Beiyang 1917

1918年7月11ri14：00巴夫雷附近

The two overwhelming air strikes by the coalition air force in the morning completely woke up Yegorov and the Red Army soldiers of the Ninth Army. The defeat of the southern group of the Front Army under the city of Ufa still had the taunting mentality of watching the fire from the other side. At this moment, I didn't even see the ground troops of the coalition forces. I suffered such a heavy air blow all at once, which made Yegorov and the first Almost everyone in the Ninth Army shuddered.

In all fairness, Yegorov's troops suffered heavy casualties from the air strikes. The main reasons were the lack of awareness of air defense and evacuation and concealment drills by the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army. However, the time for dispersal and concealment was delayed in order to evacuate and evacuate the mountains of food and ammunition. It is the second reason, and the third is the lack of sufficient anti-aircraft weapons. The Malamax wheeled machine gun hastily dragged off the carriage and erected to a high place to intercept shooting is ridiculously poor.

As soon as the airstrike in the morning ended, it took more than an hour for the Ninth Army to collect the troops and count the casualties, treat the wounded and save the food on fire. More than 1000 people were killed, and more than 2000 people were injured in each division. More than half of the transported food and ammunition was lost under the air strikes. Nearly 6000 people were killed in the whole group, and nearly 12000 were injured.

What's more terrible is that the violent air strikes by the coalition forces on such a scale have caused a great psychological shadow on the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army of the Ninth Army. In the Red Army without enough air defense weapons, many people are the first to join the Red Army It was the first time to see an enemy plane, and it was the first time for more people to see such a large-scale fleet, not to mention the huge lethality caused by the dense explosion of aerial bombs on the ground during an air strike.

Fortunately, the division commanders and political commissars of the Ninth Army were all lucky generals, and they all survived this coalition air strike. The six division commanders, political commissars and chiefs of staff were almost unscathed. Participating in the Eastern Front battlefield and seeing plane sweeping and bombing are inseparable. Jiang is still very old. A few years ago, many people were just middle and lower-level officers in the Tsarist Russian army. In 1918, everyone became division commanders and political commissars. The chief of staff is gone, and the air defense experience accumulated in the past is obviously playing a role at this moment.

"Comrade Commander, the enemy's air strikes were sudden and violent, and the entire army suffered heavy casualties. I propose to inform the Southern Group and Moscow of our current situation. Mighty is responsible for the warning! This is something that caught us completely off guard! The Ninth Army lacks sufficient anti-aircraft weapons, and the soldiers had no awareness and training in air defense before. If the problem of air supremacy is not resolved, going further east is committing suicide !"

Kniagnitsky, the political commissar of the Ninth Army, led a group of indignant division commanders and political commissars to surround the commander of the army, Yegorov, clamoring for compensation for the losses from the Eastern Front and the Southern Group!Moscow must be held accountable for the concealment and false reporting of military information by the Southern Group!

"Enough! How decent! Are you still the glorious Ninth Army? Are you still a division commander?! Look at you now, the responsibility for losing the battle is someone else's?! Why didn't the main force of the Southern Group encounter air raids? , The Rzhevsky Cluster didn’t suffer an air raid, but you did?!” Yegorov slapped the table, and his roar could blow over the entire roof.

The political commissars of the division commander immediately fell silent after being yelled at by their army commander. Yegorov has the supreme authority in this army. Together with Tukhachevsky, he is known as the red duo among the young generals of Soviet Russia!

Yegorov's army headquarters was set up in a newly erected tent on the hillside, camouflaged with twigs and dry grass, and of course next to the air-raid shelter dug through the hillside.

In the morning, the intensive air strikes and bombings by the coalition air force almost destroyed all the buildings in dozens of surrounding villages, and the center of Bafrey town suffered the most bombs. At this moment, there are broken walls everywhere, and it is impossible to find a few complete houses. Everyone quickly summed up the experience, that is, when an air raid comes, just like an earthquake, you must not hide in buildings or woods. The best way is to hide in an air defense trench.

The first-choice ground targets for bombing by the Allied Air Forces were conspicuous buildings and food stacks, wagons and groves, and of course there were trenches, but unless the bomb landed right next to you in a trench, your chances of surviving would be greater than Run around on the ground.

"The task of each division now is to consider what you will do when the next enemy plane comes to attack. Are the troops dispersed enough? Are the food and ammunition covered? Have the air defense trenches been dug for me? Are the wounded settled? Alright? Are the anti-aircraft machine gun teams ready?" Yegorov's tone was still stern, scolding his division commanders and political commissars while glaring at them fiercely!

