Thunder Strikes Back

Chapter 597 The Weasel in the Jungle
Shells fell overwhelmingly on the heads of the Indians, and each 155mm howitzer fired nearly a hundred rounds in the first hour of firepower preparation at its limit.The 122mm caliber howitzers of several battalions even destroyed nearly 100 shells; while the long-range rockets made the enemy completely lose their rear, even if the logistics transportation line 4 kilometers away was within the strike range.These firepower beat the various technical equipment and main support points of the troops of the [-]th Indian Armored Division on the front that had been scouted throughout the morning.Although the situation of drone reconnaissance shows that the number of enemy equipment found far exceeds the statistics, it is expected that a considerable part of false targets will be deployed to obvious areas to offset China's reconnaissance advantage.However, Wang Zhenbei is a person who does not spare ammunition. He has no time to verify the target. The shells are distributed to all exposed targets like rain, no matter whether they are real or not, and the drone can be detected by the reaction after the shelling. exact judgment.Once a new target is exposed, it will also be bombarded immediately.

Lieutenant General Pacianita's underground headquarters in Amritser was shaken by the sound of explosions. Every time the shells fell close, the lights of the underground fortress would flicker on and off for a while.The fines of sand and gravel that fell from the concrete ceiling fell into the necks of everyone in command, but no one cared.The commander shuttled back and forth in the passage between the communication room and the command room, bringing the depressing news to the commander.

The division commander didn't know whether the Chinese had really grasped the position of the headquarters, but the whole of Amritser was obviously the focus of shelling, and the Chinese at least knew that there was value in striking here.Amritser is 35 kilometers away from the border. The reason why it was chosen here was to keep the headquarters close to the front, and at the same time leave a depth to prevent it from being bombarded. It seems that it is still too close.

The Chinese army apparently has a cannon with a range of at least 50 kilometers, and there are quite a few of them.Pascianita has already had the foresight to disperse the troops and hide the main force in a relatively rear position to counter the enemy's reconnaissance/firepower superiority. However, the number of casualties verified by the staff is still counted every 15 minutes. Frequency, constantly refreshed.At present, those important defensive areas are suffering heavy losses.

It can be seen that the shelling launched by the enemy covers a very wide area, and even the front-line airport near Jalandhar, 105 kilometers away from the border, was attacked by long-range rockets.The 4 Mi-12 helicopters of the transport helicopter unit under the 171th Armored Division were reimbursed at one time and were blown into scrap iron.The division commander regretted that he did not regularly move these facilities, which were completely exposed to the enemy's satellite surveillance, just because he thought that the S300 in Chandigarh was enough to defend it from the enemy's air force, and he didn't think the enemy had artillery that could span such a long distance. Of course, it is based on the range of the Indian army's own tornado rocket launcher, and the conclusion is drawn.

Now he has learned that the Chinese military has a different understanding of firepower. When the whole world is obsessed with tactical air forces and smart bombs, the Chinese are still keen to push the range of various traditional firearms to the extreme. Gradually, At least in terms of range, these weapons have already thrown off the second place by a lot; of course, the world doesn't care much about this change, because as the range increases, the accuracy will decrease.This is also the prediction of many people that the advantage of future warfare comes from the amount of intelligent ammunition, rather than pure range.

Before the war, China has been promoting these weapons on various occasions without deliberately hiding many details, especially in terms of range, but the Indian army always focuses on new aircraft and missiles, and does not take these traditional weapons seriously , The changes that may be brought about in the face of war.Once these long-range weapons are combined with modern reconnaissance methods and mid-course correction methods, their advantages in both tactical capabilities and costs will become factors that can reverse victory or defeat.What's more, the enemy still has terminal laser-guided shells and terminal-sensitive shells that can be distributed by howitzers.The Chinese have already used this very accurate weapon in Assam.

"Damn it, how did their cannon fire so accurately?" A staff officer murmured, "The battalion headquarters of the 211 Battalion was blown up just now, the deputy battalion commander was killed, and the whereabouts of the battalion commander are unknown. At present, only one chief staff officer can act as his representative." command."

"Has the enemy air force increased its offensive? Has it crossed the border?" asked the division commander.

