bullyxtreme Chapter 163: Taking Vladislavok, the final target is Irkutsk
Chapter 163: Taking Vladislavok, the final target is Irkutsk
When the bomber groups appeared in the sky over Vladislavl, the eyes of the Tsarist Russian soldiers were filled with fear.
It was the first time they had seen such a large group of bombers.
More than 8000 bombers from three brigades flew at an altitude of 9000- meters.
At this altitude, the Tsarist Russia's air defense forces posed no threat at all.
Because Tsarist Russia was not yet equipped with large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery.
However, even large-caliber anti-aircraft guns of 105 mm or even larger would be powerless against such a high altitude and such a large number of bombers.
"Choo Choo Choo....."
One bomb after another cut through the air, making a shrill sound in the sky.
When it landed on the ground, there were bursts of violent explosions.
The explosion of the bombs swept forward like a carpet.
A blanket carpet bombing of Vladislavl opened the campaign against the fortress city.
When the bombers flew over, there were violent explosions on the ground.
The bombs carried in the first wave of bombing against Vladislavl were all high-explosive bombs, napalm bombs and other anti-personnel bombs, weighing more than 500 pounds.
The larger B-29 bombers carried bombs in the 1000- and 2000-pound range.
As the carpet bombing was deployed, the entire Vladislavl was engulfed in explosions.
The earth shook, mountains collapsed and the ground cracked, it was like a purgatory on earth.
The Tsarist Russian soldiers hiding in the underground fortifications were trembling, their hearts filled with fear and despair. The morale of the army had collapsed when the two 305mm cannons were destroyed, and it fell to the bottom.
But General Victor's determination to defend Vladislav Krzysztof was not shaken at all.
Because losing Vladislavl is equivalent to losing the entire Far East.
This is the only seaport of Tsarist Russia in the Far East, and he must defend it for the empire.
The first wave of bombing lasted more than two hours.
The bombing by more than 200 bombers caused great damage to the buildings on the surface of Vladislavl.
In particular, the fortresses and anti-aircraft positions on each hill were severely damaged, and most of the anti-aircraft artillery was destroyed.
Severely weakened Vladislavl's air defense capabilities.
This was also the purpose of the first wave of bombing, which was to destroy the anti-aircraft artillery located in the fortress fortifications as much as possible.
The second wave of bombing was delayed by an hour.
Not only did more than 120 bombers arrive this time, but also an entire aviation brigade of 47 P-51D Thunderbolt fighters and P- Mustang fighters.
Their entry was to further clear Vladislavl's air defense forces and at the same time cover the bombers' low-altitude bombing.
Low-altitude bombing is also to ensure the accuracy of the bombing.
Although both the B-17 and B-29 bombers are equipped with MK15 Norton sights and Hawkeye bombing radar systems, these two high-altitude horizontal bombers have higher bombing accuracy.
But in fact, the higher the altitude, the greater the cumulative error of the bombs.
Therefore, low-altitude bombing can ensure the accuracy of the bombing.
This time, the bomber group's flight altitude was further reduced to between 3000 and 4000 meters.
At this altitude, a lot of anti-aircraft firepower can threaten the bomber group.
When the fighter planes came swarming like locusts, the remaining anti-aircraft artillery in Vladislavl opened fire at the bomber group.
The escorting Thunderbolts and Mustangs, loaded with ground attack ammunition, began to clear these anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns.
Ground anti-aircraft fire did not hinder the bombing of the bomber groups.
The bombs carried by this bomber group were all over 1000 pounds.
There were even dozens of B-17 bombers carrying huge goblet bunker busters.
These goblet bombs are the main force to destroy the fortifications on these hills.
It was this bombing that directly caused the morale of General Vic to collapse.
When the giant goblet bunker-buster bomb fell, the fortifications of Vladislavok looked a little ridiculous.
This 5-ton giant earth-penetrating bomb can penetrate several meters of concrete or explode dozens of meters underground.
The fortress of Vladislavl obviously did not have the ability to defend against this kind of bunker-buster bombing.
A large number of strong fortifications were destroyed in the bombing.
The second round of bombing lasted about two and a half hours.
When the last fighter plane left, the entire Vladivostok had become a burning ruin.
In particular, most of the fortifications they built on the hilltop were destroyed.
Instead, there are huge craters with a diameter of 20 to meters and a depth of nearly meters.
These huge craters were caused by goblet bunker-buster bombs.
In addition to these hills, the port was also heavily bombarded.
There were craters of all sizes everywhere.
There is no longer a single intact building.
The first day of bombing was over, but this was just the beginning of their nightmare.
This time, the Air Force prepared sufficient bombs to bomb Vladislavl, and it depended on whether the Tsarist Russian soldiers could withstand it.
In addition to the Air Force, artillery also began bombarding Vladislavl.
The ones involved in the bombardment were naturally the train artillery regiment coming from the Middle East Railway.
