directly, what does it mean that the Air Force has not fulfilled its responsibility to defend the motherland, on the contrary, the Air Force has done its best, and what is really not strong is Tukhachevsky's plan, it is clear that the front-line airfield has not been repaired, knowing that the distance of this operation is beyond the cover range of the Air Force, and he still insists on going his own way, and in the end the shit can't be pulled out and complains that the earth has no gravity, I'll fuck you!

Arksnis has always had contradictions with Tukhachevsky, and this contradiction was fully amplified by the Great Patriotic War. Now he is full of resentment against Tukhachevsky, and he no longer wants to continue playing with Marshal Xiaotu.

"Tell the Office of the Chief of the General Staff and the General Office of the Military Commission that the Air Force cannot guarantee the cover of the ground forces unless the front-line field airfields can be put into operation!"

As for Arksnis's answer, since Tukhachevsky was extremely dissatisfied, he was forced again in the Military Commission, but what was the use of this, the commissioners, including Frunze, could understand that Arksnis was telling the truth, because when Tukhachevsky formulated the plan for the Salefa River, Arksnis had warned him.

He told the Military Commission that the Air Force lacked front-line airfields that could be used, and that if there were not enough airfields, he could not guarantee that the attacking troops would be covered. And what did Tukhachevsky answer at that time, he believed that the airport was not a problem at all, as long as the Red Army engineering units worked hard and stepped up their repairs, the airport would soon be available.

So, was the engineering troops of the Red Army not powerful enough? No, the main thing is that Tukhachevsky underestimated the intensity of the Luftwaffe's air strikes, so to speak, the Red Army engineering units did not repair as fast as the German bombing, and naturally the chain fell.

And after dropping the chain, Tukhachevsky did not revise the original plan, still pinning all hopes on the armored forces to be able to fight independently, pinning hopes on the carelessness of the German army. But it turned out that it was really not like that.

To be honest, at this time, he suddenly looked for the stubble of Arxnis, which meant a bit of shirking responsibility. And Arxnis is not easy to mess with, so he directly slapped back. Even when Tukhachevsky insisted on continuing the offensive, he directly siphoned off a large number of warplanes and pilots who were lying idle around Minsk.

In the words of Arksnis: "The Air Force cannot wait, it must play a greater role." If the use of front-line airfields is not guaranteed, then we will use them first of all for direct strikes against German targets in depth and for the defense of Kyiv! ”

A large number of Il-2s began to move towards Kyiv, while another group of Il-4 and Tu-3 bombers were transferred to Leningrad in preparation for the next Operation Broken Leg-2.

During Operation Broken Leg 1, the Air Force focused on Axis airfields in Ukraine and Czechoslovakia and Romania, and achieved good results. Operation Broken Leg No. 2 was to carry out more in-depth strategic bombing.

According to Arksnes, the bombing targets were twofold, the first was to bomb Berlin, and the second was to bomb the Ruhr heavy industrial area. The former of these, with its enormous political influence, would boost the morale of the Soviet people, while the latter would deal a heavy blow to German industrial production.

However, in Li Xiaofeng's view, the two targets chosen by Arxnis were not good, and the bombing of Berlin only had a political impact, and in addition to boosting morale, it had little impact on the war situation. And after the bombing of Berlin, the Germans will soon compete with each other to retaliate, which is not very meaningful.

As for the bombing of the Ruhr industrial zone, the idea was good, but the Ruhr industrial zone was too large, and the Red Army's long-range aviation was not so powerful, except for a bit of harassing significance, I am afraid that it would not actually reduce German industrial production. And the Ruhr industrial area is the lifeblood of Germany, Hitler will be so stupid that he will not take precautions?

In Li Xiaofeng's words: "This is far beyond the capabilities of long-range aviation, and in addition to paying huge sacrifices, it will not have the effect of making a final decision." ”

"And you're against Operation Broken Leg 2?" Arxnis was a little frustrated.

However, Li Xiaofeng shook his head and said: "I just think that the target is not suitable, and I think there are two ...... better and more suitable goals" (to be continued......

PS: Bow and thank you to the fox in the desert, Comrade Ma Shen Bobo and Comrade hzwangdd!