Arc of Gunfire

At 6 pm on the 23rd, Yeiskant 1st Mobile Army Headquarters.

Wang Zhong put down the preliminary summary of casualties and results of the front line and said to Pavlov: "The losses are still huge. The Proson Armored Forces are the hurdle we can't get over."

Pavlov: "Last year, we exchanged several beautiful battles. One time, we took advantage of the enemy's lack of experience in dealing with T34, and the remaining two were defensive battles in preset positions.

"We really haven't taken advantage of the armored confrontation on the plains. In the armored confrontation on the grassland outside Yeisk, we also had the equipment advantage of vortex, but in the end it ended up like that."

While Pavlov was speaking, Popov took the preliminary summary report, glanced at it and said: "In fact, the main losses were in the 40th Tank Army. They are old-style tank troops, and they don't even have many radios. It proves from the side that the new measures we have taken in our army are very effective."

Wang Zhong: "You can say that. Unfortunately, the current radio production is still insufficient. The report given by the Equipment Department before we came said that it would take until October this year to ensure that every tank produced has a radio. ”

Many of Ant’s precision industries are mainly located in the St. Andrews Fort Industrial Zone. Now St. Andrews Fort is surrounded by Proson, and the lost production capacity is not so easy to make up.

Popov: "Think about it this way, it’s a bit extravagant for us to have so many radios."

Wang Zhong: "I won’t reduce our radio equipment, no! The quality of our army’s soldiers is higher than that of ordinary Ant’s troops. Equipping more radios to give full play to the advantages of the quality of the soldiers is far better than giving radios to troops full of recruits."

Popov smiled and said, "I didn’t say I wanted to reduce our radios."

He changed the subject and returned to the current combat goal: "We have hurt the enemy’s Tenth Army now. Next, it depends on whether the fake tank can deceive the enemy."

Pavlov looked at his watch: "It’s almost time for the enemy reconnaissance plane to come. In the past, they came at this time every day, took pictures and ran back at nightfall."

As soon as the voice fell, the phone rang, and Pavlov immediately picked up the receiver: "Headquarters. OK, I got it. ”

Putting down the receiver, he said to Wang Zhong: "Here they come, Brother Peter heard a high-altitude reconnaissance plane and several bombers. They should be here to bomb us and conduct reconnaissance at the same time."

Wang Zhong: "Very good, let the anti-aircraft artillery unit act more realistically! In addition, light the tires at the predetermined location."

The purpose of lighting the tires is to create black smoke, which can interfere with the enemy's photographic reconnaissance. However, this time Wang Zhong specially adjusted the position of the tire pile to ensure that there are enough "gaps" for the enemy to discover the assembled "tank troops."

After giving the order, Wang Zhong happily switched perspectives and looked for reconnaissance planes in the sky.

It took him little effort to find the reconnaissance type mixed in with the bombers. With the help of the bird's-eye view, he even clearly saw the face of the enemy observer behind the glass.

——You must keep your eyes open, observer Dawasili! See the tanks on the ground clearly!

————

On the No. 103 Plossen reconnaissance plane, Air Force Major Hans Fred was operating a ground observation device converted from a bombing sight. This device is linked to the newly added high-magnification camera gun on the belly of the plane. As long as Fred presses the button on the device, a photo will be taken.

The old camera of the plane is still retained. After turning on the timer, it will take a photo at intervals. The developed photos can be connected into a line to record in detail the enemy-occupied areas that the reconnaissance plane flew over.

Major Fred carefully observed the ground, and at this time the captain's voice came from the headset: "Did you see anything?"

Fred: "Not yet. The enemy set the tires on fire and used thick smoke to block my sight. "

Just as he finished speaking, a small black flower exploded about a kilometer in front of the plane.

Ante's anti-aircraft guns came up.

The plane tilted obviously to the right, and other bombers could be seen circling to the right outside the glass.

The firepower killing area fired by the ground anti-aircraft guns had a general effect on the bombers, but the pilot Proson did not want to gamble on the armor and structural strength of the aircraft and rush into the killing area.

The flight route of the fleet switched to the southeast, bypassing the killing area that was already filled with black smoke.

Not long after it resumed level flight, the leader of the formation began to circle to the left, so the floor under Fred's feet began to tilt to the left again.

But during this process, Fred used the observation mirror wholeheartedly to look at the ground.

Suddenly, he shouted: "Something is wrong! There seem to be a lot of tanks under the smoke!"

While speaking, he pressed the operating button several times to let the camera gun take continuous photos.

The captain's voice came from the internal communication: "Are you sure?"

"Not sure. The smoke obscured the view, and I could only see the tip of the iceberg. I request to lower the altitude! "

The captain was silent for a few seconds and said, "Wait for the bomber's bomb to explode and slightly change the wind direction, then maybe we can see it clearly."

At this time, a new fire strike area for anti-aircraft guns appeared, and it was on the side of the flight direction of the Proson group.