"But Commander, do we still want to stay here? If the coalition forces are not fully secured, there will be another bombing. The division commanders all suggest that the entire army of our group army should be transferred as soon as possible!" Kniagnitski, the political commissar of the group army, boldly expressed everyone's aspirations !

"Until there is no order from Moscow, we will not go anywhere. The task of the divisions of the Ninth Army today is to dig air-raid shelters and trenches, and send air-raid posts to me 24 kilometers to the east, south and north! Radio [-] Keep in touch with the Budyonny Cavalry Division in October Town, and keep in touch with the Southern Group Command!" Yegorov thumped the table hard.

The commander of the group army said so resolutely that the division commanders and political commissars had no choice but to leave the tents and return to their respective divisions to implement Yegorov's order. After staying, the three of them closed the door for a small meeting to decide on the next step of the army and the battle plan.

"Comrade Yegorov! Are we really staying in Bavley and not moving? Who knows if the coalition forces will come to us again in the next air strike? I even wonder if Tukhachevsky will be attacked by the left The Social Revolutionary Party instigated a rebellion and reached a tacit agreement with the enemies of Ufa. Otherwise, why did the bombers of the Allied Air Force fly over the heads of the Southern Cluster this morning without dropping a single bomb?

There are ten divisions in the southern cluster of the Eastern Front Army, but we only have six divisions!It's impossible that they didn't see the Red Army positions on the line between Milner and Acehkovo?This matter is strange, absolutely suspicious! "Political commissar Kniagnitsky is obviously better at analyzing and looking for reasons from the outside.

"Comrade political commissar! You are the political commissar of the Ninth Army, and you must set an example for the division commanders and political commissars below in every move. The more you encounter setbacks, the less you should be suspicious! Besides, Tukhachevsky has been exonerated. I went to the post of commander of the group, and now the southern group of the Eastern Front Army is represented by Ma Xin, the commander of the second group army!" Yegorov glanced at his political commissar dissatisfiedly, and while he took out shredded tobacco from his pocket, he took out a piece of paper. paper, and started to roll cigarettes for himself.

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Political Commissar, I have an idea. The reason why Ufa's coalition air force dispatched large-scale air strikes and bombed our group army is mostly due to the food and ammunition we escorted!" the group army staff officer said. Chief Stepin said.

"He nainai, if it weren't for the evacuation of the food and ammunition brought to the Eastern Front, we wouldn't have suffered so many casualties. It's hard to explain to Moscow. The enemy's ground troops didn't see anything, so they lost One-third of the troops!" Political commissar Kniagnitsky pouted.

"In the future, when encountering air raids, the first thing for all soldiers is to evacuate and hide. Throw away all the pots and pans first. It is better than anything else to save your life and the weapons in your hands. Chief of Staff, you will lead the team to check later. Is the anti-aircraft machine gun group of the company ready? Putting up the cart at one end is a ready-made machine gun stand, and trenches and bunkers need to be dug around, otherwise the morale will collapse if you can’t do anything but just get beaten and can’t change hands!” Yegorov said Gritting his teeth.

"Comrade Commander, are we really staying here? The houses in the villages around Bavley have been ruined by the coalition air strikes and almost all collapsed. Our goal in staying here is too big!" Chief of Staff Stepin hesitated. Asked, he agrees with political commissar Kniagnitsky that it is the best policy to move the army as soon as possible.

Yegorov didn't answer Stepin's question, and just sprinkled the shredded tobacco evenly in the paper roll, and rolled it into a cigarette. The political commissar here hurriedly lit a fire for his commander.

Yegorov took a big puff of cigarette beautifully, and it took him a long time to spit it out. The aroma of Mohe smoke filled the tent, and the political commissar and chief of staff here also lit themselves with Volga produced by the Tsaritsin Tobacco Factory. cigarettes.

"Of course the army group has to move. I have already sent a telegram to Moscow and the Southern Group, reporting the damage caused by the air strike, and asking for directions for the next move!" Yegorov said nonchalantly, blowing the ash on his cigarette.

"Already sent a telegram? Why hasn't the call back yet?" The political commissar and the chief of staff looked at each other, and the joy in their eyes was obvious.

"Obviously Moscow is arguing about this matter, and he can't do it himself in the southern group Maxin. As for us, of course we have to wait for the instructions from the top! But no matter what decision Moscow makes, there is no doubt about the transfer of the group army , we will act as soon as it gets dark!" Yegorov took a deep puff of his cigarette, and finally confessed to his two partners!