"Crossing the border a lot, but not very deep, our radars are afraid to turn on, and they are not very active. Just dropping some satellite-guided bombs, but the drones are passing through the defense line all the time, and one even flew into the over Chandigarh."

"It's terrible, we are completely caught in a passive situation."

"Once our air defense firepower uses radar, it will be counterattacked by the enemy's air force immediately. They are now attacking all facilities that emit electromagnetic waves, radar vehicles, and communication equipment. Currently, short-range air defense weapons can only use optical equipment, and their effectiveness will be reduced by at least 70.00% .It also makes it easier for their drones to fly over our heads.”

"In your opinion, when will they launch a ground attack?" asked the division commander.

"I don't know. Our unmanned reconnaissance planes simply cannot come and go as freely as they do, and the enemy's front-line communication interception is useless."

"Didn't the Israelis and Koreans help us listen to the enemy's radio?"

"The enemy's FM settings change every few days. They seem to have mastered our electronic reconnaissance troops, tracking and adapting to their frequency hopping changes? Always change the encryption method in advance. It makes our interception useless. I really don't know how they did it Coordinating this kind of work in such a huge force? If it were us, it would probably be messed up."

"This reminds me, could they have been eavesdropping on our communications? When I was in New Delhi, the British military attache raised this possibility. He believed that our encrypted communications had a loophole. He suggested that we choose a southern state. radio calls in native dialect. Both are more reliable than encrypted facilities.”

"The British always mistrust us."

"Yes, they know us too well."

While talking, someone handed over a new casualty report.Pacianita took a look and frowned again.

"The forward artillery battalion fired a short shot, and was immediately suppressed by fire, hitting the ammunition truck. It seems that they are still holding back."

"Teacher, what should we do now? Trapped here?"

"For the time being, we can only defend according to the order of the Army Staff Headquarters. However, General Spanga told me that the defense with armored divisions is only a stopgap measure, and this border does not have strategic value. It can be retreated if necessary."

"How far can we retreat? Chandigarh is behind us. If...we can't repel the enemy, then all the logistics and supply lines of the 40 people on the plateau will be cut off."

"Let the frontline troops withdraw to the second line first, at least to avoid part of the enemy's firepower, and see the enemy's movement before we talk."

At 3:40 pm, the shelling entered its second hour.Wang Zhenbei held a general information on the enemy's losses, and he knew that it was time to launch an attack.This is a report from a secret source, and Lin Huaisheng didn't say much about it, he just said don't ask too much, it's very reliable.

He knows that there is also a mysterious electronic reconnaissance unit acting in coordination with him. In fact, they are not under his command at all, and they don't listen to Lin Huaisheng very much. Of course, this is only one of the enemy's radio communications, because besides the frequency, the enemy's communications are also encrypted, and he doesn't think about how to decipher it.In addition, he also knows one thing, that is, the Chinese interception force has always avoided the Pakistani army. The Pakistani side does not know the existence of this force so far. Maybe they also monitor some communications of the Pakistani army.

What can be confirmed with the above speculation is that in recent days, the superiors have suddenly and continuously asked questions about the disciplinary constraints that the Pakistani army may face after entering the Indian border.Wang Rushi said that there will definitely be actions to retaliate against civilians, and it will be very difficult politically.This point can be seen from the fact that the Indian army broke through the Pakistani army's defense line desperately and wanted to surrender to the Chinese army during the encirclement operation against the 9th Indian Division.

There are rumors circulating within the Indian army that the Pakistani Army does not accept prisoners, so their will to fight against the Pakistanis is very firm.Of course, compared to the guerrillas of various factions in the region, the Pakistan Army is still relatively benevolent.

The other intelligence he had was that the enemy troops had begun to retreat 20 minutes ago, which was observed by a reconnaissance plane.Not only retreated, but also systematically destroyed roads and bridges. Perhaps the enemy commander was scared by the shelling.

From the combat point of view, his armored force must approach quickly, bypass some solid defensive belts, disrupt the enemy's orderly retreat, and surround the enemy as much as possible; and the task of annihilating the enemy must be left to the Pakistani troops behind.