But this time, the Ants were careful, and some anti-aircraft guns did not conduct advance aiming, but blindly guessed the new course of the formation.

They guessed it, of course, it may also be that they have summed up experience from long-term research on the maneuvering laws of Proson aircraft.

After all, whether it is Proson's navigator or the leader of the formation, they all like to act according to dogma. This is not prejudice, but they really do so.

In short, as soon as the leader of the formation began to turn, black clouds appeared in the group.

An anti-aircraft shell exploded near the No. 103 aircraft. Major Fred heard a collision in the cabin behind him, and then heard the machine gunner's curse from the inside line: "Damn it! I was hit by shrapnel! Damn it!"

Fred still ignored these and continued to stare at the ground.

Suddenly, a shrapnel penetrated the glass window of his combat position, shattered the glass, and then shattered the instrument panel on his left hand side.

Fred cursed, turned his head and found that the mercury meter was broken, and the mercury flowed out and fell on the steel plate.

Captain: "What's going on? Can you continue to observe?"

"Yes! Please continue to circle."

At this time, the bomber group began to drop bombs, and piles of bombs rushed out of the bomb bay and fell to the ground.

After completing the bombing, the bomber group began to circle right, preparing to enter the return route.

Fred shouted: "Don't return! We have to find out the situation on the ground!"

Captain: "Don't worry, I have no plans to return yet - for now. You have five minutes to confirm the situation on the ground, otherwise I have to leave. The longer I stay over the enemy, the greater the probability of being entangled by enemy fighters!"

Fred's eyes were pressed against the eyepiece of the observation instrument, as if his eyeballs would be dug out by the frame of the eyepiece in the next moment.

"Can't we fly lower?" he asked.

Captain: "No! We have to return, return from high altitude! Otherwise, the enemy's high-altitude fighters will come up!"

Because of the mention of "enemy's high-altitude fighters", Fred raised his head and looked towards the sun - because the dazzling light of the sun in this direction would cover the figure of the aircraft, so sneak attacks are generally launched from the sun.

I don't know if it was because he stared at the observation instrument for too long, Fred actually thought he saw an enemy plane preparing to dive.

Then he realized that it is unlikely that the human eye can clearly see units so far away when facing the sun - even a four-engine heavy bomber would be difficult to see clearly in this situation.

Fred said to the captain: "I seem to see something in the direction of the sun."

"What?" The captain was shocked, "Where is it? Let me see!"

A few seconds later, the captain's voice was full of tension: "You saw it right, Major Fred! The enemy's high-altitude fighters are at high altitude!"

Where else can the high-altitude fighters be if not at high altitude?

The next moment, the captain shouted: "Falcon! Call Falcon! We have key intelligence that must be brought back to the airport! Call Falcon!"

The radio call sign of the fighter group responsible for covering the mixed formation of bombers and reconnaissance aircraft is "Falcon". Now they should be waiting for the enemy aircraft to "bite the bait" somewhere above their heads.

The bait, of course, is the twin-engine group below.

As the captain's call became more and more hysterical, the gunner in the dorsal turret shouted: "Enemy aircraft! Coming towards us! I'm going to open fire!"

The sound of machine gun shooting came.

Major Fred felt his adrenaline rushing, and sweat broke out on his head.

He adjusted the zoom parameters of the camera gun with his hands that were slightly trembling due to nervousness, and then pressed the button continuously.

Suddenly, the plane shook.

The co-pilot shouted: "Left engine off!"

A MiG-3 whizzed past the tail of No. 103.

The tail turret also opened fire.

Fred's earphones were filled with the sound of self-defense machine guns.

Instantly, a voice rang through the earphones of all the crew members: "The Falcon is coming!"

Fred couldn't help but take his eyes off the observation device and looked around for the fighters of the Plosson Air Force.

He saw it.

The signature yellow nose of the No. 109 fighter reflected the sunlight and dived down from the sky.

The MiG-3s that were originally preparing to besiege No. 103 began to maneuver defensively.

Fred saw a MiG-3 trying to use a broken S maneuver to get under the wing of the diving No. 109, but the No. 109 pilot predicted and started rolling in advance.

As soon as the MiG-3 finished the maneuver, No. 109 also turned around, so the pilot easily grabbed a large cross-section with the joystick.

The fuselage of the MiG-3 burned and fell to the ground with thick smoke.

Fred was relieved and prepared to continue observing the ground, but at this time the reconnaissance plane began to circle and turn to the return route.

Fred shouted: "Our fighter plane is coming, let me take more photos!"

"It's too late, we have shut down one engine! Now we can only make an emergency landing in our occupied area! We have to go!"

Fred had no choice but to ignore the fact that the plane was now sinking like a ship about to capsize. He grabbed the observation device and pressed the buttons frantically to take pictures.

We can only hope that some of the photos that are developed can be used!