Twelve 12mm caliber K308E railway guns raised their muzzles and accurately targeted the remaining fortifications in Vladislavok.
Although its power is slightly smaller than that of a goblet, the 308mm caliber is still enough to cause damage to fortifications.
In addition to the railway guns, artillery units such as the 1st and 2nd Motorized Infantry Divisions, the 10th Mechanized Infantry Division, and the 11th Armored Division also joined the bombardment one after another.
As long as there is a suspicious target, a round of artillery fire will be launched directly.
"I think the time is right. If I had known the air force was so powerful, I wouldn't have needed to send so many artillery pieces here."
Liao Jie took a helicopter and circled around the outskirts of Vladislavok, and used a telescope to check the current situation of Vladislavok.
The situation was far beyond his expectations.
The air force's destructive power on the Vladislavl Fortress was much greater than that of the artillery, helping the artillery to destroy a large number of ground fortifications in advance.
It was for this reason that Jiang Tianming, commander of the First Army, decided to launch a ground offensive in advance.
This attack was still mainly based on the 11th Armored Division and the 10th Mechanized Infantry Division.
As for the 1st and 2nd Motorized Infantry Divisions, they served as reserves.
Because one Vladislavok cannot accommodate so many troops.
On the third day, under the cover of artillery fire and air force, the 10th Mechanized Infantry Division and the 11th Armored Division deployed their formations and cautiously approached Vladislavl.
There were also some big guys mixed in with the armored forces of these two divisions.
These big guys are more than one size larger than leopards and have a long gun barrel.
These big guys who mixed in were none other than the 1st Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, which had just been put into service and was a direct subordinate unit of the 1st Corps.
The tank destroyer they were equipped with was the famous Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer.
This tank destroyer was also improved on the basis of the King Tiger tank and was equipped with a 128mm caliber 55-caliber large-caliber anti-tank gun.
This anti-tank gun also comes from the Maus super-heavy tank with a tonnage of over 100 tons.
Although the reliability of the King Tiger is very low and maintenance is very troublesome.
But its size and the cannon barrel at the front made the troops in the rear feel safe.
Its function is to provide close-range support to infantry combat.
If you encounter fortifications that the Panther's 76mm anti-tank gun cannot take down, a single shot from the Jagdtiger can basically solve the problem.
These 45 Jagdtigers were also put into combat for the first time.
When the two divisions' tank torrents entered the ruins of Vladislavok, they were unexpectedly counterattacked by Tsarist Russia.
In the direction of the 31nd Battalion of the 2st Tank Regiment of the 76th Armored Division, there is a mm cannon hidden in a concrete fortification.
This cannon was also used for anti-tank operations.
As the 2nd Battalion advanced, a shell flew out from the fortification and hit the front armor of a Panther medium tank.
However, the armor of the Panther medium tank still withstood the shot.
After all, the armor thickness of 100 mm plus the sloped armor is difficult to penetrate unless shot from a specific angle.
The cannon's firing also exposed its position, and it was immediately counterattacked by the 2nd Panther Tank Battalion.
However, this cannon was hidden in a concrete fortification that was one meter thick.
It was able to withstand the bombardment of 76mm high-explosive and armor-piercing shells.
Apart from the cement blocks being hammered onto it, the fortifications remain relatively intact.
However, the Tsarist Russian soldiers inside were not feeling well, as they were dizzy from the shock wave of the explosion.
But they still persisted and fired another shell.
Unfortunately, it didn't hit.
A Jagdtiger tank destroyer from the Second Tank Battalion aimed its gun at the fortification.
"boom....."
There was a flash of muzzle fire, and a 128mm caliber armor-piercing shell whizzed out, heading straight for the fortress only four or five hundred meters away.
With a flash of fire and dust flying, the one-meter-thick concrete obviously could not withstand it, and the people inside and the cannon were blown into pieces.
This is the power of the Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer.
With the addition of the Jagdtiger, the 10th Mechanized Infantry Division and the 11th Armored Division advanced steadily.
The living space of Tsarist Russia was also being compressed bit by bit.
The Tsarist Russian soldiers in Vladislavl were already demoralized and disorganized due to the bombing.
In less than half a day, they lost more than half of their territory, and the advancing troops could even see the port.
In the evening, after a day of fierce fighting, some unusual changes occurred in the port of Vladislavl.
The deputy commander of the fortress tied up the stubborn General Victor and then surrendered to the Restoration Army.
Because they really couldn't hold on any longer, from top to bottom, except for General Vic, no one had the will to resist.
Because this is a hopeless war for them.
General Victor was kidnapped, and more than 20,000 remaining Tsarist Russian soldiers in Vladislav surrendered to the Restoration Army.
All the gunboats and patrol boats in the port were gone.
Jiang Hua did not expect that he could capture the fortress in just two or three days.
It seems that they still overestimate Tsarist Russia.
Even after mobilizing so many heavy weapons, they didn't play much of a role. The Air Force just did the job.
Vladislav has been dealt with, so the only thing left is Irkutsk.