Paratroopers, a war army that appeared in the 20th century, only took a few years from its rise to its peak. During World War II, Germany, the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union all had large paratroopers, and in actual combat, the German and the United States-British Allied Forces were the most representative of the German and American-British Allied Forces. The German paratroopers had two crucial airborne battles, the attack on the Low Countries in 1940 and the landing battle on Crete in Greece in 1941. The former is a classic work of airborne war. Although the latter won the victory, the result of the tragic victory completely changed the fate of the German airborne troops; the paratroopers of the United States and Britain also had two crucial airborne operations, the Normandy landing in 1944 and the Market Garden Operation in the same year. The former made the scale of airborne war a historic leap and achieved a great success.

With great success, the latter became an absolute failure. The two airborne troops with obvious differences in backgrounds and characteristics, the experience of ups and downs first and then suppression. The ups and downs opened the world and left many places worth pondering for the generals of various affairs. However, in the summer of 1946, when the luxurious lineup composed of famous Allied generals such as Eisenhower, Montgomery, Lichwei, and Ted decided to launch a large-scale air strike in the depths of the Soviet army, they seemed to have forgotten the past experience and lessons learned, and in addition to being good at siege and counter-encirclement operations, the Soviet army also had attainments that should not be underestimated in position defense and rapid offensive tactics. Moreover, the Soviet army formed a paratrooper unit in large scale earlier than the US-British Allied forces and even the German team.

During World War II, they also organized an airborne operation with a scale of 10,000 people - the night airborne operation of the Dnieper River. Although they suffered a crushing defeat due to poor organization, complex environment and insufficient support, they gave Soviet generals a more practical understanding and reflection on paratrooper combat...[]

Belarus, Orsha.

When another dawn came, in the forest fields east of Orsha City, a long armored column spread out like a giant python of grass-brown. Tank soldiers wearing Soviet tank caps and short-sleeved or vests were busy adding fuel to the vehicles and replenishing cooling water. They were covered in stains and were greasy and wet. The Soviet officers and soldiers who had just completed the feat of 200 kilometers of night travel had not yet reached their real destination, but many of their faces were filled with simple and relaxed smiles.

Rong. You should know that the iron guys they served with all their hearts - T-Ba, Su76 and a few T70 light tanks used for reconnaissance are famous for their inhuman design. The continuous marching for more than ten hours was simply to scatter the human skeleton. In the bright morning light, the red flag bearer waved the flagpole on a t34 turret in front. The stretched flag showed ripples like waves in the wind and embroidered the number of this unit with gold thread: "The 10th Army of the Red Flag Ural-Livov Volunteer Tanks of the Guards".

Since World War II, all enemies and friends have known that the Soviet Red Army had several powerful guard tank troops, including the 5th Army of the Guards Red Flag Stalingrad-Kiev Tanks, the 6th Army of the Guards Red Flag Kiev-Berlin Tanks, and the 7th Army of the Guards Red Flag Kiev-Berlin Tanks. Now, these fully equipped and highly morale troops are fighting on the southern front. The defense line of the Allied South Road troops was scattered under the courageous rush of the Soviet tank soldiers, but this does not mean that there are no troops in the heart of the Soviet Union that can bear the heavy responsibility.

The 9th Army of Ural Man Tanks, the 10th Army of Ural-Livov Volunteer Tanks of Guards, and the 11th Army of Carpathians of Berlin Tanks of Guards. The 0th Army of Ural-Livov Volunteer Tanks was initiated and established by Ural workers from February to April 1943. The weapons and military technical equipment are donated by the working people of Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Perm Prefectures. After they formed the army, they participated in the Proskurov-Chernovice offensive campaign, and Lviv-Sando

The Mez offensive battle fought in Poland for more than half a year, and then participated in the Sandomij-Silesia, Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia offensive battles and Berlin offensive battles, and a large number of combat heroes emerged. After receiving the combat command, the armored force deployed north of Bryansk decisively gave up the transportation convenience of the Moscow-Kiev railway trunk line and directly set off from the assembly ground along the highway along the sky-distance land to the Allied airborne area - the Allied forces with parachute and plane landing here are more than expected.

There were still many of them. The counterattacks organized by the garrisons around Orsha were not won at the first time. Many troops temporarily lost their combat effectiveness due to heavy casualties. While the Allied ground troops besieged Minsk, they also rushed along the railway line with armored corps around the capital of Belarus. Many Soviet troops were attacked from front and back and forth, and chaos occurred. The Allied troops took advantage of the situation to break through two lines of defense to occupy Borisov. The stitched troops had advanced to less than 100 kilometers southwest of Orsha to meet with the paratroopers. It seemed that it was only one or two days.

The bright red flag caused the young soldiers to cheer for the power of youth to move with the wind. Many of them are no longer the workers who volunteered to join the army in the Ural Industrial Zone, but regular soldiers who have been declared, selected and trained. The war has not ended for a long time. Some of the heroes of the Patriotic War retired, removed their armor and returned to their fields, and some have continued to serve in the army. In this armored force, most of the older chariot commanders, non-commissioned officers and officers have experienced the test of war, and some have baby faces and handsome young men have a stronger war experience than they look on the outside.

