Chapter 4: Dragon Bear Battle 292: Battle of Sevastopol

Sevastopol is a military port and a fortress. Since Ukraine was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1783, it has been a strategic location in Russia. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. It passes south through the Black Sea Strait to the south and directly to Moscow through the Krim Prefecture Simferopol.

On November 5, 1854, the Battle of Sevastopol had been in progress for 41 days. Dozens of battles of all sizes made the fortifications outside Sevastopol full of bullet marks, but this strong fortress was still in the hands of the Russians. And the Russian army seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack against the coalition forces.

Before dawn, the Russian army began to implement this offensive plan. The commander-in-chief of the entire battle was Lieutenant General Nashimov, with Soimonov leading 19,000 men and 38 guns, attacking southeast along the Kilian Valley; about 5 kilometers away from Soimonov's troops, Pavlov led 16,000 men and 96 guns to attack south from Inkelman Bridge. The western detachment was commanded by Tongrenburg. The 20,000 men commanded by Gorchakov were responsible for restraining the French army and capturing the Sapeng Mountain. The southern fortress defenders supported the offensive forces with firepower and sent small teams to attack to attract the attention of the French army. In addition, they also covered the main traffic route to Bachchisarai with 6ooo people.

The Russian army's purpose this time was very clear, and it was ready to open a gap from the British position and then expand the results of the war.

However, the development of things was not as easy as the Russian army thought. The Russian army marched on the road appeared beside them. When they arrived at the scheduled battlefield, it was already filled with fog.

It was about 6 a.m. Soymonov had no choice but to take care of it, so he issued an order to attack the troops.

Guns and cannons suddenly rang out on the battlefield, tearing the Crimean Peninsula to pieces in a quiet morning. The Russian army attacked the British positions in a column in a heavy fog.

The British army's positions were in the shape of sharp knives and were arranged in two lines. The first and second lines were 15ooo men and 36 guns. Faced with the sudden attack of the Russian army. The British army's good quality and excellent equipment played a role in time. After suffering the losses of the Chinese team on the Indian battlefield, the standard configuration of the British infantry was already the Minnie rifle. Although this gun was obviously from France, it was easy to imitate the British strong industrial system. Therefore, after the United Kingdom had an increase in the performance of guns, the Minnie rifle began to equip the British army in large quantities.

At this time, after the British and Russian troops opened fire, this Minni rifle with an effective range of 5oo yards caused great damage to the Russian army. The Russian army using smoothbore guns could only keep approaching the British positions in order to effectively kill the British army.

Fortunately, whether it is the Minnie gun or the smoothbore gun, the ground guns are weapons with a low hit rate at this time. The performance gap between the two guns is within the range of quantitative change and has not reached a qualitative change. In this way, the Russian army's disadvantage is not impossible to fight. In fact, the Russian army fought very well in this battle when the weapons were at a disadvantage. The Russian army bravely and stubbornly repelled the coalition's attacks many times in the battle.

When Soimonov's troops and the British army exchanged fierce fire, according to the original plan, Pavlov's troops should attack the British flanks. Unfortunately, the latter wasted time because the Kerman Bridge was not repaired in time. In this way, the two main attacking troops lost coordination at the beginning of the battle. The British army had the opportunity to quickly adjust their troops and support front-line positions.

The British army's front-line position was located in a slightly raised hilly land, which stretched for several kilometers. One faced the sea and the other was leaning against the French position Sapon Mountain. To capture the highland, the Russian army needed to pass a rugged road. This road became muddy and difficult to move forward because it had just rained heavily. The great difficulties brought to the Russian army by the Russian army, which was thrown to the front line, was ruthlessly bombarded by British artillery fire due to the crowding.

Soon, 38 artillery pieces under Soymonov also opened fire on nearby highlands, and the situation of the Russian army with the support of artillery improved immediately.

When the battle was dawn, the fog had gradually dissipated, and the Chinese and Russian troops in Soimonov's telescope had broken through many British positions.

At this time, a pair of British cavalry rushed towards the artillery position on the rear wing of the Russian army. Soimonov gave a few instructions to the adjutant beside him.

The order was passed on in the fastest way, and all Russian artillery adjusted the target distance.

The charge was carried out by the British Light Cavalry Brigade Commander, Viscount Cardigan, who was ordered to lead 673 cavalry under his command to raid the Russian artillery positions, hoping to reduce the threat posed by Russian artillery to the British positions.

Russell, a journalist with the army, had the honor and misfortune to witness the shocking cavalry charge on the muddy high ground. He wrote in a battlefield newsletter to the Times: "Now there is a disaster that makes us feel extremely sad and sad. Don Quixote attacked the windmill. But he was not as reckless and indifferent as these brave soldiers, who rushed forward without even thinking about it. Almost certainly died in vain...."

Viscount Cardigan had no idea that Russell was watching all this in the high ground with a sad gaze. He raised his command knife in his hand high in the middle of the team and shouted loudly: "The warriors of England, dye your Iron Cross with their enemies' blood donation."

In the rising sun, more than 600 cavalrymen in red color charged forward heroically in the heroic and intense fighting atmosphere. The loud noise of the iron hooves hitting the ground could not even be covered by the sound of cannons. They looked like a torrent of an iron horse and golden sword, and seemed to be unable to resist their things and could crush everything that stood in front of the iron hooves.

But the facts were subverted in an instant, and the truth was restored to the iron-blooded battlefield of Crimea.

When the Russian army was 120 meters away, all the Russian troops along the line opened fire, and 38 large cannons burst out with tide smoke and flames, and the deadly bullets passing through it hissed. The volleys of bullets caused the bodies of people and horses to scatter, and were carried through the wilderness by injured or riderless war horses. The British army was unable to support them, so they could only watch the light cavalry brigade thrown into the arms of death with their own eyes.
Chapter completed!