Lin Huaisheng's order has been issued, requiring the tank troops to conduct scattered attacks in the face of the enemy's scattered deployment. He ordered the tank troops to divide into two groups to cross the border and advance quickly to Pathankot all the way. Make use of the forest area as much as possible. To make the enemy aware of the intention, Pathankot has the last railway to Jammu, which is the place where the enemy must save.The other line of tanks attacked Amritzer, where the headquarters of the 4th Division is located. When the enemy assembled the main tank force to any place, he expected the cooperation of the two lines to solve the main problem through one encirclement and suppression.

The 1st Battalion of Tanks received the order to break through from the north. The tank group emerged from concealment and rushed forward to attack. In fact, some reconnaissance troops in infantry fighting vehicles had already crossed the border in front of them.The Indians used their long-range rocket launchers to lay mines in areas that they could expect to be breached, but the reconnaissance troops had already delineated a general area, and there were hints on the navigation route, and the tank troops only needed to bypass it.

Wang Zhenbei's tanks quickly drove to the border where barbed wire fences, ravines, bunkers and high walls blocked the way, and the Indians had already run away.Behind the 1st Battalion of Tanks is the Battalion of Mechanized Infantry.The troops will take advantage of the loopholes in the enemy's defense line at the fastest speed to penetrate to the designated position, and if they encounter blocking, they will bypass them and leave them to the rear troops. no.

Lin Huaisheng's use of drones regardless of cost has made the Chinese army reap great results. The reconnaissance found that the forest area in the north was an area that the enemy had neglected to deploy. After the enemy retreated, there appeared a channel that could be used.The main reason should be that the 4th Armored Division itself is not strong enough. Another reason is that it is not suitable for tank attacks, as can be seen from the map.However, the Pakistan Army sent army personnel to investigate there as travelers 20 years ago, and determined that the slope is generally below 20°. Tanks can pass through the east-west direction during the few months of the year when there is less rain. maneuver.

Wang Zhenbei can roughly guess the intention of the enemy commander. Obviously, the commander hopes to retreat and wait for the Chinese army to use mobile troops to continuously harass weak points after the Chinese army's front line is stretched, making the Chinese army's offensive unsustainable. , which is a fairly aggressive defensive strategy; this is Indian territory after all, and you don't have to face tipping enemy people, which is very different from fighting in Pakistan.

The 1st Battalion quickly crossed the enemy's position that had been turned into scorched earth. This position was located 5 kilometers east of the border, and various artillery and trucks could be seen scattered around the position.The enemy's various vehicles and artillery have good camouflage, but the inherent defects of the towed artillery make it less suitable for modern warfare.

"Call Taishan, our department has successfully crossed the border area, the enemy has retreated, and we can break through to the designated area before dark."

Battalion commander Huang Dexing was on the fourth tank of the forward company. He climbed out of the turret and began to report the situation to the rear brigade headquarters. The communication relay vehicle was just east of the border, and he could call the brigade headquarters at any time.

"Your troops continue to follow the route of the vanguard reconnaissance battalion. Unless you encounter resistance, do not reveal your intentions, and do not destroy the property of the locals."

"I try to avoid the village as much as possible, but the locals seem to have run away. I want to know where the enemy's challenger is hiding."

"Just checked. They blew up the bridge over the Sutlej River. That's the only bridge on the river where heavy tanks can pass. They should have withdrawn to the east of the river."

"It's a pity to run away."

The tank continued to rumble on the uneven forest road. Here in the north, the tree community is single, mainly fir and pine, without annoying shrubs, and the soil is hard enough in January for the tank to travel carefully.Huang Dexing had good eyesight. He noticed that there was something moving tens of meters away from him. It looked very small, like a clump of moving low trees, and it tended to gradually decrease in price.In terms of outline and size, it resembles the three-wheeled transport vehicles commonly seen on the streets of Pakistan.

He called the driver to leave the queue and turn right 30° to follow. He realized that it should be some kind of military vehicle that can run at such a high speed on such undulating terrain, but he couldn't think of any military vehicle that was so small.However, if it weren't for such an abnormal size, he would probably regard it as his own vehicle driving past from one side, because the Chinese-Pakistan coalition forces don't have such small things.

(End of this chapter)