With the mechanical level of the 1940s, tank vehicles will be seriously worn and worn after long marchs. The Germans suffered a lot in this regard. The Soviet equipment, which was simple and even rough, had obvious advantages in this regard. After less than an hour of rest, the armored column moved forward in the rumbling sound, leaving only those vehicles that had to be repaired due to mechanical failures stayed in place. After a long queue crossed the hillside, a "diversion" appeared, and drove one after another in different directions. This reminded people of the joke about earthworms cutting themselves open and playing games, but the armored forces as a whole did not have to be divided.

If it is dispersed and destroyed, as long as it is properly configured, the power it exerts may be more powerful than it is in one place. According to the Soviet army's disarmament plan, the 10th Guard Tank Army will be compressed into a tank division. However, the rekindled war delayed this reduction indefinitely. At present, this army still has the 61st, 62nd, 63rd Guard Tanks and the 29th Guard Motorized Infantry Brigade. They do not temporarily separate the 4th Guard Red Flag Stalingrad Mechanized Army and the 5th Guard Jimovniki Mechanized Army to fight in different fronts, but stay in the rear as the Soviet army's general reserve team. I have been worried that I can't find a place to show my skills!

A bright red sun rose from the east, and rumbling cannons came faintly in front of the road, urging the Soviet armored soldiers to hurry up, and a buzzing roar also came from the rear. Soon, a group of fighter jets flew over the sky above their heads. Some of them occupied a height of several thousand meters, some were flying at mid-to-high altitudes of about three thousand meters, and some were only a few hundred meters from the ground, which looked quite layered. Although the overall color of the paint was different, the wings of these aircraft were red five-star logos. In the head-on battle, the Soviet army, whether it was the Lar or the Jacques series fighter, lacked the advantages of the comprehensive performance of the Allied Spitfire, Mustang and jet fighter, and it also

They are all recognized as "short legs" - their combat radius is basically on the same level as that of the German Messerchmit 1091 Woolf 190, so that since the outbreak of the war, the Soviet Air Force has always been at a disadvantage in the competition for air supremacy, but the situation is different in northeastern Belarus. The nearest Allied airport is also in Lithuania, more than 300 kilometers away, and there are more than 20 field airports in the area of ​​Orsha within a radius of 150 kilometers. Smolensk, more than 100 kilometers away, is the location of the Soviet air defense combat command in southern Russia. Large military airports are enough for fighter jets and attack aircraft that have transferred from Moscow, Leningrad and other places to be stationed.

The combat echelons of La 5, La 7, Jacques 3, Jacques 1, and MiG-3 flew over one after another. The morale of the Soviet officers and soldiers who were propelling tanks and self-propelled artillery toward designated areas was greatly boosted. These soldiers would not think that their aviation forces would affect their overall combat effectiveness due to the complexity of the aircraft participating in the fight. In fact, the most well-equipped and most outstanding guard fighter aviation regiments were sent to the southern line to participate in the siege of the Allied forces. In order to maximize the support of the army brothers, they had to fight against the Allied air forces with all their might, so it is not surprising that the air forces left behind were not first-class.

When the 61st Brigade of Guard Tank, which was mainly equipped with T34 and supported by friendly infantry, approached the southern field airport of Orsha, which is the "Orsha4 Airport" marked on the Allied map, the number of Allied officers and soldiers who arrived here by parachute and aircraft landing had reached a large number of people, and obtained airdrop ammunition, jeep and anti-tank guns. The paratroopers of the United States and Britain strengthened the defense positions outside the airport overnight and sent two battalions of troops to cooperate with friendly and neighboring troops departing from "Orsha3 Airport" to launch an attack on the city of Orsha. The American and British paratroopers who had successfully occupied the other two Soviet airports had already broken into Orsha from the east. If the Allied airborne troops with a total of 330,000 successfully occupied Orsha, which was defended by the Soviet army, this would create another new record in the history of airborne war!

"Soviet tanks are here!"

When the screams of Wang people penetrated into his ears again, many British paratroopers, including Yang, were no longer surprised and fearful. The two defensive counterattacks last night were extremely beautiful. More than a thousand Allied paratroopers fully utilized their daily training level. They killed all Soviet tanks that were put into the attack with anti-tank rocket launchers and rocket launchers, and then used their number advantage to repel the brave but confused Soviet infantry and successfully defended the airport. After dawn, the Allied forces dropped their follow-up troops and combat equipment with their strong air force, and some large gliders also descended near the airport runway. Although they were repeatedly obstructed by Soviet fighters in the middle, the Allied escort fighters tried their best to protect their transportation

The aircraft fleet minimized the losses. Such air transport brought heavy combat equipment to the ground combat troops, including a team of "Titrachi" tanks, making the battle situation seem to be developing in an optimistic direction. However, the dense and fierce sound of artillery quickly awakened the somewhat optimistic Allied soldiers. He flipped out his telescope and looked into the distance. Smoke rose from the edge of the woods at the end of his sight. After about ten minutes, the figures of the Soviet tanks were clearly visible in the sun. With several kilometers of distance, they looked like children's plasticine toys, but the leaping flames were not festival fireworks. The anti-aircraft gun positions located in the east of the airport were gradually shrouded in the explosion of flames and thick smoke.

"There are tanks over there too! The woods in the southeast!" The screams from his ears were too panicked, which made Yang feel uncomfortable, and it scared the paratroopers around him. Yang realized that the guys under him, especially the two recruits who had only joined the 1st Airborne Division this year, showed melancholy expressions - it would be fine if they were just melancholy, but at critical moments, this often leads to people's slow or even wrong reactions.

Turning in the sound, another group of tanks soon appeared in the telescope. The ranks of the Soviet armored troops encircled from the flanks were also t34. It seemed that there were less than 30 vehicles. There were more tanks and self-propelled artillery behind the woods and propelled the airport. Yang was very surprised. He heard that within a radius of 200 kilometers, there were only Soviet tank troops stationed in the northern suburbs of Orsha. And it was already under concentrated bombing from his side yesterday evening. The Minsk-Moscow railway line was also damaged due to the bombing of several railway bridges and the attacks of Allied paratroopers. It is impossible for the Soviet army to use this railway line to withdraw tank troops from Minsk or send new reinforcements from Moscow in a short period of time. If these news is true, how could Soviet tanks of this size appear in sight?

Unlike the suspicious array set up by Rommel in North Africa, these Soviet tanks in front of him quickly proved their authenticity with artillery fire.

The superior officers quickly issued combat orders, hoping that the paratroopers could use ambush tactics to curb Soviet tanks like last night, but people with rich practical experience like Yang knew very well: that tactics were only suitable for attacking enemy dispersed or small-scale armored targets at night or in complex woodlands. Once they encountered enemy tank troops that were carrying out group charges in open areas, especially those equipped with T34 levels, unless there were enough tanks, anti-tank guns or air suppression, retreat would be the wise choice for the commanders.

In the expectation of allied officers and soldiers, a team of Spitfire appeared in the sky with the aura of the savior. The rockets they carried were powerful enough to penetrate the weak top cover and engine bay of Soviet tanks. This was fully verified during the attack on the German army during World War II. However, the American and British paratroopers had not yet been happy. A group of Soviet fighters dived from high altitude like ghosts and challenged them to the strong challenge below. The British Spitfire had to change their targets and fight. It was dazzling.

After the chaotic rockets fired, the fighters of both sides were mixed together. In the Battle of Britain, the "Spray Fire" caused the Luftwaffe to suffer a lot. Its improved model was called the "pinpoint of the piston fighter". The Soviet Jacques-3 fighter also held the same reputation. It was also called the most flexible and agile fighter during World War II, with the highest aerial performance recognized. The best fighter was driven by well-trained and experienced pilots. The direct dialogue between the two was extremely intense from the beginning.

The Soviet fighter jets fighting at home were slightly superior in numbers. The pilots gritted their teeth and persevered in the battle to kill 1,000 enemies. The elites of the British Royal Air Force did not lose their own skills and scenes, but they could not help support ground wars. The Soviet tanks that passed through the fields and bypassed the woods were advancing very quickly. From a distance, they looked like they launched a cavalry charge. The accompanying Su-76 raised their muzzles high and used artillery fire to cheer for the cavalry. The t34 at the vanguard was not equipped with infantry.

But this does not mean that the Allied paratroopers can get a cheaper advantage in combat. In such a frontal assault, the tanks in the rear row can completely cover the side and rear positions of the front vehicles with machine guns, while the accompanying Soviet infantry closely protected the T-34 in the rear row with their flesh and blood. In addition, some T70 light tanks that were still equipped with dozens of tank regiments and tracked armored vehicles that were gradually increasing the weight of the battlefield. These allied paratroopers who were trying to stop the Soviet offensive fell into helplessness.

As another fighter fell down with black smoke, the battle in the sky gradually decided to win and lose. The British Spitfire fighter with a range of almost the same as that of Jacques 3, took the initiative to turn around and evacuate the battlefield. The Soviet fighter jets did not chase and attack again. Most of them climbed high altitude to provide air cover for the attack of their own ground troops within the time when the oil could maintain. Some of them were probably not much ammunition and oil left. They dived down and fired at the Allied Airborne positions around the airport, and then pulled the head to the northeast. On the ground, the "Titrachi" that provided fire support for paratroopers with 762mm cannons was the light tank nicknamed "Lord" and the Soviet anti-aircraft guns seized by the paratroopers made their final efforts. The miracle did not come, and the t34 relied on the strong and strong.
Chapter completed!